past simple
Verb form completed
Past simple is the grammatical term for a verb tense indicating completed action in the past.
In English, regular verbs form it by adding -ed: walked, talked, wanted.
Irregular verbs have unpredictable forms: went, saw, took.
The past simple typically describes finished events: She arrived yesterday, They met in college.
Also called simple past.
Recounting events aloud
- recollectionRecalled mental image
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- memoirWritten personal recollection
retelling · account · reported speech · timeline · once upon a time · happened · occurred · described
Simple past tense
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- inflectionWord form alteration
- irregular verbsVerbs with unpredictable tenses
- regular verbsVerbs with predictable endings
verb forms · tense · morphology · auxiliary · syntax · indicative · aspect · third person
storytelling
Recounting events aloud
- recollectionRecalled mental image
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
memoir · retelling · account · reported speech · timeline · once upon a time · happened · occurred · described · narrated
preterite
Simple past tense
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- inflectionWord form alteration
- irregular verbsVerbs with unpredictable tenses
regular verbs · verb forms · tense · morphology · auxiliary · syntax · indicative · aspect · third person · did
yesterday
The previous day
used to · routine · duration · point in time · before now
past simplepast continuous
Verb form for ongoing past
past perfect · present perfect · present continuous · present progressive · progressive aspect
past, simple, pass, passed, passing, passer, pastime, simply, simplify