Starter • Unit 6: Past Stories

We Followed Our Dream

Talk about past events using regular verbs (+ed), make negative sentences with didn't, and ask yes/no questions with Did you...?

50 min
past simple regular verbs (+ed), didn't + base, Did you...? + base
14 words
1

Reading

10 minutes

Reading

We Followed Our Dream

Read the text aloud. Then discuss the questions below.

We Followed Our Dream! My name is Sara and this is my husband David. We lived in London, but we always wanted to live in New York. Last year we decided to follow our dream!

We booked the flights, packed our bags, and arrived in March. We rented a small apartment in Brooklyn. David started working at a restaurant and I worked at a bookstore. We invited our friends to visit. We loved it!

We didn't know anyone at first, but people were very friendly. Did we miss London? A little. But New York is our home now!

Key Words from the Text

wanted — We wanted to live in New York.
decided — We decided to move to a new city.
booked — We booked the flight online.
packed — She packed her bags the night before.
arrived — We arrived in New York in the morning.
invited — Our friends invited us for dinner.
rented — We rented a small apartment.
worked — He worked in a restaurant.

1. Where did Sara and David live before?

2. When did they arrive in New York?

3. Where did they rent an apartment?

4. Where did David work?

5. Did they know anyone at first?

6. Do they miss London?

2

Language Focus

12 minutes

Dialogue: Ana tells Leo about her friend's trip to Portugal.

Ana and Leo

Ana
My friend Sara traveled to Portugal last month!
Really? Did she like it?
Leo
Ana
She loved it! She visited Lisbon and Porto.
Did she try Portuguese food?
Leo
Ana
Yes, she did! She loved the pasteis de nata.
Mmm! Did she stay at a hotel?
Leo
Ana
No, she didn't. She rented an apartment.
I want to visit Portugal too!
Leo
Ana
Me too! Let's plan a trip!

Click any speech bubble to hear that line!

Comprehension:

1. Where did Sara travel?

2. Did Sara like Portuguese food?

3. Did she stay at a hotel?

Grammar Discovery: past simple regular verbs (+ed), didn't + base verb, Did you...? + base verb

Look at these sentences from the blog. What ending do the verbs have? What happens in negative and question sentences?

We wanted to live in New York. → want + ED

We booked the flight. → book + ED

We arrived in March. → arrive + D (ends in E already)

We didn't stay at a hotel. → didn't + STAY (base!)

Did you like it? → Did + you + LIKE (base!)

What are the spelling rules for -ed? And what happens after didn't / Did?

Try it!

1. Past of 'arrive': ___
2. She didn't ___ (like) it.
3. ___ you book the hotel? (make a question)

Common Errors

She didn't arrived. She didn't arrive.
Did you arrived? Did you arrive?
I workd yesterday. I worked yesterday.
3

Practice

15 minutes

Regular Past Tense: Spelling Rules

Complete the chart with the past form and fill in the sentences.

1. work →
2. arrive →
3. study →
4. stop →
5. like →
6. rent →
7. We (book) the flight online.
8. She (pack) her bags last night.
9. They (arrive) in the morning.
10. I (start) a new job on Monday.
11. He (invite) all his friends.
12. We (decide) to move to a new city.

Negative and Questions

Complete the sentences with didn't + base verb or Did + base verb.

1. She (not/stay) at a hotel.
2. you (like) the movie?
3. We (not/rent) a car.
4. they (arrive) on time?
5. I (not/want) to leave.
6. she (work) yesterday?

Did You...? Interview

Your teacher will ask you 'Did you...?' questions. Answer with 'Yes, I did.' or 'No, I didn't.' Then ask your teacher!

Scenario:

You and your teacher are asking about each other's recent activities.

Useful Expressions

Did you...?Yes, I did.No, I didn't.What did you...?

Teacher asks about yesterday

TEACHER: Did you cook yesterday?
YOU: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
TEACHER: Did you watch TV?
YOU: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Student asks about the weekend

YOU: Did you travel last weekend?
TEACHER: No, I didn't. I stayed at home.
YOU: Did you cook?
TEACHER: Yes, I did! I cooked pasta.

Ask about last trip

TEACHER: Did you visit a new city on your last trip?
YOU: Yes, I did. I visited [city].
TEACHER: Did you like it?
YOU: Yes, I did! / No, I didn't.
4

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

Use what you learned today to answer these questions. Elaborate as much as you can!

Talking about past experiences and recent activities.

1. What did you do last weekend?

Follow-up: Did you like it?

2. Did you travel recently? Where did you go?

Follow-up: What did you do there?

Self-Assessment

How did you do today?

  • I can talk about past events using regular verbs: worked, arrived, decided.
  • I can make negative past sentences: I didn't stay.
  • I can ask past questions: Did you like it?

Great work today!

Next class: Next class: How was your day? — Irregular verbs: got up, went, had breakfast!