Page 42 - Viva Real English 4 : Ebook

C1. Use correct age expressions to fi ll in the blanks in the following sentences.
The age you should talk about is given in brackets.

1. The prince went to live with his uncle . (4)
2. Michael Jackson was when he first performed
on stage. (10)

3. Next year I will be . (11)

4. Their elder daughter is , and their younger
daughter, . (17 and 13)

5. Children below cannot join the team. (8)

Simple Past Tense

Look at the following sentences from the story of Thomas Edison.

1. Young Al was a fragile child.
2. Edison worked as a newsboy.

3. He kept his papers in the smoking-compartment.

4. A stick of phosphorous fell to the floor.

5. Edison saved a child from being hit by a boxcar.

6. The station agent taught him telegraphy.

All the things these sentences talk about happened in the past. We use the simple
past tense to talk about things that happened in the past and are finished. Simple
past tense is used to tell stories because stories are usually about things that
happened in the past.

The past tense form of the verb is used in the simple past. Let’s look at the verbs in
the above sentences.

verb

Sentence 1 was (past tense form of is or be)

Sentence 2 worked (past tense form of work)

Sentence 3 kept (past tense form of keep)
Sentence 4 fell (past tense form of fall)

Sentence 5 saved (past tense form of save)

Sentence 6 taught (past tense form of teach)

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