Learning Objectives:

• Students are able to ask about actions in the past.

• Students are able to talk about actions in the past.

• Students are able to ask about general facts in the past.

• Students are able to talk about general facts in the past.

I. Expressions: Asking for and giving information

Asking for Information

• What did you do last weekend?

Response: I went to the zoo last weekend.

• Did she buy the fruit yesterday?

Response: No, she did not. She forgot to bring money.

• When did you come home?

Response: At about three.

• What was your father's job?

Response: He was a salesman.

• Where did Barbary lions live before they became extinct?

Response: They lived in Africa.

II. Grammar: The simple past tense

1. The purpose of the simple past tense is to talk about actions or situations that happened and finished in the past.

Examples:

- My schoolmate won an English debate competition last week.

- We played basketball last December.

- He did not call me an hour ago.

- I was not happy with my exam score.

2. The simple past form (verb II) of the verb be are was and were.

Was is the simple past form of am and is. Were is the simple past form of are.

3. There are two types of verb II. They are regular and irregular verbs.

a. Regular verbs

• The simple past tense is usually made by adding -ed at the end of the verb.

Example: I walked to Dian's house yesterday.

• If a verb ends in -e, just add -d to make the simple past tense.

Example: The shop closed early last night.

• If a verb ends in -y, change the -y to -i before adding -ed.

Example: The cat tried to catch the mouse.

• With some short verbs that end in a consonant, double the consonant before adding -ed.

Example: I almost fell, but Dad grabbed my hand.