The Past Simple Tense: Irregular Verbs

The Past Simple Tense is used to speak about:

  • action completed in the past when there is a direct or indirect time reference: He left an hour ago.
  • past habitual action: He travelled a lot when he was young.
  • past actions happening one after the other (succession of past actions): He dressed, went downstairs, had some coffee and went out to the garage.
  • actions which won’t be repeated: Marilyn Monroe starred in “The Seven Year Itch.”

Time expressions: yesterday, ago, last week, the other day (недавно, цими днями), eventually (з часом), finally, in those days, when, at first, then, etc.

These exercises will help you revise irregular verbs in Past Simple.

Level B1 / B2

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple Tense.

  1. We (eat)__________ dinner at around six, then went out.
  2. Yesterday he (beat)__________ me at chess.
  3. He (bear)__________ the pain stoically.
  4. She (bite)__________ into a cake and took a sip of coffee.
  5. Rosie (drink)__________ thirstily from a can of cola.
  6. She (dream)__________ that one day she would be famous.
  7. He (blow)__________ the smoke right in my face.
  8. The dam (burst)__________ under the weight of water.
  9. That meal (cost)__________ us a fortune.
  10. They (choose)__________ Donald to be their leader.
  11. I (catch)__________ him reading my letters.
  12. The revolution (bring)_________ many changes.
  13. Mark (burn)__________ his hand on the stove.
  14. We (dig)__________ a hole and planted the tree.
  15. Dan (buy)__________ the car for $2000.
  16. At last the guests (begin)__________ to arrive.
  17. She (cut)__________ her finger on a piece of glass.
  18. I (drive)__________ to work this morning.
  19. It was a small company that (deal)__________ in rare books.
  20. The cigarette (burn)__________ a hole in her blouse.
  21. They (bind)__________ my arms and legs with rope.
  22. His wet shirt (cling)__________ to his body.
  23. He (creep)__________ back up the stairs, trying to be quiet.
  24. A woodsman and his family (dwell)__________ in the middle of the forest.
  25. I (bend)__________ down to lift the box off the floor.

Exercise 2. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the Past Simple Tense.

1. Она сдула пыль с книги.2. Джон отвез меня в аэропорт.3. Собака укусила моего соседа.4. На вечеринке она пила только сок.5. Она мечтала стать знаменитой актрисой. 6. Он нарисовал карту острова.7. Он разбил окно мячом.8. Они выкопали маленькую ямку в песке. 9. Ее сердце забилось быстрее.10. Она вынесла все с большим терпением.11. Билеты стоили 10 долларов каждый. 12. Она тщательно выбирала слова. 13. Собака поймала мяч. 14. Они принесли хорошие новости. 15. Она сожгла все его письма. 16. Он ворвался в комнату. 17. Родители купили мне новый компьютер. 18. Мы начали работать над проектом в мае. 19. Я отрезала ему кусок пирога. 20. Он стал известным врачом.

Exercise 3. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple Tense.

  1. She (fall)__________ off a ladder and (break)__________ her arm.
  2. He (feel)__________ better after a good night’s sleep.
  3. They (dig)__________ deeper and deeper but still (find)__________ nothing.
  4. He (let)__________ me have a look at that letter.
  5. They (fight)_________ for control of the islands.
  6. She (lend)__________ me her very expensive coat.
  7. He (feed)_________ the dogs with leftover food.
  8. She (leave)__________ work early to meet her mother.
  9. I (learn)__________ a lot from my father.
  10. A wasp (fly)__________ in through the window.
  11. She (lead)__________ the horse back into the stable.
  12. She (lay)__________ the baby down gently on the bed.
  13. Her father (forbid)__________ the marriage.
  14. She (forget)__________ all about their anniversary.
  15. John never (forgive)__________ himself for the accident.
  16. Two men (freeze)__________ to death on the mountain.
  17. People (keep)__________ quiet because they were afraid.
  18. His cold behaviour (hurt)__________ her deeply.
  19. John (grow)__________ two inches in six months.
  20. Philip (hang)__________ his coat on a hook behind the door.
  21. He finally (give)__________ us permission to leave earlier.
  22. I (hear)__________ a rumor that he was getting married soon.
  23. They (hide)__________ me from the police in their attic.
  24. I (hit)__________ my elbow on the corner of the table.
  25. The girl (hold)__________ her father’s hand tightly.
  26. His attackers turned and (flee)__________.
  27. People cheered and (fling)__________ their hats into the air.
  28. I (grind)__________ my teeth as I watched her crying.
  29. Mary (forbear)__________ to mention her success not to make him envious.
  30. He (hurt)__________ his knee playing football.

