1.3. THE PAST TENSE SIMPLE I. Fill in the blanks with was or were: I. You ... late yesterday.

2. I ... happy last week. 3. The children ... tired in the evening. 4. We ... absent on Monday. 5. You ... ill last Thursday. 6. I ... in the park in the morning. 7. The boys ... early yesterday. 8. You ... at the party on Saturday. 9. Katie ... in the classroom at eight o'clock. 10. We ... sleepy last night. II. Work on the model: I was absent yesterday. Was I absent yesterday? 1. She was ill last week. 2. We were at home. 3. You were busy in the morning. 4. They were in front of the gate. 5. I was very surprised. 6. Lucy and Jack were sad on Sunday. 7. Pamela was in the garden. 8. Father was tired in the evening. 9. We were hungry at noon. 10. You were very proud of your father. III. Work on the model: She was here. (there) She wasn't there. 1. You were thirsty. (hungry) 2. I was at home. (at the cinema) 3. We were in the garden. (in the street) 4. The milk was hot. (cold) 5. You were busy. (free) 6. Your hands were dirty. (clean) 7. I was ill. (well) 8. We were

present. (absent) 9. The children were happy. (sad) 10. The book was on the desk. (in the schoolbag) IV. Work on the model: We/hungry/thirsty Were we hungry or thirsty? We were hungry. We weren't thirsty. 1. I/in the park/at home; 2. You/dirty/clean; 3. The book/new/old; 4. The problems/easy/difficult; 5. It/cold/hot; 6. Mother/in the kitchen/in the bedroom; 7. I/present/absent; 8. You/here/there; 9. We/at the cinema/at the theatre; 10. The children/in the garden/in the street.

V. Work on the model: We have five classes today. (yesterday) We had five classes yesterday, too. 1. I have a new car now. (last year) 2. You have a toy-horse now. (two days ago) 3. Jane has many friends now. (a year ago) 4. We have English this Friday. (last Friday) 5. The Browns have a big house now. (ten years ago) 6. I have a large garden now. (two years ago) 7. We have a small cat now. (last year) 8. You have three free days this week. (last week) 9. Daniel has a white shirt today. (yesterday) 10. We have ripe apples this autumn. (last autumn)

VI. Work on the model: I had three books. (three pencils) I hadn't three pencils. 1. We had a dog. (a cat) 2. I had a red pen. (a brown pencil) 3. You had many flowers. (many pictures) 4. They had much sugar. (much coffee) 5. The boy had a big ball. (a small ball) 6. I had a new car. (a new bicycle) 7. We had yellow apples. (yellow pears) 8. You had ripe grapes. (ripe cherries) 9. I had a large dining-room. (a small dining-room) 10. You had a cake. (an ice-cream) VII. Turn the following sentences into the Past Tense and read them aloud: 1. I ask many questions. 2. You recite many poems. 3. We remember her address. 4. They travel a lot. 5. You watch TV. 6. I want to help you. 7. She loves her daughter. 8. We skate on the skating-rink. 9. Somebody knocks at the door. 10. It snows in the morning. VIII. Work on the model: I'm watching TV now. (Yes/No) Did you watch TV yesterday, too? Yes, I did. No, I didn't. 1. I'm playing the piano now. (Yes) 2. They are studying a new lesson today. (No) 3. Tom is doing an exercise now. (Yes) 4. We are cleaning the windows today. (Yes) 5. I'm repeating that song today. (No) 6. The girls are baking pies today. (Yes) 7. Jane is working hard this week. (Yes) 8. I'm opening this door now. (No) 9. We are skiing this winter. (Yes) 10. The children are playing games this afternoon. (No)

