A) Fill in the blanks with the PAST form of the verbs:
Benjamin Franklin …… was born ….. (be born) in Boston in 1706. He ……was……… (be) the fifteenth of the seventeen children of a
poor candlemaker. He ……went…(go ) to school only one year. He …………………………… (begin) to work when he was twelve. At
the age of fourteen he …………………………… (decide) to be a writer. He …………………. break swim have make sit write spend
buy drink lose wash (copy) the great stories of famous writers and later he …………………………… (become) the
best known writer in his time.
When he ………………….. (be) seventeen, he ………………………… (leave) Boston and …………………………… (arrive) in
Philadelphia with only a few pennies in his pocket. He ……………………… (get) a job as a publisher of a newspaper and
……………………. (retire) from business as a very rich man at forty-two. Then he ………………………. (spend) the next forty years
for his government. He ………………………. (play) an important role in the founding of the USA. Franklin ……………… (be) also an
important scientist and inventor. He ……………. (draw) electricity from a cloud on a kite string. He ……………………… (write) one of
the first text books on electricity. He ……………………… (invent) a simple lightning rod and many other practical tools. He
……………………… (make) a study of water and ………………………. (discover) many principles of hydrodynamics. He even
………………………… (invent) bifocal glasses when he was seventy-eight and ……………………… (need) them himself. Franklin
……………… (do) all these things and many more because he …………….………(believe) he ………………………… (can).
B) Read the following story and rewrite it using simple past tense:
Bob is a young sailor. He lives in England, but he is often away with his ship. One summer he comes back from a long voyage and
finds new neighbors near his mother’s house. They have a pretty daughter, and Bob soon loves her and he wants to marry her when
he comes back. Bob promises the girl to send a present from every port. Bob’s first port is Capetown in Africa, and he sends the girl a
parrot from there. The parrot speaks three languages. When Bob’s ship reaches Australia, a letter comes from the girl. The letter
says, “Thank you for the parrot, Bob. It tasted much better than a chicken.”
Bob was a young sailor. He lived in England,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………C) Answer the questions about the story:
1. What was Bob? He was a young sailor.
2. What change did he find when he was back home?
3. How was their daughter?
4. How did Bob feel about the girl?
5. What did Bob tell the girl?
6. What did Bob send the girl from Capetown?
7. Where is Capetown?
8. How many languages did the parrot speak?
9. What did the girl do with the parrot?
D) Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses using the SIMPLE PAST or the PAST PROGRESSIVE:
1. While they were traveling (travel) to China, Marco was keeping (keep) a diary.
2. Mrs. White …………………………………. (drive) past a house in Main Street when she ……………………… (see) the ground floor
on fire.
3. While he ………………………………. (fly) off the Miami Coast, the pilot …………….. (see) sharks approaching the swimmers.
4. The fireman ……………………………… (fight) the fire on a balcony below when he ………………………… (hear) someone’s
shouts.
5. She …………………… (die) while she ………………………….. (run) after a bus.
6. We ……………………………….. (have) dinner when the electricity …………………… (go)7. She ………………………………… (think) of something else while you ……………….. (talk) to her.
8. I ……………………….. (see) her while I …………………………………. (look) out of the window.
9. While the teacher ………………………………….. (talk), the students ………………….. (look) at an insect on the ceiling.
Benjamin Franklin …… was born ….. (be born) in Boston in 1706. He ……was……… (be) the fifteenth of the seventeen children of a
poor candlemaker. He ……went…(go ) to school only one year. He …………………………… (begin) to work when he was twelve. At
the age of fourteen he …………………………… (decide) to be a writer. He …………………. break swim have make sit write spend
buy drink lose wash (copy) the great stories of famous writers and later he …………………………… (become) the
best known writer in his time.
When he ………………….. (be) seventeen, he ………………………… (leave) Boston and …………………………… (arrive) in
Philadelphia with only a few pennies in his pocket. He ……………………… (get) a job as a publisher of a newspaper and
……………………. (retire) from business as a very rich man at forty-two. Then he ………………………. (spend) the next forty years
for his government. He ………………………. (play) an important role in the founding of the USA. Franklin ……………… (be) also an
important scientist and inventor. He ……………. (draw) electricity from a cloud on a kite string. He ……………………… (write) one of
the first text books on electricity. He ……………………… (invent) a simple lightning rod and many other practical tools. He
……………………… (make) a study of water and ………………………. (discover) many principles of hydrodynamics. He even
………………………… (invent) bifocal glasses when he was seventy-eight and ……………………… (need) them himself. Franklin
……………… (do) all these things and many more because he …………….………(believe) he ………………………… (can).
B) Read the following story and rewrite it using simple past tense:
Bob is a young sailor. He lives in England, but he is often away with his ship. One summer he comes back from a long voyage and
finds new neighbors near his mother’s house. They have a pretty daughter, and Bob soon loves her and he wants to marry her when
he comes back. Bob promises the girl to send a present from every port. Bob’s first port is Capetown in Africa, and he sends the girl a
parrot from there. The parrot speaks three languages. When Bob’s ship reaches Australia, a letter comes from the girl. The letter
says, “Thank you for the parrot, Bob. It tasted much better than a chicken.”
