Simple Past Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Table of Contents “TO BE” IN THE PAST TENSE 2 3 4 Affirmative and Negative Yes/No Questions Information Questions REGULAR VERBS 5 Simple Past Tense IRREGULAR VERBS 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 Simple Past Tense Bingo Affirmative and Negative Yes/No Questions Information Questions Review Time Expressions 14 CLASS ACTIVITY 15 ANSWER KEY Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 1 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Affirmative and Negative “TO BE” IN THE PAST TENSE A. Was or Were? B. Wasn’t or Weren’t? Put the correct form of the verb “to be” (was/were) in the past tense in the following sentences. Put the correct negative form of the verb “to be” (wasn’t/weren’t) in the following sentences. 1. Judy 2. We 3. I sick yesterday. tired after a long day at work. 4. The weather beautiful yesterday. 5. Last semester my teachers 6. The children 9. They very good. very strong last night. very happy last week. closed during the rainstorm. very happy to get your letter last week. 12. The boys 3. Carol happy to see her boyfriend with another girl. 4. Bonnie at home last night when I called her. nervous on the first day of school. 10. Luckily, the windows 11. We 2. He hungry at dinnertime because he ate a big lunch. hungry after so much exercise. 7. The wind 8. She 1. They at school yesterday because it was Saturday. in the same class last year. 5. The teacher satisfied with the student’s work. tired after the ball game. C. Complete the Sentences Finish the following sentences using wasn’t or weren’t. 1. I am at work today, but 6. The apples are sweet today, but I wasn’t here yesterday. 2. It is cold outside today, but 7. The class is interesting today, but 3. She is sick today, but 8. The boss is angry today, but 4. They are at school today, but 9. The door is locked today, but 5. The TV show is good today, but 10. The exercises are easy today, but Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 2 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Yes/No Questions “TO BE” IN THE PAST TENSE Practice making questions and giving short answers with the verb “to be” in the past tense. 1. I was tired last night. Were you tired last night? Yes, I was. 2. It wasn’t cold outside yesterday. 3. They weren’t sick last week. 4. D on was at the office last Saturday. 5. The car was expensive. 6. The children weren’t excited. 7. The store wasn’t open. 8. The movie was interesting. 9. The food wasn’t good. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 3 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Information Questions “TO BE” IN THE PAST TENSE Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how many) and the correct form of the verb “to be” in the past tense to make questions. The bold words are the answers to the questions. 1. Why was she absent? She was absent because she was sick. 2. She was tired because she worked hard all day. 3. She was at the mall last night. 4. There were 20 people at the party. 5. A diamond ring was in the box. 6. The secretary was in the office. 7. The students were absent last Tuesday. 8. She was late because she missed her bus. 9. Mrs. Jones was at the door. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 4 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Simple Past Tense REGULAR VERBS A. Choose the Correct Word Choose the correct verb from the list on the right to complete the following sentences. Write the verb in the past tense. 1. I my friend in the hospital last night. 2. The boys baseball in the field behind the school. 3. Robert his wife wash the dishes. 4. We our living room a soft blue color. 5. Susan TV for two hours last night. 6. We 7. I Word List: planes on the way to New York. • • • • • • play visit paint water listen mail • • • • • • help arrive learn watch change wait the letter on the way to work. 8. She 9. They 10. She for him for 20 minutes at the coffee shop. how to swim many years ago. the flowers in the garden yesterday. 11. The students 12. We late for class. to the radio until midnight. B. Negative and Affirmative Make the following sentences negative and then write a follow-up sentence of your own in the affirmative. 1. Mary baked a cake. 4. Donald fixed his TV. Mary didn’t bake a cake. She baked cookies. 2. The boys played soccer. 