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Quality ESL grammar worksheets, quizzes and games - from A to Z - for teachers & learners
PAST SIMPLE

CEFR Level A1 to B1
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Past Tense Listening Practice
Here
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Spelling Worksheet
Past Simple

 
​PAGE 1
15 question sentences with scrambled words

PAGE 2
15 sentences (same as above) - listen to your teacher and write the missing words.

Extend by using the question sentences as a Q&A pair work activity.

With Notes and Answer Key on Page 3

​Level: Elementary to Pre-Intermediate

Total Time: Approx. 20 - 25 minutes


(This activity was adapted from the 'Grammar Discussion' at bottom of page.)

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​Grammar & Writing
Past Simple
Answer your friend on facebook.  Remember to use past tense in your answer.

Choose either the woman's face version on Page 1 - or the man's face on Page 2 (or use both).

Level: Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx 10 - 15 minutes


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Grammar Bingo
Past Simple
​Classic 'Grammar Bingo' game

​Whole class activity


​With Activity Notes on Page 2

Level:  Elementary  (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 - 20 minutes
​
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Grammar Game
Past Simple
​Use the cue cards for a fun team
​competition using the past simple. 

Two pages of cue cards

​With Activity Notes on Pages 1 and 2

Level:  Elementary  (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes


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​'Questions About You'
​Grammar & Writing Practice

Past Simple
​Answer the questions about you.  Use the past simple in your answers.

One page worksheet with eight questions.

​Answers will vary.

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to B1)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes
​
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'Find Someone Who'
​Activity

Past Simple
​Classic 'Find Someone Who' activity

​Whole class activity

Activity Notes on Page 2 (with Activity
​Version 1 and Version 2)

Level: Elementary ​
(CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx 15 - 20 minutes
​
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Grammar Discussion Practice
Past Simple
​16 Question strips adapted from the below (bottom of this page) Pair Work activity.

These questions can be used with students seated in pairs or in small groups, or with students standing.

Activity Notes on Page 2

Level: Elementary ​
(CEFR A1 to A2)
​
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Conversation Practice Activity
PAST SIMPLE
​Use the cue cards and model dialog to practice speaking about the past. 

With Activity Notes on Page 2

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes
​
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Grammar Worksheet
Past Simple
Use the past simple to complete the sentences. 

With Answer Key on Page 2

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 5 - 10 minutes


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Grammar Worksheet
Past Simple and Spelling Practice
Fill in the missing vowels.

With Answer Key on Page 2

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx. 15 - 20 minutes


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Grammar Worksheet
Past Simple


Grammar error correction: Find and correct the mistakes in the 16 sentences.

Answer Key on Page 2


Level: Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx. 10 - 15 minutes

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Grammar Crossword          
Crossword: Past Simple (Irregular)


31 word items; with Answer Key

Level: Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx. 20 minutes


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Grammar Worksheet
Past Simple
Write the sentences in the past simple.

20 sentences with Answer Key on Page 2

Level: Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time: Approx. 15 minutes.


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Grammar Game
Past Simple
Use the letters to make Past Tense verbs. 
For each word, you can only use each letter one time.

16 possible answers and suggested game ideas on page 2.

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 10 to 15 minutes.


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Editing Practice
Past Simple
222-word paragraph

Correct the 30 grammar mistakes.  The first one is done as an example; Answer Key attached

Level:  Elementary to Pre-Intermediate (CEFR A2 to B1)

Time:  Approx. 20 minutes.


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Grammar
Reference Chart
 
Past Simple
Printable chart for students (or for teachers - use as a class teaching aid!)

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)


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SUGGESTION                                                             E-mail this grammar reference chart to your students if you know their e-mail addresses, or post it on your class website.

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Grammar
Reference Chart
     
                
Past Simple


64 commonly used past simple irregular verbs

Print in b/w; or color for projectors or laminated prints                

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

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SUGGESTION                                                             E-mail this grammar reference chart to your students if you know their e-mail addresses, or post it on your class website.
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Right Click Here to Download Audio - Save as MP3 File
Right Click Here to Download Audio - Save as MP3 File
PRESENT
PAST
PRESENT
PAST
be
become
begin
bite
blow
break
bring
build
buy
can
catch
choose
come
cost
cut
do
draw
drink
drive
eat
fall
feed
feel
find
fly
forget
freeze
get
give
go
have
​hear
was / were
became
began
bit
blew
broke
brought
built
bought
could
caught
chose
came
cost
cut
did
drew
drank
drove
ate
fell
fed
felt
found
flew
forgot
froze
got
gave
went
had
heard
hit
hold
hurt
keep
know
leave
lose
make
meet
pay
put
read
ride
run
say
see
sell
sing
sit
spend
stand
steal
swim
take
teach
tell
think
throw
understand
wear
win
​write
hit
held
hurt
kept
knew
left
lost
made
met
paid
put
read
rode
ran
said
saw
sold
sang
sat
spent
stood
stole
swam
took
taught
told
thought
threw
understood
wore
won
wrote

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Grammar
Reference Chart / Quiz 
     
Past Simple 
   
                 


Follow-up to above chart of 64 commonly used past simple irregular verbs

Print in b/w; or color for projectors or laminated prints                

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Use this quiz either as a pre-activity diagnostic tool, and/or as a post-activity evaluative assessment (either before they have studied the above grammar reference chart and/or after they have studied it).  Have your students correct their own papers (or consider having students swap papers and correct a classmate's paper).
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Grammar Dictation
Past Simple
Listen to your teacher and complete the sentences with the past tense forms of the verbs you hear.

