Basic sentence patterns (1)

(oral drill, elementary level 1)

Read out the following sentences as many times as possible.

(The point here is to practice reading and saying each part of this worksheet very many times,
then saying sentences like these on your own, without looking at the text. Please keep the
speed of normal, relatively fast speech, and avoid thinking and making up sentences in your
mother tongue.)

Present Simple

Jane goes to the cinema on Sundays.

Does she go to the cinema on Sundays? (Yes, she does.)
When does she go to the cinema? (On Sundays.)
Where does she go on Sundays? (To the cinema.)
What does she do on Sundays? (She goes to the cinema.)
Who goes to the cinema on Sundays? (Jane does.)
 

The children play football in the park on Sundays.

Do they play football in the park on Sundays?
When do they play football in the park?
Where do they play football on Sundays?
What do they play in the park on Sundays?
What do they do in the park on Sundays?
Who plays football in the park on Sundays?
 

I don't watch TV at night.

Do(n't) you watch TV at night?
When don't you watch TV?
What don't you watch at night?
What don't you do at night?
Who doesn't watch TV at night?
 

Tony isn't at school this week.

Is(n't) he at school this week?
When isn't he at school?
Where isn't he this week?
Who isn't at school this week?
 

Past Forms

1
Were you at home yesterday? Were you at school yesterday?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Were you busy last night? Were you in the garden last night?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Were you at work yesterday? Were you happy yesterday?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Were you in the cinema last night? Were you in the garage last night?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Were you tired yesterday? Were you in London last week?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.

2
Was she at the lake last week? Was she happy last year?
Yes, she was. No, she wasn't.
Was she with you last week? Was she in the pub yesterday?
Yes, she was. No, she wasn't.
Was he in England last month? Was she with her boyfriend?
Yes, he was. No, she wasn't.
Was he ill last week? Was he at work last night?
Yes, he was. No, he wasn't.
Was she here yesterday? Was he in his bedroom?
Yes, she was. No, he wasn't.

3
Could you sleep last night? Could your sister sleep last night?
Yes, I could. Yes, she could.
Could you meet her yesterday? Could she get up early?
Yes, I could. Yes, she could.
Could you post the letter? Could Peter drive you home yesterday?
Yes, I could.
Could you phone him last week? No, he couldn't.
No, I couldn't. Could he work all day?
Could you make a party last Sunday? Yes, he could.
No, I couldn't. Could Susie have a bath on Monday?
No, she couldn't.
 

Short conversations

1
Where were you yesterday?
I was at work.
Were you busy?
No, I wasn't.
Were you tired?
Yes, I was.
Why were you tired?
Because I didn't sleep.

2
Was Peter in the cinema last night?
Yes, he was.
Was Susie with him?
No, she wasn't.
Where was she?
She was at home.
Was she with grandfather?
No, she was with her cat.

3
Where were the children in the afternoon?
They were in the zoo.
Was grandfather with them?
No, he wasn't. He was in the stadium.
Who was he with?
He was with some football players.
Was it a good day for him?
Oh yes, it was.
Was grandmother with him?
No, she wasn't.
Where was she?
Was she with the children in the zoo?
Yes, she was.
And where were you?
I was in the garage.
Why were you in the garage?
Because I couldn't open the door of my car.

4
Could you swim when you were a child?
No, I couldn't.
Can you swim now?
Yes, I can.
When can you swim?
I can swim when I'm at the lake.
Were you at the lake yesterday?
No, I wasn't.
Where were you yesterday?
I was in my friend's house.
Was he with you?
No, he was with his girlfriend.
Who was in the house with you?
There were a lot of people there.
Who were these people?
They were my friend's cousins and grandparents and their friends.
Was there a party there?
No, there wasn't.
Why were there so many people there?
Because they like my friend.
But he wasn't at home!
No, he wasn't. And?
 

There was / there were

There was a girl at the kitchen table last night.

There were four chairs around the table, but there was only one girl.
There was a box on the table.
There were pens in the box.
Was there a book, too?
No, there wasn't. The books were in the living-room.
 
There was a tall man in the garage when I opened the door.
There were some keys in his hand.
Were there cars in the garage?
Yes, there were two big black cars there.
Was there any petrol in the cars?
No, there wasn't. But there was some beer there.
There were six bottles of beer in the corner.
 
There was a bottle of milk in the fridge when Susie entered the kitchen.
Were there any bananas on the shelf yesterday?
No, there weren't. The bananas were in a basket under the table.
There were five bananas in the basket, and there were two apples on the shelf.
 