5. Peter danced with Betty. 3. Carol called her mother. 6. Ann studied history. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 5 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Simple Past Tense IRREGULAR VERBS A. Write the Past Tense Write the correct past tense for each of the following verbs. 1. cut 6. ride 11. shake 16. sleep 2. dig 7. run 12. shoot 17. speak 3. cost 8. see 13. shut 18. spend 4. meet 9. sell 14. sit 19. stand 5. read 10. send 15. sing 20. swim B. Word Scramble Unscramble the following words. Then write the present tense of each verb beside the past irregular verb. Scrambled 1. etnw Unscrambled went Present Tense go 2. meca 3. ganbe 4. dema 5. lbew 6. okbre 7. hocse 8. idd 9. krdan 10. tae 11. voedr 12. ghtaut 13. oltd 14. woret 15. wkoe Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 6 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Bingo IRREGULAR VERBS A. Write the Past Tense Choose 24 words from the list below and write the past tense of each one in any space on your bingo card on the next page. Mix the verbs up. Do not write them in the same order as the list. (This will ensure you all have a different card.) • • • • • • • • • • • • • become begin bet bite blow break bring build catch choose come cost cut • • • • • • • • • • • • • dig do draw drink drive eat fall feel fight find fly forget freeze • • • • • • • • • • • • • get give go grow hang have hear hide hit hold hurt keep know • • • • • • • • • • • • • leave let lose make mean meet pay quit ring read ride run see • • • • • • • • • • • • • sell send shake shoot shut sink sit sleep speak spend stand stick sweep • • • • • • • • • • • • swing swim take teach tell think throw understand wake wear win write B. Play Bingo! Your teacher will call out certain past tense verbs. If you have one, cover it with a bean, piece of cardboard, candy, or any other marker your teacher gives you. When you have one line in any direction covered, shout “Bingo!” (You must have the correct past tense under each marker in order to win.) Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 7 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Bingo Card IRREGULAR VERBS Free Space Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 8 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Affirmative and Negative IRREGULAR VERBS Complete the Sentences Complete the sentences below. The first question is filled in as an example. 1. Ben usually eats cereal for breakfast. 7. Ben usually meets his boss in the morning. He didn’t eat cereal yesterday. He his boss in the morning. He ate toast. He him in the afternoon. 2. Ben usually gets up at 7:00. 8. Ben usually writes ten emails in the morning. He at 7:00 yesterday. He ten emails yesterday. He at 8:00. He five letters. 3. Ben usually takes a shower. 9. Ben usually eats lunch in the office. He a shower yesterday. He lunch in the office today. He a bath. He lunch in a restaurant. 4. Ben usually reads the Times newspaper. 10. Ben usually has a lot of appointments every day. He the Times yesterday. He He the Post. He only 5. Ben usually leaves the house at 8:00. a lot of appointments yesterday. a few. 11. Ben usually gets home at 6:00. He the house at 8:00. He home at 6:00 yesterday. He at 9:00. He home at 7:00. 6. Ben usually takes a bus to work. He a bus yesterday. He a taxi. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 9 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Yes/No Questions IRREGULAR VERBS Write the questions. The first question has been filled in as an example. 1. Did you wake up early? 10. No, I didn’t. I woke up late. No, he didn’t. He caught a small one. at 7:00? 2. No, she didn’t. She made a pie. in the pool? 12. No, he didn’t. He swam in the lake. No, they didn’t. They told me. French? No, we didn’t. We sat on chairs. to school? No, she didn’t. She wore a dress. on time? No, I didn’t. I shut the door. to Paris? No, she didn’t. She flew to Rome. 9. the windows? 16. No, he didn’t. He came late. 8. a skirt? 15. No, I didn’t. I drove to the office. 7. on the sofa? 14. No, they didn’t. They spoke Spanish. 6. their mother? 13. No, she didn’t. She brought oranges. 5. eight hours? No, I didn’t. I slept nine hours. apples? 4. a cake? 11. No, we didn’t. We met at 8:00. 3. a big fish? 17. at the front of the room? No, she didn’t. She stood at the back of the room. your purse? No, I didn’t. I lost my wallet. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 10 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Information Questions IRREGULAR VERBS Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how many) to make questions in the simple past tense. The bold words are the answers to the questions. 1. Where did she buy the toy? She bought the toy at Walmart. 2. They left the office at 6:00. 3. She didn’t go to work because she was sick. 4. I spent $80.00 on groceries. 5. Rosa spoke to the boss.* 6. *Note: There is a difference between questions 5 and 6. Can you explain the grammar rule? Rosa spoke to the boss.* 7. She said “hello” to me. 8. I felt sick yesterday. 9. The sun rose at 6:45 am yesterday. 10. She wore a beautiful dress to the party. 11. The meeting took place in Room 29. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 11 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Review IRREGULAR VERBS A. Choose the Correct Word Choose the correct verb from the list below to complete the following sentences. Put the verb in the past tense form. 1. She a plate when she was washing the dishes. 9. Matthew to work yesterday. He 2. They to Paris in a jumbo jet last week. 10. The children in the lake behind their house. 3. I the alarm clock for 7:00 yesterday morning, but I up a half-hour before the alarm clock . 11. We a wonderful time at your party last night. 4. I a letter to my friend back home. 6. His mother of him when he three friends at the café and several cups of coffee together. Word List: care sick. 7. The teacher the mathematics class and then the students three exercises to do for homework. 8. Angie She 12. I groceries on my way home yesterday and I in cash. 13. I we 5. He flowers to his girlfriend for her birthday. his wallet on the way very upset. a bad cold last week. in bed for three days. • • • • • • buy ring lie break teach fly • • • • • • set send wake swim be pay • • • • • • meet have write drink give get • • • take catch lose B. Opposites Write the opposite of each verb below. Make sure to use the past tense. There may be more than one possible opposite, but try to think of one that has an irregular past form. 1. remembered 6. opened 2. bought 7. rose (the sun) 3. found 8. learned 4. brought 9. floated 5. arrived 10. saved (money) Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 12 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Time Expressions for the Past IRREGULAR VERBS Complete the following sentences using yesterday, last, or ago. 1. She came to this country three years 2. I was very tired . week. 3. The class was canceled Monday. 4. I spoke to him ten minutes . 5. The weather was beautiful summer. 6. We went dancing night. 7. The boss was away morning. 8. We began this class fall. 9. The children ran around outside afternoon. 10. She got married five years 11. We went skiing a lot 12. We went shopping 13. She left five minutes . winter. afternoon. . 14. They left the city a month 15. They came back . week. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 13 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Class Activity Walk around the classroom and ask your classmates questions. Write the questions in the spaces provided below, and write your classmate’s name on the right if he/she answers “yes.” FIND SOMEONE... 1. ...who woke up late this morning. 2. ...who didn’t take the bus to school this morning. 3. ...who ate an egg for breakfast this morning. 4. ...who saw a good movie on TV last night. 5. ...who bought something expensive yesterday. 6. ...who had a bad cold last week. 7. ...who won something last year. 8. ...who read a great book last month. 9. ...who heard some interesting gossip last week. 10. ...who went on a vacation outside the country last year. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 14 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Answer Key Affirmative and Negative (Be) Simple Past Tense (Regular) A. WAS OR WERE? A. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD 1. was 4. was 7. was 10. were 1. visited 4. 2. were 5. 3. was 6. were 8. was 11. were 2. played 5. were 9. were 12. were 3. helped 6. B. WASN’T OR WEREN’T ? weren’t 3. wasn’t 2. wasn’t 4. wasn’t 5. wasn’t C. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES 1. ...I wasn’t here yesterday. 2. ...it wasn’t cold yesterday. 