SIMPLE PAST TENSE

We use simple past to

• discuss past events that are over
• report what someone else said or noticed

Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular English verbs have past tense forms that end in ’-ed’.

Other verbs are irregular and have irregular tense forms. You must simply learn these.

SEE RESOURCES APPENDIX P2.1 – COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS IN HEALTHCARE

Simple past sentences

1. Positive sentences

PAST EVENTS THAT ARE OVER:

• I had shingles last year. (have)
• I just talked with the nurse about your discharge. (talk)
• She wanted to be sure you received your prescriptions. (want)

REPORTED SPEECH:

• My doctor said that the painful rash was typical. (say; be)

REPORTED SPEECH:

• My doctor said that the painful rash was typical. (say; be)

2. Negative sentences

Here, the word order changes.

a) We use the helping form ‘did’ (simple past of ‘do’).
b) ‘not’ comes after ‘did’.
c) The main verb remains unchanged.

PAST EVENTS THAT ARE OVER:         

• I didn’t have any problems with the insulin injections.
• We didn’t speak to the doctor before my mother’s discharge.

REPORTED SPEECH:                            

• The doctor didn’t mention side effects.
• The nurse didn’t do a home visit this morning, as planned.

Simple past questions with ‘be’

In questions with ‘be’

1. word order changes, and
2. ‘be’ is in the past tense form (was, were)

• Were you very ill when you had shingles (last year)?
• Was your doctor sure of the diagnosis?
• Were any other family members ill, as well?

Simple past questions with other verbs

In simple past questions for other verbs,

1. We use the helping verb ‘did’ (simple past of ‘do’)
2. The main verb stays in the root form.

• Did you take oral medication?
• Did your doctor give you any special advice?
• Your children…did they avoid you while your blisters were active?

Simple past w-word questions (who, what, when, where, why, which, how)

Here, the w-word comes before ‘did’:

• Where did the rash appear on your body?
• What (treatment) did you take for it?
• How long did the symptoms last?

SPEAKING EXERCISE C

Practice repeating ALOUD each example sentence in the lesson above. Focus on the common collocations, RUNNING THEM TOGETHER until they flow as ONE EXPRESSION.  The collocations are underlined.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE C

Instructions: Choose the correct option.

SEE RESOURCES APPENDIX P2.1 – COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS IN HEALTHCARE