Past Simple 1

Exercise 1
Put in am/is/are (present) or was/were (past)

1. Last year he _______ 22, so he _______ 23 now.

2. Today the weather _______ nice, but yesterday it _______ very cold.
3. I _______ hungry. Can I have something to eat?
4. I feel fine this morning but I _______ very tired last night.
5. Where _______ you at 11 o’clock last Friday morning?
6. Don’t buy those shoes. They _______ very expensive.
7. I like your new jacket. _______ it expensive?
8. This time last year I _______ Paris.
9. ‘Where _______ the children?’ ‘I don’t know. They _______ in the garden ten
minutes ago’.
10. Hello, everybody! I _______ sorry I _______ late!
11. ‘Where _______ you born?’ ‘I _______ born in India.’
12. We _______ married when I _______ eighteen and Roger _______ twenty.

Exercise 2
Put is was/were or wasn’t/weren’t.

1. We weren’t happy with the hotel. Our room __________ very small and it
__________ very clean.
2. George __________ at work last week because he __________ ill. He’s better
now.
3. Yesterday __________ a public holiday so the shops __________ closed.
They’re open today.
4. ‘__________ Sue and Bill at the party?’ ‘Sue __________ there but Bill
__________.
5. ‘Where are my keys?’ ‘I don’t know. They __________ on the table but they’re
not there now.’
6. You __________ at home last night. Where __________ you?

Exercise 3
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Write the questions. Use the words in brackets (…) in the correct order +
was/were.
1. (late / you / this morning / why?)
__________________________________________  The traffic was bad.
2. (difficult / your exam?)
_________________________________________  No, it was easy.
3. (last week / where / Ann and Chris?)
__________________________________________  They were on holiday.
4. (your new camera / how much?)
_________________________________________  Sixty pounds.
5. (angry / you / yesterday / why?)
__________________________________________  Because you were late.
6. (nice / the weather / last week?)
__________________________________________  Yes, it was beautiful.

Exercise 4
Complete the sentences. Use one of these verbs in the past simple.

* clean * die * enjoy * finish * happen *

* open * rain * start * stay * want *

1. I __________ my teeth three times yesterday.

2. It was hot in the room, so I __________ the window.
3. The concert __________ at 7.30 and __________ at 10 o’clock.
4. When I was a child, I __________ to be a doctor.
5. The accident __________ last Sunday afternoon.
6. It’s a nice day today but yesterday it __________ all day.
7. We __________ our holiday last year. We __________ at a very nice place.
8. Ann’s grandfather __________ when he was 90 years old.

Exercise 5
Write the verbs in the correct column and then write the Past Simple forms.

* catch * study * meet * earn * give * win * like * buy * visit * speak *
become * stay * leave * start * get * enjoy * write * stop * do * lose *

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 REGURAL VERBS IRREGULAR VERBS

Exercise 6
Complete the sentences with some verbs from the box in the Past Simple. Make
one of the verbs negative.

* marry * earn * die * stay * come * be * born * become *

have * help * work * study * speak * stop * like *

My grandparents (1) _____________ in Hungary in the 1920s. They (2)

_____________ to England in 1946, after the war. My grandfather worked in a
factory in Birmingham and he (3) _____________ English at night.
My grandmother (4) _____________ at home because she only (5)
_____________ Hungarian and so she couldn’t get a job. Life was difficult because
my grandfather (6) _____________ much money in the factory. My grandparents
(7) _____________ three children, my mother and my two uncles. They (8)
_____________ their parents as much as they could. My grandparents (9)
_____________ work when they were sixty and they liked having a lot of free time
together. Unfortunately, my grandfather (10) _____________ in 1994, but my
grandmother is still alive.

Exercise 7
Write sentences about the past (yesterday/last week etc.).

1. Jim always goes to work by car.

Yesterday he went to work by car.

2. Rachel often loses her keys.
She __________________________________ last week.

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3. Kate meets her friends every evening.
She __________________________________ yesterday evening.
4. I usually buy two newspapers every day.
Yesterday I __________________________________
5. We usually go to the cinema on Sundays.
Last Sunday we __________________________________
6. I eat an orange every day.
Yesterday I __________________________________
7. Tom always has a shower in the morning.
This morning he __________________________________
8. Our friends come to see us every Friday.
They __________________________________ last Friday.

Exercise 8
Make the sentences negative.
1. I drove to work yesterday.

