Past simple negatives and questions: where did the cake go? Past simple exercises for negatives and questions
About this lesson
This A2 drill lesson gives past simple negatives and questions exercises: didn't + base verb, Did…? with short answers, and wh- questions like What did she buy?
- Grammar
- Didn't + base verb for every person, did before the subject in questions, short answers with did or didn't, question word + did, and was / were without did.
- Topic
- The Willow Park Summer Fair, where a strawberry cake disappears: a witness form, a young detective's notes, her talk with Mr. Lopez, the fair's post and Ava's texts.
- Activities
- True or false, sorting, Did / Was / Were choices, gap-fills, a memory game, drag-and-drop, word order, matching, tables, quizzes, an anagram and a chat.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: past simple negatives and questionsGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the verbs: base form or past form?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right formChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the negative sentencesFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2Negatives: didn't
- Fill in the gaps: what didn't happen?Fill in the gapsTry it
- Choose didn't, wasn't or weren'tChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: past form and didn't + base verbMemory gameUnlock
- Read about Nick's bad day and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: negative sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Match the sentences: what didn't happen and what happenedMatchUnlock
- Read Ollie's post and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3Did…? and short answers
- Write the yes/no questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose Did, Was or WereChoose the optionTry it
- Choose the right short answerChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the table: positive, negative, questionFill in the tableUnlock
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Match the questions and the short answersMatchUnlock
- Choose the right question for each answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 4Wh- questions
- Choose the right words: wh- questionsChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the questions: Where…? What…? Why…?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in order to make wh- questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Match the questions and the answers: a weekend tripMatchTry it
- Write the question for the bold wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Read the interview and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: The missing cake
- Read Tom's witness formReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the form again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Zoe's detective notes and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Zoe's talk with Mr. Lopez and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the fair's post and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Ava asks about the fairChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right form: a weekend in the mountainsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: a bad day at workFill in the gapsUnlock
- Unscramble the base formsAnagramUnlock
- Sort the questions: Did, Was or Were?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Write the questions about the tripFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right short answer: a busy dayChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: questions and short answersMemory gameUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questions and negativesUnjumbleUnlock
- Write the wh- questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the questions and the answers: a birthday partyMatchUnlock
- Fill in the table: make negatives and questionsFill in the tableUnlock
- Write the short answersFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read Megan's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the restaurant review and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Grammar: past simple negatives and questions with did
In a past simple negative or question, did shows the past, so the main verb goes back to its base form: I went, but I didn't go and Did you go? The verb be works without did and makes its own forms: wasn't, weren't, Was…?, Were…?
Past simple: negatives and questions
Say what didn't happen and ask about the past: didn't + base verb, Did … ?, Where did … ?
Negatives: didn't + base verb
Subject + didn't (did not) + base verb works for every person, and the table lines up went, didn't go and Did … go? for each one. After didn't, the verb stays in the base form: didn't went is wrong.
Negative: didn't + base verb
subjectdidn't (did not)base verb
I didn't see the cake.
She didn't like the music.
We didn't have a map.
Every person: + − ?
| Who | Positive (+) | Negative (−) | Question (?) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I went home. | I didn't go home. | Did I go home? |
| you | You went home. | You didn't go home. | Did you go home? |
| he | He went home. | He didn't go home. | Did he go home? |
| she | She went home. | She didn't go home. | Did she go home? |
| it | It rained. | It didn't rain. | Did it rain? |
| we | We went home. | We didn't go home. | Did we go home? |
| they | They went home. | They didn't go home. | Did they go home? |
Did…? and short answers
Put did before the subject and keep the base verb: Did you find your keys? A short answer repeats did, not the main verb: Yes, I did, not Yes, I went. Questions with be use Was or Were: Was the cake big? – Yes, it was.
Question: did + subject + base verb
(question word)didsubjectbase verb … ?
Did you find your keys?
Where did your friends go?
What did Tom buy?
