A. Past Simple
Exercise 1. Give the Past Indefinite form of the following verbs:
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See, sleep, give, bring, say, speak, tell, go, come, meet, send, spend, built, catch, begin, know, teach, make, understand, sit, stand, sing, do, buy, sell, lose, find, hurt, put, cost, leave, keep, fall, be, have, set, rise, swim, write.
Exercise 2. Translate into Russian and comment on the use of the Past Simple Tense.
Student A: Student B:
1. Last winter he often worked in the library.
2. The manager entered the office, sat down at his desk and began to look through the morning mail.
3. When I arrived at the station, I went to the booking-office and bought a ticket.
4. He came to my place when I was not at home.
5. Yesterday it was very cold, but today it is much warmer.
6. When did he come here first?
7. Brian came home, switched on the lights and sank into an armchair.
8. Did you see Betty yesterday? Oh yes, but she refused to talk.
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Exercise3. Fill in the adverbs.
1. she/go shopping/in the afternoon. (often)
2. in summer/we/go/to school/at 8 oclock. (sometimes)
3. you/write/him/a letter. (never)
4. it/snow/a lot/in December. (usually)
5. John/drive/to work. (rarely)
6. Ann/wash/her hair/on Tuesdays. (always)
7. I/watch television/in the evenings. (usually)
8. they/eat/in the restaurant. (often)
9. we/drink/tea/in the morning. (never)
10. Tom and Brian/swim/in the river. (sometimes)
Exercise 4. Supply the Past Indefinite forms of the verbs in the box.
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1. We needed some money, so we our car.
2. They last Saturday as usual.
3. I a pet-dog when I was a boy.
4. Who the window last night?
5. Mary down the stairs this morning and her leg.
6. She a dress which a lot of money.
7. I this box on the bench yesterday.
8. My brother ma this beautiful bag.
9. I him on the way to the University.
10. A. Christie many novels and stories.
11. Mother me to read and write.
12. I all your books on the shelf over there.
Exercise 5. Answer the following questions in the negative and explain why you didnt do that.
1. Did you watch TV yesterday?
2. Did you travel much last summer?
3. Did your parents go to the country on Sunday?
4. Did you go to the swimming-pool on Wednesday?
5. Did you do the shopping at the weekend?
6. Did your friend work during his holidays?
7. Did you keep any pets in childhood?
8. Did you often get bad marks at school?
9. Did you often quarrel with your friends when you were a kid?
10. Did you like to play tennis last year?
Exercise 6. Imagine that your friend has just come back from holiday. Make up questions, using the words given below. Answer the questions.
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1. How long/stay there?
2. How/go there?
3. Stay in a hotel/rent a room?
4. Hotel/be good?
5. Go alone/with friends?
6. Food/good?
7. The weather/be fine?
8. What/do in the evenings?
9. Meet/any interesting people?
10. What/do in bad weather?
11. What places of interest/see?
Exercise 7. Make up questions and give answers.
Student A: Student B:
1. I enjoyed the performance. (Where? Why?)
2. He played the piano last night. (Where? How?)
3. They heard some interesting songs last week. (What songs? Where?)
4. This director made some good movies about children. (About whom?)
5. This artist painted many posters. (How many posters? What posters?)
6. She sang many songs at the concert. (At what concert? How many songs?)
7. He played in that orchestra. (What instruments? When?)
8. She took music lessons from this teacher. (When? Why?)
9. My father worked at a factory some years ago. (At what factory?)
Exercise 8. Answer the questions using the words in brackets.
Student A: Student B:
1. Who made the movie Idiot? (Pyriev)
2. Who painted the picture Children? (Serov)
3. Who wrote the music to the movies Hamlet and King Lear? (Shostakovich)
4. Who directed the play Three Sisters at the theatre? (Stanislavsky)
5. Who played the part in the English movie King Lear? (Paul Scofield)
6. Who founded the Puppet Theatre in Moscow? (Sergei Obraztsov)
7. What actors played in the movie Waterloo? (Russian, American and Italian actors)
8. Who wrote music to the movie The Beginning? (Shostakovich)
Exercise 9. Ask questions to the underlined parts of the sentences.
Student A: Student B:
1. Last year he didnt go to the South because of the exams.
2. They came to visit their friendyesterday.
3. He went to the concert two days ago.
4. He had breakfastat 8:30.
5. These students were usually late for their lectures last year because they had transport problems.
6. She didnt tell him the truth.
8. Robert took his driving test last week.
9. No one wanted to learn the truth: everyone was afraid.
10. Jane asked her mother to buy her a pullover.
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Exercise 10. Ask different types of questions to the following sentences.
1. You didnt take your umbrella this morning.
2. They moved to New York last summer.
3. He didnt give her a present.
4. Sometimes he found his work difficult.
5. You often mentioned her in your letters.
6. Things came to crisis in July.
7. I saw the announcement in the paper this morning.
8. She spoke with deep emotion.
9. The negotiations ended last week.
10. She thought her coffee tasted horrible.
Exercise 11. Complete the dialogue.
A: What (do) you over the weekend?
B: On Friday night I (go) to a concert.
