The Past Tense Simple

I. Fill in the blanks with was or were:

1. You ... late yesterday. 2. I ... happy last week. 3. The children... tired in the evening 4. We ... absent on
Monday. 5. You ... ill last Thursday. 6. I ... in the park in the morning. 7. The boys... early yesterday. 8.
You ... at the party on Saturday. 9. Katie ... in the classroom at eight o'clock. 10. We sleepy last night.

II. Work on the model:

I was absent yesterday.

Was I absent yesterday?

1. She was ill last week. 2. We were at home. 3. You were busy in the morning. 4. They were in front of
the gate. 5. I was very surprised. 6. Lucy and Jack were sad on Sunday 7. Pamela was in the garden. 8.
Father was tired in the evening. 9. We were hungry at noon. 10. You were very proud of your father.

III. Work on the model:

She was here. (there) She wasn't there

1. You were thirsty. (hungry) 2. I was at home. (at the cinema) 3. We were in the garden. (in the street) 4.
The milk was hot. (cold) 5. You were busy. (free) 6. Your hands were dirty. (clean) 7. I was ill. (well) 8.
We were present. (absent) 9. The children were happy. (sad) 10. The book was on the desk. (in the
schoolbag)

IV. Work on the model:

We/hungry/thirsty
Were we hungry or thirsty?
We were hungry. We weren't thirsty.

1. I/in the park/at home; 2. You/dirty/clean; 3. The book/new/old; 4. The problems easy/difficult; 5.
It/cold/hot; 6. Mother/in the kitchen/in the bedroom; 7. I/present absent; 8. You/here/there; 9. We/at the
cinema/at the theatre; 10. The children/in the garden/in the street.

V. Work on the model:

We have five classes today. (yesterday) We had five classes yesterday, too.

1. I have a new car now. (last year) 2. You have a toy-horse now. (two days ago) 3. Jane has many friends
now. (a year ago) 4. We have English this Friday. (last Friday) 5. The Browns have a big house now. (ten
years ago) 6. I have a large garden now. (two years ago) 7. We have a small cat now. (last year) 8. You
have three free days this week. (last week) 9. Daniel has a white shirt today. (yesterday) 10. We have ripe
apples this autumn. (last autumn)
VI. Work on the model:

I had got three books. (three pencils)

I hadn't got three pencils.

1. We had a dog. (a cat) 2. I had a red pen. (a brown pencil) 3. You had many flowers. (many pictures) 4.
They had much sugar. (much coffee) 5. The boy had a big ball. (a small ball) 6. I had a new car. (a new
bicycle) 7. We had yellow apples. (yellow pears) 8. You had ripe grapes. (ripe cherries) 9. I had a large
dining-room. (a small dining-room) 10. You had a cake. (an ice cream)

VII. Turn the following sentences into the Past Tense and read them aloud:
1. I ask many questions. 2. You recite many poems. 3. We remember her address. 4. They travel a lot. 5.
You watch TV. 6. I want to help you. 7. She loves her daughter. 8. We skate on the skating-rink. 9.
Somebody knocks at the door. 10. It snows in the morning.

VIII. Work on the model:

I'm watching TV now. (Yes/No) Did you watch TV yesterday, too?

Yes, I did. / No, I didn't

1. I'm playing the piano now. (Yes) 2. They are studying a new lesson today. (No) 3. Ton is doing an
exercise now. (Yes) 4. We are cleaning the windows today. (Yes) 5. I’m repeating that song today. (No)
6. The girls are baking pies today. (Yes) 7. Jane i working hard this week. (Yes) 8. I'm opening this door
now. (No) 9. We are skiing this winter. (Yes) 10. The children are playing games this afternoon. (No)

IX. Work on the model:

I opened the door. (the window)

I opened the door, but I didn't open the window.

1.I learnt the lesson (the poem) 2. You helped mother. (father) 3. We finished to exercise. (the
composition) 4. He played tennis. (football) 5. They lived in London (New York) 6. I posted the postcard.
(the letter) 7. You missed the bus. (the train) 8. Mother liked the book. (the film) 9. Tom studied English.
(French) 10. We skated the morning. (in the afternoon)

X. Fill in the blanks with the right form of the verbs given in brackets:

1. I ... English last week. (to speak) 2. We … our parents yesterday. (to help) 3 The boys … rugby last
Saturday. (to play) 4. You ... a long letter last week. (to write). 5. I… a good cake yesterday (to eat) 6.
The children… at the cinema last Friday. (to laugh) 7. We ... at eight o'clock last Sunday, (to get up) 8. I...
in the sea last summer. (to swim) 9. You ... your new dress yesterday afternoon. (to wear) 10. The
teacher ... us a new song yesterday. (to teach) 11. The girls ... all the questions last time. (to answered) 12.
I…. my old friend last Tuesday. (to meet) 13. You ... the name of this man at last (to re member) 14. The
pupils... this museum last month. (to visit) 15. We... our dog in the forest last Sunday. (to lose) 16. The
boy on duty ... the blackboard yesterday. (to clean) 17. The kid ... another toy. (to choose) 18. I ... a long
poem last Wednesday. (to recite) 19. You... very good apples then. (to buy). 20. Father... a big fish last
week. (to catch)

XI. Say what you did yesterday and at what times. Use the following verbs:

1. to get up: 2. to wash; 3. to get dressed; 4. to have breakfast; 5. to say good-bye to your parents : 6. to go
to school; 7. to do exercises ; 8. to play in the schoolyard 9. to read a new lesson: 10. to draw a map: 11.
to write a composition; 12. to come back home ; 13. to have lunch: 14. to have a rest; 15. to do your
homework; 16. to help your parents: 17. to go for a walk; 18. to watch TV; 19. to have dinner ; 20. to read
a story: 21. to go to bed: 22. to say good-night.

XII. Work on the model:

I went to the cinema.

Did I go to the cinema?

1. Mother made a good cake. 2. The pupils did many exercises. 3. The children said good-bye. 4. Father
left the house an hour ago. 5. The bell rang at seven o'clock. 6. We bought a new car. 7. Jane sold her new
dress. 8. Our friend began to study French. 9. The children drank much milk. 10. The boys sat down on a
bench.

XIII. Ask questions and answer them according to the model:

They/to tell us/a fine story

What did they tell us?
They told us a fine story.

1. I/to eat/pears; 2, You/to drink/coffee; 3. Mother/to make/a cake; 4. We/to read/ the newspaper: 5. I/to
write/a letter; 6. The children/to break/some plates; 7. The girl/ to forget/her bag; 8. You/to do/an
exercise; 9. I/to buy/a big house; 10, The boys/to take/the ball.

XIV. Work on the model:

He/to write the letter/yesterday/last week

Did he write the letter yesterday?
No, he didn't write the letter yesterday.He wrote it last week.

1. You/to see the film/on Monday/on Tuesday: 2. The children/to run/in the street/in the garden; 3. The
pupil/to do/two exercises/five exercises; 4. I/to drink/the milk/the coffee: 5. You/to shut the door/the
window: 6. We/to speak/to the schoolmaster/to the form teacher : 7. The girls/to make/a cake/a pie: 8.
This man/to drive/fast/slowly: 9. I/to take/the bus/the train; 10. You/to show her/the map/the picture.

XV. Work on the model:

When did you go to school? At seven o'clock or at nine o’clock?

I didn't go to school at nine o'clock. I went to school at seven o'clock.
1. When did Tom read the letter? In the morning or in the afternoon? 2. Where did grandfather live? In a
village or in a town? 3. When did I arrive at the theatre? At 6 o'clock or at 7 o’clock? 4. What did you
buy? A book or a record? 5. Where did Jane see the cat? In the room or in the garden? 6. What did you
tell her? A joke or a story? 7. When did the children swim in the sea? In summer or in winter? 8. Where
did the boy wash his hands? In the kitchen or in the bathroom? 9. What did I sing? An English song or a
French song? 10. When did you plant this tree? In spring or in summer?

XVI. Work on the model:

John missed the train. (to take a taxi)

Didn't he take a taxi?

1. Hob got a bad mark. (to study) 2. Tom was very thirsty. (to drink water) 3. The boys played football.
(to watch TV) 4. Judith broke a glass. (to be careful) 5. Martin lost his umbrella. (to leave it at school) 6.
Her brother coughed. (to take the medicine) 7. The child was very tired. (to sleep the night before) 8.
Catherine spent the week-end at home. (to go to the mountains) 9. The dogs were very hungry. (to eat that
morning) 10. Peter had a terrible accident. (to obey the traffic rules)

XVII. Work on the model:

Has Jane taken off her coat? (a minute ago)

Yes, she took it off a minute ago.

1. Have your sisters laid the table? (ten minutes ago) 2. Has father come home? (an hour ago) 3. Have I
repaired my car? (three days ago) 4. Have you sung this song? (five minutes ago) 5. Have we visited the
Art Gallery? (two years ago) 6. Have the students read a new text? (three minutes ago) 7. Have I bought a
new shirt? (two days ago) 8. Has Arthur given you nice flowers? (half an hour ago) 9. Have you seen my
brother? (an hour ago) 10. Have you hired a boat? (two weeks ago)

XVIII. Work on the model:

I haven't seen her for three days.

It's three days since I (last) saw her.

1. They haven't written to me for three months. 2. Father hasn't smoked for five days. 3. We haven't been
ill for a long time. 4. I haven't visited my friends for a week. 5. You haven't played the piano for over a
year. 6. The Smiths haven't painted their house for years. 7. We haven't had such a good time for months.
8. Martin hasn't gone on a trip for several months. 9. I haven't spoken to this man for some weeks. 10.
You haven't bought bread for three days.

XIX. Turn into Indirect Speech:

1. "I am very tired today," said John. 2. "We have a large garden," the children explained. 3. "We are
good at English," the girls told me. 4. "My mother has a new blouse," Tom said. 5. "I live in a new flat" I
told her. 6. "We don't work on a farm” the women explained. 7. "She doesn't speak English very well."
Peter let me know. 8. "I am not fond of tennis," Paul told his friend.
XX. Change the following sentences according to the model:

They visited their grandparents on Sundays.

They used to visit their grandparents on Sundays.

1. Mary wrote many letters. 2. We got up early. 3. You watched TV every evening 4. Mother made good
cakes on Saturdays. 5. I climbed trees in my childhood. 6. My sis played the piano every day. 7. Maggie
opened these windows every morning. 8. You rang me up every day. 9. We went shopping every Friday.
10. I bought bread every morning

XXI. Work on the model:

Do you often go to the theatre?

Not now. But I used to go to the theatre every week.

1. Does your father smoke? 2. Do you often speak French? 3. Do you often play tennis? 4. Does your
friend often ring you up? 5. Do these young people often dance? 6. Do you often meet Mary? 7. Do I
often come home late? 8. Does your mother often ask you such questions? 9. Do the girls often drink
orange juice? 10. Do you often drink coffee?

XXII. Work on the model:

You/to play the violin

You used to play the violin, but you don't any more.

1. I/to go to the concerts; 2. Our neighbours/to visit us; 3. You/to write poems. 4. Mike/to speak German;
5. We/to meet our friends; 6. I/to get up late; 7. It/to rain every day: 8. You/to eat ice cream; 9. My
father/to leave home early; 10. I/to read adventure books.

XXIII. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense:

1. If I (to meet) her, I'd give her the dictionary. 2. We'd translate the text if we (to know) the new words.
3. You'd buy that book if you (to have money. 4. My cousin would go to the doctor if he (to be) ill. 5. If
she (to understand) you, she would answer your questions. 6. What would Alison do if she (to lose) her
keys? 7. If you (to read this letter, you would find out the truth. 8. If the rain (to stop), we would walk in
the park. 9. You would see a good film if you (to go) to the cinema.

XXIV. Work on the model:

You/to speak German/Spanish

A: Do you speak German?
B: No, I don't. I speak Spanish
A: What a pity! I wish you spoke German.

1. You/to play tennis/volleyball: 2. She/to live in a village/in a town; They/to listen to folk music/light
music; 4. You/to go to school by bus/on foot: 5. Your sister/to be healthy/ill; 6. The boys/to come here
every day/on Friday: 7. You/to remember him/ her: 8. Jack/to know Helen/Lucy: 9. The children/to eat
oranges/plums: 10. You/ understand me/her.

XXV. Translate into English:

1. Am cunoscut-o pe verişoara ta în 1988, 2. Când Peter era tânăr, alerga timp de o jumătate de oră in
fiecare dimineață. 3. Când l-ai văzut ultima dată? 4. Am inteles atunci cât de mult îşi iubea fratele. 5. E
timpul ca ei să cunoască adevărul. 6. Aş fi de părere să te duci acolo cât mai curând posibil. 7. Mary recită
poezii ca și cum ar fi o mare artistă. 8. Ce oraş ai vizitat anul trecut? 9, De-aş ști adresa lui acum! 10. Aş
dori să înțelegeți această situație.