MINI TEST - PAST SIMPLE TENSE TEENS 2

1- Complete the following text with the correct form of the verb TO BE in the Past Simple Tense:

Yesterday 1__________ Monday and John 2__________ at work because he went to his
hometown after ten years. When he arrived there, he couldn't believe his eyes. It 3__________
completely different. There 4__________ a lot of cars on the roads and the streets 5__________ full
of people. It 6__________ very crowded ten years ago. There 7__________ a lot of trees in the park
when he 8__________ young but there 9__________ any trees now. He 10__________ very happy to
visit his hometown because everything changed a lot.

2- Use the following words to write AFFIRMATIVE sentences in the Past Simple Tense:

1) SHE/CRY/AND HE/KISS HER. _________________________________________________________

2) TOM/WASH/HIS CAR/YESTERDAY. ___________________________________________________

3) MY MUM/BUY/CHOCOLATES/LAST NIGHT. ___________________________________________

4) THE PRESIDENT/TALK/A LOT! _________________________________________________________

5) MY FRIENDS/COME HOME/A DAY AGO. _____________________________________________

3- Write the following sentences in the NEGATIVE form:

1) It rained yesterday. __________________________________________________________________

2) We ran to the tree house. ____________________________________________________________

3) She was late this morning. ____________________________________________________________

4) My brother made a lot of noise. ______________________________________________________

5) They were at home last night. ________________________________________________________

4- Use the following words to write INTERROGATIVE sentences in the Past Simple Tense:

1) WHY/EMMA/WORK/SO LATE. _______________________________________________________

2) BE/THE DOGS/IN THE PARK. ________________________________________________________

3) WHAT/SHE/DO/LAST WEEKEND. _____________________________________________________

4) BE/YOU/AT HOME/LAST NIGHT. _____________________________________________________

5) WHEN/BE/YOUR BIRTHDAY. _________________________________________________________

5- Find the mistakes. Write correct sentences.

1) SCHOOLS DIDN’T OPENED LAST WEEK. _________________________________________________

 2) DID YOU CALLED MARK YESTERDAY AFTERNOON? ________________________________________

3) MY FATHER WORK YESTERDAY NIGHT. ____________________________________________________

4) WAS YOU AT HOME LAST MORNING? ____________________________________________________

5) WHAT TIME SHE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT? ________________________________________________

6- PRONUNCIATION. Turn the following verbs into the PAST SIMPLE and write them in the correct
column according to their final pronunciation.

CALL APPEAR WALK STOP HURRY START FINISH LIFT

SAVE NEED WAIT LOOK DROP DECIDE LOVE

/d/ /t/ /id/

7- Choose a verb, turn it into the PAST SIMPLE and complete the text below. There’s an extra verb:

BUY (x2) NOT SLEEP MEET FINISH MAKE

SEE NOT SEE DO HAVE COME NOT WRITE

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the email. I’m sorry I 1_____________ to you yesterday, but it was my mum’s birthday.
My sister and I 2_____________ a cake and 3_____________ some flowers. My mum 4_____________
a party in the evening and lots of people 5_____________ home.

What 6_____________ you _____________last night? 7_____________ you _____________ your

friends? I 8_____________ Paul in the town centre, but he 9_____________ me.

Well, it’s time for bed. I 10_____________ much last night and I’m tired.

PS: 11_____________ you _____________ the tickets for the concert?

 The Continuous Past Tense
Write the continuous past form of the verb in parentheses. If there is a “not” before the
verb in parentheses, write the negative form of the continuous past. If the sentence ends
with a question mark, use the subject in parentheses to write the interrogative form of
the continuous past.
Example of continuous past: At 6am this morning, I was exercising.

1. Last year, I _______________ (teach) at the high school.

2. She _______________ (make) her grocery list.

3. ____________________ (you / work) yesterday?

4. Last week, Anthony _______________ (take) some time off.

5. We ______________ (not / enjoy) the movie.

6. ____________________ (they / visit) their grandmother last summer?

7. My daughter _______________ (do) her homework last night.

8. They _______________ (use) their cellphones during class.

9. ____________________ (it / snow) yesterday?

10. The trucks _______________ (plow) the streets this morning.

11. You _______________ (drink) too much last night!

12. The farmers _______________ (sell) apples at the market last fall.

13. ____________________ (I / talk) in my sleep last night?

14. I ________________ (not / talk) to my friend for a week after our fight!
 PAST PROGRESSIVE: WHEN / WHILE
Complete with the most appropriate form.

1. She _______ her bike when she _________ her leg.

2. My mom _________ the dinner while I __________ tv.

3. They ________ soccer while I ________ exercise.

4. It __________, when I ___________ this morning.

5. When my dad _________ home, we ________ dinner.

6. I _________ my homework while my sister _________ her shoes.

7. The students _________ in the yard, when the bell _______.

8. I ______ a bad dream, while I __________ on the sofa.

9. She __________, when the shark ___________ her.

10. They _________ to a dog while they ____________

11. I ________ lots of fish, while I _________

12. She _________ to the mall, when she ________ her friend.

13. My sister __________, while my brother _________ videogames.

14. My mom________ while my dad ___________.

15. It ___________ when the dog ___________ the door.

16. I _________ Andrea while she __________ piano class.

17. When my friend __________, I __________ a cake.

18. You ________ with your brother while your friend ___________.

19. When the dog ___________, my mom was ___________

20. Mary _________ a book when she _________ going to the party.
 PAST SIMPLE
Choose the correct words. Complete the sentences. Write was, were, wasn’t
or weren’t .
A Where was / were you yesterday afternoon?
1. There a football match yesterday.
B Oh, I was / were at the library.
2. There any sandwiches at the café.
A No, you wasn’t / weren’t. The library wasn’t / 3. There a science class yesterday.
weren’t open. Was / Were you at the shopping 4. There snacks in the kitchen.
centre? 5. There any juice.
B No! I wasn’t / weren’t at the shopping centre. 6. There lots of people in town on
Saturday.
OK, I was / were with Xiana and we was / were at the
café. Why? Was / Were there a party or something?