Bob was a young sailor. He lived in England,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………C) Answer the questions about the story:
1. What was Bob? He was a young sailor.
2. What change did he find when he was back home?
3. How was their daughter?
4. How did Bob feel about the girl?
5. What did Bob tell the girl?
6. What did Bob send the girl from Capetown?
7. Where is Capetown?
8. How many languages did the parrot speak?
9. What did the girl do with the parrot?
D) Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses using the SIMPLE PAST or the PAST PROGRESSIVE:
1. While they were traveling (travel) to China, Marco was keeping (keep) a diary.
2. Mrs. White …………………………………. (drive) past a house in Main Street when she ……………………… (see) the ground floor
on fire.
3. While he ………………………………. (fly) off the Miami Coast, the pilot …………….. (see) sharks approaching the swimmers.
4. The fireman ……………………………… (fight) the fire on a balcony below when he ………………………… (hear) someone’s
shouts.
5. She …………………… (die) while she ………………………….. (run) after a bus.
6. We ……………………………….. (have) dinner when the electricity …………………… (go)7. She ………………………………… (think) of something else while you ……………….. (talk) to her.
8. I ……………………….. (see) her while I …………………………………. (look) out of the window.
9. While the teacher ………………………………….. (talk), the students ………………….. (look) at an insect on the ceiling.
Respuesta:
ExplicacA) Complete los espacios en blanco con la forma PASADA de los verbos:
Benjamin Franklin …… nació… .. (nacer) en Boston en 1706. Él …… era ……… (ser) el decimoquinto de los diecisiete hijos de un
pobre fabricante de velas. Él …… fue… (ir) a la escuela solo un año. Él …………………………… (comenzó) a trabajar cuando tenía doce años. A
a los catorce años …………………………… (decide) ser escritor. Él …………………. romper nadar hacer sentarse escribir gastar
comprar beber perder lavar (copiar) las grandes historias de escritores famosos y más tarde él …………………………… (convertirse) en el
escritor más conocido de su época.
Cuando él ………………… .. (cumplió) diecisiete años, él ………………………… (se fue) Boston y …………………………… (llegó) en
Filadelfia con solo unos centavos en el bolsillo. Él ……………………… (consiguió) un trabajo como editor de un periódico y
……………………. (retirarse) de los negocios como un hombre muy rico a los cuarenta y dos. Luego él ………………………. (pasar) los próximos cuarenta años
para su gobierno. Él ………………………. (jugar) un papel importante en la fundación de los EE. UU. Franklin ……………… (ser) también un
importante científico e inventor. Él ……………. (dibuje) electricidad de una nube en una cuerda de cometa. Él ……………………… (escribe) uno de
los primeros libros de texto sobre electricidad. Él ……………………… (inventó) un simple pararrayos y muchas otras herramientas prácticas. Él
……………………… (hacer) un estudio de agua y ………………………. (descubrir) muchos principios de la hidrodinámica. El incluso
………………………… (inventó) anteojos bifocales cuando tenía setenta y ocho años y ……………………… (los necesitaba) él mismo. Franklin
……………… (hacer) todas estas cosas y muchas más porque él ……………. ……… (cree) él ………………………… (puede).
B) Leer la siguiente historia y reescribirla usando tiempo pasado simple:
Bob es un joven marinero. Vive en Inglaterra, pero a menudo se ausenta con su barco. Un verano regresa de un largo viaje y
encuentra nuevos vecinos cerca de la casa de su madre. Tienen una hija bonita y Bob pronto la ama y quiere casarse con ella cuando
él regresa. Bob le promete a la niña que enviará un regalo desde todos los puertos. El primer puerto de Bob es Ciudad del Cabo en África, y envía a la niña un
loro de allí. El loro habla tres idiomas. Cuando el barco de Bob llega a Australia, llega una carta de la niña. La carta
dice: “Gracias por el loro, Bob. Sabía mucho mejor que un pollo ".
Bob era un joven marinero. Vivió en inglaterra,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………… C) Responde las preguntas sobre la historia:
1. ¿Qué era Bob? Era un joven marinero.
2. ¿Qué cambio encontró cuando regresó a casa?
3. ¿Cómo estuvo su hija?
4. ¿Qué sintió Bob por la niña?
5. ¿Qué le dijo Bob a la niña?
6. ¿Qué le envió Bob a la chica de Ciudad del Cabo?
7. ¿Dónde está Ciudad del Cabo?
8. ¿Cuántos idiomas hablaba el loro?
9. ¿Qué hizo la niña con el loro?
D) Completa las frases con las palabras entre paréntesis usando el PASADO SIMPLE o el PASADO PROGRESIVO:
1. Mientras viajaban (viajan) a China, Marco llevaba (lleva) un diario.
2. Sra. White …………………………………. (conducir) más allá de una casa en Main Street cuando ella ……………………… (ver) la planta baja
en llamas.
3. Mientras él ………………………………. (volar) frente a la costa de Miami, el piloto …………… .. (ver) tiburones acercándose a los nadadores.
4. El bombero ……………………………… (apaga) el fuego en un balcón de abajo cuando ………………………… (escucha) alguien
grita.
5. Ella …………………… (muere) mientras ella ………………………… .. (corre) detrás de un autobús.
6. Nosotros ……………………………… .. (cenamos) cuando la electricidad …………………… (vamos) 7. Ella ………………………………… (piensa) en otra cosa mientras tú ……………… .. (hablas) con ella.
8. Yo ……………………… .. (la veo) mientras yo …………………………………. (Mira por la ventana.
9. Mientras el profesor ………………………………… .. (hablar), los alumnos ………………… .. (mirar) un insecto en el techo.
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