The Past Indefinite (Simple) Tense

Употребление

Обозначает действие, произошедшее в прошлом; последовательно произошедшие в прошлом действия; повторяющиеся действия в прошлом.

Образование

 

Past Indefinite правильных глаголов образуется прибавлением суффикса -ed к основе глагола. Форме Past Indefinite неправильных глаголов соответствует II форма глагола в соответствующих глагольных рядах, приводимых в специальных таблицах (см. таблицы неправильных глаголов):

We went to the cinema yesterday. Мы ходили в кинотеатр вчера. He arrived in London last year. Он приехал в Лондон в прошлом году. She came up to the window and opened it. Она подошла к окну и открыла его.

 

Утвердительная форма	Отрицательная форма	Вопросительная форма
I He, she, we, you, they	worked (wrote)	I did not	work (write)	Did I	work (write)?

did not = didn't

Упражнения

Упражнение 1. Напишите 3 формы неправильных глаголов:

read, write, take, give, drive, have, be, go, come, get, put, understand, make, fall, feel, awake, bring, ring, run, sit, set, think, drink, find, throw, hit, hurt, buy, cost, send, say, tell, speak, seek, hear, see, win, ride, catch, hide, let, burst, broadcast.

Упражнение 2. Поставьте предложения в вопросительную и отрицательную форму:

1. Den studied at the University. 2. We wrote the test in English yesterday. 3. The teacher asked many questions. 4. My brother entered the Law faculty. 5. My friend saw an interesting film yesterday. 6. I got to the coun­try by bus. 7. Nick worked as a teacher last year. 8. They finished the experiment last week. 9. Tom bought newspapers in the morning. 10. Her cousin went abroad a month ago.

Упражнение 3. Откройте скобки. Поставьте глаголы в Past Indefinite:

1. He (to lose) his balance and (to fall). 2. Ann's grandfather (to found) his firm in 1901. 3. Clearing out the room I (to find) these old letters. 4. The lion (to jump) and (to spring) at her. 5. I suddenly (to see) a face in the window. 6. The train (to start off) with a jerk. 7. The police (to open) fire and (to wound) two criminals. 8. He (to lie) there for an hour till someone finally (to hear) his cries for help. 9. We (to meet) last summer. 10. 1 (to decide) to stay with my uncle until I (to find) a flat. 11. As it (to grow) darker, we (to find) it hard to walk. 12. The critic (to write) a very bad review of my play. 13. We (to go) for a walk every day before lunch. 14. It (to happen) a long time ago.

Упражнение 4. Поставьте разные виды вопросов к предложениям:

1. That afternoon Lily came home early from school. 2. In three days Mr. Ruggles received an answer. 3. Mr.Watkins drove a lorry and took goods to Salthaven. 4. She found the key in its usual place. 5. Kate walked slowly home, wondering how to break the bad news. 6. Sunday passed peacefully. 7. Jim began to run. 8. Last August we found a blackbird's nest. 9. They accused him of spying. 10. On her knee Mrs. Lawrence held a bright red handbag. 11. There was a long silence. 12. The sea was only two miles away.

Упражнение 5. Дайте краткие ответы на предложения по образцу:

Образец: I went home after classes. — So did I.

She wasn 't here on Friday. — Neither was I.

1. I studied Psychology last year. 2. We didn't like the TV show. 3. I went to the country for the weekend. 4. I didn't have lunch today. 5. I understood the task. 6. We didn't hear the knock at the door. 7. I was busy the whole day yesterday. 8. We had a very good time last Saturday. 9. I didn't learn English last year. 10. She had a lot of dolls in childhood. 11. They were at home in the evening. 12. I wasn't angry.

Упражнение 6. Поставьте глаголы в Past Indefinite, переведите отрывок:

Everything (to go) wrong that Thursday. — What (to happen)? — I (to wake up) with toothache. I (to ring) the dentist three times but there (to be) no reply. The forth time I (to get through). He (to give) me an appointment at 3.30. I (to think) it would be soothing to have a bath. But I (to slip) getting out of the bath. I (to hit) my mouth on the tap and (to break) three teeth. - That (to cure) your toothache? — No, I (to have) three broken teeth and toothache.

 

Упражнение 7. Поставьте глаголы в Past Indefinite, перескажите отрывок:

One day when I (to be) in the third form at school, we (to have) to write a story. I (to tell) a true story about my father. Once he (to want) to clean the windows and (to borrow) a ladder. He (to try) to put it against the wall but the end of the ladder (to go) through the window. My teacher (to say) it (to be) a very good story. She (to ask) me to read it aloud to the class and I (to do) it with great pleasure. Three years later my brother (to be) in the third form. He (so write) the same story about our father and the ladder. He (to have) to read it aloud too.

