Grammar Exercises: Irregular Past Tense

Read this passage from Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome and give the correct past form of the verbs in brackets.

It (cast) a gloom over the boat, there being no mustard. We (eat) our beef in silence. Existence (seem) hollow and uninteresting. We (think) of the happy days of childhood, and (sigh). We (brighten) up a bit, however, over the apple-tart, and, when George (draw) out a tin of pine-apple from the bottom of the hamper, and (roll) it into the middle of the boat, we (feel) that life (be) worth living after all.

We are very fond of pine-apples, all three of us. We (look) at the picture on the tin; we (think) of the juice. We (smile) at one another, and Harris (get) a spoon ready.

Then we (look) for the knife to open the tin with. We (turn) out everything in the hamper. We (turn) out the bags. We (pull) up the boards at the bottom of the boat. We (take) everything out on to the bank and (shake) it. There (be) no tin-opener to be found.

Then Harris (try) to open the tin with a pocket-knife, and (break) the blade and (cut) himself badly; and George (try) a pair of scissors, and the scissors (fly) up, and nearly (put) his eye out. While they (dress) their wounds, I (try) to make a hole in the thing with the spiky end of the hitcher, and the hitcher (slip) and (jerk) me out between the boat and the bank into two feet of muddy water, and the tin (roll) over, uninjured, and (break) a tea cup.

Then we all (get) mad. We (take) that tin out on the bank, and Harris (go) up into a field and (get) a big sharp stone, and I (go) back into the boat and (bring) out the mast, and George (hold) the tin and Harris (hold) the sharp end of his stone against the top of it, and I (take) the mast and (poise) it high up in the air, and (gather) up all my strength and (bring) it down.

It was George's straw hat that (save) his life that day.... Harris (get) off with merely a flesh wound....

As for the tin...

There (be) one great dent across the top that (have) the appearance of a mocking grin, and it (drive) us furious, so that Harris (rush) at the thing, and ( catch) it up, and (fling) it far out into the middle of the river, and as it (sink) we (hurl) our curses at it, and we (get) into the boat and (row) away from the spot...

VERB FORM AND USE

01 simple present
02 simple present have-be
03 drill: third person
04 elementary present
05 intermediate present

07 elementary past
08 continuous and simple
09 irregular past
10 irregular past
11 irregular past

14 past tense review
15 past tense review

19 present perfect
20 present/past perfect

23 conditional review
24 conditional
25 conditional

28 use of gerund
29 gerund
30 gerund and infinitive
31 gerund and infinitive
32 gerund and infinitive
33 gerund and infinitive