Intermediate Level
Lesson 5
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Intermediate English
Lesson 5 - Family
Grammar

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The Past Tense

To form the past tense in English, add -ed to the verb in the affirmative and didn't in the negative (a contraction of "did" and "not"). To form a question, add Did to the beginning of the question.

Affirmative - He walked.
Negative - He didn't walk.
Question - Did he walk?

If the verb already ends with an e, just add the letter d.

practice - practiced

If the verb ends in a consonant then y, change the y to i and then add -ed.

cry - cried

If the word ends in a consonant, vowel, consonant, and the last syllable is the strong one, double the last letter.

plan - planned

There are many verbs in English that are irregular in the past tense (they don't follow the -ed rule). In the next lessons we will learn approximately 10 verbs on the vocabulary page of each lesson. Here are this lesson's verbs.

Present     Past
drinkdrank
eatate
buybought     
comecame
drivedrove
flyflew
gowent
meetmet
seesaw
swimswam

Print Irregular Verb List

Practice
Write the sentences in the past tense. If the verb is not in the list of irregular verbs above, it is regular (-ed).

example
He - study English

1. He - close the window
  
  

2. They - study English at the university
  
  

3. She - buy shoes at the mall
  
  

4. I - need a vacation
  
  

5. The children - see a movie
  
  

6. My friend - live in an apartment
  
  

7. She - eat pizza
  
  

8. They - plant trees
  
  

9. They - drink coffee
  
  

10. They - stop the car
  
  

11. She - finish the homework
  
  

12. She - meet the president
  
  

13. The children - play
  
  

14. They - drive to New York
  
  

15. He - paint the house
  
  

16. Sharon - go to church
  
  

17. The baby - cry
  
  

18. They - fly to Florida
  
  

19. My husband - cook dinner
  
  

20. My friends - swim in the ocean
  
  

 

Practice
Change the sentence to negative.

example
They studied English.

1. He worked late.
   
   

2. They painted the house.
   
   

3. The children played in the park.
   
   

4. The baby cried.
   
   

5. They planned the party.
   
   

6. My sister saw the movie.
   
   

7. Wanda drank the lemonade.
   
   

8. Luis ate the pizza.
   
   

9. She finished the homework.
   
   

10. The pilot flew the airplane.
   
   

 

Practice
Change the sentence to a question.

example
They studied English

1. He worked late.
   
   

2. They painted the house.
   
   

3. The children played in the park.
   
   

4. The baby cried.
   
   

5. They planned the party.
   
   

6. My sister saw the movie.
   
   

7. Wanda drank the lemonade.
   
   

8. Luis ate the pizza.
   
   

9. She finished the homework.
   
   

10. The pilot flew the airplane.
   
   

 

Find the Mistake

Instructions
Find the errors in the sentences.  Write the sentences correctly.

example
She are a student. --> She is a student. 

1. Did he finished the homework?
  

2. He didn't saw the movie. 
  

3. The baby cryed.
  

4. The car stoped.
  

5. He eated the food.
  

 

Study English Abroad

You will find more information about studying English abroad and inexpensive alternatives to studying abroad in the Study Abroad area of Passport to English.

Study Abroad Information
Why study abroad?
What to look for in a study abroad program
Types of Programs
Alternatives to Study Abroad
Home Exchange

 

 

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