Verb "To Be" Past Tense - Affirmative and Negative: Grammar Practice Worksheets

Grammar Practice Worksheets ✎
Simple Past
Verb “To Be” Past Tense – Affirmative and Negative

A. Put the correct form of the verb “to be” (was/were) in the past tense in the following sentences.
1. Judy _________ sick yesterday.

2. We __________ in the same class last year.
3. I _________ tired after a long day at work.
4. The weather __________ beautiful yesterday.
5. Last semester my teachers ______________ very good.
6. The children _____________ hungry after so much exercise.
7. The wind _________ very strong last night.
8. She __________ very happy last week.
9. They ____________ nervous on the first day of school.
10. Luckily, the windows _____________ closed during the rain storm.
11. We __________ very happy to get your letter last week.
12. The boys ____________ tired after the ball game.
B. Put the correct negative form of the verb “to be” (wasn’t/ weren’t) in the following sentences.
1. They ___________ at school yesterday because it was Saturday.

2. He ___________ hungry at supper time because he ate a big lunch.
3. Carol ___________ happy to see her boyfriend with another girl.
4. Bonnie __________ at home last night when I called her.
5. The teacher ____________ satisfied with the student’s work.
C. Complete the following sentences with wasn’t or weren’t.
Ex. I am at work today, but I wasn’t here yesterday.
1. It is cold outside today, but _____________________________.

2. She is sick today, but __________________________________.
3. They are at school today, but ___________________________.
4. The TV show is good today, but __________________________.
5. The apples are sweet today, but ___________________________.
6. The class is interesting today, but __________________________.
7. The boss is angry today, but ______________________________.
8. The door is locked today, but _____________________________.
9. The exercises are easy today, but __________________________.
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Simple Past
Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Yes/No Questions

Practice making questions and giving short answers with the verb “to be” in the past tense.
Ex. Were you tired last night?

Yes, I was. (I was tired last night.)
1. _________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ (It wasn’t cold outside yesterday.)
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ (They weren’t sick last week.)
3. _________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ (Don was at the office last Saturday.)
4. _________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________ (The car was expensive.)
5. _________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ (The children weren’t excited.)
6. _________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________ (The store wasn’t open.)
7. _________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________ (The movie was interesting.)
8. _________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ (The food wasn’t good.)
Simple Past
Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Yes/No Questions

Practice making questions and giving short answers with the verb “to be” in the past tense.
Ex. Were you tired last night?

Yes, I was. (I was tired last night.)
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________ (It wasn’t cold outside yesterday.)
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ (They weren’t sick last week.)
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ (Don was at the office last Saturday.)
4. ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ (The car was expensive.)
5. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ (The children weren’t excited.)
6. ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ (The store wasn’t open.)
7. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ (The movie was interesting.)
8. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ (The food wasn’t good.)
Simple Past
Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Information Questions

Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how many) and the correct form of the verb
“to be” in the past tense to make questions. The underlined words are the answers to the questions.
Ex. Why was she absent yesterday?

She was absent because she was sick.
1.___________________________________________________________________________________
She was tired because she worked hard all day.
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
She was at the mall last night.
3. ___________________________________________________________________________________
There were twenty people at the party.
4. ___________________________________________________________________________________
A diamond ring was in the box.
5. ___________________________________________________________________________________
The secretary was in the office.
6. ___________________________________________________________________________________
The students were absent last Tuesday.
7. ___________________________________________________________________________________
She was late because she missed her bus.
8. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Mrs. Jones was at the door.
Simple Past
Simple Past Tense – Regular Verbs
Choose the correct verb from the list below to complete the following sentences. Put the verb in the past
tense.
play / listen / paint / water / visit / mail / help / arrive / learn / watch / change / wait
1. I __________________ my friend in the hospital last night.

