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Learning how to use the past simple tense is well....simple! Of course there are a few essential irregular verbs that you need to learn to help you on your way but knowing how to talk about the past in English will help you fully express yourself. How could you learn English without it?

In our unit Talking About the Past from E-planet Education's Live Chat Pre-Intermediate 1 course, you will learn a whole host of vocabulary, expressions and grammar to express actions that happened in the past. Here we give you a sneak peek of the unit and some of the exercises.

Exercise 1: Read the conversation. What is the family talking about?

David: What were you like at college, Dad? Were you a good student?
Dad: Yes, Son, I was. I studied hard every evening and I rarely went out. I was rather quiet as a young man—I preferred a good book to noisy clubs.

David: I see. What about you, Mom? Were you the same?
Mom: To be honest, David, I didn’t study much at college. I was more interested in going out and having fun.
David: Really? I can’t imagine that!
Mom: It’s true. I often stayed up late and I went to wild parties every weekend. My parents weren’t happy about this, but I didn’t listen to their advice. Unfortunately, as a result I didn’t do well in my exams. I hope you don’t repeat my mistakes.
David: Oh, I won’t. My friends and I don’t go to many parties. We like to spend our time playing computer games instead!
Mom: Oh, David!

Exercise 2: Read the text again and fill in the paragraph. Write one word in each gap.

David’s dad was hard-working at (1)……………………………… . He studied every (2) …………………………… and   he didn’t go out often. He was a (3)……………………………… young man who didn’t enjoy (4 ………………………………clubs. On the other hand, David’s mom didn’t (5) ……………………………… much. She enjoyed going out lots and she went to parties each (6) ……………………………… . Therefore, she didn’t do well in her (7)……………………………… and hopes that David doesn’t repeat her mistakes.

Exercise 3: Read the following text about secrets from the past. Match the person to the pictures below. There is one extra picture.

Denise: I’ve never told anyone this secret: a few years ago I borrowed a dress from my best friend. It was silk and cost a lot of money, so she told me to take good care of it. However, while I was at a restaurant, I dropped some food on it! I knew my friend would be very angry, so I didn’t tell her
the truth. Instead, I went to the clothing store and bought the same dress to replace it. I felt very bad about the situation, but at least I saved our friendship!

Hugo: What’s my secret? Believe it or not, I was once a pop star! When I was in my twenties, I was a member of a band. One of our songs was a big hit and for a while we toured the country, playing our music for thousands of fans. Unfortunately, our fame was short-lived and we never had another successful song. Nowadays I’m a salesperson and very few people know about my exciting past.

Jacob: Here’s something no-one knows about. When I was six years old, my mom made a cake for my brother’s birthday. She told me not to touch the food because it was for the guests at the party. When I was alone in the kitchen, I stole a big piece of the cake, but I told my mom that the dog ate it. To this day, nobody knows it was really me!


Exercise 4: Read the text again again and match the people with the sentences. Write D for Denise, H for
Hugo, and J for Jacob.

a) He/she was famous for a short time. ….
b) He/she took something without asking. ….
c) He/she hid the truth from a friend. ….
d) He/she has a different profession now. ….
e) It happened when he/she was a child. ….
f) He/she damaged something expensive. ….

Exercise 5: Say these words out loud. What do you notice about the final sound of the words?

Exercise 6: Now put the words in the right categories.



Exercise 8: Read the sentences and choose the best response for each one.

1. I won the lottery!
a) You must be joking!
b) Is that all?

2. How are you?
a) I’m so happy for you.
b) I’m doing great!

3. I have some big news to tell you.
a) Have a guess.
b) I’m all ears.

4. I bought a new car yesterday.
a) Lucky guy!
b) Why not?

Exercise 9: Complete the sentences with the words and phrases in the box.


a) I want to eat something simple tonight. I don’t want anything …………………… .

b) Chris spent the money on books and DVDs,…………………… other things.

c) – What is the best-selling movie ………………………………?
– I think it is Avatar.

d) You still want to come with me, ………………………………?

e) We couldn’t decide where to go. So,…………………… we stayed at home.

f) – Two celebrities visited my store today.
– You’re ……………………!

 

You can leave your answers in the comments below and check back later in the week for the answers! We hope you have fun talking about the past! If you liked this article you might also like to read: Learn English: Time Well Spent.