Grammar | High Beginner 3

Simple Past Tense

Katie talks about what she did on her day off. This lesson looks at the past tense.

Script
Grammar
Quiz



Katie	Todd

Todd: What did you do yesterday?

Katie: Yesterday was my day off. I started the day early and finished up a lot of house chores before work. I cleaned the kitchen, mowed the lawn, mailed some letters, emptied the trash, and washed my clothes. I even dusted the furniture.

Todd: What did you do after that?

Katie: After that, I walked to work because I needed to do some things for my job. I didn’t take the bus because it looked full. I enjoyed the walk though, as I strolled through the park to my office.

Todd: Wait! Did you work? It was your day off!

Katie: Yes, I know! I did work! I worked for about three hours. I checked some emails and finished a paper I needed to send to a customer.

Todd: Did you work long?

Katie: No, after that, I walked to my local gym. I exercised for about one hour. I lifted weights and walked on the treadmill for some time. Then, I showered and headed home.

Todd: What did you do last night?

Katie: At home, I cooked dinner and chatted with my roommate. After eating, I cleaned up the kitchen. I wanted to watch a movie, but it was too late so I decided not to. All in all, it was a good day.

Grammar Focus

Past tense verbs usually end with an -ed ending but only for affirmative sentences. For questions and negative statements we use did to express the past. See below.

(Q) Where did you work?
(A) I worked in an office.
(N) I did not work in the city.

There are three ways to pronounce the -ed ending.