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. ð Did they dance a lot? Yes, they did.
She dusted the shelves. ð 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. ?
