Grammar (6): The Simple Past
(Level: Elementary to Pre-Intermediate / A2 to B1 / * to **)


Form:
Two types of verbs

1. Regular verbs

       + ED (to the infinitive)        

   work  ----  worked          answer --- answered           ask --- asked


        + D (to the infinitive ending in -e)

   love ---- loved                like  ---- liked

 

The rules about doubling the final consonant when adding -ing also apply when adding -ed (if the consonant is preceded by a short vowel)                          


   stop ----  stopped          chat ----  chatted          
  travel --- travelled (in British English) /  traveled (in American English)
  admit --- admitted (double 't' because stress on second syllable)
  BUT: happen --- happened (one 'n' because stress on first syllable)




The verbs ending in -y following a consonant change the y into i before -ed

    carry -----  carried           bury  -----  buried

  BUT : obey ---- obeyed          survey – surveyed          enjoy --- enjoyed

Example of a regular verb (to work) in the simple past
Note the use of DID + S + infinitive (questions) and DID NOT / DIDN'T + infinitive (negations)!

positive	negative	negative  (contractions)	interrogative
I worked You worked He / She  worked We worked You worked They worked	I did not work You did not work He / She did not work We did not work You did not work They did not work	I didn’t work You didn’t work He / She didn’t work We didn’t work You didn’t work They didn’t work	Did I work? Did you work? Did he / she work? Did we work? Did you work? Did they work?

The -ed (or -d) form is used only in positive sentences!


2. Irregular verbs

a) Auxiliaries and among them...

-BE

positive	negative	negative (contractions)	Interrogative
I was You were He / She was We were You were They were	I was not You were not He / She was not We were not You were not They were not	I wasn’t You weren’t He / She wasn’t We weren’t You weren’t They weren’t	Was I? Were you? Was he / she? Were we? Were you? Were they?

-CAN

Present +	Present -	Idem (contr.)	Present ?	Past +	Past -	Idem (contr.)	Past ?
I  / You / He / She / We / You / They  can	I  / You / He / She / We / You / They cannot	I  / You / He / She / We / You / They   can’t	Can I? Can you? Can he? Can we? Can you? Can they?	I  / you / he / she / we / you / they could	I  / you / he / she / we / you / they could  not	I  / You / He / She / We / You / They  couldn’t	Could I Could you? Could he? Could we? Could you? Could they?

 
b) the strong verbs

speak ----- spoke     eat ---- ate       have ---- had       see ----saw  

positive	negative	negative (contractions)	interrogative
I spoke          You spoke     He spoke       We spoke      You spoke     They spoke	I did not speak You did not speak He did not speak We did not speak You did not speak They did not speak	I didn’t speak You didn’t speak He didn’t speak We didn’t speak You didn’t speak They didn’t speak	Did I speak? Did you speak? Did he speak? Did we speak? Did you speak? Did they speak?

The irregular simple past forms of strong verbs are used only in positive sentences!
In negative sentences, you need DID NOT / DIDN'T  + infinitive
In interrogative sentences, you need to use the structure DID + S + infinitive

BUT not for the auxiliaries: see CAN and BE above!

Here is two lists of irregular / strong verbs including archaic forms.
It may be time for you to have a good recap!

http://jiel.b.free.fr/languages_doc/englishstrongverbs.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_irregular_verbs



Use:

The Simple Past is used when two conditions are systematically fulfilled:

a)      The action (or event) is finished
b)      You know exactly when the action (or event) took place

 

She phoned me one hour ago.
When did you see her?  / I saw her yesterday.
I met them last night.
How long ago did you write your essay?  I wrote it two days ago.
When did you have your car repaired?  I had it repaired last week.
When did you last go to the cinema?   I last went to the cinema last month.
When did she meet her boyfriend?  She met him when she was a student.
They got married in 1995.
I didn’t see my friends last weekend when I went to the football match.
He didn’t see his parents for four years. 
How long were you a student?   I was a student for four years, between 1983 and 1987.




 

Past time phrases
Prepositions

at
- for points of time in the past

What did you do at six o'clock?
She was in the office at 10.30.
I went shopping at the end of last week.
She saw her parents at the end of last month.

on
- for days and dates in the past

What did you do on Monday / on 15th May / on Wednesday 3rd June?
I phoned her on Tuesday / I moved out  on 2 September.

in
- for other periods of time (in the past)

She was on holiday in July.
The accident happened in 2009.



No prepositions

- with last

They phoned us last month / last week / last weekend / last Friday ...

