All about the past

A murder case
Background information: Jake is a detective and he’s
investigating a murder case. Today, he’s questioning the victim’s sister
to find out if she can recognize the man who murdered her brother.
Characters: Jake Peralta, Victim’s sister

JAKE: So, do you recognize any of these men?

SISTER: I was hiding in the bathroom stall, so I didn’t see his
face, but I heard him, he was singing along to the music at the bar.
JAKE: Do you remember what he was singing?
SISTER: I think it was that song “I Want It That Way” …?
JAKE: Backstreet Boys. I’m familiar. Okay. Number one, could
you please sing the opening to “I Want It That Way”?
#1: Really? Okay… ♪♫ you are my fire…
JAKE: Number two, keep it going
#2: ♪♫ the one desire…
JAKE: Number three.
#3: ♪♫ believe when I say…
JAKE: Number four!
#4: ♪♫ I want it that way…
JAKE: ♪♫ Tell me why
All: ♪♫ ain’t nothing but a heartache…
JAKE: ♪♫ tell me why…
 All: ♪♫ ain’t nothing but a mistake
JAKE: ♪♫ now number five
#5: I never wanna hear you say
All: ♪♫ I want it that way
JAKE: Oh, chills, literal chills
SISTER: It was number 5. Number 5 killed my brother
JAKE: Oh, my God, I forgot about that part.

Vocabulary

Bathroom stall
Sing along: to sing a piece of music while
someone else is singing or playing it
Heartache: emotional anguish or grief, typically
caused by the loss or absence of someone loved.
Chills:
Wife mystery
Characters: Scully, Jake, Amy, Boyle, Rosa, Terry.
Background information: The characters are detectives for the
New York Police Department. On a Monday morning, Jake asks Scully
about his weekend, and gets really confused about his answer. After all,
is Kelly Scully’s wife or his dog?

JAKE: Morning, Scully, how was your weekend?

SCULLY: Oh, fun. Kelly and I hit the park, went for a long walk,
fell asleep watching TV.
JAKE: Oh, sounds like a fun weekend with Kelly.
So, Kelly. Is that Scully's wife or his dog? Uh... wait. No one knows
Scully's wife's name?
AMY: I think Kelly is his dog. Went for a long walk, that's what
you do with a dog.
BOYLE: You can go on a long walk with a person at sunset.
Talking about nothing and everything
ROSA: Sounds awful. Hit the park. That's a dog.
TERRY: My wife takes the babies to the park all the time.
JAKE: All right, we're doing this. Let's play "wife or dog". Hey, so
Scully, what do you do at the park with Kelly?
SCULLY: Oh, we just walk around. She gets antsy if she doesn't
get outside enough. and then it's just yap, yap, yap all day long.
BOYLE: Hey, what’s Kelly’s favorite food?
SCULLY: Peanut butter. She'll eat it right out of the jar.
TERRY: How old is Kelly again?
SCULLY: Well, she's getting up there, but she's pretty spry for her
age. Especially considering she got hit by that car a year ago.
JAKE: Oh, that's so awful. Was she chasing something into the
street, or...?
 SCULLY: No, just getting me the newspaper.
JAKE: Alright, this is useless. Scully, is Kelly your wife or your
dog?
SCULLY: How can you ask me that?
JAKE: I still don't know which it is. No idea. It could be either. I
could not tell you.

Vocabulary list

TO HIT SOMEWHERE: informal. Go somewhere.

SUNSET: the time in the evening when the sun
disappears
AWFUL: horrible, terrible.
ANTSY: agitated, impatient, or restless
YAP: a sharp, shrill bark. Informal for talking too much.
JAR: a glass container.
SHE’S GETTING UP THERE: Informal to say a person is
getting old.
SPRY: active; lively
TO CHASE: to pursue something or someone in order
to catch or catch up with.
To talk about finished/completed
x To talk about facts in the present.
actions in the past. To describe To describe a routine, frequent
something or someone in the past. activities. To describe something or
To talk about something that someone in the present. To talk
existed in the past. about taste and preferences. To talk
about existence in the present.

