simple tense

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noun

grammar a tense of verbs, in English and other languages, not involving the use of an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb, as for example the past he drowned as opposed to the future he will drown

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Words nearby simple tense

simple sentence, Simple Simon, simple squamous epithelium, simple sugar, simple syrup, simple tense, simple time, simpleton, simple transcendental extension, simple vow, simplex

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use simple tense in a sentence

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The gym—a fragile collective of human ecology at the best of times—has suddenly become even more tense.
How to Survive the New Year ‘Gympocalypse’|Tim Teeman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The reason pilots would choose to use guns over a bomb or a missile is simple.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still, I worry that a simple traffic stop could have tragic consequences.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A tense commute to work in Houston will start to resemble a tense commute in Boston or New York City.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Smith's method usually gives good results, as does also the more simple method of Hiss (p. 263).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It was a mighty simple transaction, but it produced some startling results for me, that same coin-spinning.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Let us look over these points again, and make the matter still clearer and more simple.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
If I selected lucid and simple extracts, they would give no idea of the intricacy and prolixity of Duns.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
It has long since dismissed as too short and simple for its pages, the short and simple annals of the poor.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock