PAST TENSES 1

Past Simple. Past Continuous. Used to/ Would.

1. Fill in the gaps in this model answer with verbs from the box in the past simple.

Thanks to modern technology, there have been enormous changes in the workplace over the past 100 years.

What are the most significant changes that have occurred and what changes do you foresee in the next 100 years?

Allow be (3) invent increase lay mean

own receive replace ride take walk

The pace of change in the world of technology is amazing. It 1 wasn’t (not) long ago that the postal service 2 ________ our only way to communicate over any distance. It 3 ________ days and sometimes weeks to receive letters from within the same country. As a result the news in the letters 4 ________ already out of date when people 5 ________ them. In the workplace, this 6 _________ that business was mostly conducted locally, over relatively short distances.

When Alexander Graham Bell 7 _______.... the telephone in 1876 it 8 _________ the foundation for the communication systems we have today. The telephone 9 ________ two people to communicate instantly across a great distance. Eventually computers 10 ________ typewriters and dramatically 11 __________ the speed of our daily work life. Nowadays the Internet is an essential part of every business.

However, it is not just communications that have changed. Only 50 years ago most people 12 ______ (not) a can People 13 _________ to work or 14 ________ bicycles. Changes in travel as well as the increased speed of communications have led to the global business world that we have today.

2 Fill in the gaps with the past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. In which gaps could you use used to?

I 1 had (have) a wonderful biology teacher, Mrs Hughes. She 2 ________ (make) us excited about the subject because she was so interested herself. I remember one lesson in particular; we 3 ________ (study) different types of plants, and Mrs Hughes 4 ________ (describe) the different parts of the flower. She 5 _____ (pick up) a purple flower, I can't remember exactly what it was, and then suddenly we 6 ____ (notice) that she 7 ________ (cry)! She 8 ________ (apologise) and 9 ________ (say) that sometimes nature was so beautiful it just made her cry! We 10 _______ (not/know) what to do at first, but it certainly 11 _______ (make) us think. Something similar 12 _______ (happen) while she 13 ________ (show) us how to work the microscope. She 14 ________ (examine) a slide of some plant tissue and she 15 __________ (smile) all over her face. She suddenly 16 __________ (get) all excited and 17 _________ (say), 'Isn't it wonderful? Some students 18 ________ (laugh) at her when she 19 _______ (not/look) but I didn't. Somehow her enthusiasm 20 _________ (inspire) me, and I 21 ________ (start) to like biology.

3 A teacher and student are talking about local customs. Fill in the gaps with the verbs in brackets in the correct form. Use would or used to where possible.

Teacher: What sort of things 1 did you use to do (you/do) as a child?

Yoko: Oh, when I was a child growing up in Japan there were many customs that we 2 _______ (follow). For example, I remember we 3 _______ (move) house when I was seven and we 4 ________ (visit) our new neighbours with gifts. At that time the tradition was that people 5 ________ (give) gifts of Japanese noodles, but it is different now and people tend to give things like soap or towels or nothing at all.

Teacher: 6 _________ (have) one tradition that you particularly remember?

Yoko: Yes, one tradition that I 7 __________ (really/like) was in the spring when the cherry blossoms were out. As a family we 8 _________ (go) into the countryside and we 9 __________ (spend) the day eating, drinking and singing. One year my father 10 _________ (take) a lovely photo of me and my sisters and I still keep that picture on my wall today.

Teacher: And 11 __________ (you/have to) do anything you didn't like?

Yoko: Yes. I remember how we 12 _________ (have to) clean the house thoroughly. This ceremony is called Osoji and my sisters and I 13 ________ (not/look forward to) it very much!