Part 2. The system of past tenses

Unit 6. THE PAST SIMPLE. USED TO DO / WOULD DO

6.1. Find the past simple form of the following verbs:

blow keep

break make

cut put

find run

get send

give      take

grow     think

hear throw

 

The words can go across or down, or diagonally left to right. The same letter may be used in more than one word. The past simple form of ‘blow’ is shown as an example.

W	I	S	E	N	T	H	R	E	W
G	R	I	P	O	H	E	V	E	R
R	A	N	U	T	O	E	L	T	O
E	E	L	T	C	U	B	E	M	N
W	B	R	A	K	G	A	V	E	G
T	Y	P	E	X	H	O	L	D	M
T	O	E	C	U	T	I	T	T	A
B	R	O	K	E	H	E	A	R	D
C	A	S	K	F	O	U	N	D	E
C	A	R	K	E	P	T	A	D	Y

 

Now do the same with the following verbs:

bring hold

carry leave

catch read

come see

do sell

fall      set

go     stand

hang wear

 

B	R	O	U	T	H	U	N	G	T
C	L	A	W	R	E	A	D	H	A
A	S	F	E	L	L	T	G	O	R
U	O	I	N	O	D	U	U	C	W
G	L	S	T	O	O	D	S	A	I
H	D	W	O	R	E	A	S	M	N
T	R	I	B	E	D	I	D	E	T
B	R	O	U	G	H	T	U	F	T
G	O	O	D	D	A	L	E	F	T
B	Y	E	C	A	R	R	I	E	D

6.2. Rewrite the sentences according to the instructions given.

Model: I went to Paul’s birthday party last weekend. (negative)

I didn’t go to Paul’s birthday party last weekend.

1. I enjoyed the concert. (negative)

2. You ate all the bread. (interrogative)

3. Did John spend a lot? (affirmative)

4. I felt well yesterday. (negative)

5. Anna didn’t buy a car. (affirmative)

6. They won the prize. (interrogative)

7. George didn’t speak Greek. (affirmative)

8. I paid all the bills. (negative)

6.3. Make past simple questions and answers using the words given.

Model: A: Who / you see / at the meeting? → Who did you see at the meeting? –
B: I see / Jack / not Amy. → I saw Jack, but I didn’t see Amy.  

1. A: Where / you go / in England? – B: We go / London / not Oxford.

2. A: What plays / they see / at Stratford? – B: They see / Hamlet / not Julius Caesar.

3. A: Angelo / buy any new records / in London? – B: He buy / some clothes / not any records.

4. A: You enjoy / your holiday? – B: I enjoy / the holiday / not the food.

6.4. Complete each sentence, using would or used to and the verb in brackets. More than one answer may be suitable.

1. Jack (have) a beard but he shaved it off.

2. My mother (read) to me every night.

3. In the holidays we (meet) at the beach every morning.

4. I (not like) spinach, but now I do.

5. Helen (write) to me often, but now she phones.

6. Tina (live) in the house opposite.

7. When I was young, the summers (be) warmer. 

8. Whenever I saw him, he (smile).

6.5. Alphabet game

Take turns to use the past simple in a sentence. The first letter of the verbs must follow the sequence of the alphabet. If you can’t think of one, you’re out of the game. The next student continues with the next letter, e.g.

A: He a sked me my name. B: I b ought a new hat. C: I c ame here last month.

 

6.6. Work in pairs. Take turns to ask each other some questions about what each of you did using these time expressions:

last night / week / year	this morning
in 2007	the day before yesterday
on Tuesday / Sunday / New Year’s Eve	three months ago

 

Give a sequence of at least three things, e.g. What did you last night? – I went home and had dinner. I watched the news and then I played an online game of chess. I took a shower, brushed my teeth and went to bed.

6.7. Story chain.

Take turns to repeat what happened yesterday, and add something new, including a verb. Use irregular verbs only. If you forget the sequence, you’re out of the game, e.g.

A: Yesterday I found a?10 note on the pavement.

B: Yesterday I found a?10 note on the pavement and I bought a pizza.

C: Yesterday I found a?10 note on the pavement and I bought a pizza. I ate it.

D: Yesterday I found a?10 note on the pavement and I bought a pizza. I ate it, and then I caught a bus home.

(Restart the activity when the sequence gets too long.)

 

6.8. The first time

Speak out about your first…

bicycle	friend	swim	day at university
pet	home	holiday	alcoholic drink
job	toys	memory	flight in a plane

6.9. The last time

Work in pairs. Ask each other questions about the last time you did these things, e.g. A: When did you last go to the cinema? – B: The last time I went to the cinema was two weeks ago. I saw …

eat an egg	cook a meal	send an e-mail
take exercise	laugh	break something valuable
shake hands	feel sad	clean the windows
travel by boat	wear a suit	tell a lie
have a cold	have a dance	stay up all night

In pairs, ask and answer questions beginning What was the last thing you …? After each answer, ask one more question, e.g. A: What was the last thing you sold? – B: An old camera. – A: How much did you sell it for? – B: I sold it for?25.

buy	eat	drink	read	ask for
make	sell	learn	dream about	argue about
break	write	find	throw away	regret

 

6.10. First and last times

Work in two teams. Write twenty infinitive verbs on pieces of paper. Put them face down in a pile in the middle of the other team. Take turns to pick up a verb and make a sentence with it, beginning The first time I … or The last time I …

If your sentence is correct, your team keeps the verb. If the other team spots a mistake and challenges you, they get the verb. The team with the most verbs wins.

