_(1).png?table=block&id=659b4f97-a5ef-45bb-b174-8537d7d1f97a&cache=v2)
The simple past tense is not as simple as it may seem. Here are some exercises and to help you practise it.
Buy me a cup of coffee! ☕
If you found my materials useful and you’d like to support me, buy me a cup of coffee here: ko-fi.com/sipofenglish
Theory part 1
First, let’s learn how to construct Past Simple sentences.
Remember
did + not = didn’t
Short forms are used in informal context.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to memorise irregular verbs. I recommend this list to study: link
Exercise 1.1
Create the missing positive sentences, negative sentences or questions.
- ➕ She had a dog. ➖ … ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ They didn’t tell me what they want. ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ … ❓ Did you try to contact John?
- ➕ … ➖ I didn’t want to meet them. ❓ …
- ➕ I came alone because she didn’t want to come. ➖ … ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ … ❓ Did Ann drive here?
- ➕ … ➖ Emma didn’t meet her parents last Sunday. ❓ …
Exercise 1.2
Answer those questions:
- Did you go to a supermarket yesterday?
- Did you drink coffee in the morning?
- Did your friend call you last week?
- Where did you go on holiday last summer?
- Did you wash the dishes yesterday?
- Did you study English when you were a kid?
- Did you watch a film last Friday?
- Did you cook anything on Monday?
- Did you come late to work today?
- Did you finish your homework?
- What did you do last weekend?
- What did you have for breakfast on Sunday?
- Did you have a busy day at work last Thursday?
- What gift did you get for your birthday?
- Did you work from home 2 years ago?
Exercise 1.3
Do you know how to use those words in Past Simple questions? 🤔
what, when, why, where, who, how
Wh- + did + Subject + infinitive
Examples:
Where did you go last night?
How did you get here?
Why did she call me?
When did they come home?
Who did you ask?
Create sentences based on those answers.
- I ate ice cream. (possible question: What did you eat an hour ago?)
- She didn’t have a car.
- Jack left at 3 pm.
- She went to the shopping mall.
- We got here by car.
- I came alone.
- Marie didn’t know the answer.
- I thought you wanted a coffee.
- I didn’t feed the dog.
- My parents didn’t let me watch TV at night.
Exercise 1.4
Fill in the gaps and watch videos to check your answers:
A. "When I … (get) tired, I … (sleep). When I … (get) hungry, I … (eat). When I … (have) to go... you know. I … (go)." "So you just … (run).”
B. "That shield doesn't belong to you. You don't deserve it. My father … (make) that shield!”
C. "I … (not know) he was dead." "Living dead." "Shut up" "How could you not know?" "I just … (meet) him.”
E. "… what I got Tiger for Christmas? (she/tell)”
G. ""The dog is gone." "Maybe it … (run) away." "Maybe your wife … (take) it." "… (what/you/do)?" "You don't want to know.”
D. ""I'm a damn fool, right?" "No, Henry, we … (not/say) that." "… (where/you/meet) her?”
F. "He … (not/do) anything wrong.”
Theory part 2
The past form of the verb “to be” is different from all other verbs. Take a look:
Exercise 2.1
Create the missing positive sentences, negative sentences or questions.
- ➕ She was here. ➖ … ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ They weren’t happy. ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ … ❓ Was she at the airport?
- ➕ You weren’t ready when I came. ➖ … ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ … ❓ Was he home last night?
- ➕ We were students back then. ➖ … ❓ …
- ➕ … ➖ Jack was not at the concert with us. ❓ …
Exercise 2.2
Answer those questions:
- When you failed an exam as a kid was your mum happy?
- When was the last time you were excited?
- Were you scared when you were watching Harry Potter?
- Was your dad surprised when you gave him a birthday gift?
- When was the last time your friends were disappointed?
Exercise 2.3
Fill in the gaps and watch videos to check your answers:
A “How … (be) your day at work?”
B "Cedric Diggory's death … (be) a tragic accident."
"It … (be) murder, Voldemort … (kill) him you must know that.”
