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A real bug in the computer: past simple questions with did and short answers

An A2 ESL lesson plan on past simple questions with did and short answers, about the moth engineers found in a computer in 1947.

Grammar
Did + subject + base verb, the same for every person (Did they find a moth?), short answers (Yes, they did.), and Was or Were…? for be.
Topic
Computer history in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where engineers found a moth in Harvard's Mark II in 1947, with words such as bug, logbook, tweezers and engineer.
Activities
A museum notice, a guide's tour and a grandpa's challenge to hear, self-checking drills, a chat with a viewer, a warm-up wheel and open boxes of yes-or-no questions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Bugs and machines!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: bugs and machinesVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a moth in the machine

    • Look at the photo: a moth in a machinePictureUnlock
    • Read the museum noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: at the exhibit

    • Look at the photo: the logbook pagePictureUnlock
    • Listen to Nora and GusListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa's ChallengeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: Did they find it? Yes, they did!

    • Study the scheme: Did…? and short answersGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make yes/no questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Drag the short answers into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
    • Fill in the table: make questions with DidFill in the tableUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: yes or no?

    • Choose the right replies: you are NoraChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: yes or no?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the words: bugs and machinesAnagramUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the short answersFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Did, Was or Were?Choose the optionUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Nora's chat with GrandpaChoose the optionUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • moth
  • bug
  • logbook
  • tweezers
  • engineer
  • switch
  • exhibit

Grammar: past simple questions with did

Past simple questions with did ask whether something happened: Did the engineers find a moth? Starting from a real logbook page of 1947, learners build each question from Did, subject and base verb, answer with did or didn't, and keep Was and Were for be. Simple past questions with When or Where come in the next lesson.

Did they find a moth? Yes, they did.

Yes/no questions in the past: Did + who + base form? The same for every person.

Did for every person

Did never changes with the person: Did I work? Did she work? Did they work? Short answers stop at did or didn't, right after the pronoun: Yes, she did. No, they didn't.

WhoQuestionYesNo
IDid I work?Yes, I did.No, I didn't.
youDid you work?Yes, you did.No, you didn't.
heDid he work?Yes, he did.No, he didn't.
sheDid she work?Yes, she did.No, she didn't.
itDid it work?Yes, it did.No, it didn't.
weDid we work?Yes, we did.No, we didn't.
theyDid they work?Yes, they did.No, they didn't.

From a sentence to a question

Put Did before the subject, and the verb goes back to its base form: They found a moth becomes Did they find a moth?, and She worked on the Mark II becomes Did she work on the Mark II? The past now sits in did, not in the verb.

SentenceQuestion
They found a moth.Did they find a moth?
She worked on the Mark II.Did she work on the Mark II?
He fixed his phone.Did he fix his phone?
They taped it into the logbook.Did they tape it into the logbook?

Did or was and were?

Be makes its questions without did: Was it a real bug? Yes, it was. Were the engineers at Harvard? Yes, they were. All other verbs need Did: Did the Mark II stay at Harvard? No, it didn't. Look for a form of be first.

Other verbs: Did + base form

  • Did Edison use the word “bug”? – Yes, he did.
  • Did the Mark II stay at Harvard? – No, it didn't.

be: Was / Were, no did

  • Was it a real bug? – Yes, it was.
  • Were the engineers at Harvard? – Yes, they were.

Questions about the moth

The examples ask about the logbook page itself: Did they throw it away? No, they didn't. Did Grace Hopper tell the story? Yes, she did. One of them, Was the moth in a relay?, has was, so its answer is Yes, it was.

  • Did the engineers find a moth? – Yes, they did.
  • Did they throw it away? – No, they didn't.
  • Did Grace Hopper tell the story? – Yes, she did.
  • Did the moth start the word “bug”? – No, it didn't.
  • Was the moth in a relay? – Yes, it was.

After Did: the base form

Did shows the past, so the verb goes back to its base form: Did they find a moth? (Not: Did they found…?) Short answers have only did or didn't (= did not): Yes, they did. No, they didn't. (Not: Yes, they found. / Yes, they did found.)

Now or in the past?

Now: Do you…? Does she…? In the past: Did for every person: Did she find her keys yesterday? (Not: Do she find her keys yesterday?) With be, there is no did: Was she at home? (Not: Did she was at home?)

