What are Past Simple and Past Participle?
The past simple and past participle are very important parts of English grammar, you need to use them in speaking and writing. The past simple is used to describe something completed in the past using time expressions like, (yesterday, last week, 2022, etc). and by the way, (past simple and past tense) are the same, just different ways of describing the simple past tense!
Examples:
eat 👉ate
go 👉 went
do 👉 did
He ate his meal around noon.
She did her work last weekend.
They went to the cinema last week.
So, when to use the past participle?
The past participle is used in perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect) and in passive voice. You may check all the perfect tenses here as I explained them all in depth details and I even explained the methods of combining two different tenses in one sentence! Just click here and find more about them 🙂
Examples:
go 👉 gone
do 👉 done
eat 👉 eaten
He has gone to the beach
She has walked to the store many times
The project has been finished by the team. (passive)
How to form questions using the past simple and past participle?
To form questions using the past simple and past participle, you need to follow the below structures:
Past Simple in Questions:
Did + subject + base form of the verb + …?
Examples:
Did he go to the store yesterday?
Did you finish your homework?
Past Participle in Questions (Perfect Tenses or Passive Voice):
Have/Has/Had + subject + past participle + …?
Was/Were + subject + past participle + …?
Examples:
Have they ever travelled to Paris?
Have you ever eaten dinner at that restaurant?
Is it possible to as questions using both of the past simple and past participle?
Definitely yes! You can use both, the past simple and past participle!
Examples:
Did you finish your report after you had attended the meeting?
Did she start the presentation after the team had prepared the slides?
Did they see the movie after they had read the book?
How to form negative sentences using the past simple and past participle?
You need to follow this structure:
Subject + did + not + base form (past simple) + subject + had + not + past participle (past perfect)
Or:
*you can have just one (no) instead of (two).
Examples:
He did not go to bed because he had not finished her homework
They did not start the meeting until they had completed the report
She did not go to bed because she had not finished reading novel
I did not attend the event because I had not bought the ticket.
*You can use the complete form (have not/ has not) or the contraction form (haven’t/ hasn’t), it depends on the person you speak with. Professionally and in formal settings, use the complete form. When speaking informally with family, friends, chatting, etc use the contraction form.
I hope you find this English grammar lesson useful, let me know if you have any questions related to the combination of past simple and past participle or if you have any suggestions for the upcoming topics. Yesterday, I explained other English grammar topics here so feel free to check it  Also, if you need a private discussion or lessons, email me
Have a great day & take care!
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