you finish your homework last night

Easy Guide to Questions in Simple Past with Examples

Published by

Olivia Drake

English language proficiency entails a clear understanding of the various tenses, one of which is the Past Simple tense. This tense, as the name implies, is employed when discussing actions completed in the past. Among its most intriguing aspects are the ways to form questions. This article aims to explore and simplify the intricacies of forming questions in Past Simple tense.

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Understanding the Past Simple

The Past Simple tense , also referred to as the Simple Past, is used to express completed actions that took place at a specific time in the past. These actions can range from recent activities (e.g., “I ate breakfast an hour ago”) to historical events (e.g., “The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43”).

How To Form Past Tense Questions

Creating interrogative sentences or questions in the Past Simple involves a certain degree of finesse and understanding. The typical structure of such questions is as follows:

‘Did’ + subject + base form of the verb + …?

For example:

Did you finish your homework last night?
Did she pass her driving test?
Did we forget to turn off the lights before we left?
Did they enjoy the picnic yesterday?
Did it rain while you were at the beach?
Did John and Lisa arrive on time for the dinner?
Did you see the latest episode of that show?
Did the meeting end early?
Did you buy groceries on your way home?
Did they win the football match yesterday?
Note that ‘did’ is used for all subjects – I, you, we, they, he, she, it. Also, no matter what the subject is, the verb stays in its base form.

How To Form Negative Past Tense Questions

Negative questions in the Past Simple follow a slightly different formula:

‘Didn’t’ + subject + base form of the verb + …?

Didn’t you have lunch already?
Didn’t they see the movie last week?
Didn’t she pass her driving test?
Didn’t we have a meeting scheduled for today?
Didn’t it rain during the concert?
Didn’t John and Lisa attend the party?
Didn’t you visit the museum when you were in Paris?
Didn’t the dog bark when the postman arrived?
Didn’t you like the new restaurant we tried?
Didn’t they live in Chicago last year?

These questions are often used to express surprise or disbelief or to seek confirmation of what we believe to be true.

WH Questions in Simple Past Tense

When forming questions with wh- words (who, what, where, when, why, how) in Past Simple, the structure changes slightly:

Wh- word + ‘did’ + subject + base form of the verb + …?

What did you do last weekend?
Where did they go on their vacation?
When did she finish her project?
Why didn’t you come to the party last night?
Who did you meet at the conference?
How did John fix the computer so quickly?
Which book did you choose for the book club?
Why didn’t they take the train to work yesterday?
What did you eat for dinner last night?
When did they move to their new house?

For questions involving the subject of the action, ‘did’ is typically omitted: Who broke the window?Who made the cake?In these cases, the ‘who’ takes the place of the subject.

Yes or No Questions in Past Simple

The above type of question is also known as ‘Yes or No’ question because the answer to such a question is often ‘yes’ or ‘no’. For example:

Did you watch the football match yesterday? Yes, I did.
Did she take her medicine this morning? No, she didn’t.
Did they go to the concert last night? Yes, they did.
Did we have any homework for English class? No, we didn’t.
Did it rain during your picnic? Yes, it did.
Did you like the new Italian restaurant downtown? Yes, I did.
Did the dog eat all its food? No, it didn’t.
Did you remember to lock the car? Yes, I did.
Did the parcel arrive on time? No, it didn’t.
Did they pass their driving tests? Yes, they did.

The Past Simple tense is a fundamental part of English grammar, and understanding its rules is vital for forming accurate and meaningful sentences. Creating questions in the Past Simple may seem daunting at first, but with knowledge and practice, it becomes second nature. It’s crucial to remember the basic structure, the role of ‘did’ as an auxiliary verb, and how wh- words can affect the sentence structure.

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have you done/did you do your homework?

Thread starter yuri05
Start date Mar 28, 2014
Mar 28, 2014

hi, i find it hard to decide which tense to use when there are no time references. for example, let's say a teacher walks in the classroom and asks his pupils:"have you done/did you do your homework?"which tense should be used in this situation? i'd use the present perfect but i'm not sure. thanks!

Senior Member

The present perfect makes sense in that situation, but the simple past is also possible. Have you done your homework? Did you do your homework?

owlman5 said: The present perfect makes sense in that situation, but the simple past is also possible. Have you done your homework? Did you do your homework? Click to expand...

"Have you done your homework?" This happened in the past, but somehow affects the present. "Yes." "You should give it to the teacher tomorrow." In this case, we might assume that the recently completed homework can be handed in now. The completion of the homework affects the present. "Did you do your homework?" This happened in the past. It doesn't affect the present or we don't care how it affects the present "Yes." "Why did you do so poorly on the test?" You are thinking about a past effect of doing the homework.

Member Emeritus

Mar 29, 2014

ChainReaction

Sep 20, 2014

<< Moderator's note: This question has been added to a previous thread. Please scroll up and read from the top. >> Hi, I'm new here, and I have a question about something that was bothering me for quite a long time. What is the difference between the regular form of past tense, and the form 'have past_tense '? To give you the right context, what's the difference between: "Did you do your homework?" and "Have you done your homework?" << New example will need its own thread. >>

You mean the simple past and the present perfect. Here's a good primer: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/ppvpast.htm In short, the simple past is used when referring to a situation that is completely in the past (and thus concluded, with little to no relevance for the present situation). The present perfect (which is not a past tense) is used when referring to situations that are still happening and/or have a relevance for the present situation.