- with time adverbials / phrases yesterday / the day before yesterday

 I saw her yesterday.

- ago (used to measure time back from now)

I met my best friends 26 years ago.
 

 

          I met my best friends 30 years ago               NOW  ( = 2013)              

                                (in 1983)

          ......................ò...........................................................ò.........

                                       

         
                    

Pronunciation of final -ed:

Pronunciation of final –ed: /t/; /d/ or /Id/

                            

Verb ending	Pronunciation	Examples
- Voiced consonants /b/; /g /; /m/ ; /n/ ; / dʒ / ...   - Vowels   - Diphthongs	/d/	played cleaned breathed phoned showed begged saved
- Voiceless consonants  /p/; /s/; /k/; /ʃ/; ...	/t/	stopped missed rushed asked fetched
- Final /t/ or /d/	/Id/	wanted demanded

 




























DRILLS (+ SEE FURTHER: Additional exercises)

1
Find the Simple Past form of the following regular verbs and write the way the ending is pronounced. Make sure you know how to pronounce the infinitive!

match 
kiss
breathe
delete
fetch
delay
dub
listen
look
rush
telephone
download
repair
fell
walk
pack
dim
deploy
call
cough
laugh
grasp
recover
rip
clean

2
Find the Simple past form (affirmative)

1.      He (answer)                                       the question. 

2.      They (be) ________________ elsewhere yesterday.

3.      You (ask)                                 a stupid question.

4.      They (call)                                us.

5.      We (leave)                               at 10pm.

6.      She (come)                                        to see you.

7.      They (go)                                 home late.

8.      She (forget)                                       her name.

9.      I (know)                                   why she didn’t want to see me.

10.    The police (catch) __________________ the murderer before he (can)

          _________________ kill again.

11.     He (see) ____________ me and (recognise) _________________ me at once.

 

3
Make negative sentences

1.      They collected postcards.                                                       

2.      You jumped high.                                                                  

3.      Fiona visited her grandma.                                                    

4.      You were thirsty.                                                                   

5.      I bought bread.                                                                     

6.      You saw the house.                                                               

7.      He caught the ball.                                                                

8.      She wrote short stories. _______________________________

9.      They drove all day long. _______________________________

10.     I got lost. __________________________________________

11.     She downloaded lots of films. __________________________

 

12.     I met an old friend of mine. ____________________________


4

Make questions

1.         She pushed her trolley.

                                                                                                                     

2.         She carried a suitcase.

                                                                                                                      

3.         We waited in the car park.

                                                                                                                     

4.         The police arrested the murderer.

                                                                                                                      

5.         We ate fish and chips.

                                                                                                                      

6.         She watched a film last weekend.

                                                                                                                      

7.         She asked her mum because she wanted to know how to use the machine.

                                                                                                                      

8.         I opened the window.

                                                                                                                      

9.         His dad was operated on last week. 

                                                                                                                      

10.       She wanted a  car.

                                                                                                                     



Answer keys: see further





Additional exercises

Here are a few interesting sites to go to so as to practise the Simple Past (regular and irregular verbs). Have fun!


Simple Past of to be
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?03

Simple Past - Positive sentences
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?04

Simple Past - answering questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?02

Simple Past - Negative sentences
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?05

Simple Past - Questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?06

Simple Past - Questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?07

Simple Past - Mixed exercise
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises


Strong / Irregular verbs - Mixed exercises
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/irregular-verbs




Language game to practise your irregular verbs: Verb Dash
Have fun!

http://games.wordreference.com/language-games/verb-dash







Answer keys

1
matched     /t/
kissed     /t/
breathed     /d/
deleted     /Id/
fetched     /t/
delayed     /d/
dubbed     /d/
listened     /d/
looked     /t/
rushed     /t/
telephoned     /d/
downloaded     /Id/
repaired     /d/
felled     /d/
walked     /t/
packed     /t/
dimmed     /d/
deployed     /d/
called     /d/
coughed     /t/
laughed     /t/
grasped     /t/
recovered     /d/
ripped     /t/
cleaned     /d/


2
1.      He answered the question. 