A No, it was / were the football match. We wasn’t /

weren’t very good. Thanks to you, there was / were
only ten players in our team!

Write affirmative and negative sentences. Use the Write questions with was or were.
correct form of was or were.

They (students / not teachers) 1. where / you / yesterday / ?

They were students. They weren’t teachers. 2. they / at the cinema / ?

1. This book (interesting / it not boring)
3. who / your / favourite actor / ?
2. They (Japanese / not American)
4. she / a maths teacher / ?
3. We (in the café / not at school)
5. when / they / born / ?
4. Tweetie (a bird / he not a parrot)
6. he / famous / in the 1940s?

Complete the text with could or couldn’t. Complete the text with was, were, wasn’t or
weren’t.
1. When I was young, I play the guitar: it
was too difficult for me! It was Friday evening. My brother and I
2. In 1950, people use mobile phones. in his bedroom. My parents at work so
3. Mozart play the piano when he was 5. they (not) at home. My brother
4. Peter play tennis last Monday: he bored. I (not) pleased because my
had broken his arm. favourite sports programme (not)
5. you swim when you were 10? on TV. Then there a noise. My friends,
6. I read the book three times but I Jack and Nick, at the door with three
understand it. DVDs and a huge pizza! The DVDs horror
7. My friends and I swim when we were films and the pizza fantastic. What a
eight. great surprise!
8. I lift this box – it was too heavy!
9. John didn’t need a calculator. He do
very difficult sums in his head.
Rewrite the sentences in the past simple. Make questions. Then write the short answers.

1. We listen to music. 1. go / your friends / Did / on Saturday / to the

cinema? (✓)
2. I don’t like animals.
2. new shoes / you / buy / Did / yesterday / ? (✗)
3. The chameleon changes colour.
3. you and your family / to France / Did / drive / ? (✓)
4. You travel by car.
4. Mount Vesuvius / erupt / last year / Did / ? (✗)

5. Fabio doesn’t stay here.

5. last night / Did / do / your homework / you / ? (✓)

6. They don’t watch TV. 6. you / yesterday? / watch / Did / TV (✗)

7. I call my dog Rico. 7. finish / the / today? / festival / Did (✓)

8. Maria go to school 8. I.T. / children / 1980? / study / in / Did (✓)

9. You see the bank robbery. 9. year? / meet / you / Did / last / we (✗)

10. We don’t make our beds this morning. 10. you / Did / much / sleep / night? / last (✓)

Complete the sentences with the past simple. Complete the story with the verbs in the past simple.

1. We (not watch) TV. We listened We (have) a great day at the beach

to CDs. yesterday. Some people (swim) in the sea
2. Computers (not exist) 200 years and others (play) football on the beach.
ago. I (go) surfing for the first time. I
3. My grandmother loves Italy. She (have) a great time but I (fall) into the water
(travel) there a lot when she was young. a lot.

4. The concert started at half past seven and My sister (make) sandcastles and my
(not finish) until ten o’clock. parents (sunbathe).
5. I (not study) much yesterday. I was
It (be) hot, so we (buy) some ice
very tired.
cream. We (stay) there until early evening.
6. I (look) for you at the party yesterday We (not want) to leave.
evening.
7. He (not use) your phone. He used
my phone.
8. They (cook) dinner for me. It was
very good.
9. We (not explore) a lot of the city
today.
10. She (dance) all night at the disco.
11. Manga comics (become) popular in
Europe in the 1990s.
12. I (eat) a large lunch, so I’m not hungry
now.
Read the text. Then write true (T) or false (F). Correct the false sentences

ALEXANDRA BURKE

Alexandra Burke was born in London in 1988, and she started singing when she was only five. She first
appeared on stage in Bahrain at the age of nine. She sang with her mother, who was also a professional
singer. Alexandra enjoyed singing on stage and she wanted to become a singer.

She left school when she was sixteen and started a professional career in music. She worked very hard, and
she also performed in some big concerts to raise money for charity.

She first entered the TV talent competition The X Factor in 2005. She didn’t win because the judges thought
that she was too young to be a successful pop star. But they said that she was a great singer, so Alexandra
entered the competition again in 2008. This time she won! Her first song, ‘Hallelujah’, was number one in
Britain for three weeks, and more than a million people bought it. Once again, The X Factor had found a star,
and, like Will Young and Leona Lewis, who were also winners of this competition, Alexandra Burke became
famous!

1. Alexandra Burke was born in London.

2. She first sang on stage when she was five.
3. Another family relative was also a singer.
4. She didn’t go to school when she was seventeen.
5. She didn’t win the 2005 X Factor competition because she wasn’t very good.
6. She was the X Factor winner in 2008.

What have Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis and Will Young got in common? Complete the sentence

They all

Listen to Matt and Anna talking about their first schools.

1. What are Matt and Anna mainly talking about?

a. typical days at their first schools

b. their first days at school
c. what they liked about their first schools
d. their first school teachers

2. What does Anna say about her first school?

a. It was in a big city.

b. There were about 80 children at the school.
c. There was only one school in her town.
d. There were 800 children in her school year.

3. The story that Anna’s teacher read was

a scary. b boring. c funny. d sad.

