AN UNLUCKY DAY PAST TENSE

 

Exercise 1: The "Unlucky Day" (Contextual Gap-Fill)

Focus: Mastering common irregular verbs (get, have, go, see, take, find).

Complete the story by putting the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple.

Yesterday (be) __________ a total disaster. I (get) __________ up late because my alarm clock (not/go) __________ off. I (have) __________ a quick shower and (run) __________ to the bus stop, but I (see) __________ the bus leaving right as I arrived. I (decide) __________ to take a taxi, but it (take) __________ forever to find one. When I finally (arrive) __________ at work, I (find) __________ out that the meeting (be) __________ cancelled anyway!

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Exercise 2: Sentence Transformation (Negative & Interrogative)

Focus: Using the auxiliary verb "did" correctly with regular and irregular forms.

Rewrite the following affirmative sentences into Negatives and Questions.

1. They bought a new car last week.

   • Negative: __________________________________________________

   • Question: __________________________________________________

2. Sarah stayed at home on Saturday.

   • Negative: __________________________________________________

   • Question: __________________________________________________

3. We ate pizza for dinner.

   • Negative: __________________________________________________

   • Question: __________________________________________________

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Exercise 3: The "Memory Lane" Match-Up

Focus: Recognizing irregular forms and applying them to real-life tasks.

Part A: Match the Present Simple verb to its Past Simple irregular partner.

Present	Past
1. Buy	A. Thought
2. Think	B. Wrote
3. Write	C. Bought
4. Give	D. Left
5. Leave	E. Gave

Reading: The Whispering Attic (A2-B1 Version)

The rain was very heavy. It hit the windows of the old house with a loud noise. Elias moved into his grandfather’s home two days ago. The house was very quiet and he felt a bit lonely.

At midnight, he heard a strange sound. It was not the wind. It was a "thud-scrape" noise from the attic above his room. Elias was scared, but he took his flashlight and walked up the old stairs.

The attic door was open. The air smelled like old metal. He pushed the door and shone his light inside. In the corner, a dusty chair moved slowly. But nobody was there! Suddenly, his flashlight stopped working. It was completely dark. Then, a cold hand touched his face, and a voice whispered:

"You are in my chair."

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 Worksheet: The "Past Simple" Masterclass

1. Grammar Spotlight: Find the Verbs

Look at the story again. Can you find four regular verbs and four irregular verbs?

Regular (-ed)	Irregular (Special form)
1. ___________	1. ___________
2. ___________	2. ___________
3. ___________	3. ___________
4. ___________	4. ___________

2. Task-Based Activity: The Interviewer

Imagine Elias escaped the house and went to the police. Write the questions the police officer asked him using the prompts below.

• Example: (What time / the noise / start?) $\rightarrow$ What time did the noise start?

1. (What / you / hear?) __________________________________________________

2. (you / see / a ghost?) _________________________________________________

3. (Why / you / go / to the attic?) __________________________________________

4. (the door / be / locked?) ______________________________________________

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1. 
   The "What Happens Next?" Discussion: Talk for 1 minute about what Elias did after the hand touched his face. Did he run? Did he scream? Did he fight?

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 Writing Activity: Change the Ending

The story ended in a very scary way. Now, rewrite the last paragraph (30-50 words) to make it funny or happy.

Requirements:

• Use the negative form "didn't".

• Use the verb "gave".

• Use the verb "laughed".

Example Idea: Maybe it wasn't a ghost. Maybe it was his grandfather playing a joke!

created by A.I.