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English practice: simple past tense

Professor: Lic. José Antonio Duncan

Put the verbs in the correct form (simple past).

1. I_____________________________ (spend my holiday in Ireland last year

2. It _________________________________(be) great.
3. I ________________________________ (travel) around by car with two friends and
we_________________________________ (visit) lots of interesting places last year.
4. We ______________________________(go)  to a pub two days ago.
5. One night we even _____________________________ (learn) some Irish dances.
6. We ________________________________ (be) very lucky with the weather.
7. It ____________________________________(not / rain)  a lot yesterday
8. We ________________________________ (see) some beautiful rainbows.
9. Where _________________________________ (spend / you) your last holiday?

Change the verbs in simple past tense.

1. Dan _______________________________________ (leave) very early today.
2. Sam and Sue _______________________________ (buy) a new house last month.
3. I  ____________________________________(visit) Germany the previous week.
4. You _________________________________________ (play) very well.
5. They ______________________________________ (find) this book on their trip to Italy.
6. I _____________________________________________ (bake) this cake by myself.
7. We ____________________________________________ (open) the store in 1987.
8. The rain finally ______________________ (stop), and we __________________ (go) home.
9. She ________________ (plan) to come, but she ________________ (have) some problems.
10. Kate ____________________ (have) a big house, but she ____________________ (sell) it.
11. Rose ______________________ (be) very thin.
12. You ________________________ (be) at work yesterday morning.
13. We ______________________________ (think) New York was in England!
14. They ________________________________________ (bring) this from their trip.
15. She  ____________________________________ (dance) in the summer
Complete the sentences in simple past tense.

1. Barbara ________________________________ (eat) the whole cake last night.

2. I ___________________________________ (save) some money last year.
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3. You _________________________________ (give) me all the books yesterday.

5. I ____________________ (come), I ________________ (see), I _________________ (leave).
6. They ___________________________ (drink) too much.
7. We _____________________________________ (be) very happy together.
8. The cat ___________________ (jump) on the tree, and the bird ________________ (fly) away.
9. We always _____________________________________ (cook) together.
10. She _________________________________ (arrive) in 1978.
11. Emily and Edward _______________________________ (meet) in Paris.
12. Peter ____________________________________ (change) his name many years ago.
13. Julie _______________________________________ (move) from Canada last month.
14. They __________________________________________ (sing) a few songs together.
15. We __________________________________________ (have) a lot of friends there.

Complete sentences in simple past tense.

1.    We ________________________________________(walk) to school this morning.
2.    He___________________________________ (play) flute at the concert last month.
3.    Our lesson _________________________________________ (end) at two o'clock.
4.    He _________________________________________ (work) at Duncan’s Bank.
5.    They _________________________________________ (succeed) in our class.
6.    We __________________________________________ finish) our lessons at three o'clock.
7.    I __________________________________________________ (start) to study English.
8.    Helen _____________________________________ (answer) all of the teacher's questions.
9.    We _______________________________________ (walk) through the park every morning.
10.   The dog ___________________________________________ (follow) the boy everywhere.
11. The boys ________________________________ (try) to play basketball.
12. We ____________________________________ (plan) a trip one day ago.
13. She _____________________________ (wash) her hair yesterday. 
Complete the following sentences with the words provided below in Past Simple Tense. 

classify     copy     cry     deny     dry     identify     reply     satisfy     terrify     try

1. He ______________________________________________his face with a handkerchief.

2. The news ______________________________________________them.
3. I _____________________________________________________his curiosity.
4. I __________________________________________________to his letter last week.
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5. He ________________________________________________all the accusations.

