Ready to sharpen your English skills? Our free Simple Past Tense Quiz: Fill in the Blanks is designed to challenge learners of all levels. This past tense quiz guides you through a fun fill-in-the-blank past tense verbs quiz that helps you test your knowledge of common verb forms. Along the way, you'll practice recalling regular and irregular verbs, boost your confidence, and turn mistakes into learning moments. If you've been searching for a simple past tense quiz that feels both engaging and effective, look no further! Just tap the past tense quiz link to begin, then fill in the correct verb choices one by one. Dive in now and watch your accuracy soar!
Yesterday, I ____ to the store.
goes
went
gone
go
The simple past form of "go" is "went." It's an irregular verb and does not follow the -ed pattern. Use "went" to describe a completed past action. Learn more.
She ____ an apple for breakfast.
eating
ate
eats
eat
The simple past of "eat" is "ate," which is irregular and doesn't take -ed. It indicates that the action happened in the past. "Ate" is used for completed eating actions. Learn more.
They ____ TV last night.
watched
watching
watches
watch
The verb "watch" is regular, so its simple past form adds -ed to become "watched." It describes an action completed in the past. This follows the standard rule for regular verbs. Learn more.
We ____ a book yesterday.
reads
reading
radden
read
The past form of "read" is spelled the same but pronounced "red." It's an irregular verb, so spelling doesn't change. Use "read" to talk about a completed reading action. Learn more.
He ____ dinner at 6 PM.
eat
eated
ate
eats
As with the earlier question, the simple past of "eat" is "ate." It's irregular and indicates the action was completed in the past. Use "ate" for any past eating activity. Learn more.
I ____ a song on the radio.
heard
hear
hearing
hears
The simple past form of "hear" is "heard," an irregular verb. It doesn't follow the -ed rule for regular verbs. Use "heard" to indicate a past listening action. Learn more.
You ____ very hard for the exam.
study
studies
studied
studying
"Study" is a regular verb; its past simple form takes -ed to become "studied." It shows the action was completed in the past. Regular verbs follow this pattern consistently. Learn more.
They ____ football yesterday.
play
playing
plays
played
"Play" is a regular verb, so its past simple form adds -ed to become "played." This indicates a finished action in the past. Regular verbs uniformly follow the -ed rule. Learn more.
I ____ a letter to my friend.
writing
wrote
written
writes
The simple past of "write" is "wrote," an irregular form. It doesn't follow the -ed rule. Use "wrote" to describe a completed writing action in the past. Learn more.
She ____ her keys on the table.
leaves
leaved
leave
left
"Leave" is irregular: its simple past form is "left." There is no -ed ending. Use "left" for actions completed in the past. Learn more.
He ____ to Paris last year.
flied
flew
flying
flies
The past simple of "fly" is the irregular form "flew." It does not take -ed. Use "flew" to refer to past flying actions. Learn more.
We ____ up early this morning.
waked
woken
woke
wake
The simple past form of "wake" is irregular: "woke." It does not follow the -ed pattern. Use "woke" to describe a past awakening. Learn more.
They ____ a cake for the party.
baking
bakes
baked
bake
"Bake" is a regular verb and forms its past simple by adding -ed to become "baked." This indicates the action was completed in the past. Learn more.
I ____ my wallet at home.
forgotten
forgets
forgot
forget
"Forget" is irregular: its simple past form is "forgot." It does not take -ed. Use "forgot" to describe a past forgetting. Learn more.
She ____ coffee with her breakfast.
drink
drank
drunk
drinks
The past simple of "drink" is "drank," an irregular form. It doesn't follow the -ed rule. Use "drank" to describe a completed drinking action. Learn more.
He ____ the window.
opens
open
opened
opening
"Open" is a regular verb, and its simple past form is "opened." The -ed ending denotes a completed past action. Learn more.
The phone ____ five times before he answered.
rung
rang
ringed
ring
The simple past of "ring" is the irregular form "rang." It does not follow the -ed rule. Use "rang" for completed past ringing actions. Learn more.
The earthquake ____ the building.
shook
shooken
shake
shaken
The past simple of "shake" is "shook," an irregular form. It doesn't follow the -ed pattern. Use "shook" to describe the past action of moving back and forth. Learn more.
