The Past Simple
Below, you’ll find a fragment from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Fill in the
blanks using the past simple.
Harry ___________ (to wake) early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight,
he __________ (to keep) his eyes shut tight.
“It __________ (to be) a dream,” he __________ (to tell) himself firmly. “I _________ (to
dream) a giant wizard called Hagrid _____________ (to come) to tell me I was going to a
school for wizards. When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.
There __________ (to be) suddenly a loud tapping noise.
“And there’s Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,” Harry __________ (to think), his heart
sinking. But he still didn’t open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“All right,’ Harry __________ (to mumble), “I’m getting up.”
He ____________ (to sit) up and Hagrid’s heavy coat _________ (to fall) off him. The hut
____________ (to be) full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the
collapsed sofa and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its
beak.
Harry ______________ (to scramble) to his feet, so happy he ____________ (to feel) as
though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He _________ (to go) straight to the window
and ______________ (to jerk) it open. The owl ______________ (to swoop) in and
______________ (to drop) the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn’t wake up. The owl
then _____________ (to flutter) on to the floor and _____________ (to begin) to attack
Hagrid’s coat.
“Don’t do that.”
Harry ____________ (to try) to wave the owl out of the way, but it _______________ (to
snap) its beak fiercely at him and ___________________ (to carry) on savaging the coat.
“Hagrid!” _______________ (to say) Harry loudly. “There’s an owl-“
“Pay him,” Hagrid ______________ (to grunt) into the sofa.
“What?”
“He wants payin’ for deliverin’ the paper. Look in the pockets.”
Hagrid’s coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls
of string, mint humbugs, tea-bags …. finally, Harry _____________ (to pull) out a handful of
strange-looking coins.
“Give him five Knuts,” _____________ (to say) Hagrid sleepily.
“Knuts?”
“The little bronze ones.”
Harry _____________ (to count) out five little bronze coins and the owl ___________ (to
hold) out its leg so he could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then it
_____________ (to fly) off through the open window.