Past simple regular verbs
We use the past simple for finished actions in the past e.g. We watched a good film on TV last night/I lived in Barcelona last summer. The following past time expressions are some of the more commonly used
Past time expressions
- Yesterday morning
- Last night
- Last month
- Three days ago
- Five minutes ago
- Last week
- Last summer
- The day before yesterday
- A year ago
- In 2005
Spelling rules for regular verbs
| Infinitive | Past | Spelling |
| watch
play |
watched
played |
add -ed |
| live | lived | add -d |
| stop | stopped | one vowel + one consonant = double consonant |
| study | studied | consonant + y = ied |
Pronunciation rules for regular verbs
The -e in -ed is not usually pronounced and -ed is pronounced /d/ or /t/ e.g. closed /kləʊzd/, stopped /stɒpt/. The -ed is pronounced /id/ only with verbs which end in the sound /t/ or /d/ e.g. waited /weɪtɪd/ ended /endɪd/
| 1. -ed /d/ | 2. -ed /t/ | 3. –ed /id/ |
| called | looked | wanted |
| arrived | relaxed | chatted |
| listened | stopped | texted |
| played | finished | started |
| travelled | asked | needed |
| cooked | missed | cheated |
| lived | watched | sorted |
| reached | typed | beaded |