4. How did Matt feel when he started school?

a upset b lonely c lucky d excited

5. What does Matt say about his first school?

a. It was small.
b. There were 100 children in his school year.
c. Students couldn’t eat sweets at school.
d. It was in a town.
TEST YOURSELF! Irregular Verbs
 How many Past Simple irregular verbs do you know?
Complete the Grammar Reference Chart below.
For example:
be: was / were
become: became
 be  was / were  hit  ____________
 become  became  hold  ____________
 begin  ____________  hurt  ____________
 bite  ____________  keep  ____________
 blow  ____________  know  ____________
 break  ____________  leave  ____________
 bring  ____________  lose  ____________
 build  ____________  make  ____________
 buy  ____________  meet  ____________
 can  ____________  pay  ____________
 catch  ____________  put  ____________
 choose  ____________  read  ____________
 come  ____________  ride  ____________
 cost  ____________  run  ____________
 cut  ____________  say  ____________
 do  ____________  see  ____________
 draw  ____________  sell  ____________
 drink  ____________  sing  ____________
 drive  ____________  sit  ____________
 eat  ____________  spend  ____________
 fall  ____________  stand  ____________
 feed  ____________  steal  ____________
 feel  ____________  swim  ____________
 find  ____________  take  ____________
 fly  ____________  teach  ____________
 forget  ____________  tell  ____________
 freeze  ____________  think  ____________
 get  ____________  throw  ____________
 give  ____________  understand  ____________
 go  ____________  wear  ____________
 have  ____________  win  ____________
 hear  ____________  write  ____________
Worksheet
Verb tenses Past Simple & Past Continuous

 Fill in the blanks with the past simple or the past continuous:
1. When I ________________ (arrive) the teacher ________________________ (write) the summary.
2. He _____________________________ (cross) the road when I _________________ (see) him.
3. Why ____________________________ (they / shout) at you when I _______________ (wake up)?
4. They ________________________ (fix) the computer when I ______________ (open) the door.
5. __________________________ (Mary / break) her leg while she _______________________ (skate)?
6. I ________________________ (sleep) when she __________________ (knock) on the door.
7. When I _______________ (see) Jim at the disco he ________________________ (not / talk) to the Dj.
8. I ____________________________ (watch) a film on TV when the electricity ______________ (go)
out.
9. The Titanic ________________________ (not / cross) the Pacific Ocean when it _______________
(strike) an iceberg.
10. Paul ____________________ (not / fall) while he _______________________ (run) away.
11. Carol ________________ (fall) asleep while she _________________________ (read) a book.
12. While my father _________________________ (drive) home, he _______________________ (not /
answer) his mobile phone.
13. While I _________________________ (have) a driving lesson it ___________________ (start) to rain
heavily.
14. When I ______________ (find) the wallet on the street I ___________ (go) to the police and
I _______________ (turn) it in.
15. When Mrs Spencer ___________________ (walk) into the busy office, the secretary
___________________________ (talk) on the phone with a customer, several clerks
_____________________________ (work) at their desks and two managers _______________________
(discuss) methods to improve customer service.
16. Last night, Sebastian _________________ (go) at Susan’s house about 9:00 pm, but she
__________________ (not / be) there. She _______________________ (study) at a friend’s house.
17. Sam _________________________ (read) the newspaper while he ______________________ (wait)
for the bus.
18. Yesterday I _______________ (see) Paul at the party and he ______________________ (not /
dance) with Rachel.
19. While my parents ___________________________ (drive) me to a great summer camp I
___________________________ (text) my friends about how happy I was about this type of holidays.

GOOD WORK!!!
Last summer, Matthew and Fiona went on holiday to Spain. They stayed in a small cottage. One day,
Matthew went for a long walk. He found a dog! It was lost! It was a stray dog. It wagged its tail. It
followed Matthew home. Fiona liked the dog and she gave it some food. It ate
the food very quickly. It sat down outside their front door. At 10 pm, it was
cold. Fiona let the dog inside. It sat beside her on the sofa. It was a girl dog.
They gave her a name – Hilda. Hilda stayed in the cottage with them. Six days
later, it was time to go home. Back to England! Fiona took Hilda to a dog rescue
centre. Sadly, they had no place for Hilda. But, they offered to help! They
transported Hilda to England, to Fiona and Matthew’s house. Fiona and
Matthew paid the dog rescue people a fee. The fee was £500.
Now, Hilda lives with Matthew and Fiona! She sleeps on the bed and eats Pedigree Chum and nice dog
biscuits. Matthew takes her for a long walk every day and she sits on Fiona’s knee in the evenings.
Matthew and Fiona love Hilda and Hilda loves them.

Find the past simple Are the sentences TRUE or FALSE? Correct the false ones:
of these verbs in the
1) Two years ago, Matthew and Fiona went on holiday to Greece.
text. Write them on
the line. 2) They stayed in a big hotel.

3) One day, Matthew went for a walk.

1. ______ Find
4) On his walk, Matthew found a mountain goat.
2. ______Transport
5) The stray dog wagged its tail.
3. ______ Pay
6) The dog went back to its owners.
4. ______ Take 7) Fiona liked the dog and she gave it something to eat.

5. ______ Go 8) The dog didn’t eat the food.

6. ______ Sit 9) It sat outside their front door.

10) At 9:30, it started raining and so Fiona let the dog indoors.
7. ______ Stay
11) When the dog came indoors, it sat beside Fiona on the sofa.
8. ______ Wag
12) They called the dog Hilda.
9. ______ Give
13) Hilda stayed outside in the garden.
10. ______ Offer 14) Matthew and Fiona took Hilda to a dog rescue centre.