A: You (enjoy) it?
B: Yes, I . What you (do)?
A: I (watch) television. What you (do) on Saturday?
B: In the morning I (go) shopping.
A: Oh, I (go) shopping too. You (buy) anything?
B: No, I . I (want) to buy a new coat. But I (not/have) enough money.
A: Neither I. I (spend) too much last week.
B: Where you (go) in the afternoon?
A: I (go) to the new swimming pool.
B: So I. I (not/see) you there. What time you (get) there?
A: At three oclock. I (see) Tom. You (not/see) him, you?
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B: No, I .
A: What you (do) yesterday?
B: I (watch) football on television.
A: So I. I (think) it (be) a great match. you?
B: No, It (be) terrible. My team (lose).
Exercise 12. Ask an appropriate question for each answer. Put the verbs in brackets in the right form.
A. B. I (go) to the Black sea coast in summer.
A. B. I (spend) there a fortnight.
A. B. I (get) up early, (go) to the sea, (bath) and (lie) in the sun.
A. B. The weather (be) sunny and hot.
A. B. My friend and I (rent) a nice room in a private house.
A. B. No, it (be) not far from the sea.
A. B. We (cook) our meals at home.
A. B. Vegetables and fruits (be) not very expensive.
A. B. I greatly (enjoy) my holiday.
Exercise 13. Translate the following sentences into English.
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1. ? . .
2. , ? ? . , - .
3. ? . . .
4. ? .
5. ? , . , .
6. .
7. , ? ? ?
8. . , , , . .
9. ? , . . .
10. ? . ? . , .
11. ? .
12. . .
13. ? .
14. . .
15. ? .
Exercise 14. Use used to in the following sentences.
1. A: Did you go there?
B: Yes, I go there but I dont now.
2. A: Did he live in London?
B: No, he live in London. He live in New York.
3. A: you walk to school?
B: Yes, I walk to school but now I cycle.
4. A: she work in a factory?
B: Yes, but now she works in a shop.
5. A: he smoke?
B: Yes, he did but he doesnt now.
B. Past Progressive
Exercise 1. Say what you or other people were doing some time ago.
e.g. - The whole day yesterday I was busy. (write an article)
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1. On Sunday I was in the library. (prepare for one's exam)
2. At 11 a.m. on Saturday I was at the University. (write a test)
3. We were in the country on the weekend. (fish)
4. All day long yesterday I was out. (work in the garden)
5. At 7 o'clock yesterday evening we were still at the office. (have a meeting)
6. From 10 till 12 on Sunday Victor was busy. (repair the TV set)
7. At 10 a.m. yesterday I was at home. (clean the flat)
8. Yesterday afternoon we were at the stadium. (play football)
9. On Friday morning I was at work. (make an experiment)
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Exercise 2. Put the verbs in brackets into Past Progressive. Make them negative.
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1. She (cry) when I saw her.
2. At 8 oclock on Tuesday evening the students of our group (have) a meeting.
3. They (go) to the recreation room to dance.
4. They (revise) for their preliminary in English.
5. We (have) a test at 2 p.m. yesterday.
6. He (cook) breakfast when I saw him.
7. At 7 sharp on Monday Kate (leave) the Institute.
8. At that moment Tom (hurry) to the theatre.
9. She (drill) a new grammar pattern during her lesson.
10. The pupils (work) in the language laboratory at that time yesterday.
11. Mary (read) when her friend came to see her.
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12. When I went out into the garden the sun (shine) brightly.
Exercise 3. Make the sentences with the suitable adverbs.
during, at that moment, at that time, at.... o'clock, the whole
day, all day long, all night long, all the time, still
1.... the day we were speaking about this problem many times.
2.... the children were writing, and translating examples.
3.... I was buying a present for my friend at the shopping center.
4.... they were singing songs in the garden.
5.... my brother was watching TV and listening to the music.
6.... the child was crying.
7.... my sister was speaking to her boy-friend on the phone.
8.... these people were smoking at the office.
9.... our teacher was... correcting our mistakes.
10.... I was going to write an application.
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Exercise 4. Make up complex sentences.
e.g. play/talk to smb
1. have a bath/wash the dishes;
2. make tea/clean the car;
3. listen to the news/read the papers;
4. have a holiday/work hard;
5. write an article/do one's homework;
6. repair the tape-recorder/do the housework;
7. look through business papers/type;
8. have dinner/sweep the floor;
9. do shopping/sleep;
10. play the piano/have a rest;
11. revise a new material/write a report;
12. rain/sit in the living-room.
Exercise 5. Ask your partner what he/she was doing at this period of time.
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7.00-7.30 did morning exercises;
8.00-8.30 had breakfast;
8.30-9.30 had a shower;
9.30-10.00 watched TV;
11.00-12.00 read magazines;
12.30-13.00 cleaned his/her room;
13.30-14.00 had dinner;
14.00-15.20 slept;
16.00-18.00 did shopping;
19.00-20.00 went for a walk;
20.15-20.45 talked on the phone.
Exercise 6. Ask and answer questions.
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1. 