 

Упражнение 8. Поставьте глагол в Past Indefinite, употребляя соответствующиеуказатели време­ни:

1. Не plays tennis twice a week. 2. She learns French and German. 3. We keep our car in the garage. 4. They often make mistakes. 5. I help my mother about the house. 6. They do their shopping every day. 7. We go to the University by metro. 8. The classes begin at 8 o’clock. 9. I stay at school till 2 o'clock. 10. It often rains in October. 11. Tom gets excellent marks in English.

Упражнение 9. Составьте собственные примеры, скажите: what you did or didn’t do: yesterday, last night, three minutes ago, last week, a month ago, last year, five years ago, when you were a child.

Упражнение 10. Прочитайте рассказ, перескажите в прошедшем времени (Past Indefinite):

James wants to have adventures and see the world but there seems little hope at present. Every day he goes to the Public Library and brings home books about boys who go whale hunting or fly round the world in home-made aeroplanes or who are wrecked on a deserted island, live for a year on fruits and return home on a raft bringing with them treasures they find on the island. However, nothing happens to James. He gets up, eats, goes to school, is good or bad, hopes for adventures, reads more books from the Public Library, comes back home, goes to bed, and gets up and begins all over again, still nothing happens. No strange-looking men speak mysteriously to him in deserted streets, no old women die and leave him a hundred pounds. Life is so dull!

 

Упражнение 11. Прочитайте рассказ, поставьте глаголы в Present Indefinite или Past Indefinite:

Dickens (to begin) to write when he (to be) very young. "The Pickwick Papers" (to be) his first novel. The history of the novel (to be) very interesting. One day they (to ask) him to write a text to some funny pictures. The pictures (to show) some Englishmen who (to belong) to a sports club. They (to like) to travel and (to go) in for different kinds of sports. Dickens (to begin) to write the story. In the beginning it (to be) just a funny story, but very soon the readers (to see) how it (to grow) into a fine novel. When the first part of the novel (to be) ready, the artist suddenly (to die). The man who (to finish) the pictures (to be) H. Brown. "The Pickwick Papers" (to make) Dickens famous. People (to praise) both the author and the artist, the book (to be) a great success. Readers (to find) the book very interesting and always (to laugh) when they (to think) of Mr. Pickwick's adventures. "The Pickwick Papers" (to be) one of the best works in the history of English literature. Everybody who (to be) older than six (to enjoy) Mr. Pickwick's story.

Упражнение 12. Переведите предложения на русский язык, обратите внимание на значение структур “used to be”, “used to do”:

1. Russia used to be a part of the USSR. 2. Eastern and Western Europe used to be hostile to each other. 3. Taiwan used to be a British colony. 4. The old general used to be strong and healthy. 5. Michael used to be a policeman. 6. We used to meet once in a while in the library. 7. He used to be our school headmaster. 8. Her classmates used to call her "Fatty," because she used to be fat. 9. There used to be a village in this place. 10. You used to give me flowers every day. 11. He used to oversleep every morning. 12. Our family used to have lunch together.

Упражнение 13. Измените предложения согласно образцу, употребляя структуру “used to”:

 

Образец:I don't work on Saturdays. — I used to work on Saturdays last year (when I was young...).

 

1. I never take a taxi to go to work. 2. I hardly ever watch TV now. 3. People do not very often go to the cinema today. 4. She is old and sick. 5. She has few close friends. 6. He doesn't read any papers. 7.He is always late for work. 8. We don't go out much nowadays. 9. Classes at school begin at nine. 10. My brother doesn't come home until 11. 11. He is a university professor now. 12. The place is so nice and clean! 1.3. She is so pretty and attractive. 14. The Tower of London is a museum now. 15. London is one of the biggest cities in the world. 16. There is a big supermarket near our house.

Упражнение 14. Переведите на английский язык:

1. Вчера вечером я звонила своим друзьям в Лондон. 2. Он закончил университет три года тому назад, 3. Вчера она заходила к нам на минутку. 4. В понедельник она не приходила в институт. 5. Где ты купил этот словарь? 6. На прошлой неделе я получил от нее три письма. 7. Куда вы ездили в отпуск летом? 8. Мы ведь договаривались с вами о встрече в 10 часов? 9. Кто оставил эту записку? 10. Его рассказ не на всех произвел впечатление. 11. Сью и Дик впервые встретились во время летнего семестра. 12. Она не объяснила, почему изменила решение переехать в другой штат. 13. Доктор Джоунз получил Нобелевскую премию за заслуги в ме­дицине. 14. Кто обучал вас английскому языку? 15. Когда вы были за рубежом в последний раз? 16. Мы надеялись достать билеты на семичасовой сеанс. 17. Она выглядела моложе своих лет и одевалась со вкусом. 18. Вчера произошло ограбление банка. Преступников было трое. Им удалось скрыться. 19. Землетрясение в Японии в 1995 году принесло массу разрушений. 20. Джон Кеннеди стал президентом США, когда ему было сорок три года.