Simple Past Tense exercises (2/2)
for beginners
�
Sentence construction in the Simple Past Tense with a regular verb.
affirmative sentence
subject + verb + ed + object + adverb of place + adverb of time
E.g. I dusted the shelves in the living-room yesterday.
negative sentence
subject + did + not (didn�t) + verb + object + adverb of place + adverb of time
E.g. I did not (didn�t) dust the shelves in the living-room yesterday.
interrogative sentence
(Wh-question) + did + subject + verb + object + adverb of place + adverb of time
E.g. Did you dust the shelves in the living-room yesterday?
���� When did you dust the shelves in the living-room?
short answer
You give short answers to yes-no questions.
Yes, subject +did. Or No, subject + didn�t.
E.g. Did you dust the shelves in the living-room yesterday? Yes I did.
No, I didn�t.
Task 1 - Rewrite the sentences into the Simple Past Tense. Then write a negative sentence. Look at the example below.
I dust the shelves. I dusted the shelves. I didn�t dust the shelves.
1)����� The dog barks in the garden. . .
2)����� The flowers bloom in the park. . .
4)����� Terry brushes her hair. .�.
5)����� They call him Dick.�. .
6)����� They carry books in their bags. . .
7)����� I change my dress. . .
8)����� The man checks the machines. . .�
9)����� I close the window.�. .
10)����� You comb your hair. . .
Task 2 - Rewrite the sentences into the Simple Past. Then write an interrogative sentence. Look at the example below.
I dust the shelves. I dusted the shelves. Did I dust the shelves?
1)����� Peter dresses in his room. . ?
2)����� She drops the ball. . ?
3)����� Mum dusts the shelves. . ?
4)����� We enter into the room.�. ?
6)����� The disco finishes at 10 o�clock. . ?
7)����� Mother and father help me. . ?
8)����� I�ask for�a new computer. . ?
9)����� The children jump on the bed. . ?
10)����� Ben kisses Jane every morning. . ?
Task 3 - Change the following sentences into interrogative then give short answers according to the sign. Look at the examples.
They danced a lot. � Did they dance a lot? Yes, they did.
She dusted the shelves. � Did she dust the shelves? No, she didn�t.
1)����� Lots of people smoked cigarettes. �? .
3)����� You started the car. �? .
5)����� I stepped on this stone. �? .
6)����� The car parked in front of the house. �? .
7)����� Barbara studied Maths. �? .
9)����� You thanked him for his help. �? .
10)����� Mandy tidied her room on Saturday afternoons. �? .
11)����� He travelled a lot. �? .
12)����� I tried to draw a horse. �? .
Task 4 - Ask questions about the underlined words.
1)����� We walked to the house. ?
2)����� She wanted a drink. ?
3)����� The children washed. ?
4)����� I counted twelve pens on the table. ?
5)����� My sister watched TV yesterday. ?
6)����� I wished you a good day. ?
7)����� Everybody worked in the field. ?
8)����� Ben and Jim collected postcards. ?
9)����� They always waited for the bus. ?
10)����� She arrived at 7 o�clock. ?
11)����� We needed a new computer to our flat. ?
12)����� He turned the right key. ?
13)����� She typed a letter. ?
14)����� You used my pen. ?
15)����� He dropped some litter into the bin. ?
