Beginners’ English: Past tense exercises

7th July 2020

Grammar: verbs

Good list of 100 verbs in 3 forms at: https://www.linguasorb.com/english/verbs/most-common-verbs/

Learn English Online | British Council

Grammar – verb practice

Let’s start to use more verbs. Here’s the 15 most common:

infinite / present / past / past participle (verb 3)

1 to be am / was / been

are / were / been

2 to have have / had / had

3 to do do did done

4 to say say / said / said

5 to go go / went / gone

6 to get get / got / gotten

7 to make make / made / made

8 to know know /knew / known

9 to think think / thought / thought

10 to take take / took / taken

11 to see see / saw / seen

12 to come come / came / come

13 to want want / wanted / wanted

14 to use use / used / used

15 to find find / found / found

Past Tense Exercise

1. He (walk) to school yesterday.

He WALKED  to school yesterday.


2. They (do) their homework last night.

They ——-  their homework last night.


3. You (are) lazy last week.

You ——- lazy last week.


4. That woman (buy) a new book this morning.

That woman  ——– a new book this morning.


5. The janitor (clean) the blackboard yesterday.

The janitor  ——–  the blackboard yesterday.


6. My mother (cook) food yesterday.

My mother  ——– food yesterday.


7. This morning my teacher (teach) English.

This morning my teacher  ———-  English.


8. I (am) hungry yesterday.

I  ——- hungry yesterday.


9. The gardener (cut) the trees last month.

The gardener ———— the trees last month.


10. She (drink) milk this morning.

She  ——— milk this morning.


11. Last month the man (ride) a horse.

Last month the man ——–  a horse.


12. Sam (go) to Hong Kong last year.

Sam  ——- to Hong Kong last year.


13. The birds (fly) in the sky this morning.

The birds  ——— in the sky this morning.


14. I (know) Tom’s sister last year.

I  ——– Tom’s sister last year.


15. The joiner (make) tables and chairs yesterday.

The joiner  —— tables and chairs yesterday.


16. The farmer (grow) rice last year.

The farmer ——–  rice last year.


17. Two weeks ago the boy (has) a new bicycle.

Two weeks ago the boy  ——- a new bicycle.


18. He (feel) happy yesterday.

He  ——- happy yesterday.


19. We (work) hard last week.

We  ——– hard last week.


20. The students (meet) in the hall last week.

The students  ——– in the hall last week.
Asian female drinking milk stock photo © WONG SZE FEI (szefei ...
She drank milk

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He rode a horse and played guitar
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They went to Hong Kong

NOW make short sentences or stories from these exercises.

A. Complete the sentences, put the verb into the correct form, positive or negative. (simple past tense) 

1. It was warm, so I  off my coat. (take)

2. The film wasn’t very good. I  it very much. (enjoy)

3. I knew Sarah was very busy, so I  her. (disturb)

4. I was very tired, so I  to bed early. (go)

5. The bed was very uncomfortable. I  very well. (sleep)

6. Sue wasn’t hungry, so she  anything. (eat)

7. We went to Kate’s house but she  at home. (be)

8. It was a funny situation but nobody  (laugh)

9. The window was open and a bird  into the room. (fly)

10. The hotel wasn’t very expensive. It  very much. (cost)

11. I was in a hurry, so I  time to phone you. (have)

12. It was hard work carrying the bags. They  very heavy. (be)

Slight Hitch after birds tern on the island twitchers | UK | News ...
In this film, many birds flew into a room



B. Complete the exercise with the verbs inside the box. (simple past tense)

buycatchcostdrink
fallhurtsellspend
teachthrowwinwrite

1. Mozart  more than 600 pieces of music. Mozart WROTE more than 600 pieces of music

  1. ‘How did you learn to drive?’ ‘My father ——- me.’ 

    3. We couldn’t afford to keep our car, so we  ——– it. 

    4. I was very thirsty. I  the ——– water very quickly.

    5. Paul and I played tennis yesterday. He’s much better than me, so he ——–

     easily. 

    6. Don ——– down the stairs this morning and  his leg.

    7. Jim  ——– the ball to Sue, who ——–  it.

    8. Ann ——–  a lot of money yesterday. She  ——– a dress. It   ——– 100.

Past Tense

What did you do last night ?

