ELTbase.com logo | Menu
 
 
 
ELTbase.com logo
 
 
 
 
grammar >
narrative tenses >
past simple
 

Past simple

See also:
grammar:
irregular verbs
 
 
 
 
 
 
document icon
Past time expressions and tenses - board game
B1-B2
20-30 mins
groups: 3-4
board game
speaking cues
 
 Board game with speaking cues for statements using past tenses with time expressions: When I got up this morning.... Until I left school, I'd never.... By the time I was 12.... etc.
 
worksheet preview
 
document icon
Past simple and past continuous error correction
B1-B2
20-30 min
groups: 3-4
 
 Twenty-four cards with answers, some with errors in the form or use of the past simple or past continuous, or in choice of time expressions.
 
worksheet preview
 
document icon
Present perfect and past simple board game
B1-B2
20 mins
 
Board and dice game with 22 squares, each containing a question that must be completed with the past simple or present perfect. Includes all the main uses of the present perfect simple: unfinished action/state up until now / unfinished time period / past action with present relevance.
 
worksheet preview
 
document icon
Past simple questions oxo
B1-B2
 
Pairwork past simple questions
 
 
document icon
Past simple questions dominoes
B1-B2
 
Ss match segments of past simple questions and then match again to grammar labels ('past simple subject question' etc)
 
 
document icon
Alibis game - bank robbery story with narrative tenses
B1-B2
1 hour
groups: pairs / whole class
gap fill
question writing
 
Split bank robbery story with gaps (pair work) leading to alibis game (whole class). (7 sheets including instructions sheet and answers.)
 
worksheet preview
 
 

 

 
 
 
Past simple and continuous - anecdote - the Donkey Dog
Short anecdote about a frightening experience, gapped for past continuous and past simple plus 'enormous' and 'the biggest'
 
 

 

 
 
 
English Result Pre-Intermediate Student's Book book cover 
English Result Pre-Intermediate Student's Book
Unit 2 My region  Page 23   past simple
 
 
Global Intermediate Coursebook book cover 
Global Intermediate Coursebook
Unit 2 Lives and Legends  Page 19   Past simple & past continuous
 
Unit 2 Lives and Legends  Page 21   Past perfect & past simple
 
 
Inside Out Student's Book Intermediate book cover 
Inside Out Student's Book Intermediate
Unit 3 Dating  Pages 25 - 27
 
 
New Cutting Edge Pre-Intermediate students' book book cover 
New Cutting Edge Pre-Intermediate students' book
Module 2 Important firsts  Pages 16 - 17
Short text on the invention of TV. Quiz questions on 'important firsts' for question formation
 
Module 7 Ambitions and dreams  Pages 64 - 65
Short texts about people's careers. Contrasts present perfect with 'for' , and past simple; + throws in other uses of the present perfect
 
Consolidation modules 11 - 15  Page 138 
Tense identification exercise
 
 
Elementary Grammar Games book cover 
Elementary Grammar Games
34 - was and were  Page 34 
Game 1. Picture story (soap opera cards). Ss arrange pictures to tell a story; then arrange word cards to make a sentence for each picture. + follow-up card game (groups) Game 2. Picture card matching game (Strange but True cards). requiring past simple questions and answers with the verb 'to be'.
 
35 - Past simple: affirmative and negative  Page 35 
Game 1. Matching game - Ss match past simple and bare infintive cards. (irregular verbs)
 
36 - Past simple: yes / no questions  Page 36 
Matching game with role cards. Ss ask yes / no questions to solve puzzle: where did they see each other last night?
 
37 - Past simple: wh- questions  Page 37 
Lotto game. Ss have to form 'wh' questions to match answers on an anwer card.
 
 
Grammar Games and Activities One book cover 
Grammar Games and Activities One
8 - Half a crossword : Irregular verbs  Pages 49 - 50
Ss complete crossword of irregular past tenses.
 
35 - Life stories  Pages 95 - 96
Ss in pairs each have a short biography. They ask and answer questions to find 12 differences.
 
 
Intermediate Communication Games book cover 
Intermediate Communication Games
8 - Alien  Page 8 
Witnesses role play. Each S is a witness to an alien visitation. Task is to put info together to find out what happened.
 
12 - Good news, bad news  Page 12 
Picture card game in which Ss match good news and bad news cards.
 
27 - When did you last see your father?  Page 27 
past simple + ago. Questions, 'When did you last..?'
 
28 - The queue  Page 28 
Past simple. Yes / no questions. Ss have to reassemble a queue of people by asking yes / no questions and using information in role cards.
 
29 - Detective work  Page 29 
Card game. Small groups. Past perfect Past simple Language for making deductions. Murder-solving game with clue cards.
 
 
Play Games with English Book Two book cover 
Play Games with English Book Two
Picure story Frank woke up page 9  Page 9 
Simple picture story. Ss order pics and make sentences from given verbs (regular and irregular)
 
When? page 28  Page 28 
Responding to past simple questions. Ss have to guess the answer to questions such as, "When did people start travelling in cars?'
 
 
Developing Grammar in Context book cover 
Developing Grammar in Context
4 The past simple  Pages 18 - 22
 
 
Reward Pre-Intermediate Resource Pack  book cover 
Reward Pre-Intermediate Resource Pack
6a A romantic meeting  Page 6 
Group story writing from question prompts
 
6b Shirley Valentine  Page 6 
Picture story with text. Students order pictures
 
7 Who were they?  Page 7 
Students answer quiz sheet in groups
 
8 A holiday to remember  Page 8 
Students arrange pictures to tell the story of a holiday they had. Partner then asks questions to find more information
 
Progress check 6 - 10a and 6 - 10b Bingo  Pages 6 - 10
Irregular past simple bingo
 
31b A dream  Page 32 
Students write a dream using picture prompts (28 cards)
 
32 Strange things happen  Page 32 
Students order 14 sentences to tell the story of a spooky experience while driving at night.
 
 
The Great Train Robbery
 
<i>Black Mirror</i>
 
Escape from the canyon