VERBS

EL PASADO SIMPLE

Estos son los principales usos del pasado simple. Recuerda que no sirve de nada
aprenderse las reglas de memoria. Fíjate en los ejemplos y trata de entender por qué se
utiliza el pasado simple en cada uno de los ejemplos:

a) Para hablar de acciones terminadas que ocurrieron en un momento concreto o

definido del pasado. Sabemos, o se infiere del contexto, en qué momento tuvo lugar la
acción descrita por el verbo:
I talked to Jim a few hours ago (Hablé con Jim hace unas horas)
 
b) Para hablar de costumbres, estados y hábitos referidos al pasado: 
When I was at school, I played for the school basketball team (Cuando iba al colegio,
jugaba en el equipo de baloncesto) 

c)  Para ordenar cronológicamente secuencias de acciones que tuvieron lugar en el

pasado (fíjate en el significado de los dos "phrasal verbs" del ejemplo):
 The police broke down the door and rushed into the flat (La policía derribó la puerta y
asaltó la casa) 

Ya hemos visto los usos principales del pasado simple. Veamos ahora cómo se forma. 

1. Verbos regulares:
a) Afirmativa: normalmente, basta con añadir la terminación "-ed" al infinitivo del verbo: 
play - played 
want - wanted

Sin embargo, hay algunas excepciones a esta regla:

- Cuando el infinitivo acaba en consonante + vocal + consonante y es una palabra
monosílaba o aguda, se duplica la consonante final del infinitivo antes de añadir la
terminación "-ed":
refer - referred
stop - stopped

¡Cuidado! Si el infinitivo termina en consonante + vocal + consonante, pero es una

palabra llana, la última consonante no se duplica (al igual de lo que sucederá con las
formas terminadas en "-ing"):
open - opened
offer - offered

- Tampoco se duplicará la última consonante cuando el infinitivo termine en "w", "x" o

"y":
chew - chewed
wax - waxed
play - played

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- Cuando el infinitivo termine en consonante + e, únicamente añadiremos una "d":
close - closed
imagine - imagined

- Por último, en los casos en los que el infinitivo termine en consonate seguida de "y", se
eliminará la "y" y se añadirá la terminación "-ied":
hurry - hurried 

2. Verbos irregulares:

En este caso, es necesario aprenderse la forma del pasado simple.

Ten en cuenta que, ya se trate de verbos regulares o irregulares, el pasado simple

afirmativo tiene la misma forma para todas las personas. Es invariable...

I stayed I was
He stayed You were
I began He was
She began She was
It was
... con la excepción del verbo "to be": We were
You were
They were
Por otra parte, la estructura de la forma negativa es la siguiente:
Sujeto + did not (didn't) + infinitivo sin "to", tanto para los verbos regulares como para los
irregulares:
I didn't buy
She didn't take
They didn't decide 

La forma interrogativa (para ambos tipos de verbos), responde a la siguiente

estructura:
Did + sujeto + infinitivo sin "to"
Did you see?
Did they go?
Did you decide? 

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EL PASADO CONTINUO

Estos son los principales usos de este tiempo verbal:

- Para hablar de acciones que estaban sucediendo en un momento concreto del pasado,
pero que no habían finalizado: 
When I was having a shower, somebody knocked at the door - Cuando me estaba
duchando (y no había terminado todavía), alguien llamó a la puerta. 

- Para contextualizar o situar en el tiempo una acción pasada: 

I was going home from work when I saw a long lost friend from high school (Volvía a
casa del trabajo cuando me encontré con un amigo del instituto al que hacía mucho
tiempo que no veía) 

- Para hablar de dos o más acciones o actividades simultáneas que tenía lugar en un
momento concreto del pasado (en estos casos, estas acciones suelen ir unidas por
"while" o "when"): 
While I was doing my homework, Sam was tidying his room (Mientras yo hacía mis
deberes, Sam ordenaba su habitación) 

¿Cómo se forma el pasado continuo?

Afirmativa: sujeto + was / were + forma en "ing" del verbo principal:

They were studying
I was playing 

Negativa: sujeto + was not (wasn't) / were not (weren't) + forma en "ing" del verbo
principal:
They weren't studying
I wasn't playing

Interrogativa:  Was / were + sujeto + forma en "ing" del verbo principal:

Were they studying?
Was he playing?