IX. Work on the model: I opened the door. (the window) I opened the door, but I didn't open the window. 1. I learnt the lesson. (the poem) 2. You helped mother. (father) 3. We finished the exercise. (the composition) 4. He played tennis. (football) 5. They lived in London. (New York) 6. I posted the postcard. (the letter) 7. You missed the bus. (the train) 8. Mother liked the book. (the film) 9. Tom studied English. (French) 10. We skated in the morning. (in the afternoon) X. Fill in the blanks with the right form of the verbs given in brackets: 1. I ... English last week. (to speak) 2. We ... our parents yesterday. (to help) 3. The boys ... rugby last Saturday. (to play) 4. You ... a long letter last week. (to write) 5. I ... a good cake yesterday (to eat) 6. The children ... at the cinema last Friday. (to laugh) 7. We ... at eight o'clock last Sunday. (to get up) 8. I ... in the sea last summer. (to swim) 9. You ... your new dress yesterday afternoon. (to wear) 10. The teacher ... us a new song yesterday. (to teach) 11. The girls ... all the questions last time. (to answer) 12. I ... my old friend last Tuesday. (to meet) 13. You ... the name of this man at last (to remember) 14. The pupils ... this museum last month. (to visit) 15. We ... our dog in the forest last Sunday. (to lose) 16. The boy on duty ... the blackboard yesterday. (to clean) 17. The kid ... another toy. (to choose) 18. I ... a long poem last Wednesday. (to recite) 19. You ... very good apples then. (to buy) 20. Father ... a big fish last week. (to catch)

XI. Say what you did yesterday and at what times. Use the following verbs: 1. to get up; 2. to wash; 3. to get dressed; 4. to have breakfast; 5. to say good-bye to your parents; 6. to go to school; 7. to do exercises; 8. to play in the schoolyard; 9. to read a new lesson; 10. to draw a map; 11. to write a composition; 12. to come back home; 13. to have lunch; 14. to have a rest; 15. to do your homework; 16. to help your parents; 17. to go for a walk; 18. to watch TV; 19. to have dinner; 20. to read a story; 21. to go to bed; 22. to say good-night.

XII. Work on the model: I went to the cinema. Did I go to the cinema? 1. Mother made a good cake. 2. The pupils did many exercises. 3. The children said good-bye. 4. Father left the house an hour ago. 5. The bell rang at seven o'clock. 6. We bought a new car. 7. Jane sold her new dress. 8. Our friend began to study French. 9. The children drank much milk. 10. The boys sat down on a bench.

XIII. Ask questions and answer them according to the model: They/to tell us/a fine story What did they tell us? They told us a fine story. 1. I/to eat/pears; 2. You/to drink/coffee; 3. Mother/to make/a cake; 4. We to read/the newspaper; 5. I/to write/a letter; 6. The children/to break/some plates; 7. The girl/to forget/her bag; 8. You/to do/an exercise; 9. I/to buy/a big house; 10. The boys/to take/the ball. XIV. Work on the model: He/to write the letter/yesterday/last week Did he write the letter yesterday ? No, he didn't write the letter yesterday. He wrote it last week. 1. You/to see the film/on Monday/on Tuesday; 2. The children/to run/in the street/in the garden; 3. The pupil/to do/two exercises/five exercises; 4. I/to drink/the milk/the coffee; 5. You/to shut the door/the window; 6. We/to speak/to the schoolmaster/to the form teacher; 7. The girls/to make/a cake/a pie; 8. This man/to drive/fast/slowly; 9. I/to take/the bus/the train; 10. You/to show her/the map/the picture. XV. Work on the model: When did you go to school ? At seven o'clock or at nine o'clock ? I didn't go to school at nine o'clock. I went to school at seven o'clock. 1. When did Tom read the letter? In the morning or in the afternoon? 2. Where did grandfather live? In a village or in a town? 3. When did I arrive at

the theatre? At 6 o'clock or at 7 o'clock? 4. What did you buy? A book or a record? 5. Where did Jane see the cat? In the room or in the garden? 6. What did you tell her? A joke or a story? 7. When did the children swim in the sea? In summer or in winter? 8. Where did the boy wash his hands? In the kitchen or in the bathroom ? 9. What did I sing? An English song or a French song? 10. When did you plant this tree? In spring or in summer? XVI. Work on the model: John missed the train. (to take a taxi) Didn't he take a taxi? 1. Hob got a bad mark. (to study) 2. Tom was very thirsty. (to drink water) 3. The boys played football. (to watch TV) 4. Judith broke a glass. (to be careful) 5. Martin lost his umbrella. (to leave it at school) 6. Her brother coughed. (to take the medicine) 7. The child was very tired. (to sleep the night before) 8. Catherine spent the week-end at home. (to go to the mountains) 9. The dogs were very hungry. (to eat that morning) 10. Peter had a terrible accident. (to obey the traffic rules) XVII. Work on the model: Has Jane taken off her coat ? (a minute ago) Yes, she took it off a minute ago. 1. Have your sisters laid the table? (ten minutes ago) 2. Has father come home?(an hour ago) 3. Have I repaired my car? (three days ago) 4. Have you sung this song? (five minutes ago) 5. Have we visited the Art Gallery? (two years ago) 6. Have the students read a new text? (three minutes ago) 7. Have I bought a new shirt? (two days ago) 8. Has Arthur given you nice