11. ______ Follow 15) The rescue centre had a place for Hilda.

12. ______ Have 16) They transported Hilda to Spain.

17) Matthew and Fiona paid a fee of £200

13. ______ Eat
18) Now, Hilda lives with Matthew and Fiona.
14. ______ Like
19) They treat the dog very well.

20) They love their dog.

 Past Continuous
I WAS PLAYING
HE
SHE
+ WAS NOT
SWIMMING
WASN'T
IT
+ RUNNING
READING
WE WERE
EATING
YOU
THEY
+ WERE NOT
WEREN'T SINGING

QUESTIONS
I
HE
PLAYING
HOW WAS
+ SHE SWIMMING
WHAT
+
IT

WHEN
WHERE
+ RUNNING
READING
+
YOU
WERE
WHY WE EATING
THEY
SINGING
HOW TO USE IT
 TEST ON THE PAST TENSES
WRITE THE VERBS IN CORRECT FORMS!
1. She __________________________ (walk) in the street when the accident
________________________ (happen).
2. Justin ______________________ (finish) his exercises, _______________________
(pack) his things and _____________________ (go) home.
3. I ___________________ (see) him in the street yesterday.
4. When I ________________ (get) home, everyone _____________________________
(already, go) to bed.
5. They _______________________ (chat) in the classroom when the door
___________________ (open) and the headmaster _______________________ (enter)
the room.
6. What ___________ you _____________________ (do) yesterday at 6?
7. Kevin __________________ (get) a good mark for the test because he
_______________________ (listen) carefully to the teacher’s explanations.
8. We decided to make a poster. First we ____________________ (find) some
paper and felt-tips and then we ________________________ (start) drawing.
9. Fergie was late because she _______________________ (miss) the bus.
10. I _____________________________ (check) my messages when someone
_______________________ (call) me.
11. Granny _________________ (lose) her glasses yesterday.
12. I couldn’t do my homework because I __________________________ (leave) my
textbook at school.
13. My sister _______________________________ (draw) while my brother
_______________________________ (play) with his Transformer toys.
14. He _______________________________ (not+ go) to the cinema because he
_______________________________ (see) the film.
15. We __________________________________ (watch) a movie when the phone
_______________________________ (ring).
 Pas
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John 1…………… home from the station in his car TENSES: CHOOSE A VERB FORM AND INSERT IT
IN THE BOXES ON THE LEFT
yesterday evening when he 2 ………….. an accident. He
3 …………… along a main road at 80 kms. an hour when 1 was driving drove were driving
another car 4 …………… out of a side road and 2 had was having didn’t have
3 didn’t drive was driving drove
5…………… his. There 6 …………. a lot of damage to both
4 was coming were coming came
cars and both John and the other man 7 ………….. One of
5 hit wasn’t hitting didn’t hit
John’s arms 8 ……………, and the other man 9 …………. a 6 were had was
cut on his head. 7 were hurt was hurt hurt
Another car 10 …………… 8 was breaking was broken were broken
9 was having had didn’t have
John’s. They 11 ………….. quite
10 followed was following didn’t follow
slowly so the car 12 …………
11 were driving weren’t driving drove
immediately and a man and a 12 didn’t stop was stopping stopped
woman 13 ………… out of it. 13 were getting got was getting
14 didn’t run ran was running
They 14 …………. to the damaged cars and 15 …………..
15 pulled were pulling wasn’t pulling
John and the other man out of them because they 16
16 didn’t think was thinking thought
…………..: “Perhaps the petrol in these cars will catch fire 17 were having was having had
and burn the two men. The man and the woman 17 18 put were putting was putting
………….. some cotton-wool and bandages in their car, so 19 didn’t phone were phoning phoned
20 arrived was arriving were arriving
they 18 …………. them on the cuts on John’s arm and on
21 was taking wasn’t taking took
the other man’s head. Then they 19 ………… a doctor and
22 were arriving arrived did arrive
the police. Soon an ambulance 20 …………. and 21 23 begun was beginning began
………….. the two men to hospital. 24 came come was coming

Then two policemen 22 …………. too and 23 ………….. to 25 didn’t pull was pulling pulled

measure things. A tow truck 24 ………….. and 25

………….. the two cars off the road.
VOCABULARY: FIND IN THE TEXT THE WORD(S)
FOR EACH PICTURE BELOW.

1
COMPREHENSION: FILL THE BOXES WITH ONE WORD FROM
THE STORY

a. John’s car was on a ……………… road

2

b. The other man’s car was on a …………… road

3
c. Both cars were …………………..

d. The man and the woman ………… to John’s car and

4
the other man’s car.
1. .….…………………… 5
e. Both drivers were ………………
2. .……………………….
f. Both drivers went to hospital in an ………………. 3. ………… ……………
4. ………... .…………...
g. The ……………. in the damaged cars did not catch fire.
5. ………………………...
1. What was happening in the park? Complete the sentences with the past progressive
affirmative or negative form of the verbs.

1- Chris _______________ (shout).

2- Juan and José ______________ (ride) their

bikes.

3- Sara and Eva _____________ (dance).

4- Elsa ____________ (play) tennis.

5- Pablo _____________ (kick) a ball.

6- Jorge ______________ (talk) on his cell

phone.

2. Look at the picture in exercise 1 and complete the conversation. Use the past progressive
form of the verbs.

argue – have – listen – not look – play – not play – read - run

Jake: Was Jorge in the park yesterday afternoon? I guess he __________________ soccer with
the other boys.

Paula: No, he ________________ soccer. He _________________ a book.