Last night, I listened to music and played computer games.

Regular verbs add -ed:

Verb+ed
For example:
want+ed→ wanted
work+ed→ worked
Verb, ending in –e+d
For example:
dance+d→ danced
live+d→ lived
Verbs, ending in –y: y → i + ed
(* There are exceptions (for example played) )
For example:
cry→ cried
try→ tried
One vowel verb: double the consonant
For example:
stop → stopped
blog → blogged

Good verb list here: https://www.linguasorb.com/english/verbs/most-common-verbs/

Black Young Man Listening Music and Dancing by Stockland on Envato ...
Last night he listened to music and played computer games

irregular verbs – no rules.

Present – Past / Present – Past / Present – Past

I am – I was / begin – began / have – had

eat – ate / go – went / drive – drove

tell – told / hear – heard / catch – caught

buy – bought / write- wrote / see – saw

Listening: How many past tense verbs ?

Yesterday, I went to visit my friend. We played badminton then walked in the park.

After, we ate lunch and drank beer. Later, I bought coffee and wrote some emails.

Corrections: Write in the past tense

I (am) born in London and (arrive) in Viet Nam in 2015. I (work) as teacher in District 1 and 3 but I (want) to work near my home. Last week, my friend (have) a party. She (dance) all night and I (hear) her singing. In the morning, she (catch) a plane and (go) to Thailand.

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Welcome to Thailand

Beginners’ English: The passed is past – pronunciation guide

7th July 2020

Meet Tara Houska, Native American advisor to presidential hopeful ...

A quick blog to help with pronunciation.

In English, verb can be regular or irregular.

Regular verbs add -ed or -d in the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

I walk to work // I WALKED to work

I play guitar // I PLAYED guitar

She smiles on TV / She SMILED on TV

They dance in T-ara // They DANCED in T-ara

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-ed past tense verbs pronunciation

Words have 3 end sounds:

‘t’

‘d

‘id’

If the word ends with: 

ch / f / k / p / s / sh / thi – The sound is ‘t’ look = ‘lookt’

t /or / d/ – The sound is ‘id’ visit – ‘visitid’

Other sounds are ‘d’ bang = ‘bangd’

What is the correct pronunciation for these regular verbs ?

Look = Looked / laugh = laughed / end = 

beg = / visit = kiss = 

brush = / breath = love =

Read these sentences:

He cleared up the mess / He rolled up the newspaper / I have visited India

No Homework ! That sounded good / Teacher shouted, ‘No way !’

We all worked hard today / Tom talked so much / 

The students played many games and laughed.

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They have visited India

Beginners’ English: I was reading your blog – Past continuous

2nd July 2020

Past Continuous

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Talking, laughing, dancing and drinking

Subject + was / were + verb ing

I was reading a book

You were taking a rest

At the party, we were singing, playing music, eating, drinking, talking and laughing.

USES:

Something was happening in the past

When I came to class, teacher was playing music.

[The teacher was ALREADY playing]

How to Teach Children to Play Guitar

Compare with Past Simple:

When I got to class, teacher played music

[Teacher started playing AFTER I arrived]

Something was happening in the past:

Last night, I was reading the news.

Something that happens all the time OR a long time ago:

They are always shouting at each other [happens all the time].

A Wife Caught Her Husband Boarding a Plane with His Mistress

When he was young, he was always playing piano [a long time ago].

The Piano Boy: This 10-year-old's playing skills will shock you ...

Practice:

When I phoned my friends, they (play)———-Monopoly.

When I phoned my friends, they were playing Monopoly.

  1. Yesterday at six I (prepare)————–dinner.
  2. The kids (play)——in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.
  3. I (practice)———–the guitar when he came home.
  4. We (not / cycle)———all day.
  5. While Alan (work)——–in his room, his friends (swim) ——-in the pool.
  6. I tried to tell them the truth but they (not / listen )————-.
  7. What (you / do)———–yesterday?
  8. Most of the time we (sit)——–in the park.
  9. I (listen)———to the radio while my sister (watch)————-TV.
  10. When I arrived, they (play)————–cards.
  11. We (study)———English yesterday at 4:00 pm .

Beginners’ English: ‘Have to’ or ‘must’ ?

1st July 2020

Two Asian College Girls Doing Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty ...