6. The wounded soldier ___________________________________________with pain.
7. He _________________________________________the motto with great care.
8. Tom __________________________________________all possible means.
9. All the bodies were _____________________________________yesterday.
10. The students ______________________________all the sentences according to their complexity.
 Complete the following sentences with the words provided below in Past Simple Tense. 

accuse     arrive   dance   decide   escape   puzzle   receive   revise   survey   waste

1. Last time we _______________________________________together at the Browns' party.

2. We _______________________________________________to spend holidays abroad.
3. She ___________________________________________late as usual.
4. Unfortunately, I ______________________________________money when it was too late.
5. They _______________________________________Smith of murder.
6. We ___________________________________________a lot of time.
7. His behavior ________________________________________us immensely.
8. Six prisoners _______________________________________from the jail a few days ago.
9. Some time ago the author _______________________________________his book.
10. I __________________________________all the materials and I still have no results.

Complete sentences with regular and irregular verbs.

1. He____________________________________ (walk) to school yesterday.
2. They _________________________________________(do) their homework last night.
3. You _________________________________________(are) lazy last week.
4. That woman ______________________________________(buy) a new book this morning.
5. The janitor ____________________________________(clean) the blackboard yesterday.
6. My mother ____________________________(no cook) food yesterday.
7. This morning my teacher ____________________________________(teach) English.
8. I ____________________________________ (am) hungry yesterday.
9. The gardener_______________________________ (cut) the trees last month.
10. She ___________________________________________________ (drink) milk this morning.
11. The man ________________________________________ (ride) a horse last night.
12. Georgina _______________________________________________ (no go) to Hong Kong last year.
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13. The birds ____________________________________________ (fly) in the sky this morning.

14. I_______________________________________________ (know) Tom's house last year.
15. The joiner ______________________________________(make) tables and chairs yesterday.
16. The farmer _________________________________________ (grow) rice last year.
17. The boy____________________________________ (has) a new bicycle two weeks ago.
18. _______________________________________he (feel) happy yesterday?
19. We ______________________________________________ (work) hard last week.
20. The students______________________________________________ (meet) in the hall last week.

Simple past tense with regular and irregular verbs

1. _________________________________ Kevin's (meet) sister two days ago?
2. They __________________________________________ (win) the jumping race last year.
3. We___________________________________ (play) basketball last week.
4. ______________________________ Sara (buy) a new cassette recorder last month?
5. He _________________________________________ (no catch) a fish yesterday.
6. Mr. Thomas _______________________________________ (join) the music club two years ago.
7. Ben ____________________________________ (live) in the United States in the past.
8. I ________________________________________ (no arrive) at the hospital two hour ago.
9. It ____________________________________ (rain) heavily last night.
10. We ________________________________________ (no see) Katherine in town a few days ago.
11. We ____________________________________ (go) to the cinema three times last week.
12. Tom _____________________________________ (lose) his key yesterday.
13. She __________________________________________ (no do) a lot of work last night.
14. Peter _____________________________________ (walk) home after the party last night.
15. Kate_____________________________________ (watch) television a lot when she was ill last year.
16. They _________________________________________ (visit) their grandfather two days before.
17. _________________________________ Leonardo (give) me fifty dollars yesterday?
18. I _________________________________________ (meet) John in the park last week.
19. Susan ________________________________________ (no sleep) well yesterday.
20. It ___________________________________________ (be) Dad birthday yesterday.

Complete sentences with irregular verbs in simple past.

