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12B Grammar

Talk about memories

Unit 12

I CAN use past simple of irregular verbs
I CAN ask questions in the past

Grammar

10 cards

In English, we use the past simple to talk about things that happened before now. Many common verbs are irregular, which means their past form does not end in -ed like regular verbs. You need to learn these new words because there is no rule — every irregular verb is different.

Look at the table below. The base form and the past form are completely different words. For example, go becomes went, and see becomes saw. You must remember these forms.

Base form	Past form	Example
go	went	I went to school yesterday.
see	saw	She saw a film last night.
have	had	We had lunch at home.
make	made	He made a cake.
take	took	They took photos.
give	gave	I gave her a gift.
come	came	He came home at six.
find	found	I found my keys.

To make a question in the past, use did + subject + base form of the verb. This is very important: after did, you must use the base form, not the past form! For example: Did you go to the party? NOT Did you went to the party?

To make a negative sentence, use did not (didn't) + base form: I didn't go to school. The short answers are simple: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Wh- questions follow the same pattern: Wh- word + did + subject + base form. For example: Where did you go? / What did you see? / When did you come home?

Generating translation…

I went to Paris last summer with my family.

Listen and read. Notice the past form of 'go'.

What did you do at the weekend?

Now look at a past question. Notice 'did' + 'do' (not 'did').

Required

Look at the two sentences above. What comes right after 'did' in a past question?

the base form of the verb (e.g. go, do)
the past form of the verb (e.g. went, did)
the subject (e.g. you, she)

Required

She ___ (go) to the cinema yesterday.

Required

Did you ___ (have) lunch at school today?

Required

What did you ___ on holiday last year?

do
did
done

Required

I didn't went to school yesterday.

Required

Put the words in the correct order to make a past question.

did
what
you
do
yesterday

Required

Drag the correct past form of the irregular verb into each sentence.

went
see
had
made

I to the park with my friends yesterday.

She a chocolate cake for the party.

We a great time at the family dinner.

Did you the film last night?

Listening

5 cards

Tom and Emma are old friends. Tom is sitting at home and looking at some old photos on his phone. He found photos from a big family party last summer. Emma is visiting him today. They are going to talk about the party, the photos, and some old memories from school.

Before you listen, think about this question: What can you see in old family photos? You can see people, food, places, gifts, clothes, and happy faces. You can also ask many questions: Where was this photo taken? Who are these people? When was this party? What did people do?

In this conversation, Tom and Emma talk about a family party. They use past simple irregular verbs like took, came, gave, made, and had. Listen for these verbs — they will help you understand the story.

As you listen, try to find the answers to these questions:

Where did Tom take the photos?
Who came to the party from another country?
What did Tom make for the party?
What gift did Tom receive?

After you listen, answer the questions in the practice steps. Don't worry if you don't understand every word — try to get the main idea first, then listen again for the details. You can listen to the conversation two or three times if you need to. The conversation is in British English, so the speakers use words like holiday and at the weekend.

Generating translation…

Tom is looking at old photos. Emma comes to visit. Listen to their conversation about a family party.

E
Emma Hi Tom! How are you today?
T
Tom I'm fine, thanks. I'm looking at some old photos. Do you want to see them?
E
Emma Yes, of course! Where did you take these photos?
T
Tom I took them at the family party last summer. We had a great time.
E
Emma That's lovely! Who came to the party?
T
Tom My uncle came from Italy. He gave me a beautiful gift.
E
Emma Wow! Did you make the cake?
T
Tom Yes, I did! I made a chocolate cake for my mother.
E
Emma I remember that day. We were all so happy.

Required

Where did Tom take the photos?

at the family party last summer
at school last week
at work yesterday

Required

Who came to the party from Italy?

Tom's uncle
Tom's mother
Emma's friend

Required

In the conversation, Tom says: 'He ___ me a beautiful gift.'

Pronunciation

6 cards

Many past forms of irregular verbs have a special long vowel sound: /eɪ/. This sound is a diphthong — your mouth moves while you say it. The sound is the same as the letters ay in the word day.

To make /eɪ/:

Open your mouth a little. Your tongue is low and at the front of your mouth.
Move your lips into a small smile. Your tongue moves up and forward.
The sound is long — hold it for about one second. Do not stop in the middle.

Look at these past forms with /eɪ/:

made /meɪd/ — I made a cake.
gave /ɡeɪv/ — She gave me a gift.
came /keɪm/ — He came home late.
paid /peɪd/ — We paid for the tickets.

Compare /eɪ/ with /æ/ (the short vowel in had /hæd/ or mad /mæd/). With /æ/, your mouth does NOT move — it stays open. With /eɪ/, your mouth moves from open to a smile.

