University of Nario

Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

Reading and writing activity.

Simple past tense.
Name: ____________________________
Goal: In this activity, students will identify the simple past tense through the
reading of a short fable.
Prior Knowledge:
a- What do you know about verb tenses?
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b- What do you know about simple past tense?
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c- What do you know about fables?
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d- Have you ever heard a fable? Yes: ___ No: ___
e- Do you know what is a moral? Yes: ___ No: ___
f- Do you know what are the parts of a fable? Yes: __ No: ___
g- What they are?
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Past Tense definition: In English grammar, the simple past is a verb tense (the
second principal part of a verb) indicating action that occurred in the past and
which does not extend into the present.
The simple past tense (also known as the past simple or preterite) of regular
verbs is marked by the ending -d, -ed, or -t. Irregular verbs have a variety of
endings. The simple past is not accompanied by helping verbs.

University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a
specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the
specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didn't see a play yesterday.

Did you have dinner last night?

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These
actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00,
and met the others at 10:00.

Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A
duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years,
for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years.

They did not stay at the party the entire time.

A: How long did you wait for them?

B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It
can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking
about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never,
when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:

I studied French when I was a child.

He didn't play the piano.

Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

They never went to school, they always skipped class.

University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which
are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar
to the expression "used to."
Examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

He didn't like tomatoes before.

Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

The Fable: is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that
features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature
that are anthropomorphized (given human qualities, such as the ability to
speak human language) and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral lesson (a
"moral"), which may at the end be added explicitly as a pithy maxim.
A fable differs from a parable in that the latter excludes animals, plants, inanimate
objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech or other powers of
humankind.
Parts of a Fable:
Moral: the lesson that is taught
Exposition: the presentation of essential information in a story
Conflict: occurs when a character is opposed by another character or force
Resolution: the part of a story which occurs after the climax and sets the tone for
the new way that things will be from now on.

University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

Learning strategies:
1. metacognitive (e.g. self-monitoring, paying attention)
2. cognitive (e.g. reasoning, analyzing, summarizing)
ACTIVITY
1- Read the following short fable about the lion and the elephant and
identify the verb tense of the words in boldface.
The Lion and the Elephant
Once, a Lion sat thinking by himself. He had sharp, strong claws and teeth and
was a beast with immense strength. Yet, whenever he heard a Cock crowing, he
would be extremely scared.
The Lion, thus, complained, Can a life like this be worth living? I am one of the
strongest and the bravest and yet, a lowly creature, such as, a Cock has the power
to rob my life of its charm by simply crowing!
Just then, a huge Elephant came along, flapping his ears to and fro, with an air of
great concern. What troubles you so? asked the Elephant.
The Lion thought of sharing his grief with the Elephant and asked him, Can
anything harm a beast like you who has tremendous bulk and strength? The
Elephant replied, Do you see this little Gnat? If he ever stings the innermost parts
of my ear, I will go mad with pain.
The Lion understood that even the strongest creatures have weak points. He
gained self-confidence and decided never to let troubles overshadow his joys in
life.
We all have weak points. Instead of complaining about them, we should focus on
the pleasant things in life.
2. Comprehension questions. Answer the following questions according to
the reading.
a. What is the verb tense of the words in boldface?
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b. What is the moral of this fable?

University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

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c. Do you think that only the strongest species can survive?

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d. What was the lion's weak point?
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e. What was the elephant's weak point?
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f. Write a similar fable using verbs in past. Your story should have a creative
title and a moral.
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University of Nario
Teachers: Lucero Burbano and Jair Portilla

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