Practice Makes Perfect

30 Practice Makes Perfect: English Grammar for ESL Learners

Infinitive Past Tense Infinitive Past Tense

to be was/were to make made

to break broke to put put

to bring brought to read read

to build built to ride rode

to buy bought to run ran

to catch caught to see saw

to cut cut to sell sold

to do did to sit sat

to find found to speak spoke

to fly flew to stand stood

to go went to take took

to have had to teach taught

to hit hit to throw threw

to lose lost to write wrote

You will find a complete list of irregular tense formations in the appendix.

Use the past tense of to be(was/were) plus an -ingending on the verb to form the past tense of an

action in progress or incomplete. There is no difference for regular or irregular verbs:

to sing was singing

to go was going

to carry was carrying, and so on

Use the past tense of to do(did) to form the past tense of an emphatic response.

Let’s compare the three past tense formations:

Habitual Statement (something done frequently)

I spoke English.

We went to school.

They played soccer.

In Progress (incomplete)

I was speaking English.

We were going to school.

They were playing soccer.

Emphatic Response

“You did not speak English.” “I didspeak English.”

“We went to school.” “We did notgo to school.”

“They did not play soccer.” “They didplay soccer.”

Questions and negations with notare formed with the past tense of to do(did) in the same way

they are formed in the present tense:

Present Tense Past Tense

Does he like the article? Did he like the article?

You do not understand. You did not understand.

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