Unlock hundreds more features
Save your Quiz to the Dashboard
View and Export Results
Use AI to Create Quizzes and Analyse Results

OR
Sign inSign in with Facebook
Sign inSign in with Google
Quizzes > English & Grammar

Simple Past Quiz: Practice Irregular Verbs

Quick, free past tense exercise with instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Dave SmithUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Grade: Grade 5
Study OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art promoting Past Tense Pop Quiz, an English grammar tool for middle school students.

This simple past quiz helps you practice irregular verbs and build clear past-tense sentences. Answer 20 quick questions to spot mistakes and learn correct forms. For more focused work, try simple past fill in blanks, strengthen skills with simple past practice, or review contrasts in present simple vs past simple.

What is the simple past form of the verb 'walk'?
walking
walked
will walk
walk
The simple past form of a regular verb is formed by adding -ed to the base form. 'Walked' correctly indicates that the action happened in the past.
Choose the sentence that correctly uses the simple past tense.
She plays in the park.
She will play in the park.
She played in the park.
She playing in the park.
The sentence 'She played in the park.' correctly uses the simple past tense. The verb 'played' indicates that the action was completed in the past.
What is the simple past form of the irregular verb 'go'?
goed
went
goes
going
The verb 'go' is irregular and its simple past form is 'went'. This change does not follow the regular -ed pattern and must be memorized.
Identify the correct simple past form of 'jump'.
jump
jumping
jumpt
jumped
Since 'jump' is a regular verb, its simple past is formed by adding -ed. 'Jumped' correctly indicates the completed action.
Which sentence is written in the simple past tense?
They eat dinner.
They are eating dinner.
They ate dinner.
They will eat dinner.
The sentence 'They ate dinner.' correctly uses the simple past tense. The verb 'ate' indicates that the dinner occurred in the past.
What is the simple past form of the irregular verb 'eat'?
ate
eat
eaten
eats
The verb 'eat' is irregular and its past tense form is 'ate'. This change does not follow the regular -ed pattern, making it important for learners to remember.
Choose the sentence that correctly uses the simple past tense for an action that happened yesterday.
Yesterday, he play soccer under the sunny sky.
Yesterday, he playing soccer under the sunny sky.
Yesterday, he plays soccer under the sunny sky.
Yesterday, he played soccer under the sunny sky.
The sentence 'Yesterday, he played soccer under the sunny sky.' uses the simple past tense correctly with the verb 'played'. This shows that the action was completed in the past.
Fill in the blank with the correct simple past tense: 'The children ______ (sleep) early last night.'
sleeps
sleep
slept
sleeping
The correct simple past tense of 'sleep' is 'slept', which is used to indicate that the action happened and was completed in the past. The sentence becomes grammatically correct when 'slept' is used.
What is the simple past form of the verb 'fly'?
flyed
flied
flying
flew
The verb 'fly' is irregular. Its simple past form is 'flew', which does not follow the regular -ed ending rule.
Which is the correct simple past tense form of 'catch'?
catch
caught
catching
catched
The correct simple past form of 'catch' is 'caught'. This irregular form replaces the regular -ed ending and shows the completed past action.
What is the simple past form of the irregular verb 'teach'?
taught
teaches
teached
teaching
The verb 'teach' becomes 'taught' in the simple past, which is an irregular change. This form is commonly memorized due to its deviation from standard -ed endings.
Select the correct simple past form of 'buy'.
buying
buyed
bought
buys
The verb 'buy' is irregular, and its simple past form is 'bought'. This form does not follow the typical -ed rule and must be learned individually.
Which sentence correctly uses the simple past form of 'begin'?
They begin their project last week.
They beginning their project last week.
They begins their project last week.
They began their project last week.
The sentence 'They began their project last week.' uses 'began' as the correct simple past form of 'begin'. This shows that the action of starting the project occurred in the past.
Fill in the blank: 'It ______ (be) a beautiful day yesterday.'
were
is
be
was
For singular subjects in the past, 'was' is used as the simple past form of 'be'. This completes the sentence correctly by indicating a past state.
Identify the correct simple past form of the regular verb 'play'.
played
playing
play
plays
Since 'play' is a regular verb, its simple past form is created by adding -ed, resulting in 'played'. This indicates that the activity occurred in the past.
In the sentence 'After he __________ the movie, he discussed its themes with his class,' which option best completes the sentence using the verb 'watch' in simple past tense?
watch
watches
watched
watching
The correct simple past form of 'watch' is 'watched'. This choice shows that the action was completed before the discussion took place in class.
Which of the following sentences correctly maintains the simple past tense throughout?
She singing beautifully and dancing at the concert.
She sang beautifully and danced at the concert.
She sings beautifully and danced at the concert.
She sings beautifully and dances at the concert.
Option B maintains consistency by using 'sang' and 'danced', both in the simple past tense. This uniformity is essential for indicating that both actions occurred in the past.
Why is the form 'flied' incorrect as the past tense of 'fly'?
Because 'fly' is an irregular verb that changes to 'flew'.
Because 'flied' is used for regular verbs.
Because 'flied' would indicate a future action.
Because it requires an -ing ending for past tense.
The form 'flied' is incorrect because 'fly' is an irregular verb whose simple past form is 'flew'. This deviation from the regular -ed ending pattern makes 'flew' the correct choice.
Complete the sentence with the correct past tense form of 'build': 'They __________ a new treehouse last summer.'
build
builds
building
built
The verb 'build' is irregular, and its simple past form is 'built'. This correctly indicates that the action of constructing the treehouse was completed in the past.
Which sentence correctly uses the simple past tense in a compound sentence?
I finished my homework, and then I watch a movie.
I finished my homework, and then I watched a movie.
I finish my homework, and then I watched a movie.
I finish my homework, and then I watch a movie.
The sentence 'I finished my homework, and then I watched a movie.' consistently uses the simple past tense for both actions. This uniform use is key to maintaining clear and correct grammatical structure in compound sentences.
0
{"name":"What is the simple past form of the verb 'walk'?", "url":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/QPREVIEW","txt":"What is the simple past form of the verb 'walk'?, Choose the sentence that correctly uses the simple past tense., What is the simple past form of the irregular verb 'go'?","img":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/3012/images/ogquiz.png"}

