Past Simple Grammar Guide mgr Anna Waligórska – Kotfas PWSZ Konin

PAST PRESENT yesterday always in 2005 often last week sometimes three months ago never then

Verb TO BE We form the past simple tense of BE like this: I was we were you were you were he was she was they were it was

Verb TO BE We use BE to make questions and negatives: Paula wasn’t at the party on Saturday. Was she ill? No, she wasn’t. Where was she? She was at work. We weren’t at home last night. Where were you? Were you at the cinema? Yes, we were.

Verb Form to be – Practice  James was at the cinema yesterday.  y/n?  wh-?

Verb Form to be – Practice  James was at the cinema yesterday.  James wasn’t at the cinema yesterday. y/n? Was James at the cinema yesterday?  Yes, he was.  No, he wasn’t. wh-? Where was James yesterday? When was James at the cinema?

Verb Form – Regular verbs Most verbs add –ed to the base form to make the past simple tense. The past simple tense form is the same for all persons watch – I/he/she/it/we/you/they watched

Spelling Rules Note the following spelling rules with -ED endings: Base forms ending in a single stressed vowel and a consonant (except w, x or y)  double the consonant, e.g. hug – hugged In British English (but not US English) we often double final consonant l, e.g. label – labelled, travel – travelled

Spelling Rules Note the following spelling rules with -ED endings: Base forms ending in a consonant + Y  change Y to I, e.g. copy – copied Base forms ending in a vowel + Y  no change, e.g. play – played

Pronunciation Rules /t/ If -ed is preceded by a voiceless consonant sound (p, k, sh, etc.) it sounds as /t/ (voiceless). Remember that the 'e' is silent. /d/ If -ed is preceded by a voiced consonant sound (d, b, v, etc.) or a vowel sound (often 'ay') it sounds as /d/ (voiced). /-id/ If -ed is preceded by /t/ or /d/ pronounce a voiced /-id/. In this case, the 'e' is pronounced. Quiz

Pronunciation Rules

Verb Form – Irregular verbs Irregular verbs do not form the past tense with -ED buy – bought do – did go – went leave – left teach – taught send – sent win – won Learn them by heart 

Verb Form – Negatives We form the negatives with the auxiliary did + not + verb We usually use the contracted forms didn’t in speech and informal writing: Paula didn’t go to school yesterday because she was ill.

Verb Form – Questions We form the y/n questions with the auxiliary Did + subject + verb Did Mark work last week? The short answers are: Yes, he did. No, he didn’t. We form the wh- questions with Question word + did + subject + infinitive What did you watch yesterday?

Verb Form – Practice  They visited India four months ago.  y/n?  wh-?

Verb Form – Practice  They visited India four months ago.  They didn’t visit India four months ago. y/n? Did they visit India four months ago?  Yes, they did.  No, they didn’t. wh-? What did they visit four months ago? When did they visit India?

Verb Form – Practice  Peter broke a window last night.  y/n?  wh-?

Verb Form – Practice  Peter broke a window last night.  Peter didn’t break a window last night. y/n? Did Peter break a window last night?  Yes, he did.  No, he didn’t. wh-? What did he break last night? When did he break a window?

Use: Past Actions and States We use the past simple to describe single completed actions in the past: Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC. He bought his car last month. I enjoyed the film we saw yesterday afternoon.

Time expressions We often use the past simple tense with expressions that refer to a completely finished period of time: yesterday / yesterday afternoon last night / last week / last month / last year then two months ago / three years ago in 1979

Use: Past Actions and States If the context is clear, it is not necessary to give a past time reference: Caesar’s troops failed to defeat the indigenous tribes. Shakespeare wrote ‘Hamlet’.

Use: Past Actions and States We use the past simple for actions which happened at the same time and also for repeated actions: When we got to the junction I took the left turn while Mickey took the right. (=two actions at the same time) My brother applied for a visa six times before he got one. Regularly every summer, Janet fell in love. (=repeated actions)

Use: Past Actions and States We use the past simple for sequences of actions. Sometimes the actions follow immediately after each other, or one action causes a result: Silverman ran to the car; jumped in and raced off into the night. (=sequence of actions) Wall Street traders lost a fortune when the Asian markets collapsed. (= The markets collapsed with the result that the traders lost a fortune.)

Use: Past Actions and States We use the past simple to describe states in the past: We lived just outside Oxford in the 1990s, but we didn’t have a car. I spent all my childhood in Scotland.

Past ability – COULD We use could + verb to describe the possession of an ability in the past: Mozart could play the piano at the age of five. When I was young, I could climb any tree in the forest. We use couldn’t + verb to describe a lack of ability in the past : Mozart couldn’t speak French. I couldn’t swim two years ago.