Common irregular verbs

Infinitive Past To fall
To be To forget

To become To get

To begin To give

To bite To go

To break To have

To bring To know

To build To leave

To buy To lose

To choose To make

To come To meet

To do To pay

To drive To read

To drink To run

To eat To say
 To see To take

To sell To teach

To send To tell

To sing To think

To speak To write

To spend

Remember this: the auxiliar verb for the past is DID to all
persons. When did is used in the sentence as an auxiliar, the main verb
returns to its original form (infinitive without to).

We don’t need to use DID with the verb to be. In this situation,
the verb to be is its own auxiliar. Didn’t is the contraction between DID
+ NOT.

Did you know that she’s moving to Japan?

Alison didn’t spend much time worrying about her problems

I didn’t break the new laptop, my sister did.

She didn’t hear him because it was too loud at the bar.

I wasn’t talking to you; I was talking to your boss.

Were you there? Did you see the accident?

Was Julie at home yesterday? I called her so many times.

Activities
1. What did you do yesterday?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. How did you choose your work field?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

3. What do you do for a living?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

4. How did you make the choice of studying English?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

5. What movie did you watch the last time you went to the
movies? Was it a good movie? Tell me about it.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 The past continuous is used to describe an action that started in
the past and finished in the past, but it was a progressive or continuous
action.

past present

I started doing something I was doing something I finished doing something

The action starts in the past and ends in the past, it is a complete
action that extended itself over a while. The simple past is also a
complete and finished action in the past, however it doesn’t extend itself
over time.
The structure of the past continuous is:

• We can use the past continuous to talk about two simultaneous

actions in the past.
While I was setting the table, my husband was cleaning the kitchen
I hurt my back while I was working on the garden
Was Susan practicing the piano while you were home?
The students weren’t paying attention while the teacher was talking.
I saw you at the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and
reading a book
• We can use the past continuous to talk about one action that was
interrupted by another.
I was taking a shower when the power went out.
She was talking on the phone when the accident happened
When you were doing the groceries, your kids were playing outside
It was raining when I got up
I was driving to work when the traffic jam started
We were having dinner when Karen arrived

• We usually don’t use the verbs know and want with the past
continuous
I was enjoying the party, but Alan wanted to go home
We were good friends; we knew each other very well
Activities
1. Read what Laura says about a typical working day:

I usually get up at 7 o’clock and have a big breakfast. I walk to work, which
takes me about half an hour. I start work at 8:45. I never have lunch at my
company’s cafeteria because I go to the restaurant in front of the building. I
finish work at 5 o’clock. I’m always tired when I get home. I usually cook a
meal in the evening. I don’t usually go out. I go to bed at about 11 PM, and
I sleep well all through the night

Yesterday was a typical workday for Laura. Write down what she
did or didn’t do yesterday.

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

2. What were you doing at these times?

a. (at 8 o’clock yesterday evening)

_______________________________________________
b. (at 5 o'clock last Monday)
_______________________________________________
c. (half an hour ago)
_______________________________________________
d. (at 7AM this morning)
________________________________________________
e. (last weekend)
________________________________________________
3. Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.

a. Jenny ________________ (wait) for me when I ___________

(arrive).
b. ‘What ________________ (you / do) at this time yesterday?’ ‘I
__________ (be) asleep.’
c. ‘_____________________ (you / go) out last night?’ ‘No, I was
too tired.’
d. How fast _______________________ (you / drive) when the
accident ________________ (happen)?
e. Sam ____________________ (take) a picture of me while I
___________________ (not / look).
f. We were in a very difficult position. We _____________(not /
know) what to do, so we ___________ (do) nothing.
g. When I last ______________ (see) Chris, he _____________
(try) to find a job.
h. I _________________ (walk) along the street when suddenly I
______________(hear) something behind me. Somebody
________________(follow) me. I was scared and I
_______________ (start) to run.
i. When I was young, I __________________ (want) to be a pilot.
Later I ______________ (change) my mind.
j. Last night I ____________ (drop) a plate when I ___________
(do) the dishes. Fortunately it _________________ (not /
break).
k. When we ______________ (get) to the airport, it
_____________ (rain) so badly that the roads flooded.
An accident
Background information: Marie, Cheryl, Bob, and Paul all
work together in a travel agency. Paul is in charge of driving the
company van.