‘must’ or ‘have to’

‘have’ is a main verb, ‘must’ is a modal auxiliary verb

have can be followed by to + verb, and can be used in different tenses 

e.g. I have to go home

He has to do his homework

I had to write two reports (past tense)

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We have to wear a face mask

‘must’ is an auxiliary verb so:

is followed by a main verb

is never used with ‘to’

I must exercise NOT I must to exercise

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They must keep fit, they must exercise

‘have to’

an obligation made by someone else

‘must’

an obligation made by yourself

I have to get a visa to enter China OR not allowed into China

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I must do more exercise [This is MY choice, not forced.]

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I must do more exercise … I must do A LOT more exercise. I must stop eating pizza and pasta !

‘have to’

Sub + have to + infinite

POSITIVE: She has to try harder

NEGATIVE: He does not have to work tomorrow

QUESTION: Do you have to be so noisy ?

‘must’

Sub + must + base verb

I must sleep soon

You must go shopping

He must be nicer to his sister

Negative: Students must not (mustn’t) cheat in class

Question: Must we visit your family ?

Exercises: (answers at end of blog)

1. Yesterday I ________ finish my geography project.

 must
 mustn’t
 had to

2. She will ________ wait in line like everyone else.

 must
 have to
 has to

3. All employees ________ on time for work.

 must be
 mustn’t
 have to

4. We ________ forget to take the chicken out of the freezer.

 have to not
 must
 mustn’t

5. If you are under 13 you _____ to get your parents’ permission.

 have
 must
 musn’t

6. Your daughter may ________ try on a few different sizes.

 have to
 had to
 must

7. You _____ get here as soon as you can.

 must
 mustn’t
 have to

8. Do you _____ work next weekend?

 have to
 must
 mustn’t

9. Bicyclists _____ remember to signal when they turn.

 mustn’t
 must
 has to

10. Angela, you _____ leave your clothes all over the floor like this.

 mustn’t
 must
 have to

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ANSWERS

1 had to // 2 had to // 3 must be // 4 mustn’t // 5 have // 6 have to // 7 must // 8 have to // 9 must // mustn’t //

Beginners’ English: Introducing yourself

25th June 2020

Saying Hello To Students From Home Stock Image - Image of students ...
Happy Student Greeting A Friend Stock Photo - Image of beige ...

Introducing youself:

Hello, my name is Paul and I’m from London. I’m an English teacher, and I have been in Vietnam for about 2 years. My hobbies are reading books, watching films and listening to music. In Vietnam, I have been to Ha Noi and Hue and I really want to visit Hoi An and Halong Bay.

about: with time. I have been studying English for about 6 months.

really: adverbs I am happy / I am really happy – stronger and more interesting

continuous verbs: I like to read / I like reading / She likes to read

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She likes reading

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They like watching movies

SOLO ARTIST | IU

She likes listening to music

Introduce yourself, and answer the questions:

Name

What is your hometown ?

How long have you lived in your town or city ?

What are your hobbies ?

Where do you want to visit ?

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Istanbul, Turkey
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present perfect: 

sub + have/has + verb 3 (past participle)

I have visited Ha Noi

She has eaten Thai food

We have seen Barcelona play football

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She has eaten Thai food

Look out for plurals and 3rd person verb endings

I like sports / he loves cooking /

I don’t like smoking / She doesn’t like smoking

I like playing computer games/ reading books/ watching films.

He likes playing football / going to the park / studying English

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Beginners’ English: What’s it for ?

25th June 2020

What is it for ?

What is a knife for ? 

Japanese Masamune Kitchen Gyuto Chef's Knife 180mm 7.1 inch ...

A knife is for cutting meat and fish and also vegetables as well as fruit and not forgetting bread. 

We link ideas with conjunctives – and / as well as / and not forgetting

What is a spoon for ? What’s a spoon for ?

Pronounced “Whatsa spoon for ?”

Vintage Aluminium Kitchen Spoon Large USSR Soviet Soup | Etsy

A spoon’s for eating as well as stirring drinks and not forgetting cooking.

High Quality Stock Photos of "coffee"

What are they ? They are / They’re scissors (siszerss)

Scissors - Wikipedia

What are they for ?

Scissors are for cutting paper and cutting hair as well as cutting chili and not forgetting shirts and material.

