Fill in the blanks with the simple past forms of verbs given in brackets:

1. Stephen Hillenburg ______________ (create) the cartoon series Sponge Bob. He _____________ (work) as a teacher at the Ocean Institute in California. During his tenure at the institute, he ________________ (think) of creating this series.
2. Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ________ (be) the first animation television series to feature the “Sensational Six.” Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. The series ______________ (focus) on interacting with the preschool-aged audience and _____________ (aim) at stimulating their problem solving skills.
3. The third season of the program Dora, the Explorer ________________ (kick) off with “Dora’s Star-Catching Adventure”. It _________________ (introduce) a new concept in which viewers ________________ (interact) with the show by searching for explorer-stars in each episode.
4. Phineas and Ferb _________ (be) able to bring their grand inventions and structures to life within a few hours of the episodes. They ______________ (give) all sorts of wild ideas to pass time at home when school was off. This was why the series _________________ (become) so popular with kids in no time.
5. When Ash Ketchum _______________ (reach) the age of 10, he _________________ (receive) his first Pokémon from Professor Oak and __________ (set) out on his Pokémon Journey.

Click here to download worksheet: Tenses-simple past (beginners)

Answers:

1. created, worked, thought
2. was, focused, aimed
3. kicked, introduced, interacted
4. were, gave, became
5. reached, received, set