Past Simple: Regular Verbs
Regular Past Simple verbs add -ed — but learners face two formal hurdles at A2. The first is the spelling rules: work → worked, live → lived, stop → stopped (consonant doubling), study → studied (y → ied), play → played (vowel + y, no change). The second is the three pronunciations of -ed — /t/ in walked, watched, helped, /d/ in played, lived, called, and the extra-syllable /ɪd/ in wanted, decided, started. And on top of both: the did/didn’t + base form rule that wipes out -ed in negatives and questions (Did she play tennis?, not Did she played?).
This worksheet builds A2 control of the Past Simple with regular verbs. Students drill the spelling rules in isolation, then apply them inside connected text and in question forms.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- Grammar Box with all five spelling rules, the three -ed pronunciations, and the did/didn’t rule
- Spell-the-past-simple drill: 12 regular verbs covering all five spelling patterns
- Gap-fill in connected text: use regular verbs to complete a short past-time narrative
- Pronunciation sort: group verbs by /t/, /d/, /ɪd/ — say each one aloud
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes with the pronunciation drill and timing breakdown
Common mistakes addressed: missing consonant doubling (stoped), wrong y → i rule application (plaied, studyed), keeping -ed in negatives and questions (didn’t worked, Did she played?).
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR A2, in pre-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Past Simple accuracy with regular verbs is a direct target of Cambridge A2 Key (KET) in both Writing (short past-time narratives) and Reading (spotting tense errors). Part of the Past Tenses collection — the natural next step is Past Simple: Irregular Verbs, which adds the 22 most common irregular forms.
