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These are the Words the Little Boy Spoke Simple Past Tense
Instructions: First fill-in the rhymes starting with the second verse using the words on the
next page. Hint: the lines should rhyme. Notice the syllables to be stressed are in bold.
These are rhymes to learn how we say
Some verbs in past simple without any dismay
For this is the tense we use most of all
With bygone times and events we recall
These are the words the little boy s____________
This is the promise the little boy b____________
This is the letter the little boy s_______________
This is the branch the little boy b_____________
This is the flower the little boy g_____________
This is the plane the little boy f______________
This is the bread the little boy c______________
This is the door the little boy s_______________
This is the sweater the little boy w____________
This is the hanky the little boy t______________
This is the tear the little boy w______________
This is the carpet the little boy s______________
This is the ice the little boy __________________
This is the warmth the little boy f_____________
This is the candy the little boy b______________
This is the fish the little boy c________________
This is the toast the little boy b______________
This is the line the little boy l________________
This is the saying the little boy k_____________
This is the picture the little boy d_____________
This is the bird the little boy f_______________
This is the book the little boy b______________
This is the monkey the little boy f____________
These are the crumbs the little boy s__________
This is the place where he slipped and then s_________
This is the place where he r________ and then h____________
This is the place where he s________ when he t_____________
This is the school where young he was t_____________
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This is the song the little boy s______________

This is the bell the little boy r_______________
This is the place where the little boy s________
And this is all that the little boy c____________
These are the words the little boy s____________
So try to learn them, all of you folk!
For this is the tense we use most of all
With bygone times and events we recall
Use the following verbs in the simple past to complete the poem.
bent
burnt
drew
found
learnt
sang
slid
bought
caught
fed
grew
melt
sat
spoke
bound
could
felt
hid
ran
sent
spread
broke
cut
flew
knew
rang
shut
stood

swept
taught
thought
tore

wept
wore

Now use the verbs in the simple past above to complete the sentences below. Use only verbs
that are transitive, i.e. verbs that can take a direct object.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

He ___________ the candy.

He _____________ a letter.
He __________ the saying.
He ___________ the bread.
He ___________ a picture.
He ___________ a sweater.
He _________ the monkey.
He ______________ a song.
He __________ the warmth.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

He ____________ a plane.
He _____________ a line.
He _____________ a bell.
He ___________ a branch.
He ____________ a book.
He ___________ the door.
He _____________ a bird.
He _____________ a fish.
He _______ this language.

19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.

He __________ the toast.

He ___________ a flower.
He _________ the crumbs.
He _________ his promise.
He ___________ the floor.
He __________ his hanky.
He __________ these tears.
He ____________ the ice.

Complete with a verb in the simple past from the list above. The following verbs are
intransitive, i.e. they do not have a direct object, or they are defective verbs.
1.
2.
3.
4.

He __________ do it.
His father ________ him how to swim.
He ____ behind the house not to be seen.
He __________ on top of the hill.

5.
6.
7.
8.

He __________ about his family.

He __________ down the tree.
He __________ on a chair.
He __________ to the station.

Activity:
Read the poem aloud to your partner twice. Then test each other: one student says a noun, for
instance language, and his/her partner should say, This is the language the little boy
spoke. Another way is for one student to say a verb, e.g. break, and his/her partner to say,
This is the promise the little boy broke. Practice until you make no mistakes. Finally, try to
recite the whole poem to your partner, who will help you in case you forget.

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