2.      They were elsewhere yesterday.

3.      You asked a stupid question.

4.      They called us.

5.      We left at 10pm.

6.      She came to see you.

7.      They went home late.

8.      She forgot her name.

9.      I knew why she didn’t want to see me.

10.    The police caught the murderer before he could kill again.

11.     He saw me and recognised me at once.

3

1.      They collected postcards.    They didn't collect postcards.

2.      You jumped high.    You didn't jump high.

3.      Fiona visited her grandma.     Fiona didn't visit her grandma.

4.      You were thirsty.      You weren't thirsty.

5.      I bought bread.        I didn't buy bread.

6.      You saw the house.  You didn't see the house.

7.      He caught the ball.  He didn't catch the ball.

8.      She wrote short stories.  She didn't write short stories.

9.      They drove all day long.  They didn't drive all day long.

10.     I got lost.  I didn't get lost.

11.     She downloaded lots of films.  She didn't download lots of films.

 

12.     I met an old friend of mine.  I didn't meet any old friend of mine.


4

1.         What did she push?

2.         What did she carry?

3.         Where did you wait?

4.         Who did the police arrest?

5.         What did you eat?

6.         When did she watch the match?

7.         Why did she ask her mum?

8.         What did you open?

9.          Who was operated on last week?

10.        What did she want?

 
 

End of the road for the iconic VW Camper
(Level: Intermediate / B1 / **)


The last ever VW Camper (or kombi or bus) is due to roll off the production lines on 31 December after 64 years in continuous production (56 of them in Brazil).

 

VW Camper
Photo credit: telegraph.co.uk

VW Camper
Photo credit: ala.co.uk

VW Camper
Photo credit: snailtrail.co.uk

Before watching:


The following words could be useful:
to be consigned to history: to exist only in the past    appartenir désormais au passé
to set someone back...: (here)  to cost...       coûter ...  à quelqu'un  
to put paid to...: to consider... closed or completed / to put an end to...   mettre fin à...
the passing of...: (here) the death of...        la mort de...
customised: being altered to personal specifications        adapté / personnalisé  



While watching:



Answer the following questions in French:

1. Why has VW decided to put an end to the kombi production?
2. What makes the kombi so important to Brazilians? In other words, will the vehicle completely disappear from the roads in Brazil? Explain!

http://news.sky.com/story/1187989/volkswagen-camper-van-reaches-end-of-the-road

When you are finished, check your answers!

Suggestions de réponses

1. Le modèle ne correspond plus aux normes de sécurité en vigueur et il est tellement resté "classique" qu'il est  impossible d'y installer entre autres des airbags ou l'ABS.

2. Le VW Combi n'est pas près de disparaître même si plus aucun ne sortira dorénavant des chaînes de production à partir de ce 31 décembre 2013, et ce pour plusieurs raisons:

a) Véritable icône au Brésil; on le produit depuis 56 ans
b) Tout le monde semble avoir appris à conduire au volant du van
c) On en trouve partout
d) C'est le véhicule de prédilection de plusieurs générations; plus rien ne sera jamais pareil au volant d'une autre voiture; ce ne peut être que le VW Combi.
e) Les passionnés estiment que le van VW ne mourra jamais; avec 10 millions d'exemplaires produits, on le verra encore pendant un certain temps sur les routes!
f) Le véhicule est utilisé pour tout (transport de marchandises; véhicule utilitaire; voiture familiale...)
g) Le van procure un sentiment de liberté

 

If you are interested, here are a CNN article about the VW van and a few pictures:

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/31/travel/kombi-production-ends/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

New anti-smoking ad targeting addicts

(Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate / B1 to B2 / ** to ***)


Tobacco addicts are now being targeted by a new advertising campaign which aims at scaring them into giving up the bad habit.

Strong images of contaminated, toxic blood flowing through a smoker's body are being used so as to reinforce the message that smoking increases the risk of  fatal strokes or serious disability due to strokes.

 

 

an image of toxic blood circulating through a smoker's body - also part of the campaign
Picture credit: Public Health England (*)

 

(*) Public Health England (PHE) is an executive agency of the Department of Health (**) whose mission is to protect and improve the nation's health and to address inequalities. (Source: gov.uk)

 

 

(**) The Department of Health (DH) is a ministerial department which helps people to live better for longer. [They]lead, shape and fund health and care in England, making sure people have the support, care and treatment they need, with the compassion, respect and dignity they deserve. (Source: gov.uk)

 

Here is a link to PHE. You can find really interesting information there:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england



 Before watching:
The following words could be useful:
sick leave: paid absence from work granted because of illness    congés de maladie
an attempt: an effort or try           tentative 
a billboard: a panel for the display of advertisements in public places         panneau d'affichage / panneau publicitaire    
disability: the condition of being disabled / incapacity / physical (or mental) impairment      invalidité / incapacité / handicap  
a stroke: sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, diminution or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. Also called cerebral accident.       accident vasculaire cérébral


You can have a look at the PHE video (videos) before watching the report:

http://www.youtube.com/user/smokefreevideos


And more specifically, you can go to: http://www.nhs.uk/smokefree


 
While watching:

You are now going to watch a Sky News video focusing on the campaign and its reasons.

