Adverbs

Definition

1)Adverbs are words that modify

a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?) an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?) another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)

2)Adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened.

3)Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:

That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.

4)If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:

When this class is over , we're going to the movies.

5)When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is called an adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently have adverbial functions (telling place and time, modifying the verb):

He went to the movies. She works on holidays. They lived in Canada during the war.

6)Infinitive phrases can act as adverbs (usually telling why):

She hurried to the mainland to see her brother. The senator ran to catch the bus.

But there are other kinds of adverbial phrases:1

He calls his mother as often as possible.

7)Adverbs can modify adjectives, but an adjective cannot modify an adverb. Thus we would say that "the students showed a really wonderful attitude" and that "the students showed a wonderfully casual attitude" and that "my professor is really tall, but not "He ran real fast."

8)Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

Walk faster if you want to keep up with me. The student who reads fastest will finish first.

9)We often use more and most, less and least to show degree with adverbs:

With sneakers on, she could move more quickly among the patients. The flowers were the most beautifully arranged creations I've ever seen. She worked less confidently after her accident. That was the least skillfully done performance I've seen in years.

10)The as — as construction can be used to create adverbs that express sameness or equality: "He can't run as fast as his sister."

11)A handful of adverbs have two forms, one that ends in -ly and one that doesn't. In certain cases, the two forms have different meanings:

He arrived late. Lately , he couldn't seem to be on time for anything.

12)In most cases, however, the form without the -ly ending should be reserved for casual situations:

She certainly drives slow in that old Buick of hers. He did wrong by her. He spoke sharp, quick, and to the point.

13)Adverbs often function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize, amplify, or downtone. Here are some examples:

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Emphasizers: o I really don't believe him. o He literally wrecked his mother's car. o She simply ignored me. o They're going to be late, for sure.

Amplifiers: o The teacher completely rejected her proposal. o I absolutely refuse to attend any more faculty meetings. o They heartily endorsed the new restaurant. o I so wanted to go with them. o We know this city well.

Downtoners: o I kind of like this college. o Joe sort of felt betrayed by his sister. o His mother mildly disapproved his actions. o We can improve on this to some extent. o The boss almost quit after that. o The school was all but ruined by the storm.

14)Adverbs (as well as adjectives) in their various degrees can be accompanied by premodifiers:

She runs very fast. We're going to run out of material all the faster

This issue is addressed in the section on degrees in adjectives.

Using Adverbs in a Numbered List

Within the normal flow of text, it's nearly always a bad idea to number items beyond three or four, at the most. Anything beyond that, you're better off with a vertical list that uses numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.). Also, in such a list, don't use adverbs (with an -ly ending); use instead the uninflected ordinal number (first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.). First (not firstly), it's unclear what the adverb is modifying. Second (not secondly), it's unnecessary. Third (not thirdly), after you get beyond "secondly," it starts to sound silly. Adverbs that number in this manner are treated as disjuncts (see below.)

Adverbs We Can Do Without

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Review the section on Being Concise for some advice on adverbs that we can eliminate to the benefit of our prose: intensifiers such as very, extremely, and really that don't intensify anything and expletive constructions ("There are several books that address this issue.")

Kinds of Adverbs1)Adverbs of Manner   She moved slowly and spoke quietly.

2)Adverbs of Place   She has lived on the island all her life.    She still lives there now.

3)Adverbs of Frequency   She takes the boat to the mainland every day.   She often goes by herself.

4)Adverbs of Time   She tries to get back before dark.   It's starting to get dark now.   She finished her tea first.   She left early.

5)Adverbs of Purpose   She drives her boat slowly to avoid hitting the rocks.   She shops in several stores to get the best buys.

Positions of Adverbs

One of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of manner are particularly flexible in this regard.

Solemnly the minister addressed her congregation. The minister solemnly addressed her congregation. The minister addressed her congregation solemnly.

The following adverbs of frequency appear in various points in these sentences:

Before the main verb: I never get up before nine o'clock. Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have rarely written to my brother

without a good reason.

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Before the verb used to: I always used to see him at his summer home.

Indefinite adverbs of time can appear either before the verb or between the auxiliary and the main verb:

He finally showed up for batting practice. She has recently retired.

Order of Adverbs

There is a basic order in which adverbs will appear when there is more than one. It is similar to The Royal Order of Adjectives, but it is even more flexible.

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS Verb Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose

Beth swims enthusiastically in the pool every morning before dawn to keep in shape.

Dad walks impatiently into town every afternoon before supper to get a newspaper.