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A vegetable peeler is for peeling vegetables but also for peeling fruit such as mango or apple and peach and nectarine.

We use ‘such as‘ to give examples:

I love spicy food such as Thai, Mexican and Korean

까니짱 G-NI - Eating Korean spicy fried chicken drumsticks | Facebook

Beginners’ English: Sentence building

24th June 2020

A lesson is how to use an auxiliary (or helping) verb, and then make your answers longer by using simple adjectives.

Today, we use the verb ‘like’

A simple question is:

What do you like? Learn food vocabulary | English Lesson 11 - YouTube

I like ice cream or I like fruit

To make your sentences longer:

I like strawberry or chocolate ice cream.

I like all fruit. My favourites are apples and bananas.

Now … Your Turn

Ask your friend or tell me, What do you like ?

I like …

Match the answers with the pictures:

keeping fit

drinking beer

shoes

shopping

cakes

Now make your sentences longer:

I + like + verbing + noun

I like buying shoes / I like eating cakes /

I like ___________ beer / I like ________ shopping

Do you go alone or with friends ?

I like going shopping with my sister

I like drinking beer with my ______

I like keeping fit with my _________

I like eating cakes with my _____

Finally, tell we where you like to do these things ?

Look how long the sentences are now !

I like to drink beer with my friends in the beergarden.

I like to go shopping with my friend at the market.

I like to eat cakes with my _______ at the _________

I like to buy shoes with my _______ (where ?)

where can people buy shoes today ?

Market / shop / Mall / Online / Store

Beginners’ English:Grammar exercises

23rd June 2020

Information for applicants from Vietnam - Queen Mary University of ...

Grammar

Tenses

  1. past
  2. present
  3. future

infinite verb = to + base verb (NO tense).

I + like + infinite verb + object

I like to play guitar // I love to listen to music //

I + like + verb+ing + object: I love playing guitar

Asian woman playing the guitar | The girl playing the guitar… | Flickr

NEVER – I like to listening to music

Tell me about yourself:

At university, my major was accounting and I have worked for 8 years.

Boy = son Girl = daughter.

I have one son, who is 3 and one daughter who is 1.

My manager is a lady (or woman) and she is professional, very friendly and nice. She has short black hair and an oval-shaped face. Usually, she wears a short black dress. My manager, whose name is Dung, always helps and supports me.

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Pho is the traditional food of VN. It is soup with noodles, meat (beef, chicken), vegetables and herbs. It can be spicy if we add chilis. It comes with fresh herbs, vegetables and lime.

New idiom: bear with me= please wait a very short time.

My friend is a 29 year-old man. He has an oval-shaped face and short black hair. He is not very tall, he is quite short. However, he is very friendly and funny.

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Adjectives– size then colour.

He has a large black bag. She plays a big brown guitar

adverbs– very, (a lot) quite (a little)

London is very expensive. Bangkok is quite cheap

exterior / interior = outside / inside

I went on holiday to Singapore with my friend. We went to a shopping mall and visited some museums and enjoyed the food. Seafood at Singapore is very cheap compared to Viet Nam and it was very delicious. I bought some clothes and shoes for my baby. We stayed for four days and the flight took two hours. I will return and revisit the shopping mall.

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Shopping mall, Singapore

Dialogue

Two friends are in a coffee shop

Cath This is a great cup of coffee ! Ok, what shall we do next ?

Di I have to run to the bank. I need to deposit some money.

Cath Good idea, I wanted to use an ATM. I also need to buy some dollars.

Di You can check the exchange rate at my bank. It’s not far, we can walk. 

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Quick questions: How was your weekend ?

My weekend was quite fun.

How about (tell me about) the evening ?

We watched TV and listened to some music. I like V-Pop

I like K-pop very much OR I really like K-pop.

Directions

Where is the bank? Where’s the bank ?

How do I get to the park?

Is there an ATM nearby ?

Go straight

Turn left or turn right

turn around

keep going until you …..

take the second turning on your left

cross the road / street by the ….

go as far as the …… then ….

It’s opposite the …

We are at the bus station and we need coffee ! 

Is there a coffee shop nearby ?

Yes, turn left then go straight and keep going and it’s on your left.

Excuse me, where is the hospital, please ?