Paul: Hello.
Marie: Paul, what ___________________ to you?
Paul: I had an accident with the van.
Cheryl: Oh, no! Are you OK?
Paul: I'm fine. I __________________ my seat belt. No one was
hurt, but I think we're going to need a new van.
Bob: What __________________?
Paul: I ________________ on Sixth Street and there were a lot of
fish on the road.
Marie: A lot of what?
Paul: Fish.
Marie: Why were there fish in the road?
Paul: I don't know. Anyway, I ________________ to turn, but I
had a problem with the steering wheel.
Bob: The steering wheel broke?
Paul: No, it came off. So I __________________ over the fish. The
fish made the road slippery, so when I ______________to stop, I hit a
parked car.
Bob: Oh, no!
Paul: I'm not finished. The car behind me ___________________,
so he hit me. A car on the opposite side of the road hit a stop sign. The
stop sign ____________________ my hood.
Cheryl: Oh, no!
Paul: Then, worst of all, when I __________________ to look at
the damage, a piano __________________ on the van.
 Marie: What? Where did it come from?
Paul: I don't know. ________________________. The bumpers
are damaged. So is the hood. The doors won't open. The windows won't
close. The engine's not working. The headlights are smashed. The horn
won't honk. And it smells like fish.
Bob: Are there any parts that are OK?
Paul: The steering wheel still looks good.
Bob: Great. All we need is a van to go with it.

Vocabulary list
TAILGATING: Tailgating is the action of a driver driving behind
another vehicle while not leaving sufficient distance to stop without
causing a collision if the vehicle in front stops suddenly.
 There to be
When we want to talk about existence or presence of someone
or something in English, we use the verb THERE TO BE. It’s a unique
verb because it has two forms in the present tense.

There is There are

“There is” is singular and “there are” is plural.

There’s someone at the door

There are some people who want to talk to you
There isn’t anything good on TV lately
There aren’t any hamburgers left. Tony ate them all.
Is there something to do in this small town?
Are there kids in your building?

So, what if we want to talk about existence in the past? As we

saw in the situation, here are the past forms of the verb.

There was There were

We don’t contract in the affirmative form, but we can do it in the
negative. So, if you want to talk about something that existed, but it
doesn’t anymore, you can use THERE WAS for singular and THERE WERE
for plural.
There was a post office here, now it’s a clothing store.
There wasn’t anything I could do for him.
Was there a meeting yesterday?
 There were so many things I wanted to do.
There weren’t any TVs or smartphones when I was a kid
Were there many people in that lecture?

Have x there to be
In English, we can only use THERE TO BE to talk about existence
or presence. We DO NOT use the verb HAVE in this situation.
Have is an irregular verb. The past of have is had. The present
simple third person singular is has.
We mainly use the verb to have in these situations:
• Possession
We use have to talk about things that someone owns or
possesses:
Do you have a car?
They have two dogs, Scruffy and Milly.
She has four kids.

• Events, actions, experiences and activities

Let’s have a party to celebrate your birthday!

We have a break at 10 am.
Did you have a nice time in London?

• Eating food and meals

We had a wonderful meal in the new restaurant on Elm Street.
She had a few cocktails earlier
I’ll have the fish and chips, please.
 Let’s have lunch together.

• Days or parts of days

Have a nice day!
I had such a tough day.

• Conversations and interactions

I need to have a chat with Joan about your hours.
They had a big argument about money.
The chef and the manager had an argument in the kitchen and
everyone in the restaurant could hear them shouting.

• Sleeping
She had a rest in the afternoon.
Did you have a good night’s sleep?
I used to have terrible dreams when I was young.

• Travel
They have a 15-hour flight from Rome.
Have a safe trip.
• Other common expressions using “have”

have a baby Have a shower

have a try Have a bath

Have a problem Have fun

have a go have a feeling

have an
have a clue/idea
operation

have a laugh
have a long wait (informal, a good
time)

have a shock have a surprise

Activities
1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb THERE TO
BE

A. _______ a cat on the roof.

B. _______ two dogs in the yard.
C. _______ many good movies on TV last night.
D. _______ a jazz concert yesterday.
E. _______ any milk left in the fridge?
F. _______ some interesting people at the party last weekend.
G. _______ a meeting scheduled for today?
H. _______ any students in the classroom right now?

2. Identify the mistake in each sentence and then correct them.

A. Have a lot of people in the park today.

B. Was there any apples in the basket?
C. There isn't no cookies left.
D. There were a beautiful sunset yesterday.
E. There are many things to do in this town when I was young.
F. There was some birds singing outside this morning.
G. Had a great concert last night.