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 1. COMPLETE (Past simple - Past continuous)
1) When the post man ______________ (arrive), my father ______________ (have a
shower)
2) While my brother ______________ (study), my grandma ______________ (make) some
muffins
3) I ______________ (go) to the doctor 2 days ago because I ______________ (have) a
terrible headache  
4) When I ______________ (be) 10, I ______________ (eat) a sandwich every evening 
5) He ______________ (miss) the train because he ______________ (talk) with some
friends 
6) The thieves ______________ (come) into the house while the man ______________
(sleep) 
7) I ______________ (drink) a glass of water at eleven. I'm not thirsty now 
8) ______________ you ______________ (write) the composition last week? 
9) My mother ______________ (not/be) at home when she ______________ (fall) down the
stairs 
10) The children ______________ (plant) a tree when their mummy ______________
(call) them

2. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD FOR EACH WORD (EACH,

YESTERDAY, LAST, WHILE, WHEN, AS, ON, IN, AT)

1. Tommy's father worked in that office 2 years ______________

2. The plane was flying ______________ 8 p.m. ______________
3. My best friend went to London ______________ month
4.  ______________ I was having dinner, my sister was having a shower
5. ______________ did the supermarket close?
6. Your aunt studied German ______________ 2001
7. Rose played in an orchestra ______________ she was 12 years old
8. Jason was swimming ______________ his girlfriend was drinking a coke
9. The TV broke ______________ 26th October

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 10.______________ did he deliver the shopping?
11.My father's friend had a baby ______________
12.The suspect can't have committed the crime. He was having dinner in the
restaurant ______________ that time ______________
13.My cousin bought the PSP ______________ he was in London

3. COMPLETE (Past simple - Past continuous)

 1. David ______________ (shave) when his wife ______________ (come) home

yesterday.
 2. The Claytons ______________ (celebrate) a birthday party when
I ______________ (phone) last Friday. Susan ______________ (record) everything
with her camcorder and everybody ______________ (have) fun.
 3. When the earthquake ______________ (destroy) their house, the
Claytons ______________ (shop) in town. Luckily, they ______________ (sleep) or
watching TV at home. 
 4. While Tom and Sally ______________ (go) to school, their little
sister ______________ (sleep) peacefully in her bed. She was with the flu.
  5. When the party ______________ (start), people ______________ (dance)
and ______________ (laugh). Everyone ______________ (drink) and having a good
time. 
 6. As soon as I ______________ (see) the burglar breaking into my neighbour's
house, I ______________ (call) the police. 
 7. The chef ______________ (cook) a delicious meal when the
guests ______________ (start) to arrive. 
 8. The man ______________ (talk) on the phone when he ______________ (crash)
against the other car. On the other hand, the woman ______________ (put on) some
make-up when the accident ______________ (happen). 
 9. Mike ______________ (hear) an unexpected sound downstairs and he
immediately ______________ (get up) and ______________ (go) to check that
everything was alright. 

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 10. Diana ______________ (kiss) her boyfriend when her parents ______________
(come back) home from the theatre.

4. COMPLETE (Past simple - Past continuous)

Tim: Did you hear about the storm yesterday?
Bill: I sure did. Actually, I ______________ (eat) dinner in a restaurant when
      the blizzard ______________ (hit).
Tim: Really? Weren't you scared?
Bill: Of course, I was. Some friends of mine ______________ (walk) when
      the storm ______________ (start). Others ______________ (ride) their bikes
home.
Tim: How ______________ you ______________ (get) home?
Bill: I ______________ (not-go) home. I ______________ (have) to stay in the
restaurant.
Tim: Really?
Bill: Yeah. So I ______________ (eat) dinner twice.
Tim: ______________ you still ______________ (eat) when the
storm ______________ (stop)?
Bill: No, I ______________ (not-eat) anymore. Actually, by that time,
      I ______________ (sleep) over the dinner table.
Tim: Gosh!  

