a Forming Questions: Past Tense

The verb be: Put was or were before the subject.

Example:

subject

Tom

Was

Tom

was home last night.

home last night?

Other verbs: Put did at the beginning of the sentence. Use the simple verb.

Example:

subject

verb

The farmers planted corn last spring.

Did

the farmers

plant corn last spring?

Change these sentences to past tense questions.

1. The performers listened to the music.

2 The orchestra ate dinner after the performance.

3. The meat was in the oven for two hours.

4. The cowboys raised cattle in the country.

5. The cook fried some thin pieces of meat.

6. The band sold compact discs to fans at the café.

7. The blues singers were asleep on the bus.

8. Our neighbor went to San Francisco to hear Wynton Marsalis.

Forming Questions: Past Tense

Change these sentences to past tense questions.

1. Did the performers listen to the music?

2. Did the orchestra eat dinner after the performance?

3. Was the meat in the oven for two hours?

4. Did the cowboys raise cattle in the country?

5. Did the cook fry some thin pieces of meat?

6. Did the band sell compact discs to fans at the café?

7. Were the blues singers asleep on the bus?

8. Did our neighbor go to San Francisco to hear Wynton Marsalis?

Explanation

To form questions in the Past Simple, we use two main rules.

1. Questions with the verb to be (was/were)

Put was or were before the subject. We do not use did.

• Sentence 3: The meat was in the oven. → Was the meat in the oven?

• Sentence 7: The blues singers were asleep. → Were the blues singers asleep?

2. Questions with other verbs

Put did before the subject and change the main verb to its base form.

For example:

• The orchestra ate dinner. → Did the orchestra eat dinner?

• The cook fried meat. → Did the cook fry meat?

• Our neighbor went to San Francisco. → Did our neighbor go to San Francisco?

Remember: After did, the main verb always stays in its base form. The past tense is already expressed by did.