3. Look at these pictures. Create sentence using the PAST FORM of

there to be and the information in parenthesis.

clothing store / this street shopping mall / that corner Parked motorcycles / in front of the bar

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Japanese restaurant / my
neighborhood A lot of food / company dinner ATM / next to the drug store

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

accident / when I arrived meeting / the office surprise exam / algebra class

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

Kids playing / outside Missed calls / this morning Toilet paper / my mom’s house

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Job inter view
Interviewer: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me,
Charlotte.
Charlotte: Oh, it’s my pleasure.
Interviewer: So, tell me, how long have you lived in New York?
Charlotte: Well, I’ve lived here only for 2 months, and I’m still not
used to this city. There are so many people, and the city never sleeps.
But I think I can get used to it if you give me time.
Interviewer: I totally get what you’re saying. I felt the same the
first time I came here. So, you’re not from New York. Where did you
grow up?
Charlotte: I grew up in Australia, in a city called Melbourne.
Interviewer: What was that like?
Charlotte: Fantastic. It’s a really fun city, right on the ocean. My
family and I used to enjoy our summer days near the beach. They still
lives there. My father owns a restaurant, and my mother teaches.
Interviewer: How do you feel being far from them?
Charlotte: Well, it’s difficult to get used to being alone in a big
city, but my parents have always supported me with anything I wanted
to do. I talk to them every day and they’re planning on coming here for
Christmas.
Interviewer: That’s fantastic. What did you want to be when you
grew up?
Charlotte: Well, I never thought I’d be a fashion designer! I
wanted to be a teacher or maybe a writer.
Interviewer: Why not a fashion designer?
Charlotte: Well, I never thought people would like my ideas.
Interviewer: I can’t imagine it. Were you popular when you were
growing up?
 Charlotte: Not really. I wasn’t unpopular, but I wasn’t in the
popular crowd at school. I had a nice group of friends, though. I think I
prefer this way; I’m not used to being the center of attention, you know.
Interviewer: How did you like school?
Charlotte: Oh, I loved school. I was a great student. My mother
actually used to teach at my primary school. I always thought that was
fun.
Interviewer: What about your free time as a child? Did you have
a hobby?
Charlotte: I used to love to draw. Later I learned to paint, and I
still do that. Actually, I have some paintings in a gallery right now.
Interviewer: That’s impressive.
Charlotte: Well, it’s a very small exhibit. But it’s something I really
enjoy when I’m not designing clothes.
Interviewer: Did you have a favorite sport when you were
growing up?
Charlotte: I used to play basketball a lot as a kid. My friends and
I used to watch our favorite teams play and then play our own games,
too. I really liked basketball.
Interviewer: What about a favorite place?
Charlotte: Hmm. My favorite place? I used to go to a summer
camp on a lake. I loved that. I got to go horseback riding almost every
day.
Interviewer: Do you still ride horses?
Charlotte: No. Not very often.
 Used to
We use USED TO + VERB to talk about past actions that
happened with a certain frequency, but they don’t happen anymore.
It’s a great expression to talk about old habits, things that that
you enjoyed doing and the routine you had in the past, but don’t follow
anymore.
Examples:
Mary used to live in New York, but now she lives in Illinois (in
the past Mary lived in New York but now she lives in Illinois);
When I was a child, I used to watch cartoons every day after
school. Now, I rarely watch TV (something that I did in the past, but I
don’t do anymore);
Kyle didn’t use to exercise every day, but now he does.
I didn’t use to like Sushi, but now I do.
What did you use to do that you don’t do anymore?
 Get used to
To get used to doing something is the process of something
becoming normal or familiar. If you’re starting to become familiar with
something or with some activity you say you’re getting used to it.
It’s a perfect way to say you’re adapting to something or
someone or becoming more comfortable with an activity as the time
goes by.
Examples:
I’m getting used to studying English every day (I’m still not
completely familiar or comfortable 100%, but I’m in the process);
Karen is getting used to driving in the snow (she is still getting
familiar with driving in the snow);
The children are getting used to their new school. (the children
are in the process of getting comfortable with the new school)
I’m getting used to my new schedule. (I have a new schedule
and I’m adapting to it).

Subject + get used to + gerund or noun

Be used to
We use BE USED TO to talk about what is familiar to us or normal
for us. So we can say that after the process of getting used to
something, you become used to it.