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1. She ____________________________________well. (cook)
2. She ____________________________a large sum of money for that picture. (pay)
3. She ______________________________the book and read a few lines. (open)
4. He ___________________________________to keep you waiting. (hate)
5. The child ___________________________________bitterly. (weep)
6. He ___________________________________many people on his way to work. (meet)
7. The doctor ____________________________________him to stop smoking. (tell)
8. We ___________________________many questions to the chairman at the meeting. (put)
9. I ___________________________________very good music. (hear) 
10. We _____________________________________on horseback during our holidays. (ride)
11. He _______________________________________us his library. (show)
12. He ______________________________________well. (sleep)
13. I __________________________________buy some more food. (have to)
14. He __________________________________both French and English. (teach)
15. You ______________________________________your milk quickly. (drink)
16. They _____________________________________in a great forest. (camp)
17. She ______________________________many letters when I was in jail.(write)
18. He ______________________________to his office by car. (go)
19. The telephone bell ________________________________ (ring)
20. We __________________________________to learn this song by heart. (try)
21. It ________________________________________a lot to us. (mean)
22. Genesis _______________________________________me (allow) to show you, her letter.
23. We ____________________________________clothes in this little shop. (buy)
24. These trousers _______________________________very little. (cost)
25 He _______________________________________bring you my answer. (can)
26. She __________________________________hot cakes for the children. (keep)
27. We _________________________________________in the lake. (swim)
28. They _____________________________________a new house. (build)

Complete the sentences with simple past

1) When he ___________ (be) a boy he _____________ (like) his job, it ________________ (be) fun.
2) They ________________________________ (live) in a small flat 10 years ago.
3) She _______________________________ (study) history last year.
4) I ___________________________________ (eat) breakfast at 6.00 am this morning.
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5) I ______________________________________ (cycle) home from work.

6) We ______________________________ (go) to the cinema last night.
7) They ____________ (be) very good students, they always _______________ (do) their homework.
8) When he _________ (be) the boss he never _________ (walk) to work, he always ___________ (drive).
9) When I __________________ (begin) teaching I ______________________ (teach) for a language school.
10) When the students started this course, they only _________________________ (speak) a little English.

Complete the following sentences in simple past

1. The postman __________________________many letters for you yesterday. (bring)
2. You _____________________________your documents in the bus the day before yesterday. (lose)
3. At the age of ten I ____________________________the floors in a clothing-store. (sweep)
4. He _____________________________________very old and tired. (feel)
5. At last he _____________________________________to the end of his story. (come)
6. We ________________________________a very pleasant evening with the Smiths last week. (spend)
7. I ____________________school and ____________________slowly towards the river. (leave / walk)
8. I ______________________________________a very good play last night. (see)
9. The farmers ______________________________their products to the market. (sell)
10. Our team _________________________________________-the race yesterday. (win)
11. She _____________________________________a beautiful bunch of flowers yesterday. (choose)
12. My new shoes ______________________________________less than yours. (cost)
13. I ______________________________________on the edge of my chair. (sit)
14. The painter ___________________________________a beautiful picture. (draw)
15. Our cheerful teacher Mr. Duncan, ___________________________ English with passion. (teach)

Fill in the blanks. Simple past

1. Martin _________________________________his arm when he fell off his bike. (break)
2. Jeremy _______________________________________his camera in Germany. (buy)
3. I'm sure I _____________________________________the right thing when I sold my car. (do)
4. Judith ________________________________my birthday. (forget)
5. She _____________________________her promise and wrote me a long letter. (keep)
7 First he _____________________some milk in his tea and then he answered my question. (put)
8 We ___________________________________the news yesterday. (hear)
9 We __________________________________you would phone us. (think)
10 The ambulance _____________________________________him to hospital. (take)
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11 Judith ________________________________________her old bike. (sell)

12 He ___________________________________me his big secret. (tell)
13 Laura _______________________________to my house to help me with my homework. (come)
14 John's brother ________________________________that he would pick us up at 7 o'clock. (say)
15 Elaine __________________________________ten pounds in the pocket of her old winter coat. (find)

List of verbs more used. Remember you have to memorize. Practice:

PRESENT PAST PRESENT PAST

be lend
become lose
begin make
break mean
bring meet
build pay
buy put
catch read
choose ride
come ring
cost rise
cut run
do say
draw see
drink sell
drive send
eat show
fall sing
feed sit
feel sleep
fight speak
find spend
fly stand
forget steal
get swim
give take
go teach
grow tell
have think
hear understand
hold wake
hurt wake up
keep win
know write
learn
leave