NCERT Class 9 English Workbook Unit 1 | Verb Forms Solutions
NCERT Class 9 English Workbook Unit 1
Verb forms
Notes
The simple past is used to talk about short, quickly finished actions, repeated events and longer situations.
The past perfect is used to make it clear that something had already happened at the time we are talking about.
The past perfect is not used to say that sometime happened sometime ago. That idea is expressed with the simple past.
Note that the past perfect is almost always used with the simple past. For example, when we are talking about two past actions, we use the past perfect for the earlier of the two actions and the simple past for the latter action.
Simple past and past perfect
Complete this story by Julius Lester. Choose the correct forms of the words given in the brackets.
Brer Rabbit (a) …………………. (decided / had decided) gardening was too much hard work. So he (b) ………………….. (had gone / went) back to his old ways of eating from every body else’s garden. Earlier he (c) …………………. (made / had made) a tour through the community to see what everybody (d) ………………….. (had been / was) planting that summer and his eye (e) ………………… (was / had been) caught by Brer Fox’s peanut patch.
As soon as the peanuts (f) …………………… (had been / were) ready, Brer Rabbit (g) ………………… (decided / had decided) to make his acquaintance with them. Every night he (h) ………………….. (had eaten / ate) his fill and even started bringing his family. Brer Fox (i) …………………. (had / had had) a clear idea who was eating his peanuts, but he couldn’t catch him. He inspected his fence and finally (j) ……………………. (had found / found) a small hole on the north side. He tied a rope with a loop knot and put it inside the hole. If anybody (k) …………………… (stepped / had stepped) in it, the rope would grab his leg and hoist him up in the air.
That night Brer Rabbit (I) ………………………. (came / had come) down to the peanut patch. He climbed through the hole and WHOOSH! Next thing he (m) ……………….. (had known /knew) he was hanging in the air upside down. There (n) ………………….. (wasn’t / hadn’t been) a thing he could do, so he made himself comfortable to catch a little sleep!
Answers
Brer Rabbit (a) had decided gardening was too much hard work. So he (b) went back to his old ways of eating from everybody else’s garden. Earlier he (c) had made a tour through the community to see what everybody (d) had been planting that summer and his eye (e) was caught by Brer Fox’s peanut patch.
As soon as the peanuts (f) were ready, Brer Rabbit (g) decided to make his acquaintance with them. Every night he (h) ate his fill and even started bringing his family. Brer Fox (i) had a clear idea who was eating his peanuts, but he couldn’t catch him. He inspected his fence and finally (j) found a small hole on the north side. He tied a rope with a loop knot and put it inside the hole. If anybody (k) stepped in it, the rope would grab his leg and hoist him up in the air.
That night Brer Rabbit (I) came down to the peanut patch. He climbed through the hole and WHOOSH! Next thing he (m) knew he was hanging in the air upside down. There (n) wasn’t a thing he could do, so he made himself comfortable to catch a little sleep!