Common mistakes

  • Did she found her keys?

    Did she find her keys?

    Did + base form

  • Did she was at home?

    Was she at home?

    be: Was / Were…?

  • Yes, she found. / Yes, she did found.

    Yes, she did.

    short answer: only did

  • Do she find her keys yesterday?

    Did she find her keys yesterday?

    the past: Did

More lessons on this grammar: Past simple lessons and exercises · Questions lessons and exercises

Try the past simple questions exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 3 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • ask about the past with Did and the base verb: Did they find a moth? Did she work on the Mark II?
  • give short answers with did and didn't: Yes, they did. No, it didn't.
  • turn a past sentence into a question: He fixed his phone becomes Did he fix his phone?
  • choose Was or Were when the verb is be: Was it a real bug? Yes, it was.

Lesson 6 is the second of four in American firsts, unit 2 of English A2.1 · Then and Now. It builds on A2.1 lesson 5, which practiced Was she…? and Were they…? with short answers, and on A1.2 lesson 6, where questions started with Does. Lesson 7 adds question words: When did Bell make his first call? A moth taped into a 1947 logbook invites just these questions: Did they throw it away? Did Grace Hopper find it?

Students spin a wheel of questions about museums, bugs and broken machines, then learn ten words, from fix and search to tweezers and switch, with pictures and audio. They read a museum notice from a computer history exhibit in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and check it with true-or-false and multiple-choice questions. Two AI-voiced listenings follow: Nora's tour with Gus, the guide, and Grandpa's challenge to ask only Did…? questions. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking exercises, among them a drag-and-drop of short answers. In the speaking chapter, students reply to a viewer's comments in a chat, then open boxes with yes-or-no prompts.

All eight homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram and a drag-and-drop for the vocabulary, then word order, gaps for short answers, a choice of Did, Was or Were, a quiz on correct questions and a chat with Grandpa to complete.

Grammar:
past simple · yes/no questions · short answers · Did…? · Was / Were…?
Topic:
computer history · Grace Hopper · the Harvard Mark II · bugs · Cambridge, Massachusetts · Grandpa's Map

Teaching tips

  • Let students guess before the notice: Did the engineers throw the moth away? Did it start the word “bug”? They answer Yes, they did or No, it didn't, then read to check.
  • Split the board into Did and Was or Were: say half a question, such as … you tired last night? or … you sleep well?, and students call out the missing word.
  • Have pairs play guide and visitor: the visitor asks Did…? questions about the logbook page, and the guide may answer only Yes, they did, No, they didn't or We don't know.
  • Turn phone trouble into questions: one student names a phone or computer problem from last month, and the class asks Did you fix it? Did you call someone? until the whole story is out.

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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now

32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Amazing journeys

    the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement

    1. Lesson 1Around the world in 72 daysThe past simple of regular verbs
    2. Lesson 2The first drive across AmericaIrregular verbs in the past simple
    3. Lesson 3Get your kicks on Route 66Past simple negatives with didn't
    4. Lesson 4She walked 2,000 miles in sneakersPrepositions of movement

  2. Unit 2 American firsts

    was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability

    1. Lesson 5The first American woman in spaceWas, were, there was and there were
    2. Lesson 6 · you're hereA real bug in the computerPast simple questions with did
    3. Lesson 7“Mr. Watson, come here”Wh- questions in the past simple
    4. Lesson 8Twelve seconds in the airCould and couldn't for past ability

  3. Unit 3 American food

    countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little

    1. Lesson 9The first chocolate chip cookieCountable and uncountable nouns in a recipe
    2. Lesson 10Is a jalapeño hotter than a habanero?Comparatives of short adjectives
    3. Lesson 11Two eggs, sunny side up!Offers and orders with would like
    4. Lesson 12Cooking for twenty on ThanksgivingA few, a little and a lot of

  4. Unit 4 City or country?

    comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough

    1. Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
    2. Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
    3. Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
    4. Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough

  5. Unit 5 Game on

    play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns

    1. Lesson 17Basketball started with peach baskets?Play, go and do with sports
    2. Lesson 18What's going to happen at LA 2028?Be going to for plans and predictions
    3. Lesson 19Pickleball: a game from a backyardAdverbs of manner
    4. Lesson 20Be brave and tryReflexive pronouns and each other