5. COMPLETE (Past simple - Past continuous)

Mr Smith never (wake) ______________ in time in the mornings and always (get)
______________ into trouble for being late; so one day he (go) ______________ to
town and (buy) ______________ an alarm clock. To get home he (have to)
______________ go through a field where a bad-tempered bull usually (graze)
______________. This bull normally (not chase) ______________ people unless
something (make) ______________ him angry.
Unfortunately, as Mr. Smith (cross) ______________ the field, his alarm clock (go)
______________ on. This (annoy) ______________ the bull, who immediately (begin)
______________ to chase Mr Smith. Mr Smith (carry) ______________ an open
umbrella as it (rain) ______________ slightly. He (throw) ______________ the
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umbrella to the ground and (run) ______________ away as fast as he could. The bull
(stop) ______________ and (begin) ______________ to attack the umbrella. While
he (do) ______________ this Mr Smith escaped.
When he (awake) ______________ she (sit) ______________ on the window. She
(look) ______________ at something in the street, but when he (call)
______________ her she (turn) ______________ and (smile) ______________ at
him.
Why (you / interrupt) ______________ me just now? I (have) ______________ a very
interesting conversation with Mr. Pitt.
 The murderer (carry) ______________ the corpse down the stairs when he (hear)
______________ a knock on the door.
 When I (look) ______________ through your books I (notice) ______________ that
you have a copy of "Murder in the Cathedral".
 As they (walk) ______________ along the road they (hear) ______________ a car
coming from behind them. Tom (turn) ______________ round and (hold)
______________ up his hand. The car (stop) ______________.
 When I (arrive) ______________ at the station Mary (wait) ______________ for me.
She (wear) ______________ a blue dress and (look) ______________ very pretty. As
soon as she (see) ______________ me she (wave) ______________ her umbrella and
(shout) ______________ something, but I couldn't hear what she (say)
______________ because everybody (make) ______________ such a noise.
 The prisoner (escape) ______________ by climbing the wall on the garden where he
(work) ______________. He (wear) ______________ blue overalls and black shoes.
 She said that the car (travel) ______________ at 40 k.p.h. when it (begin)
______________ to skid.
 She said that she (not like) ______________ her present flat and (try)
______________ to find another.
 While he (make) ______________ his speech the minister suddenly (feel)
______________ faint. But someone (bring) ______________ him a glass of water
and after a few minutes he (be able) ______________ to continue.
  -When I (see) ______________ him he (paint) ______________ a portrait of
his wife.
          -(you/like) ______________ it? 

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          -He (only just/start) ______________ when I (see) ______________ it, so I
couldn't judge.
 -I (take) ______________ my friend to a murder trial the other day.
         -Who (be) ______________ tried? A man called Bill Sykes.
         -(he/acquit) ______________?  
         -I don't know. They (still/listen) ______________ to the evidence when we
(leave) ______________
 I (be) ______________ sorry that I (have to) ______________ leave the party early,
because I (enjoy) ______________ myself.
  As we (come) ______________ here a policeman (stop) ______________ us. He
(say) ______________ that he (look) ______________ for some stolen property and
(ask) ______________ if he could search the car.
 -I (see) ______________ you yesterday from the bus.
         -Why (you/use) ______________ a stick?
         -I (use) ______________ a stick because I had hurt my leg that morning falling
off a horse.  
         -Whose horse you (ride) ______________?
  The floor (cover) ______________ with balls of wool. Obviously Mrs Pitt (knit)
______________ something.
  Ann said that she (be) ______________ on holiday. I (say) ______________ that I
(hope) ______________ that she (enjoy) ______________ herself.
 While he (water) ______________ the flowers it (begin) ______________ to rain. He
(put) ______________ up his umbrella and (go) ______________ on watering.
  I just (write) ______________ a cheque when I (remember) ______________ that I
(have) ______________ nothing in the bank.

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 VOCABULARY
1. Relate the shops with the items (Bakery, Newsagent, Butcher,
Take away, Stationery, Post office, Greengrocer, Chemist)

2. Shampoo ->
3. Magazine ->
4. Bread ->
5. Chicken ->
6. Pen ->
7. Apples ->
8. Stamps ->
9. Ready cooked-meal ->

2. COMPLETE THE TEXT BELOW WITH THE MISSING WORDS:

I went to the A) __________________to get some apples then I got a
book of stamps in the B) __________________. Then it was off to
the C) __________________to get more photocopy paper and some
new pens. The D) __________________was closed so I couldn't get
any meat. I thought we get a chinese meal from
the F) __________________tonight. Now, I promised the children a
cake after dinner so if you're going out could you go to
the E) __________________and get some. See if you can get a loaf of
bread while you're there too. Oh yes, and could you pop into
the F) __________________and get my Homes and Garden magazine
and today's paper. We also need more shampoo so can you
remember to get some in the G) __________________
2. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER

- A person who works in a shop. A shop (helper / assistant /

person)
- The place in a shop where items are bought are paid for. The
(counter / table / shelf)
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 - A moving staircase. An (escalator / conveyor / track)
- A room in a shop where you try on clothes. A (changing /
dressing / clothes) room.
- A free plastic bag given out in shops and supermarkets. A
(goods / shopping / carrier)
- The name for the line people stand in when they are waiting for
their turn to pay. A (queue / line / crowd)

- During this time goods are sold at a lower price. A (giveaway /

Sale / Bargain)

- A large basket on wheels used to push shopping around a

supermarket. A (trolley / pram /cart)

3. COMPLETE THE GAPS WITH THE CORRECT WORD FROM THE EXERCISE
BEFORE:

A) If you give the perfume to the shop __________________she'll wrap it up

for you.
B) I was standing at the __________________just about to pay and I
remembered I didn't have any money.
C) I'm afraid the __________________is out of order. You'll have to use the
stairs.
D) Have you got a __________________room? I'd like to try this dress on.
E) Many supermarkets in the UK are now asking people to pay for
plastic __________________bags.
F) There was such a long __________________to pay I decided to leave and
go back later.
G) There was a __________________on and everything was half-price.
H) I couldn't find a __________________at the supermarket so I had to
carry everything in a basket.
4. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER:

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A (pipe / tube / bar) of toothpaste
A (carton / bottle / jar) of jam
A (bottle / carton / jar) of yogurt
A (loaf / bar / block) of bread
A (block / piece / bar) of soap
A (tin / box / carton) of tomatoes
A (block / group / bunch) of flowers
A (jar / tube / bottle) of milk
A (box / bar / carton) of chocolates
A (bag / box / parcel) of sugar

5. Relate the words with the phrases (card, change, pay, cost,
cheque, refund, cash, deposit):

- Could I borrow your pen to sign this ___________ please?

- I don’t like using my credit _____________ to shop online.
- This shirt is too small. I think I’ll take it back and get a
______________
- You will have to leave a ____________ if you want us to order
the goods.
- You haven’t given me the correct ______________. I gave you
1$ and you’ve only given me 10cents back.
- Do you have any ______________ ? I haven’t brought any
money out with me.
- How much did you _______________ for those trousers?
- I’d never buy a new car as they ____________ so much.

WRITING
11
LISTENING
12
13
14
15
16
 READING

A.   Order the cinema tickets.

B.   Collect the tickets.

C.   Meet after work to go to the cinema.

A.   The lift is only for employees.

B.   Ask someone if you need help with the lift.

C.   The lift isn't working.

A.   Think about what you can have for dinner.

B.   Buy something for dinner.

C.   Prepare the dinner.

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A.   This car park is for people who use the shop.

B.   No parking here.

C.   Anyone can park here.

A.   The cafe is where the builders eat.

B.   Students will be told when the cafe is open.

C.   The cafe will still be open while building work is being done.

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The End of TV?

Tom Collins offers his opinion

I keep reading articles that argue the TV is dead. According to this view, people are
spending far more time using the Internet for their entertainment and for information.
As a result, they argue the TV is becoming less and less important in our lives. The
time we spend watching videos online is certainly increasing but I don't think this is a
reason to believe we should be saying goodbye to the television.

The TV is still a very popular way a lot of us get our entertainment at home. It offers
us the chance to see top musical artists, great films and documentaries and
sometimes, thanks to important live events, it has the power to bring the whole
country and all ages together in a way the Internet never could. How often do
thousands or even millions of friends or families sit down at the same time to watch
something together online?

Some people argue that the TV offers a poor quality of programmes on the many
channels we now have. It is certainly true that many of the channels do nothing more
than repeat old shows or offer cheap, low quality programmes. However, I would
argue that a lot of content on the Internet isn't particularly great. At least TV shows
have professional people checking the quality of shows, which a lot of content on the
web doesn't.

