Past Simple

Past Simple (Past Indefinite) - Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the
past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

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Use of Simple Past:

1. action in the past taking place once, never or several times

2. actions in the past taking place one after the other

3. action in the past taking place in the middle of another action

4. if sentences type II (If I talked, …)

 AFFIRMATIVE

I/he/she/it/we/you/they

1. He visited his parents every + Ved OR:

weekend. Irregular Verb
2. He came in and took of his coat.

NEGAVITE
I/he/she/it/we/you/they + did + «not» + verb
1. I did not see him yesterday.
2. We did not work hard last week.

QUESTION
Did + I/he/she/it/we/you/they + verb
1. Did Tim work hard?
2. Did you eat ice-cream?

We use Past Simple with the following prepositions:

(3 weeks) ago in (1990) on (Tuesday)

during last (December) yesterday

 EXERCISES

Сomlete these sentenses with one of the following verbs in the correct form.

1. Last year I (go) __________ to England on holiday.

2. It (be) __________ fantastic.

3. I (visit) __________ lots of interesting places. I (be) __________ with two friends of mine .

4. In the mornings we (walk) __________ in the streets of London.

5. In the evenings we (go) __________ to pubs.

6. The weather (be) __________ strangely fine.

7. It (not / rain) __________ a lot.

8. But we (see) __________ some beautiful rainbows.

9. Where (spend / you) __________ your last holiday?

Put the sentences from simple present into simple past.

1. We move to a new house. →

2. They bring a sandwich. →

 3. He doesn't do the homework. →

4. They sell cars. →

5. Does he visit his friends? →

Write sentences in simple past.

1. Janet / miss / the bus →

2. she / tidy / her room? →

3. Nancy / watch / not / television→

4. she / read / a book →

Write negative sentences in simple past.

1. We went to the park yesterday. →

2. They cleaned the house last Saturday. →

3. He ate all the cookies. →

4. I came home at half past seven in the evening. →

5. She did her homework. →

 Past Continuous
The past continuous is to talk about something that was happening around a particular time in the past.

Use of Past Continuous:

1. puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past

2. two actions happening at the same time (in the past)

3. action going on at a certain time in the past

 AFFIRMATIVE

Was/Were + Ving

1. In 1994 he was working in a small town in Poland.

2. I was walking home, whistling happily, when I saw two masked men run out of the bank.

NEGAVITE

Was/Were + not +Ving

1. I was not having a party on Sunday last week.

2. She was not telling boring stories all the time.

QUESTION

Was/Were +I/he/she/it +Ving

We/you/they

1. Was it raining or snowing in the morning?

2. Was Kate or Tom playing here in the evening?

 EXERCISES

Put the verbs into the correct form (past continuous).

1. When I phoned my friends, they (play) __________ monopoly.

2. Yesterday at six I (prepare) __________ dinner.

3. The kids (play) __________ in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

4. I (practice) __________ the guitar when he came home.

5. We (not / cycle) __________ all day.

6. While Alan (work) __________ in his room, his friends (swim) __________ in the pool.

7. I tried to tell them the truth but they (not / listen ) __________ .

8. What (you / do) __________ yesterday?

9. Most of the time we (sit) __________ in the park.

10. I (listen) __________ to the radio while my sister (watch) __________ TV.

11. When I arrived, They (play) __________ cards.

12. We (study) __________ English yesterday at 4:00 pm .

Yesterday at 6 pm your family were doing different things. Write positive sentences in past progressive.
My mother / read / a novel →

My father / watch / a movie →

My elder sister / writing / in her diary →

My two brothers / listen / to the radio →

My little sister and I / not / watch / a movie →

We / talk / about school →

Complete the text with the correct form of verb.

Fill in the blanks with the simple past or past continuous form of the verbs.

1. James __________ [enter] the classroom while the teacher __________ [explain] the tenses.

2. We __________ [wait] for Jane, when suddenly Louis __________ [come] around the corner.

3. I __________ [cycle] through the park, when I __________ [hear] a strange noise.

4. I __________ [fall] asleep while I __________ [watch] TV last night.

5. He __________ [pass] her a message when the teacher __________ [not look).

6. When my uncle __________ [work] in the garden, an old friend __________ [pass] by to see him.

7. Robert __________ [fall] off the ladder when he __________ [pick] cherries.

8. While we __________ [drive] to Florence the car __________ [break] down.

9. When the girls __________ [arrive), the boys __________ [swim).

10. While the parents __________ [have] breakfast, their children __________ [take] the bus to school.