Pasado Simple. Ejercicios y Teoría.

El past simple de la mayoría de los verbos regulares se forma añadiendo -ed al infinitivo sin to y es igual para todas las personas, incluyendo la tercera del singular. Los verbos irregulares no siguen ninguna regla para formar el pasado y algunos hasta tienen un past simple regular y otro irregular.

USOS

• Una acción o una serie de acciones ocurridas en el pasado. I saw a film last night.

• Una acción concreta que ocurrió mientras estaba en proceso otra acción más larga. She was walking to the cinema when she saw her friend.

EXERCISES

1. Complete the sentences with the pairs of verbs below. Use the Past simple affirmative.

• Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, ____________ (sail) from Portugal in 1497. He _____________ (reach) India in 1498.

• Ray Tomlimson ______________ (invent) e-mail in 1971. He ____________ (send) an e-mail to his friends to tell them.

• Peter Skyllberg ____________ (survive) for two month in his car after a snowstorm. He _____________ (eat) snow to stay alive!

• In Australia, a family dog called River ____________ (fight) a snake and _____________ (save) two young girls.

• In 2000, Prince William _____________ (volunteer) in Chile. He ___________ (teach) English in schools.

2. Put one of these verbs in each sentence:

Hurt teach       spend throw       fall      catch buy cost

• Tom’s father ___________ him how to drive when he was 17.

• Don ____________ down the stairs this morning and _________his leg.

• We needed some money, so we ____________our car.

• Ann _____________a lot of money yesterday. She __________ a dress that ____________$80.

• Jim _____________ the ball to Sue, who ____________it.

3. Write questions. A friend has just come back from vacation and you are asking about it.

• How long / stay there? ____________________________________

• Stay in a hotel? _________________________________________

• Go alone? _________________________________________

• How/ travel? ______________________________________________

• The weather / nice ? ______________________________________

• Meet any interesting people?______________________________

4. Put the verb into the correct form. Use the simple past.

• Tom _________________( not/go) to work yesterday because __________ (not/be) well.

• We ____________(not/eat) anything because we _____________(not/be) hungry.

• I ____________(not/rush) because I ___________(not/be) hungry.

• She ________________(not/be) interested in the book because she _____________ (not/understand) it.

5. Write the simple past forms of the verbs:
   

Drive _________

Eat __________

Give _________

Go __________

Know _________

Live __________

Play ___________

See ___________

Sing __________

Sit ___________

Study __________

Talk __________

Teach __________

Walk _________

Want __________

Teach ___________

Volunteer___________

Save ____________

Invent ______________

Send________________

Sail _________________

Reach_______________

Survive______________

Eat ________________

Go _______________

Fall _________________

Wait _______________

Have _______________

Improve_____________

Know ______________

Use _______________

Climb ______________

Fight_______________

6.      Complete the sentences. Use the past simple affirmative of the verbs in the box.

Dance go have      listen to   meet     phone   say   watch

• He _________ an old friend, Denise.

• Paul and Denise ___________ some excellent music.

• They ____________all night.

• Paul _____________his family at midnight.

• He ___________”Happy New Year!”.

• Paul and Denise __________ the sunrise.

• They _________ a really good time.

7. Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets in Past Simple.

• On 26th April 2003, Aron Ralston _____________(go) hiking in Bluejohn Canyon in the USA.

• A 360 – kilogram rock _____________(fall) on his arm.

• Ralston ___________(wait) for many hours, but there _____________(not be) any people around to help him.

• He __________________(be) hungry and thirsty because he _____________(not have) much food or water.

• His condition _____________(not improve) and he ______________(not know) how to scape.

•  After five days, he _________________(use) his knife to cut off his own arm!

• With only one arm, Ralston ____________(climb) out of the canyon and ___________(survive) his terrible accident!

8. Put the words in the correct order.

• Did/ when / go / ? / you

• Go / did / with your parents / ? / you

• To the museum? / your dad / did / drive

• You / did / see /anything interesting?

• Did/ how long / stay? / you

• Leave? / did / you/ what time

• You / like / did/ it?

• Buy?/ what / you / did 

9. Complete the sentences using the verbs in the box and the past Simple.

Take feel have put see  say make  leave steal

• Somebody _____________Dan’s bag.

• Dan ___________ embarrassed.

• John came into the classroom. He _____________ TWO bags.

• Dan __________ his bag on the desk.

• Dan returned and ____________ his bag wasn’t on the desk.

• John ___________, “Hi Dan, ______________ a mistake. Our bags are the same and I took yours. Sorry!

• He ________________ the classroom.

• Dan said, “Where is my bag? Who ____________my bag?”

10. Complete the text with the verbs in brackets. Use the correct form of the Past Simple.

The first Newspaper

How  ____________ people ____________ (get) news before the invention of the newspaper? ________________ they _______________(hear) the news in other ways? Thousands of years ago, many people never ______________(go) to school, so they __________________(know) how to read or write. They ____________(meet) on the streets or in the center of town and they ____________(tell) each other about the news. Then, in 59 BC, the Romans _____________(create) the first newspaper, but they _____________(sell) it to people. They ____________ (put) it in different places around town. People _____________(read) the newspaper at those places and ______________(learn) about battle and other important news of the day.

SOLUCIONES

Reading. A theatrical Life.

 

    He wrote 37 pays, 154 sonnets, and many other poems. He was born in Stratford - upon - Avon in 1564 and died there in 1616. Who is he? William Shakespeare, of course, Britain’s greatest writer, often called The Bard of Avon.