 

Answer the following questions in French:

 

1. What does the new anti-smoking advert aim at showing this time?

2. Why is the campaign being launched at this time of the year?

 

 

 

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1187952/anti-smoking-campaign-new-ad-targets-addicts

 

 

When you are finished, check your answers!

 

1

Le but de cette campagne est de montrer les effets dévastateurs du tabagisme (tels les AVC et autres risques connexes aux AVC comme l'invalidité), dus aux toxines présentes dans le sang du fumeur...

 

2

Beaucoup de fumeurs aspirent à arrêter et ont déjà essayé à plusieurs reprises; donc il fallait agir justement au moment de la prise des bonnes résolutions, et en présentant des images choc.

 

You can also go to:
 

http://philippebekaert.blogspot.be/2013/02/you-are-going-to-watch-sky-news-report.html

Worst Christmas time ever for so many!
(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B1 to B2 / ** to ***)

You are going to watch a series of Sky News videos focusing on the aftermath of the devastating storm sweeping across the UK on 23rd December and the floods that forced people into leaving their homes.
Almost one week later, the misery continues for some as they are still without power.

Report 1: Christmas Day
See what it was like for the Surrey residents on 25th December.

Surrey, UK
Map from Wikipedia

 

The following words could be useful:
one foot = 30.48 cm
filfthy: very dirty     crasseux  / dégoûtant 
overflow: excess of water     (débordement /  les eaux (qui ont débordé) / inondation
sodden: thoroughly soaked     détrempé / trempé / saturé d'eau
hard graft: hard labour / hard work      travail très dur / dur labeur / travail acharné
to burst its banks (for a river): to overflow      sortir de son lit  / déborder
treacherous:  risky / perilous / dangerous / hazardous           périlleux / traître / dangereux 
the engine cut out = the engine stopped automatically   /se couper automatiquement 

Report 2: Boxing Day
See what it was like for the people from the same county on 26th December.


The following words could be useful:
 to recede: to move back / to move away / to withdraw     se retirer
upsetting: the fact of disturbing     perturbant / bouleversant

http://news.sky.com/story/1187037/christmas-flood-misery-continues-for-thousands



 Report 3: 27th December
See what it was like for one resident of Yalding, Kent:

Yalding, Kent
Map from postcode-info.co.uk

Yalding, Kent
Photos from Sky News



 The following words could be useful:
a foot = 30.48 cm
to cope with: to act to remove difficulties or to solve problems      faire face à / réagir efficacement (face à...) / affronter

 

 

 

 



Report 4: 28th December
It is about a resident from Surrey still without electricity five days after the cut and how he and his family have to cope.  

 



http://news.sky.com/story/1187695/weather-compensation-boost-after-power-cuts

 

2013 in retrospect
(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B1 to B2 / ** to ***)

You are going to watch a Sky News programme focusing on this year's big stories, including the deaths of Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher, Prince George's birth, the Boston Marathon bomb attacks, the endless civil war in Syria and so on...

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1186159/review-2013-a-year-of-breaking-news

 

 

 No questions this time!

 

 

 

What  is the appeal of Candy Crush Saga?
(Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate / B2 / ***)

Once you see people hunched over their mobile phones or tablets, there are a great many chances that they may be in the middle of a Candy Crush Saga game trying eagerly to get sweets in matching rows so as to make them explode.

Candy Crush Saga is presently reputed to be the most downloaded game in the world for mobile devices and the app is also integrated with Facebook, which can only but expand its use.

You are now going to read a BBC article focusing on the reasons why a game like Candy Crush Saga turns out to be so attractive so that it can now be considered a (new) social phenomenon.