The meat ____ unpleasantly after being left out.
stunk
stankled
stank
smelled
The simple past of "stink" is the irregular form "stank." It does not take -ed. Use "stank" to describe a strong bad smell in the past. Learn more.
She ____ across the lake last summer.
swimming
swam
swum
swum
The simple past of "swim" is "swam," an irregular verb. It does not follow the -ed pattern. Use "swam" to describe a completed swimming action. Learn more.
He ____ into the room without knocking.
strided
strid
strode
stroden
The past simple of "stride" is "strode," an irregular form. It does not follow the regular -ed rule. Use "strode" to describe a confident long-step action in the past. Learn more.
The river ____ overnight, blocking the road.
froze
friezed
frozen
freezed
The simple past of "freeze" is "froze," an irregular form. It does not take -ed. Use "froze" to describe the action of turning to ice in the past. Learn more.
The baby ____ to her mother's hand.
clunged
clunged
clung
clinged
The past simple of "cling" is "clung," an irregular verb. It does not follow the -ed rule. Use "clung" to describe holding tightly in the past. Learn more.
He ____ his friend for the mistake.
forgaveed
forgived
forgave
forgiven
The simple past of "forgive" is "forgave," an irregular form. It does not take -ed. Use "forgave" to describe letting go of resentment in the past. Learn more.
Yesterday, she ____ the book on the table, but now it's gone.
lay
lain
lied
laid
The past simple of "lie" (to recline) is "lay," not to be confused with "laid," which is the past of "lay" (to place). "Lay" denotes the act of reclining in the past. Learn more.
He ____ all his savings on the game and lost.
beaten
bet
bit
betted
The verb "bet" is irregular and remains "bet" in the simple past. It does not take -ed. Use "bet" to describe a past wager. Learn more.
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Hard3/8
Expert0/2
AI Study Notes
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Study Outcomes
Understand Simple Past Tense Structures -
Recognize the formation of regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense quiz to build a solid grammar foundation.
Conjugate Verbs Accurately -
Practice converting various verbs into their correct past tense forms, enhancing your ability to handle both regular and irregular patterns in the past tense verbs quiz.
Apply Past Tense in Fill-in-the-Blank Activities -
Complete fill-in-the-blank past tense quiz items with confidence, reinforcing your skills in selecting the right simple past tense quiz answers.
Identify Past Tense Triggers -
Detect contextual clues and time indicators that signal the need for the simple past tense, improving your comprehension in English past tense exercise contexts.
Self-Assess Past Tense Proficiency -
Use quiz feedback to gauge your mastery level, pinpoint areas for improvement, and track your progress in mastering the past tense.
Cheat Sheet
Regular vs. Irregular Verbs -
Understanding the difference between regular verbs, which form the simple past by adding "-ed," and irregular verbs, which follow unique patterns, is crucial (Cambridge University Press). For example, "walk" becomes "walked," while "go" becomes "went." Familiarizing yourself with common irregular lists from reputable sources like the British Council can boost your accuracy in a past tense quiz.
Spelling Rules for "-ed" Endings -
Several spelling rules govern how regular verbs take "-ed," such as dropping a silent "e" (make → made), doubling a final consonant in stressed syllables (stop → stopped), and changing "y" to "i" (study → studied) (Purdue OWL). A mnemonic like "Drop, Double, Change" helps recall each rule during a fill in the blank past tense quiz. Practicing with word lists from university writing centers strengthens retention.
Key Time Expressions -
Time markers such as "yesterday," "last week," and "in 2010" signal that the simple past is required, guiding your choice of tense in an English past tense exercise (Oxford University Press). Spotting these cues in a sentence can be a powerful strategy in a past tense verbs quiz. Annotating or highlighting time expressions during practice prevents tense confusion.
Negative and Question Forms -
In the simple past, negatives and questions use "did" plus the base form (did not/didn't visit, did you see?), so there's no "-ed" on the main verb (University of Michigan). Remember that "did" already carries the past meaning, making "did went" incorrect. Practicing these structures in fill in the blank past tense quizzes ensures you master both affirmative and interrogative forms.
Context Clues & Strategy -
When tackling a fill in the blank past tense quiz, read the entire sentence to identify clues about timing, subject, and verb agreement (Journal of Second Language Writing). Look for adverbs, prepositional phrases, and overall narrative flow to choose the correct past form. Training with mixed exercises from educational repositories refines your instinct for accurate past tense usage.
