PAST TENSE-PAST INDEFINITE TENSE

CHAPTER TWO

LESSON NO 1

PAST TENSE

In Past Tense work has   already been done during some earlier period.
For this we use second form of verb. 

For Example :

• He went to Delhi yesterday.

• Boys played a football match last Sunday.

• I took my food in the morning.

• You gave me a good   suggestion.

PAST INDEFINITE TENSE

In this Tense work has been completed in the previous time. It is  over now.
For this, second form of  verb is  used for all the persons.

For example :

• Girls sang a song yesterday.

• I lived in this house in 1980.

• He appeared in the examination last year.

• You showed me your office.

In Negative sentences ‘did not’ with first form of verb is used.  

Here it is pertinent to note that with ‘did not’ first ( and not second form ) is used.

For Example:

• John did not go to school yesterday.

• Boys  did  not play a match.

• I did not like his habits.

• You did not take your examination.

In interrogative sentences ‘Did’ is used before Subject. First form of verb is used.

For Example:

• Did you ring him up?

• Did she tell you anything?

• Did the boys fare well in the examination?

• Did we say anything wrong to him?

 In case of an action of habitual nature in the past, words 'used to' are used.

For example 

He used to go out for a walk in the morning.

Sometimes the word 'would' is also used to express action of the past.

For example

He would go to school by bus.


In interrogative sentences starting with 'wh' the sentence starts with the word starting with 'wh'. Thereafter follow 'did' and subject and then first form of verb is used. At the end of sentence interrogative sign is used.


For example :

 When did you open the shop?

Some Interrogative sentences starting with 'wh'.

1. Why did you not go to your office yesterday?

2. When did he come to see you?

3. Who won the medal?

4. Whom did you lend your book?

5. Which book did you purchase for me?

6. Where did you get my pen?

7. How did the boys cross the river?

8. Whom did they punish ?

9. In which hotel did you stay?

10. What did they purchase in the market?

11. Who gave what to whom?

12. How many boys attended the class?

13. How much sugar did you purchase?

14. Whose essay did the jury select for the prize? 

15. How did you manage the affairs in my absence?

TO SUM UP :

THE PAST INDEFINITE TENSE 
is used :

---- to indicate an action that was completed in the past. Generally the adverbials of the past time are used.

He met me yesterday. 
The girls sang a song.
Boys played a match.


--- sometimes without adverbials of time.

Boys won the match.
He attended the meeting.

-- for an action of habitual or regular nature in the past.

My father always got up early in the morning.
She fasted on every Monday.

---in conditional clauses.
If you worked hard, you would pass.
If you took medicine regularly, you would cure.

--- in the indirect form with past.

He said that he attended the meeting.
She said that she played the match and won.

EXERCISE NO  1

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. The girls .............(sing) a song on the stage.
2. The ducks ...........(swim) in the pond.
3. It ................(rain) heavily yesterday.
4. A cow ..............(hit) him in the forehead.
5. The author .............(read) the whole book.

EXERCISE NO  2

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. She ...............(not follow) the teacher's instructions.
2. The child .........(not steal) his book.
3. The boy ............ (not listen) to his father.
4. The teacher ............(not punish) the students.
5. We ..............(not buy) any oranges yesterday.

EXERCISE NO  3

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. ......... the students ...........(not learn) their lessons?
2. ........... your brother .........(start) a new factory?
3. ............ the patient .............(sleep) at night ?
4. ............those visitors ........... (return) yesterday?
5. .............you...........( take ) your meals last night?

EXERCISE NO  4

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. Whom ........ the police ..........(find) guilty?
2. Where ........ you ...........(find) this pen?
3. How ......... she ..........( face ) the situation?
4. Why ......... the boys ........(not complain) to the principal?
5. When ....... you .........(construct) this house?

EXERCISE NO  5

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

Once there.......... (live) a farmer in a village. He ......... (keep) a faithful dog. One night when the farmer was sleeping with members of his family in a room, suddenly a big fire ...........(break) out in the house. The flames of the fire ..........(rise) very high. The dog ...........(start) barking. All the members of the family except a young child ..........(rush) out of the house. Nobody ........(know) that the small child was sleeping inside the house. But the dog .........(notice) this. It ,,,,,,,,(run) immediately inside the house through flames of fire. It .........(bring) out the child safely. In the process  the dog  .........(burn) its body. The farmer ........(feel) very happy that the dog ..........(save) his child. He ........(pat) the dog. All the people .......(praise) the dog.