flowers? (half an hour ago) 9. Have you seen my brother? (an hour ago) 10. Have you hired a boat? (two weeks ago) XVIII. Work on the model: I haven't seen her for three days. It's three days since I (last) saw her. 1. They haven't written to me for three months. 2. Father hasn't smoked for five days. 3. We haven't been ill for a long time. 4. I haven't visited my friends for a week. 5. You haven't played the piano for over a year. 6. The Smiths haven't painted their house for years. 7. We haven't had such a good time for months. for three days. XIX. Turn into Indirect Speech: 1. "I am very tired today," said John. 2. "We have a large garden," the children explained. 3. "We are good at English," the girls told me. 4. "My mother has a new blouse," Tom said. 5. "I live in a new flat," I told her. 6. "We don't work on a farm," the women explained. 7. "She doesn't speak English very well," Peter let me know. 8. "I am not fond of tennis," Paul told his friend. 8. Martin hasn't gone on a trip for several months. 9. I haven't spoken to this man for some weeks. 10. You haven't bought bread

XX. Change the following sentences according to the model: They visited their grandparents on Sundays. They used to visit their grandparents on Sundays. 1. Mary wrote many letters. 2. We got up early. 3. You watched TV every evening. 4. Mother made good cakes on Saturdays. 5. I climbed trees in my childhood. 6. My sister played the piano every day. 7. Maggie opened these windows every morning. 8. You rang me up every day. 9. We went shopping every Friday. 10. I bought bread every morning. XXI. Work on the model: Do you often go to the theatre ? Not now. But I used to go to the theatre every week. 1. Does your father smoke? 2. Do you often speak French? 3. Do I often play tennis? 4. Does your friend often ring you up? 5. Do these young people often dance? 6. Do you often meet Mary? 7. Do I often come home late? 8. Does your mother often ask you such questions? 9. Do the girls often drink orange juice? 10. Do you often drink coffee? XXII. Work on the model: You/to play the violin You used to play the violin, but you don't any more. 1. I/to go to the concerts; 2. Our neighbours/to visit us; 3. You/to write poems; 4. Mike/to speak German; 5. We/to meet our friends; 6. I/to get up late; 7. It/to rain every day; 8. You/to eat ice-cream; 9. My father/to leave home early;10. I/to read adventure books.

XXIII. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense: 1. If I (to meet) her, I'd give her the dictionary. 2. We'd translate the text if we (to know) the new words. 3. You'd buy that book if you (to have) money. 4. My cousin would go to the doctor if he (to be) ill. 5. If she (to understand) you, she would answer your questions. 6. What would Alison do if she (to lose) her keys? 7. If you (to read) this letter, you would find out the truth. 8. If the rain (to stop), we would walk in the park. 9. You would see a good film if you (to go) to the cinema. XXIV. Work on the model: You/to speak German/Spanish A : Do you speak German ? B : No, I don't. I speak Spanish. A; What a pity! I wish you spoke German. 1. You/to play tennis/volleyball; 2. She/to live in a village/in a town; 3. They/to listen to folk music/light music; 4. You/to go to school by bus/on foot; 5. Your sister/to be healthy/ill; 6. The boys/to come here every day/on Friday; 7. You/to remember him/her; 8. Jack/to know Helen/Lucy; 9. The children/to eat oranges/plums; 10. You/to understand me/her. XXV. Translate into English: 1. Am cunoscut-o pe verioara ta n 1988. 2. Cnd Peter era tnr, alerga timp de o jumtate de or n fiecare diminea. 3. Cnd l-ai vzut ultima dat? 4. Am neles atunci ct de mult i iubea fratele. 5. E timpul ca ei s cunoasc adevrul. 6. A fi de prere s te duci acolo ct mai curnd posibil.