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)


Time:  Approx. 10 - 15 minutes


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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION 1
If your classroom has Internet capabilities, consider having your learners listen to the adjective prompts by playing the audio file below.
Right Click Here to Download Audio - Save as MP3 File
ACTIVITY SUGGESTION 2

Once your learners have checked their answers, consider extending the activity by having them change the sentences into questions, or into negative statements.

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Grammar Quiz                                Past Simple
(with Regular Verbs only)
16 multiple-choice questions; with ANSWER KEY and percentage conversion chart

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes


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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Use this quiz either as a pre-activity diagnostic tool, or as a post-activity evaluative assessment.  Consider saving time marking papers by having one or two students come to the board to write their answers.  Wrap-up by correcting and discussing any mistakes. 
(Add 5 to 10 minutes.)

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Grammar Quiz                 
Past Simple
​
(with both Regular & Irregular Verbs)


16 multiple-choice questions; with ANSWER KEY and percentage conversion chart

Level:  Elementary to Upper-Intermediate

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Use this quiz either as a pre-activity diagnostic tool, or as a post-activity evaluative assessment.  Consider saving time marking papers by having one or two students come to the board to write their answers.  Wrap-up by correcting and discussing any mistakes. 

(Add 5 to 10 minutes.)



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Grammar Quiz
​(Short Version of Above Quiz)
           
 
Past Simple
​
(with both Regular & Irregular Verbs)


12 multiple-choice questions

Shorter version of the above quiz with slightly larger font size

With ANSWER KEY and percentage conversion chart


Level:  Elementary to Upper-Intermediate

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes
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Grammar Worksheet                 Past Simple: Regular

15 sentences (fill in the gaps to complete each sentence); with ANSWER KEY and percentage conversion chart

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Before giving this worksheet to your students, review and discuss the fact that we use Past Simple for actions that began and finished in the past.  Have your students complete this worksheet before moving on to Irregular Verbs.
                                                                                  Wrap-up by having students compare answers with classmates, and then choose one or two students to write their answers on the board: (1) waited; (2) didn't walk, etc.  Correct and discuss any mistakes.
(Add 5 to 10 minutes.)



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Grammar Worksheet               Past Simple: Irregular

15 sentences (fill in the gaps to complete each sentence); with ANSWER KEY and percentage conversion chart

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                          
See above activity suggestions (Past Simple: Regular).  Also, make sure your students have studied the grammar reference chart above (or one like it) for a list of common irregular verbs.

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Grammar Crossword                Crossword: Past Simple (Irregular)

32 clues; with ANSWER KEY 

Level:  Elementary (A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 20 minutes

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Grammar Word Search           Past Simple: Irregular

18 word items; with ANSWER KEY

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 15 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
I find that Grammar Word Searches work best as a simple warm-up at the beginning of a lesson.  A great idea is to follow-up this activity by using some (or all) of the words in a writing activity, or perhaps a board game (see 'Chalk Talk' on page below for an example).

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Grammar Board Game                  Past Simple

30 squares, each asking for a different comparison (speak for at least 1 minute per roll)

Pair work or small groups

Dice required

Level: Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)


Time:  Approx. 20 minutes

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Grammar Lesson                      Past Simple
(with prepositions of Location)


8 pages; with NOTES and ANSWER KEY

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 2 - 3 hours

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Consider breaking this lesson up into two or three parts, spread over two or three days of teaching.  Alternatively, take a look at what best suits your class and use only those pages.

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Grammar Discussion                  Past Simple

Student 'A' version and Student 'B' version, each with 10 different discussion questions.

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 20 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                         
Have your learners seated in pairs and make sure that they don't look at each others papers.  After they finish, have them switch papers and continue one more time; then, stand up and talk to two or three classmates and ask two questions: (1) Who did you talk to?  (2) What interesting things did you find out about him/her?

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Grammar Game + 
Worksheet 
        
Past Simple             
                        


11 Past Tense sentences that, when joined together, create a story about what happened to Sue last week.  Students each memorize one sentence strip before standing and working together with classmates to re-create the story.  NOTES and ANSWER KEY are provided.

The Grammar Worksheet (attached on page
​2 of the file) can be used to follow up this activity, or it can be used on its own.


Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Grammar Game: Approx. 20 minutes

Time:  Grammar Worksheet: Approx. 10 - 15 minutes.

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                          
For weaker students, consider the possibility of using the worksheet on its own (without the cut-up sentences).

For a stronger class, consider the possibility of having your students memorize the sentence strips before handing them back to you (or perhaps folding the paper strips and putting them in their pockets - to be referred to only if truly needed!)


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Grammar in Writing                 Past Simple

First, complete the sentences by writing the correct past tense forms of the words in parentheses. Then, finish the story by using the past tense ... and your imaginaation.

Level:  Elementary (CEFR A1 to A2)

Time:  Approx. 30 to 40 minutes

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ACTIVITY SUGGESTION                          
If your class is outgoing, consider the possibility of having your students write the stories in groups of three, and then turning their stories into plays!  Have one student be a narrator, while the other two students act out the story for their classmates!
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ACTIVITY IDEAS
FOR 
YOUR BLACKBOARD OR WHITEBOARD
                                                          


A very simple, but fun and effective grammar board game: First, divide your class into two teams, and have two volunteers (one from each team) come to the board.  Choose one of the word items they have learned recently - for example, 'drive' - and shout it aloud.  The two students should then compete to write a complete sentence with the past simple form of that verb - 'I drove to a park.'                                                                    

To be awarded one point, the sentence must be at least 5 words in length (use a longer word length for more advanced classes) and contain no spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammar mistakes.  Encourage their seated teammates to yell suggestions.                    

Repeat this procedure using randomly selected words, and new volunteers for each round.  Continue for six or seven rounds, and then applaud the winning team with the most points.




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