Final answer:
To make the negative of a past tense verb in English, you generally use 'didn't' followed by the base form of the verb. This applies to both regular and irregular verbs.
Step-by-step explanation:
To make the negative of a simple past tense verb in English, you generally use 'did not' or its contraction, 'didn't', followed by the base form of the verb. For example, 'ran' (the past tense of 'run') would become 'did not run' or 'didn't run'. Beyond this rule, there are some irregular verbs which have unique past tense forms.
Let's take an example:
- Regular verb: I played football. (Positive) | I didn't play football. (Negative)
- Irregular verb: I ate an apple. (Positive) | I didn't eat an apple. (Negative)
In both cases, notice that the base form of the verb ('play', 'eat') is used after 'didn't' to form the negative.
Learn more about past tense