PAST TENSE

Complete these sentences... Using the past simple or present simple.. Complete the sentences with past continuous or past simple tense.. Put the verb into the correct form: Past simple a

PAST TENSE

I Complete the below article.

Two people (►) died (die) in a fire in Ellis Street, Old port yesterday morning They (1)

…… (be) Herbert and Molly Paynter, a couple in their seventies The fire (2)…

……… (start) at 3.20 am A neighbour, Mr Aziz, (3)……… (see) the flames and (4) ……… (call) the fire brigade He also (5)…… ………… (try) to get into the house and rescue his neighbours, but the heat (6)……… (be ) too great The fire brigade (7) (arrive) in five minutes Twenty fire-fighters (8)

……… (fight) the fire and finally (9)……… ………… ( b r i n g ) i t under control Two fire-fighters (10)……… (enter) the burning building but (11)……… ………… (find) the couple dead

II Complete this conversation.

Claire: (►) Did you have (you / have) a nice weekend in Paris?

Mark: Yes, thanks It was good We looked around and then we saw a show

(1) (we / not / try) to do too much

Claire: What sights (2) (you / see)?

Mark: We had a look round the Louvre (3)……… (I / not / know) there was so much in there

Claire: And what show (4) (you / go) to?

Mark: Oh, a musical I forget the name (5) (I / not / like) it

Claire: Oh, dear And (6) (Sarah / enjoy) it?

Mark: No, not really But we enjoyed the weekend Sarah did some shopping, too, but

(7) (I / not / want) to go shopping

III Complete these sentences

1 I _ (work) in a bank for ten years

2 Where _ (you / live) when you were young?

3 She _ (not / study) French at university

4 He _ (travel) through the Middle East last year

5 _ (they / visit) the Louvre in Paris?

6 She _ (not / watch) TV yesterday

7 We _ (buy) a new car last weekend

8 Where _ (you / teach) before you came here?

9 He _ (not / think) that he was right

10 I _ (cook) steak last night

11 _ (Lucy / read) ‘War and Peace’ at school?

12 She _ (not / write) to her grandmother

13 We _ (have) a computer when I was a child

14 Where _ (you / go) on holiday?

15 I _ (love) ice cream when I was a child

16 They _ (not / meet) yesterday

17 _ (she / swim) in the sea in Greece?

18 We _ (not / play) tennis yesterday because it was raining

19 He _ (try) to lift the box but he couldn’t

20 What _ (you / eat) for lunch?

IV- Put the words and phrases in the right order, make some changes if necessary Using the past simple or present simple.

Ex: be/a/I/last year/student - I was a student last year.

1, be/they/at home/not/last Sunday

-

2, very/work/he/always/lazily

-

3, you/look/ tired today/very/why?

-

4, John and Bill/why/on the farm/last night/stay/?

-

5, see/the day before yestersday/what/you/on TV/?

-

V Complete the sentences with past continuous or past simple tense.

1 yesterday/ when/he/carry/a suitcase/he/drop/it/on his foot

2 he/break/his leg/when/he/ski/last month

3 he/sit down/on/chair/when/I/paint/it

4 Lan/sit/in the garden/when/a wasp/sting/her/on the nose

5 as/we/drive /down the hill, a strange object/ appear/ in the sky

VI Put the verb into the correct form: Past simple and past continuous

1, The Chinese ships ………….(trespass) 80 miles into Vietnamese sea on the May 26

2, When I ………(get) home, they ………(watch) TV, they

………(not/do) their homework

3, What ………Ha ………(do) at 6.30 this morning ? - She ……… (swim)

4, She ……… (listen) to music when the phone ……….(ring)

5, We ……… (study) unit 18 at this time last week.

6, I ……….(not/visit) Ha Long Bay last year, because I ………(be) busy

7, The train ……… (leave) the station yesterday afternoon

8, My parents……….(have) dinner by the time I ………….(get) home yesterday

9, Bill Gate ……….(not/earn) $ 300 in 2005, he ……….(earn) $ 175

10, Where ………….you ……….(meet) Tom this morning ?

- I…(meet) him in front of the school library and he ………… (not/look)

cheerful as usual

VII Change the verbs in brackets into the Simple Past or the Past Continuous:

1 They (study)……… in the library when the fire alarm went off

2 It (snow)……… when I got up this morning

3 Abert Einstein (die) ……… in 1955

4 Tom (go) ………to the post office twice yesterday

5 Hellen (wait)……… in the lobby, wasn't she?

6 He (work) ……….his way through college at that time

7 He (teach) ……….economics at Harvard for almost 50 years

8 The wind (blow) ……… very hard when I went out this morning

9 He fell while he (go) ………down the stairs

10 My car (break) ………down this morning on the way to work

VIII Rewrite these sentences

We were having dinner and they were listening to the radio

=> We were

2 She was sleeping and the fire started

=> The fire

3 It began to rain and what were you doing

=> What

4 The farmer started whishing and he was ploughting the field

=> When

5 You came and what were they doing?

=> What

=> What was

7 She was reading a book and the man came in

=> The man

8 They were working in the field and the volcano erupted

=> The volcano

IX Join the sentences using the words in brackets

1 She cleaned the house Then, she watched TV (after)

After she had cleaned the house, she watched TV.

2 I found the solution to my problem Then, I felt happier (when)

3 The boys finished their homework Then, they went out to play (before)

4 He locked the door Then, the phone rang

5 Sarah washed the dishes Then, her husband arrived (by the time)

6 The concert finished Then, the fans left the stadium (when)

7 The play started Then, Henry arrived at the theatre (already…when)

X Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of the Past perfect continuous.

1 Sophie had been painting (paint) the walls all day before she finished them.

2 (you/wait) long when the boss announced that he couldn’t see you

3 Tom (look) for a job for six months when he found one

4 We (watch) TV for half an hour when the door bell rang

5 They (sunbathe) for an hour when it started to rain

6 Stan (work) as a postman for forty years when he retired

7 I (live) in France for ten years when I met my husband

XI Put the verbs in bracket into the past perfect or past simple

A Bert and Willy (1) went…fishing on Sunday They (2) (take) some

sandwiches and some coffee with them They (3) (sit) on the river bank all day But by the time they (4) (leave), they (not/catch) anything

B James (1) (be) late for work this morning He .(forget) to set his alarm clock and then, when he .(get) to work, his boss .(be) very angry

C Barry (1) (have) lots of work to do yesterday He (2) get up very early and by six o’clock, he (finish)

D Yesterday, Liz (1) (go) to a party She (2) (have) a great time, but when she (3) (get) home, she (4) (realise) she forget her jacket So, she (6) (go) back to the party to get it