That said, there is often little distinction between these tenses in the everyday use of the language. Using the simple past ("did you do your homework") in situations that actually call for the present perfect ("have you done your homework", because the enquirer wishes to know if the person's homework is now done) is especially common in American English. << Response to deleted question. >>

"Did you do your homework?" and "Have you done your homework?" For example, if a child wanted to watch TV, mum or dad could say either of them but the second (the one using present perfect) is better because it emphasises that we are talking about now, today. If an investigator was asking about something before the present then the first one is correct. Teacher: On the night before you went on vacation last year, did you do your homework?

post mod (English Only / Latin)

Sep 21, 2014
Mar 2, 2019

[This post and the following ones have been added to a previous thread in which the same question was asked. Please read down from the top. DonnyB - moderator]. Context: I want to ask if my son has done the homework or not Did you do your homework ? Have you done your homework ? Which tense is better and why? Do we need "the" before "homework" in the context?

Since you live in the UK, use "have you done", since you are interested in the situation in the present. I think AmE usage is "did you do". Don't use "the" with "your". "Your homework" is the usual way of saying it.

Thanks

Jun 25, 2019

A teacher gave a home assignment to his students one week ago. His students show up and say that the homework is still undone. What would they say? - We haven't done our homework. - We didn't do our home work.

Steven David

Ivan_I said: A teacher gave a home assignment to his students one week ago. His students show up and say that the homework is still undone. What would they say? - We haven't done our homework. - We didn't do our home work. Click to expand...

Parla said: I think the teacher would use the simple past tense ("Did you do your homework?") since the reference is to work assigned the day before and it should have been done the evening before. Click to expand...

Helenejj said: What would the teacher say if the work was assigned three days ago? Click to expand...

Uncle Jack said: The present perfect indicates completion. "Have you done your homework?"asks the same question as "Is your homework complete?" Click to expand...

Helenejj said: Doesn't "Did you do your homework?" indicate that the homework is complete? Click to expand...

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Home » Simple Past Tense | Structure, Rules, Usage and Examples

Simple Past Tense | Structure, Rules, Usage and Examples

The simple past tense , also known as the past indefinite tense, is used to describe actions or events that occurred and were completed in the past. This tense is essential when narrating past events, telling stories, or stating facts. It helps provide a clear timeline of actions without any connection to the present. In this article, we’ll dive into the structure, rules, and examples of the simple past tense to understand it better.

Table of Contents

What is Simple Past Tense?

The simple past tense is used to express actions or events that happened and are now finished. For regular verbs, the past tense is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb. Irregular verbs have unique forms, and their past tense must be memorized.

For example:

I ate pizza for lunch.
We watched a movie last night.
He bought a new car last month.

Structure of Simple Past Tense

Positive sentences.

In affirmative sentences, the structure is:

Subject + Past Verb (2nd Form) + Object
She read a book before bed.
They ate pizza for dinner.
He bought a new car last week.

Negative Sentences

In negative sentences, we use “did not” (or “didn’t”) followed by the base form of the verb:

Subject + Did + Not + Base Verb (1st Form) + Object
I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.
She didn’t pass the exam.
He did not finish his homework.

Interrogative Sentences

For questions, we use “Did” at the beginning, followed by the subject and the base verb:

Did + Subject + Base Verb + Object?
Did you finish your homework?
Did she watch the movie?
Did they travel last year?

Wh-Questions

When forming questions with words like what, where, when, why, or how , use the following structure:

Wh-word + Did + Subject + Base Verb + Object?
Where did they go on vacation?
What did you eat for dinner?
Why did she resign from her job?

Negative Interrogatives

To ask a negative question in the simple past tense, we combine the negative and interrogative forms:

Did + Subject + Not + Base Verb + Object?
Did he not call you back?
Did she not like the book?
Did they not finish the project?

Uses of Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is versatile and can be used in different contexts:

I visited Paris last summer.
He always walked to school.
She woke up, had breakfast, and left for work.
The Wright brothers flew the first airplane in 1903.
The house was quiet.

Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs.

For regular verbs, the past tense is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form:

Walk → Walked
Play → Played
Talk → Talked

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the “-ed” pattern and have unique past forms that must be memorized:

Take → Took

Time Expressions in Simple Past Tense

Common time expressions used with the simple past tense help indicate when an action took place. Some examples include:

Yesterday, last week, a month ago, in 2005, last year, as a child, at that time, and once.

These time words anchor the action in the past, making it clear when the event occurred.

Simple Past Tense Rules

Example: Walk → Walked
Example: Go → Went
Example: I did not (didn’t) go.
Example: Did you finish the report?
Example: I went there last summer.

Examples of Simple Past Tense

Here are several examples to help illustrate the usage of the simple past tense:

I studied for the exam all night.
She didn’t pass the test.
We visited the museum yesterday.
Did you see that movie last week?
They wrote a letter to their teacher.

Q1: What is Simple Past Tense? Simple past tense expresses actions that happened and were completed in the past. It uses the past form of the verb, such as “went” or “played.”

Q2: How is the Simple Past Tense formed? Regular verbs take “-ed” for the past form (walk → walked), while irregular verbs have unique past forms (go → went).

Q3: When do we use Simple Past Tense? Use the simple past tense for completed actions, past routines, and to tell stories or narrate events that occurred in the past.

Q4: How are negative sentences formed in Simple Past Tense? Negative sentences use “did not” (didn’t) followed by the base form of the verb (He didn’t go).

Q5: How are questions formed in Simple Past Tense? Questions are formed by placing “Did” before the subject, followed by the base verb (Did you visit Paris?).

Future Perfect Continuous Tense | Rules, Uses and Examples

Past Perfect Continuous Tense | Rules, Uses and Examples

Present Perfect Continuous Tense | Rules, Uses and Examples

Future Perfect Tense | Structure, Rules, Uses and Examples

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