Job Center Home

Korean Job Board

China Job Board
International Job Board
Job Wanted (Resume) Board
Job Links
Post Your Resume
Recruit Teachers

Idea Cookbook
International Job Forums
Korean Job Forums
Post Your Resume
Teacher Forums
Teacher Training Forum

Help Center
Grammar Lessons
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Pronunciation Power
Quizzes
Slang
Student Forums

Bookstore / Alta Books
Chat Central
Photo Gallery
Podcast!
Today in History
ESL Links!

> Back to Grammar Lessons Page
Simple Past Tense #2, by Dennis Oliver


Simple Past Tense #2

English uses verbs in the simple past tense to refer to
actions, situations, or events that are finished and that
happened before now. There are three ways to form
simple past tense in English. One way is what happens
with the verb be: it uses the special forms was and were.
Another way is what happens with regular verbs.
(They are called regular because they all add the same
ending--ed--or some variation on it.)
______________________________
The Simple Past: Regular Verbs
Simple Past Tense #2, by Dennis Oliver - Free English Grammar Lessons http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/simple_past_tense02.html
1 de 3 20/05/2014 16:11

Regular verbs make their past tense by adding - d, - ed,
or (if the verb ends in a consonant + y), changing the y
to i and then adding - ed.
Examples:
Add -d:

baked, cared, eased, filed, greased,
hated, liked, piled, raced, seized,
smiled, typed, wheezed, whined

Change y
to i and
add -ed:

apply / applied;
bury / buried;
cry / cried;
fry / fried;
hurry / hurried;
marry / married;
pry / pried;
spy / spied
try / tried
vary / varied
worry / worried

Add -ed:

other regular verbs:
asked, belonged, clapped,
dialed, filled, guessed,
hopped, looked, marked,
needed, pulled, reached,
started, touched, viewed,
washed, yelled, zipped
__________________________________________

Special Notes:
1.

Add only - d if a regular verb ends in one or more
vowels, a single consonant (except x), and e. See
the examples above.

2.

If a regular verb ends in a single vowel and a single
consonant (except x), double the consonant before
you add -ed:
beg / begged; clap / clapped; fan / fanned;
hop / hopped; jog / jogged; mar / marred;
pin / pinned; rip / ripped; slam / slammed;
tan / tanned; whip / whipped; zip / zipped
Compare these verbs:
hop / hopped and hope / hoped;
pin / pinned and pine / pined
file / filed and fill / filled;
like / liked and lick / licked

3.

If a regular verb has two or more syllables, if the
verb ends in l or r, and if the last syllable is stressed,
double the l or r before you add -ed:
Simple Past Tense #2, by Dennis Oliver - Free English Grammar Lessons http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/simple_past_tense02.html
2 de 3 20/05/2014 16:11
compl / compelled;
confr / conferred;
contrl / controlled;
defr / deferred;
fulfl / fulfilled;
prefr / preferred;
propl / propelled
If a regular verb has two or more syllables, if the
verb ends in l or r, and if the last syllable is not
stressed, do not double the l or r, before you add -ed:
cncel / canceled;
hnor / honored;
sffer / suffered;
trvel / traveled
Note that British spelling does not use this rule.

4.

If a regular verb ends in a consonant and y (or if
the final syllable of a regular verb ends in this way),
change the y to i and then add -ed:
apply / applied; bury / buried; cry / cried;
copy / copied; defy / defied; fry / fried;
falsify / falsified; hurry / hurried; modify / modified;
pity / pitied; qualify / qualified; reply / replied;
spy / spied; supply / supplied; try / tried

5.

If a regular verb ends in a vowel and y (or if the
final syllable of a regular verb ends in this way),
do not change the y to i and then add -ed:
annoy / annoyed; dismay / dismayed; enjoy / enjoyed;
obey / obeyed; play / played; stay / stayed

6.

If a regular verb ends in x, add only - ed. Do not
double the x:
box / boxed; fax / faxed; mix / mixed; tax / taxed

7.

Regular verbs ending in other spelling patterns usually
add -ed.
____________________________________
Next: more on simple past tense
> Back to Grammar Lessons Page
Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave
Copyright 1995-2007 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map
Simple Past Tense #2, by Dennis Oliver - Free English Grammar Lessons http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/simple_past_tense02.html
3 de 3 20/05/2014 16:11