Tashonda naps   in her

room every morning before lunch.  

 

In actual practice, of course, it would be highly unusual to have a string of adverbial modifiers beyond two or three (at the most). Because the placement of adverbs is so flexible, one or two of the modifiers would probably move to the beginning of the sentence: "Every afternoon before supper, Dad impatiently walks into town to get a newspaper." When that happens, the introductory adverbial modifiers are usually set off with a comma.

More Notes on Adverb Order

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As a general principle, shorter adverbial phrases precede longer adverbial phrases, regardless of content. In the following sentence, an adverb of time precedes an adverb of frequency because it is shorter (and simpler):

Dad takes a brisk walk before breakfast every day of his life.

A second principle: among similar adverbial phrases of kind (manner, place, frequency, etc.), the more specific adverbial phrase comes first:

My grandmother was born in a sod house on the plains of northern Nebraska. She promised to meet him for lunch next Tuesday.

Bringing an adverbial modifier to the beginning of the sentence can place special emphasis on that modifier. This is particularly useful with adverbs of manner:

Slowly, ever so carefully , Jesse filled the coffee cup up to the brim, even above the brim.

Occasionally , but only occasionally, one of these lemons will get by the inspectors.

Inappropriate Adverb Order

Review the section on Misplaced Modifiers for some additional ideas on placement. Modifiers can sometimes attach themselves to and thus modify words that they ought not to modify.

They reported that Giuseppe Balle, a European rock star, had died on the six o'clock news.

Clearly, it would be better to move the underlined modifier to a position immediately after "they reported" or even to the beginning of the sentence — so the poor man doesn't die on television.

Misplacement can also occur with very simple modifiers, such as only and barely:

She only grew to be four feet tall.

It would be better if "She grew to be only four feet tall."

Adjuncts, Disjuncts, and Conjuncts

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Regardless of its position, an adverb is often neatly integrated into the flow of a sentence. When this is true, as it almost always is, the adverb is called an adjunct. (Notice the underlined adjuncts or adjunctive adverbs in the first two sentences of this paragraph.) When the adverb does not fit into the flow of the clause, it is called a disjunct or a conjunct and is often set off by a comma or set of commas. A disjunct frequently acts as a kind of evaluation of the rest of the sentence. Although it usually modifies the verb, we could say that it modifies the entire clause, too. Notice how "too" is a disjunct in the sentence immediately before this one; that same word can also serve as an adjunct adverbial modifier: It's too hot to play outside. Here are two more disjunctive adverbs:

Frankly , Martha, I don't give a hoot. Fortunately , no one was hurt.

Conjuncts, on the other hand, serve a connector function within the flow of the text, signaling a transition between ideas.

If they start smoking those awful cigars, then I'm not staying. We've told the landlord about this ceiling again and again, and yet he's done nothing

to fix it.

At the extreme edge of this category, we have the purely conjunctive device known as the conjunctive adverb (often called the adverbial conjunction):

Jose has spent years preparing for this event; nevertheless, he's the most nervous person here.

I love this school; however, I don't think I can afford the tuition.

Some Special Cases

The adverbs enough and not enough usually take a postmodifier position:

Is that music loud enough? These shoes are not big enough. In a roomful of elderly people, you must remember to speak loudly enough.

(Notice, though, that when enough functions as an adjective, it can come before the noun:

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Did she give us enough time?

The adverb enough is often followed by an infinitive:

She didn't run fast enough to win.

The adverb too comes before adjectives and other adverbs:

She ran too fast. She works too quickly.

If too comes after the adverb it is probably a disjunct (meaning also) and is usually set off with a comma:

Yasmin works hard. She works quickly, too.

The adverb too is often followed by an infinitive:

She runs too slowly to enter this race.

Another common construction with the adverb too is too followed by a prepositional phrase — for + the object of the preposition — followed by an infinitive:

This milk is too hot for a baby to drink.

Relative Adverbs

Adjectival clauses are sometimes introduced by what are called the relative adverbs: where, when, and why. Although the entire clause is adjectival and will modify a noun, the relative word itself fulfills an adverbial function (modifying a verb within its own clause).

The relative adverb where will begin a clause that modifies a noun of place:

My entire family now worships in the church where my great grandfather used to be minister.

The relative pronoun "where" modifies the verb "used to be" (which makes it adverbial), but the entire clause ("where my great grandfather used to be minister") modifies the word "church."

A when clause will modify nouns of time:

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My favorite month is always February, when we celebrate Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.

And a why clause will modify the noun reason:

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today?

