Verb Tenses
Simple past
Past time words (yesterday, last week) often signal simple past.
Why this happens
Simple past marks completed actions at a finished time, but writers confuse it with present perfect or use wrong irregular forms (goed, catched). Time markers like yesterday, in 2019, and last week anchor simple past. Without them, readers may wonder whether the action still connects to now. Narrative paragraphs stay clearest when every verb in a finished episode shares past time unless you deliberately signal a shift.
See it in a sentence
IncorrectLast term she has completed three modules.
CorrectLast term she completed three modules.
Teaching note: Last term is finished time — simple past completed, not present perfect.
IncorrectHe goed to the conference on Tuesday.
CorrectHe went to the conference on Tuesday.
Teaching note: Go is irregular — went, not goed.
IncorrectDid you finished the reading?
CorrectDid you finish the reading?
Teaching note: After did, use the base verb finish, not finished.
More examples
I lived in Berlin for five years (I no longer do).
Simple past with a finished duration implies the situation ended.
If she studied harder, she might have passed.
Past hypothetical conditions often use past forms in if-clauses.
He said he was tired.
Reported speech often backshifts present to past: I am tired → he was tired.
At noon she realised the file was missing.
Past narrative chains multiple simple-past verbs for sequence.
Quick check
In 2022, the company has opened a new branch in Leeds.
Show the fix
In 2022, the company opened a new branch in Leeds. A specific past year needs simple past opened.
Practice this topic in Wrytesmart
Open the grammar workspace to complete interactive exercises for simple past. You will spot errors, fill blanks, and transform sentences — always with teaching notes that explain the principle, not just the correction.
Master simple past in context
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