1/15
00:00

JJ.1 Learn to use regular past tense verbs in sentences

Loading questions...

What is the regular past tense?

Regular past tense verbs show that an action already happened. Most regular verbs form the past tense by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.

Examples:
  • walk → walked
  • play → played
  • jump → jumped
Note

Past tense tells us something already happened. Regular verbs usually follow the same pattern by adding -ed.

How do we form the regular past tense?

To form the past tense of most regular verbs, add -ed to the base verb. Some verbs require small spelling changes before adding -ed.

Examples:
  • talk → talked
  • drop → dropped (double the final consonant before adding -ed)
  • study → studied (change final -y to -i and add -ed)
Note

Watch out for verbs ending with y or a single consonant. They may need a spelling change before adding -ed.

Common spelling rules for regular past tense

When forming the past tense, remember these spelling rules for regular verbs:

Rules:
  • If a verb ends in e, just add d (like love → loved).
  • If a verb ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -ed (like carry → carried).
  • If a one-syllable verb ends with consonant–vowel–consonant, double the last consonant before adding -ed (like hop → hopped).
Note

These rules help keep the word spelling correct when adding -ed.

Using regular past tense in sentences

The past tense shows completed actions in a sentence. Use the correct form of the verb to make your sentence clear and correct.

Examples:
  • “I play soccer.” → “I played soccer.”
  • “She walks to school.” → “She walked to school.”
  • “We carry our books.” → “We carried our books.”
Note

Read your sentence out loud to make sure it sounds right in the past tense.

Why is the regular past tense important?

Understanding and using the regular past tense correctly helps you write and speak clearly about events that already happened.

Examples:
  • “Yesterday, I watched a movie.”
  • “We painted the classroom last week.”
  • “She visited her grandmother on Sunday.”
Note

Using the correct past tense makes your writing easier to understand and keeps it grammatically correct.