1 Grammar in the Real World...Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs in Simple Past: See page A4. Irregular Verbs: See page A3. Data from the Real World Research shows that these are six

U N I T �

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Simple PastEntrepreneurs4

1Grammar in the Real World A��What is the best way to find information today? Read the article from a technology

magazine. How did Google start?

The Story of GoogleWho started Google?

Sergey Brin and Larry Page started the company. Sergey came from Moscow, Russia. He moved to the United States as a young child and later studied mathematics and computer science. Larry was born in Michigan and became interested in computers as a child.

How did they meet?They met in 1995 at Stanford University,

in California, where they were both computer science students. They did not get along at first, but they soon became friends.

What happened next?They designed a new Internet search engine. At first, they worked in their

rooms in college. Then they rented a friend’s garage because Sergey’s roommate complained about the noise from his computers. Three years later, they started Google.

Was it an immediate success?The company was an immediate success. Before Google, there were other search

engines, but Google soon became the most popular one. The company grew quickly. They did not stop at just one product. Very soon, there were other Google products, like Google Maps and Gmail. Ten years later, Google earned over $10 billion and had about 20,000 employees.

So what did people do before Google? Before Google, people went to libraries. They got information from books.

These days, they just “google” for information.

5

10

15

20

25

View an e-sample of the entire book: www.cambridge.org/grammarandbeyond/sample

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Simple Past

B� �Comprehension Check Answer the questions.

1. Where did Larry Page and Sergey Brin meet?2. Why did they work in a garage?3. What other products did Google start?4. How many people worked at Google after 10 years?

C� Notice Look at the article. Find the simple past forms of these verbs.

Group A

1. start 2. move 3. study 4. happen

Group B

5. come 6. be , (two forms)

7. become 8. meet

How are the two groups of verbs different?

2 Simple Past

Grammar PresentationYou can use the simple past to talk about completed events in the past.

Brin and Page started Google in 1998.They did not get along at first.

2.1 Affirmative StatementsSubject Verb + -ed (Regular Verbs) Subject Irregular Verb

IYou

He / She / ItWe

They

started in 1998.employed 20,000 people.

IYou

He / She / ItWe

They

grew quickly.became successful.

Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs in Simple Past: See page A4. Irregular Verbs: See page A3.

Data from the Real World

Research shows that these are six of the most common regular simple past verbs.

workstart

call

workedstartedcalled

livetry

plan

livedtriedplanned

Research shows that these are eight of the most common irregular simple past verbs.

havegetdo

say

hadgotdidsaid

gocome

takemake

wentcametookmade


42 Unit 4 Simple Past

2.2 Negative Statements

Subject Did + NotBase Form of Verb

IYou

He / She / ItWe

They

did notdidn’t start slowly.

2.3 Yes / No Questions and Short Answers

Did SubjectBase Form of Verb

Did

Iyouhe / she / itwethey

workstart

every day?quickly?

Short Answers

Yes, I did.Yes, you did.Yes, he / she / it did.Yes, we did.Yes, they did.

No, I didn’t.No, you didn’t.No, he / she / it didn’t.No, we didn’t.No, they didn’t.

2.4 Information Questions

Wh- Word Did SubjectBase Form of Verb

WhatWhereWhen

WhoWhy

did

Iyouhe / she / itwethey

study?

Wh- WordSimple Past Verb

WhatWho

happenedstarted

next?the company?


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Simple Past

2.5 Using Simple Pasta. Use the simple past to talk or write about:

• a single action that started and ended in the past.

They started Google in 1998.xpast now

• a repeated action or habit in the past. They worked in their rooms every day.x x xpast now

• a state, situation, or feeling in the past. They didn’t get along.

past now

b. Time expressions can come at the start or end of a statement. Examples: last week / month / year, 10 years ago, in 1998, yesterday

Last year, I joined a new company. I joined a new company last year.

Two years ago, I graduated. I graduated two years ago.

c. Remember to use a comma when the time expression comes at the beginning of the sentence.

In 1998, they started Google. They started Google in 1998.

d. Adverbs of frequency often come before the main verb in simple past statements. Some examples of adverbs of frequency are never, rarely, sometimes, often, usually, and always.

They often had meetings at a pizza parlor.They sometimes worked in their room.


Research shows that didn’t is not common in formal writing. Use did not instead. Writers sometimes use didn’t in quotes of people speaking.

