Language

Past tense verbs

Change a doing word into the past tense.

A verb is a doing word. When the doing has already happened, the verb changes shape.

The usual way

Most verbs simply add -ed on the end. Clean becomes cleaned, and jump becomes jumped.

The verbs that will not behave

A few common verbs change into a new word instead. See becomes saw, come becomes came, and take becomes took.

Watch the spelling

Hop becomes hopped, with the p doubled. Try becomes tried, with the y turned into ie.

Worked example

Today I jump. What did I do yesterday?

  1. Jump is one of the well-behaved verbs.

    Nothing strange happens at the end of it, so the usual rule works.

Try it together

Let us put three verbs into the past.

Each answer is one word.

    1.Today I clean. Yesterday I ____

    Have a go

    Today I paint. Yesterday I ____

    Ready to practice?

    Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.

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