Past Tenses 1 – Lead In

Grammar for IELTS 2. Past Tenses 1 Past Tenses 1 – Lead In

A. Context Speaking

Describe something you own that was stolen in a public place

You should say:

What was stolen
How was it stolen
Where was it stolen
And explain how you felt about it?

A. Context Listening

Listening Comprehension: Protecting Your Home from Burglaries

You will hear a man giving a talk on the radio about protecting your home from burglaries. Before you listen, look at the pictures below. Make a list of all the items.

Listen and answer the following questions.

Which three items from your list were stolen?
Why did the man tell this story?
- A. to show that crime has increased
- B. to show that crime can happen at any time
- C. to show that burglars can open any lock

Listen again and complete these sentences.

A few weeks ago a woman _________ to report a burglary.
It _________ at five in the afternoon when she _________ the news on TV.
This woman _________ the front door locked.
When her son got older, she _________ the door unlocked whenever she was at home.
The burglar simply _________ in through the front door.
The son _________ anything because he _________ to music.
Then the burglar _________ into the front room, _________ all the cupboards and.

Look at sentences 1-7 above and answer the following questions.

Which two sentences provide a background scene and an action?
Which two sentences talk about a single completed action in the past?
Which sentence describes a series of completed actions in the past?
Which two sentences talk about a repeated action in the past?
Which four tenses or structures are used in sentences 1-7?

Show Answer Key and Audio Transcript

Answer Key

1 A CDs B a laptop computer C a roast chicken D a purse E a handbag F a TV
2 1 CDs; a roast chicken; a purse 2 B (So you see, you do need to he careful to lock your door at aU times of the day)
3 1 called 2 happened; was watching 3 used to keep 4 would leave 5 walked 6 didn’t hear; was listening 7 went; opened; took
4 1. sentences 2 and 6; 2. sentences 1 and 5; 3. sentence 7; 4. sentences 3 and 4; 5. past simple; past continuous; would, used to

Transcript

Presenter: Today’s guest is Bill Murphy, who worked for the police force for over 17 years until his retirement last week. Welcome to the show, Bill. You’re going to tell us how to protect our homes, is that right?

Bill Murphy: Thank you, yes, that’s right. As you say, I used to work for the police force, and I must have seen hundreds of burglaries during that time. Unfortunately, burglary seems to be on the increase; the number of burglaries in our area rose by 25% last year. What’s so frustrating is that it’s possible to prevent many burglaries. For example, a few weeks ago, a woman called to report a robbery at her house. It happened at five in the afternoon while she was watching the news on TV in a room at the back of the house. Her son was also at home; he was doing his homework in his bedroom when the burglar came into the house.

Presenter: So, how did the burglar break in without anybody hearing him?

Bill Murphy: Well, this woman used to keep the front door locked at all times, but when her son got older, he often went out to visit his friends after school, so she would leave the door unlocked whenever she was at home so he could come and go easily. The burglar simply walked in through the front door, which was unlocked, and no one heard a thing. So you see, you do need to be careful to lock your door at all times of the day.

Presenter: Absolutely. And what did the burglar steal?

Bill Murphy: On this occasion, the burglar came in through the front door, picked up the woman’s handbag, and while she was watching the TV, he emptied it out and stole her purse. The son didn’t hear anything because he was listening to music and working on his computer upstairs. Then the burglar went into the front room, opened all the cupboards, and took a valuable collection of CDs. But the surprising thing is that after that, he went into the kitchen and stole the roast chicken the woman had cooked for dinner! So you see, it really is important to …

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