PAST SIMPLE 1. Fill in the gap with the past simple of the verbs in brackets. Autobiography Agatha Christie (to be) born on 15th September 1890. She ( to go) to school because her mother wanted to teach her at home. She (take) piano lessons and learnt singing in Paris. She (get married) in 1914 to a pilot and they (to have) one daughter. During the first World War, she (to work)as a nurse and she (to begin) to write her first detective stories. In the hospital, she ( to learn) a lot about drugs and poisons and she ( to use) this information in her novels. She (to publish) her first novel in 1920. The book soon ( to become) a best-seller. Then she (get divorced). In 1928, she mysteriously ( to disappear). The police (to find) her two weeks later suffering from amnesia. She ( can/not) remember anything. Answer the questions: 1. When was Agatha Christie born? 2. Where did she learn singing? 3. When did she get married? 4. How many children did she have? 5. What was her job during the first World War? 6. What kind of stories did she write? 7. When did she publish her first novel? 8. When did she disappeared? 9. Who found her? - Complete with the verbs from the text: Base form Past simple Write a sentence be was/were I was at work yesterday.
2. Comprehension check Nadir Alfonso Rodrigues Nadir Alfonso Rodrigues was born in a small town in Portugal. He did his first painting when he was four years old. He painted a picture on a wall at home! When he was eighteen, Nadir went to study at the School of Fine Arts in Porto. After graduating, he went to live in Paris where he became a successful artist. Answer the questions: 1. Where was Nadir born? 2. What age did he do his first painting? 3. When did he go to the School of Fine Arts? 4. Where did he go after graduating? 3. Complete the texts with the past simple of the verbs in brackets. Who is the world s greatest basketball player? He.. (to be) born in 1963 in the USA. At school he. ( to be) good at football, baseball and basketball. He is 1.98m tall. He (play)in two summer Olympics. Of course, the team.. (win) gold medals both times. There is a famous brand of trainers named after him. Do you know who he is? Dan s day Yesterday, I...(get) at 8 o clock. I...( miss) the bus. I...(arrive). at work 30 minutes late. My boss... (see)me. He wasn t happy! Writing. Write about what you did yesterday. Example: Yesterday I went to work by bus. In the morning I worked at some projects with my colleagues, I had a short break at 11 and I had lunch at 1. In the afternoon I attended a meeting which lasted 1 hour and half.
4. Read the dialogue and fill in the gap with the correct form of the verb. Robert: Hi Alice, what did you (do) last weekend? Alice: I (do) a lot of things. On Saturday, I (go) shopping. Robert: What did you (buy)? Alice: I (buy) some new clothes. I also (play) tennis. Robert: Who did you (play) with? Alice: I (play) with Tom. Robert: Did you (win)? Alice: Of course I (win)! Robert: What did you (do) after your tennis match? Alice: Well, I (go) home and (have) a shower and then (go) out. Robert: Did you (eat) in a restaurant? Alice: Yes, my friend Jacky and I (eat) at 'The Good Fork' Robert: Did you (enjoy) your dinner? Alice: Yes, we (enjoy) our dinner very much thank you. We also (drink) some wonderful wine! Robert: Unfortunately, I (not go) out this weekend. I (have to) work on some projects. 5. Complete the story with the verbs at the bottom. On Saturday afternoon, Harry to the swimming pool. He for an hour, and then changed and. After that he to feel hungry. He into the town centre and a space in the car park. He a Mexican restaurant and in. He a table near the window and down. The waiter him a menu, and he his choice. Harry and happily, and then his bill, up and the restaurant. see begin pay give go choose swim eat sit drive leave make stand leave drink find get go
6. Read the texts and fill in the gap ( if it is possible) Steven Maggie Mike Where? How Long? When? What activities? Holidays Steven: I came back from Ibiza yesterday. We were there for two weeks. It was an amazing holiday! We stayed in a four star hotel with a lovely pool. We enjoyed swimming and diving every morning. We walked to the beach in the afternoon. We sunbathed and got an enviable suntan. Sometimes we played beach volleyball. At night we enjoyed dancing on the beach. The music was superb. Maggie: Last year my friends and I went camping in the Alps. It was terrible! It rained and snowed everyday. I remember that one night the tent blew over because of the strong wind. We got soaking wet. We were so tired and disappointed that we decided to leave the camping before the scheduled time. Mike: Last summer my girlfriend and I went to London. It was an unforgettable holiday! We really had a great time there. We stayed in a plain but comfortable youth hostel. We did a lot of sightseeing. We visited some museums and monuments, Westminster Abbey, and all the fascinating places. The nightlife there was fantastic. All the discos and pubs are open all night. We took lots of pictures and bought nice gifts. Writing & Speaking Task: Talk about your last holiday ( Follow the Wh words: where, when..)