Jake: Someone told me that Sara and Eva ________________ about music again. They never
agree!

Paula: No, that isn’t true. They _________________ in the park and they ______________ fun
together.

Jake: Was Elsa with them?

Paula: No, she __________________ to her favorite songs. I think wanted to speak to her, but
she _________________ at him.

3. What were the people doing at 6pm yesterday? Look at the picture, read the sentences

and write the correct number.

a. The man was talking on the phone.

b. The boys were playing a game.

c. The old woman wasn’t sleeping. She was reading a book.

d. The woman wasn’t dancing. She was doing exercise.

e. The girls weren’t watching TV. They were arguing.

f. The old man was eating dinner.

 Past Simple (regular verbs)
 Write the Past Simple form of the verbs below in the correct column.
repeat worry finish start phone call miss enjoy visit marry listen cry

play hate wash climb live arrive talk look stay ask clean

travel open like walk carry stop mix plan decide tidy

cons + y double cons

-d - ed - ied + - ed

 Write sentences in Past Simple:

1- Affirmative
2- Negative
3- Interrogative (Yes / No)

A) My sister / tidy / her room / yesterday morning. E) John / stay / at Mary’s house / last summer.
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-

B) We / live / in New York / in 1997. F) You / start / school / ten years ago.
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-

C) Tom / travel / to Dublin / last night. G) The film / end / very late / last weekend.
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-

D) I / clean / my teeth / twice / yesterday. H) Sue and Pat / talk / on the phone / yesterday.
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-
 Write the verbs in brackets in Past Simple.

- My sister .............................. (tidy) her - John ................................. (stay) at his

bedroom yesterday morning. granny’s house last summer.

- We ................................ (phone) our - The film ........................... (end) very late

cousins last week. yesterday.

- The girls ............................... (play) on the - My family .......................... (live) in New York
computer last night. in 1995.

- I ....................................... (travel) to Paris - You .............................. (clean) your teeth

three months ago. three times yesterday.

 Complete the sentences with the verbs below in Past Simple.

1- Lucy ................................. her birthday presents.

2- Last weekend I ............................. in the mountains for 2 hours.

3- We .............................. the party very much.

4- Ken ............................... to his favourite CD yesterday.

5- My sister .................................. Maths for an exam.

6- They .................................. to the USA in 2003.

7- Dad ................................ his car last weekend.

8- The film ............................... at 11:30.

 Write the sentences in negative.

1- Lucy ...................................................... her birthday presents.

2- .........................................................................................................................................................

3- .........................................................................................................................................................

4- .........................................................................................................................................................

5- .........................................................................................................................................................

6- .........................................................................................................................................................

7- .........................................................................................................................................................

8- .........................................................................................................................................................
 What did you do yesterday? Put a ( ) or a ( ).

 Write questions about the previous activities and answer them.

1- Did you ............................................................. yesterday? ......................................................

2- ................................................................................................? ......................................................

3- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

4- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

5- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

6- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

7- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

8- ................................................................................................? .......................................................

 Ask your classmate the questions and compare the answers.

Use and or but to join the actions.

1- Yesterday I ................................................................................................................................

2- .........................................................................................................................................................

3- .........................................................................................................................................................

4- .........................................................................................................................................................

5- .........................................................................................................................................................

6- .........................................................................................................................................................

7- .........................................................................................................................................................

8- .........................................................................................................................................................
 Past Simple (irregular verbs)

 Complete the table.

Then complete the sentences with the Past Simple of the verbs in brackets.

- She ...................... (go) to school on foot yesterday. - My dad ................... (give) me a CD for my birthday.

- Paul ..................... (eat) 2 sandwiches and an apple. - Ana ..................... (have) a bath last Sunday.

- I ...................... (get) up very early last night. - We ...................... (swim) in the Mediterranean sea.

- They ....................... (find) 50 euros in the street. - Joe ..................... (write) a letter to Mary 2 days ago.

 Complete the sentences. Use the negative form of the underlined verbs.
Yesterday ...

- I drank coffee but I ................................. tea.

- She found her purse but she .................................. her keys.

- The children broke the window but they .................................... the door.

- He had a shower but he .................................. breakfast.

- My father made a cake but he ................................. any pastries.

- We spoke English and French but we ................................... German.

 Match the pictures with the actions and write the Past Simple of the verbs.

 Write questions about Alex and answer them.

Mary likes and the children love .

So Mary and Mum ................................ (sunbathe) and the children ........................... (play) with

the ball and .......................... (make) sandcastles. Dad ........................... (swim) in the sea and

........................ (read) the under the umbrella. We usually ...................... (have) lunch in

a near the beach. In the afternoon they ................................ (visit) very interesting

places. One day They ......................... (go) out in a . It .................... (be) amazing!

They .......................... (like) the best. They ...................... (see) different ,

some and even a .............................. (jump) in front of the boat. They also

......................... (watch) some people feed the fish. Mary ...................... (take) a lot of .

The family ........................... (enjoy) a lot.

The last day it ........................ (rain). The whole family ....................... (go) to a shopping centre.