/eɪ/ (mouth moves)	/æ/ (mouth stays open)
made /meɪd/	mad /mæd/
gave /ɡeɪv/	—
came /keɪm/	—
paid /peɪd/	pad /pæd/

In British English, made rhymes with paid, not with mad. Listen to the difference carefully. In the practice steps, you will hear words with these two sounds. Try to hear the difference, then say the words yourself.

Generating translation…

To make /eɪ/: open your mouth, then smile. Your tongue moves from low to high. The sound is long. Words: made, gave, came, paid.

Required

Listen carefully. Which word did you hear?

made
mad

Required

Say the word. Open your mouth, then smile: /meɪd/.

made

Required

Say the word. Hold the /eɪ/ sound: /ɡeɪv/.

gave

Required

Say the full sentence. Listen to the /eɪ/ sound in 'made'.

I made a cake yesterday.

Speaking

7 cards

In this section, you will learn how to talk about memories in a conversation. You will hear a model dialogue, then you will speak yourself. Finally, you will have a short roleplay with a friend.

Here are some useful phrases for talking about memories. Use them to talk about things you did in the past.

English phrase	When to use
I remember...	to start talking about a memory
I went to...	to say where you went
I had a great time.	to say you enjoyed something
Did you ...?	to ask a question in the past
Yes, I did.	a short positive answer
No, I didn't.	a short negative answer
What did you do?	to ask about an activity
I didn't ...	to say you didn't do something

Tips for the roleplay:

Use full sentences, not only short answers.
Try to use at least three irregular past forms (e.g. went, saw, had).
If you don't understand, it is OK to ask: Sorry, can you say that again?
Speak slowly and clearly. It is more important to be clear than to be fast.

In the model dialogue, you will hear Sam and Lisa talk about a memory from school. Listen to the way they ask and answer questions in the past. Then you will say two of the sentences yourself. Finally, you will have a roleplay with Sam. He will ask you about a happy memory from your childhood. Answer his questions in full sentences and use past simple irregular verbs.

Generating translation…

Listen to a short model conversation about a school memory.

S
Sam Do you remember your first day at school?
L
Lisa Yes, I do! I was very nervous.
S
Sam Did you go with your mother?
L
Lisa Yes, I did. She gave me a small gift.
S
Sam That's a lovely memory! What did you do at the weekend?

I remember my first day at school — I was very nervous.

This is a model sentence. Notice the irregular past form 'was'.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Use the past form 'went'.

I went to the park with my friends at the weekend.

Required

Read the question aloud. Remember: 'did' + base form.

What did you do at the weekend?

Required

You are chatting with your friend Sam. He is asking about a happy memory from when you were a child. Answer his questions about where you went, what you did, and who you were with. Use full sentences and try to use at least three irregular past forms (went, saw, had, made, came, gave...).

Required

I CAN use past simple of irregular verbs
I CAN ask questions in the past
I CAN talk about memories

Vocabulary

6 cards

When you talk about memories, you need some special words. Here are eight important words for this lesson. Look at the table, then do the practice steps.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning
childhood	noun	My childhood was very happy.
remember	verb	I remember my first day at school.
forget	verb	Don't forget your keys!
school	noun	I went to school in 2010.
holiday	noun	We had a lovely holiday in Egypt.
friend	noun	She is my best friend from school.
story	noun	My grandfather told me a great story.
family	noun	I love my family very much.

Childhood is the time when you were a child — usually from when you are born to about twelve or fourteen years old. We often use it with words like happy, difficult, or carefree: I had a very happy childhood.

Remember means to keep something in your memory. You can use it with a noun: I remember his name. You can also use it with -ing: I remember going to the beach with my family. The opposite is forget. We say Don't forget to call me. or I forgot his birthday.

A holiday is a special time for travelling or resting. In British English, holiday is the usual word. We say on holiday or go on holiday: We went on holiday to Spain. A friend is a person you like and know well. A story is a description of real or imaginary events. Family means your parents, brothers, sisters, and other relatives.

Generating translation…

Read and listen to these words about memories.

childhood ˈtʃaɪldhʊd
Childhood is the period of time in a person's life when they are a child, typically from birth to adolescence.
family ˈfæm.əl.i
a group of people who are related to each other, such as a mother , a father , and their children : the childr
forget fəˈɡet
to be unable to remember a fact , something that happened , or how to do something: to be good at remembering
friend frend
a person who you know well and who you like a lot, but who is usually not a member of your family : someone wh
holiday ˈhɒlɪdeɪ
A day or period of time when people do not go to work or school, often for celebration or rest.
remember
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
school skuːl
a place where children go to be educated : the period of your life during which you go to school, or the teach
story ˈstɔː.ri
a description , either true or imagined , of a connected series of events : a report in a newspaper or on a ne