Unit 5 · Present and past

Past simple (I did)

Study

Study this example:

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

lived/started/wrote/was/died are all past simple

Very often the past simple ends in -ed (regular verbs):

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I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked in a department store.

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They invited us to their party, but we decided not to go.

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The police stopped me on my way home last night.

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Laura passed her exam because she studied very hard.

For spelling (stopped, studied etc.), see Appendix 6.

But many verbs are irregular. The past simple does not end in -ed. For example:

write → wrote	Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
see → saw	We saw Alice in town a few days ago.
go → went	I went to the cinema three times last week.
shut → shut	It was cold, so I shut the window.

For a list of irregular verbs, see Appendix 1.

In questions and negative sentences we use did/didn't + infinitive (enjoy/see/go etc.):

I	enjoyed	did	you	enjoy?	I	didn't	enjoy
she	saw		she	see?	she		see
they	went		they	go?	they		go

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I enjoyed the party a lot. Did you enjoy it?

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How many people did they invite to the wedding?

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I didn't buy anything because I didn't have any money.

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‘Did you go out?’ ‘No, I didn't.’

Sometimes do is the main verb in the sentence (did you do?, I didn't do):

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What did you do at the weekend? (not What did you at the weekend?)

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I didn't do anything. (not I didn't anything)

The past of be (am/is/are) is was/were:

I/he/she/it	was/wasn't	was	I/he/she/it?
we/you/they	were/weren't	were	we/you/they?

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I was annoyed because they were late.

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Was the weather good when you were on holiday?

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They weren't able to come because they were so busy.

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I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat anything.

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Did you go out last night or were you too tired?

→ Past simple and past continuous ➜ Unit 6 Past simple and present perfect ➜ Units 12–14

Exercises (4)

0/4 exercises checked

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5.1

Read what Laura says about a typical working day. Yesterday was a typical working day for Laura. Write what she did or didn’t do yesterday.

1
She at 7 o’clock.example
2
She a big breakfast.
3
She .
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It to get to work.
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at 8.45.
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lunch.
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at 5 o’clock.
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tired when home.
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a meal yesterday evening.
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out yesterday evening.
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at 11 o’clock.
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well last night.

5.2

Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:

buycatchcostfallhurtsellspendteachthrowwrite

1
Mozart more than 600 pieces of music.example
2
‘How did you learn to drive?’
‘My father me.’
3
We couldn’t afford to keep our car, so we it.
4
Dave down the stairs this morning and his leg.
5
Joe the ball to Sue, who it.
6
Kate a lot of money yesterday. She a dress which £100.

5.3

You ask James about his holiday in the US. Write your questions.

1
JAMES: To the US. We went on a trip from San Francisco to Denver.
YOU: Where ?example
2
JAMES: Yes, we hired a car in San Francisco.
YOU: How ? By car?
3
JAMES: Two weeks. We stopped at a lot of places along the way.
YOU: It’s a long way to drive. How long ?
4
JAMES: Yes, small hotels or motels.
YOU: Where ? In hotels?
5
JAMES: Yes, but it was very hot – sometimes too hot.
YOU: good?
6
JAMES: Of course. It was wonderful.
YOU: the Grand Canyon?

5.4

Complete the sentences. Put the verb into the correct form, positive or negative.

1
It was warm, so I off my coat. (take)example
2
The film wasn’t very good. I it much. (enjoy)example
3
I knew Sarah was busy, so I her. (disturb)
4
We were very tired, so we the party early. (leave)
5
It was hard carrying the bags. They really heavy. (be)
6
The bed was very uncomfortable. I well. (sleep)
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This watch wasn’t expensive. It much. (cost)
8
The window was open and a bird into the room. (fly)
9
I was in a hurry, so I time to call you. (have)
10
I didn’t like the hotel. The room very clean. (be)