LEZIONE 5

SIMPLE PAST
Pag. 22: the short biography of Basho
Haiku = a traditional form of Japanese poetry popular since the 17th century.
It is a three-line poem of usually seventeen syllables in lines of five, seven and
five syllables each. It traditionally focuses on images of the natural word
Biography = a book or an account of a person’s life, written by someone else
Establish = to start something such as a company, system, etc. especially one
that will exist for a long time
Restless = not satisfied and wanting new experiences

➔ The Past Simple of “be”

Positive form:
EX. I was cold
You were tired
She was late

Negative form:
I wasn’t sleepy
You weren’t on the bus
It wasn’t cold

➔ How to make a question using the simple past?

Change the position of “was/were” and the subject
EX. Was I sleepy?
Were you late?
Was she kind?
➔ The “wh” questions with “be” (the question word just goes at the
begininng, everything else is the same)
EX. Why was I sleepy?
Where were you?
How was it?
➔ The Past Simple with other verbs: we make the past simple just like the
present simple except we use “did” instead of “do/does”
● Positive form: we usually make the positive by adding -ed to the
infinitive (play - played)
● However, there are some irregular verbs: go - went, run - ran
EX. I walked (regular)
He cooked (regular)
 We ate (irregular)
They drank (irregular)
→ In the irregular there aren’t any irregular verbs: all verbs use
“didn’t” + infinitve
EX. I did’nt walk
They didn’t drink
We didn’t eat
→ To make a “wh” question:
Where did I go?
What did you play?
Why did she listen)

PAST SIMPLE USES

➔ Finished events in the past with no connection to the present
EX. Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa
➔ With a finished time word: yesterday, last week, at 2 o’clock, in 2003
EX. I went to the cinema yesterday
➔ For stories/lists of events
EX. He went to a café, sat down and lit a cigarette
➔ Details of news
EX. I’ve been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal
➔ As part of the second conditional
EX. If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Chelsea

Ex. 2 pag.27
VOCABULARY
Theme = the main subject or idea in a book, movie, speech
Lead = here, to have or live (portare)
Recluse = someone who likes to live alone and avoids other people

Ex. 3
Address = to write a name and address on an envelope (busta)
In print = writing that has been printed, newspapers, etc. and is available to
buy

Ex. 4
Raw = not cooked (crudo)
Angle-worm = a small tube-shaped creature with a soft body and no legs that
lives in the ground (lombrico)
Dew = the small drops of water that form on outdoor surfaces during the night
(rugiada)
Beetle = an insect with a hard round back (scarafaggio)

Ex. 6
Neighborhood = a small area of town (vicinato, quartiere)
Ethnic = relating to a particular race, tribe, etc.
Outgoing = wanting to meet and talk to new people, or showing this quality
(socievole)
Ph.D = Doctor of Philosophy, the highest university degree that can be earned