7. Mary recit poezii ca i cum ar fi o mare artist. 8. Ce ora ai vizitat anul trecut? situaie. 1.4. THE PAST TENSE CONTINUOUS I. Put in was or were: 1. I ... having dinner at 7 o'clock. 2. We ... skating happily at this time last winter. 3. You ... writing an exercise at this time yesterday. 4. She ... cooking at eleven o'clock on Saturday. 5. The children ... drinking milk at this time yesterday. 6. We ... swimming in the sea at this time last summer. 7. You ... doing your homework at five o'clock. 8. The girl... telling jokes at this time last Friday. 9. You ... working hard at ten o'clock. 10. He ... travelling to London at this time last Wednesday. 11. Turn the following sentences into the Past Tense Continuous: 1. I am reading a book now. 2. We are doing an exercise now. 3. You are eating an icecream now. 4. It is snowing now. 5. The children are making a snowman. 6. We are carrying some heavy bags. 7. Mother is shopping now. 8. You are swimming now. 9. The cat is running after a mouse. 10. The girls are laughing now. III. Turn the following sentences into the interrogative: 1. Mother was singing. 2. You were driving the car. 3. I was helping father. 4. We were crossing the street. 5. The girl was watching TV. 6. You were listening to a record. 7. The pupils were asking many questions. 8. I was shopping. 9. You were speaking English. 10. The boy was sleeping. IV. Turn the following sentences into the negative; 9. De-a ti adresa lui acum! 10. A dori s nelegei aceast

1. The children were laughing. 2. The man was waiting. 3. I was translating the lesson. 4. You were looking at the picture. 5. The girl was coming home. 6. I was learning a poem. 7. The boys were drawing red cars. 8. Mother was making the bed. 9. You were leaving the office. 10. We were buying fresh fruit. V. Explain what was going on when mother came home. Work on the model: Alice/to sweep the floor Alice was sweeping the floor when mother came home. 1. Father/to read a newspaper; 2. Tom and Jack/lo watch TV; 3. I/ to listen to the radio; 4. My sisters/to play in the garden; 5. You/to speak on the phone; 6. It/to rain; 7. My brothers/to repair the bicycle; 8. The cat/to sleep under the table; 9. Grandparents/to walk in the garden; 10. Our neighbour/to plant some trees. VI. Turn into Indirect Speech: 1. "The dog is barking," Tim told me. 2. "I am writing a letter," Jane explained. 3. "We are going on a long trip," the children said. 4. "I am listening to an English lesson," John said. 5. "Mother is sleeping," Jane let me know. 6. "The wind is blowing," the girl noticed. 7. "My brother is having breakfast," June told me. 8. "Susan is knitting," the boy said. 9. "Paul is just opening the door," Mary explained. 10. "My friends are talking now," Kate told her mother.

VII. Work on the model:

Did Paul make any mistakes? Oh, he was always making mistakes! 1. Did your friend complain? 2. Did my daughter look out of the window? 3. Did the boy contradict her? 4. Did Lucy eat icecream? 5. Did I tease you? 6. Did the cat break any cup? 7. Did Martha sleep during your lesson? 8. Did these girls quarrel? 9. Did June lose her pen? 10. Did Tim lie to you? The Past Tense Simple and the Past Tense Continuous I. Use the Past Tense Simple or the Past Tense Continuous of the verbs given in brackets according to the meaning: I. I (to go) to school yesterday when I (to see) a house on fire. 2. He (to meet) her as he (to cross) the bridge. 3. The mouse (to hide) while the cat (to watch). 4. I (to tell) him he should not read while he (to eat). 5. He (to run) in the street when he (to fall) and (to break) his leg. 6. She (not to like) to play while others (to work). 7. When I (to get up) this morning it (to be) so late that the sun (to shine) high in the sky. 8. I (to feel) ill when you (to come) to see me, but I (to feel) better when you (to leave). 9. He (not to see) me as he (to read) a book when I (to come) into the room. 10. I (to shout) to him to stop, but at the moment he (to run) too fast to hear. 11. She (not to go out) because the rain (to fall). 12. As I (to go) to the museum yesterday, a man (to refuse) to pay his ticket on the tram; so the conductor (to refuse) to go on, and (to wait) until the inspector (to come).