Examples:
I am used to waking up early. (it’s a normal habit for me)
I’m not used to eating rice and beans every day. (It is not a
normal habit for me)
Jenny is used to working the night shift. (It is a normal habit for
Jenny)
Are you used to studying English every day?
Kelly is used to her new routine.
The children are used to the hot weather.
Activities
1. Michael Jordan __________ 5. We __________ together, but
basketball for the Chicago Bulls. he found a better job.
a. was used to play a. used to work
b. used to play b. usually work
c. is used to play c. get used to working
d. gets used to play d. are used to work

2. We __________ a computer, 6. Henry lives in Florida. He

but we don’t anymore. __________ hot weather.
a. used to have a. used to
b. are used to have b. is used to
c. get used to have c. usually to
d. is used to have d. gets used to being

3. There __________ a police 7. Mary was born in Chicago. She

station here. __________ in a big city.
a. used to a. is used to living
b. get used to being b. usually to live
c. used to be c. got used to
d. is used to be d. am used to living

4. I __________ vegetables, but 8. Mark works out every day, so

now I love them. he __________ a lot.
a. usually hate a. usually exercised
b. get used to hating b. get used to exercise
c. am used to hating c. is used to exercising
d. used to hate d. is usually to exercise
9. You’ll have to __________ on
the left side of the road when
12. Teachers __________
you move to London.
questions.
a. get used to driving
a. are used to answering
b. get used to drive
b. got used to answer
c. used to drive
c. am used to answer
d. be used to drive
d. used to answer

10. Oliver __________ on his

13. __________ you __________
own, when he went to college.
rice and beans every day?
a. is used to being
a. Are; used to eat
b. got used to being
b. Is; usually to eat
c. is used to be
c. Gets; used to eat
d. gets used to being
d. Are; used to eating

11. I’m __________ at this desk.

14. David __________ the bus.
I sit here every day.
He rides it several times a week.
a. get used to sitting
a. used to take
b. used to sitting
b. is used to taking
c. used to sit
c. gets used to take
d. usually to sit
d. am used to taking

I. Complete the sentences with used to + a suitable verb.

a.) Nicole ________________ a lot, but she doesn’t go away

much these days. (travel)
b.) Sophie ________________ a motorbike, but last year she
sold it and bought a car. (have)
 c.) Our friends moved to Spain a few years ago. They
________________ in Paris. (live)
d.) Jackie ________________ my best friend, but we aren’t
friends any more. (be)
e.) I rarely eat ice cream now, but I ________________ it when
I was a child. (love)
f.) It only takes me about 40 minutes to get to work now that
the new road is open. It ________________ more than an hour. (take)
g.) ________________ a hotel near the airport, but it closed a
long time ago. (there to be)
h.) I ________________ in a factory. It wasn’t my favorite job.
(work)

II. Compare Kate’s life five years ago and today. Write about
what have changed using used to, didn’t use to, or never used to as in
the model.

a. She used to travel a lot, but she doesn’t go away much these
days.
b. _______________________, but _______________
c. _______________________, but _______________
d. _______________________, but _______________
e. _______________________, but _______________
f. _______________________, but _______________
g. _________________________, but _______________
 III. Answer the following questions
1. Where did you use to live before you came to the town you live in
now?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. What TV show did you use to watch when you were a child?
____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. What kind of food did you use to eat, but now you don’t?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. What school did you use to study at?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
5. What places did you use to go to with your friends when you were a
teenager?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
6. What’s the most difficult thing about getting used to a new
job/school?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
7. What are some things you are used to in your job, life, or school?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
8. Are you used to living in a hot climate?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
9. Do you usually get up late, or are you used to getting up early?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
10. Do you know someone who is used to working at night and sleeping
during the day? If not, do you think it’s possible to get used to this kind
of routine?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
11. Do you have a friend who you are used to seeing every day? If not,
was there a friend you used to see every day? Why don’t you see each
other anymore?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

12. What is something that you have been trying to do, but are still not
used to?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
13. How long did it take for you to get used to studying English?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
14. Do you think it’s hard to get used to speaking in another language
every day?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
15. What is something that you promised yourself you would get used
to this year?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
16. What is something that you think was difficult to get used to?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
17. What is something that you think was easy to get used to?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________