Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 1 of 6

Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense Some English verbs have irregular past tense forms. For example, the past tense form of eat is ate.

This is the past tense of is conjugation of eat: I ate You ate He ate She ate We ate They ate

Tim, Rita, and Joe ate hamburgers for lunch yesterday.

The past tense forms of these verbs are irregular. break - broke bring – brought buy – bought drink – drank drive - drove fly - flew hear - heard meet - met pay -paid see – saw send - sent sleep – slept

catch – caught get – got put – put stand – stood

come – came go – went ride - rode think – thought

do – did have – had run - ran write – wrote

The information and practice exercises on pages 1-3 will prepare you to play the grammar game on pages 4-6.

Write the past tense form of the verb in the blank.

Example: Melinda __came__ (come) home at 5:00 yesterday afternoon.

1. Julianne _______________ (see) a movie Saturday afternoon.

2. We _______________ (do) the laundry this morning.

3. Mia _______________ (sleep) for 9 hours last night.

4. Joe _______________ (eat) a hamburger for lunch.

5. Mark _______________ (stand) in line at the post office for 30 minutes this morning.

6. Lisa _______________ (get) up at 7:30 this morning.

7. Linda _______________ (write) in her journal every day last month.

8. Barry _______________ (go) downtown last week.

9. Nick _______________ (bring) his dictionary to class yesterday.

10. Annette _______________ (have) supper at 6:00 yesterday.

11. Marie _______________ (buy) new clothes last week.

12. Josh _______________ (put) his coat in the closet.

13. Frank _______________ (catch) a fish at the lake.

14. Ben and Yolanda _______________ (think) about their family this morning.

15. Charlie _______________ (run) a marathon in October.

16. Harry _______________ (drink) 5 cups of coffee this morning.

17. Stanley _______________ (drive) to the beach last summer.

18. Deborah _______________ (ride) her bicycle in the park on Sunday.

19. David _______________ (fly) to Chicago last week.

20. Jordan ________________ (send) his mother a birthday present.

21. We _______________ (hear) a baby cry this morning.

22. I ________________ (pay) the rent on the first of May. 23. I _______________ (break) my arm two years ago.

24. She_______________(drink) tea this morning.

25. Bill _______________ (meet) his best friend at school.

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 2 of 6 Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense

Questions In The Past Tense Questions about the past use a question word, the past tense of do (did), the subject, and the main verb.

The answer uses the past tense of the main verb.

When and What time ask for information about time.

Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb When did Julianne see a movie?

Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb What time did Lisa get up?

Julianne saw a movie Saturday afternoon.

Lisa got up at 7:30 this morning?

Where asks for information about a place.

Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb Where did Bill meet his best friend?

Bill met his best friend at school.

What asks for information about things.

Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb What did Joe eat for lunch?

Joe ate a hamburger.

Who asks about people.

Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb Who did Bill meet at school?

Bill met his best friend at school.

Last is added to the question in order to ask about the most recent occasion that something happened.

Question Word + Did + Subject + Last + Main Verb When did you last pay the rent?

What time did you last see the doctor?

Where did you last go on vacation?

I paid the rent on the first of May. I saw the doctor at 10:00 this morning.

I went to Spain.

How many asks for a number.

How many hours did you sleep last night?

I slept 9 hours last night.

How many cups of coffee did Harry drink this morning?

Harry drank 5 cups of coffee this morning.

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 3 of 6 Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

Example #1: When did Julianne _see__ a movie?

Example #2: When did you last write an e-mail?

Julianne _saw_ a movie Saturday afternoon.

I _wrote_ an e-mail this morning.

1. When did you_______ the laundry?

We________the laundry this morning?

17. When did you _______a baby cry?

We_______a baby cry last night.

2. How many minutes did Mark_______in line at the post office?

Mark________in line at the post office for 30 minutes this morning.

18. When did you last _______the rent?

I_______the rent on the first May.

3. What time did Lisa_______up this morning?

Lisa_______up at 7:30 this morning.

19. When did you_______your arm?

I_______my arm two years ago.

4. When did Barry_______go downtown?

Barry_______downtown last week.

20. Who did Bill_______at school?

Bill________his best friend at school.