  6. Unit 6 Music and nights out

    love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose

    1. Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
    2. Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
    3. Lesson 23A night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
    4. Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for

  7. Unit 7 Neighbors and community

    much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so

    1. Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
    2. Lesson 26Good neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
    3. Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
    4. Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results

  8. Unit 8 Plans and dreams

    verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after

    1. Lesson 29Never give up: from farm fields to spaceVerb + to + the base form
    2. Lesson 30Across America by trainGoing to and the present continuous for the future
    3. Lesson 31Open in the year 6939Might and might not for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A college graduate at 95Time clauses with when, before and after

Questions about this lesson

How do you make past simple questions?
Most past simple questions follow Did + subject + base verb: Did they find a moth? Did you fix the radio? Did carries the past, so the main verb drops its -ed or irregular form: find, not found. The verb be is the exception: Was it a real bug? The A2 lesson A real bug in the computer on edio.ai builds these questions from a 1947 logbook page.
What's the word order in simple past questions?
The order is question word, did, subject, base verb, then the rest; a yes/no question just starts at did. Did you fix the radio? Did it rain last night? Where did you go? The subject always sits between did and the verb, and did can't be left out: Where did you go?, not Where you went?
When do you use did in questions?
Use did for past questions, with every person: Did I…?, Did she…? and Did they…? keep the same form. Present questions take do or does instead: Do you like museums? Does she work here? So a past time word needs did: Did she find her keys yesterday?, not Do she find her keys yesterday? With be, leave did out: Were you tired?
What are past simple short answers?
Past simple short answers are Yes or No, a pronoun and did or didn't: Yes, they did. No, it didn't. The main verb isn't repeated, so Yes, she found and Yes, she did found are both wrong. When the question has was or were, so does the answer: Was it in a relay? Yes, it was. A drag-and-drop in A real bug in the computer, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, mixes both kinds.
Is it "Did she find" or "Did she found"?
It's Did she find…?: the base verb follows did. Did already shows the past, so the verb doesn't show it twice: Did they tape it into the logbook?, not Did they taped…?; Did he take a photo?, not Did he took…? Negatives work the same way: He didn't find it, never He didn't found it.
What's the difference between "Did you…?" and "Were you…?"
Were you…? is the past of Are you…?, and Did you…? is the past of Do you…? So Were you at the museum? asks where you were, while Did you see the exhibit? asks about an action. Never mix them: Did you were at the museum? is wrong. The short answers follow the question: Yes, I was. Yes, I did.
How do I teach past simple questions to A2 students?
Turn sentences students already understand into questions: They found a moth becomes Did they find a moth? Show that did takes over the past, so found goes back to find. Drill the short answers aloud, then let students ask each other about yesterday. A real bug in the computer on edio.ai moves the same way: a sentence-to-question table in the scheme, gap-fills, then short answers to drag.
What's a good game for practicing questions with did?
A guessing game with yes-or-no questions works well: one student thinks of a thing in their bag, and the others ask Did you buy it this week? or Did you get it as a present? until they guess it. Short answers only: Yes, I did. No, I didn't. This guessing game is one of the open boxes in this lesson's speaking chapter, next to prompts such as Did you fix it?
How do you practice past simple questions one-to-one?
Ask about yesterday, then swap roles: Did you cook dinner? Did you watch a movie? The student answers with a short answer and one detail (Yes, I did. I watched a comedy.), then asks three questions back. For practice alone, the chat in A real bug in the computer on edio.ai has the student reply to a viewer, choosing No, I didn't over No, I wasn't.
What's good homework for practicing past simple questions?
Good homework is short drills that check themselves, so mistakes show at once. Students rebuild questions from chunks, such as Did you see the real logbook at the exhibit?, and fill gaps with short answers like No, we didn't. In A real bug in the computer on edio.ai, homework adds a choice of Did, Was or Were, a quiz and a chat to complete.
Are there interactive exercises for past simple questions?
Yes: drag-and-drop short answers and chats show each mistake as it happens. Four parts of A real bug in the computer, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, play on this page without an account: the museum notice about the 1947 moth, a tour with the exhibit's guide, a drag-and-drop of short answers such as it didn't and they were, and a chat in which students answer a viewer as Nora. The rest is locked.
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