I didn’t drive to work yesterday

2. My sister made a cake for my last birthday.
___________________________________________________
3. We listened to the radio yesterday evening.
___________________________________________________
4. He went on holiday to Spain last summer.
___________________________________________________
5. You ate a lot at lunch time.
___________________________________________________
6. I wore my jeans at school.
___________________________________________________
7. They called their parents last week.
___________________________________________________
8. My friends wrote to me last month.
___________________________________________________
9. You did all the shopping last Friday.
___________________________________________________

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10. I cooked dinner every day last week.
___________________________________________________
11. He bought a new shirt.
___________________________________________________
12. I took a photograph of my family.
___________________________________________________
13. Angela sent an email to her friend.
___________________________________________________
14. That book was very interesting.
___________________________________________________
15. I lost €20 last night.
___________________________________________________

Exercise 9
Write B’s questions. Use:

* arrive * cost * go * go to bed late * happen * have a nice time * stay * win *

1. A: We went to New York last month.

B: Where ______________________________ ?
A: With some friends.

2. A: I was late this morning.

B: What time ______________________________ ?
A: Half past nine.

3. A: I played tennis this afternoon.

B: ______________________________ ?
A: No, I lost.

4. A: I had a nice holiday.

B: Good. Where ______________________________ ?
A: To the mountains.

5. A: We came home by taxi.

B: How much ______________________________ ?
A: Ten pounds.

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6. A: I’m tired this morning.
B: ______________________________ ?
A: No, but I didn’t sleep very well.

7. A: We went to the beach yesterday.

B: ______________________________ ?
A: Yes, it was great.

8. A: The window is broken.

B: How ______________________________ ?
A: I don’t know.

Exercise 10
Put the verb in the correct form - positive, negative or question.

1. We went to the cinema but the film wasn’t very good. We

____________________ it. (enjoy)
2. Tim ____________________ some new clothes yesterday - two shirts, a
jacket and a pullover. (buy)
3. ‘____________________ yesterday?’ ‘No, it was a nice day (rain)
4. The party wasn’t very good, so we ____________________ long. (stay)
5. It was very warm in the room, so I ____________________ a window. (open)
6. ‘Did you go to the bank this morning?’ ‘No, I ____________________ time.’
(have)
7. ‘I cut my hand this morning.’ ‘How ____________________ that?’ (do)

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Key

Exercise 1
1. was ; is 7. Was
2. is ; was 8. was
3. am 9. are ; were
4. was 10. am ; am
5. were 11. were ; was
6. are 12. were ; was ; was

Exercise 2
1. was ; wasn’t
2. wasn’t ; was
3. was ; were
4. Were , was , wasn’t
5. were
6. weren’t ; were

Exercise 3
1. Why were you late this morning?
2. Was your exam difficult?
3. Where were Ann and Chris last week?
4. How much was your new camera?
5. Why were you angry yesterday?
6. Was the weather nice last week?

Exercise 4
1. cleaned
2. opened
3. started ; finished
4. wanted
5. happened
6. rained
7. enjoyed ; stayed
8. died

Exercise 5
REGURAL VERBS IRREGULAR VERBS
study - studied catch - caught
earn - earned meet - met
like - liked give - gave
visit - visited win - won
stay - stayed buy - bought
start - started speak - spoke
enjoy - enjoyed become - became
stop - stopped leave - left
get - got
write - wrote
do - did
lose - lost

Exercise 6
1. were born 6. didn’t eared
2. came 7. had
3. studied 8. helped
4. stayed 9. stopped
5. spoke 10. died

Exercise 7
1. he went to work by car.
2. lost her keys
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3. met her friends
4. bought two newspapers.
5. went to the cinema
6. ate an orange
7. had a shower
8. came (to see us)

Exercise 8
1. I didn’t drive to work yesterday.
2. My sister didn’t make a cake for my last birthday.
3. We didn’t listen to the radio yesterday evening.
4. He didn’t go on holiday to Spain last summer.
5. You didn’t eat a lot at lunch time.
6. I didn’t wear my jeans at school.
7. They didn’t call their parents last week.
8. My friends didn’t write to me last month.
9. You didn’t do all the shopping last Friday.
10. I didn’t cook dinner every day last week.
11. He didn’t buy a new shirt.
12. I didn’t take a photograph of my family.
13. Angela didn’t send an email to her friend.
14. That book wasn’t very interesting.
15. I didn’t lose €20 last night.

Exercise 9
1. did you stay
2. did you arrive
3. Did you win
4. did you go
5. did it cost
6. Did you go to bed late
7. Did you have a nice time
8. did it happen / did that happen

Exercise 10
1. didn’t enjoy
2. bought
3. Did it rain
4. didn’t stay
5. opened
6. didn’t have
7. did you do

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