 

6.11. Matthew’s day

Put these phrases in the past simple and arrange them in a reasonable order to talk about Matthew’s day. Join them using and, then and after that, plus any other words you think are necessary.

go downstairs	drive to work	read a paper
get in the car	let the cat in	wake up
have a shower	wake up the kids	have breakfast
take the dog for a walk	get up	read his e-mails
go outside	buy some milk	make tea

 

In pairs, ask and answer questions about each sentence, e.g. What time did he get up?  

Continue the story of his day.

 

6.12. Join each pair of sentences to make one sentence in the past simple, beginning with when.

Model: She hears the baby cry. She goes to feed her. → When she heard the baby cry, she went to feed her.

1. She reads the letter. She throws it in the bin.

2. The shark appears. They panic.

3. He looks in the cupboard. He sees a mouse.

4. The mouse sees him. It runs away.

5. The bell rings. They run out into the playground.

6. They try my curry. Everyone starts choking.

7. The rain stops. We go out to play frisbee.

8. I get home. I switch on the radio.

 

On your own, write a few pairs of sentences about things you have done in the last few days. Swap your pairs of sentences with a partner. Join the ones you receive in the same way and pass them back.

6.13. CHANGES

In four groups, list the ways life used to be different, e.g. 1,000 years ago most people used to go everywhere on foot.

Group A, talk about life 50 years ago. Group B, talk about life 100 years ago. Group C, talk about life 1,000 years ago. Group D, talk about life 10,000 years ago.

Here are some ideas to help you.

transport politics food work health education entertainment family

 

Discuss your ideas in open class and see if the other groups can add anything to your list.

 

6.14. LIFE-CHANGING EVENTS

Think of five life-changing events, e.g. winning a lottery. Write five sentences about how life used to be different, with a corresponding sentence about how things are nowadays, e.g. I used to count every pound. Now I can’t count how much money I’ve got.

Read out your list of sentences, but do not mention the life-changing event. Other students will guess what it was.

 

6.15. Make up about ten sentences describing how your relationships have changed in the last ten years, e.g. I used to go out with someone called Liz. Now I’m married to Catherine. I didn’t use to be as close to my brother as I am now.   

6.16. Here is some surprising news about people you haven’t seen for a long time. Take turns to say why you’re surprised, e.g. A: Christine has taken up acting. – B: Really? She used to be so shy.

Michael’s got a dog now.	Sue is studying to be a doctor.
Terry’s looking much healthier.	Janet’s pregnant.
Adrian has bought a big house.	Penny plays the bass guitar now.
Lisa’s going out with Tom.	I saw Allan. He’s got married, you know.
Veronica has become an actress.	William’s joined the Conservative party.
We’re divorced now, I’m afraid.	You know Ray, don’t you? That’s him there.
I saw Angela at Rachel’s place.	Roger has taken up sailing.
Ellen’s become a Buddhist.	This isn’t my natural hair colour, you know.
I’m reading Shakespeare’s plays.	Daniel is studying law these days.

 

6.17. In pairs, ask each other questions about how you’ve changed in the last five years, e.g. A: Did you use to have a much different hairstyle five years ago? – B: Oh, yes. I used to dye my hair all the time, too. Once I even dyed it green!

Here are some ideas to help you.

· physical appearance (clothes, hair, build)

· habits (food, smoking, alcohol, going out)

· personality (problems, hopes, fears)

· people (friends, family, heroes and heroines)

6.18. Supply the English equivalents for the underlying sentences.

1. Раньше он много курил, но сейчас ведёт здоровый образ жизни.

2. Во время учёбы в колледже я часто играл в теннис.

3. Прежде он не был таким разговорчивым.

4. Мы собирались за столом и играли в карты. Это было нашим единственным развлечением.

5. У тебя раньше был велосипед? – Да, был. Я катался на нём почти каждый день.  

6. Когда ты позвонил, я был в ванной и не слышал звонка.

7. Раньше у неё были более амбициозные планы.

8. Они часто приглашали нас на ужин.

9. Когда-то у нас не было свободного помещения, поэтому мы репетировали в гараже у одного из наших приятелей. Сейчас в нашем распоряжении три суперсовременных студии. 

10. Мы, бывало, гуляли в горах по четыре-пять часов в день.

Unit 7. THE PAST CONTINUOUS

7.1. In pairs, ask each other what you were doing yesterday at these times. In your answers, tell two lies and see if your partner can identify which answers are lies.

05:00

09:45

12:00

16:10

19:15

10:30

 

Here are the first lines of five stories. Write a few more sentences to set the scene, e.g. The birds were singing and a lovely breeze was blowing off the lake. John was sitting on the jetty fishing. He was thinking about …

· When we left the hotel it was a fine evening …

· The office was in a terrible state this morning …

· When I arrived the party had already started …

· It was a beautiful spring morning …

· I only left the kids for a minute and when I got back …

 

In small groups, read each other’s ideas. Choose the best one and develop the story further. Delegate one person to do the writing. Choose someone to read the story out to the other small groups.

 

7.2. In pairs, discuss what was happening when …

· you got home yesterday

· you arrived at university

· you last switched on the TV

· you last went out

· you phoned your friend

· you woke up this morning

· you left home yesterday morning

· you went shopping

 

7.3. Role-play: ALIBIS

Last night at about 7.45 p.m. there was a murder. Two of you are suspects. Go outside the classroom and agree the details of everything you did yesterday evening from 7.15 to 8.15 p.m.

The rest of the class, you are investigators. Work in two groups and prepare a list of questions about what the suspects were doing at 7.45 p.m. Try to think of every detail. For example, if they went to a restaurant, where did they sit, what did they talk about, what was the waitress wearing?

Each group, interrogate one of the suspects. When you have finished, swap suspects and repeat your questions to the other one. Make a note of any differences you notice between the two stories. What differences did you find? Are they guilty or not guilty?