ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 1 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Some English verbs have irregular past tense forms. For example, the past tense form of eat is ate.
This is the past tense of is conjugation of eat:
I ate
You ate
He ate
She ate
We ate
They ate
Tim, Rita, and Joe ate hamburgers for lunch yesterday.
The past tense forms of these verbs are irregular.
break - broke
bring – brought
buy – bought
drink – drank
drive - drove
fly - flew
hear - heard
meet - met
pay -paid
see – saw
send - sent
sleep – slept
catch – caught
get – got
put – put
stand – stood
come – came
go – went
ride - rode
think – thought
do – did
have – had
run - ran
write – wrote
The information and practice exercises on pages 1-3 will prepare you to play the grammar game on pages 4-6.
Write the past tense form of the verb in the blank.
Example: Melinda __came__ (come) home at 5:00 yesterday afternoon.
1. Julianne _______________ (see) a movie
Saturday afternoon.
2. We _______________ (do) the laundry this
morning.
3. Mia _______________ (sleep) for 9 hours
last night.
4. Joe _______________ (eat) a hamburger for
lunch.
5. Mark _______________ (stand) in line at the
post office for 30 minutes this morning.
6. Lisa _______________ (get) up at 7:30 this
morning.
7. Linda _______________ (write) in her
journal every day last month.
8. Barry _______________ (go) downtown last
week.
9. Nick _______________ (bring) his dictionary
to class yesterday.
10. Annette _______________ (have) supper at
6:00 yesterday.
11. Marie _______________ (buy) new clothes
last week.
12. Josh _______________ (put) his coat in the
closet.
13. Frank _______________ (catch) a fish at the
lake.
14. Ben and Yolanda _______________ (think)
about their family this morning.
15. Charlie _______________ (run) a marathon
in October.
16. Harry _______________ (drink) 5 cups of
coffee this morning.
17. Stanley _______________ (drive) to the
beach last summer.
18. Deborah _______________ (ride) her bicycle
in the park on Sunday.
19. David _______________ (fly) to Chicago last
week.
20. Jordan ________________ (send) his mother
a birthday present.
21. We _______________ (hear) a baby cry this
morning.
22. I ________________ (pay) the rent on the
first of May.
23. I _______________ (break) my arm two
years ago.
24. She_______________(drink) tea this morning.
25. Bill _______________ (meet) his best friend
at school.
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.
ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 2 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Questions In The Past Tense
Questions about the past use a question word, the past tense of do (did), the subject, and the main verb.
The answer uses the past tense of the main verb.
When and What time ask for information about time.
Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb
When
did
Julianne
see
a movie?
Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb
What time
did
Lisa
get
up?
Julianne saw a movie Saturday afternoon.
Lisa got up at 7:30 this morning?
Where asks for information about a place.
Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb
Where
did
Bill
meet
his best friend?
Bill met his best friend at school.
What asks for information about things.
Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb
What
did
Joe
eat
for lunch?
Joe ate a hamburger.
Who asks about people.
Question Word + Did + Subject + Main Verb
Who
did
Bill
meet at school?
Bill met his best friend at school.
Last is added to the question in order to ask about the most recent occasion that something happened.
Question Word + Did + Subject + Last + Main Verb
When
did
you
last
pay
the rent?
What time
did
you
last
see
the doctor?
Where
did
you
last
go
on vacation?
I paid the rent on the first of May.
I saw the doctor at 10:00 this morning.
I went to Spain.
How many asks for a number.
How many hours did you sleep last night?
I slept 9 hours last night.
How many cups of coffee did Harry drink this morning?
Harry drank 5 cups of coffee this morning.
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.
ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 3 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.
Example #1: When did Julianne _see__ a movie?
Example #2: When did you last write an e-mail?
Julianne _saw_ a movie Saturday afternoon.
I _wrote_ an e-mail this morning.
1. When did you_______ the laundry?
We________the laundry this morning?
17. When did you _______a baby cry?
We_______a baby cry last night.
2. How many minutes did Mark_______in line at the post office?
Mark________in line at the post office for 30 minutes this morning.
18. When did you last _______the rent?
I_______the rent on the first May.
3. What time did Lisa_______up this morning?
Lisa_______up at 7:30 this morning.
19. When did you_______your arm?
I_______my arm two years ago.
4. When did Barry_______go downtown?
Barry_______downtown last week.
20. Who did Bill_______at school?
Bill________his best friend at school.