Formal writingdidn’t

did not

Use didn’t in conversation and informal writing. In conversation, did not can sound formal, emphatic, or argumentative.

Conversationdidn’t

did not



Grammar Application

Exercise 2.1 Statements and QuestionsA��Complete the article with the simple past form of the verbs

in parentheses.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield grew up(1)

(grow up)

in Merrick, Long Island. They (2)

(meet) in middle school, and they (3)

(graduate) from high school together. Their connections to

ice cream (4)

(begin) at an early age.

Ben (5)

(drive) an ice cream truck in

high school. Jerry (6)

(work) in his

college cafeteria as an ice cream scooper.

Ben (7)

(try) different colleges, but he (8)

(not graduate). At one time, he (9)

(teach) crafts in a school. At

the school, he sometimes (10)

(make) ice cream with his students.

Jerry (11)

(want) to be a doctor. After he (12)

(graduate) from college, he (13)

(apply) to medical school, but he was not

successful. During those years, Ben and Jerry (14)

(stay) friends.

After a few years, Ben and Jerry (15)

(go) into the food business

together. At first, they (16)

(think) about making bagels, but the

equipment was expensive. So they (17)

(choose) ice cream and

(18)

(take) a $5 class on ice-cream making.

Ben and Jerry (19)

(see) an opportunity in Burlington,

Vermont. This college town (20)

(not have) an ice cream shop. They

(21)

(find) an old gas station, and in 1978 they (22)

(open) the first Ben & Jerry’s store.

Ben & Jerry’s quickly (23)

(become) popular because it

(24)

(have) great ice cream and a caring approach to the community.

On their first anniversary, they (25)

(give) everyone free ice cream

as a “thank you.” They still give away free ice cream every year on their anniversary.


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Simple Past

B� �Pair Work Complete the Yes / No questions and answers about Ben and Jerry. Then ask and answer the questions with a partner. Give more information.

1. Did Ben and Jerry grow up (grow up) on Long Island?

Yes, they did.2. they (meet) in college?

3. Ben (graduate) from college?

4. Ben (teach) in a school?

5. Jerry (go) to college?

6. Jerry (apply) to law school?

7. they (think) about making ice cream at first?

8. they (open) their first store in 1978?

A Did Ben and Jerry grow up on Long Island?B Yes, they did. They grew up in Merrick, Long Island.

C� �Complete the information questions about Ben and Jerry. Use the answers to help you.

1. A Where did Ben and Jerry grow up ? B On Long Island.

2. A Where ? B In middle school.

3. A What ? B Crafts.

4. A What kind of course ? B An ice cream-making course.

5. A How much ? B $5.

6. A When ? B In 1978.

7. A Why ? B The ice cream was good.

8. A What ? B Free ice cream.



D��Pair Work Complete the information questions about Ben and Jerry. Write did in the blank, if necessary. If did is not necessary, write an ✗. Then take turns asking and answering the questions with a partner.

1. Who ✗ drove an ice-cream truck in high school?

2. Who worked in the college cafeteria?

3. What he do in the cafeteria?

4. Who graduated from college?

5. What he want to study after college?

6. Who taught in a school?

7. What happened on their first anniversary?

8. Why they open a store in Burlington?

Exercise 2.2 Pronunciation Focus: Simple Past -ed Endings

Verbs ending in /t/ or /d/ /ɪd/ or /əd/

If the base form of the verb ends with the sound /t/ or /d/, say -ed as an extra syllable /ɪd/ or /əd/.

/t/ rent – rented /d/ decide – decided

Verbs ending in voiceless consonants /t/If the base form of the verb ends in /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, /ʃ/, and /tʃ/, say the -ed as /t/.

/f/ laugh – laughed /k/ look – looked /p/ stop – stopped

/s/ miss – missed /ʃ/ finish – finished /tʃ/ watch – watched

Verbs ending in voiced consonants or vowels /d/

If the base form of the verb ends in a voiced consonant or vowel, say the -ed endings as /d/.

live – livedchange – changed

learn – learnedplay – played

A� Listen and repeat the verbs with -ed endings in the chart above.

B� � Circle the -ed endings that have an extra syllable (/ɪd/ or /əd/) in these sentences. Then listen, check, and repeat.

