Form of Simple Past
- P: He spoke.
- N: He did not speak.
- Q: Did he speak?
Use of Simple Past
Simple Past is used for actions and situations in the past.
- Facts and situations in the past
Expresses a fact or given situation in the past.
Beispiele:Our secretary worked very hard.
I did not agree with you. - Actions in the past
Actions in the past that took place never, once, several times or regualary. (see also: signal words)
Examples:Mister Brown never attended any meeting. He always sent me.
- Actions taking place one after another
Actions in the past that took place one after the other.
Examples:Mister Sanders came into the office, checked his mailbox and went straight to the briefing.
What a horrible day: first my computer crashed, then our best customer cancelled their order and on my way home my car broke down. - Actions taking place in the middle of another action
(Sudden) action that took place in the middle of another action. (see also: Past Progressive)
Examples:I was sitting in a meeting, when my mobile suddenly rang.
When I came in, John was playing solitaire.
Signal Words of Simple Past
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday, If Clause Type II (If I talked, …)