CLOSE ENCOUNTER 6

The Day We Moved

FOCUS: Simple past tense of regular verbs (for example, moved, wrapped, locked)

Last week we ()................... up our belongings and (2)................... into a new home. We
(3)................... the work so that each person had something to do. For example, my husband
(4)................... all the dishes in newspaper so they wouldn’t get broken. My daughter
(5)................... him. Then they carefully (6)................... the dishes into large boxes and
(7)................... each one clearly with ink so we would know what was in it. My son
(8)................... each of the boxes and (9)................... it with tape. Then he (10)................... each
one to the front of the house. My own job was easy. I simply (11)................... up each box and
put it in the large truck that I had (12)................... from a truck-rental agency. Each box had to
be (13)................... securely in the truck so that it would not be damaged. We all
(14)................... very hard and very quickly, because we (15)................... to be finished by the
end of the day. We all (16)................... to sleep in our new house that night.
When we had put everything in boxes, we (17)................... around the house to be sure
that we had not forgotten anything. Each of us (18)................... in a different room. We
(19)................... the closets, cellar, and attic too. We (20)................... to be sure we didn’t leave
anything behind. My son also 21()................... in the garage for the garden tools. When we
(22)................... looking, we were sure that we had forgotten nothing. The house was empty.
Then we all (23)................... through house, taking a last look at our old home. We
(24)................... living there very much, but we also (25)................... the house we were
moving into.
Finally, I (26)................... the front door, (27)................... it tightly so that no one could
get in, and put the key in my purse. We all (28)................... down the driveway and got into the
truck and our old car. We drove across the city to our new house. Then we took everything out
of the truck and (29)................... the boxes into the new house. I (30)................... each box from
the truck and (31)................... it to the front door. My husband then (32)................... it to its
proper place, where my son and daughter (33)................... it and put everything away. We were
(34)................... by nightfall, and we were thankful that we had worked so hard that we could
sleep in our own beds that night.

Comprehension Check
Put a check on the line for each statement that is true:
1. ____ Breakable things were wrapped in newspaper.
2. ____ It took two days to move everything out of the house.
3. ____ They had to stay in a hotel because they had no beds to sleep in.
4. ____ They didn’t forget anything when they left the old house.
5. ____ Before they left, the wife locked the door.
Write Now
Using any regular past tense verbs, describe something that you did in the past. write several sentences
describing what you did. Some suggested verbs: want, play, seem, appear, like, talk, walk, dance,
listen, move, place, help, pick, lift, stop, start.
.........................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................