The Simple Past Tense – Telling a Story
Watch the video and try some of these activities:
1) Discuss vocabulary, time and place settings, plot and ending.
2) Memory Contest: Get together in groups and retell the story. The group that remembers the most details is the winner.
3) Look at the lyrics of the song below. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Rocky Raccoon (Lennon/McCartney)
Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota there ________ (live) a young boy _________ (name) Rocky Raccoon and one day his woman _______ (run) off with another guy, ______ (hit) young Rocky in the eye. Rocky _________ (not like) that, he _________ (say) “I'm gonna get that boy,” so, one day, he ____________ (walk) into town _________, (book) himself a room in the local saloon.
Rocky Raccoon ________ (check) into his room, only to find Gideon's bible. Rocky had come equipped with a gun to shoot off the legs of his rival. His rival it seems had broken his dreams by stealing the girl of his fancy.
Her name _______ (be) Magil, and she ________ (call) herself Lil, but everyone ________ (know) her as Nancy.
Now she and her man who ________ (call) himself Dan ________ (be) in the next room at the hoe down. Rocky _______ (burst) in and grinning a grin he ______ (say) “Danny boy this is a showdown.”
But Daniel _______ (be) hot, he _______ (draw) first and _________ (shoot), and Rocky ___________ (collapse) in the corner.
Now the doctor _________ (come) in stinking of gin and ____________ (proceed) to lie on the table. He ________ (say) “Rocky you _______ (meet) your match” and Rocky ________ (say) “Doc it's only a scratch and I'll be better, I'll be better doc, as soon as I am able.”
Now Rocky Raccoon he _______ (fall) back in his room only to find Gideon's bible. Gideon __________ (check) out and he _______ (leave) it, no doubt, to help with good Rocky's revival.
