Past Simple Tense

Due the amount of irregular verbs many English learners find the past simple tense quite difficult. But taking the advice given by this article, you should be able to understand use the past simple tense more easily.The past simple tense is used for actions that are completed in the past. It is also used for past habits, routines and more. Verbs that take regular forms (ed) are simple to form but are harder to pronounce. There are three different sounds for past simple regular verbs: /id/, /d/ and /t/. The /id/ sound is easy to remember as this sound is used when the 'ed' is preceded by either a 't' or a 'd'. The other two sounds are harder to remember through rules, so it is best to repeat and remember some of the more common verbs using these sounds. Then when you come across a new verb you should be able to automatically assign the correct sound.Irregular verbs in the past tense are numerous and this can be problematic. Most course books and grammar books have a table of these verbs in the appendix. A lot of students try to remember the verbs through the base form, past simple form and the past participle (which is used for the present perfect for example). But because English irregular verbs are some of the most common verbs, students generally learn these through everyday repetition. Instead of trying to remember each irregular verb from a table, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with these verbs and then look for them in context. You will be surprised to know just how many of these verbs you will know just from how regularly they are used.A good way to practise the past simple tense is to try and talk about the past as often as possible. This could be with your tutor or students on your English course, with English speaking friends or with a language exchange. There are plenty of resources online that have exercises on the past simple tense.The past simple tense can be daunting but with steady progress and learning through context, you should be able to master the past simple.