Put the verbs into the past simple tense
Last year, my Mum, Dad and I _____ (go) on holiday to England. On the last day, I _____ (tell) them:
‘I am going to be English today’. My parents just ______ (laugh). At breakfast, I ______ (order)
bacon, sausage, egg and beans. Later that morning, we _____ (visit) a café. There was only us in
there, but I _____ (make) Mum and Dad line up in a queue. We ____ (order) a pot of tea and we
_______ (drink) it with milk. Next, we ______(feed) the ducks in the park. On the way, a girl
_______ (bump) into me. ‘Sorry luv!’ she ________ (exclaim). ‘Sorry, luv!’ I _______ (reply), even
though it wasn’t my fault. ‘Lovely weather, by the way, isn’t it?’ I ______ (add). ‘It is for the
moment,’ the girl ________ (answer), ‘but it’s going to rain later.’
Then, we _____ (go) into town and we ______ (look) at the charity shops. Dad ______ (drive) us
back to the hotel and we ______ (get) stuck in traffic for ages.
When we _____ (get) back, I ______ (draw) a picture of a dog. Dad ______ (compliment) me on
what a good picture it was.’ Oh it’s really awful’, I _____ (say). Then I _______ (take) my ‘dog’ for a
walk round the hotel.
In the evening, I _______ (suggest) fish and chips for supper, but my Dad _______ (not fancy)
that, he _______ (fancy) a curry. He ______ (tell) us there’s nothing more English than chicken
tikka massala!’
‘Right-oh dad,’ I ______ (agree) ‘And then let’s go to the pub afterwards.’
‘Go to the pub after the curry? No, no, no Alessandra! That’s not English. First, the pub and then the
curry!’ Oops, I _______ (forget), my dad used to be a student in England and he knows a bit about
the English!
Answer the questions in full sentences.
1) Where did the family go on holiday?
2) What did Alessandra decide she was going to do on the last day?
3) How did her parents react to her idea?
4) What did she choose for breakfast?
5) What did she make her parents do at the café?
6) What did they drink?
7) Why did they do at the park?
8) What happened on the way to the park?
9) Who apologised first?
10) Why did Alessandra apologise?
11) What did Alessandra and the girl chat about?
12) What did the family do in town?
13) What held them up on the journey back to the hotel?
14) Did Alessandra take a real dog for a walk?
15) What did Alessandra want for supper?
16) Who disagreed and what did he fancy?
17) How come Alessandra’s dad ‘knows how to be English’?
Answer TRUE or FALSE. Write Tor F on the line
1. __ Alessandra is Italian.
2. __ She went to England with her friends.
Here are the things Alessandra believes to be typically English:
A) They have big cooked breakfasts with bacon and sausage.
B) They queue up.
C) They drink tea, always with milk, never lemon.
D) They apologise for everything, even when not at fault.
E) They talk about the weather all the time.
F) They are modest and self-effacing – they don’t accept compliments very well.
G) The town centres are full of charity shops and that’s where the Brits like to shop.
H) Traffic! Everywhere! It’s awful.
I) They love their pets, usually cats or dogs.
J) Popular takeaways are fish ‘n’ chips and curry.
K) They go to pubs.
L) In many parts of the country, they call each other, even strangers, ‘luv’.
TASK: What are some typical customs in your country? Is there any stereotypical behaviour?
How do people greet each other? What are popular foods? Write some sentences about it.
Present simple or present continuous?
1. They …………………… lunch now. have
2. My sister ……………….. my shirts every week. iron
3. I can´t come, I ……………….. on the project. work
4. She ………………. Geography on Tuesdays. have
5. We ……………….. television in the evenings. watch
6. At the moment Tony …………………. to the radio. listen
7. They can´t come now, they ………………. their homework. do
8. Students ……………… their homework every day do
after school.
9. Listen! The birds …………………. . sing
10. Every Monday John …………….. lunch with me. have
11. In this photo Kate …………………. . dance
12. ……. you ……… to school on Saturdays? go
13. I can´t hear you, I ………………… my hair. wash
14. Pat and her mum ………………… dinner now. cook
15. Listen! Your phone ………………… . ring
16. On Fridays we ………………… school at 12.30. finish
17. They don´t ……………… snakes. like
18. ……. Tom ……………… now? read
19. Mr and Mrs Green …………….. golf every summer. play
20. Look! That boy ………………… with the dog. run
21. Listen! They ………………….. Chinese. speak
