The Past Simple Tense interactive worksheet - Free Printable

Let's solve this grammar exercise step by step. The task is to complete the sentences in the past simple tense using the correct form of the verbs provided in parentheses.

We are working with regular verbs, which form the past tense by adding -ed (or sometimes just -d) to the base form of the verb.

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🔹 Rules Recap:

- Regular verbs: add -ed or -d to the base form.
- Examples: *climb → climbed*, *dived*, *washed*, *stopped*, etc.
- Use adverbs of time like *yesterday*, *last week*, *in 2019* to signal past events.

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Now, let’s go through each sentence:

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1. The car ________ (climb) up the mountain.
→ "Climb" → past tense: climbed
✔ The car climbed up the mountain.

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2. The penguins ________ (dive) into the sea.
→ "Dive" → past tense: dived (or "dove" in American English, but "dived" is standard for regular verbs here)
✔ The penguins dived into the sea.

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3. ________ and ________ (wash) their car last Friday.
→ Two people (a girl and a boy) → subject = plural
→ "Wash" → past tense: washed
✔ They washed their car last Friday.
(Note: The blank is meant for the subjects, so we write "They" or fill in names if given — but since no names are provided, "They" is correct.)

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4. Soon the three bears ________ (stop) playing.
→ "Stop" → past tense: stopped
✔ Soon the three bears stopped playing.

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5. Everybody ________ (thank) mom and dad.
→ "Everybody" is singular, so use singular past tense: thanked
✔ Everybody thanked mom and dad.

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6. ________ (phone) my father last week.
→ Subject missing; from picture, it looks like a woman (possibly a grandmother) calling.
→ "Phone" → past tense: phoned
✔ She phoned my father last week.
(Or possibly "I phoned..." depending on context, but "She" fits the image best.)

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7. Mr. ________ (work) here in 2019.
→ Picture shows a man in uniform (maybe a postman).
→ "Work" → past tense: worked
✔ Mr. Smith worked here in 2019.
(We can assume a name like "Smith" or just write: Mr. [Name] worked..., but since no name is given, just: Mr. ___ worked here in 2019.)

But since the blank is after "Mr.", likely we need to complete with the verb only.
Wait — actually, the blank is for the verb:
✔ Mr. ___ worked here in 2019.
So answer: worked

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8. His dog ________ (bark) at the strangers.
→ "Bark" → past tense: barked
✔ His dog barked at the strangers.

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9. She ________ (explain) the rules to the students.
→ "Explain" → past tense: explained
✔ She explained the rules to the students.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. climbed
2. dived
3. They washed (or "She and he washed", but "They washed" is best)
4. stopped
5. thanked
6. She phoned
7. worked
8. barked
9. explained

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📝 Explanation Summary:

- All verbs are regular, so we add -ed or -d.
- We use past tense verbs because of the adverbs of time: *last Friday*, *last week*, *in 2019*, etc.
- Subject-verb agreement matters: singular subjects take singular past forms, plural subjects take plural forms (but past tense is the same for both in regular verbs).

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or a worksheet explanation! 😊