In the Past
Past Simple
Use the past simple for activities which took place at a specified time in the past. This specific time is often stated through the use of a time expression such as 'ago'. However, the past simple is also used when the past time is understood from the context. All subjects take the same conjugation of the verb in the positive form. Negative and questions take the auxiliary verb 'did'. Regular verbs end in '-ed'.
visit - visited
want - wanted
Irregular verbs have various forms that must be memorized. There are often patterns that can be memorized, but there are no specific rules.
buy - bought
have - had
Example:
BP didn't release a transparent production statement in May.
The production worker was accepted into his employer's group health insurance plan six months ago.
Where did they install the automated storage and retrieval system?
The materials came to us on a backhaul delivery last week.
Positive Form:
Subject + past conjugation + (object(s)) + time expression
GM improved their production standards last year.
Negative Form:
Subject + did + not + verb + (object(s)) + time expression
BP didn't release a transparent production statement in May.
Question Form:
(Question Word) + did + subject + verb + (object(s)) + time expression?
How did they reduce the production time involved last year?
The past form of regular verbs ends in '-ed'. Irregular verbs must be studied individually. Here is a list of some of the most common irregular verbs.
Time Expressions Often Used in the Past
last - Use when speaking about the previous week, month or year
yesterday - Use when speaking about the previous day
ago - Use when speaking about X days, weeks, months, years before the present moment in time. 'Ago' always follows the number of days, weeks, months or years
in - Use when specifying years or months
when - Use in combination with another clause
Example:
The materials came to us on a backhaul delivery last week. They got caught up on the backlog last month. They started including auxiliary materials expenses in the report eons ago. The production worker was accepted into his employer's group health insurance plan six months ago.