7. Complete the texts with the past simple of the verbs in brackets. a) My holiday in Greece Last summer, my family and I. (spend) our holidays in Naxos, an amazing island in Greece. The island. (be) very big and there. (be) lots of things to see and do. We (stay) at a comfortable bungalow and (go) swimming every day at the island s beautiful beaches I. (get) a great suntan! We also (try) the local cuisine. There. (be) various traditional tavernas on the island and we (eat) there every evening! I (put) on about 3 kilos during these holidays! But Naxos is not all about fun. We also (visit) many interesting sights, like the Archeological Museum and some prehistoric settlements, which I (find) pretty impressive. I also (love) the local people. They (be) very friendly and welcoming! We (have) a great time in Naxos and I would really love to go there again some day! b) A holiday in Italy Read the dialogue(two friends looking at pictures of a holiday) Tim: Alan, do you want to see the pictures of my holiday in Italy? Alan: Sure, what (to be) it like? Tim: Ah, the holiday (to be) great! The food was great! The wine was great! The traffic was horrible! Alan: Why was the traffic horrible? Tim: Those Italians are crazy drivers! I don't want to think about it! Alan: OK, OK, let's return to the good parts... Tim: Yes, so here's a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Alan: Incredible! Tim: It was raining that day, but it was still wonderful. We ( climb) to the top! Alan: And what's this? Tim: That's a photo of the Arno river, in Florence. That's the 'Ponte Vecchio' the old bridge. Alan: What ( to be) Florence like? Tim: It ( to be) very interesting. There ( to be) beautiful old medieval buildings in the city, impressive cathedrals and churches, and lots of wonderful museums. Alan: How ( to be) your Italian? Tim: My Italian ( not/ to be) very good. But many Italians speak English very well. I was impressed! Alan: Oh, this one is nice. Tim: Yes, that's a shot of a tasty pizza served by a beautiful Italian! Alan: She is beautiful, isn't she? Tim: Ah, yes, the land of fashion, food and wine. I'd recommend Italy anytime! Alan: I'm so jealous... Answer the questions: 1.What wasn't great about Italy? 2.Which city did he not mention? 3.Which river does the Ponte Vecchio cross? 4.Why didn't he have problems with his poor Italian?
8. Complete the paragraph with the simple past form of the irregular verbs in parentheses. My new job My last job wasn t very challenging and I (know) that I wanted to make a change. One day I (come) home from work and (sit) down on the couch. As I was watching TV, the phone (ring). It was my friend, John. He (tell) me about his new position at a company in Mexico. John (tell) me that the company was hiring and that he (think) I might be interested in working for the company. I (say) that I was interested, and he (tell) me he (will) talk to one of the recruiters about me. A week later, a recruiter called me and we (set up) a phone interview. The phone interview (go) well, and the recruiter (tell) me that the next step was a face-to-face interview in Mexico. My employer (let) me take vacation and I (buy) a round-trip ticket to Mexico City. I (choose) to take a flight with a long layover in Lima, Peru. I (take) advantage of the situation and I (leave) the airport and (see) some of the city. I (go) to a traditional Peruvian restaurant where I (eat) a great meal and (drink) a delicious pisco sour. When I finally (get) to Mexico, I was exhausted. I (find) my hotel and (pay) for the room. As soon as I (lie down), I (fall) asleep. I (sleep) for almost 11 hours. The next morning, I (wake up), (have) breakfast, and (read) the paper. After that, I (speak) to one of the company s recruiters and they (send) a taxi for me. I (get) to the office at 9 AM. The receptionist (meet) me in the lobby and (lead) me to the conference room. She (bring) me a cup of coffee and (say) that the recruiter (will) be right with me. I (feel) a bit nervous, but I (know) I had the right profile for the job. Fortunately, the interview (go) very well. After the interview, the recruiter (say) they wanted to hire me. They (make) me an offer and I (take) it. I (go) home and started making preparations. I (quit) my job, (sell) my car and (say) goodbye to my friends and family. A month later I arrived in Mexico to start my new job.