Grammar

THERE WAS / THERE WERE

 It is used to say that something existed or took place.

There was is for singular:

   - There was a chair in the living room.

   - These wasn't a bathroom in the mall.

   - Was there a computer in that classroom?

There were is for plural:

   - There were (some,many) chairs.

   - There were (some, many) good teachers in that institute.

   - There weren't (any, many) apples in the fridge.

   - Were there (any, many) books on the desk?

Now, do the following exercises about the Past Simple 

1. Complete the passage with the correct form of There was/ There were. (FILL IN THE GAPS)

1.- I lived on a big farm. _________ many slaves.

2.- Every day, ________ a lot of work, I worked from morning till night in the fields.

3.- _________ any time to rest. Life was bad. I only worked and slept.

4.-___________ any holidays for the slaves. We worked on Christmas Day and other holidays.

5.-__________ one happy day? No, there wasn’t. So one day, I ran away.

2. Order the given words to create correct sentences. (WRITE SENTENCES)

Rain  there week?  last  was any

1.-___________________________

Many  disco  weren’t  night   no,  people  last   the  at  there

2.-___________________________________

Party  a  last  there  great  was  night

3.-__________________________________

Lot  classroom   students   there  the   were   in  a   of

4.-_________________________________

Any  was   ice  there on  menu?   the  cream

5.-__________________________________

THE PAST SIMPLE

The Simple Past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.

Form of the Simple Past

Form the Simple Past:
   - with regular verbs: infinitive + -ed 
   - with irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs

Affirmative sentences:

Use the same form of the verb every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I played football.	I went to the supermarket.

Negative sentences:

Use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of do) every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I did not play football.	I did not go to the supermarket.

NOTE: Short forms in negative sentences in the Simple Past are used quite often.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I didn't play football.	I didn't go to the supermarket.

  

Questions:

Use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of do) every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
Did you play football?	Did I go to the supermarket?

In the Simple Past we add -ed to regular verbs. Be careful pronuncing the verbs:

1) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiceless consonant [p, k, f, ʃ, ʧ, s, θ]
  -> speak [t].

The -e is silent. Example: I stop - I stopped [stɒpt]

2) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiced consonant [b, g, v, ʒ, ʤ, z, ð, l, m, n] or a vowel
  -> speak [d].

The -e is silent. Example: I clean - I cleaned [kli:nd]

3) verbs ending in -ed preceded by [t] or [d]
  -> speak [ɪd].

The -e changes to [ɪ]. Example: I visit - I visited [vɪzɪtɪd]

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

Examples:

·    Jerry used to study English.

·    Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.

·    I used to start work at 9 o'clock.

·    Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

"Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.

Examples:

·    I used to live in Paris.

·    Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.

·    George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.

·    Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.

"Used to" vs. Simple Past

Both Simple Past and "Used to" can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations; however, "used to" is preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in positive sentences. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.

Examples:

·    You used to play the piano.

·    Did you play the piano when you were young?

·    You did not play the piano when you were young.

Now, do the following exercises about the Past Simple 

1. Complete the text with a verb from the box in the Past Simple. (FILL IN THE GAPS)

Fall      Laugh      Lose      Celebrate      Can’t (past=couldn’t)  Find      Spend      Need      Save      Break      Leave

  

1.- He _________ his way and __________sixteen hours in sub-zero temperatures.

2.- My friends __________at me for having so much survival equipment, but it _________my life.

3.-He ________the hostel at ten o’clock in the morning.

4.- I _________off a rock and ________my left leg.

5.- I _________move.

6.- Mountain rescue teams ________ him at nine o’clock the next morning.

7.- A helicopter __________him to hospital.

8.- He ________ several operations.

2. Copy and complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple. (FILL IN THE GAPS)

1.- Last week, we _______(visit) the Altamira Cave.

2.- He ________ (not call) me last night.

3.- We __________(walk) on the beach yesterday.

4.- They _________ (not go) to the mountains last weekend.

5.- On Saturday, we ________(take) a plane for the first time.

3. Rewrite the sentences. Use used to + verb. (WRITE SENTENCES)

1.- I travelled a lot when I  was young.

2.- We went to Spain every year.

3.- Patrick never liked camping at school.

4.- Anne had long hair.

5.- You didn’t go to America.

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