13. Mike (to read) a letter when father (to open) the door. 14. We (to have lunch) when the telephone (to ring). 15. As the sun (to set), we (to get) to the chalet. 16. What she (to wear) when you (to see) her? 17. I (to be) very surprised because nobody (to wait) for me. 18. We (to start) our conversation while we (to look) at that painting. 19. What they (to do) when they (to hear) that noise? 20. My friends (to arrive) just as the train (to leave) the station.

II. Translate into English: A. 1. Cnd am plecat de la poliie, Albert i soia lui nc mai vorbeau cu un poliist. 2. Ce se ntmpla n casa ta cnd am trecut pe la tine ieri sear? Am sunat la u, dar nu mi-a rspuns nimeni, dei se auzea muzic nuntru. 3. El dormea dus cnd fu trezit de un zgomot. Cobor scrile s vad ce se ntmpl. A neles c ceva nu era n regul, deoarece cinele ltra furios. 4. I-am pus aceast ntrebare de cteva ori, dar el nu m-a auzit fiindc citea ziarul. 5. Pe cnd mi cutam ochelarii, a sunat telefonul; n timp ce mergeam s rspund, cineva a btut la u; telefonul nc mai suna cnd am deschis ua, dar cnd m-am ntors, el s-a oprit. 6. Intenionam s te rog s m ajui, dar dormeai cnd am intrat n camera ta, aa c am renunat i am fcut totul singur.

7. Matilda cobora strada cnd vzu un om mbrcat ciudat. El purta o hain neagr, pantaloni roii, un pantof gri i altul verde. n mn i inea cravata i ciorapii. 8. E nc vie! Se neca, dar acest tnr a srit n ap i a salvat-o tocmai la timp. 9. Eu dormeam nc atunci cnd stewardesa a venit s ne spun c trecem peste Himalaya. M-am uitat pe fereastr i am fost surprins s vd c zburam deasupra unor muni att de nali. 10. Nu ne-am dus la teatru ieri deoarece nite prieteni de-ai notri veneau pe la noi la ora 7 seara. 11. Mi-am amintit de unde l cunosc pe acest om: am mprit camera cu el cnd eram studeni. Mereu deschidea fereastra, indiferent ct de frig era afar! B. Boierul se scul de pe divan, pi prin vpaia tremurtoare a lumnrilor, pe covoarele nflorite turceti, spre fereastra care da spre Rmnic. Ridic n sus jumtatea de jos a ferestrei i scoase afar capul. Noaptea era cald i pe cerul albastru nchis ardeau stropii de aur; pdurea tcea. Dinspre Rmnic venea un murmur de coarde; o melodie tainic parc mpresura cu o mreaj de descntece cetuia boierului. i o nluc rtcea pe malurile apei, purtat parc de durerea cntecului. Boierul i ntoarse privirile spre cealalt arip a curii. I s-a prut, ori a vzut o umbr alb la fereastra jupnesei? " (M. Sadoveanu, Cntecul de dragoste) C. Se aezar la mas i ncepur s-i taie fiecare buci mari din cei doi purcei de lapte rumeni pe care cele dou femei tocmai i aduseser pe tvi. tefan mnca, dar o urmrea fr s se uite pe Luchi i nu era atent la

conversaia care ncepuse s devin nsufleit. Nu nelegea de ce chipul ei exprima o fericire att de vie, fiindc la mijloc nu puteau fi cei doi care ddeau semne c o cunosc i sunt familiari cu ea. De cteva ori observase c se uita la ei fr s-i vad i i asculta fr s dea semne c e cel puin atent la ceea ce i se spune... La ce era ea atunci atent? La ce se gndea? Chipul ei lumina din interior att de intens! Ce era n sufletul ei? Deodat tefan ridic paharul i fu pe punctul de a-i face o urare de unul singur, din simpatie, s-i exprime acest brusc sentiment care i npdise inima." (Marin Preda, Delirul) D. Vznd el cum se stinge, ncetul cu ncetul, i cum nimic n-o mai poate abate din visarea ei, se ofilea i el, visnd cum ar putea s gseasc floarea nevzut..." (Dimitrie Anghel, Jertfa)