I agree that it is easy to keep up-to-date with the latest news on the Internet, even
though much of it is not true or certainly can't be trusted. I enjoy sitting down to the
news on TV in the evening, knowing that I am more likely to believe the information
than the things I read online. Anybody can post information on the Internet and a lot
of it is opinion rather than fact.

So I don't think we should be so quick to say goodbye to the TV. In fact, I think it has
many more years left in it! I certainly won't be swapping my TV for the latest laptop
and will continue to enjoy relaxing in front of it in the evenings.

1. The author thinks that

A.   TV is no longer important.
B.   people are spending more time watching videos on the Internet.
C.   people spend too much time on the Internet.
D.   people don't have time to watch TV.

2. What does the author say about TV?

A.   It's the only way to see important live events.
B.   It is more popular than the Internet.
C.   It can attract huge audiences for live events.
D.   It is more popular with certain age groups.

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3. The author thinks that
A.   nothing on the Internet is checked.
B.   it is cheaper to make programmes for the Internet.
C.   some programmes are shown again and again on TV.
D.   there are too many channels on TV.
4. The author says that compared to the Internet,
A.   TV news is more reliable.
B.   people don't give their opinion on TV.
C.   TV news is not up to date.
D.   TV news can always be trusted.
5. What might the author say about the TV?
A.   "Eventually, mobile phones and laptops will replace it."
B.   "It will remain a popular form of entertainment."
C.   "We need fewer channels and better quality programmes."
D.   "It's not as important as it used to be."

How to Save Petrol and the Environment

We all know how important it is to protect the environment. 1)   For example, if

you're a motorist jumping in the car to go somewhere is balanced against the
knowledge of how harmful each journey can be. But did you know that making a few
simple changes to your driving habits will not only do less damage to our world but
will also save you money and could even be good for your health?
 
Do you really need to take the car? 2)   If the service is reliable you'll soon get
used to using buses and trains. In fact, for shorter journeys why not take the
opportunity to get into shape and go on foot.
 
Why not share the journey! How often do you see cars with just one occupant with
the driver making the same journey as others living nearby? Why not car share and
half the cost of the journey? 3) 
 
Try changing your habits. When you must use the car plan your journey so you can
go to all the places you need to visit rather taking the car out again and again. If you
get caught in a traffic jam switch off the engine when you're stationary for a long time.
Try not to brake too sharply or accelerate too quickly as this will lead to you using up
more fuel. On cold mornings don't warm up the engine before you start your journey
and when you next put fuel in your car think about whether you really need to fill up
the tank. 4) 
 

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Taking care of your car is very important. 5)   And keep your car regularly
serviced so that it runs as efficiently as possible.
 
Steps like this will save you money and help you do your bit to protect the
environment.

Sentences
A. There are websites where people can arrange to meet up.

B. If your car is this old it may need replacing.

C. Make sure you carry out basic maintenance like checking the tyre pressure
regularly.

D. Try making more use of public transport.

E. These problems mainly affect the city centres.

F. All that extra weight will put more pressure on the engine.

G. But sometimes it's difficult for us to do the right thing.

H. They can also advise you on safer driving.

Lucky Escape
After having (1) ........ their money for years the Clarke family were finally in a position
to see their dream come true. They were ready to travel from Scotland to start a new
life (2) ........ America.

The (3) ........ family were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, just days before their
departure, one of their sons was bitten by a dog. They were told they would not be
able to travel because of the possibility the boy could have rabies.

The father went to the docks to watch the ship that he had hoped
would (4) ........ them to their new life depart. As he stood on the harbour thinking
about his son, he watched the ship and wondered if the family would ever get to
make the journey.

However, soon after this disappointment the father (5) ........ how lucky the family had
been. The son did not have rabies and a few days (6) ........ the news came that the
ship the Clarke family should have been on, The Titanic, had sunk.

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1.
A.   collected.
B.   saved
C.   stored
D.   kept
2.
A.   to
B.   on
C.   in
D.   at
3.
A.   altogether
B.   all
C.   whole
D.   total
4.
A.   take
B.   move
C.   send
D.   set
5.
A.   missed
B.   discovered
C.   found
D.   checked
6.
A.   following
B.   later
C.   passed
D.   past

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