But did you also know that he has also been called ‘the most popular screenwriter in Hollywood’? In fact, British actor Ralph Fiennes, famous for playing Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, has said that if the playwright were working today, he’d be writing screen blockbusters. ‘ I can’t help thinking if he were alive and writing today, he’d be writing for the cinema. His stories and language are cinematic,’ Fiennes said.

We’ve all seen film versions of his plays, but did you know that Shakespeare himself has actually been the central character of many successful films? The award-winning Shakespeare in Love for example, tells the story of a fictional romance between the young Shakespeare and a wealthy young woman who wants to be an actress. Unfortunately, this was at a time when it was an offence for a woman to appear on a stage. Shakespeare in Love 2 might even be on the way soon by the way.

Then there was the 2011 film Anonymous, which angered many Shakespeare fans. The film suggests that Shakespeare didn’t write Hamlet, Macbeth and all the other plays. Rather the real author was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, who as an aristocrat was not allowed to be a common playwright. De Vere used Shakespeare as a frontman in order that his plays Shakespeare wasn’t really the author of his own work since the early 20th century. Most people don’t agree.

Indeed, Shakespeare’s popularity seems to grow and grow. For the World Shakespeare Festival, as part of the extravagant celebration for the London 2012 Olympics, all 37 plays were translated and performed in 37 different languages, including Henry VIII in Spanish and The Tempest in Bengali. Whether it’s on stage or on screen, people just can’t get enough Shakespeare.

EXERCISES

1. Match the words to the definitions:

Screenwriter playing playwright theory

someone who writes for the theatre someone who writes for the cinema an idea believed to be true interpreting a role

2. Scan the text and find:

• The name of a famous writer:

• The name of a famous actor:

• Four years:

• The names of two films:

• The names of four plays:

3. Choose the best answer:

• Ralph Fiennes thinks that Shaakespeare would be a good script writer because…

• He's Britain’s greatest writer.

• Hollywood loves his plays.

• His plays work well on the big screen.

• He has lots of fans.

• In the film Anonymous Edward de Vere cannot produce his own plays because…

• He didn’t write them.

• Shakespeare wouldn’t help him.

• of his social class.

• Shakespeare’s fans didn’t like them.

• The plot of Anonymous…

• Was an idea of Edward de Vere’s.

• Was invented specifically for the film.

• Is widely believed.

• Was based on a real story.

• Shakespeare’s work…

• Is popular in many different cultures. 

• Is popular in London.

• Was written in many different languages.

• Is not as popular today as 100 years ago.

4. Are the statements true or false? Quote words from the text to support your answers.

• Ralph Fiennes thinks Shakespeared would be a successful writer of film scripts.

• Shakespeare in Love was about a real relationship that Shakespeare had.

• It was possible for women to act on the stage in Skespeare’s day.

• All Shakespeare fans enjoyed Anonymous.

• Non-English speakers have the opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare’s plays on stage.

5. Find words that mean…

• A very successful film:

• Most important:

• Rich:

• The area where actors perform a play:

• Not aristocratic:

Soluciones

Writing. An informal email.

Hi Jim

How 's it going? Sorry I haven’t written sooner. I’ve been quite busy because I’ve got exams

and stuff at school. Sorry! Things have been pretty quiet since you moved to California.

School’s a bit boring without you! Anyway, I’m writing as promised, to keep you up to date

with all the latest news.

Swimming is going really well. I’m still on the school team and I’m training really hard at the

moment because of the national competition next month. We’ve got a new coach, Mr Wilks.

He’s great, but he’s really into healthy diets, so no pizza or burgers for me. Check out the

photo attached!

Do you remember Mark Smith? He goes to Brighton College, but his sister’s in my class.

Anyway, I’m going out with him now. He plays in a band, so I’ve been to a few of their gigs.

They play in the Blue Bar every Friday night and they’re really good. I’ll send you the link to

their website.

What’s your news? What are you up to? Can’t wait to hear! Have you met any cool American

girls? How’s your family getting on in California? Do your brother and sister like living there

too?

Write soon

Love Ellen

1. Read and Translate the email. Why is Ellen writing to Jim? (30 words)

2. Find words and expressions in the email that mean…

a. How are you?

b. apologies for not writing

c. other things

d. look at

e. What are you doing at the moment?

f. I really want to know.

3. Match the connectors in the box to the categories.

because     and     because of     but     so

● to join ideas

● to give reasons

● to contrast ideas

● to talk about results

4. Use words from Ex 3 to complete the sentences:

● The party was fun _____________ I met a cool girl there.

● I like the photos, _____________ you aren’t in any of them.

● I’ve got to go now _____________ my girlfriend’s just arrived!

● I didn’t know many people _____________ I invited everyone in my class to my party.

● I’m studying hard at the moment _____________ my exam next week.

5. Write an email (100-120 words)

Ten en cuenta:

● Primer Párrafo: Explica el motivo del mensaje: empieza disculpándote por no haber

escrito antes, y después describe el lugar y la gente con quien estás.

● Segundo Párrafo: Empieza a contar tus noticias con alguna pregunta retórica.

Háblale a tu amigo de los sitios donde has ido y la gente que has conocido.

● Tercer Párrafo: Pregúntale sobre sus novedades y pídele que te las cuente.

Interésate por cómo le va e insiste en que te conteste a tu correo electrónico.

● Despedida: De manera informal.

SOLUCIONES