Past Simple

 
Past Simple

    The tourists   visited the museum yesterday .

  Did the tourists   visit the museum yesterday ?

What did the tourists   visit   yesterday ?

What did the tourists   do   yesterday ?

When did the tourists   visit the museum   ?

    Who   visited the museum yesterday ?

    The tourists didn't visit the museum yesterday .

  
 
 
Past Simple

    Dora   went to the cinema last night .

  Did Dora   go to the cinema last night ?

What did Dora   do   last night ?

Where did Dora   go   last night ?

When did Dora   go to the cinema   ?

    Who   went to the cinema last night ?

    Dora didn't go to the cinema last night .

 
 
 
Past Simple with modal auxiliary

    He could swim well when he was young .

  Could he   swim well when he was young ?

How could he   swim   when he was young ?

When could he   swim well   ?

What could he   do   when he was young ?

What could he   do well when he was young ?

    Who could swim well when he was young ?

    He couldn't swim well when he was young .

 
 
 

Jane went to the cinema yesterday.

Did she go to the cinema? (Yes, she did.)
When did she go to the cinema? (Yesterday.)
Where did she go yesterday? (To the cinema.)
What did she do yesterday? (She went to the cinema.)
Who went to the cinema yesterday? (Jane did.)
 

The children played football in the park on Sunday.

Did they play football in the park on Sunday?
When did they play football in the park?
Where did they play football on Sunday?
What did they play in the park on Sunday?
What did they do in the park on Sunday?
Who played football in the park on Sunday?
 

I didn't watch TV last night.

Did(n't) you watch TV last night?
When didn't you watch TV?
Which night didn't you watch TV?
What didn't you watch last night?
What didn't you do last night?
Who didn't watch TV last night?
 

Tony wasn't at school last week.

Was(n't) he at school last week?
When wasn't he at school?
Where wasn't he last week?
Who wasn't at school last week?
 

 
My sister was at home yesterday. She played chess with the children in the morning. In the
afternoon she cooked chicken soup and rice in the kitchen, then she watched TV in the living-
room. The children were happy because they could play in the garden. Everybody went to sleep
early in the evening.
 
Who was at home yesterday?
Whose sister was at home yesterday?
Where was your sister yesterday?
When was your sister at home?
Was your sister at home yesterday?
 
Who played chess with the children in the morning?
What did she do in the morning?
What did she play in the morning?
Who did she play chess with in the morning?
(With whom did she play chess in the morning?)
When did she play chess with the children?
Did she play chess with the children in the morning?
 
Who cooked chicken soup and rice in the kitchen in the afternoon?
What did she do in the kitchen in the afternoon?
What did she cook in the kitchen in the afternoon?
Where did she cook chicken soup and rice in the afternoon?
When did she cook chicken soup and rice in the kitchen?
Did she cook chicken soup and rice in the kitchen in the afternoon?
Who watched TV in the living-room?
What did she do in the living-room?
What did she watch in the living-room?
Where did she watch TV?
Did she watch TV in the living-room?
 
Who was happy?
Why were the children happy?
Who could play in the garden?
What could the children do in the garden?
Where could the children play?
 
Who went to sleep early in the evening?
What did everybody do early in the evening?
When did everybody go to sleep?
Did everybody go to sleep early in the evening?
 

A day's programme

When did you get up yesterday?

I got up at seven.
 
What did you do after you got up?
I went to the bathroom.
 
Did you go to the bathroom first?
Yes, I did.
Did you clean your teeth?
Yes, I did.
Did you have breakfast?
Yes, I did.
 
What did you have for breakfast?
I had tea and a sandwich.
Did you drink tea or coffee yesterday morning?
I drank tea.
 
What did you do after breakfast?
I watered the flowers in my room.
 
What time did you leave for work?
I left home at eight.
When did you come home from work?
I came home at five in the afternoon.
 
When did you have lunch?
I had lunch at twelve.
Where did you have lunch?
I had lunch in a café.
What did you have for lunch?
I had fish and chips.
 
Did you go out last night?
Yes, I did.
Where did you go?
I met friends in a pub.
 
Did you watch TV after you went home?
No, I didn't.
 
What time did you go to bed?
I went to bed at eleven.
Did you read a book in bed?
Yes, I did. I read a detective story.
 
How much did you sleep last night?
I slept six hours.