Betty/dance with;
2. Jack/wait for;
3. They/listen to;
4. Mary/look for;
5. They/talk about;
6. The boss/speak to;
7. Kate/laugh at;
8. The girl/explain;
9. Daniel/play with;
10. The woman/pay attention to.
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Exercise 7. Use Past Progressive instead of the infinitives in brackets.
1. It (to rain) when we went out.
2. From the noise we heard it was clear that our neighbours' boy (to practice) the piano.
3. While he (to learn) to drive he had many accidents.
4. When we first met you (to study) English.
5. Who you (to talk to) as I came in? I (to talk) to my new secretary.
6. My wife and I (to discuss) this problem when you came.
7. Whose book you (to read)?- My sister's. I just (to begin) when you entered the room.
8. While we were (to walk) someone came into the house and left this note.
9. Where he (to live) when you saw him last?
10. Why you (to fool around) with the computer?
11. He had a lot of doubts while he (to plan) his crime.
12. While George (to think) of the career that lay before him Annie also (to plan) some improvements in the house and (to guess) what else this new change might bring.
14. Tom felt he (to become) too emotional and the inspector (to get) suspicious about it.
15. Brian (to plan) some tidying, he (not)? So perhaps he (to look for) something in the loft when you came and frightened, him. And I (to look for) him.
Exercise 8. Complete each sentences with a suitable form of the verbs using the Past Simple or the Past Progressive.
1. Where you (to be) yesterday? I (to be) at home the whole day. Oh, I (to be) in the garden. I (to read) your book and (not to hear) the telephone.
2. What you (to do) at five o'clock yesterday? I (to work) in the library. I (to be) there, too, but I (not to see) you.
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3. Nina (to celebrate) her birthday yesterday. Her room looked beautiful, there (to be) many flowers in it.
4. When I (to come) in, somebody (to play) the piano, two or three pairs (to dance).
5. What you (to do) at seven o'clock yesterday? I (to have) supper.
6. When I (to come) home yesterday, I (to see) that all my family (to sit) round the table. Father (to read) a letter from my uncle.
7. We (to have) a postcard from them two days ago.
8. Yesterday I (to work) at my English from five till seven.
9. It (to rain) the whole day yesterday.
10. Where your sister (to be) now? She (to be) in her room. She (to do) her homework.
11. Last night we (to go) to a cafe to meet our friends.
12. When she (to open) the door yesterday, a man (to stand) on the doorstep.
Exercise 9. Translate into English using the Past Progressive.
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1. .
2. , , .
3. .
4. , , .
5. .
6. . .
7. , , .
8. . .
9. , .
10. . .
11. .
12. , .
13. , .
14. .
15. , 5 7 .
Exercise 10. Put the verbs in brackets into a suitable form using the Past Progressive.
1. While I (answer) my teachers questions, my classmates (not to write) the right variants.
2. When my father came home, I (translate), my sister (play), my brother (watch) TV and my mother (cook).
3. They (pay), when you met your friends at a shopping center?
4. When our chief came to the office, our secretary (send) a letter, our programmers (look) through the files.
5. My cousin (not to speak) on the mobile phone, when I saw her in the street.
6. She (not to wash) the floor at four oclock yesterday.
7. In summer this old man still (stay) at home all the time.
8. Ann (take) a train to Brest at 11 oclock yesterday?
9. When your colleagues (look) at my new secretary all the time?
10. My aunt (not to read) this book all night long.
11. John (go) to the railway station, when Dick met him?
12. Mother (not to drink) tea but coffee at eleven oclock yesterday.
13. They (play) in the yard in the evening or in the morning?
14. When the teacher opened the door of the classroom, the pupils (not to sit) at their desks.
Exercise 11. Read the dialogues, translate and act them out.
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1.
What were you doing at 7.30?
The alarm clock was still ringing and I was just getting out of the bed.
And at 7.35?
Why, I was dressing.
Where were you at 7.50?
At breakfast. I was having my breakfast.
At 8?
Why, I was going to school.
Were you? Why are you late, then?
Am I?
2.
What was Tom reading, Becky?
I dont know.
Dont you know? But he was reading aloud, so you must know.
Well, while he was reading aloud I was writing a letter to my friend.
3.
Do you remember what you were doing at 8 oclock last Monday evening?
Why? I was talking about music with my friends.
Were you? Werent you playing chess?
Oh, possibly. I dont remember exactly.
4.
Hi! How are you doing?
Fine, thank you. And you?
Great. Listen. When I came into the hall last night, I saw a lot of students there.
No wonder, they were having a discussion.
Was the monitor partaking in?
No, she wasnt. She was speaking on the life-story of the main character of the novel.
What were the rest of the students doing?
They were listening to her very attentively.
5.
Im sorry you didnt come yesterday, Kate. I was waiting for you in the cafe.
Im awfully sorry, Bill, but I didnt feel very well.
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I see. And while I was sitting at a table and waiting for you, Jill came in.
You were flirting, smiling at each other, drinking coffee and eating cakes while I was lying in bed ill.
You werent ill. When we were leaving the cafe, we saw you and Stephanie. You were laughing together and walking arm in arm.
Oh, I can easily explain that. We were only... I was only going to the chemists...