Past ability – WAS / WERE ABLE TO To describe the successful use of an ability on a specific occasion we use was/were able to +verb: Mike's car broke down but fortunately he was able to repair it. (=particular action) Although the pilot was badly hurt, he was able to explain what had happened. (=particular action) We weren’t able to ski in Scotland last weekend. (=specific occasion)

Past ability – negations The rule PAST ABILITY (could) vs. PAST ABILITY IN A PARTICULAR SITUATION (was /were able to) is relaxed in the negative – we can use could in questions, and in sentences with limiting adverbs such as only or hardly: ‘Could you fix the computer yourself?’ ‘No, I could only back up the key files.’ She was so exhausted she could hardly speak. Despite being a mechanic, Mike couldn’t fix his car when it broke down yesterday.

Past obligation – HAD TO We use had to to talk about something that someone did because it was necessary: Jane had to wait an hour for a bus. We use didn’t have to for absence of obligation in the past: You didn’t have to finish the washing-up. The question form is did … have to: Did you have to work last Saturday?

Remember to learn past forms of irregular verbs! 

the past simple tense correctly! Use the past simple tense correctly! 

Wordle He was in the shower at 6:30. He was in the kitchen at 7:00. He was at work in the morning. He was at home in the afternoon. He was at the cinema in the evening. He was in bed at quarter to twelve.

Activity Where were you yesterday at …? 6.00 am 3.15 pm midday 11.00 pm Ask your partner and answer.

Activity: Silvia and James A: Where was Silvia in 1998? B: She was at school. Where was James in 1998? A: He was at university. Ask your partner and answer.

Activity What was the date yesterday? Were you on holiday last month? Where were you at this time yesterday? Was the weather good on Saturday? Was your teacher in a good mood last week? Were all your colleagues at school yesterday? Ask your partner and answer.

Fabio Fabio was from Rome in Italy. Last summer, he studied English in Oxford. He had a lot of friends in Oxford, but he really wanted an English girlfriend. Fabio had a problem. He wanted to be big and strong, but he was small and very thin. One night he decided to go to a nightclub. At the club, he watched the people dancing and then he noticed a nice young woman. To his surprise, she smiled at him, walked across the room and asked him to dance. Fabio loved dancing, but after three records, he fainted. His friends carried him outside and were surprised to find that he had six pullovers on under his jacket.

Shirley Valentine Shirley Valentine was a woman of 42 from Liverpool, in England. One summer, she went on holiday to Greece with a friend, Jane. They stayed in a hotel near the beach and the manager of this hotel was a man called Costas. Shirley went to the hotel bar one evening and started talking to Costas. After a while he said, ‘Would you like to go for a ride in my brother’s boat tomorrow?’ She thought he was nice so she went with him the next day and enjoyed the boat trip very much. After that, she went out with him every day; they swam, sunbathed and visited the sights of Greece. At the end of her holiday, Shirley went to the airport but when she thought of Liverpool, she decided not to go home. She ran out of the airport and went back to the hotel where she saw Costas in the bar with a woman. She heard him say, ‘Would you like to go for a ride in my brother’s boat tomorrow?’ When Costas saw Shirley, he was shocked, but Shirley smiled and asked him for a job in his hotel. She wasn’t in love with Costas – she was in love with Greece.

A few years ago Manchester United played the Spanish team Deportivo de La Coruña in the Champions League. Two Manchester United fans wanted to travel to Spain to see the match. It wasn’t possible to fly to La Coruña direct, so they needed to fly to Santiago the Compostela, and then to get a taxi. They booked tickets to Santiago on the Internet. They checked in at Heathrow Airport at 9.00 p.m. because the flight was at 11.00 at night. When the plane landed they were very surprised! It was morning! They walked out of the airport and stopped a taxi. They asked the taxi driver, ‘Where is the match?’ The taxi driver answered ‘What match?’ They weren’t in Spain. They were in Santiago, the capital of Chile!

A few years ago Manchester United played the Spanish team Deportivo de La Coruña in the Champions League. Two Manchester United fans wanted to travel to Spain to see the match. It wasn’t possible to fly to La Coruña direct, so they needed to fly to Santiago the Compostela, and then to get a taxi.

They booked tickets to Santiago on the Internet. They checked in at Heathrow Airport at 9.00 p.m. because the flight was at 11.00 at night. When the plane landed they were very surprised! It was morning!

They walked out of the airport and stopped a taxi. They asked the taxi driver, ‘Where is the match?’ The taxi driver answered ‘What match?’ They weren’t in Spain. They were in Santiago, the capital of Chile!

Activity Everybody in the class wrote some letters last weekend. True or False?

Activity Write a question Did you write any letters last weekend?  /  Ask and answer questions Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t. Note down the answers

Activity Sum up the survey Five people in the class wrote some letters last weekend. Ten people in the class didn’t write any letters last weekend.

Speaking: Holiday Look at the prompts below and make questions. Where / go? When? Who / go with? How / get there? Where / stay? How long / be there? / have good weather? What / do during the day? What / do at night? / have a good time? / have any problems?

Speaking: Holiday Ask a partner about their holiday. Use the prompts below. Where did you go? When did you go? Who did you go with? How did you get there? Where did you stay? How long were you be there? Did you have good weather? What did you do during the day? What did you do at night? Did you / have a good time? Did you / have any problems?

Speaking: A Night Out Interview your partner about their night out. Use the prompts. Who / go with? What / wear? Where / go? What / do? What / have to eat and drink? / meet anyone? How / go home? What time / get home? / have a good time?

