Use the simple past or the past progressive in the following.

 

1. I (read) ____________________________ only two chapters last week.

2. I (read) _________________________ a book last night when you called.

3. I (call) _______________________ John at nine last night, but he (be, not) __________________ at home. He (study) ____________________________

at the library.

4. I (hear, not) _______________________ the thunder during the storm last night because I (sleep) _________________________.

5. My brother and sister (argue) _______________________ about something when I (walk) _________________________ into the room.

6. When I (open) ______________________ the package, I (find) ______________ _________ a surprise.

7. He (climb) ________________________ the stairs when he (trip) _____________

and (fall) _______________________. Luckily, he (hurt, not) __________________ himself.

8. While I (read) ___________________________ the little boy a story, he (fall) _________________________ asleep, so I (close) __________________________

the book and quietly (tiptoe) __________________________ out of the room.

Exercise 2

How jeans came to America

Put the verbs in brackets in the past simple or past continuous.

Levi Strauss came (come) from a small town in the south of Germany. When he ¹. ___________ (be) a young man, he² __________________ (fall) in love with the mayor's daughter.

But the mayor and Levi's parents ³ _______________________(not want) them to marry.

Levi's parents ⁴_____________________ (send) him away to New York where his brothers ⁵________________________ (live). They⁶ ______________________ (be) tailors and they⁷____________________ (teach) him to sew. In 1850, Levi _______________________ (take) some sailcloth from New York to San Francisco when he _________________________ (meet) some men. They

10 _____________________________(dig) for gold in the streams and rivers. The weather was bad. It ________________________ (rain) and the wind12 _____________________________   (blow). The men were cold because they (wear)¹³ ___________________________thin trousers.

Suddenly Levi 14______________________(have) an idea. He ¹⁵ ____________ (use) the sailcloth which he16 _____________________ (transport) to make trousers for the men. Then he 17___________________________________(sew) on metal studs to

make them stronger.

The men 18 ____________________________ (love) the trousers but they 19________________________________________(not like) the yellow-grey colour. So when Levi Strauss 20______________________(open) a tailor's shop in San Francisco, he 21

_______________________ (import) a special thick blue material from Nimes in France. That's how jeans 22 _________________________(become) blue.

 

Exercise 3 Where did he come from?

Use the words in brackets to write questions about Levi Strauss. He came from Germany. (Where ...................from)

'Where did he come  from?

1 His parents sent him to America. (Where)

________________________________________________________________

2 His brothers taught him to sew. (What)

________________________________________________________________

3 In 1850 he set out for San Francisco. (When)

________________________________________________________________

4 He met some prospectors on the way. (Who)

_________________________________________________________________

5 They were digging in a river. (Where)

_________________________________________________________________

6 They were wearing thin trousers. (What)

_________________________________________________________________

7 He was taking sailcloth to California. (What)

_________________________________________________________________

8 He made trousers from the sailcloth. (What. . from)

_________________________________________________________________

9 The men didn't like the colour. (Why)

________________________________________________________________

10 He imported blue material from France. (Where... from)

_________________________________________________________________

Exercise 4 PAST SIMPLE - PAST CONTINUOUS

1. When she ___________________________the dishes she ________________ a big plate. (dry / drop)

2. While they _________________________ TV, a thief _________________ in.

(watch / climb)

 

3 Mother _________________________ dinner, while we _______________ our

homework. (cook / do)

4. The pupils ________________ cards, when their teacher _________________ (play / enter)

5. Mother _________________ the clothes, when the lights _________________ out (iron / go)

6. The postman ________________ the parcel, just as they _________________ (bring / leave)

7. Susan ________________ her purse, while she _________________________ (lose / shop)

8. We __________________a song, when our headmaster ____________________ (sing / enter)

9. When he ____________________ to town, he __________________________ an accident (drive / have)

10. Mother ______________________ a cake, while we _____________________ in the garden. (bake / play)

11. As I _________________ down the street, a car __________ into the shop.

(walk / crash)

12. While we __________________ TV, a thief _____________ our car.

(watch / steal)

13. The burglar ________________ the safe, when he _________ some footsteps, (open/hear)

14. Father _______________ the newspaper, when the doorbell  ______________.  (read / ring)

Exercise 5

PAST SIMPLE - PAST CONTINUOUS (2)

