Tenses
The Simple Past Tense for class 4 English
In this chapter, students will be introduced to the simple past tense definition, examples and types. Additonally, students will learn to form a sentence using past tense and the common mistakes that could occur while writing past tense sentences.
In this learning concept, the students will learn to:
- Use past tense in sentences.
- Types of past tense with examples and usage.
- Formation of simple past tense sentences.
- Simple past tense examples sentences.
All the concepts covered in English Grammar have illustrations, concept maps and examples. Students can check their topic-related skills by solving the past tense worksheet for class 4. Download the worksheets and find the solutions provided in PDF format.
What is the Simple Past Tense?
- The past tense describes an activity that has taken place in the past.
- The past tense is divided into four subparts: Simple past tense, past continuous tense, the past perfect tense, and the past perfect continuous tense. Today, we will learn about the simple past tense.
- The simple past tense talks about an action or activity which happened in the past.
Examples:

How to Form a Sentence in the Past Tense?
To make a sentence into the simple past tense, add a suffix to the existing verb. You have to add the ‘ed’ to the base form of the verb.

Examples:
The base form of the verb | Adding ‘ed’ |
---|---|
Jump | Jumped |
Love | Loved |
If the verb ends in ‘e’, then add a ‘d’ to the verb at the end.

Examples:
The base form of the verb | Adding ‘d’ |
---|---|
a) Bake | Baked |
b) Like | Liked |
For verbs that end in ‘y’, the ‘y’ usually changes to an ‘I’ if it follows a consonant, and ‘ed’ is added after the ‘I’.

The base form of the verb ending with ‘y’ followed by a consonant | Adding ‘ed |
---|---|
a) Study | Studied |
b) Hurry | Hurried |
Rules to make the Simple Past Tense
- If a verb ends with one syllable, the final consonant is doubled up before ‘ed’ is added to it.
- Stop – stopped
- Chat – chatted
- If the final consonant is w, x, or y, then do not double it.
- Mix – mixed
- Brew – brewed
Examples:
Examples:
Exceptions:
- In simple past tense, the verb remains the same regardless whether the subject is in the singular or plural form (first person, second or third).
- I jumped.
- We jumped.
- In the case of some words, the verb changes completely while making it into simple past tense.
- Fly – Flew
- Think – thought
- Eat – ate
- Drive – drove
- Swim – swam
- Go – went
- Know – knew
- Get – got
Examples:

Examples:
