Past Simple Tense

When we use a past tense main verb and no auxiliary verb, the form of the verb is called the Past Simple. Most verbs form their Past Tense with -ed.

The Past Simple has two main uses:
(1) to describe something which happened at a definite time in the past or a series of actions.
(2) to describe something which could not happen (or would be unlikely) in the present or future.

1. Forms

2. Meanings of the Past Simple

3. Other uses of the Past Simple

In addition to "completed action", the Past Simple is used with state verbs to describe a state of affairs in the past.
Ex: Once there was a fisherman, who lived in a little house by the sea.

Also it is used with action verbs to describe a habit (a set of repeated actions).
Ex: Every morning the two men got up and ate breakfast before they went fishing.

The habit meaning usually requires a phrase of frequency (like every morning in the example above); or a phrase of length of time.
Ex: All the summer they went out in their tiny boat to cathc fish.

Instead of the Past Simple, it is often clearer to use the used to + Verb form for state and habit in the past.
Ex: They used to go fishing every morning.

4. The difference between Past Simple and Past Progressive

The Past Progressive describes a state or action "in progress", that is, contiuing, not completed.

Look at the difference between these examples.
(1) When we arrived¹, the judge made a speech².
(2) When we arrived¹, the judge was making a speech².

Now look at these examples:
(1) The boy drowned, but I dived into the water and saved him.
(2) The boy was drowning, but I dived into the water and saved him.

We cannot use the Past Simple in example (1), because it says that the drowning was "complete", that is, the boy died. But the Past Progressive in example (2) says that the drowning was incomplete - it could be interrupted.

I hope this article helps. If you have any question, please leave a comment below.