Form Use Irregular verbs Signal words "Was" vs. "Stayed" Exercises

Form

Positive — regular verbs

SubjectVerbExample
All subjectsverb + -edI worked yesterday.

Negative

SubjectStructureExample
All subjectssubject + didn't + base verbI didn't work yesterday.

Questions

TypeStructureExample
Yes/NoDid + subject + base verb?Did you work yesterday?
Wh-Wh- + did + subject + base verb?Where did you work?
Remember: In negatives and questions, use the base verb (no -ed): "Did she work?" (NOT "Did she worked?")

Spelling rules for -ed

RuleWhenExample
Add -edMost verbswork → worked, play → played
Add -dEnds in -elive → lived, love → loved
-y → -iedConsonant + ystudy → studied, cry → cried
Double consonant + -edCVC pattern, stressed last syllablestop → stopped, plan → planned

Use

UseExamples
Completed actions in a finished time with no connection with the presentAlways say the "when" — a time expression (yesterday, last week, in 2010) or a "when" clause (when I was a child, when she arrived). Without it, the sentence feels incomplete: the listener needs to know when this finished time was.
I watched a film last night.
She called me at 3 p.m.
I learned to swim when I was five.
❌ I visited Paris. → ✅ I visited Paris last year. (the "when" is required)
Series of past eventsA chain of completed actions told in the order they happened. The time frame is usually set once, at the start — you don't need to repeat "when" before every single action in the sequence. Usually to simplify a process or a recount.
He woke up, had breakfast and went to work.
Yesterday, she got up, packed her bags and left for the airport.
Permanent situations in the past (No longer true)A situation, circumstance, or state that lasted for a period of time in the past, but isn't true anymore.
We lived in Buenos Aires for ten years.
She played the piano when she was a child.
I studied at The University of Barcelona.
I worked in that company for 10 years.
Past habitsA repeated action in the past that doesn't happen anymore. Can be expressed with the Past Simple, but is more naturally expressed with used to or would. They aren't interchangeable: used to works with both actions and states, but would only works with actions — never with states.
I used to play tennis every weekend. (action — used to ✅)
I used to live in London. (state — used to ✅)
When I was young, I would visit my grandmother every summer. (action — would ✅)
❌ I would live in London. → ✅ I used to live in London. (state — would ✗, must be used to)
Why "no connection with the present" matters: This is the key difference between the Past Simple and the Present Perfect. The Past Simple is for a finished action in a finished time — the time period itself is over ("I lived in Spain in 2015"). The Present Perfect is for something that still connects to now, even if the action itself is finished ("I have lived in Spain" — could still be true, or relevant now).

Common irregular verbs

These verbs do not add -ed. You need to learn them by heart. This is the full list — browse through it with the arrows.

Signal words

These words often appear with the Past Simple:

yesterday last night / week / year ago (two days ago) in 2010 when I was a child at 3 p.m. in the morning

⚠️ "WAS at home"

When someone asks you "What did you do last weekend?" (or last night, yesterday, last week...), answering "I was at home" is grammatically correct — it's not a mistake. But it's usually not what a native speaker actually says, and it doesn't really answer the question that was asked.

❌ Not wrong, but not the natural answer:
"What did you do last weekend?" → "I was at home."
✅ What natives actually say:
"What did you do last weekend?" → "I stayed home." / "I stayed home and watched movies all day."
⚠️ Why "stayed" and not "was": "Was" describes where your body was — a location or state, not an activity. But "What did you do?" asks about an activity. "Stay" is an action verb — a conscious choice — so "I stayed home" actually answers "what", not just "where". This isn't a grammar rule you're breaking; it's a matter of naturalness and accuracy.

Exercises

Practice what you've just learned:

EXERCISE:

Exercise 1 — Fill in the blank

Write the correct Past Simple form.

1. Last night I (watch) a great film.
2. She (not / go) to school yesterday.
3. (you / see?) the match last weekend?
4. He (study) for three hours.
5. We (go) to the beach last summer.