5. What did Nick________to class yesterday?
Nick_______his dictionary to class yesterday.
21. When did you last drink a Coca-Cola?
I________ a Coca-Cola yesterday.
6. What time did Annette ___________ supper yesterday?
Annette __________ supper at 6:00 yesterday.
22. When did you last do the laundry?
I _______ the laundry on Tuesday.
7. When did Marie_______new clothes?
Marie_______new clothes last week.
23. Where did you last stand in line?
I_______in line at the grocery store.
8. Where did Josh_______his coat?
Josh_______his coat in the closet.
24. Where did you go last weekend?
I________to the park.
9. Where did Frank __________ a fish?
Frank __________ a fish at the lake.
25. Where did you buy your shoes?
I_______ my shoes at Macy’s.
10. When did Ben and Yolanda______about their family?
Ben and Yolanda __________ about their family this morning.
26. When did you last drive a car?
I________a car this morning.
11. When did Charlie __________ a marathon?
Charlie _______________ a marathon in October.
27. When did you last fly in an airplane?
I________in an airplane last year.
12. How many cups of coffee did Harry __________ this morning?
Harry __________ 5 cups of coffee this morning.
28. When did you last hear a baby cry?
I_______ a baby cry this morning.
13. When did Stanley ___________ to the beach?
Stanley __________ to the beach last summer.
29. Where did you last break a glass?
I_______a glass in the kitchen.
14. Where did Deborah __________ her bicycle on Sunday?
Deborah __________ her bicycle in the park on Sunday.
30. Where did you put your wallet?
I_______my wallet in my pocket.
15. When did David ___________ to Chicago?
David _______________ to Chicago last week.
31. How many e-mails did you send yesterday?
I_______6 e-mails yesterday.
16. What did Jordan ___________ his mother?
Jordan ___________ his mother a birthday present.
32. When did you last catch a cold?
I _______ a cold 6 months ago.
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.
ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 4 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Past Tense Game
Instructions:
You will need a pair of dice for this game.
This game is played in pairs. Student A gets Worksheet A and Student B gets Worksheet B. The worksheets are on
pages 5 and 6.
Student B casts the dice and adds the numbers rolled. Student A asks the question on his/her own worksheet that
corresponds with that number. If Student B answers correctly, then he/she crosses out that question on Student A’s
worksheet. For Example, if Student B rolls a 4, then Student A asks Question 4 on Worksheet A which is: Where did
you buy your shoes? If Student B answers correctly, he/she crosses out Question 4 on Student A’s worksheet.
Now, Student A casts the dice and adds the numbers rolled. Student B asks the question on his/her own worksheet
that corresponds with that number. If Student A answers correctly, then he/she crosses out that question on
Student B’s worksheet. For Example, if Student A rolls a 7, then Student B asks Question 7 on Worksheet B which is:
What time did you have supper yesterday? If Student A answers correctly, he/she crosses out Question 7 on Student
B’s worksheet.
If a student does not answer a question correctly, the question remains active and does not get crossed out. This
question can be asked again depending on the roll of the dice. This gives the student an opportunity for selfcorrection the next time the question is asked.
The first student to cross out all of the opponents questions wins the game.
The worksheets are on pages 5 and 6.
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.
ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 5 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Worksheet A
1
When did you last drink a CocaCola?
4
Where did you buy your shoes?
7
How many hours did you sleep
last night?
10
What did you bring to class?
2
Where did you meet your best
friend?
5
When did you last fly in an
airplane?
8
When did you last catch a cold?
3
How many e-mails did you send
yesterday?
6
When did you last pay the rent?
9
What time did you get up this
morning?
11
12
When did you last ride a bicycle?
Where did you last stand in line?
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.
ESL Helpful Handouts
Page 6 of 6
Irregular Past Tense Verbs And Question Formation In The Past Tense
Worksheet B
1
When did you last hear a baby
cry?
4
Where did you go last weekend?
7
What time did you have supper
yesterday?
10
Where did you last break a
glass?
2
Where did you put your wallet?
5
When did you last think about
your family?
8
What did you eat for breakfast?
11
When did you last drive a car?
3
What time did you come home
yesterday?
6
When did you last do the
laundry?
9
How many e-mails did you
write yesterday?
12
When did you last see a movie?
Free handout – http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S. Watson. Photos: www.flicker.com (Creative Commons License).
Photo acknowledgements: JoshBerglund19, Qole Pejorian.