building blocksSimple Past: Regular Verbs

Introduction

The simple past tense is one of the most common tenses in English. Its form is the same with all subjects. It is usually formed by adding -ED to the verb. This page will explain the rules for forming the tense with regular verbs.

1. Forming the simple past tense

With most verbs, the simple past is created simply by adding -ED. However, with some verbs, you need to add -D or change the ending a little. Here are the rules:

Verb ending in... How to make the simple past Examples
e Add -D live arrow to the right lived
date arrow to the right dated
Consonant +y Change y to i, then add -ED try arrow to the right tried
cry arrow to the right cried
One vowel + one consonant
(but NOT w or y) 		Double the consonant, then add -ED tap arrow to the right tapped
commit arrow to the right committed
anything else including w Add -ED boil arrow to the right boiled
fill arrow to the right filled
hand arrow to the right handed
show arrow to the right showed

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.