English Practice exercises - further past simple: P2-13G

 

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Exercise 1 Are these sentences correct (right) or incorrect (wrong)? Tick (ü) if right, put a cross (û) and rewrite the sentences correctly if wrong. Note: there may sometimes be more than one mistake in a sentence, but all mistakes are related only to the past simple.

Examples:

0. I found your bag in the classroom this morning, did you forget it?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ü

00. Did she saw the new film with Johnny Depp?  û 

…………………..Did she see the new film with J.D. last night / yesterday etc…………………..

Now try these:

1.    Yesterday morning I missed the bus , so I am late for class.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2.    Did watch your friends the big match on TV on Saturday afternoon?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3.    I gived ten pounds to my little sister this morning.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4.    I didn’t come to class last Friday because I did have a terrible cold.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5.    I can’t phone you yesterday because I didn’t have your number.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

6.    Sonya texted me two hours ago and asked me the name of the cinema.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7.    Last night we spoke English with Tom but we didn’t spoke Arabic with Talal.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

8.    I see Lin every day last week and we always have a chat.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9.    She didn’t heard when the teacher gave us the homework, so she do it wrong.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

10. Last month, my best friend broke his finger, so he had to write with his left hand.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. Bought you any good DVDs when you went to London?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

12. During 2009, did your parents sent you money every month?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

13. Three weeks ago I visit London with some of my classmates.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

14. Did Alberto remember to hand in his homework today?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

15. Some students was upset about Fu Ye’s accident, so they didn’t came to the party.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………   

Exercise 2 Put the correct form of the verb in brackets (         ) in the gap.

Example:

0. I _________ (miss) you at the lecture yesterday, where ________ (be) you?

 I __missed_____ (miss) you at the lecture yesterday, where __were____ (be) you?

 

Now try these:

1. _______you __________  (fly) to Paris at half-term? [note: half-term is finished now]

2. Nicola __________ (not / be) well last week, so she _________ (take) some antibiotics.

3. Somebody __________ (break) into my room while I ________ (be) in London, and they ________ (steal) my lap-top.

4. I ____________ (not / eat) the same food as you at the restaurant last night, that’s probably why I ___________ (not / get) stomach ache.

5. Some friends from home _________ (arrive) last night, so we ________ (have) to meet them at the airport, then we  ________ (bring) them here.

6. ______ you _______ (cook) last night? I __________ (hear) that you _________ (make) delicious food!

7. Yesterday evening, nobody ________ (want) to go to town with me, so in the end I _________ (go) on my own.

8. A: ‘________ Antonia  ________ (say) she __________ (be) getting married?’

B: ‘Yes, she __________ (tell) us last night, in the pub.’

9. A: ________ the police really _________ (arrest) Dmitri and ________ (take) him to the police station?

B: ‘No way! They just ___________ (stop) a fight between him and some German boys. Then they _________ (give) them all a warning and ________ (let) them go.’

10. We _________ (play) some Italian girls at badminton yesterday and ________ (win) all three games. One of the girls ________ (be) quite upset.

Exercise 3: All the verbs in bold in this text are in the present simple. Some of them should be in the past simple. Cross out the ones which are wrong, and correct them.

Example: ‘For example, last year I visit visited England….’

I love an early morning swim before breakfast in the summer. In fact, I wish I could swim like this all the year, but after October, the sea is too cold, and I have to wait again until April. But I am lucky to live in a warm country – in some countries, you can only swim in the sea for a short time in summer.

For example, last year I visit England. I study English for a month at a language school on the south coast. The course start on June 15^th, so as soon I arrive, when I finish unpacking my things, I put on my swimming costume, go down to the beach and run into the sea.

Oh my God! It is terrible. I think I am going to die! You cannot believe how cold the water is! Somehow, I manage to get out. I rub myself very hard with my towel until I am warm again. Then I ask an English girl who is there: ‘How can these people swim in the sea today – it is so very cold!’

‘Oh’, she says with a smile, ‘we get used to it. Where you come from, is the sea warm, then?’ (She sees my dark skin, so she guesses I come from a hot country).

‘Believe me,’ I reply, ‘every year, I start swimming in April, and in my country in that month, the sea is warmer than it is today in England in the middle of June!’

Note: If you spend time listening to English people, especially younger ones, you will hear them telling ‘stories’ using the present tense. This ‘narrative present’ can be used in both speaking and writing. Until your English is at advanced level, however, I recommend that you don’t try to do this – when none-native speakers are learning to use English, they need the past tenses in order to make it clear to others what it is they are saying / writing!