2. The boys ____________ baseball in the field behind the school.
3. Robert _____________ his wife wash the dishes.
4. We ______________ our living room a soft blue color.
5. Susan ____________ TV for two hours last night.
6. We _______________ planes on the way to New York.
7. I ______________ the letter on the way to work.
8. She ____________ for him for 20 minutes at the coffee shop.
9. They ___________ how to swim many years ago.
10. She ___________ the flowers in the garden yesterday.
11. The students ____________ late for class.
12. We ____________ to the radio until midnight.
Simple Past Tense – Negative
Change the following sentences to a negative and then write another sentence of your own in the
affirmative.
Ex. Mary baked a cake. Mary didn’t bake a cake.
She baked cookies.
1. The boys played soccer. ________________________________________

________________________________________
2. Carol called her mother. ________________________________________
________________________________________
3. Donald fixed his TV. ________________________________________
________________________________________
4. Peter danced with Betty. ________________________________________
________________________________________
5. Ann studied history. ________________________________________
________________________________________
Simple Past
Past Tense - Irregular Verb Practice
A. Write the correct past tense for each of the following verbs
Ex. catch – caught
1. cut ____________ 11. shake ____________

2. dig ____________ 12. shoot ____________
3. cost ____________ 13. shut ____________
4. meet ____________ 14. sit ____________
5. read ____________ 15. sing ____________
6. ride ____________ 16. sleep ____________
7. run ____________ 17. speak ____________
8. see ____________ 18. spend ____________
9. sell ____________ 19. stand ____________
10. send ____________ 20. swim ____________
B. Word Scramble
Unscramble the following words. Then write the present tense of each verb beside the past irregular verb.
Scrambled word Unscrambled Verb Present Tense

Ex. etnw went go
1. meca ___________ ___________

2. gunbe ___________ ___________
3. dema ___________ ___________
4. lbew ___________ ___________
5. okbre ___________ ___________
6. hocse ___________ ___________
7. idd ___________ ___________
8. krdan ___________ ___________
9. tae ___________ ___________
10. voedr ___________ ___________
11. ghtaut ___________ ___________
12. oltd ___________ ___________
13. woret ___________ ___________
14. wkoe ___________ ___________
Simple Past
Irregular Verbs – Bingo

Instructions: Choose 24 words from the list below and write the past tense of each one in any space on your
bingo card. Mix them up. Do not write them in the same order as the list. (This will ensure you all have a
different card.) Your teacher will call out certain past tense verbs. If you have one, cover it with a bean, piece of
cardboard, candy, or any other marker your teacher gives you. When you have one line any way covered, shout
Bingo. (You must have the correct past tense under each marker in order to win.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
become begin bet bite blow break
bring build catch choose come cost
cut dig do draw drink drive
eat fall feel fight find fly
forget freeze get give go grow
hang have hear hide hit hold
hurt keep know leave let lose
make mean meet pay quit ring
read ride run see sell send
shake shoot shut sink sit sleep
speak spend stand stick sweep swing
swim take teach tell think throw
understand wake wear win write
Simple Past
Verb Bingo
Free
Simple Past
Past Tense - Irregular Verbs – Negative & Affirmative
Complete the sentences below using the example given.
Ex. Bill usually eats cereal for breakfast.

He didn’t eat cereal yesterday. He ate toast.
1. Ben usually gets up at 7:00.

He ___________________ at 7:00 yesterday. He _______________________ at 8:00.
2. Ben usually takes a shower.

He ___________________a shower yesterday. He _______________________ a bath.
3. Ben usually reads the Times newspaper.

He ________________ the Times yesterday. He ______________________ the Post.
4. Ben usually leaves the house at 8:00.

He _____________________ the house at 8:00. He ______________________ at 9:00.
5. Ben usually takes a bus to work.

He ________________________ a bus yesterday. He _______________________ a taxi.
6. Ben usually meets his boss in the morning.

He ________________ his boss in the morning yesterday. He _______________ him in the afternoon.
7. Ben usually writes 10 letters every morning.

He __________________ write 10 letters yesterday. He __________________ 5 letters.
8. Ben usually eats lunch in the office.

He ______________________ lunch in the office yesterday. He ________________ lunch in a restaurant.
9. Ben usually has a lot of appointments every day.

