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YESTERDAY

LAST WEEK

THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

LAST MONTH

LAST YEAR

LAST DECADE

LAST CENTURY

LAST MILENIUM

THREE MONTHS AGO

AN HOUR AGO

LAST NIGHT

THIS MORNINGTHIS AFTERNOONTHIS EVENING

WHEN I WAS 10WHEN SHE WAS A CHILDWHEN WE WERE YOUNGER

LAST MONDAY

LAST DECEMBER

IN 1940

TEN MINUTES AGO

NIETO

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I was at the school yesterday afternoon. I was with my partners.

Mary was at home last night. She was with her family.

Peter was at the movies last Saturday. He was with his friends.

The dog was at the back-yard today. It was playing with a bone.

Mary and Peter were at the zoo this morning. They were watching the animals.

You and I were at the school yesterday afternoon. We were studying hard.

You were at the park last week. You were with a friend.

Were you at the school yesterday? No, I wasn’t

Was Mary at home last night? Yes, she was.

Was Peter at the park last Saturday? No, he wasn’t.

Where was Peter last Saturday? He was at the movies.

Nieto

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Pele _________a wonderful soccer player many years ago.

You _________a child ten years ago.

I _________a baseball player five years ago.

She _______a beautiful woman when she was younger.

This party _______a great idea.

They _________very closed friends last year.

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was

was

was

were

was

were

WAS & WERE

1- We use WAS with a) we, you, they. or b) I, he, she, it.

2- We use WERE with a) we, you, they. or b) I, he, she, it.

VERB TO BE IN PAST TENSE

GIVE YOUR ANSWER

Answers ; 1- (b) 2- ( a)

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PRACTICE: Joe is talking about his family. Choose the correct form of the verb To Be

was / wasn’t, were / weren’t

My father _________________ born in Matehuala, San Luis Potosi

My wife ___________________ born in Matehuala, too

My mother_________________ born in Matehuala, but in Santiago NL.

My grandparents _______________ born in Monterrey, but in Santiago,

My brothers and I ______________ born in Matehuala, but in Mty.

My kids ______________ born in Monterrey, too

My grand-daughter ____________born in Monterrey, but in Dallas.

was

was

wasn’t

weren’t

weren’t

were

wasn’t

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Nieto

Read the diary pages and complete them.Decide which is Lucia’s and which is Ivy’s

Nieto

were

was

was

were

was

were

were

was

Ivy’s

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NIETO

was

was

were

was

was

wasn’t

was

were

was was

Lucia’s

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__________you at home last night?

No, I________ I ______ at the

movies.

And your sister ?

She _____ with me.

________your brother at school at 7 yesterday ?

No, _________. He ________ at home.

_______ your parents with

you last Saturday ?

No, _________ They _________

in Cancun.

We __________ at school yesterday morning.Nieto

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wasn’twas Were

was

Was

he wasn’twas

Were

weren’t ,were

were

Where _______ last Sunday ?

I _______ at the lake.

____the weather nice in Dallas,

Darling?

No, ________. It _____ windy

and cold.

What _______ the best thing from

Los Cabos ?

_______ the disco.

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were you

was it wasn’twas

Was

was

It was

SIMPLE PRESENT BE IN PAST TENSE

I’m a soccer player. I was a soccer player.

I’m not a liar. I wasn’t a liar.

You’re 17 years old. You were 17 last year.

Manolo is in the cafeteria. Manolo was in the cafeteria.

Sonia isn’t thin. Sonia was not thin.

We are best friends. We were best friends.

They aren’t crazy. They weren’t crazy.

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Be in Past Tense

Present Past Negative

am was

BE is + not

are were

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Complete the following questions with WAS or WERE. Then ask and answer the questions with a partner.

1. _________________ you born in this city?

2. When ________________ you born?

3. Where ________________ your parents born?

4. When ________________ your mother born?

5. When _________________ your father born?

6. ________________ you and your family born in this city last year?

7. _________________ you at this school last year?

8. Who __________________ your English teacher?

9. What nationality _______________ your first English teacher?

10. What _________________ she / he like?

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Were

were

were

was

was

Were

Were

was

was

was

Spill

Pinch

Want

Talk

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Walk Play

Listen to

Skip the rope

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Count

Laugh

CloseOpen

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Watch TV

Play TV games

Dance

Cry

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Wait

Climb

Use a computer

Clean

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Play soccer Play the piano

Cook Call

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Turn on Turn off

Share Study

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Push

Pull Look

at

Fix

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Colour

Look for

Wash

Ask

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HOW TO FORM THE PAST TENSE OF REGULAR VERBS

Most regular verbs add –”ed” verb + “ed” walk-- walked

Formation Example

Verbs ending in-”e” add – ”d” verb + “d ” live - lived

Verbs ending in consonant + “y”

change “y” to “i” and add – “ed”

cry - cried

Verbs ending in one stressed vowel + one consonant:

Double the consonant and add- “ed”

stop – stopped

I R R E G U L A R V E R B S

Irregular verbs change completely and it is necessary to memorize them.

Take – took leave – left go – went do – did have – had

Verbs ending in vowel + “y” verb + “ed” play - played

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The past tense ending –ed , has three different pronunciations

1. Past tense -ed is pronounced / t / after voiceless sounds [p,k,s,sh,ch,f,x,h ] except after the sound / t /. (correct, decorate)

Talked , fixed , stopped , watched , worked , helped , danced ,liked ,looked

2.- Past tense –ed is pronounced / d / after voiced sounds [l,m,n,r,b,v,w,y,z] except after the sound / d / (attend, decide)

3.- Past tense –ed is pronounced / id / after the sounds / t / and / d / .

arrived called died killed used played described listened lived

corrected decorated attended decided loaded wanted needed added waited

W R I T E O N Y O U R N O T E B O O K

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She can dance, but she can’t sing.

They can play soccer, but they can’t swim.

When he was younger he could run very fast, but now he can’t.

When she was two she couldn’t ride a bike.

Two years ago, they couldn’t use a PC, but now they can.

When we were six, we could ride a bike.

I can drive a car, but I can’t play guitar.

Nieto

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Could / couldn’t

Of course.When I was a child, I could run very fast.

Your mother ?She couldn’t speak English when she went to England

for the first time.

And my brother ?

Two yearsago, he couldn’t speak English.

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Daddy, could you ride a

bike when you were 5?

No, sweetie I couldn’t, but I could climb trees

Dad, could you read when you

were in preschool?

Of courseI could sonny

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When I was a child, I could do

magic tricks.I could play soccer when I was 8.

He could play the piano when he was 10.

She could sing when she was a child.

We could run very fast when we were 12.

We use could to talk about abilities in the past

We use couldn’t to talk about inabilities in the past.

She couldn’t read when she was 6.

Could and Couldn’t is used with all subjects.

Could is followed by the verb in its simple form. Niet

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