Past tense of EAT.

**The reasoning** "Eat" is an **irregular verb** — it doesn't follow the normal "-ed" pattern for past tense. In English, we have regular verbs (walk → walked) and irregular ones that change completely. For "eat": - **Present**: I eat rice now - **Past simple**: I **ate** rice yesterday ✓ - **Past participle**: I have **eaten** rice (used with "have/has/had") So when the action happened at a specific time in the past, you use **"ate"**. **Why the wrong options tempt you** **A) eated** — This is what you'd expect if "eat" followed regular verb rules, but it doesn't. Never add "-ed" to irregular verbs. **C) eaten** — This is the past participle, used with helping verbs like "have" ("I have eaten"). Alone, it's wrong. **D) eating** — This is the present continuous form (I am eating), not past tense at all. **Quick takeaway** Irregular verbs don't play by "-ed" rules — memorize the trio: eat/ate/eaten, and remember **"ate" stands alone for simple past.**