We sometimes leave out the relative adverb in such clauses, and many writers prefer "that" to "why" in a clause referring to "reason":

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today? I always look forward to the day when we begin our summer vacation. I know the reason that men like motorcycles.

Viewpoint, Focus, and Negative Adverbs

A viewpoint adverb generally comes after a noun and is related to an adjective that precedes that noun:

A successful athletic team is often a good team scholastically. Investing all our money in snowmobiles was probably not a sound idea financially.

You will sometimes hear a phrase like "scholastically speaking" or "financially speaking" in these circumstances, but the word "speaking" is seldom necessary.

A focus adverb indicates that what is being communicated is limited to the part that is focused; a focus adverb will tend either to limit the sense of the sentence ("He got an A just for attending the class.") or to act as an additive ("He got an A in addition to being published."

Although negative constructions like the words "not" and "never" are usually found embedded within a verb string — "He has never been much help to his mother." — they are technically not part of the verb; they are, indeed, adverbs. However, a so-called negative adverb creates a negative meaning in a sentence without the use of the usual no/not/neither/nor/never constructions:

He seldom visits. She hardly eats anything since the accident. After her long and tedious lectures, rarely was anyone awake.

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Determiners

Determiners are words like the, an, my, some. They are grammatically similar. They all come at the beginning of noun phrases, and usually we cannot use more than one determiner in the same noun phrase.

Articles:

a, an, the

Possessive Adjectives:

my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose

Other determiners:

each, every  either, neither  some, any, no  much, many; more, most  little, less, least  few, fewer, fewest  what, whatever; which, whichever  both, half, all  several  enough

Determiners are used in front of nouns to indicate whether you are referring to something

specific or something of a particular type.

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Determiners are different to pronouns in that a determiner is always followed by a noun.

Therefore personal pronouns ( I , you , he , etc.) and possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his,

etc.) cannot be determiners.

The definite and indefinite articles a/an/the are all determiners.

You use a specific determiner when people know exactly which thing(s) or person/people

you are talking about.

The specific determiners are:

the definite article : the

demonstratives : this, that, these, those

possessives : my, your, his, her, its, our, their

For example:-

"The dog barked at the boy."

"These apples are rotten."

"Their bus was late."

You use general determiners to talk about people or things without saying exactly who or

what they are.

The general determiners are:

the indefinite articles : a, an

a few

a little

all

another

any

both

each

either

enough

every

few

fewer

less

little

many

more

most

much

neither

no

other

several

some

For example:

“A man sat under an umbrella.”

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“Have you got any English books that I could have?”

“There is enough food to feed everyone.”

Either and Neither

Either and neither are used in sentences concerning a possible choice between items.

Either can mean one or the other (of two) or each of two.

For example:

a) I’ve got tea and coffee, so you can have either. (one or the other)

b) The room has a door at either end. (both)

Neither means not the first one and not the second one.

For example:

a) Neither of the students were listening.

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Preposition

1)A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

2)A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

o The book is on the table.o The book is beneath the table.o The book is leaning against the table.o The book is beside the table.o She held the book over the table.o She read the book during class.

3)In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time.

4)A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs.

5)A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.

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6)The most common prepositions are "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

7)Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a preposition:

The children climbed the mountain without fear.

In this sentence, the preposition "without" introduces the noun "fear." The prepositional phrase "without fear" functions as an adverb describing how the children climbed.

There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.

Here, the preposition "throughout" introduces the noun phrase "the land." The prepositional phrase acts as an adverb describing the location of the rejoicing.

The spider crawled slowly along the banister.

The preposition "along" introduces the noun phrase "the banister" and the prepositional phrase "along the banister" acts as an adverb, describing where the spider crawled.

The dog is hiding under the porch because it knows it will be punished for chewing up a new pair of shoes.

Here the preposition "under" introduces the prepositional phrase "under the porch," which acts as an adverb modifying the compound verb "is hiding."

The screenwriter searched for the manuscript he was certain was somewhere in his office.

Similarly in this sentence, the preposition "in" introduces a prepositional phrase "in his office," which acts as an adverb describing the location of the missing papers.

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Conjunction

1)You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:

I ate the pizza and the pasta. Call the movers when you are ready.

Co-ordinating Conjunctions

1)You use a co-ordinating conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") to join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. Note that you can also use the conjunctions "but" and "for" as prepositions.

2)In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a co-ordinating conjunction:

Lilacs and violets are usually purple.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two nouns.

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This movie is particularly interesting to feminist film theorists, for the screenplay was written by Mae West.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "for" is used to link two independent clauses.

