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Past tenses
Activity type: this is a gap fill activity in which students have to put the verbs into the correct form of the simple past tense.
Level: Intermediate and above
Teacher's notes:
- The story is about a man who wanted to find the truth. To begin this lesson you could ask the students to discuss trips that they have taken. Put them into pairs and ask them to discuss a favorite trip/vacation and why it was so memorable.
- Ask the students if they have taken a very long journey. Ask volunteers to tell the class what experiences they had and whether they were changed at the end of the journey.
- Hand out a copy of the text below. Explain that the text is in the past and that the students will need to write the verbs in parenthesis in the correct form.
- Allow pairs to work together to complete the text.
- Go over the answers.
- You may want to focus on the pronunciation of the endings of the regular past tense verbs i.e. walked /t/ wanted /id/ and played /d/ Drill the endings and write the phonemes for each sound on the board so that the students can visually see the differences.
- To follow up ask the students to write about their favorite vacation; they can do this for homework.
The complete text:
A journey to remember
John looked like a typical family man. He was married with two children. He loved them dearly but felt bored. Actually he was restless. He wanted something more.
He kept saying to the men at work, “There must be more to life than this. I have a loving wife and wonderful children. We have a lot of friends and go out regularly so why am I bored?” He knew he should not want for more but he kept asking himself, is this it?
One day at work he was particularly perturbed. He couldn’t concentrate and felt miserable. His best friend at work said, “I know how you can find out what is missing.” “How?” cried John. “Well,” his colleague said, “there is a woman who works downtown who is very wise and answers a lot of questions. Go to her and ask her what it is that you are missing and she will help you.”
The very next day John went to visit her. He asked her to help him. “I feel as though I am missing something,” he said. “You need to go on a long journey; travel many miles and for months - go east. When you have traveled for long enough you will remember what it is that you are missing.” “Remember?” John asked. “Yes,” she said, “all you need to do is to remember.”
So, John packed his things and told his wife that he had to go on a long journey. His wife, quite understandably, was angry. All she could ask was why. John didn’t have a good answer to that and so he left.
He traveled and traveled. He went to Europe and Asia and was away for months in fact over a year. He felt lonely and miserable, more than he had when he was at home. He continued his journey until one day he woke up and said, “I remember, I had it all along.”
He remembered meeting his beautiful wife, he remembered how beautiful she was, he remembered the day that they got married and the births of his children. He packed up his things and headed home. It took him a while to get home but he did.
He got to his front door and remembered how comfortable his home was and how loving his children were. He opened the door and called for his wife. She was surprised and came running out. She looked at John and he at her. “I remember,” he said. She looked forlornly at him and replied, “Too late.” When he looked at her she smiled and then he realized - she was pregnant.
A journey to remember
John __________________________(look) like a typical family man. He_______
______________________ (be) married with two children. He________________
_______________________ (love) them dearly but ________________ (feel) bored.
Actually he __________________ (be) restless. He ____________________ (want)
something more. He_______________ (keep) saying to the men at work, “There
must be more to life than this. I have a loving wife and wonderful children. We have
a lot of friends and go out regularly so why am I bored?” He ___________________
(know) he should not want for more but he__________________________________
(keep?) asking himself, is this it?
One day at work he __________ (be) particularly perturbed. He couldn’t concentrate
and ________________________ (feel) miserable. His best friend at work_________
___________ (say), “I know how you can find out what is missing.” “How?” ______
______________________ (cry) John. “Well,” his colleague ______________ (say),
“There is a woman who works downtown who is very wise and answers a lot of
questions. Go to her and ask her what it is that you are missing and she will help you.”
The very next day John ______________ (go) to visit her. He ______________ (ask)
her to help him. “I feel as though I am missing something,” He ____________ (say).
“You need to go on a long journey; travel many miles and for months- go east. When
you have traveled for long enough you will remember what it is that you are
missing.” “Remember?” John __________________ (ask). “Yes,” she ___________
__________ (say), “all you need to do is to remember.”
So, John _______________ (pack) his things and _____________________ (tell) his
wife that he had to go on a long journey. His wife, quite understandably, __________
(be) angry. All she could ask ___________________________ (be) why. John didn’t
have a good answer to that and so he ______________________ (leave).
He _______________ (travel) and ______________ (travel). He _______________
(go) to Europe and Asia and ______________ (be) away for months in fact over a
year. He ____________________ (feel) lonely and miserable, more than he
________________ (have) when he ___________________ (be) at home. He
____________________ (continue) his journey until one day he ______________
___________________________ (wake up) and ______________________ (say),
“I remember; I had it all along.” He __________________ (remember) meeting his
beautiful wife, he ___________________________ (remember) how beautiful she
________________ (be), he ______________________ (remember) the day that they
________________________ (get) married and the births of his children. He
_____________________ (pack) up his things and _________________ (head)
home.
It _____________________ (take) him a while to get home but he_____________ (do).
He ___________________ (get) to his front door and _______________ (remember)
how comfortable his home _____________ (be) and how loving his children
_____________________ (be). He _____________ (open) the door and _________
_______________________ (call) for his wife. She _____________ (be) surprised
and_____________________ (come) running out. She_______________ (look) at
John and he at her. “I remember,” he _____________________________ (say). She
________________ (look) forlornly at him and _____________________ (reply),
“Too late.” When he ___________________ (look) at her she ________________
(smile) and then he ____________________ (realize) - she _______________
(be)pregnant.
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