He _________________ a lot of appointments yesterday. He only _________________ a few.
10. Ben usually goes home at 6:00.

He _____________________ home at 6:00 yesterday. He __________________ home at 7:00.
Simple Past
Past Tense Irregular Verbs – Question Formation
Write the questions. Follow the example given below.
Ex. Did you wake up early? No I didn’t. I woke up late.
1. __________________________________________________ at 7:00. No, we didn’t. We met at 8:00.
2. ____________________________________________ at the pool. No, he didn’t. He swam in the lake.
3. _______________________________________________ apples? No, she didn’t. She bought oranges.
4. ______________________________________________ French? No, they didn’t. They spoke Spanish.
5. _______________________________________________ to school? No, I didn’t. I drove to the office.
6. _____________________________________________________ on time? No, he didn’t. He came late.
7. _____________________________________________ fly to Paris? No, she didn’t. She flew to Rome.
8. __________________________________________________ your purse? No, I didn’t. I lost my wallet.
9. ____________________________________________ a big fish? No, he didn’t. He caught a small one.
10. ___________________________________________________ a cake? No, she didn’t. She made a pie.
11. ______________________________________________________ 8 hours. No, I didn’t. I slept 9 hours.
12. ________________________________________________ their mother. No, they didn’t. They told me.
13. _______________________________________________ on the sofa? No, we didn’t. We sat on chairs.
14. __________________________________________________ a skirt? No, she didn’t. She wore a dress.
15. _________________________________________________ the windows? No, I didn’t. I shut the door.
16. ______________________________________ at the front of the room? No, she didn’t. She stood at the
back of the room.
Simple Past
Past Tense – Irregular Verbs – Information Questions

Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how much) to make questions in the simple
past tense. The underlined words are the answers to the questions.
Ex. She bought the toy at Wal-Mart.

Where did she buy the toy?
1. __________________________________________________________________________
They left the office at 6:00.
2. __________________________________________________________________________
She didn’t go to work because she was sick.
3. __________________________________________________________________________
I spent $80.00 on groceries.
4. __________________________________________________________________________ *
Rosa spoke to the boss.
5. __________________________________________________________________________ *
Rosa spoke to the boss.
(Note the difference between #4 and #5. Can you explain the grammar rule?)
6. __________________________________________________________________________
She said “hello” to me.
7. __________________________________________________________________________
I felt sick yesterday.
8. __________________________________________________________________________
The sun rose at 6:45 A.M. yesterday.
9. __________________________________________________________________________
She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
10.__________________________________________________________________________
The meeting took place in Room 29.
Simple Past
Review - Past Tense –Irregular Verbs

Choose the correct verb from the list below to complete the following sentences. Put the verb into the
correct past tense form.
buy / ring / lie / break / teach / fly / set / send / wake / swim / be / pay / meet /
have / write / drink / give / get / take / catch / lose
1. She ______________________ a plate when she was washing the dishes.
2. They ______________________ to Paris in a jumbo jet last week.
3. I _________ the alarm clock for 7:00 yesterday morning, but I _____________ up a half-hour before the
alarm clock ________________.
4. I ______________________________ a letter to my friends back home.
5. He __________________________ flowers to his girlfriend for her birthday.
6. His mother ______________________ care of him when he ______________________ sick.
7. The teacher ________________________ the mathematics class and then ______________ the students
three exercises to do for homework.
8. Angie ___________________ a bad cold last week. She ______________________ in bed for three days.
9. Matthew __________________ his wallet on the way to work yesterday. He _______________ very upset.
10. The children __________________________ in the lake behind their house.
11. We __________________________ a wonderful time at your party last night.
12. I ___________________________ groceries on my way home yesterday and I ________________ in cash.
13. I _________________ three friends at the café and we _______________ several cups of coffee together.
Simple Past
Time Expressions for the Past
Complete the following sentences using yesterday, last, or ago.
1. She came to this country three years _____________________.