Questions and short answers
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Did you see the dog? | Yes, I did. | No, I didn't. |
| Did Tom leave? | Yes, he did. | No, he didn't. |
| Did Mrs. Lopez bake it? | Yes, she did. | No, she didn't. |
| Did the bus stop? | Yes, it did. | No, it didn't. |
| Did you and Ava win? | Yes, we did. | No, we didn't. |
| Did they call you? | Yes, they did. | No, they didn't. |
| Were you at the fair? | Yes, I was. | No, I wasn't. |
| Was the cake big? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn't. |
Wh- questions: question word + did
The question word comes first, then did, the subject and the base verb: What time did the show start? How did you get there? Leaving out did is the classic error: Where you went? instead of Where did you go?
| Question word | did | subject | base verb … ? | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where | did | you | go? | To the fair. |
| What | did | she | buy? | A hat. |
| When | did | they | arrive? | On Friday. |
| What time | did | the show | start? | At eight. |
| Why | did | he | leave? | Because he was tired. |
| How | did | you | get there? | By bus. |
| Who | did | you | call? | My mom. |
| What | did | you | do? | We played games. |
Common mistakes
Look out for I didn't went to bed, Did you saw the cat? and Did you were at home? Did already carries the past, so the verb after it never changes; time words such as yesterday and two days ago place the action.
Examples
- We didn't watch TV. We played cards.negative
- My brother didn't call me last night.negative: didn't call (not: didn't called)
- Did you like the movie? Yes, I did.question and short answer
- Did Sara pass the test? No, she didn't.question and short answer
- Where did you park? Near the bank.wh- question
- Were you at home on Friday? No, I wasn't.be: no did
Common mistakes
I didn't went to bed.
I didn't go to bed.
didn't + base verb
Did you saw the cat?
Did you see the cat?
did + subject + base verb
Where you went?
Where did you go?
question word + did + subject + base verb
Did you were at home?
Were you at home?
be has no did
Remember
did already shows the past, so the verb stays in the base form for every person: She didn't like it. (Not: She didn't liked it. I no went.) be has no did: I wasn't there. Where were you? Short answers repeat did, not the verb: Did you go? Yes, I did. (Not: Yes, I went. Yes, I was.) Time words: yesterday, last week, two days ago.
More lessons on this grammar: Past simple lessons and exercises · Questions lessons and exercises
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What's in the lesson
- 39 auto-checked exercises
- 7 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- say what didn't happen with didn't + base verb: Sam didn't eat breakfast this morning, not She didn't liked the book
- ask yes/no questions with Did and give short answers: Did Emma like the gift? – No, she didn't.
- make wh- questions with did:Where did you park? Why did they sell their car?, not Where you went?
- use was and were without did: Were you at the gym this morning? The stores weren't open on Sunday.
- Grammar:
- past simple · didn't + base verb · Did…? questions · short answers · wh- questions with did
- Topic:
- grammar practice · summer fair · mystery · weekend stories
Teaching tips
- Play Did, Was or Were: read question endings from the lesson aloud (… you tired?, … it snow?, … the hotel nice?) and students call out the word that starts each one.
- Question the cake suspect: after the real-life chapter, one student plays Mr. Lopez and the class asks him Why did you take the cake? and Did you tell your wife?
- Spot the false weekend: students write three sentences with didn't about last weekend, two true and one invented, and partners ask Did you really…? to find the invented one.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A2
English Grammar Practice · A2 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the past simple and continuous, used to, comparatives, going to and will, the present perfect, modals, the zero and first conditionals and questions. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Past simple with -ed: moving day!
- 2Past simple irregular verbs: we went, we saw, we bought
- 3Past simple negatives and questions: where did the cake go?
- 4Past continuous: what were you doing at 9 p.m.?
- 5Past simple or past continuous: what were you doing when it happened?
- 6Used to: how things were back then
- 7Comparatives: which one is better?
- 8Superlatives: the best in town
- 9As … as, too, enough: is it the right size?
- 10Adverbs of manner: how did she drive?
- 11Much, many, a few, a little: how much do we need?
- 12Possessive pronouns: whose is it?
- 13Be going to: what's your plan?
- 14Will: what will the future bring?
- 15Present continuous for plans: what are you doing tonight?
- 16Will vs going to: decided before or right now?
- 17Present perfect: have you ever tried it?
- 18Just, already, yet: have you done it yet?
- 19For and since: how long have you known her?
- 20Present perfect or past simple: up to now or finished time?
- 21Must and have to: what are the rules?
- 22Should: what should I do?
- 23Can, could, may: could you help me, please?
- 24Verb + to or -ing: what do you enjoy doing?
- 25Zero conditional: what happens if…?
- 26First conditional: what will you do if it rains?
- 27Articles: a, the or no article?
- 28Subject and object questions: who won the quiz?