1 Composition of simple past tense.
The simple past tense is expressed in the past tense of a verb.
his words fetched a laugh from all present.
His words made everyone present laugh.
i did not sleep well last night.
I didn't sleep well last night.
did you direct the tourist to the hotel?
Did you tell this tourist the way to the hotel?
2 Usage of Simple Past Tense.
Basic usage of simple past tense.
a.Indicates an action or state of existence that occurred at a specific time in the past He suddenly fell ill yesterday
Yesterday he suddenly fell ill.
the engine stopped because the fuel was used up.
The engine shut down because it ran out of fuel.
Note: In sentences in the simple past tense, there is usually a time adverbial that indicates the past.
I visited the palace museum(This should be avoided in the absence of context).
I visited the palace museum last year
Last year I visited the Palace Museum.
正】 I h**e visited the palace museum
I visited the Palace Museum.
b.Indicates an action or state of existence that has often occurred in the past.
i wrote home once a week at college.
When I was in college, I wrote a letter home once a week.
he was already in the habit of reading widely in his boyhood.
He developed a habit of reading widely as a child.
Tip: To represent a habitual action in the past, in addition to the past tense, it can also be represented by usedto or would. she used to study late into the night when she was in senior three.
When she was in her junior year of high school, she often studied late into the night.
he would sit for hours doing nothing.
He used to sit for hours at a time and do nothing.
c.Represents a series of actions that occurred continuously in the past.
she entered the room, picked up a magazine and looked through it carefully.She walked into the room, picked up a magazine, and flipped through it carefully.
the students got up early in the morning, did morning exercises and then read english aloud in the open air.
Students wake up early, do morning exercises, and then read English aloud outside.
d.In the time, conditional adverbial clause indicates the action that will happen in the past.
we would not le**e until the teacher came back.
We won't leave until the teacher comes back.
she told me she would not go if it rained the next day.
She told me that if it rained the next day, she wouldn't go.
Special usage of simple past tense.
a.An action or state that denotes the present or future time in the subjunctive mood.
it's time we went.
It's time for us to go.
i wish i were twenty years younger.
I wish I was 20 years younger.
i would rather you didn't do anything for the time being.
I'd rather you don't do anything just yet.
b.In colloquial language, the simple past tense tends to show tactfulness.
i wondered if you could give me a hand.
I'd like to ask you a favor.
might i come and see you tonight?
I'd like to come and see you tonight, okay?