1. My family moved here six years ago.

2. I needed to earn some money, so I decided to get a job in a factory.

3. I earned a lot of money, but I wanted to be my own boss.

4. I studied business and learned how to start a company.

5. I finished the program and graduated two years ago.

6. Finally, I started my own business.


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Simple Past

C� �Over to You Write six sentences about your own life. Use the ideas in B or your own ideas. Compare sentences with a partner. Ask your partner for more information.

A My family moved here in 1998.B Really? Where did you live before that?

Exercise 2.3 Questions and AnswersA��Complete the article with the simple past form of the verbs in parentheses.

Today Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful

broadcasters, publishers, and entrepreneurs in the world.

However, she did not have an easy start in life. Oprah had(1)

(have) a difficult childhood. She (2)

(not have) a lot of opportunities as a child, but she was very

intelligent. She (3)

(learn) to read before the

age of 3. Her broadcasting career (4)

(begin)

in high school. In 1971, she (5)

(go)

to Tennessee State University. During high school and college,

she (6)

(work) on a radio show. She also

(7)

(work) at a TV station in Nashville as a student. At the age of 19,

she (8)

(become) the first African-American woman news anchor1

at the station.

In 1976, she (9)

(graduate) from college. That year, she

(10)

(move) to Baltimore. There she (11)

(host) a

TV talk show called People Are Talking. Eight years later, she (12)

(start)

working on a morning show in Chicago. It (13)

(become) The Oprah

Winfrey Show. Oprah’s popularity (14)

(grow) quickly, and in 1986, it

(15)

(become) a national show.1anchor: a person who reports the news

B� Pair Work Complete the questions about Oprah Winfrey. Use the information in the article. Then ask and answer the questions with a partner.

1. What kind of childhood ?

2. What before the age of 3?

3. Which university ?

4. What during high school and college?



5. What else as a student?

6. Where after college?

7. What working on in Chicago?

8. When a national show?

A What kind of childhood did Oprah Winfrey have?B She had a difficult childhood.

3Simple Past of Be and There Was / There Were

Grammar PresentationThe simple past of be and There was / There were describe people, places, and things in the past.

Oprah Winfrey was an intelligent child.There were millions of visitors to Oprah’s website last month.

3.1 Simple Past of Be: Affirmative and Negative Statementsaffirmative negative

Subject Was / Were Subject Was / Were + Not

IHe / She / It was

at Stanford University.

IHe / She / It

was notwasn’t

in Chicago.YouWe

Theywere

YouWe

They

were notweren’t


Research shows that wasn’t and weren’t are not common in academic writing. Use was not and were not instead.

Academic writing

wasn’t / weren’twas not / were not

Use wasn’t and weren’t in conversation, where they are very common.

Conversationwasn’t / weren’t

was not / were not


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Simple Past

3.2 Simple Past of Be: Yes / No Questions and Short AnswersWas / Were Subject Short Answers

Was Ihe / she / it

popular?

Yes, I was.Yes, he / she / it was.

No, I wasn’t.No, he / she / it wasn’t.

Wereyouwethey

Yes, you were.Yes, we were.Yes, they were.

No, you weren’t.No, we weren’t.No, they weren’t.

3.3 Information Questions with Simple Past of BeWh- Word Was / Were Subject

WhoWhere

WhatHow

was I?he / she / it?

wereyou?we?they?

Wh- Word Was

WhoWhat was there at the beginning?

next for the company?

3.4 There Was / There WereThere Was / Wasn’t + Singular or Noncount Noun There Were / Weren’t + Plural Noun

There was a problem.There wasn’t any software.There was no software.

There were some problems.There weren’t any programs.There were no programs.

3.5 Using There Was / There Werea. Use There was (not) / There were (not) to talk

about things that did or did not exist in the past.Before Google, there were other search engines.There was no software.

Research shows that There was / were no is more common than There wasn’t / weren’t any.

b. The form of be always agrees with the noun that follows it.

There were other search engines.There was other search engines.



Grammar Application

Exercise 3.1 StatementsA��Complete the lecture about Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker (1867–1919).

Use the affirmative or negative form of was, were, there was, and there were.

Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker was(1)

the first

American female self-made millionaire. However, before she

became a millionaire, life (2)

easy for young

Sarah. Her parents died, and Sarah (3)

an orphan at the age of 7. For a time, Sarah and her sister

(4)

cotton pickers. By the age of 14, Sarah

(5)

already married. Her husband died

two years later, and she went to live with her brothers. They

(6)

barbers.

