Simple Past Tense Exercises

Exercise 1 - Positive Forms

Let's practise the simple past through some short paragraphs. Fill in the blanks with the simple past form of the regular and irregular verbs in paranthesis.

Write the simple past form of the verbs in brackets and complete the story.

A long Saturday

I _______ (get) up early Saturday morning and  ________(fuel up) my car at the petrol station. Then I  __________ (drive) straight to the Corner Cafe to meet my friend for coffee. We ______ (have) a cup of coffee and I ________ (try) their strawberry cheesecake. It’s definitely a must-try!

In the afternoon, I _____ (meet) my brother at the country club and we _______ (play) tennis. I _____ (be) so happy because for the first time in my life I _____ (win) the match!

On my way back home, I ______ (stop) by the local market and ______ (buy) some ingredients for dinner. I _______ (invite) my friends over from the company. When I _______ (get) home, I quickly  ______ (clean up) the terrace, ________ (put) beverages on the table and ______ (start) cooking.

I ________(cook) my famous ravioli recipe but I _____(be) a little nervous because  I also _____ (invite) Fabio from the company. Cooking ravioli for an Italian? I know, it was a bit crazy idea!

Soon, they ______(arrive). They _______ (bring) me a box of chocolate, yummy!

We _____ (sit) on the terrace for hours. The weather ______(be) so nice. We _____ (eat), _______(drink) and ______(talk) about our plans for the summer. Did Fabio like my ravioli? Yesss! He ________ (love) it.

It ______(be) a long, tiring day, but I ______ (have) so much fun!

Answers

Paragraph 1: got, fueled up, drove, had, tried

Paragraph 2: met, played, was, won

Paragraph 3: stopped, bought, invited, got, cleaned up, put, started

Paragraph 4: cooked, was, invited

Paragraph 5: arrived, brought, sat, was, ate, drank, talked, loved

Paragraph 6: was, had