They ............................... (buy) some souvenirs. In the afternoon they ............................. (return)

home. Mary and her family ..................... (have) a great time there !!!!
 WRITE sentences in PAST SIMPLE:
1- Affirmative
2- Negative
3- Interrogative (Yes / No)

A) He / phone / a friend / an hour ago. I) The children / play / tennis and basketball /
at the sports centre.
1-
1-
2-
2-
3-
3-
B) My father / buy / a jeep / last week.
J) You / do / your homework / last weekend.
1-
1-
2-
2-
3-
3-
C) The girls / wear / skirts / to the party
K) My friend / study / German / last year.
1-
1-
2-
2-
3-
3-
D) I / wash / my hair / last night
L) I / get up / at seven / last Sunday morning
1-
1-
2-
2-
3-
3-
E) Jane / send / four e-mails / to Lisa
M) We / visit / our friends / yesterday evening
1-
1-
2-
2-
3-
3-
F) The old lady / carry / heavy bags /
yesterday morning N) She / have lunch / in an Italian restaurant
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-

G) The film / end / very late / last weekend O) They / watch / TV / in the living room
1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-

H) They / go / to bed / at midnight P) He / drink / orange juice / for breakfast

1- 1-
2- 2-
3- 3-
 Write Wh- questions for the underlined words in the
previous sentences.
Use these wh- words:

WHERE WHAT TIME WHEN WHAT HOW MANY WHO

A) - ............................................................................................................................................

B) - ............................................................................................................................................

C) - ............................................................................................................................................

D) - ............................................................................................................................................

E) - ............................................................................................................................................

F) - ............................................................................................................................................

G) - ............................................................................................................................................

H) - ............................................................................................................................................

I) - ............................................................................................................................................

J) - ............................................................................................................................................

K) - ............................................................................................................................................

L) - ............................................................................................................................................

M) - ............................................................................................................................................

N) - ............................................................................................................................................

O) - ............................................................................................................................................

P) - ............................................................................................................................................
16 Question Strips
PAST SIMPLE

 What did you do yesterday?

 What time did you go to bed last night?

 What time did you get up this morning?

 What did you have for breakfast this morning?

 What time did you arrive in class today? Were you late?

 Did you do any exercise last week? If ‘yes’, what kind?

 Did you watch TV yesterday? If ‘yes’, what did you watch?

 Did you do homework yesterday? If ‘yes’, what kind?

 How much money did you spend yesterday? What did you buy?

 Did you read a book or magazine last week? If ‘no’, why not?

 Did you eat at a restaurant last week? If ‘yes’, what did you eat?

 Did you get a haircut last month? If ‘yes’, where did you get it?

 Were you happy yesterday? If ‘yes’, why? If ‘no’, why not?

 Were you busy yesterday? If ‘yes’, why? If ‘no’ why not?

 Were you tired this morning? Why? / Why not?

 Were you bored last weekend? Why? / Why not?

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. © allthingsgrammar.com
16 QUESTION STRIPS All Things Grammar
Grammar Focus Past Simple
Level Elementary to Pre-Intermediate (CEFR Level A2)

 As a Seated Activity
Have your students seated in pairs or in groups of three.

Lay the sixteen cut-up questions – face-down – between the students.

Students take turns randomly selecting questions to ask their partner(s).

Encourage follow-up questions.

Be sure to set a time frame for your students (try starting with 10 – 15 minutes
for 16 questions; you may want to adjust this in later classes). Monitor and assist.

 As a Standing Activity 1
Have all your students stand up.

Give one question strip to each student.

Students find a partner and ask their question. Encourage follow-up questions.

After the students have asked each other their questions, have them exchange
question strips and find new partners and continue.

Set a time frame as above. Monitor and assist.

 As a Standing Activity 2
This activity runs exactly the same as in ‘Standing Activity 1’ except that students
first have about a minute to memorize their question (before placing it in their
pocket – it can be used as a prompt if needed).

After each short conversation, students ‘mentally exchange’ their

questions – they must help each other memorize their new questions
before setting of to find a new partner.

This activity version is a little challenging, but also lots of fun – and it’s
great to see all the learning that takes place!

Set a time frame as above. Monitor and assist.

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. © allthingsgrammar.com

Past simple – endings

1. Read and find.

Find the verbs in the past simple and write them in the boxes.

Yesterday I went to the playground near my house. I had a lot of fun. I

played on the swings and the slide but I didn’t go on the roundabout. I saw
my best friend there. We talked about her birthday and she invited me to her
party. Afterwards I didn’t want to go home!

went

We can use the past simple to talk about things we did in the past.
The past simple ending is -ed for regular verbs:
play – played, watch – watched, want – wanted
Irregular verbs have a special form:
eat – ate, write – wrote, go – went
For the negative, don’t change the main verb. Use ‘didn’t’ instead:
play – didn’t play, eat – didn’t eat

2. Match them up!

Match the verbs with their past simple form.

go talked

talk didn’t like

do went

like gave

give didn’t drink

visit didn’t do

drink didn’t walk

walk visited
3. Fill it in!
Write the past simple of the verb in (brackets) to complete the sentences.

a. Yesterday I ____ went_____ to the park. (go)

b. My grandparents _______________ us last week. (visit)

c. Last weekend I _______________ an email to my friend. (write)

d. My brother _______________ any computer games last night. (not play)

e. We _______________ cereal and _______________ juice for breakfast. (eat, drink)

f. I _______________ my favourite TV programme yesterday. (not watch)

g. My friend _______________ me a new pencil case for my birthday. (give)

h. Yesterday I _______________ to school, I _______________ by car. (walk, not go)

4. Write and draw!

When did you last go to a playground or somewhere fun? Draw a picture and
write about where you went and what you did!

........................................................................

........................................................................

........................................................................

........................................................................

........................................................................

........................................................................

........................................................................
 PAST SIMPLE TENSE
REGULAR VERBS ADVERBS IRREGULAR VERBS
+ + V ed / d ►yesterday + + II column
►two days ago
- + didn’t + V ►last week
►in March
- + didn’t + I column
? (Wh) Did + + V? ►in 2003
►when I was younger
? (Wh) Did + + I column?

Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple Tense:

1. We ___________ (HAVE) a lot of fun at your

birthday party yesterday.
2. My brother and I ___________ (FINISH) our homework a few minutes ago.
3. Susan ___________ (LIKE) skating when she was a girl. I made this sandwich
4. Joe ___________ (BREAK) his leg three weeks ago. two days ago.
5. I ___________ (MEET) my best friend George in 2005.
6. My parents ___________ (GO) to the theatre yesterday evening.
7. He ___________ (WATCH) a very scary horror film last night.
8. Emma ___________ (NOT GO) to school when she was ill.
9. Where ___________ you ___________ (LEAVE) your jacket?
10. ___________ you ___________ (HATE) broccoli when you were a child?
11. Peter ___________ (READ) a very interesting book yesterday.
12. Mum ___________ (MAKE) a big chocolate cake a few hours ago.
13. We ___________ (PLAY) beach volleyball when we were at the seaside.
14. He ___________ (NOT LISTEN) to music after school yesterday.
15. I ___________ (GET) lots of good marks last month.
16. ___________ they ___________ (VISIT) their grandparents last summer?
17. He was very thirsty. He ___________ (DRINK) two glasses of water.
18. Sarah ___________ (NOT ENJOY) her piano lessons when she was seven.
19. Where ___________ your father ___________ (WORK) in 1985?
20. They ___________ (SEE) lots of animals in the zoo yesterday.

We finished this exercise a few seconds ago.

 TEST
Complete the GrammarPast Simple
Reference Irregular
Chart below. Verbs
Complete with the past simple form of the verbs.
For example:
be: was / were
Listen to the pronunciation of the verbs in the infinitive form and in the past form.
become: became
⚫ be ⚫ was / were ⚫ hit ⚫ ____________
hit
⚫ become ⚫ ____________
became ⚫ hold ⚫ ____________
held
⚫ begin ⚫ began ⚫ hurt ⚫ hurt
⚫ bite ⚫ bit ⚫ keep ⚫ kept
⚫ blow ⚫ blew ⚫ know ⚫ knew
⚫ break ⚫ broke ⚫ leave ⚫ left
⚫ bring ⚫ brought ⚫ lose ⚫ lost
⚫ build ⚫ built ⚫ make ⚫ made
⚫ buy ⚫ bought ⚫ meet ⚫ met
⚫ can ⚫ could ⚫ pay ⚫ paid
⚫ catch ⚫ caught ⚫ put ⚫ put
⚫ choose ⚫ chose ⚫ read ⚫ read
⚫ come ⚫ came ⚫ ride ⚫ rid
⚫ cost ⚫ cost ⚫ run ⚫ ran
⚫ cut ⚫ cut ⚫ say ⚫ said
⚫ do ⚫ did ⚫ see ⚫ saw
⚫ draw ⚫ drew ⚫ sell ⚫ sold
⚫ drink ⚫ drank ⚫ sing ⚫ sang
⚫ drive ⚫ drove ⚫ sit ⚫ sat
⚫ eat ⚫ ate ⚫ spend ⚫ spent
⚫ fall ⚫ fell ⚫ stand ⚫ stood
⚫ feed ⚫ fed ⚫ steal ⚫ stole
⚫ feel ⚫ felt ⚫ swim ⚫ swam
⚫ find ⚫ found ⚫ take ⚫ took
⚫ fly ⚫ flew ⚫ teach ⚫ taught
⚫ forget ⚫ forgot ⚫ tell ⚫ told
⚫ freeze ⚫ froze ⚫ think ⚫ thought
⚫ get ⚫ got ⚫ throw ⚫ threw
⚫ give ⚫ gave ⚫ understand ⚫ understood
⚫ go ⚫ went ⚫ wear ⚫ wore
⚫ ⚫ won
have ⚫ had win ⚫
⚫ hear ⚫ heard ⚫ write ⚫ wrote
Worksheet
Verb tenses Past Simple & Past Continuous

 Fill in the blanks with the past simple or the past continuous:
1. When I ________________ (arrive) the teacher ________________________ (write) the summary.
2. He _____________________________ (cross) the road when I _________________ (see) him.
3. Why ____________________________ (they / shout) at you when I _______________ (wake up)?
4. They ________________________ (fix) the computer when I ______________ (open) the door.
5. __________________________ (Mary / break) her leg while she _______________________ (skate)?
6. I ________________________ (sleep) when she __________________ (knock) on the door.
7. When I _______________ (see) Jim at the disco he ________________________ (not / talk) to the Dj.
8. I ____________________________ (watch) a film on TV when the electricity ______________ (go)
out.
9. The Titanic ________________________ (not / cross) the Pacific Ocean when it _______________
(strike) an iceberg.
10. Paul ____________________ (not / fall) while he _______________________ (run) away.
11. Carol ________________ (fall) asleep while she _________________________ (read) a book.
12. While my father _________________________ (drive) home, he _______________________ (not /
answer) his mobile phone.
13. While I _________________________ (have) a driving lesson it ___________________ (start) to rain
heavily.
14. When I ______________ (find) the wallet on the street I ___________ (go) to the police and
I _______________ (turn) it in.
15. When Mrs Spencer ___________________ (walk) into the busy office, the secretary
___________________________ (talk) on the phone with a customer, several clerks
_____________________________ (work) at their desks and two managers _______________________
(discuss) methods to improve customer service.
16. Last night, Sebastian _________________ (go) at Susan’s house about 9:00 pm, but she
__________________ (not / be) there. She _______________________ (study) at a friend’s house.
17. Sam _________________________ (read) the newspaper while he ______________________ (wait)
for the bus.
18. Yesterday I _______________ (see) Paul at the party and he ______________________ (not /
dance) with Rachel.
19. While my parents ___________________________ (drive) me to a great summer camp I
___________________________ (text) my friends about how happy I was about this type of holidays.

