Suggestions for Teaching the Past Tense and Its Irregular Verbs
- Posted by Daisy Stocker
- Date May 10, 2011
- Comments 4 comments
We have found that the mention of the simple past tense scares students. The classroom loses its relaxed atmosphere with stressed and anxious students. It seems that in many cultures there is a belief that the simple past tense is very difficult. This article will offer some suggestions that may help to overcome this fear.
Let’s start with writing, then saying the past tense of the regular verbs in sentences. Presenting the easiest form will help the students to relax.
Add “ed” to the root form of the verb. (insert “classroom”)
Examples:
play = played enjoy = enjoyed
I played basketball yesterday.
I enjoyed the game.
NOTE: Explain that when the verb ends in “e” then you drop the final “e” and add “ed”, as in “lived” and “phoned”. Have them pronounce these words and use them in sentences.
live = lived phone = phoned
I lived in Canada last year.
I phoned my friend last night.
Next explain that although the “ed” has three different sounds they will learn the pronunciation as they practice speaking.
Examples:
I watched TV yesterday. I walked to class last week. I liked my friend’s video.
I needed a new coat last winter. I wanted to find my friend this morning.
Ask the students these questions and have them answer, “yes”.
Examples:
Did you play basketball yesterday? (yes) Yes, I played basketball yesterday.
Did you like your friend’s video? (yes) Yes, I liked my friend’s video.
Did you need a new coat last winter? (yes) Yes, I needed a new coat last year.
Did you phone your friend last night? (yes) Yes, I phoned my friend last year.
Did you watch TV yesterday? (yes) Yes, I watched TV yesterday.
What if the answer is “No?”
Many questions use “to do” in the past tense. It’s not regular.
The past form of “to do” is “did”
To form the negative we say: “did not” or “didn’t”
Ask these questions again and have the students answer “no.”
Did you play basketball yesterday? (no) No, I didn’t (did not) play basketball yesterday.
Did you like your friend’s video? (no) No, I didn’t (did not) like my friend’s video.
Did you need a new coat last winter? (no) No, I didn’t need a new coat last winter.
Did you phone your friend last night? (no) No, I didn’t phone my friend last night.
Did you watch TV yesterday? (no) No I didn’t watch TV yesterday.
We suggest that you provide more practice by asking more oral questions. (Brian-insert “oral –questions” here.
How can everyone have fun learning the past tense form of the irregular verbs?
Let’s play Word Bingo. Everyone loves it!
Suggestions for Teaching the Past Tense
- Storytelling Students tell personal stories or past events to the class or in small groups
- Timeline Activities Create timelines of historical events or personal milestones where students can place events and describe them.
- Personal Pictures Students use pictures to describe what happened in the past.
- Real-life Scenarios Set up role-plays where students discuss past experiences, such as holidays, school events, or historical interviews.
- Listening Activities Use audio recordings of stories or dialogues in the past tense and ask students to identify and list the past tense verbs they hear. Listening passages here
- Reading Comprehension Provide short stories or passages written in the past tense and have students highlight or underline the past tense verbs or convert to the past tense. Reading Comprehension practice here
- Sentence Rewriting Give present tense sentences and ask students to rewrite them in the past tense.
Suggestions for Teaching Irregular Past Tense Verbs
- Irregular Verb Lists Provide lists of common irregular verbs and their past tense forms. Regular practice and memorization are key.
- Matching Games Create games where students match base forms of verbs with their irregular past tense forms.
- Fill-in-the-Blank Provide sentences with missing verbs and ask students to fill in the blanks with the correct irregular past tense forms.
- Flashcards Use flashcards with the base form on one side and the past tense form on the other. Students first create the flashcard then quiz each other.
- Verb Hunts: In reading passages or dialogues, have students hunt for irregular verbs and then list their base forms and past tense forms.
- Role-Play: Create scenarios where students must use irregular past tense verbs. For example, “What did you do yesterday?” can prompt responses like “I went downtown” or “I ate lunch at a restaurant.”
- Practice in Context: Integrate irregular verbs into various activities, such as writing stories or conducting interviews, to provide contextual practice. Give an activity and have student use as many irregular verbs as possible (from list).
- Interactive Activities: Use digital tools or apps that offer interactive exercises for practicing irregular past tense verbs. Online Beginners Course
More Tips
- Consistent Practice Encourage regular practice and review to help students remember and correctly use irregular past tense forms.
- Encouragement and Feedback: Provide positive reinforcement and constructive feedback to help students gain confidence in using past tense verbs. Catch them doing it right and reinforce.
- Peer Teaching: Have students work in pairs or small groups to teach each other irregular past tense verbs, explaining the rules example, and exceptions.
- Games and Quizzes: Incorporate fun activities like verb bingo, crossword puzzles, and online quizzes to reinforce learning in an enjoyable way. See our Online ESL Curriculum
The Past Tense – Lesson with Video
Complete Past Tense Lesson Plan Includes
- Video
- Student Reader
- Past Tense Worksheets
- Teacher Guide
Lesson 25 – From High Beginners Book 1 Online Version
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Date Published: 2011-05-10
Date Modified: 2024-05-20
Daisy Stocker taught ESL in Eastern Europe for 10 years and was a primary school teacher in Canada for 30 years. Daisy has a B.A. and M Ed. in Education.
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4 Comments
From my experience, knowing the right tense to use in different conditions are just hard for some students, especially those trying to learn English as a second language. Nice tips.
Few people can learn effectively in a stiff or sterile environment. Bring in the laughs. Nice points.
English language has a number of rules and exceptions when those rules do not apply. These can be confusing.
I teach older students and they usually do have a problem with past tense.