Read this adapted excerpt from the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In this excerpt, mother tells a story to her four daughters. Complete the excerpt using simple past tense for verbs given in the brackets.
Once upon a time, there (be) four girls, who (have) enough to eat and drink and wear. They had many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents who (love) them dearly, and yet they (not content). These girls were anxious to be good and (make) many excellent resolutions, but they (not keep) them very well. They were constantly saying, 'If only we had this,' or 'If we could only do that,' quite forgetting how much they already had, and how many things they actually could do. So they (ask) an old woman what spell they (can) use to make themselves happy. The old woman said, 'Whenever you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful.' Being sensible girls, they (decide) to try her advice, and soon (surprise) to see how well off they were. One (discover) that money couldn't keep shame and sorrow out of rich people's houses. Another that, though she was poor, she was a great deal happier with her youth, health and good spirits, than a certain fretful, feeble old lady who couldn't enjoy her riches and comforts. The third one discovered that, however disagreeable it was to help get dinner, it was harder still to go begging for it. And the fourth that even carnelian rings were not as valuable as good behaviour. So they (agree) to stop complaining, to enjoy the blessings already possessed, and to try to deserve them, lest they should be taken away entirely. They (never disappoint) or sorry that they took the old woman's advice.
Answer (2)
In this exercise, you are asked to convert verbs from their base form into the simple past tense in an excerpt adapted from the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The simple past tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past.
Here is the completed excerpt with verbs in the simple past tense:
Once upon a time, there were four girls, who had enough to eat and drink and wear. They had many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents who loved them dearly, and yet they were not content . These girls were anxious to be good and made many excellent resolutions, but they did not keep them very well. They were constantly saying, 'If only we had this,' or 'If we could only do that,' quite forgetting how much they already had, and how many things they actually could do. So they asked an old woman what spell they could use to make themselves happy. The old woman said, 'Whenever you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful.' Being sensible girls, they decided to try her advice, and soon were surprised to see how well off they were. One discovered that money couldn't keep shame and sorrow out of rich people's houses. Another that, though she was poor, she was a great deal happier with her youth, health, and good spirits, than a certain fretful, feeble old lady who couldn't enjoy her riches and comforts. The third one discovered that, however disagreeable it was to help get dinner, it was harder still to go begging for it. And the fourth that even carnelian rings were not as valuable as good behaviour. So they agreed to stop complaining, to enjoy the blessings already possessed, and to try to deserve them, lest they should be taken away entirely. They were never disappointed or sorry that they took the old woman's advice.
In this passage:
" were " is the simple past of "be."
" had " is the simple past of "have."
" loved " is the simple past of "love."
" were not content " reflects the past state of not being content.
" made " is the simple past of "make."
" did not keep " is the negative form of the simple past tense of "keep."
" asked " is the simple past of "ask."
" could " is the past tense of "can."
" decided " is the simple past of "decide."
" surprised " is the simple past of "surprise."
" discovered " is the simple past of "discover."
" agreed " is the simple past of "agree."
" disappointed " is the simple past of "disappoint."
This task helps in understanding how to conjugate verbs correctly in past tense, which is essential for expressing actions that took place in the past.
The excerpt from Little Women is completed by converting verbs to the simple past tense, describing actions completed in the past. This helps students practice verb conjugation. The correct past forms are provided in the detailed answer.
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