Exercise 4. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the Past Simple Tense.

1. Они разрешили мне посмотреть телевизор. 2. Я одолжил свою машину Джону. 3. Я подкармливал растения раз в месяц. 4. Она съела кусочек хлеба и почувствовала себя лучше. 5. Всю свою жизнь он боролся за свободу. 6. Я оставила сумку в автобусе. 7. Он научился плавать, когда ему было 5 лет. 8. Он положил руку мне на плечо. 9. Родители запретили мне уходить из дома. 10. Он забыл поблагодарить меня за помощь. 11. Она простила его за то, что он забыл о ее дне рождения. 12. Я застыл от страха, когда дверь распахнулась. 13. Ты на час опоздал – что задержало тебя? 14. Он повредил ногу, когда играл в футбол. 15. Они выращивали овощи в маленьком саду. 16. Мы повесили ее портрет над камином. 17. Они хотели пить, и я дал им немного молока. 18. Вдруг мы услышали стук в дверь. 19. Она спрятала фотографии в ящик стола. 20. Она ударила его зонтиком по голове. 21. Я нашел кошелек на улице. 22. Камень пролетел над его головой. 23. Дорога вела через лес. 24. Она держала ребенка на руках. 25. Он швырнул деньги на пол.

Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple Tense.

  1. The baby (sleep)__________ peacefully in its cradle.
  2. We (sit)__________ side by side in the back seat.
  3. I (lie)__________ awake worrying about work.
  4. He (sit)__________ back and (light)__________ up a cigarette.
  5. Carol (lose)__________ interest in ballet in her teens.
  6. Her mother (sing)__________ with the band in the early days.
  7. He (shut)__________ his book and looked up.
  8. The look on her face (mean)__________ one thing – trouble.
  9. We (read)__________ about the accident in the local paper.
  10. They (meet)__________ last week to discuss the project.
  11. Ray (pay)__________ some kids to wash the car.
  12. I (ring)_________ the doorbell but no one came.
  13. I (put)__________ my wallet in your bag by mistake.
  14. She (sew)_________ up that hole in my trousers.
  15. They (ride) _________ to the wedding in a carriage.
  16. Marion polished the table until it (shine)_________.
  17. The aircraft (rise)__________ slowly into the air.
  18. She (shake)_________ the sand out of her shoes.
  19. Hundreds of people (seek)__________ refuge in the British Embassy.
  20. The door (swing)__________ open slowly.
  21. He (send)__________ a dozen red roses to his girlfriend on her birthday.
  22. The moon (shine)__________ brightly in the sky.
  23. I (sell)__________ one customer five pairs of shoes yesterday.
  24. My sweater (shrink)__________ in the dryer.
  25. His feet (sink)__________ deeper and deeper into the mud.
  26. Daniel (slide)__________ out of the room when no one was looking.
  27. She (strive)__________ daily to be the perfect wife and mother.
  28. The candle (shed)__________ a dim glow over her face.
  29. They (shoot)__________ arrows from behind the thick bushes.
  30. We (saw)___________ off the dead branches.

Exercise 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple Tense.

  1. Our skiing team (win)__________ a gold medal at the Olympics.
  2. She (wear)__________ her hair loose.
  3. The teacher (write)__________ the answers on the board.
  4. The soup (smell)__________ delicious.
  5. He (speak)__________ very quietly.
  6. He (stand)_________ looking at them in silence.
  7. Alan (wake)__________ to a quiet knocking on his door.
  8. Ben asked a few questions to make sure he (understand)__________ what to do.
  9. He (throw)  _________ a handful of money onto the table.
  10. He slipped and the wine (spill)__________ all over the carpet.
  11. Danny was her favourite grandson and she (spoil)__________ him rotten.
  12. We (spread)__________ the blanket on the grass and sat down on it.
  13. Clark called him “Mule,” and the name (stick)__________.
  14. The teacher (tell)__________ the children to sit down quietly.
  15. He picked up the envelope and (tear)__________ it open.
  16. Thieves (steal)__________ paintings worth $5 million from a Paris art gallery.
  17. He (teach)__________ geography at the local secondary school.
  18.  When he was sitting in the garden, a wasp (sting)__________ him on his arm.
  19.  Victor (wear)__________ he would get his revenge.
  20. Lida (sweep)__________ the coins into her purse.
  21. Slowly and carefully I (swim)__________ round the dark walls of the castle.
  22. Fire quickly (spread)__________ through the building.
  23. Someone (stick)__________ posters all over the walls.
  24. A snowball (strike)__________ him on the back of the head.
  25. She (think)__________ very carefully before answering.