Study Outcomes

  1. Understand the formation and usage of simple past tense verbs.
  2. Identify regular and irregular verb forms in the simple past tense.
  3. Apply past tense rules to accurately complete sentences.
  4. Analyze sentence structures to determine correct past verb usage.
  5. Evaluate examples to distinguish between simple past and other tenses.

Simple Past Questions Cheat Sheet

  1. Regular verbs formation - Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -ed to the base form: walk becomes walked, and chat becomes chatted. This rule is a great starting point for building your past-tense toolbox.
  2. Irregular verbs shake things up - Irregular verbs don't follow the -ed pattern, so you need to memorize forms like go → went and eat → ate. Embracing these quirks adds spice to your English.
  3. Negatives in the past - To make negative sentences in the simple past, pair did not (or didn't) with the base verb: She did not attend the meeting. This construction works for all verbs, so keep it handy whenever you want to express what didn't happen.
  4. Question forms - Flip the script by starting your question with Did, followed by the subject and the base verb: Did you complete the assignment? This straightforward formula makes querying in the past a breeze.
  5. Unchanged past verbs - Some verbs stay the same in both present and past, like cut, put, and hit. No extra memorization trick - just remember that these spies keep a low profile!
  6. Verbs ending in "e" - If a regular verb already ends in e, simply add d to form the past: love becomes loved, and bake becomes baked. It's a tiny tweak that makes a big difference!
  7. Verbs ending in consonant + "y" - When a verb ends in a consonant followed by y, swap y for i and add ed: hurry becomes hurried, and carry becomes carried. This little switcheroo keeps your spelling on point.
  8. The verb "be" in the past - The verb be transforms into was for singular subjects (I was, she was) and were for plural subjects (we were, they were). It's the most popular irregular verb, so give it extra attention!
  9. Specific past actions - Use the simple past to describe actions at a definite time, even if you don't mention when: She visited her grandparents. This tense paints clear snapshots of past events.
  10. Practice makes perfect - Reinforce your skills with regular exercises and quizzes that target the simple past. The more you practice, the more natural the past tense becomes!
Make a Quiz (FREE) Copy & Edit This Quiz Create a Quiz with AI

English Language Arts Quizzes

Powered by: Quiz Maker