The Past Indefinite Tense (Past Simple )

1. Sentence Patterns

Key examples to be memorized:

He took an excellent mark. Did he take an excellent mark? He did not take anexcellent mark.

Illustrative Examples

They missed a lecture yesterday.

Did they miss a lecture yesterday?

Yes, they did. No, they didn’t.

They didn’t miss a lecture yesterday.

When did they miss a lecture?

They missed a lecture yesterday.

Who missed the lecture yesterday?

They did.

 

 

Past Indefinite Tense

Affirmative +	I liked Physics at school Ved He left school in 2000 V2
Interrogative ?	Did you like physics at school? Did ….Ved? Did he leave school in 2000? Did…V2?
Negative -	I did not(didn’t) like Physics at school Did not Ved He did not(didn’t) leave school in 2000. Did not V2

Adverbial Modifier of time

ago, yesterday, in March, in1990, last day / night /week /month / summer / year, on Monday/the day before yesterday, the other day, then, formerly, previously

Exercise 1. Put the verbs given below in the Past Indefinite Tense. Explain the reading of ending – ed([d],[t],[id]) in the regular verbs. Make 2 columns: 1 Regular Verbs, 2 Irregular Verbs.

to become, to do well, to give a lecture, to attend a language laboratory, to miss a lecture, to make poor progress, to be behind, to catch up, to graduate from, to get grant, to loaf, to enter the university, to sit for exams, to pass exams, to fail, to resit for an exam, to take marks, to go in for sports, to play sport games, to have a good time, to make up one’s mind, to carry away the audience, to learn with ease, to look forward to, to teach, to last, to listen to with great interest, to arrive, to hunger for knowledge.

 

Exercise 2. Complete the following:

Infinitive	Past Tense	Pats Tense Interrogative	Past Tens Negative
To see	I saw	Did I see?	I didn’t see
to speak to go to tell to come to take to give to write to hear to do to get up to read to know to buy to spend to leave

 

Exercise 3. Express your agreement with the following statements. Use the phrases: Certainly, it is really so. You are right. I agree with you as in the model:

I left secondary school in 2000. It is really so. I left secondary school in 2000.

Model:

I made up my mind to enter the University.

My friend passed all the exams successfully.

She became a first-year student.

They took satisfactory marks yesterday.

She was good at Physics last week.

6. We decided to go to the café after classes.

Exercise 4. Object to the sentences. Use the phrases: No, it is not so. I am afraid you are wrong. I can’t agree with you. On the contrary as in the model:

He came from the country. —You are wrong. He didn’t come from the country.

Model:

 

 

1. He sat at the window in from of the instructor’s table.

2. My friend liked Physics at school.

3. My brother failed at his entrance exams.

4. I entered Lviv State University.

5. We took a preparatory course at the University.

6. His sister studied badly at school.

 

Exercise 5. Express your surprise and give short affirmative (negative) answers as in the model:

	My cousin visited the preparatory courses last year. Did your cousin visit the preparatory courses last year? — Yes, he did. No, he did not

Model:

1. Her nephew got grant last week.

1. Our son went in for sports at the weekend.
2. A student read a paper yesterday.
3. We all looked forward to the studies at the University.
4. They went to the library the day before yesterday.
5. The other day I missed a tutorial.

Exercise 6. Add tag-questions to the following statements and agree or disagree with them as in the model.

	a) He left the University two hours ago. He left the University two hours ago, didn’t he? —Oh yes, he did. b) He did not leave the University two hours ago. He did not leave the University two hours ago, did he? — Oh no, he didn’t.

Model:

 

 

1. a) My niece studied English in the Language Laboratory yesterday.

b) My niece didn’t study English in the Language Laboratory yesterday.

2. a) It took him 40 minutes to get to the University.

b) It did not take him 40 minutes to get to the University.

3. a) The students had a good time together

b) The students didn’t have a good time together.

4. a) Boris went to a farewell party at his school yesterday.

b) Boris didn’t go to a farewell party at his school yesterday.

5. a) My group-mates celebrated a holiday 2 days ago.

b) My group-mates didn’t celebrate a holiday 2 days ago.

 

Exercise 7. React to the questions making a choice as in the model. Use the word “surely”.

	—Did he work or study last year? — He studied surely.

Model:

1. Did your English lesson last 80 minutes or 90 minutes?

2. Did you study English or French?

3. Did you check your homework at home or in your classroom?

4. Did your sister go to the library or to the language laboratory yesterday?

5. Did the students take excellent or poor marks last lesson?

6. Did your friend graduate from the University or the Institute a year ago?

 

Exercise 8.Ask a person who questions and answer them as in the model:

	— Ann saw him yesterday. — Who saw him yesterday? — Ann did.

Model:

1. Boris translated the text.

2. My friend studied foreignlanguages at school.

3. My nephew finished school in 2000.

4. Their parents came to see me yesterday.

5. The students made no mistakes in the last laboratory work.

6. Professor N. simply carried away the audience.

 

Exercise 9. Ask your friend all possible questions to the following sentences.

	I attended a course of lectures under professor N. Did you attend a course of lectures under professor N? What did you attend? Who attended a course of lectures under professor N? Did you attend a course of lectures under professor N. or D.? I attended a course of lectures under professor N., didn’t I?

Model

1. The students played football in the afternoon.

1. He received the telegram from their parents on Saturday.
2. We had a get together last week.
3. The tutor talked on current events last Friday.
4. It took him much time to get to the University.
5. My sister was an applicant for entry last year.