past 1: simple past I worked

This form is also called ‘past simple’.
forms (regular verbs)
Affirmative
Question
Negative
I worked
did I work?
I did not work
you worked
did you work?
you did not work
he/she/it worked
did he/she/it work?
he/she/it did not work
etc
etc
etc
Contracted negatives (see contractions): I didn’t work, you didn’t work etc.
Negative questions (see negative structures 2: negative questions): did I not work? or didn’t I work? etc.
For the affirmative past forms of common irregular verbs, see irregular verbs.
Questions and negatives of irregular verbs are made in the same way as those of regular verbs (with did + infinitive).
For details of question structures, see questions 1: basic rules-486. For negatives, see negative structures 1: basic rules-371.
For passive forms {e.g. Work was done), see passives 1: passive structures and verb forms.
pronunciation of -ed
The regular past ending -ed is pronounced as follows:
/d/ after vowels and voiced consonants (except /d/):
/Ф/, /b/, /v/, /z/, /3/, /d3/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /13/, /l/
tried /traid/ lived /livd/ used /ju:zd/ failed /feild/
/t/ after unvoiced consonants (except /t/):
/0/i Ivl, If I, /s/, IS I, ItS/, /k/
stopped
/stnpt/ passed /pa:st/ laughed /la:ft/ watched /wntjt/ worked /w3:kt/ ?
/id/ after /d/ and /t/
ended /’endid/ started /’sta:tid/
For adjectives like aged, naked, see adjectives 7: pronunciation of aged, naked etc.
spelling of regular affirmative past tense forms
Most regular verbs: add -ed
work -* worked stay -> stayed show -> showed wonder -> wondered visit -» visited gallop -»• galloped
Verbs ending in -e add -d
hope -*• hoped decide -* decided
Verbs ending in one stressed vowel + one consonant (except w or y): double the consonant and add -ed
But (last syllable not stressed):
shop -» shopped plan -> planned refer -> referred re’gret -* regretted
‘offer -> offered ‘visit —> visited
Verbs ending in consonant + -y: change y to i and add -ed
But (vowel + -y):
huny -» hurried cry -> cried study -> studied play —* played
Verbs ending in -c have ck in the past (e.g. picnic -*? picnicked ).
In British English, -I is doubled in the past after one short vowel even if the vowel is not stressed: ‘travel -> travelled.
use
We use the simple past for many kinds of past events: short, quickly finished actions and happenings, longer situations, and repeated events.
Peter broke a window last night.
I spent all my childhood in Scotland.
Regularly every summer, Janet fell in love.
The simple past is common in stories and descriptions of past events.
One day the Princess decided that she didn’t like staying at home all day, so she told her father that she wanted to get a job …
The simple past is often used with words referring to finished times.
I saw John yesterday morning. He told me …
In general, the simple past tense is the ‘normal’ one for talking about the past; we use it if we do not have a special reason for using one of the other tenses.
For the simple past with a present or future meaning (e.g. It’s time you went), see past verb form with present or future meaning.
For special uses in subordinate clauses, see tense simplification in subordinate clauses.
simple past with finished time expressions
One day, the Princess decided… I saw John yesterday.
one day