2. I was very tired ____________________ week.
3. The class was cancelled ____________________ Monday.
4. I spoke to him ten minutes ______________________.
5. The weather was beautiful ______________________ summer.
6. We went dancing _______________________ night.
7. The boss was away _____________________ morning.
8. We started this class _____________________ fall.
9. The children watched a little TV _____________________ evening.
10. She got married five years ______________________.
11. We skied a lot ____________________ winter.
12. We went shopping _____________________ afternoon.
13. She left five minutes ________________________.
14. They left the city a month ____________________.
15. They came back _________________________ week.
Opposites in the Past – Review of Irregular Verbs
Write the opposite of each verb below. Make sure to use the past tense. (Note: there may be more than
one possible opposite, but try to think of one that has an irregular past form.)
Ex. sat - stood

1. remembered ________________ 9. floated ________________
2. bought ________________ 10. saved (money) ________________
3. found ________________ 11. ended ________________
4. brought ________________ 12. repaired ________________
5. arrived ________________ 13. came ________________
6. opened ________________ 14. received (a letter) ________________
7. rose (the sun) ________________ 15. lost (a game) ________________
8. learned ________________ 16. fell asleep ________________
Simple Past
Find Someone Who……. (Past Tense Review)
Interview your classmates. Walk around the class and find someone…
1. who woke up late this morning. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. didn’t take the bus to school this morning. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. who ate an egg for breakfast this morning. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. who saw a good movie on TV last night. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. who bought something expensive yesterday. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. who had a bad cold last week. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. who won something last year. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
8. who read a great book last month. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. who heard some interesting gossip last week. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
10. who went on a vacation outside the country last year. _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Grammar Practice Worksheets ✎

Verb “To Be” Past Tense – Affirmative and Negative

1. Judy _________ sick yesterday.

1. They ___________ at school yesterday because it was Saturday.

C. Complete the following sentences with wasn’t or weren’t.

Ex. I am at work today, but I wasn’t here yesterday.

1. It is cold outside today, but _____________________________.

Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Yes/No Questions

Ex. Were you tired last night?

______________________________________________________ (It wasn’t cold outside yesterday.)

_______________________________________________________ (They weren’t sick last week.)

___________________________________________________ (Don was at the office last Saturday.)

___________________________________________________________ (The car was expensive.)

______________________________________________________ (The children weren’t excited.)

____________________________________________________________ (The store wasn’t open.)

_________________________________________________________ (The movie was interesting.)

__________________________________________________________ (The food wasn’t good.)

Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Yes/No Questions

Ex. Were you tired last night?

________________________________________________ (It wasn’t cold outside yesterday.)

___________________________________________________ (They weren’t sick last week.)

_______________________________________________ (Don was at the office last Saturday.)

________________________________________________________ (The car was expensive.)

__________________________________________________ (The children weren’t excited.)

________________________________________________________ (The store wasn’t open.)

______________________________________________________ (The movie was interesting.)

______________________________________________________ (The food wasn’t good.)

Past Tense of the Verb “To Be” – Information Questions

Ex. Why was she absent yesterday?

She was tired because she worked hard all day.

She was at the mall last night.

There were twenty people at the party.

A diamond ring was in the box.

The secretary was in the office.

The students were absent last Tuesday.

She was late because she missed her bus.

Mrs. Jones was at the door.

Simple Past Tense – Regular Verbs

1. I __________________ my friend in the hospital last night.

Simple Past Tense – Negative

1. The boys played soccer. ________________________________________

Past Tense - Irregular Verb Practice

Ex. catch – caught

1. cut ____________ 11. shake ____________

Scrambled word Unscrambled Verb Present Tense

1. meca ___________ ___________

Irregular Verbs – Bingo

become begin bet bite blow break

bring build catch choose come cost

cut dig do draw drink drive

eat fall feel fight find fly

forget freeze get give go grow

hang have hear hide hit hold

hurt keep know leave let lose

make mean meet pay quit ring

read ride run see sell send

shake shoot shut sink sit sleep

speak spend stand stick sweep swing

swim take teach tell think throw

1. cut 11. shake

1. meca _ _

6. His mother care of him when he sick.

12. I ___________ groceries on my way home yesterday and I in cash.