In the 1890s, Sarah lost some of her hair. At that time,

(7)

no good products in the stores for this

problem. In fact, (8)

a lot of hair care

products for African Americans in those days. Sarah saw that

(9)

an opportunity for a new business, so

she invented “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower.”

The business grew. Soon (10)

other “Madam

Walker” products, such as shampoos and cosmetics. She

(11)

very successful and eventually became

a millionaire.

B Pair Work Now listen to the lecture. It has some extra information about Madam Walker. Write down three new things you hear. Then tell your partner.

1. 2. 3. A Her brothers were barbers in St. Louis.B Right. And she worked for . . .


Entrepreneurs 51

Simple Past

Exercise 3.2 Questions with Be and Other VerbsA��Pair Work Write the simple past questions. Then interview a classmate.

Ask for more information as you talk.

1. What / be / your first job

What was your first job?

2. be / it / a good job

3. What / be / your co-workers like

4. What / you / do there

5. Why / you / leave

6. What / be / your best job

7. Why / you / like it

8. Where / be / your worst job

B� �Pair Work Write a short work history of your classmate.

Luis’s first job was in a hotel in San Diego. He worked there from 2008 to 2009.

4 Avoid Common Mistakes

1. Use the simple past, not the simple present, when you write about the past. started

I start my first job in 2008.

2. After did not or didn’t, use the base form of the verb, not the past form.They didn’t earned a lot of money.

3. Put time expressions at the beginning or end of a statement, not between the subject and the verb, and not between the verb and the object.

yesterdayI bought yesterday a computer . or

YesterdayI bought yesterday a computer.

4. Use there were with plural nouns. Use there was with singular or noncount nouns. were was

There was a lot of people. There were no information.



Editing TaskFind and correct nine more mistakes in the blog.

My family move from Mexico City to the United States in 1998. I went to Hamilton

High School in Los Angeles. I did not knew anybody, and I did not had any friends

here. I in 1999 met Jun. He became my first friend.

We in 2001 graduated. I got a job at a nice restaurant, but I did not enjoyed my

job. Jun drove a taco truck, but he did not liked the food. I wanted to be my own boss,

and I always liked food and cooking. Jun wanted his own business, too. Jun saw an

opportunity. There was hungry office workers downtown at noon, but there weren’t

a nice place to eat. We bought a food truck and we start Food on the Move in 2003.

Today, we have 5 trucks and 15 employees.

5Grammar for Writing Using Simple Past

Writers use the simple past to describe single actions, repeated actions, or states in the past. In a story about a person’s life, the verbs that tell about past events, actions, or states should be in the past. state state single action

He wanted his own business, but he did not have the money for it. He went to the bank to ask for a loan.

Writers often use the simple present at the end of a story to say what is different now. present

. . . Today my uncle has a successful business.

Remember:

Check the spelling of irregular verbs. got paid

He getted a loan from the bank. Then he payed a lot of money to start the business.

moved


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Simple Past

Pre-writing Task1� �Read the paragraph below. Notice how the writer uses the simple past to describe

the single actions, repeated actions, and states in a person’s life.

My Boss Missolle

My boss, Missolle, came to the United States from Haiti 12 years ago. When she

came here, she was very sad because her children were still in Haiti. She wanted them

to come here, so she worked very hard. She practiced her English all the time. She

worked during the day in a hair salon, and at night she cooked for people. She always

thought about her children. When I met her five years ago, she was always happy and

enthusiastic. I did not know her life was difficult. She told me that she did not want to

show her true feelings. Now she is very happy because her children are here, and her

life is good.

2� �Read the paragraph again. Circle the verbs in the simple past, and underline the verbs in the simple present.

Writing Task1� �Write Use the paragraph in the Pre-writing Task to help you write about the

life events of a person you know. What are some important past events in this person’s life? How is this person’s life different today?

2� �Self-Edit Use the editing tips to improve your paragraph. Make any necessary changes.

1. Did you use the simple past for all single actions, repeated actions, and states?2. Did you use the correct form for irregular verbs?3. Did you avoid the mistakes in the Avoid Common Mistakes chart on page 51?


Documents

1 Grammar in the Real World...Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs in Simple Past: See page A4. Irregular Verbs: See page A3. Data from the Real World Research shows that these are six