Ex. 40. use simple past of the regular and irregular verbs. use each verb only one time: call, hold, sell, swim, fight, jump, shake, teach, freeze, ride, stay, think. 1. paul … the bottle of soda so hard that it sprayed all over his clothes. 2. carol didn’t want to go on vocation with us, so she … home alone all week. 3. since i hurt my knee, i can’t go jogging. yesterday i … in the pool for an hour instead. 4. i was terrified just standing over the pool on the high diving board. finally, i took a deep breath, held my nose, and … into the water. 5. the climber, who was fearful of falling, … the rope tightly with both hands. 6. johnny pushed alan, and the two boys … for a few minutes. neither of them was hurt. 7. before caroline started her own company, she … chemistry at the university. 8. it was extremely cold last night, and the water we put out for the cat … solid. 9. before i made my decision, i … about it for a long, long time. 10. peter … your house three times to ask you to go to the movie with us, but there was no answer, so we went ahead without you. 11. my car wouldn’t start this morning, so i … my bicycle to work. 12. i needed money to play tuition at the university, so i … my motorcycle to my cousin.

Here is the completed exercise using the simple past form of each verb provided. Exercise 40: Simple Past Tense

1. Paul shook the bottle of soda so hard that it sprayed all over his clothes.
2. Carol didn’t want to go on vacation with us, so she stayed home alone all week.
3. Since I hurt my knee, I can’t go jogging. Yesterday I swam in the pool for an hour instead.
4. I was terrified just standing over the pool on the high diving board. Finally, I took a deep breath, held my nose, and jumped into the water.
5. The climber, who was fearful of falling, held the rope tightly with both hands.
6. Johnny pushed Alan, and the two boys fought for a few minutes. Neither of them was hurt.
7. Before Caroline started her own company, she taught chemistry at the university.
8. It was extremely cold last night, and the water we put out for the cat froze solid.
9. Before I made my decision, I thought about it for a long, long time.
10. Peter called your house three times to ask you to go to the movie with us, but there was no answer, so we went ahead without you.
11. My car wouldn’t start this morning, so I rode my bicycle to work.
12. I needed money to pay tuition at the university, so I sold my motorcycle to my cousin.

Reference Table: Verb Forms Used

Would you like me to provide another exercise to practice irregular verb conjugations?