Daniel's uncle claimed that he spent most of his youth dancing on rooftops and swallowing goldfish.

Here the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two participle phrases ("dancing on rooftops" and "swallowing goldfish") which act as adverbs describing the verb "spends."

Subordinating Conjunctions

1)A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s).

2)The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether," and "while."

3)Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a subordinating conjunction:

After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent.

The subordinating conjunction "after" introduces the dependent clause "After she had learned to drive."

If the paperwork arrives on time, your cheque will be mailed on Tuesday.

Similarly, the subordinating conjunction "if" introduces the dependent clause "If the paperwork arrives on time."

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Gerald had to begin his thesis over again when his computer crashed.

The subordinating conjunction "when" introduces the dependent clause "when his computer crashed."

Midwifery advocates argue that home births are safer because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs.

In this sentence, the dependent clause "because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs" is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "because."

Correlative Conjunctions

1)Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements.

2) The most common correlative conjunctions are "both...and," "either...or," "neither...nor,", "not only...but also," "so...as," and "whether...or." (Technically correlative conjunctions consist simply of a co-ordinating conjunction linked to an adjective or adverb.)

3)The highlighted words in the following sentences are correlative conjunctions:

Both my grandfather and my father worked in the steel plant.

In this sentence, the correlative conjunction "both...and" is used to link the two noun phrases that act as the compound subject of the sentence: "my grandfather" and "my father".

Bring either a Jello salad or a potato scallop.

Here the correlative conjunction "either...or" links two noun phrases: "a Jello salad" and "a potato scallop."

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Corinne is trying to decide whether to go to medical school or to go to law school.

Similarly, the correlative conjunction "whether ... or" links the two infinitive phrases "to go to medical school" and "to go to law school."

The explosion destroyed not only the school but also the neighbouring pub.

In this example the correlative conjunction "not only ... but also" links the two noun phrases ("the school" and "neighbouring pub") which act as direct objects.

4)Note: some words which appear as conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.

Interjections

1)Interjection is a big name for a little word.

2)Interjections are short exclamations like Oh!, Um or Ah! They have no real grammatical value but we use them quite often, usually more in speaking than in writing.

3) When interjections are inserted into a sentence, they have no grammatical connection to the sentence.

4)An interjection is sometimes followed by an exclamation mark (!) when written.

5)Interjections like er and um are also known as "hesitation devices". People use them when they don't know what to say, or to indicate that they are thinking about what to say. You should learn to recognize them when you hear them and realize that they have no real meaning.

6)The table below shows some interjections with examples.

interjection meaning example

ah expressing pleasure "Ah, that feels good."

expressing realization "Ah, now I understand."

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expressing resignation "Ah well, it can't be heped."

expressing surprise "Ah! I've won!"

alas expressing grief or pity "Alas, she's dead now."

dearexpressing pity "Oh dear! Does it hurt?"

expressing surprise "Dear me! That's a surprise!"

eh

asking for repetition"It's hot today." "Eh?" "I said it's hot today."

expressing enquiry "What do you think of that, eh?"

expressing surprise "Eh! Really?"

inviting agreement "Let's go, eh?"

er expressing hesitation "Lima is the capital of...er...Peru."

hello, hulloexpressing greeting "Hello John. How are you today?"

expressing surprise "Hello! My car's gone!"

heycalling attention "Hey! look at that!"

expressing surprise, joy etc "Hey! What a good idea!"

hi expressing greeting "Hi! What's new?"

hmmexpressing hesitation, doubt or disagreement

"Hmm. I'm not so sure."

oh, o expressing surprise "Oh! You're here!"

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expressing pain "Oh! I've got a toothache."

expressing pleading "Oh, please say 'yes'!"

ouch expressing pain "Ouch! That hurts!"

uh expressing hesitation "Uh...I don't know the answer to that."

uh-huh expressing agreement "Shall we go?" "Uh-huh."

um, umm expressing hesitation "85 divided by 5 is...um...17."

wellexpressing surprise "Well I never!"

introducing a remark "Well, what did he say?"

Simple Present Tense

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

    do   base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary. 2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary. 3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  

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+

I, you, we, they   like coffee.

He, she, it   likes coffee.

-

I, you, we, they do not like coffee.

He, she, it does not like coffee.

?

Do I, you, we, they   like coffee?

Does he, she, it   like coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

  subject main verb    

+

I am   French.

You, we, they are   French.

He, she, it is   French.

-

I am not old.

You, we, they are not old.

He, she, it is not old.

? Am I   late?

Are you, we, they   late?

