Look at some examples of special occasions in a person’s life. Which of them, do you keep a good memory of?
We use the simple past tense to talk about something that has already happened. Simple past tense has the following structures: affirmative, negative and interrogative.
Cbaquiran. (2014). Birthday cake. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/birthday-cake-cake-birthday-380178/
robtowne0. (2011). Graduation. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/graduation-man-cap-gown-education-879941/
Tumisu. (2017). Proposal. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/proposal-romantic-couple-marriage-2042975/
satyamkumarpe. (2016). Wedding. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/wedding-bride-bridegroom-love-1983483/
PublicDomainPictures. (2011). Anniversary. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/anniversary-celebration-date-17521/
MarvinRoaw. (2015). Grandparents. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/grandparents-grandmother-grandfather-2198053/
MarvinRoaw. (2015). Grandparents. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/grandparents-grandmother-grandfather-2198053/
By the end of this topic, you will use the simple past affirmative, negative and interrogative structures to refer to historical events or to express actions that occurred in the past.
Let’s look at the main uses of the simple past:
Actions that started and finished in the past.
Examples:
I watched a fascinating documentary about a baby’s brain development last night.
I did not watch any exciting TV program last night.
Did you watch any interesting TV program last night?
Bowler, S. (2008). Watching TV. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://flic.kr/p/4py3tA
Series/Sequences of past actions happening: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
Tom finished work, picked up his wife, found a nice little bistro and had a cup of coffee with her.
Tom didn’t go out with his wife yesterday.
Did Tom go out with his wife yesterday?
Carloshanksantos. (2016). Love. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/love-hands-coffee-details-1665254/
A more extended action that started & finished in the past. It also expresses the length or duration of the action.
Examples:
Yesterday, Penny studied for her English literature test for five hours.
Yesterday, Penny didn’t study for her English literature test, and she failed.
Did Penny study for her English literature test yesterday?
AdinaVoicu. (2016). Study Girl. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://pixabay.com/en/study-girl-writing-notebook-1231394/
Actions that were frequently repeated in the past.
Examples:
Jake worked at the cinema after school when he was a teenager.
Jake didn’t work when he was a teenager.
Did Jake work at the cinema after school when he was a teenager?
Gaulsstin. (2012). Cinema Candybar. Retrieved 25/04/17 from https://flic.kr/p/czv1eu
Activity 1
It's prom time: that one special night when girls in gowns and boys in rented tuxedos have the last party of their high school life. But why do high schools organize this party and what is the history of this rite of passage? Let's learn a little bit about High School Prom!
Read the text below and answer the questions given.
The word prom is short for promenade, the formal, introductory walking of guests at a party. The prom dates back to the simple banquets that 19th-century American universities held for each year's graduating class. However, as American teenage culture grew stronger in American society, by the 1940s, prom became the dance at high school. In the 1950s, a postwar economy allowed high schools to hold proms in hotels or at country clubs instead of the traditional school gymnasium.
There are quite some fun facts, along with the history of proms. One of the most curious episodes occurred in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy had to cancel a at the Beverly Hilton because the hotel booked a school prom the same day. In 1975, President Ford's daughter, Susan, held her high school's senior prom at the best prom location ever: the White House. Finally, an Alabama principal was in 1994 for threatening to cancel the prom if interracial couples attended.
At present, what started as a casual party, transformed, as time went by, into a dance where high school students wore their Sunday best , then into an event, and today it is, for the many, a spectacle.
Activity 2
Most teenagers enjoy parties. Do you know what a prom is? Do you know why it is an essential event for American teenagers?
Watch the video: “In Brooklyn, a Prom for All Nations” by The New York Times and answer the questions in full sentences. Make sure you are using simple past correctly.
Example:
What was unique about the students from the Brooklyn school?
They WERE recent immigrants.
Activity 3
Are there any heroes in the history of your country?
Any vital character changed the history of your country?
Which famous dead person do you most admire?
Describe a famous figure in the history of your country in a 140-190-word composition in an appropriate style.
Include the following information in your description.
Before writing your description, study the aspects of this rubric that will help you to have a self-assessment. Then, compare it to this example.
Activity 4
Every person has his/her own life story, his/her start. The beginning chapter of our stories could be very similar: we were all born once, but the rest of our stories are just as different as we are from each other.
Read Tommy’s storybook telling the most events in his life. Notice the grammar structure he uses to tell his story.
Swipe left or right
Following Tommy’s story, record your own story in a video of 2 to 5 minutes.
You can use the movie maker https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.andro.audio.photo.story
Before recording yourself, study the aspects that will help you to have a self-evaluation. They are described in the following rubric.
Retirement is a stage in a person’s life when they usually get to value all the years they have worked and lived. Retirement cards should wish a person a great retirement and acknowledge their work. Here are plenty of examples that you can use one day to help you express what you want to say.
• Zimmerman, J. (2013). The prom: An American relic. Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-08/opinion/ct-perspec-0508-prom-20130508_1_school-prom-purchasing-dresses-american-girl
• Soniac, M. (2009). The Surprisingly Humble Origins of Prom. Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://mentalfloss.com/article/21916/surprisingly-humble-origins-prom
• DeRusha, J. (2012). Good Question: How Did Prom Become A H.S. Tradition? Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/04/26/good-question-how-did-prom-become-a-h-s-tradition/
• Johnsen, C.V. (2010). The USA High School Prom. Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://ndla.no/en/node/5519?fag=42
• Crosley, S. (2012). The 21st-Century American Prom. Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-21st-century-american-prom-160178820/
• Pappas, C. (2013). 18 Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers And Students. Retrieved 28/02/17 from https://elearningindustry.com/18-free-digital-storytelling-tools-for-teachers-and-students
• Kocak, c. (2015).The History Of Prom: Where Did This Weird High School Tradition Come From? Retrieved 28/02/17 from https://www.bustle.com/articles/79784-the-history-of-prom-where-did-this-weird-high-school-tradition-come-from
• The guardian. (2012). How British children have embraced the high school. prom Retrieved 28/02/17 from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/jun/03/high-school-proms-in-britain
• cambridge.org (2016). Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 28/02/17 from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/
• Dooley, J., & Evans, V. (2003). Grammarway (1st ed., pp. pp. 14-19). Newbury: Express publ.
• Englisch-hilfen.de. (2017). Simple Past. Retrieved 16/03/17 from http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/sim_past.htm
• Englishpage.com. (2017). Simple Past - ENGLISH PAGE. Retrieved 16/03/17 from http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html
• Perfect-english-grammar.com (2017). The Past Simple (or Simple Past) Tense. Retrieved 16/03/17 from http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-simple.html