155+ exercises on simple past tense verbs with detailed answers

Based on my experience, common challenges in using past simple tense include confusion between 'was/were', difficulties in adding '-ed' to verbs, and irregular verbs.

In the following article, I'll help you summarize essential knowledge on forming the simple past tense verbs through practicing various exercises, focusing on:

• Lý thuyết về thì quá khứ đơn.
• Làm các dạng bài tập chia động từ thì quá khứ đơn.
• Xem đáp án, giải thích chi tiết và lưu ý.

Let's get started right away!

1. Theory on forming simple past tense verbs

First, let's review the theory together to practice forming simple past tense verbs in English.

Please see the summary of the theory on forming simple past tense verbs in the image below:

2. Exercises on forming simple past tense verbs in English

Below are exercises on forming simple past tense verbs compiled from reputable sources to help you practice more on verb conjugation for better application in daily English.

The exercises will include: 

• Điền dạng đúng của động từ to be ở thì quá khứ đơn.
• Chọn đáp án đúng.
• Điền dạng đúng của động từ ở thì quá khứ đơn.
• Viết dạng khẳng định, phủ định hoặc nghi vấn của câu.

Exercise 1: Fill in the correct form of the verb 'to be' in the past simple 

(Exercise 1: Fill in the correct form of the verb 'to be' in the past simple)

1. I ………. (be) tired after the long journey.
2. You ………. (be) excited about the news.
3. He ………. (be not) so happy when he received the gift.
4. She ………. (be) surprised by the sudden turn of events.
5. We ………. (be) late for the meeting.
6. They ………. (be) disappointed with the result.
7. It ………. (be) sunny yesterday.
8. John and Sarah ………. (be) at the party last night.
9. The cat ………. (be) scared of the loud noise.
10. My parents ………. (be) proud of my achievements.

Exercise 2: Select the correct answer

(Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer)

1.

• A. Did Anna talked to you? 
• B. Did Anna talk to you?

2.

• A. They no liked the book. 
• B. They didn’t like the book.

3.

• A. We planed to go on a trip round the world. 
• B. We planned to go on a trip round the world.

4.

• A. The door opened and we went in. 
• B. The door openned and we went in.

5.

• A. Played you tennis last year?
• B. Did you play tennis last year?

6.

• A. We decideed to go home.
• B. We decided to go home.

7.

• A. They stopped working and went for lunch.
• B. They stoped working and goed for lunch.

8.

• A. I tryed to help her. 
• B. I tried to help her.

9.

• A. They played soccer for an hour yesterday morning.
• B. They plaied soccer for an hour yesterday morning.

10.

• A. My brother and I were at home this afternoon.
• B. My brother and I was at home this afternoon.

Exercise 3: Fill in the correct form of the verb in the past simple

(Bài tập 3: Điền dạng đúng của động từ ở thì quá khứ đơn)

1. Amy ………. (buy) a new dress for the party.
2. They ………. (visit) their grandparents last weekend.
3. He ………. (talk) to his friends yesterday.
4. We ………. (watch) a movie at the cinema.
5. I ………. (eat) lunch at a restaurant.
6. My cat ………. (sleep) on the couch all day.
7. The students ………. (study) for the exam all night.
8. He ………. (fix) his car by himself.
9. They ………. (dance) at the wedding reception.
10. She ………. (read) a book before going to bed.
11. We ………. (go) to the museum during our vacation.
12. Her dog ………. (run) happily in the park.
13. The teacher ………. (explain) the lesson to the students.
14. He ………. (write) a letter to his pen pal.
15. They ………. (paint) the walls of their house.

Exercise 4: Write the affirmative, negative or interrogative form of the sentences

(Bài tập 4: Viết dạng khẳng định, phủ định hoặc nghi vấn của câu)

E.g.: Yesterday, we discussed our plan.

Negative => Yesterday, we did not discuss our plan.

Interrogative => Did we discuss our plan yesterday?

1. Last summer was extremely hot.

Negative => Last summer was not…………………………………………………………………………

Interrogative => When ……………………………………………………………………?

2. They played soccer on the weekend.

Affirmative => They played soccer on the weekend.

Interrogative => When did ………………………………………………………..?

3. Did she study French in college?

Affirmative => You drank tea this morning.

Negative => You didn’t drink tea this morning.

4. You drank tea this morning.

Negative => You didn’t drink tea this morning.

Interrogative => What did you drink this morning?

5. He didn’t have dinner at a fancy restaurant yesterday.

Affirmative => He had dinner at a fancy restaurant yesterday.

Interrogative => Did he have dinner at a fancy restaurant yesterday?

6. We were at the cinema yesterday evening.

Negative => We were not at the cinema yesterday evening.

Interrogative => Where ..........................................?

Exercise 5: Complete the paragraph with the past simple form of the verbs in brackets

(Exercise 5: Complete the paragraph using verbs in brackets in the past simple tense)

Last summer, my family and I took a vacation. My father ………. (1. drove) us to the beach and we ………. (2. stayed) in a cozy cottage. On the first day, my mother and I ………. (3. walked) along the shore and ………. (4. collected) seashells. The weather was beautiful and it ………. (5. wasn’t) too hot, so I ………. (6. swam) in the ocean and ………. (7. built) sandcastles together with my brother. In the evenings, we ………. (8. had) delicious seafood dinners at local restaurants. One day, we ………. (9. took) a boat tour and ………. (10. saw) dolphins swimming in the sea. It ………. (11. was) an incredible experience. On the last day, we ………. (12. watched) the sunset and ………. (13. enjoyed) the peaceful atmosphere. We ………. (14. had) a wonderful time and ………. (15. created) lasting memories.

To help you better grasp the concepts, not just with 5 exercises but also providing a compilation of 155+ exercises on simple past tense verb conjugation, covering various types such as multiple choice, fill in the blanks, sentence rewriting, ... These are common exercise formats found in tests, so practicing extensively is an effective way to familiarize yourself with the exam and avoid confusion during the actual test.

4. Conclusion

Với những thì ở dạng đơn (simple), đây đều là những chủ đề ngữ pháp cơ bản, không quá đánh đố người học. Tuy nhiên mình cũng lưu ý với các bạn một số điều sau để tránh mất điểm vì sai sót không đáng có khi chia động từ:

• Thuộc định nghĩa, cấu trúc, dấu hiệu nhận biết của thì quá khứ đơn.
• Động từ thường sẽ chia thành dạng quá khứ đơn bằng cách thêm hậu tố “-ed” hoặc “-d” vào cuối động từ. E.g.: Play → played, walk → walked, tie → tied, etc.
• Đối với các động từ kết thúc bằng “phụ âm + -y”, ta thay “y” bằng “ied”. E.g.: Study → studied, try → tried, etc.
• Một số động từ không tuân theo quy tắc chung và ta phải học thuộc lòng. E.g.: Go → went, be → was/ were, have → had, put → put, etc.

If you have any further questions or need clarification while working on exercises involving simple past tense verb conjugation, feel free to ask our team of teachers at Mytour by posting your queries in the comment section below.

• Past simple | LearnEnglish:  https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/past-simple – Truy cập ngày 08/05/2024
• Past simple – Grammar – Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/past-simple-i-worked – Truy cập ngày 08/05/2024
• Simple past tense: How to use it, with examples:  https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past/ – Truy cập ngày 08/05/2024