1. We ___________________________________TV last night. (watch)

2. The train ___________________________________ at 6.30. (leave)

3. Mother ____________________________the dishes - (wash) when the phone _____________________________. (ring)

5. We ________________________________ a nice party last Saturday, (have)

6. In 55 B. C. Julius Caesar _____________________________to Britain. (come)

7. Father  ________________________________in his car - (wait) while mother ____________________. (shop)

9. I couldn't come, because I _________________________________ ill. (be)

10. Just as he ___________________________________to bed, (go)

the lights __________________________out. (go)

12. The car suddenly _________________________________________. (stop)

13. It ________________________(rain) when he_____________________ out of the window. (look)

15. Father  ____________________________ home yesterday. (not come)

  He ______________________________ lunch in a restaurant. (have)

16. I ________________________________ through the window. (look)

  Some students _______________________________ on the blackboard, (write)

17. We _____________________________an English song, (sing) when the door      

  __________________________ . (open)

18. Mother _______________________________ the rooms last Saturday. (clean)

19. They _____________________ that school, (build) when I _________________    

  a little boy. (be)

 

20. Some people in the waiting-room __________________________ (read).

  Suddenly the door ___________________ (open) and the nurse

  ________________ (say), "The next one, please”.

21. The dog ________________________________ the postman (attack).

  just as he _________________________ letters into the letter-box. (put)

22. How ___________you _____________your leg? (break) I ________________

  off the ladder, (fall) when I ________________ some apples. (pick)

23. We ___________________________much sleep last night, (not get) because

  our neighbours ________________________________a party . (have)

24. You are late. The train ________________________________ at 8.00. (leave)

25. They _________________________________ to Canada some years ago. (go)

26. I ___________________________ my homework (do) when my friend Peter ____________________. (turn up)

27. They __________________tea (have) when the doorbell __________________ . (ring)

GRAMMAR WITH LAUGHTER

Past Simple / Continuous

Complete the jokes below by using the correct tense of the verb in brackets:

1. Dad. What do you call a small brown thing with ten legs, and green eyes?

I don't know, son. Why do you ask?

Well, one .......................................... along your lettuce just before you …………........... it! (crawl, eat)

2. Harry ........................................................ a large grandfather clock on his shoulder, (carry) He was delivering it to a customer. He couldn't see what was on his right hand side and he .................................................over an old lady who ............................... in a shop window, (knock, look) "I'm very, very sorry, "said the man.

"Idiot!" shouted the old woman. "Why can't you wear a watch like everybody else?"

3. What .............................. you …………….......... in my apple tree last night, young man? (do)

Well, one of your apples ................................ down when I ............................ your garden so I……………………………………......... it back for you! (fall, pass, put)

4. Magic Bob was a magician on a cruise ship. Each night he took objects from the passengers and made them disappear, then reappear in strange places. The captain of the ship had a parrot which always shouted "Rubbish!" at the end of the magician's act. One day the ship ................................... an iceberg and ……………. .......... . (hit, sink) The magician and the parrot were the only survivors. While they ............................. on a large piece of wood in the water, the parrot ……………………………............ (lie, say) "OK, genius. Where's the ship?"

5. A lifeguard ................................................. a young lady the kiss of life when her husband ..................................... (give, arrive).

What are you doing to my wife?

I'm giving her artificial respiration.

Artificial! Give her the real thing. I'll pay for it.

6. Doctor, lots of my hair ........................................... out while I .................................. it this morning, (fall, brush)

Have you got anything for it?

Sure. Here's a box.

7. A young man was in the middle of a road with his right ear to the ground. An old lady asked him:

8.

What are you listening for?

A motorbike passed this spot ten minutes ago.

That's incredible! How do you know that?

Because it ................................... me while I ............................. the road and it................. my neck. (hit, cross, break)

9. How did you get that big red lump on your nose?

I................................a brose while I ............................... in the garden, (smell, work)

But there is no 'b' in rose.

There was in this one!

Talk or write about accidents you had, while you were doing something else. For example: I cut (past simple) my hand badly while I was peeling (past continuous) some potatoes. I scraped the side of my car while I was parking in town.

UPS & DOWNS

1. swim 2. rise 3. come 4. drink, throw 5. fight 6. keep 7. buy 8. light   9. think 10.find

11. bite    12. hear 13. bring 14. send 15. wear 16. know 17. draw,        hide 18. leave 19. ring 20. begin

21. beat   22. do 23. take 24. drive 25. grow 26. tell 27. run 28. catch 29. get 30. cut

31. lay 32. teach 33. have 34. sell 35. show 36. build 37. let 38. blow 39. spend 40. read

41. make 42. shut 43. sit 44. hold 45. win 46. lose 47. fall 48. sing 49. meet 50. weep

100 FINISH

99 DOWN

98

97

96

DOWN