Past Simple Test Regular/Irregular Verbs - ESL worksheet by ... - Free Printable

Let's solve this English grammar test step by step. The test focuses on the Past Simple tense, with two tasks: one for regular verbs and another for irregular verbs.

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✔ Task 1: Write the correct form of regular verbs

Regular verbs in the past simple are formed by adding -ed to the base form.

Original text:

> My grandfather had a very exciting life. When he was young, he ________ (live) on a farm in the country. His parents and he ________ (look) after the cows. When he was eighteen, he went to University, where he ________ (study) English and French. He also ________ (play) the trumpet in a jazz band. When the war started, he ________ (try) to join the Air Force. Then he met my grandmother, and they ________ (marry) after only three weeks. He says now that he ________ (want) to marry her very quickly in cases he ________ (die) in the war. He ________ (love) my granny very much. I hope you ________ (like) the story of my grandpa’s life.

Now let's fill in the blanks:

1. lived – "live" → past = lived
2. looked – "look" → past = looked
3. studied – "study" → past = studied
4. played – "play" → past = played
5. tried – "try" → past = tried
6. married – "marry" → past = married
7. wanted – "want" → past = wanted
8. died – "die" → past = died
9. loved – "love" → past = loved
10. liked – "like" → past = liked

✔ Completed Task 1:
> My grandfather had a very exciting life. When he was young, he lived on a farm in the country. His parents and he looked after the cows. When he was eighteen, he went to University, where he studied English and French. He also played the trumpet in a jazz band. When the war started, he tried to join the Air Force. Then he met my grandmother, and they married after only three weeks. He says now that he wanted to marry her very quickly in case he died in the war. He loved my granny very much. I hope you liked the story of my grandpa’s life.

> 🔹 Note: “in cases” should be “in case” — grammatically, it’s “in case” (meaning 'if').

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✔ Task 2: Write the correct form of irregular verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow a standard pattern. We must recall their past forms.

Let’s go through each sentence:

1. Yesterday I ________ (go) to the movies.
→ "go" → past = went
✔ went

2. My sister ________ (make) a birthday cake for me last week.
→ "make" → past = made
✔ made

3. Steve ________ (ride) his bicycle to school yesterday.
→ "ride" → past = rode
✔ rode

4. My friends ________ (drive) to Los Angeles two weeks ago.
→ "drive" → past = drove
✔ drove

5. Elizabeth ________ (take) some flowers last Saturday.
→ "take" → past = took
✔ took

6. Kevin ________ (win) the competition.
→ "win" → past = won
✔ won

7. Last week my aunt ________ (have) a baby.
→ "have" → past = had
✔ had

8. We ________ (get) a lot of work to do last Monday.
→ "get" → past = got
✔ got

9. The child ________ (drink) some milk last night.
→ "drink" → past = drank
✔ drank

10. My teacher ________ (buy) some new books last month.
→ "buy" → past = bought
✔ bought

✔ Completed Task 2:

1. Yesterday I went to the movies.
2. My sister made a birthday cake for me last week.
3. Steve rode his bicycle to school yesterday.
4. My friends drove to Los Angeles two weeks ago.
5. Elizabeth took some flowers last Saturday.
6. Kevin won the competition.
7. Last week my aunt had a baby.
8. We got a lot of work to do last Monday.
9. The child drank some milk last night.
10. My teacher bought some new books last month.

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✔ Final Answer Summary

#### Task 1 (Regular Verbs):
1. lived
2. looked
3. studied
4. played
5. tried
6. married
7. wanted
8. died
9. loved
10. liked

#### Task 2 (Irregular Verbs):
1. went
2. made
3. rode
4. drove
5. took
6. won
7. had
8. got
9. drank
10. bought

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📝 Explanation:

- Regular verbs add -ed in the past simple: *live → lived*, *look → looked*.
- Irregular verbs have unique past forms that must be memorized: *go → went*, *make → made*, *take → took*, etc.
- All sentences refer to completed actions in the past, so the past simple tense is correct.
- Pay attention to time markers like *"yesterday," "last week," "two weeks ago," "last night"* — these signal past events.

This exercise helps students practice distinguishing between regular and irregular verbs and using them correctly in context.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or an answer key PDF!