Past Indefinite

Exercise 15

Change the sentences to the past.

Example:

Bob is in class today. I am happy now.

 

He was in class yesterday too. I was happy yesterday too.

Mary is at the library today. We’re in class today. You’re busy today. I’m thirsty today. The classroom is hot today.

Ann is in her office today. They are at the meeting today. He is not on a business trip. Many people are in the park today. 10. The weather is fine today.

Exercise 17

PAST TIME WORDS: Yesterday, Last and AGO
Notice: In (a): yesterday is used with morning, afternoon and evening. In (b): last is used with night, with long periods of time (week, month, year), with seasons (spring, summer, etc.), and with days of the week. In (c) ago means “in the past”. It follows specific lengths of time (e.g. two months + ago, five years + ago).
Yesterday	Last	Ago
Bob was here … yesterday yesterday morning yesterday afternoon yesterday evening	Sue was here … last night last month last year last spring last summer last autumn / fall last winter last Monday last Tuesday etc.	Tom was here … five minutes ago two hours ago three days ago a (one) week ago six months ago a (one) year ago

Use yesterday or last.

1. Idreamed about youlast night.

2. I was downtown _____ morning.

3. Two students were absent _____ Friday.

4. Ann wasn’t at home _____ night.

5. Carmen was out of town _____ evening.

6. I was at my aunt and uncle _____ fall.

7. A good film was on TV _____ evening.

8. I was with my relatives in San Francisco _____ month.

9. Mrs. Porter was in her office _____ morning.

10.We were first - year students _____ year.

Exercise 18

Complete the sentences. Use ago in your completion.

1. I’m in class now, but I was at hometen minutes ago/ two hours ago, etc.

2. I’m in class today, but I was absent from class _____________________.

3. I’m in this country now, but I was in my country ____________________.

4. I was in (name of the city) _____________________________________.

5. I was in elementary school ____________________________________.

6. There is a nice park in this city. I was at the park ___________________.

7. I was at home in bed _________________________________________.

8. We were through with the exercise 2 ____________________________.

9. She was angry ______________________________________________.

10. We were schoolchildren _____________________________________.

Exercise 19

What were the first jobs of these famous people? Complete the sentences. Use is, was, are or were.

Example:

• Sylvester Stallone __1__ an actor now. His first job __2__ in an Italian restaurant. He __3__ a pizza chef.

• Sylvester Stallone is an actor now. His first job was in an Italian restaurant. He was a pizza chef.

1. Sting __4__ a singer and an actor now. His first job __5__ in a primary

school. He __6__ a teacher.

2. Madonna __7__ a singer and an actress now. Her first job __8__ in a

burger king restaurant. She __9__ a waitress.

3. Clint Eastwood __10__ an actor and a film maker now. His first job

__11__ in the army. He __12__ a swimming instructor.

4. Rod Stewart and Julio Iglesias __13__ singers now. Before they __14__

singers, they __15__ both footballers.

5. Mark Knopfler __16__ a singer and a guitarist now. His first job __17__

with the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper. He __18__ a journalist.

Exercise 20

Complete the questions with was / were. Give true short answers to the questions.

Example:

- Were you ill last week?

- Yes, I was.

or

No, I wasn’t.

1. - _____ the weather fine yesterday?	- ______	or	- ______
2. - _____your parents in Paris in 1990?	- ______	or	- ______
3. - _____ you and your family in England last year?	- ______	or	- ______
- _____ your girlfriend at a disco at midnight last night?	- ______	or	- ______
- _____ you nervous the first day of the class?	- ______	or	- ______
6. - _____ your breakfast delicious?	- ______	or	- ______
7. - _____ you 20 years old?	- ______	or	- ______
8. - _____ Elvis Presley a rock’n roll singer?	- ______	or	- ______
9. - _____ Sherlock Holmes an imaginary character?	- ______	or	- ______
10. _____ you honest answering the questions?	- ______	or	- ______

Exercise 21

These famous people are not alive now. Who were they? Complete the questions and answers with was or were.

