Beginner Listening Series 1 Lesson 16- Dialogue about Regular Past Tense in English
In this lesson, you listen to an English conversation between two people using regular Past Tense sentences.
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Lesson Script
Conversation 1
Man: So what did you do yesterday?
Woman: Nothing much. Just chores. I washed the dishes, vacuumed, and mopped the floors.
Man: Yeah, me too.
Woman: Really, are you a clean freak?
Man: Not so much, but my place needed a good cleaning.
Woman: Was your place pretty dirty?
Man: Yeah, it was pretty bad. But I cleaned the bathroom, picked up my dirty clothes, washed them, and emptied the rubbish so now it looks respectable.
Woman: Yeah, you can only put things off for so long.
Man: That’s right.
Conversation 2
Man: What are you reading?
Woman: A history book about the Mayans. I just started it, though.
Man: Oh cool. I just watched a documentary about them. It was fascinating.
Woman: Yeah, I learned about them in college so this book piqued my interest.
Man: Is it any good?
Woman: So far so good. I already learned a few things I didn’t know.
Man: Well, can I borrow it when you are finished?
Woman: I would, but I borrowed it from the library.
Man: Ah, got it. I’ll try to check it out then.
Conversation 3
Man: I missed class yesterday. What did you do in class?
Woman: Not much. The teacher just reviewed past lessons.
Man: Oh yeah? What did she go over?
Woman: She mainly talked about the essay assignment and how to write the paper.
Man: Did she give any homework?
Woman: Yes, but she posted it on the class website.
Man: OK, I’ll check it out then. Thanks.
Conversation 4
Man: What did you do last night?
Woman: I just stayed home and talked with my friends on Zoom.
Man: Friends from work?
Woman: No, friends I studied with in college.
Man: Oh, that’s so cool that you are still friends.
Woman: Well, we kind of lost touch with each other, but we recently reunited on Facebook.
Man: I should do that with my old army buddies.
Woman: You should. It’s a lot of fun. We all enjoyed seeing each other again.
English Listening Lesson Quizzes
Answer these questions about the conversation.
1) What did the woman do yesterday?
a) She cleaned her house.
b) She went shopping.
2) What does the woman say about the Mayans?
a) She studied about them in college.
b) She finished a book about them.
3) What did the woman do in class?
a) She took a test.
b) She reviewed past lessons.
4) What did the woman do with her friends?
a) She visited their house.
b) She chatted with them online.
Answers
1=a
2=a
3=b
4=b
English Grammar Tips
Past Tense
Past tense verbs usually end with an -ed ending but only for affirmative sentences. For questions and negative statements we use did to express the past. See below.
(Q) Where did you work?
(A) I worked in an office.
(N) I did not work in the city.
There are three ways to pronounce the -ed ending.
-ed = /t/ Verbs ending with non-voiced sound such as: -sh, -ch, -p, -k, -s, -t.
I washed the dishes.
I walked to work.
I worked at my desk.
I talked to my friend.
-ed = /d/ Verbs ending with voiced sounds such as: -n, -y, -v, -m.
I cleaned my room.
I enjoyed the movie.
I mowed the lawn.
-ed = /id/ Verbs ending with -d or -t.
I wanted to go.
I decided to stay.
I needed to sleep.
Negative
I did not work.
I didn’t sleep much.
(did not = didn’t)
English Listening Lesson Phrases
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Quizzes for Lesson Phrases
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