309 simple past tense

Unit 13 – revision exercises, Simple Past
T 13.6 – Fill in with Simple Past form of the verb: Noises in the night
It _________ (be) about two o’clock in the morning, and … suddenly I __________ (wake) up.
I _________ (hear) a noise. I ________ (get) out of bed and __________(go) slowly
downstairs. There ____________ (be) a light on in the living room. I _____________ (listen)
carefully. I could hear two men speaking very quietly. ‘Burglars!’ I ___________ (think). ‘Two
burglars!’ Immediately I _________ (run) back upstairs and
________(phone) the police. I _________(be) really frightened.
Fortunately the police ____________(arrive) quickly. They
_______________(open) the front door and __________(go) into the
living room. Then they _____________(come) upstairs to find me. ‘It’s all
right now, sir,’ they _____________(explain). ‘We _______________(turn) the television off for
you!’
T 13.7
One dollar and eighty–seven cents. That __________(be) all. Della carefully
______________(count) the money again. There __________(be) no mistake. Every day,
when she ________(go) to the shops, she didn't spend much money. She ____________(buy)
the cheapest meat and the cheapest vegetables. It ________(be) very tiring — she
___________(walk) for hours around the shops to find the cheapest food. She
___________(save) every cent possible. Only one dollar and eighty–seven cents. The next
day was Christmas, and she couldn't do anything about it. So she __________ (sit) there in
her little room and __________(cry) quietly.
Della _____________(live) in this poor little room in New York with her husband, James
Dillingham Young. James (Jim to his friends) _________(be) lucky because he
_________(have) a job, but it wasn't a good job. Times _________(be) bad and there was no
work for Della. But when Jim ___________(come) home, she immediately __________(put)
her arms around him. And that __________(be) good. Della ______________(want) to buy
him a Christmas present — something really good to show how much she ___________(love)
him. Suddenly she __________(run) to the mirror and __________(look) at her beautiful long
hair. Then she _________(put) on her old brown hat and coat and
quickly _________(go) into town.

T 13.8
She ______________(stop) when she ____________(come) to a
door with 'Madame Eloise — Hair' on it. Inside ____( be) a small fat
woman. 'Do you buy hair?' Della ________(ask). 'I buy hair', Madame __________(answer).
New Headway Elementary, Oxford University Press

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'Take your hat off, then, and show me your hair.' Madame slowly ______________(touch) the
hair with her hand. 'Twenty dollars', she ________(say) . 'Quick! Cut it off! Give me the money!'
Della _________(say). The next two hours ________(go) quickly. Della ________(be) happy,
because she _______(be) at the shops with money for a present for Jim. At last she
________(find) him the perfect present. Jim ________(have) one
special thing. He ________(have) a beautiful gold watch that once
_____________(belong) to his father, and before that to his
grandfather. Jim __________(love) his watch, but it
_________(have) no chain. When Della __________(see) the gold
watch chain, she _________(know) immediately that it ________(be) right for Jim. It
________(cost) twenty–one dollars. Della ________(run) home excitedly with the eighty–
seven cents. When she __________(arrive), she _________(look) at her very short hair in the
mirror. 'Oh dear. I look like a schoolboy! What is Jim going to say when he sees me?' At seven
o'clock Jim ___________(come) in. His eyes _________(be) on Della. She could not
understand the look on his face. He _________(be) not angry or surprised. He just
___________(look) at her sadly. Della ________(run) to him. 'Jim, don't look at me like that! I
_________(sell) my hair because I ___________(want) to give you a present.' 'You
____________(sell) your hair?' he _________(say) quietly.'Yes, I ___________(tell) you. But
don't worry. It grows so fast. But don't you love me anymore, Jim?'
T 13.9
Suddenly Jim _________(put) his arms around Della. 'I love you, Della. It

doesn't matter if your hair is long or short. But open this. Then you can see
why I _______(be) unhappy at first.' Della ___________(open) the
present excitedly. Then she ___________(give) a little scream of
happiness. But a second later there was a cry of unhappiness. There
_________(be) the combs — for her beautiful hair. When she first
________(see) these lovely, expensive combs in the shop window, she
_____________(want) them. And now they __________(be) hers. But she no longer
_________(have) her hair! Della ____________(hold) them in her hand and her eyes
__________(be) full of love.Then Della _______________(remebered). She
___________(run) to get Jim's present. 'Isn't it lovely, Jim?' Give me your beautiful watch, and
let's see it with its new chain!' But Jim __________(sit) down and _____________(smile).
'Della, you see. I ____________(sell) the watch to buy your combs.'

New Headway Elementary, Oxford University Press

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