Sample Past Tense
Yesterday, I had a very rough day. I got up early to go shopping, but as soon as I stepped out of the door, it began to rain, so I had to go back to the apartment and get my umbrella. The elevator was out, so I had to climb six flights of stairs to get to my place. When I got back downstairs, I was so exhausted that I had to sit down on a bench to rest. By that time, it had stopped raining, but the ground was still wet. A brown dog came to where I was sitting and begged for something to eat. I tried to ignore him, but he splashed water all over my brand new shoes. Finally, the bus came, and I was on my way to the supermarket.
When I got to the supermarket, I realized I had forgotten my shopping list, so I couldn’t remember everything I wanted to buy. The cashier was too busy to help me, so I gathered up a few items and carried them to the counter. After the cashier finished ringing up my purchase, he gave me the wrong change and stuffed my groceries into my small shopping cart. I was not in a good mood when I left the supermarket.
If that wasn’t bad enough, I had a terrible time on the bus ride home. First, the bus driver yelled at me because I took too much time to get on. Couldn’t he see that I had a cart full of groceries? Then, there were not seats. I’m sure that someone on the bus could have offered me a place to sit, but everyone was so rude. They pretended not to see me. I just stood there, leaned against one of the poles in the aisles, put my head down, and sighed.
When I got to the supermarket, I realized I had forgotten my shopping list, so I couldn’t remember everything I wanted to buy. The cashier was too busy to help me, so I gathered up a few items and carried them to the counter. After the cashier finished ringing up my purchase, he gave me the wrong change and stuffed my groceries into my small shopping cart. I was not in a good mood when I left the supermarket.
If that wasn’t bad enough, I had a terrible time on the bus ride home. First, the bus driver yelled at me because I took too much time to get on. Couldn’t he see that I had a cart full of groceries? Then, there were not seats. I’m sure that someone on the bus could have offered me a place to sit, but everyone was so rude. They pretended not to see me. I just stood there, leaned against one of the poles in the aisles, put my head down, and sighed.
See also:
Grammar: Simple Past Tense
*For picture, see Look Again Pictures, Riding on a Bus, page 27.