EXTRA RESOURCES FOR TEACHING PAST SIMPLE TO ADULTS.

1)                THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

Read the fallowing passage and try to see how the verbs are formed and used.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian musician and composer. He lived from 1756 to 1791. He started composing at the age of five years old and wrote more than 600 pieces of music. He was only 35 years old when he died.

Ø  The verbs "was, lived, started, wrote, died" are in the simple past tense.

Regular verbs:

 The verbs "lived, started, died" are regular past forms.

Examples

The infinitive	The simple past
live	lived
start	started
die	died
visit	visited
play	played
watch	watched
phone	phoned
marry	married

The rules of the simple past tense forms:

1. Regular verbs ending in a silent e take /-d/ in the simple past and past participle:
   Example:
   close=closed
2. Regular verbs ending in a vowel + y take /-ed/ in the simple past and past participle:
   Example:
   play=played
3. Regular verbs ending in a consonant + y take /-ied/ in the simple past and past participle (the y becomes an i followed by /-ed/)
   Example:
   marry=married
4. All the other regular vebs take /-ed/ in the simple past and past participle.
   Example:
   visit=visited.

2) GRAMMAR EXERCISES - SIMPLE PAST TENSE.

Put the verbs into the simple past:

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?

Write the past forms of the irregular verbs.

INFINITIVE	SIMPLE PAST
DRIVE
SPEAK
PUT
WRITE
SING
DO
SIT
STAND
RUN
MEET

Put the sentences 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 →