Is he, she, it   late?

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How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present tense when:

the action is general  the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future  the action is not only happening now  the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.

past present future

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.

Look at these examples:

I live in New York.  The Moon goes round the Earth.  John drives a taxi.  He does not drive a bus.  We meet every Thursday.  We do not work at night.  Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the simple present tense - some of them are general, some of them are now:

Am I right?Tara is not at home.

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You are happy.

past present future

The situation is now.

  

I am not fat.Why are you so beautiful?

Ram is tall.

past present future

The situation is general. Past, present and future.

Simple Present Continuous

Form[am/is/are + present participle]

Eg. 1)You are watching TV.

      2)Are you watching TV?

      3)You are not watching TV.

Complete List of Present Continuous Forms

USE 1 Now

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Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Examples:You are learning English now.You are not swimming now.Are you sleeping?I am sitting.I am not standing.Is he sitting or standing?They are reading their books.They are not watching television.What are you doing?Why aren’t you doing your homework?

Use 2 Longer Actions in Progress

In English, “now” can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples: (All of this sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)I am studying to become a doctor.I am not studying to become a dentist.I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.I am not reading any books right now.Are you working on any special projects at work? Aren’t you teaching at the university now?

Use 3 Near Future

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Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

Examples:I am meeting some friends after work.I am not going to the party tonight.Is he visiting his parents next weekend?Isn’t he coming with us tonight?

Use 4 Repetition and Irritation with “Always”

The Present Continuous with words such as “always” or “constantly” expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple Present, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words “always” or “constantly” between “be” and “verb+ing”.

Examples:She is always coming to class late.He is constantly talking. I wish he would shut up.I don’t like them because they are always complaining.

Remember Non-Continuous Verbs/Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Present Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Present.

Examples:She is loving this chocolate ice-cream. (Not correct)She loves this chocolate ice-cream. (Correct)

Adverb Placement

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The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:You are still watching TV.Are you still watching TV?

Active/Passive

Examples:Right now, Tom is writing the letter. (active)Right now, the letter is being written by Tom. (passive)

Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.

Simple past form

Regular verbs: base + edEg. walked, showed, watched, played, smiled, stopped

Irregular verbs: see list in verbs

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Simple past: be, have, do

SubjectVerb

Be Have Do

I was had did

You were had did

He,she, it was had did

We were had did

You were had did

They were had did

Affirmative

1. I was in Japan last year2. She had a headache yesterday.3. We did our homework last night.

Negative and interrogative

Note:For the negative and interrogative simple past form of “do” as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary “do”.

e.g. We didn’t do our homework last night.

The negative of “have” in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary “do”,but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction “n’t”.

The interrogative form of “have” in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary “do”.

They weren’t in Rio last summer. We hadn’t any money. We didn’t have time to visit the Eiffel Tower. We didn’t do our exercises this morning. Were they in Iceland last January? Did you have a bicycle when you were a boy? Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

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1.Simple past, regular verbs

Affirmative

Subject verb+ ed

I washed

Negative

Subject did not infinitive without to

They didn’t visit …

Interrogative

Did subject infinitive without to

Did she arrive…?

Interrogative negative

Did not subject infinitive without to

Didn’t you like..?

Example:to walk, simple past.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

Iwalked

I didn’t walk Did I walk?

Youwalked

You didn’t walk Did you walk?

He,she,itwalked

He didn’t walk Did he walk?

Wewalked

We didn’t walk Did we walk?

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Youwalked

You didn’t walk Did you walk?

Theywalked

They didn’t walk Did they walk?

Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary ‘did”.

Examples: Simple past, irregular verbs

to go

a. He went to a club last night.

b. Did he go to the cinema last night?

c. He didn’t go to bed early last night.

to give

d. We gave her a doll for her birthday.

e. They didn’t give John their new address.

f. Did Barry give you my passport?

to come

g. My parents came to visit me last July.

h. We didn’t come because it was raining.

i. Did he come to your party last week?

2. Simple past, function

The simple past is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. Duration is not important. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past.

John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.

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My father died last year. He lived in Fiji in 1976. We crossed the Channel yesterday.

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions.

Examples:

frequency:often,sometimes, always; a definite point in time:last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago. an indefinite point in time:the other day, ages ago, a long time ago etc.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time.

e.g. a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

Examples:a. Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.

b. She finished her work at seven o’clock.

c. We saw a good film last week.

d. I went to the theatre last night.

e. She played the piano when she was a child.

f. He sent me a letter six months ago.

g. Peter left five minutes ago.

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