5. What did Nick________to class yesterday?

Nick_______his dictionary to class yesterday.

21. When did you last drink a Coca-Cola?

I________ a Coca-Cola yesterday.

6. What time did Annette ___________ supper yesterday?

Annette __________ supper at 6:00 yesterday.

22. When did you last do the laundry?

I _______ the laundry on Tuesday.

7. When did Marie_______new clothes?

Marie_______new clothes last week.

23. Where did you last stand in line?

I_______in line at the grocery store.

8. Where did Josh_______his coat?

Josh_______his coat in the closet.

24. Where did you go last weekend?

I________to the park.

9. Where did Frank __________ a fish?

Frank __________ a fish at the lake.

25. Where did you buy your shoes?

I_______ my shoes at Macy’s.

10. When did Ben and Yolanda______about their family?

Ben and Yolanda __________ about their family this morning.

26. When did you last drive a car?

I________a car this morning.

11. When did Charlie __________ a marathon?

Charlie _______________ a marathon in October.

27. When did you last fly in an airplane?

I________in an airplane last year.

12. How many cups of coffee did Harry __________ this morning?

Harry __________ 5 cups of coffee this morning.

28. When did you last hear a baby cry?

I_______ a baby cry this morning.

13. When did Stanley ___________ to the beach?

Stanley __________ to the beach last summer.

29. Where did you last break a glass?

I_______a glass in the kitchen.

14. Where did Deborah __________ her bicycle on Sunday?

Deborah __________ her bicycle in the park on Sunday.

30. Where did you put your wallet?

I_______my wallet in my pocket.

15. When did David ___________ to Chicago?

David _______________ to Chicago last week.

31. How many e-mails did you send yesterday?

I_______6 e-mails yesterday.

16. What did Jordan ___________ his mother?

Jordan ___________ his mother a birthday present.

32. When did you last catch a cold?

I _______ a cold 6 months ago.

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 4 of 6 Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense

Past Tense Game Instructions: You will need a pair of dice for this game.

This game is played in pairs. Student A gets Worksheet A and Student B gets Worksheet B. The worksheets are on pages 5 and 6.

Student B casts the dice and adds the numbers rolled. Student A asks the question on his/her own worksheet that corresponds with that number. If Student B answers correctly, then he/she crosses out that question on Student A’s worksheet. For Example, if Student B rolls a 4, then Student A asks Question 4 on Worksheet A which is: Where did you buy your shoes? If Student B answers correctly, he/she crosses out Question 4 on Student A’s worksheet.

Now, Student A casts the dice and adds the numbers rolled. Student B asks the question on his/her own worksheet that corresponds with that number. If Student A answers correctly, then he/she crosses out that question on Student B’s worksheet. For Example, if Student A rolls a 7, then Student B asks Question 7 on Worksheet B which is: What time did you have supper yesterday? If Student A answers correctly, he/she crosses out Question 7 on Student B’s worksheet.

If a student does not answer a question correctly, the question remains active and does not get crossed out. This question can be asked again depending on the roll of the dice. This gives the student an opportunity for selfcorrection the next time the question is asked.

The first student to cross out all of the opponents questions wins the game.

The worksheets are on pages 5 and 6.

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 5 of 6 Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense

Worksheet A 1 When did you last drink a CocaCola?

4 Where did you buy your shoes?

7 How many hours did you sleep last night?

10 What did you bring to class?

2 Where did you meet your best friend?

5 When did you last fly in an airplane?

8 When did you last catch a cold?

3 How many e-mails did you send yesterday?

6 When did you last pay the rent?

9 What time did you get up this morning?

11

12

When did you last ride a bicycle?

Where did you last stand in line?

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.

ESL Helpful Handouts

Page 6 of 6 Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense

Worksheet B 1 When did you last hear a baby cry?

4 Where did you go last weekend?

7 What time did you have supper yesterday?

10 Where did you last break a glass?

2 Where did you put your wallet?

5 When did you last think about your family?

8 What did you eat for breakfast?

11 When did you last drive a car?

3 What time did you come home yesterday?

6 When did you last do the laundry?

9 How many e-mails did you write yesterday?

12 When did you last see a movie?

Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).

Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.