Past Indefinite-

Irregular Verbs ( see list of irregular verbs )

The Past Indefinite (Simple) may denote:

· an action performed in the past:

We entered the house in silence.

He met us at the station.

· a succession of past actions:

He shut the window, switched off the light and went upstairs.

· a repeated action in the past:

He made an entry in his diary every night.

NOTE: Repeated actions are often expressed by

Used to + Infinitive

Would + Infinitive

He would spend all days locked in his room.

When I was young I used to work much.

Ex. 5. Put the verbs in the following sentences into the negative and interrogative forms.1. She saw your brother. 2.We heard a terrible noise. 3. He slept till 10.00. 4. He looked at the picture. 5. They drank all the wine. 6. They set out early enough. 7. She thought about it. 8. The police caught the thief. 9. He hid the letter. 10. She found her watch. 11 His nose bled. 12. My mother chose this hotel.

Ex. 6. Give the three forms of the verbs given below. Lay, pay, beat, become, blow, burn, buy, choose, hide, fly, forget, sell, stop, forgive, grow, hold, keep, let, mean, retell, ride, send, shake, strike, think, drive, come, feel, get, have, leave, sleep, speak, teach, weep, write.

Ex. 7. Explain the use of the Past Indefinite Tense in the following sentences.1. We had a nice walk two days ago. 2. When did the last conference take place? 3. He visited his native town in 1980. 4. The man entered the room, sat down at the table, ordered some food, and began to read a newspaper. 5. It rained a great deal last summer. 6. The sun rose at 5 o’clock.

Ex. 8. Make questions to which the words in italics are the answers.1. At half past twelve Miss Green stopped her work and went out to lunch. 2. Yes, I woke up at a quarter past seven. 3. Little Kate liked a lot of sugar in her tea. 4. You put the book on the top shelf. 5. Mary drank coffee at breakfast uesterday.6. No, I didn’t go to the University last Saturday.

Ex. 9. Translate the sentences into English.1. В прошлом году Петя жил в деревне. 2. После завтрака он работал в саду и сажал цветы перед домом. 3. Когда вы видели этот фильм? 4. Он записался в нашу библиотеку в прошлом году. 5. Вчера он не ходил в кино. 6. Моя сестра купила последнюю новеллу в понедельник.