Past simple

What is the past tense of the following words: leave, live, have, go, eat, is, swim, run, wake, see, sing, meet, and watch?

Pronounce “changed, wished, washed, watched, stopped, and walked.” They are pronounced with a –ta sound at the end which only produces air and not the complete sound.

Where were you born?

I was born in a hospital.

What time did you wake up this morning?

I woke up at 7:00 am this morning.

What time did you leave your house this morning?

I left my house at 8:00 am this morning.

What did you do after you left your house this morning?

I went to school after I left my house this morning.

Where did you have lunch yesterday?

I had lunch at home yesterday.

What did you do yesterday?

Yesterday, I went to the park with my family.

What did you do the day before yesterday?

The day before yesterday, I went to the library with my mom.

What did you do last night?

Last night, I watched a movie with my family.

How was the weather yesterday?

Yesterday was sunny and warm.

What time did you come/go home last night?

I came home from the movie theatre at 9:00 pm last night.

What did you have for lunch the day before yesterday?

The day before yesterday, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.

What did you do last weekend?

Last weekend, I went camping with my friends and family.

When was the last time that you rode in a taxi and where did you go?

The last time that I rode in a taxi was two weeks ago when we went to the airport for our vacation.

When was the last time you went to a zoo? What animals did you see?

The last time that I went to a zoo was two months ago and I saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and tigers!

Did you have fun in the summer holidays gone?

Yes, I had lots of fun during my summer holidays!

Were you afraid of dogs as a child?

No, when I was a child, dogs were some of my best friends!

Who was your favourite teacher in elementary school?

My favourite teacher in elementary school was Mrs. Smith because she always made learning fun!

When was the last time you went to an art museum or exhibition?

The last time that I went to an art museum or exhibition was two weeks ago when we visited an art gallery downtown.

When was the last time you helped someone?

The last time that I helped someone was yesterday when my mom asked me to help her carry groceries into our house from the car.

When was the last time you went on a picnic?

The last time that we went on a picnic was two weeks ago when we had a picnic in our backyard with our family and friends!

Where did you go for your last vacation?

For our last vacation, we travelled to Hawaii! 

What was the most interesting thing that you did during your last vacation?

During our vacation in Hawaii, one of the most interesting things we did was go snorkeling and see all kinds of colourful fish! 

Where did you meet your best friend?

My best friend and I met at school when we were both five years old!

Past continuous

What were you doing at 5 p.m. yesterday?

I was playing with my friends.

Were you doing the same thing as now yesterday at this exact time?

No, I was playing outside.

Were you studying at school when man landed on the moon?

No, I wasn’t born yet.

Were you listening carefully when I explained the stative verbs to you?

Yes, I was trying my best to understand.

Were you always paying attention in class while the teacher was explaining things at school?

Yes, I always tried to pay attention in class.

What were you doing while I was enjoying myself at the beach last Saturday afternoon?

I was playing video games with my friends.

Where were you living when I moved here 9 years ago?

I was living in a different city.

What was your best friend doing last night?

My best friend was watching a movie with his family.

What were you wearing last Monday?

Last Monday, I was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans.

Were you sleeping at 10 p.m. the day before yesterday?

Yes, I was already asleep by then.

What is a food that you used to hate but now like?

I used to hate broccoli, but now I love it!

Who used to be your hero when you were younger?

My hero when I was younger was my dad.

Did you use to have a pet?

Yes, I used to have a pet dog.

Did you use to get good grades in high school?

Yes, I used to get good grades in high school.

What used to be your favourite game to play?

My favourite game to play when I was younger was hide and seek.

Where did you use to play when you were a child?

When I was a child, I used to play in my backyard and at the park.

How often did you use to get into trouble when you were younger?

Not very often – usually only when I did something wrong!

What was your country like when you were a child?

When I was a child, my country was much less developed than it is now – there were fewer cars on the roads and fewer buildings in the cities.

Do you think the past was better than the present? Why or why not?

No, I don’t think the past was better than the present – life is much easier now with all of the technology we have available.

What were some of the benefits of living in the past?

Some of the benefits of living in the past were that people had more time for leisure activities like reading or playing board games, and there were fewer distractions from technology like phones or computers.

Talk about your country’s past (100 years ago); how was the past different from the present thinking about Food/Weddings/Clothing/School/Work/Recreation (free time activities)/Communication

100 years ago, food tended to be simpler and more natural.

Weddings were more traditional and focused on family rather than an extravagance.

Clothing styles were more modest and conservative,

Schools had smaller class sizes and focused more on traditional subjects like math and science rather than modern topics like coding or robotics.

Work tended to be manual labour-based rather than digital-based.

Recreation activities included things like playing outdoors or visiting friends instead of playing video games or watching TV shows online.

Communication relied heavily on face-to-face interactions instead of texting or messaging apps.