2 | ESSENTIAL WORKSHEETS

Unit 1: Then and now

GRAMMAR 1
Past simple: regular and irregular verbs 3 Complete the past simple forms of the verbs in brackets.
Use the table in exercise 2 to help you.
1 Choose the correct options.
1 Last week, someone … a time capsule in my town. I read a really amazing
A hide B hid story about a young boy
who 1 w e n t (go)
2 Some builders … it under an old wall.
fishing with a relative at
A found B did find
a lake. It 2 w s (be)
3 They … it at first.
a large lake that is very
A not open B didn’t open
popular.
4 … you hear about this news story, too?
He saw that there was something on his
A Did B Does
fishing line and he 3 t k (take) it out
5 Did you spend any money? No, I … .
of the water. What did he find? An old bag!
A didn’t B don’t
He 4 o n d (open) the bag and
6 When did mobile phones … ? 5
l k d (look) inside. There were
A appeared B appear
a lot of old family photos from the 1990s.
2 Complete the table with the headings below. Amazingly, his relative 6 k w (know)
who the bag belonged to.
Infinitive Infinitive Irregular past simple
Regular past simple They 7 g e (give) the bag back to
the woman. She couldn’t believe it as she
1
Infinitive 2 3 4 lost it in 1992.

4 Complete the sentences with past simple form of the

like liked be was/were verbs in brackets. Use the table in exercise 2 to help you.
1 Ed was really excited when he went (go) on
live lived do did
holiday.
look looked give gave
2 Martha (work) for many years in the theatre.
open opened go went 3 I was happy when I (sell) my bike for £70.
perform performed know knew 4 Julia (make) a lovely cake yesterday.
5 I really (like) that book you gave me.
return returned make made
6 Nina can’t go to the cinema. She (spend) all
work worked leave left her money at the shops.
sell sold 7 Where are Alin and Cora? They (be) here
earlier.
spend spent

take took

4 Synchronize 2 • Essential worksheets PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

 2 | ESSENTIAL WORKSHEETS
Unit 1: Then and now
GRAMMAR 2
Past simple: (there) was / were 3 Choose the correct options to complete the text.

1 Choose the correct sentences. School Talk to an older person about

life as a teenager
1 A In the past, life was hard for young people.
B In the past, life were hard for young people.
project BY MARIA MENDES

2 A T here wasn’t any words to describe teenagers in My neighbour Sylvia 1 was / were a teenager in the
1900. 1970s. She left school at 15 and she 2 weren’t / was
B There weren’t any words to describe teenagers in interested in working in tourism. But at that time,
1900. 3
there wasn’t / there weren’t any tourism jobs in
3 A Was there laws to protect children? her town.
B Were there laws to protect children? Sylvia found a job in a small shop, but she didn’t like
4 A Work wasn’t well-paid for young people. it. The work 4 weren’t / wasn’t interesting and the
B Work didn’t well-paid for young people. hours 5 were / was very long.
5 A How life was different in the 1930s? A year later, a travel agency opened in her town.
B How was life different in the 1930s? 6
There were / There was photos of exciting holidays
6 A Young people was often tired. in the window and 7 there was / there were a job
B Young people were often tired. advert, too!
7 A In the 1950s, there was more time for fun. Sylvia got the job and she 8 wasn’t / was very happy.
B In the 1950s, there is more time for fun.

2 Look at the photo and choose the correct answers about

life in the 1930s.

4 Complete the sentences and questions with was / were 

or wasn’t / weren’t .
1 There were a lot of people at the 1960s Museum.
It was very busy. 
2 There a programme on TV yesterday about
young people in the past. It was very interesting. 
3 The roads were quieter in the 1920s. There
1 There were / weren’t any video games for many cars. 
entertainment 4 There any electricity in our town until 1932. 
2 There were / was board games and card games. 5 there any good videos on that history
3 There were / weren’t TVs in people’s homes. website? 
4 There weren’t / were books to read. 6 There a lot of buildings on that road when my
5 There wasn’t / weren’t the internet. grandmother lived there. There are more now. 
6 There was / wasn’t electricity so people could read at 7 there a castle here in our city? I’m sure I read
night. about it in a history book. 

5 Synchronize 2 • Essential worksheets PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press