EXERCISE NO  6

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

A rich man ............. (decide) to host a feast to his friends. He............ (require) fish to be served to the guests.  He........... (call) for fishermen to supply fish to him. A fishermen............. (bring) so many fresh fish for the rich man. But the gatekeeper of the rich man's house ............(do) not allow him to enter. The gate keeper ........(demand)  half of  his earnings. The  fisherman ......... (agree) to his proposal. The gatekeeper ...........(allow) him to enter. The fisherman.........(show) all the fish to  the rich man and.............( request) him to select one of his choice. The rich man.............(select) one and.........( offer) him a high price. The fisherman ......(refuse) to accept the price but ........(request) to beat one hundred lashes on his back. The rich man .......(do) not agree to oblige but the fisherman ......(insist). Finally the rich man .......(agree) and ........(start)  lashes to him very gently.When the count .........(reach) at fifty he...........(request) to stop. He ......(tell) the rich man  that he ........(have) a partner also and it was his gatekeeper. He ..... (want) half of the earnings. The rich man.........(understand) the fisherman's view now. He not only .......(punish) the gate keeper but also .......(sack) him.

EXERCISE NO  7

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

One of my friends................ (serve) in the army for more than 35 years. After his superannuation he..........(settle) in his hometown. He........get) the job of a professor in a private college there. The college authorities.............. (assign) to him to teach psychology to students. My friend ...........(practise)  strict discipline throughout his life. In the college too he........(try) to enforce the same kind of discipline. But this attitude was not ........(like) by the students and they ...........(start) making their protests to it. A day........(come) when my friend was expected to make internal evaluation of his students. For this he ...........(invent) a new method. He .......(announce) holding of a class test of one hour to which the students reluctantly........... (agree). He....... (give) them the test. After the test was over he........ (provide) them with the correct solution of the test. He ....... (tell) the students to evaluate their test sheets themselves as per the  given solution. On the basis of their marking of the test he .......(do) their internal evaluation. This one step by my friend .......(inculcate) a lot of faith and confidence of students in him.

(ANSWERS)

EXERCISE NO  1

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. The girls  sang a song on the stage.
2. The ducks swam in the pond.
3. It rained heavily yesterday.
4. A cow hit him in the forehead.
5. The author read the whole book.

EXERCISE NO  2

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. She  did not follow the teacher's instructions.
2. The child did not steal his book.
3. The boy  did not listen to his father.
4. The teacher did not punish the students.
5. We  did not buy any oranges yesterday.

EXERCISE NO  3

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. Did the students not learn their lessons?
2.  Did your brother start a new factory?
3. Did the patient  sleep at night ?
4.  Did those visitors return yesterday?
5.  Did you  take  your meals last night?

EXERCISE NO  4

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

1. Whom did the police find guilty?
2. Where did you find this pen?
3. How did she   face  the situation?
4. Why did the boys not complain to the principal?
5. When did you construct this house?

EXERCISE NO  5

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

Once there. lived a farmer in a village. He kept a faithful dog. One night when the farmer was sleeping with members of his family  in a room, suddenly a big fire broke out in the house. The flames of the fire rose very high. The dog started barking. All the members of the family except a young child rushed out of the house. Nobody  knew that  the small child was sleeping inside the house. But the dog noticed this. It ran immediately inside the house through flames of fire. It brought out the child safely. In the process  the dog  burnt its body. The farmer  felt very happy that the child was safe. He patted the dog. All the people praised the dog.

EXERCISE NO  6

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

A rich man decided to host a feast to his friends. He required fish in the dinner to be served  to the guests.  He called for fishermen to supply fish to him. A fishermen brought so many fresh fish for the rich man. But the gatekeeper of the rich man's house did not allow him to enter. The gate keeper demanded  half of  his earnings. The  fisherman agreed to his proposal. The gatekeeper allowed him to enter. The fisherman showed all the fish to  the rich man and requested him to select one of his choice. The rich man selected one and offered him a high price. The fisherman refused to accept the price but requested to beat one hundred lashes on his back. The rich man did not agree to oblige but the fisherman insisted. Finally the rich man agreed and started  lashes to him very gently.When the count reached at fifty he requested to stop. He told the rich man  that he had a partner also and it was his gatekeeper. He  wanted half of his earnings. The rich man understood the fisherman's view now. He not only punished the gate keeper but also sacked him.

EXERCISE NO  7

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Indefinite  Tense.

One of my friends served in the army for more than 35 years. After his superannuation he settled in his hometown. He got the job of a profession in a private college there. The college authorities assigned to him to teach psychology to students. My friend practised  strict discipline throughout his life. In the college too he tried to enforce the same kind of discipline. But this attitude was not liked by the students and they started making their protests to it. A day.came when my friend was expected to make internal evaluation of his students. For this he invented a new method. He announced holding of a class test of one hour to which the students reluctantly agreed. He gave them the test. After the test was over he provided them with the correct solution of the test. He told the students to evaluate their test sheets themselves as per the given solution. On the basis of their marking of the test he did their internal evaluation. This one step by my friend inculcated a lot of faith and confidence of students in him.

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