QUESTIONS		ANSWERS
1. Who was Maria Callas?	-	She was a greek opera singer.
2. Who _____ Yuri Gagarin?	-	He _____ the first man in space.
3. Who _____ James Dean?	-	He _____ an American actor.
4. Who _____ Laurel and Hardy?	-	They _____ comedians.
5. Who _____ Agatha Christie?	-	She _____ an English writer.
6. Who _____ Marilyn Monroe?	-	She _____ an American actress.
7. Who _____ Marie and Pierre Curie?	-	They _____ scientists.
8. Who _____ Indira Gandi?	-	She _____ India’s first woman prime minister.
9. Who _____ Alexander Popov?	-	He _____ a Russian scientist, the inventor of the radio.
10. Who _____ Anna Akhmatova?	-	She _____ a Russian poet.

Exercise 22

Make questions.

1. A: Where were you last night?

B: In the theatre. (They were in the theatre last night.)

2. A: ________________________________________________

B: Yes, she was. (Ms. Rice was on a business trip.)

3. A: ________________________________________________

B: It was sunny and warm. (The weather was sunny and warm.)

4. A: ________________________________________________

B: On Wednesday. (They were at the meeting on Wednesday.)

5. A: ________________________________________________

B: Three times. (I was there three times.)

6. A: ________________________________________________

B: She was. (She was late for the lesson.)

7. A: ________________________________________________

B: In my computer. All data was in my computer.

8. A: ________________________________________________

B: I was at a party.

9. A: ________________________________________________

B: The house was neither old nor new.

10. A: ________________________________________________

B: Three days ago. They were in New York three days ago.

Conversations

Exercise 23

Dialogue 1

There was a robbery in London at 10 o’clock last night. A police inspector is

interviewing Eddie Cooper about the robbery. Complete the conversation. Use was, were.

Inspector: Cooper: Inspector: Cooper: Inspector: Cooper: Inspector: Cooper: Inspector: Cooper: Inspector: Cooper:

Were you in London last night Cooper? Yes, I _____. Where _____ you at 10 o’clock last night? At 10 o’clock? I _____ in a pub called the Bell. And what about your friends Jack Callaghan and Frankie Dobbs? _____ they in the pub with you? No, they _____n’t Inspector. Where _____ they, then? I don’t know where they _____, but they _____n’t with me. _____ you on your own in the Bell? No, I _____n’t. My girlfriend Diana _____ with me. And _____ she with you all evening? Yes, she _____.

Dialogue 2

Helen and David are talking about a barbecue. (At a barbecue people cook

meat over a fire. They cook and eat the meal outside.) Complete the dialogue. Use was, wasn’t, were or weren’t.

Helen: David: Helen: David: Helen: David: Helen: David: Helen: David:

I hear there _____ a barbecue at the college last Saturday. _____ you there? Yes, I _____. Where _____ you? Oh, I _____ here on Saturday. I _____ in London. That’s a pity. It _____ a very good barbecue. The food ____ great. What ___ the weather like here? Oh, we _____ very lucky with the weather. It _____ nice and warm. _____ there a lot of people there? Yes, lots. Lynn _____ there, though. She _____ very well. What about Mark and Jane? Oh, they _____ still on holiday last Saturday, so they _____ at the barbecue. But all the others _____ there.

Dialogue 3

A number of people saw a monster in the sea on the south coast of England. One of them was Henry. He’s talking to reporters about it. Put in was, wasn’t, had or didn’t have.

Reporter: Henry: Reporter: Henry: Reporter: Henry:

What happened? Where _____ you? And where _____ the monster? I_____ here on the beach. I saw the monster in the water. Then it swam out to sea. It _____ a great shock. It _____ very nice, I can tell you. What _____ the monster like? Big. It _____ a very large animal. It _____ a large body, but it _____ a small head. Its eyes _____blue and round. It _____ teeth, but they _____ very big. It _____ any ears. Did you take a photo of it? _____ my camera with me, I’m afraid. And it _____ very quick. It all happened in a moment.

Exercise 24

Work in pairs. One student imagines that he / she was in a certain place yesterday evening, e.g. at a concert, in a plane. The other student asks him / her questions to find out where the person was, e.g. Were you in hospital? Were you at a disco?

Exercise 25

Read a short composition under the title " My First Impressions were…"