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Grade 3Past TenseApplication

Forming the Past Tense with -ed — Grade 3 Worksheet

Grade 3 students practice writing regular past tense verbs by spotting, completing, and correcting -ed forms, including key spelling changes.

When young writers know how to build the past tense correctly, they can tell stories and recount events clearly. This worksheet focuses on one of the most common patterns in English — adding -ed to the end of a verb to show something happened in the past. Along the way, students practice three spelling rules they need to get right: simply adding -ed, doubling the final consonant before -ed, and changing a final y to i before adding -ed. The three sections move from recognizing correct past tense verbs in context, to filling in the right form, to spotting and fixing errors by rewriting the sentence in full. A time signal appears in every sentence so the correct tense is never a guess.

Forming the Past Tense with -ed — Grade 3 Worksheet

This worksheet helps you practice forming past tense verbs. Read each section carefully and apply what you know about adding -ed.

Remember

  • Most verbs become past tense when you add -ed at the end. Example: kick becomes kicked.
  • If a verb ends in e, just add -d — race becomes raced. If it ends in consonant-y, change y to i and add -ed — study becomes studied.
  • If a verb ends in one vowel and then one consonant, double the last letter before -ed. Example: drop becomes dropped.

Part A — Find the Past Tense Verb

Circle the past tense verb in each sentence.

  1. 1.

    Last Monday, Priya cleaned her desk before the spelling test.

  2. 2.

    Yesterday morning, the squirrel climbed up the old oak tree.

  3. 3.

    Our class planted bean seeds in the garden last spring.

  4. 4.

    Two days ago, Kwame dropped his pencil on the classroom floor.

Part B — Write the Past Tense Form

Write the correct past tense form of the verb in parentheses to fill each blank.

  1. 5.

    Last Tuesday, Amara ____ her spelling words before dinner. (study)

  2. 6.

    Last week, the students ____ their toy cars down the ramp. (race)

  3. 7.

    Jaylen ____ the mud off his boots after school yesterday. (scrub)

  4. 8.

    After the game on Saturday, Nora ____ the ball into the net. (kick)

Part C — Fix the Mistake

Each sentence has one spelling mistake in the past tense verb. Rewrite the sentence correctly.

  1. 9.

    Last week, Marcus stoped the ball before it rolled off the desk.

  2. 10.

    This morning, Mia waved to her friend and joged to the bus.

  3. 11.

    Last night, Omar studed the planets for his science test.

  4. 12.

    Yesterday, Kezia steped around the puddle on her way to school.

Answer key

Part A — Find the Past Tense Verb

  1. 1.cleaned
  2. 2.climbed
  3. 3.planted
  4. 4.dropped

Part B — Write the Past Tense Form

  1. 5.studied
  2. 6.raced
  3. 7.scrubbed
  4. 8.kicked

Part C — Fix the Mistake

  1. 9.Last week, Marcus stopped the ball before it rolled off the desk.
  2. 10.This morning, Mia waved to her friend and jogged to the bus.
  3. 11.Last night, Omar studied the planets for his science test.
  4. 12.Yesterday, Kezia stepped around the puddle on her way to school.

What this worksheet teaches

  • Identify regular past tense verbs ending in -ed in sentences with time signals.
  • Write the correct past tense form of a verb, applying -ed spelling rules accurately.
  • Correct misspelled past tense -ed verbs by rewriting the full sentence.

What is on the page

In Part C — Fix the Mistake, “Last week, Marcus stoped the ball before it rolled off the desk.” is corrected in the key to “Last week, Marcus stopped the ball before it rolled off the desk.”

The language it drills

“Yesterday morning, the squirrel climbed up the old oak tree.” has one answer in the key: “climbed”.

Notes for the grown-up

  • Students often forget to double the final consonant, writing 'stoped' or 'joged' instead of 'stopped' or 'jogged'.
  • Ask the student to tap the short vowel sound before the final consonant — that sound signals the letter must be doubled.
  • A student is ready to move on when they can name which spelling rule applies and use it correctly without prompting.

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