Simple Past Tense

We use the simple past tense to talk about what happened at a definite time in the
past. There are some common expressions we use:

yesterday,
last night,
a month ago,
last week,
yesterday afternoon
in 1998, etc

Regular Verbs

MOST VERBS ( + ED)

WALK WALKED
PLAY PLAYED
VERBS ENDING IN E (+D)
LIVE LIVED
USE USED

There are three Ways to Pronounce

ed(regular verbs)

VERBS ENDING IN A CONSONANT + Y

(-Y + IED)
(CONSONANT:
P, T, R, ETC)
CRY CRIED
CARRY CARRIED

SHORT VERBS ENDING IN A VOWEL + A

(VOWEL: A, E, I, O, U)
(DOUBLE THE CONSONANT + ED)
STOP STOPPED
SHOP

CONSONANT

/d/
/ Id /

/t/

When ed is part of the past tense of

a regular verb, it can be pronounced
as
/ Id /, / t / or / d / depending on the
final sound of the root verb.

SHOPPED

1.-Listen closely as you hear the following words, and sort them into the
correct columns.

acted
crowded
missed
ruled
wagged

asked
ended
needed
seemed
waited

baked
filled
placed
shipped
wanted

called
floated
planned
spelled
watched

cared
folded
played
stamped
wished

cried
melted
rested
stopped
wrapped

/d/
/t/
/ld/
_____called_______ _____asked_______ _____acted_______
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ _________________
_________________ _________________ ________________

Irregular Verbs

NO CHANGE
COST COST

CHANGE

PUT PUT

THE VOWEL OR THE

CONSONANT
COME CAME RING RANG
MAKE MADE SIT SAT

CHANGE THE WHOLE WORD

BUY BOUGHT DO DID

Affirmative sentences
I saw Sandy this morning
John went to church last Sunday
David watched TV last night
Negative Sentences
We add did not before the main verb to form negative sentence. (did not =
didnt)
I did not see Sandy this morning
John did not go to church last Sunday.
David did not watch TV last nigh
Interrogative Sentences
We add Did before the subject and put a ? at the end to form questions.
Did you have breakfast this morning?
Did you wash the dishes last night?
l.-Complete with the verbs in brackets using simple past

For a long time there ________ (be) no sun, only a moon and stars. That ________ (be) before
there ________ (be) man on Earth, only birds and animals.
One day an emu called Dinewan and her friend, Brolga, were arguing and fighting.
Brolga _______ (run) to Disnewans nest and angrily _________ (throw) one of huge eggs into
the sky. It _______ (break) on a pile of firewood in the sky and ________ (fire).
It _______ (light up) the world below to the surprise of every creature. They had been used to
living in darkness.
A good spirit who _______ (live) in the sky ________ (see) how bright the Earth looked. He
________ (think) it would be a good thing to make a fire every day. All night good spirits
_________ (collect) wood and ________(light) it up. Then they _________ (send) out the
morning star to tell people on earth that the fire would soon be lit.

l.-Write Affirmmative,negative and interrogative sentences

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

Janet
Chris
Mary
Paul
Liz
John
Susan
Victor

wrote a letter
read a book
ate an apple
drank some milk
drew a house
made a model
planed
took some photos
found a toy

in the garden
at school
in the park
under a tree
on a bridge
near the lake
on the beach
by the river

last week
yesterday morning
last Sunday
this morning
three days ago
last night
yesterday
afternoon
two weeks ago

1.-Janet wrote a letter in the garden last week

Janet didnt write a letter in the garden last week.Did Janet write a letter in the garden last week?
2.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8.-_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

The Verb to be
STATEMENTS:
I / HE / SHE / IT WAS VERY GOOD.
S
TATEMEN
I
E /OU
SHE/ /W
ITE WAS
V STATEMENTS:
/ HY
/ THEY
WERE VERY SMART .

QUESTIONSI: / HE / SHE / IT WAS VERY GOOD.

YOU / WE / THEY WERE VERY SMART.

WAS I / HE / SHE / IT VERY GOOD?

QUESTIONS:
WERE YOU / WE / THEY VERY SMART ?
WAS I / HE / SHE / IT VERY GOOD?

NEGATIVE WERE
SENTENCES :
YOU / WE / THEY VERY SMART?
I / HESENTENCES:
/ SHE / IT WAS NOT VERY GOOD .
NEGATIVE
I //HE
ITWAS
NOT
VERY
GOOD.
YOU
W/ESHE
/ T/HEY
WERE
NOT
VERY
SMART

1. Fill in the blanks with the past of to be in the correct form: Was/were

1. dad at
work? Yes, he

2. It rainy
yesterday.

3. We at
the lab on Tuesday.

5. Anne at
the library yesterday
morning.

6. the workers on 7. Charles

strike? Yes, they
in a hurry; he

really late
for work.

8. The twins
born a month ago.

9. We at the
zoo last weekend. It
great fun!

10. Mary in a
hurry this morning?
Yes, she

12. Paul
at home at 10:30
a.m., he
in the supermarket.

11. The children

at a birthday party on
Saturday.

4. Dan ill
last week. He
at school.

Past Simple and Past Continuous

1. Look at the picture and write

sentences.
There are some verbs in the box below that will
help you.

Example: A boy was running in the street when

Spiderman arrived.

1. _____________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________
8. ______________________________________________________
9. ______________________________________________________
10.
___________________________________________________
11.
___________________________________________________
B) Choose the correct word:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I was sleeping / slept when my dad came in shouting.

Dad was cooking / cooked while we were watching TV.
They were opening /opened their umbrella when it started to rain.
Grandpa woke up because we were talking /talked too loudly.
When I was arriving / arrived home, my family was having dinner.
Were you doing/ did you do your homework when the lights went out?

C) Complete the sentences. Use the Past Continuous and the Past Simple.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I ______________ (play) football when ____________ (start) to rain.

We ____________ (have) dinner when the telephone ____________ (ring).
The music _____________ (stop) when we ______________ (dance).
I ____________ (study) while my sister _____________ (watch) TV.
I ____________( paint) the wall when I ___________ (fall) .
I __________ (talk) with my friend when my mother _______ (call).

Reading
Aesop's Fables: The Fox and the Crow
A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a

branch of a tree. "That's for me, as I am a Fox," said Master Reynard, and he
walked up to the foot of the tree. "Good-day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How well
you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure
your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear
but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds."
The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she
opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by
Master Fox. "That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your
cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future.
"Do not trust flatterers."
Vocabulary
beak: pico
settle: posarse
glossy: brillante
feathers: plumas
surpass: superar
caw: graznar
snapped up: mordida
flatterers: aduladores