How To Teach The Past Simple Tense

The past simple tense is an important lesson for English language learners. Once students learn the past uncomplicated tense they can begin to talk near the things they did, the things they saw, and near other events that happened in the past.

So, how do you teach the past simple tense?

To teach the by simple tense your lesson should include the by simple form of regular and irregular verbs, past elementary negative forms, and by simple interrogative forms.

Patently this is a lot to embrace in just ane lesson, so it's all-time to teach the by simple tense over a three/4 lessons to give your students aplenty opportunity to exercise. Follow the steps beneath and your students will be speaking English language using the past elementary tense in no fourth dimension.

Teaching The Past Unproblematic Tense

Step one: Context

Earlier y'all teach students the different past simple forms, it is important to put the lesson in context so your students understand what they are going to learn. This is especially important with kids because they may have difficulty grasping grammatical concepts such as the past tense.

A cracking way to put your past tense lesson in context is to describe a simple timeline on the lath. Draw a line in the middle and write 'Today' and and so elicit unlike 'by tense' times, such as yesterday , last calendar week , terminal year, etc.

Explain to students that we employ the past tense to talk about events that happened in the past. Once students take a basic grasp of what the past tense is, it's time to introduce the past uncomplicated tense of regular verbs.

Stride 2: Past Simple Form Of Regular Verbs

Choose a regular verb and give students an example sentence in the present simple tense and write information technology on the board. For example, I walk to school everyday. Next, modify this judgement into the past simple tense (I walked to school yesterday.) and write it on the board.

Then, enquire students to wait at the nowadays tense and the past tense sentences and tell y'all how the verb changed. Students will likely observe that -ed was added to 'walk' to become the past tense class.

Explain how to change regular verbs into the past simple tense by adding -d / -ed / ied and give them plenty of examples to practice.

Step 3: Past Unproblematic Form Of Irregular Verbs

Now that students sympathise that they must change the verb into the past course in club to make a past simple sentence, it's time to introduce irregular verbs.

Write some other present unproblematic tense sentence on the lath but this fourth dimension with an irregular verb. For example, I speak English everyday. Then ask students to try to estimate what the by tense form would be.

Students, especially beginners, may guess it is speaked. Explain to students that irregular verbs do non follow the same rules every bit regular verbs, and then they must memorize the past unproblematic tense of irregular verbs.

To aid students memorize some common irregular verbs you can use this irregular verbs past tense worksheet.

Stride four: Past Unproblematic Negative Forms

Instruction the past simple negative form is quite easy once students know how to make past uncomplicated sentences.

Explicate to students that to make a negative sentence in the past simple form, they unproblematic add did + not earlier the infinitive form of the verb. For example, I did non meet Chris yesterday.

And then give your students enough of opportunity to brand negative sentences. A corking style to do this is to go around the grade and ask each student to say one affirmative past elementary judgement and ane negative past simple sentence.

For case, I met Sally yesterday. I did not meet Chris yesterday. Later on each time, ask the other students in the class to change their sentences into the third person. For example, She met Sally Yesterday. She did not meet Chris yesterday.

Step five: Past Simple Interrogative Forms

Show students how to make past simple questions and write some examples on the board. Then ask students to come with their own past simple questions and ask their partner.

To exercise the past simple interrogative form you can apply this by uncomplicated questions worksheet.

Ask students to read the questions and write an answer in the by tense, or tell students to inquire these questions to their partner and write down their partner's answer in the by tense.

Step vi: Practice With By Simple Exercises

The best style for students to larn regular and irregular past unproblematic forms is with a lot of practice.

The post-obit are some online exercises and do worksheets your students tin can utilize to practice using the past elementary tense.

  • Past Elementary Irregular Exercise 1
  • Past Uncomplicated Irregular Exercise 2
  • By Simple Regular Exercises
  • Exercise Worksheet 1 – Regular Verbs
  • Practice Worksheet two – Irregular Verbs
  • Exercise Worksheet 3 – Irregular Verbs

Step 7: Review With Some By Simple Tense Games

Learning almost regular and irregular past tense forms can be quite tiresome for ESL students and then make certain when you lot are teaching the past simple tense to include some fun games and activities.

Hither are some ready to employ past tense games you can utilise to review the past simple tense.

Thanks for reading. I hope you lot found this footstep by step guide to teaching the past uncomplicated tense useful.

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