Past Simple - Uses

Past Simple: Uses

Past Simple is used to describe an event that began and ended in the past. Whether the action happened over a short, brief time period or was repeated over a longer period, Past Simple indicates the action has now stopped.
Ex: When Julie visited Europe for a month last spring, her favorite city was Paris for its history and culture.
Ex: As a child, John played the piano. In his twenties, he learned how to play the drums. Now he plays the guitar.
Stories are also usually told in Past Simple.
Ex: Once upon a time, a beautiful princess left her mother and father's kingdom and traveled to a foreign land.
Ex: After the two business leaders had met many times, they finally made a deal and combined their companies.
When pronouncing the ¬ed ending of past tense verbs, add a /d/ or /t/ sound to most words. Do not pronounce the vowel e.
Ex: The doctor delivered the baby by Caesarean section, and it cried when it emerged from its mother's stomach.
Ex: The small child begged the arrogant bully not to hurt him, but as the crowd gathered, the nasty bully closed his hand into a fist.
If the verb ends in ¬d or ¬t, pronounce the ¬ed as an additional syllable /ɪd/.
Ex: The arrogant athlete boasted to his teammates that no runner came within ten feet of him until the race ended.
Ex: When the plane landed in Alaska, I expected it to be cold and snowy. Instead, I found it was sunny and as warm as a spring day.