C “They are gorgeous. … (be) they expensive?“
D You … (be/not) so very different from a hobbit once. … (be) you?
Theory part 3
Now that we know how to construct sentences in the Past Simple, let’s learn when to use that tense.
What do I mean by saying that Past Simple is like a cliff? It’s used to describe finished events that have no connection to the present. Just like a cliff.
Take a look at this clip.
Two people are missing and their friend talks about them in the past tense, assuming they’re dead. Another friend gets very frustrated because he hopes they got lost and will come back soon.
Exercise 3.1
Fill in the gaps and watch videos to check your answers:
A. ”When … (be) just a girl she … (expect) the world but it … (fly) away from her reach so she … (run) away in her sleep.
B. ”I know you … (follow) me last night. You must promise not to tell my husband what you ... (see)”
C. "I … (grow) up in a small town, I … (not/need) to drive to get anywhere. I live in Brighton, now, in England, public transport is amazing.”
D. “I think my mum … (give) it to me when I … (go) to uni.”
E. "I … (not/finish) the whole letter, I … (fall) asleep" "You … (fall) asleep?" "It … (be) 5:30 in the morning”
G. "I … (have) an imaginary friend when I … (be) a little boy." "Terrific" "Her name … (be) Shirley." "Your imaginary friend … (be) a girl?" "What … (she/look) like?" "Like me only with tiny little breasts." "Out! out”
F. "I make good choices. Tonight the waitress … (ask) if I wanted another chocolate milk and I … (say) no.”
H. "Where … (you/be)? What … (happen) last night?" "You wouldn't believe it." "Those two maniacs?" "They … (give) me a cologne overdoese." "What?" "Well, I … (tell) you you wouldn't believe it.”
Exercise 3.2
Answer those questions:
Theory part 4
You an also use Past Simple when talking about past habits.
Exercise 4.1
Fill in the gaps and watch videos to check your answers:
A. "She … (be) very hard. She … (push) me all the way. But it … (be/not) enough for her. She always … (tell) me that it … (be) her dream to see me dance on a stage. Again and again. Even when she … (can) hardly speak.”
B. "Letters from home?" "These … (belong) to my grandmother. My grandfather … (write) her a letter every day they … (be) apart." "Wow, and I can't even get a guy to text me back.”
Exercise 4.2
Theory part 5
Exercise 5.1
Fill in the gaps and watch videos to check your answers:
A "There (be) a party, and people were drinking so the police ... (show) up and everybody ... (run), so I … (do), too. And I … (start) climbing down this fire escape and then I ... (hear) a cop yell to put your hands up, so I … (do). And I ... (fall) onto him.”
B I was devastated. I … (hold) it together on stage trying not to cry and then I … (run) into the bathroom and I just … (sink) to the floor and I … (sob) until they … (come) in and … (find) me and they were like "we're closing up, you gotta go." But there's that inner voice and it … (tell) me, you're not done yet. I … (keep) moving forward and I … (end) up, shortly after that, discovering YouTube. I … (put) some videos out. They … (go) viral for the time and … (change) my life.
Exercise 5.2
Theory part 6
A. "My son … (have) a crush on Moana. We … (take) him to Mauritius, which is paradise. It’s so beautiful. And so I think he … (think) that we … (be) in Motu Nui.”
B. "I recently … (be) in a Starbucks getting some coffee, and a kid … (come) up to me and he … (be) like “hey, can I get a picture with you?”. And I … (be) like “yeah, yeah”
C. "I … (leave) the office disappointed but obviously a much wiser man. I … (can/not) get Spiderman out of my system. We … (was) about to kill a magazine. It was called Amazing Fantasy. It wasn’t selling well and we were sending the last issue to press. Just to get it out of my system I … (put) Spiderman in Amazing Fantasy, … (feature) him on the cover, … (forget) about it. A month later, all the sales figures … (come) in. My publisher … (come) racing into my office, “Stan, (do) you remember that character we both … (love) so much, Spiderman? Let’s do him as a series.”
Exercise 6
Story Dice app, download here
Watch the video:
