Name:

Date:
Teacher: David

TALKING ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCES

Remember: when we talk about experiences we lived in the past, we usually use the Simple Past Tense, because we
normally give details related to the experience we talk about.

The past forms of verb BE are WAS (singular) and WERE (plural). When we make sentences with verb BE, it takes role of
the main and the auxiliary verb. Thus, for question, verb BE comes before the subject, and for negative sentences it
comes after the subject followed by NOT.

It was a rainy day yesterday, but it wasn’t cold, though. Were you at home?

In the Simple Past Tense, for statements, the regular verbs take the “ED” rules and the irregular verbs take no rules (they
must be memorized).

I talked to my teacher this morning.

In questions, we put the auxiliary verb DID before the subject and use the main verb in its base form – because DID
already shows it is a simple past sentence.

Did she go to your party on Sunday?

The same happens when we use DIDN’T for negative sentences – but here the negative auxiliary verb comes before the
main verb in its base form.

They didn’t understand what the lecturer said.

Sometimes, we need to use other modal verbs or phrases besides the main verbs. That’s why we are going to check
COULD and USED TO today.
 COULD

COULD is simply the past form of the modal verb CAN. When used, they express ability, permission or capability. Their
negative forms are CAN’T and COULDN’T.

 I could run when I was younger, but now I can’t.  ability

 I can go out by myself now that I am 18, but I couldn’t when I was a kid.  permission / capability
 I couldn’t drink beer 10 years ago.  permission
 I could jump higher than all my friends could.  capability
 I could read when I was 4 years old.  ability

USED TO

We use this expression to talk about habits or repeated actions in the past which we don't do in the present. We also
use it to talk about states in the past which are no longer true. We simply add a verb after the expression. Examples:

 I used to have long hair (but now I have short hair).

 He used to smoke (but now he doesn't smoke).
 They used to live in India (but now they live in Germany).

Watch out! With the negative and the question it's 'use' and not 'used', because we need to use the auxiliary verb DID:

 Did you use to be a teacher?

 Did he use to study French?
 She didn't use to like chocolate, but she does now.

Answer the following questions and use COULD when it’s possible to give a greater answer:

What is a food that you used to hate but now you like? Where did you use to play when you were a child?

Who used to be your hero when you were young? Did you use to get in trouble when you were younger?

Did you use to have a pet? What was your country like when you were a child?

Did you use to get good grades in high school? Do you think the past was better than the present?

What used to be your favorite game to play? What were some of the benefits of living in the past?
 1. Write whether the sentences are about ability, permission or capability:

a) I could stay up until late because my parents were pretty cool.  ____________________
b) Alice couldn’t swim before she practiced a lot.  ____________________
c) Alice couldn’t swim because she didn’t have a good breath.  ____________________
d) Alice couldn’t swim because girls weren’t allowed to in her country.  ____________________
e) Josh could create beautiful paintings. He was a great artist.  ___________________

2. Make sentences with USED TO using the given words.

a) Be afraid / boogeyman  __________________________________________________

b) Not / go to school / by car  __________________________________________________
c) She / talk to you / were kids/ ?  __________________________________________________
d) Not / participate / Physical Education Class  __________________________________________________
e) Go to night clubs / teenager  __________________________________________________
f) He / not play tennis / but / play soccer  __________________________________________________
g) Fly kites / when he was 10  __________________________________________________
h) John / drive old cars?  __________________________________________________
i) You / complain about your parents?  __________________________________________________
j) Arrive late?  __________________________________________________

3. Write a short paragraph about your childhood using COULD and USED TO.

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