3. ...she wasn’t sick yesterday. 4. ...they weren’t 5. ...it wasn’t good yesterday. 6. ...they weren’t at school today. 7. ...it wasn’t interesting yesterday. 8. ...he wasn’t angry yesterday. 9. ...it wasn’t locked yesterday. 10. ...they weren’t sweet yesterday. mailed 10. watered watched 8. waited 11. arrived changed 9. learned 12. listened 1. Mary didn’t bake a cake. 4. Donald didn’t fix his TV. 2. The boys didn’t play soccer. 5. Peter didn’t dance with Betty. 3. Carol didn’t call her mother. 6. Ann didn’t study history. Simple Past Tense (Irregular) A. WRITE THE PAST TENSE 1. cut 2. 3. 4. 5. read 9. dug 6. rode cost 7. ran met 8. saw sold 13. shut 17. spoke 10. sent 14. sat 18. spent 11. shook 15. sang 19. stood 12. shot 16. slept 20. swam easy yesterday. B. WORD SCR AMBLE Yes/No Questions (Be) 1. Were you tired last night? Yes, I was. 2. Was it cold outside yesterday? No, it wasn’t. 3. Were they sick last week? No, they weren’t. 4. Was Don at the office last Saturday? Yes, he was. 5. Was the car expensive? Yes, it was. 6. Were the children excited? No, they weren’t. 7. Was the store open? No, it wasn’t. 8. Was the movie interesting? Yes, it was. 9. Was the food good? No, it wasn’t. Information Questions (Be) 1. Why was she absent? 6. Where was the secretary? 2. Why was she tired today? 7. When were the 3. Where was she last night? 4. How many people 8. Why was she late? were at the party? 9. Who was at the door? What was in the box? 7. B. NEGATIVE AND AFFIRMATIVE 1. 5. painted students absent? 1. went / go 6. broke / break 11. drove / drive 2. came / come 7. chose / choose 12. taught / teach 3. began / begin 8. did / do 13. told / tell 4. made / make 9. drank / drink 14. wrote / write 5. blew / blow 10. ate / eat 15. woke / wake Bingo (Irregular) became dug got left sold swung began did gave let sent swam bet drew went lost shook took bit drank grew made shot taught blew drove hung meant shut told broke ate had met sank thought brought fell heard paid sat threw built felt hid quit slept understood caught fought hit rang spoke woke chose found held read spent wore came flew hurt rode stood won cost forgot kept ran stuck wrote cut froze knew saw swept Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 15 Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets Answer Key cont. Affirmative and Negative (Irregular) 1. didn’t eat / ate 7. didn’t meet / met 2. didn’t get up / got up 8. didn’t write / wrote 3. didn’t take / took 9. didn’t eat / ate 4. didn’t read / read 10. didn’t have / had 5. didn’t leave / left 11. didn’t get / got 6. didn’t take / took Review (Irregular) A. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD 1. broke 5. gave 10. swam 2. flew 6. took / got 11. had 3. set / 7. taught / gave 12. bought / paid woke / rang 8. caught / lay 13. met / drank wrote 9. lost / was 4. Yes/No Questions (Irregular) B. OPPOSITES 1. Did you wake... 10. Did he catch... 1. forgot 6. shut 2. Did you meet... 11. Did she make... 2. sold 7. set 3. Did he swim... 12. Did you sleep... 3. lost 8. taught 4. Did she bring... 13. Did they tell... 4. left/took 9. sank 5. Did they speak... 14. Did you sit... 5. left 10. spent 6. Did you drive... 15. Did she wear... 7. Did he come... 16. Did you shut... 8. Did she fly... 17. Did she stand... 9. Did you lose... Information Questions (Irregular) 1. Where did she buy the toy? 2. When did they leave the office? Time Expressions (Irregular) 1. ago 6. last 11. last 2. last 7. yesterday 12. yesterday 3. last 8. last 13. ago 4. ago 9. yesterday 14. ago 5. last 10. ago 15. last 3. Why didn’t she go to work? 4. How much did you spend on groceries? 5. Who did Rosa speak to? 6. Who spoke to the boss? 7. What did she say to you? 8. How did you feel yesterday? SPELLING NOTE: 9. When did the sun rise yesterday? This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Color, 10. What did she wear to the party? 11. Where did the meeting take place? Class Activity Answers will vary. Canceled, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell these words this way: Colour, Cancelled, and Practise (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge for your students to find these words in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings. Copyright 2014, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 16
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