一般过去时（Simple Past Tense）
一般过去时的定义
一般过去时，有时称为preterite，用于描述一件在过去发生的动作。一般过去时是英语过去时的基本形式。行动的时间可以是近期或遥远的过去，行动持续时间并不重要。
EXAMPLES
John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year.
He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.
一般过去时的用法：
- 过去某个明确的时间点发生的动作或状态。通常在句子里使用 last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago这样的词。
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work at seven o’clock.
I went to the theatre last night. - 过去某个不明确的时间点发生的动作或状态。通常在句子里使用the other day, ages ago, a long time ago这样模糊的词。
People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child. - 过去习惯性、经常性的动作、行为。通常在句子里使用一些表示频率的词，如：often, sometimes, always
I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
Note:单词ago通常在一些表达“一段时间”的词组后使用，比如：a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.动词的过去式
| 规则 | 举例 |
|---|---|
| 一般的谓语动词后面直接加ed | ask -> asked |
| 以不发音的e结尾的动词，直接加d | arrive-> arrived |
| 以辅音字母+y结尾的动词，去y加ied | sutdy -> studied |
| 以一个辅音字母结尾的重读闭音节动词 | |
| 双写最后一个辅音字母，再加ed | shop -> shopped |
一般过去时的构成
| 肯定句式 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 主语 | + verb + ed | |
| I | skipped | |
| 否定句式 | ||
| 主语 | + did not | +不带to的动词不定式 |
| They | didn’t | go |
| 疑问句式 | ||
| Did not | + 主语 | +不带to的动词不定式 |
| Didn’t | you | play? |
Note：在流行的中文版语法讲义中，采纳“助动词do、does、did后跟动词原形”的说法。本文按照英国语法教学习惯，将助动词后接的“动词原形”，描述为—不带to的动词不定式。
以walk为例造句
| 肯定句式 | 否定句式 | 疑问句式 |
|---|---|---|
| I walked | I didn’t walk | Did I walk? |
| You walked | You didn’t walk | Did you walk? |
| He walked | He didn’t walk | Did he walk? |
| We walked | We didn’t walk | Did we walk? |
| They walked | They didn’t walk | Did they walk? |
Be,Have,Do三个词的一般过去式
在肯定句中，Be,Have,Do三个词有如下变化：
| 主语 | 动词 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
EXAMPLES
- I was in Japan last year.
- She had a headache yesterday.
- We did our homework last night.
have, do这两个词在疑问句中和否定句中，使用助动词did + 不带to的动词不定式来组成句子。
而was、were则不加did
EXAMPLES
- They weren’t in Rio last summer.
- We didn’t have 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 young?
- Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
动词一般过去时的不规则变化
以动词go为例：go的过去式是went，而不是通常的go+ed，就是因为正统的日耳曼语系中（英语是日耳曼语系的旁支），动词分为强动词和弱动词。
强动词通过改变词根来实现过去式，弱动词才通过加后缀（如+ed）实现过去式。
went在古英语中是动词wend的过去式，他的过去分词是wenden。wend-went-wenden。通过上述原则，我们知道wend遵循强动词的变化形式。但在漫长的英语发展过程中，wend的近义词go，在日常使用中频率较大，逐渐替代了wend的地位。
再后来，go就直接窃取了went，来作为它的过去式。而原主人wend的过去式却变成了wended。
和go类似的“鸠占鹊巢”的现象还体现在形容词的比较级和最高级的变化上，如：good, better, best//bad, worse, worst
这种语言现象，我们称之为suppletion 这个词的中文译名叫做“异干互补”或“不规则词形屈折”。
现代英语中有不少规则变化的强动词。
如bend/bent, send/sent, spend/spent, lend/lent这组；又比如come/came, give/gave这组。
这些词在流行的中文版语法教材中，被笼统的称为“不规则变化的动词”。这里我们按照英国语言教学的惯例予以详细说明。