A selection of English ESL past simple questions printables

A dialogue, where Ss must read the answers and then write the question that fits that answer. It has Yes/No questions and Wh- questions. Editable, hope you enjoy!

Past Simple - Questions

A communicative battleships game for A1+ students to practice past simple questions in pairs. Students must draw four ships on their grid without their partner seeing. Then then try to sink as many of their partner's ships as possible by asking the questions. The student who sinks the most ships wins! The pictures and questions can be edited.

Past Simple Questions

The objective of this worksheet is to briefly highlight how to write questions on the past simple. It is an information sheet and is best used before practice activities. There are no tasks included.

illustration and practice for past simple tense-question form

past simple-question form

This game is for beginner students to practice Past Simple Questions. Through repetition students will memorize the question structure better and will have more fun practicing it than by writing.

Start with a couple of questions on the whiteboard (Did you go to the gym? Did you eat lunch at 12? Did you write a letter?...) and elicit the basic question structure (Did + Subject + Verb + Object) (please note you don't tell the students the structure - they will manage to figure it our by themselves from the examples).

Then, erase some words in those questions to elicit the Wh- question words (Where did you go? When did you eat lunch? What did you write? Why...? How..?).

After that, look at this handout (the first page) and elicit the full questions on the left.

If you work with one or two students, they will ask you the questions and you'll only answer with the words in the tiles that are dark grey on the second page. As you do, the student must draw in the same tiles on their handouts.

Continue this with the rest of the questions, and then the students must tell you what picture they got.



If you're working with a group of students, first do the aforementioned and then give them some time to make up their own picture and proceed with their partner.



Since Word files here often get distorted, here's a link to a PDF file https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LD-lSns0B4N_JnoQhgoRtBxTlctMN2PM/view?usp=sharing (let me know if it doesn't work). 

Past Simple Questions game

Information gaps about famouse people. Ask your partner about the missing information.

Past Simple questions practice

Communication exercise in groups of up to 4 students. The first part is creating questions in class. The second part is asking the questions in groups and giving answers in full sentences (practising the verbs in the past simple tense).

Past Simple Questions and Answers

Students walk around the classroom and ask questions according to the cues ie. Did you talk to your mother yesterday? They should give every question to different classmate (ask 9 people total) and write down their name and answer. Then they write down report ofwhat they found out. ie. John didn't go outside yesterday.

Past simple questions mingling activity

Students have to complete 18 questions & answers with the verbs provided in the pictures. This way they can practise did + infinitive and the past simple form of both regular and irregular verbs. Fully editable. Greyscale and key included.

Grammar Check - Past Simple - Questions & Answers

This worksheet will help practice past simple tense with kids, making questions and giving short answers. It is elementary level, I made it for my 10-year old student. 

Past simple questions and short answers 

Students get a paper for a student A or B and prepare questions. After preparing and checking questions (with you or with some other student from the same group), they ask a student with a different paper the questions to fill in the gaps in the text. They should fold the paper and look at the questions only if they need some "help".

Present & Past Simple Questions Practice - Pairwork

Set of 20 prompts (Find someone who) which students have to use to make correct past simple questions. This worksheet can be used individually, as a whole class exercise or for group or pair work (on the second page the questions are divided into 4 sets of 5 questions). Students can mill around the classroom if so desired, asking and answering questions. Answer key included.

Find Someone Who - Past Simple Questions (1)

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

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1,262 Past simple questions English ESL worksheets pdf & doc