Past Simple Questions

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Past Simple

CEN Grammar

Learning Goals

1. I know how to talk about past events, using the verb to be, regular verbs and irregular verbs as questions.

Be careful!

Do not use any shortened forms, like didn't in the coming exercises.

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
(you - be) very insolent as a child?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (Sam - arrive) last night?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (you - understand) anything during you previous lesson?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (your father - write) a lot of poems in his younger days?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (you - look) in the mirror to see if your pimple had grown?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
____ (Mum - bake) a cake for us yesterday?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
(these trees - be) planted by the founders when they arrived in 1639?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (Dad - kick) the dog last night?

Past Simple

Describes something in the past, therefore the word: past simple.

What are we going to find out?

•  When we use the past simple
• How to create the past simple as questions

Braindump:
What do you remember from the past simple in terms of usage?
(so not the form!)

What was it again? (1 too many)

Rule #1

Rule #2

Remember the sentences from the previous slide.

it started and ended in the past

it started in the past, but is still happening now

the people you are talking about are dead

Past Simple

Signalwords

• in 2010, in 1999, in 800 AD
  
• when I was younger
  
• (the day before) yesterday
• last week / month / year / century / etc.
  
• an hour / a week / a month ago

I know when to use the past simple.

Yes

Not entirely, but I don't need any help.

Not entirely, and I would like some help.

I don't get it at all.

Fill in the gap:
Mum, ___ a very smart kid when I was younger?

1. was I
2. were I

Fill in the gap:
Granddad, ___ good at mathematics?

1. was you
2. were you

Fill in the gap:
___ your best friend in 2022?

1. Was he
2. Were he

Fill in the gap:
___ a very attractive woman when she was younger?

1. Was your mother
2. Were your mother

Fill in the gap:
___ too late yesterday? I don't remember.

1. Was we
2. Were we

Fill in the gap:
Where ___ when we couldn't find them?

1. was they
2. were they

Correct forms of to be

• Was I...?
• Were you...?
• Was he / she / it...?
• Were we...?
• Were they...?

Past Simple (regular & irregular verbs):

Try to think of a rule:

How do we create the correct negative form of the verb?

Affirmative sentence:

Did you work there in 2020?

Did you dance all night?.

Did they see each other a lot as a kids?

Did she look at the screen?

Did it confuse you?

Did he promise to do better next time?

Did he know the answer

• Did not + subject + verb
  
  
• So, we do not (e)d to the verb!!

HOORAY!!

• Irregular verbs (onregelmatige werkwoorden) follow the same rules as regular verbs when we ask questions.
  
  
• Regular:
  You played outside last night. >Did you play outside last night.
  
  
• Irregular:
  I saw him yesterday. > Did you see him yesterday.

Past Simple (irregular verbs):

Try to think of a rule:

Again: it's the same as with regular verbs

Affirmative sentence:

She did not teach there in 2010.

They did not go to his party.

We did not see her.

We did not know what to do.

It did not hurt us.

Susan did not give me a present.

I did not wear the same clothes.

• we use did not + verb
  
  
• So, we do not (e)d to the verb!!

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (you - have) to wait long at the bus stop?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (Sam - stay) in a hotel or a hostel?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (Johanna - go) to the butcher's?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (it - work) how you thought it would?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (she - have) a lot of friends when she was younger?

Put the verb in its correct form:
Mike ___ (not - start) his new job yesterday.

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (you - were) at school yesterday?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (she - work) there in 2021?

Put the verb in its correct form:
___ (they - hit) that man in the face?

Zet het werkwoord in de juiste vorm:
___ (the man - die) in the accident?

I know how to use the past simple.

Yes

Not entirely, but I do not need any help.

Not entirely and would like some help.

I don't get it at all.