GOOD WORK!!!
 paint
see
listen watch send clean
go
write play be study
break

do visit like
smile eat have

A. Put the verbs in the correct column.

Regular verbs Irregular verbs

B. Complete the sentences with past form of the verbs in A.

1. (+) Yesterday I ……………………. football in the park.

2. (+) My mother ……………………. a book last year. It’s very interesting.
3. (-) Peter ……………………. this colour when he was younger.
4. (?) ……………………. you ……………………. a letter to your grandma?
5. (-) We ……………………. TV last weekend.
6. (+) I ……………………. a pet rabbit when I was a child.
7. (?) ……………………. she ……………………. her room? It was very dirty yesterday!
8. (+) Sarah ……………………. two sandwiches yesterday.
9. (-) The children ……………………. the window – it was the dog.
10. (+) I ……………………. for the test last night. I’m not nervous.
COMPLETE THE SENTENCES. USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS FORM OF THE VERBS IN
BRACKETS

1. My father __was cooking_____(cook) lunch when I got home.

2. The plane _______________________(fly) to Paris when it crashed.
3. The students ______________________(wait) for the bus when it started to rain.
4. We _________________________(cross) the street when the traffic lights turned red.
5. Sue __________________________(wash) the dishes when the phone rang.
6. Mary _________________________(slice) the bread when she cut her hand.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ALTERNATIVE IN EACH SENTENCE.

1. Jim was breaking / broke his leg while he was playing golf.
2. She was surfing/surfed when the shark attacked her.
3. While I had / was taking a shower, my cell phone rang.
4. Anna was calling / called Judy while she was reading a
newspaper.
5. Someone was taking / took Peter’s bag while he was making a
phone call.
6. Maria was walking home when a burglar was stealing / stole her purse.

PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS INTO THE SIMPLE PAST OR PAST CONTINUOUS.

1. My father __was driving_(drive) his car when a policeman __stopped__(stop) him.

2. Two boys ___________________(play) soccer when the teacher _________________ (come)

into the classroom.

3. I ________________(run) to the park when I __________ a terrible noise (hear).

4. While Tony ______________(clean) the bathroom, his son _______________ (shout) in the
kitchen.

5. My son _______________(break) his pencil while he _________________(do) his homework.

6. I __________________ (wait) for my friend when the bus _______________ (arrive).

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ALTERNATIVE (WHEN – WHILE).

1. I has a bad dream ___WHILE____ I was sleeping on the sofa.

2. Karina was doing her homework ___________ the lights went out.

3. I was talking to my husband in the park ___________ two cars crashed behind us.

4. You called me last night ___________ I was studying for an important exam.

5. My mother found some old photographs ___________ she was cleaning her room.

6. The students were doing an exercise ___________ the bell rang.

Complete the sentences with past simple or continuous

1. We (cycle) when the rain (start).

2. He (break) the vase while he (play) ball at home.
3. My mum (come) in while I (surf) on the net.
4. The electricity (go off) as I (bake) a cake.
5. Sandra (catch) when her sister (fall) down the stairs.
6. I (play) golf when it (begin) to rain.
7. While she (read) a novel, her sister (turn on) the CD player.
8. They (walk) along the beach when they (see)the accident.
9. We (study) when we (hear) a terrible noise.
10. While she (do) the ironing, her husband (set) the table.
11. We (dance) when he (faint).
12. When he (fall) down the tree, he (break) his leg.
13. I (be) shocked when I (hear)the bad news.
14. She (cry) when I (see) her.
15. My parents (sit) in the garden while we (play) badminton.
16. you (swim) in the sea at 6.00 am?
17. Bob (lie) in the garden when it (start) to rain.
18. As I (put) the baby to bed, the phone (ring).
19. What you (do) when Dan (fall)?
20. How you (break) the window?
21. I (write) an e-mail when the postman (deliver) his letter!
22. When I (leave) home yesterday, some dogs (sit) near the front gate.
23. John (not swim) at four o’clock. He (play) football.
24. While I (swim) in the river, I (see) some frogs.
25. Jim (not pay) attention when he (drive) his car into a tree.
26. What you (do) while she (sleep)?
27. Everyone (sleep) when the robbers (break in).
28. We (arrive) at the station just as the train (leave).
Complete the sentences with while or when.

1. We were playing basketball it began to rain.

2. The dog was barking we were sleeping.
3. I was watching TV she called.
4. the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
5. we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
6. What were you doing the earthquake started?
7. You were not listening to me I told you to turn the oven off.
8. John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
9. I was just getting into the bath the telephone rang.
10. Were you listening he was talking?
11. Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
12. she came home from school she really didn't look well

Complete the text with past simple or past continuous

A lorry driver (drive) 200 penguins to London Zoo when his lorry (break)
down on the motorway. The driver (get) out of the cab and (look) at
the engine when a second lorry driver (stop) in front of him and (ask) if he
(need) help.
The penguins' driver (explain) that he (take) the penguins to the zoo and
(ask) if the other man would take the penguins there. He (agreed).

Today (not be) not a good day. First of all, my alarm clock (not ring). Then, while
I (have) a shower, my dad (go) to work so I had to walk to school.
It (rain) and I got very wet. When I (walk) into class everyone (study)
hard and in silence. The teacher (look) at me and said, ‘Good afternoon John. How nice of you
to join us. ’Everyone (laugh). I (be) so embarrassed.