Yes, go straight and then turn left on second avenue keep going straight , the hospital is opposite the park.

Answer these two questions:

I have finished work at school. I need to go to the police station but I don’t know the area.

Xin loi, sorry, I don’t speak Vietnamese. I must go to the police station but I don’t know this area.

Adverbs

so / very / extremely / incredibly

It is hot = it is so hot !

What did you do ? Past tense

On Saturday I drank beer and ate seafood for example, I had shrimp (prawn), octopus, fish, squid. We had lots of fun. Some people drank about six beers but I only drank a little.

Travelling to Thailand

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In Thailand, the food is extremely hot (spicy) because they use a lot of chilis.

My Sony camera is very good (excellent) because the picture quality and colours are very clear.

The lens can zoom in 50 metres. The camera was reasonably-priced however, if you buy more lenses, the price increases.

I’m going to take pictures NOT I’m going to taking pictures

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Sawass dee ka from Thailand

Beginners’ English: Let’s start building

5th June 2020

Sentence Building

A blog to help beginners start to speak and write in longer sentences.

Who / Doing / What / When / Where / Why What do you do … When … Why ?

Old Chinese women can't stop won't stop dancing in the streets ...

I exercise in the morning at home to be healthy.

The Story Behind the "Happiest Man in China" Photo

He eats rice … When … Where

NOW … Your Turn

He (what is he doing // where is he doing it // why ? He feels …)

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She

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We

Traveling to the Baltic Sea (Germany) on a Budget

They

Barcelona Market - Best Markets in Barcelona -

ANSWERS

I exercise in the morning at home to be healthy.

He eats rice at lunch time on the steps because he’s very hungry !

He plays in the garden to practice. He feels very happy.

She teaches at a school because she’s an English teacher.

We travel every week to the beach because it’s hot and quiet and fun.

They are shopping in the market in Barcelona because the food is very fresh.

Ask each other: when do you go shopping ? What do you buy ?

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What a choice of beers ! My favourite is Pilsner Urquel, second shelf up, on the left

I go shopping at the weekend because …

I shop in the in the afternoon because …

I shop on Monday mornings because …

Verbs

Choose from these, or add your own. Good list of 100 verbs in all tenses at:

http://www.linguasorb.com/english/verbs/most-common-verbs/

Make short sentences using modal verb ‘like’ and ‘need’.

to practise // to dance // to study // to shop // to cook // to travel // to shout // to order // to book

I like to dance on Saturday nights

I need to study English

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student-shouting-first-day-of-class - desinema

Adding information

Use adjectives (describe the noun) or adverbs (describe the verb)

I saw a man begging

I saw a poor old man desperately begging for money.

We heard a girl playing piano

He likes to walk in the park

She thought the museum was interesting

I hated the film

My cat eats fish.

Adding a reason

I hate coffee because it keeps me awake

I only eat healthy food because

Although I find Burger King very tasty, I avoid eating there because

(I find = I think something is  //avoid= keep away from)

Internet cafes are very convenient but you should be careful because

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Solar-powered cyber cafe in Nairobi, Kenya

To disagree: Formal with multiple reasons

Example: You can just use an internet cafe to book your ticket.

I disagree for the following reasons. Firstly,

I disagree for the following reasons. Firstly, I don’t think it’s a good idea to enter my personal data on a public server and secondly, I don’t know who’s watching me. 

Beginners’ English: Short dialogues.

5th June 2020

BEGINNERS Conversations

Two women on lunch break meet in urban park - Stock Video Footage ...

Two women meet in the city centre

Anna Excuse me, do you speak English ? 

Jane Yes, I speak a little English. 

Anna Sorry, I don’t speak Vietnamese (or Arabic, Spanish, etc)

Jane Are you English ?

Anna No, I am American. Nice to meet you.

Jane Nice to meet you too.

Pronunciation of the schwa / ə/ sound: mother / teacher / banker / banana

Conversation

11 Things You Should Know About Vietnamese Culture

Two women meet at a street restaurant

Lyn Do you understand English ? 

Mia Sorry, I don’t understand English. 

Lyn I understand a little Vietnamese. 

Mia What’s your job ?

Lyn I’m a teacher. What’s your job ? 

Mia I’m a doctor

[Culture note – in English, we always say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ & ‘sorry’]