 

Candy Crush Saga
Picture from the BBC

 

 

 

Bejeweled
Picture from ign.com

 

Before reading
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25334716


The following words could be useful:
highest-grossing:... of which the profits are the most remarkable // qui récolte le plus de recettes / qui engendre le plus de bénéfices, les plus grosses recettes
entranced: fascinated / charmed /mesmerized    hypnotisé / envoûté / passionné
glazed: without liveliness / sort of empty         vitreux
to nudge... into...: to encourage (in a gentle way)     encourager / inciter
a gizmo: a small piece of equipment for which you can't really give a name     bidule / machin
an add-on: a computer program or piece of computer equipment that can be added to a computer in order to increase the number of things that it is able to do   utilitaire supplémentaire
financial outlay: amount of money that must be spent in order to acquire something   investissement financier / effort financier
hefty: large and impressive      considérable / élevé
a share: a unit of ownership representing an equal proportion of a company's capital and entitling its holder (=a shareholder) to an equal claim on the company's profits and an equal obligation for the company's losses.      une action
a demographic: a portion of the population, especially regarded as customers    groupe cible
the advent: the coming or arrival, especially of something particularly important   avènement / arrivée
scarce: rare / limited      rare
to dole out: to administer or bestow (in small proportions)    accorder / distribuer
scant: not really sufficient / falling short  (e.g. a scant consolation)    maigre / insuffisant / faible
matter-of-factly: relating to facts / literally    objectivement / tout naturellement
hunched over...: bending forward / not being upright    penché (en avant) sur...
measured out: doled out  (see above: to dole out)
to while away: to pass the time, usually in a pleasant way        consacrer (du temps à...)
to drop in and out: +/-  here: start (playing) the game intermettently  se lancer (dans le jeu) par intermittences
to snatch: to seize (suddenly / eagerly) / to get (briefly)   arracher
to keep pace with: to keep up with    rester en phase avec / suivre le rythme de / s'adapter avec
to scroll through: to move through (a website page...)  faire défiler (une page sur internet) / parcourir
fine-tuning: the fact of bringing about small adjustments for optimal performance   réglage minutieux
minor tweaks: minor adjustments / small changes      changements mineurs
enamoured of: captivated / charmed       amoureux de ... / épris de...
brash: bold (for colours)    vif
to appeal to...: to be interesting or attractive to     attirer... / plaire à...
the core audience: the target audience / the intended group to which something has been made...  public cible / public visé / public de base
to egg on: to urge / to cause to act     inciter / exhorter



Jelly beans
Picture from fanpop.com

Arcade games
Photo from wikipedia.org

While reading


Answer the following questions in French:

1. What makes a game like Candy Crush Saga so appealing and popular?

2. In what ways can the game as such be criticized? Explain!






When you are finished, check your answers!

1.
- Concept simple / jeu assez facile; il suffit d'aligner des bonbons et de les détruire.

- Téléchargements et accès gratuits - donc jeu gratuit (mais jusqu'à un certain point!)

- Jeu téléchargeable  sur tous les supports portables (Smartphones, iPads, tablettes...); jeu rendu accessible à tous

- Jeu prisé par les navetteurs (entre autres); passe-temps dans les transports en commun (mais ailleurs aussi, notamment au travail!)

- Jeu populaire sur Facebook


2.
Jeu critiquable à bien des égards:

- passe-temps ludique mais loin d'être inoffensif car très addictif!

Addictif parce que le joueur a toujours envie d'accéder aux niveaux ultérieurs - quelque 500 niveaux (et les concepteurs veulent en rajouter!) - il n'est donc quasiment pas possible d'en voir la fin!

Autre effet pervers: quand le compteur de vies virtuelles disponibles tombe à zéro, deux possibilités s'offrent au joueur. Soit il attend une demi-heure avant de pouvoir rejouer (= frustration pour certains de devoir attendre avant de pouvoir terminer le niveau). Soit il lui est possible de payer - surtout si la frustration et l'attente lui deviennent insupportables! L'application, pourtant gratuite au départ, propose à présent de débourser de l'argent pour s'approprier des vies virtuelles.

- Temps passé (perdu!) à jouer inlassablement pour (tenter de) passer aux niveaux supérieurs (comme mentionné dans l'article en guise d'exemple: dès le matin au petit déjeuner avec l'ordinateur portable tout en parcourant ses pages Facebook, ensuite avec le téléphone dans le train en partance pour le boulot et continuer le jeu là où on est arrivé sur la tablette une fois installé sur son lieu de travail...).

- Temps passé à jouer dans les transports en commun en partance vers et au retour de son travail: OK mais beaucoup grignotent même leur temps de travail!

- Machine à fric pour les concepteurs (le jeu leur rapporte quelque 610.000 livres sterling par jour - grâce aux paiements des personnes dépendantes du jeu!) + Le jeu en soi probablement bientôt coté en bourse!

- Le jeu doit beaucoup à ses prédécesseurs (Bejeweled...) dont le concept était assez similaire (aligner des objets et les faire disparaître); on n'y trouve que quelques ajustements...

- ...