Past simple exercises from basic to advanced with detailed answers

The Simple Past is one of the most basic and important tenses in English, used frequently in daily communication and appearing in many important exams. To help you master and be more confident with this grammar knowledge, ETEST English for Study Abroad compiled a set past simple exercises (Simple Past Tense) full below!

Before practicing past simple exercises, let's review the following grammar points:

• 12 tenses in English

• Simple past tense

Summary of theory of simple past tense

Simple past tense (past simple tense) is used to describe an action or event that happened and ended at a certain time in the past. When learning about tenses in English, the past simple tense is one of the important basic tenses that you need to master.

For example:

• She left her keys on the table before she departed.
• We hosted a dinner party for our friends last weekend.

Simple past tense formula in English

How to use the past simple tense – Past Simple 

Here are some uses of the past simple tense and accompanying examples:

• Describes an action that happened at a specific time in the past.

Example: He broke his leg in April.

• Describes an action that was repeated regularly in the past. 

Example: She went jogging in the park every Saturday morning.

• Expresses a series of actions that took place consecutively in the past.

For example: He completed the project, submitted it, and received positive feedback.

• Expresses an action that interrupts an ongoing action in the past.

Example: He was writing an email when his computer suddenly crashed.

• Used in type II conditional sentences. 

Example: If the weather wasn't too cold, we would go swimming.

• Used in sentences expressing unrealistic wishes.

For example: I wish I were in Hawaii right now.

• Used to describe a historical event.

For example: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. (Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.)

• Expresses when an action clearly occurs at a specific time, even if the time is not mentioned.

For example: The bus was 15 minutes late.

• Used in structure: 

• It's + (high) time + S + Ved.
• It + is + period of time + since + Past tense.

For example: 

• It's high time she apologized for her behavior.
• It is three weeks since she moved to her new apartment.

• The question can be in the present simple or present perfect with the answer in the past.

For example:

Q: Have you ever met a famous person?

A: Yes, I met a famous actor at a party last year.

Signs to recognize the simple past tense

In the simple past tense sentences, the following adverbs of time are used:

• Yesterday: Yesterday
• Last month: Last month
• Last year: Last year
• Last night: Last night
• Last week: Last week
• Ago: Ago
• at, on, in… + past time
• When + clause in the past simple tense

For example: 

• I visited my uncle yesterday.
• He started his job in 2010.
• We ate dinner at 7 pm (We ate dinner at 7 pm.)
• She learned to swim when she was young.

Past simple tense practice exercises with answers

Basic exercises of simple past tense

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks in the simple past tense

1. Peter____________________ (not/drink) any beer last night.

2. Vivian____________________(get on) the bus in the center of the city last night.

3. What time____________________ (he/get up) yesterday?

4. Where____________________(you/get off) the train yesterday?

5. He____________________(not/change) trains at Victoria 3 years ago.

6. John____________________(wake up) very late 1 month ago.

7. What____________________(he/give) his mother for last Christmas?

8. I____________________(receive) £300 when my uncle died.

9. He____________________(not/use) the computer last night.

10. ____________________(she/make) good coffee in 2017?

11. They____________________(live) in Paris in 2018.

12. James____________________(read) the newspaper yesterday.

13. Becky____________________(not/watch) TV.

14. Katy____________________(not/study) for the 2021 exam.

15. ____________________(he/call) you last June?

16. ____________________(I/forget) something?

17. ____________________(Top Gun/start)?

18. He____________________(have) a shower yesterday.

19. Where____________________(you/come)?

Exercise 2: Fill in the past simple verb form (V2/ed)

Exercise 3: Fill in the story with verbs in the simple past tense.

Telling a Story – Using the Simple Past

On Friday, the children 1. ____________________ (talk) about a day out together in the country. The next morning, they 2.____________________ (go) to the country with their two dogs and 3.____________________ (play) together. Ben and Dave 4.____________________ (have) some kites. Some time later the dogs 5.____________________ (beige) not there. So they 6.____________________ (call) them and 7.____________________ (look) for them in the forest. After half an hour the children 8.____________________ (find) them and 9.____________________ (take) add back. Charlie 10.____________________ (beige) very happy to see them again. At lunch time Nick 11.____________________ (go) to the bikes and 12.____________________ (fetch) the basket with some meat sandwiches. Then they 13.____________________ (play) football. football. Nick and Dave 14.____________________ (win). In the evening they 15.____________________ (ride) home.

Exercise 4: Complete the questions in the past simple tense.

Advanced exercises of simple past tense

Lesson 1: Choose the correct answer in the simple past tense

1. What did you do when the car ____________________ fire?

A. was caught

B. caught

C. catches

2. I____________________the wallet lying in the street.

A. found

B. find

C. was found

3. Did you____________________your holiday in America?

A. enjoy

B. enjoyed

C. enjoys

4. I____________________about taking up yoga but I don't think it's my thing.

A. thought

B. was thinking

C. am thinking

5. Whenever I went to Danny's all I ever saw him do was____________________ television.

A. watching

B. watch

C. have watched

6. Thankfully Sarah didn't hear me speaking to Peter because she ____________________to music with her headphones.

A. listened

B. was listening

C. have listened

7. Peter____________________in Tokyo when there was the earthquake. You should get him to tell you what happened.

A. was working

B. worked

C. is working

8. What____________________about the new gaming console?

A. are you thinking

B. do you think

C. did you think

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the given words

1. ____________________(you/see) Martin yesterday?

2. I____________________ (last/see) him two days ago.

3. He____________________ (not/be) at the meeting on Monday because he was away on business.

4. Where____________________ (she/go) for her holidays?

5. How long____________________ (it/take/you) to drive from Amsterdam to Paris?

6. ____________________(you/enjoy) your holiday in Italy?

7. I____________________ (see) a great movie on TV last night.

8. I____________________ (not/eat) the food because I wasn't hungry.

9. Why____________________ (you/not/get) up earlier? You're going to be late.

10. Why____________________ (you/not/be) at work yesterday? Were you ill?

Simple past tense exercise answers

Answers to basic exercises on simple past tense

Lesson 1:

1. didn't drink/ didn't drink
2. got on

3. did he get

4. did you get off

5. didn't change/ didn't change

6. woke up

7. did he give

8. received

9. did not use/ didn't use

10. Did she make

11. lived

12. read

13. didn't watch/ didn't watch

14. didn't study/ didn't study

15. Did he call

16. Did I forget

17. When did Top Gun start

18. had

19. did you come

20. did he go

Lesson 2:

Lesson 3:

1. talked

2. went

3. played
4. had

5. were

6. called

7.looked

8. found

9. took

10. was

11. went

12. fetched

13. played

14 won

15. rode

Answers to advanced exercises on simple past tense

Lesson 1:

1. B

2 A

3. A

4. B

5. B

6. B

7. A

8. B

Lesson 2: 

1. Did you see

2. I last saw

3. wasn't/ wasn't

4. did she go

5. did it take you

6. Did you enjoy

7. saw

8. did not eat/ didn't

9. did you not get/didn't you get

10. was you not/ wasn't

See also:

• Past simple exercises

• Past perfect tense exercises

• Present simple exercises

Hope that past simple exercises The above has helped you become more familiar and confident when using this tense in English communication. If you need more documents or sample tests to practice, please contact us at ETEST English for Study Abroad. We not only provide the IELTS materials quality but also organization of the IELTS course in-depth, tailored to your needs and level.

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