Simple Past Tense
Man: What did you do yesterday?
Woman: Yesterday was my day off. I started the day early and finished up a lot of house chores before work. I cleaned the kitchen, mowed the lawn, mailed some letters, emptied the trash, and washed my clothes. I even dusted the furniture.
Man: Wow! What did you do after that?
Woman: After that, I walked to work because I needed to do some things for my job. I didn’t take the bus because it looked full. I enjoyed the walk though, as I strolled through the park to my office.
Man: Wait! Did you work? It was your day off!
Woman: Yes, I know! I did work! I worked for about three hours. I checked some emails and finished a paper I needed to send to a customer.
Man: Did you work long?
Woman: No, after that, I walked to my local gym. I exercised for about one hour. I lifted weights and walked on the treadmill for some time. Then, I showered and headed home.
Man: What did you do last night?
Woman: At home, I cooked dinner and chatted with my roommate. After eating, I cleaned up the kitchen. I wanted to watch a movie, but it was too late so I decided not to. All in all, it was a good day.
Grammar Focus
Past tense verbs usually end with an -ed ending but only for affirmative sentences. For questions and negative statements we use did to express the past. See below.
(Q) Where did you work?
(A) I worked in an office.
(N) I did not work in the city.
There are three ways to pronounce the -ed ending.
-ed = /t/ Verbs ending with non voiced sound such as the following: -sh, -ch, -p, -k, -s, -t.
I washed the dishes
I walked to work.
I worked at my desk.
I talked to my friend
-ed = /d/ Verbs ending with voiced sound such as the following: -n, -y, -v, -m.
I cleaned the room.
I enjoyed the movie.
I mowed the lawn.
-ed = /id/ Verbs ending with -d or -t.
I wanted to go.
I decided to stay.
I needed to sleep.
Negative
I did not work.
I didn’t sleep much.
(did not = didn’t)