Quiz Put each verb in brackets in the Past Simple. Your team scores 1 point for each correct past tense. Answer the questions. Your team scores 2 points for each correct answer.

Quiz 1. The artist Pablo Picasso …….….. (be) born in: A/ Spain. B/ France. C/ Italy. 2. David Beckham …….. (get) married to Victoria Adams in: A/ 1993. B/ 1996. C/ 1999.

Quiz 3. In 2003 Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, …….. (marry): A/ Gwyneth Paltrow. B/ Kate Winslet. C/ Drew Barrymore. 4. Mother Teresa …….. (live) most of her life in: A/ Rome. B/ Calcutta. C/ Delhi.

Quiz 5. John F. Kennedy …….. (become) President of the US when he …….. (be): A/ 33. B/ 43. C/ 53. 6. Nintendo …….. (sell): A/ 10 B/ 50 C/ 100 million GameBoys in the 1990s.

Quiz 7. The English king Henry the Eighth …….. (have): A/ two B/ four C/ six wives. 8. In 2004 Mick Jagger: A/ …….. (leave) the Rolling Stones. B/ …….. (become) Sir Mick Jagger. C/ …….. (divorce) Jerry Hall.

Quiz 9. Bjorn Borg …….. (be) famous because he …….. (play): A/ tennis. B/ golf. C/ football. 10. Man …….. (go) to the Moon for the first time in: A/ 1959. B/ 1969. C/1979.

Quiz 11. John Lennon …….. (die) in: A/ 1970. B/ 1980. C/ 1990. 12. In 2004 Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman …….. (sing): A/ Angels. B/ Something Stupid. C/ Let me entertain you.

Quiz Let’s check the answers

Quiz: Answers 1. The artist Pablo Picasso …….….. (be) born in: A/ Spain. B/ France. C/ Italy. was (1) / A (2) 2. David Beckham …….. (get) married to Victoria Adams in: A/ 1993. B/ 1996. C/ 1999. got (1) / C (2)

Quiz: Answers 3. In 2003 Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, …….. (marry): A/ Gwyneth Paltrow. B/ Kate Winslet. C/ Drew Barrymore. married (1) / A (2) 4. Mother Teresa …….. (live) most of her life in: A/ Rome. B/ Calcutta. C/ Delhi. lived (1) / B (2)

Quiz: Answers 5. John F. Kennedy …….. (become) President of the US when he …….. (be): A/ 33. B/ 43. C/ 53. became (1); was (1) / B (2) 6. Nintendo …….. (sell): A/ 10 B/ 50 C/ 100 million GameBoys in the 1990s. sold (1) / C (2)

Quiz: Answers A/ two B/ four C/ six wives. had (1) / C (2) 7. The English king Henry the Eighth …….. (have): A/ two B/ four C/ six wives. had (1) / C (2) 8. In 2004 Mick Jagger: A/ …….. (leave) the Rolling Stones. B/ …….. (become) Sir Mick Jagger. C/ …….. (divorce) Jerry Hall. left (1); became (1); divorced (1) / B (2)

Quiz: Answers 9. Bjorn Borg …….. (be) famous because he …….. (play): A/ tennis. B/ golf. C/ football. was (1); played (1) / A (2) 10. Man …….. (go) to the Moon for the first time in: A/ 1959. B/ 1969. C/1979. went (1) / B (2)

Quiz: Answers 11. John Lennon …….. (die) in: A/ 1970. B/ 1980. C/ 1990. died (1) / B (2) 12. In 2004 Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman …….. (sing): A/ Angels. B/ Something Stupid. C/ Let me entertain you. sang (1) / B (2)

Quiz: Answers was (1) / A (2) got (1) / C (2) married (1) / A (2) lived (1) / B (2) became (1); was (1) / B (2) sold (1) / C (2) had (1) / C (2) left (1); became (1); divorced (1) / B (2) was (1); played (1) / A (2) went (1) / B (2) died (1) / B (2) sang (1) / B (2) Total: 40 pts

Murder in a country house. A Detective Story. Murder in a country house.pdf

Murder in a country house Do you remember who is who?

Murder in a country house Read and listen. Mark sentences T or F. 1. Somebody killed Jeremy at 8.00.  : Between midnight and 7.00 am. 2. The inspector questioned Amanda in the living room.  : In the library. 3. Jeremy went to bed before Amanda.  4. Amanda and Jeremy slept in the same room.  : They slept in peparate rooms. 5. Somebody opened and closed Jeremy’s door. 6. Amanda got up at 7.00.  : She got up at 7.15. 7. Amanda didn’t love Jeremy.

Find ten irregular verbs. Tell your partner the forms. come – came – come say – said – said go – went – gone sleep – slept – slept hear – heard – heard think – thought - thought read – read – read get – got – got take – took – taken find – found – found

Murder in a country house Listen and compete the chart. Barbara / Gordon / Claudia

Murder in a country house Check the answers with your partner.

Murder in a country house Who do you think was the murderer? Why? What happened?