Past Simple with Facts

Thomas Edison _______ (invent) the light bulb in 1879. He _______ (spend) many years perfecting it.

When Marie Curie _______ (discover) radium, she _______ (not know) how dangerous it _______ (be) to handle it directly.

 Ancient Egyptians _______ (build) the pyramids using stone blocks that they _______ (transport) by boat. The construction _______ (take) many years, and thousands of workers _______ (participate) in the project.

Which sentence contains an incorrect fact in the past?

• Shakespeare wrote many famous plays.

• Columbus has discovered America in 1492.

• The Wright brothers flew the first airplane.

• The Romans built great roads.

Which sentence uses past tense facts incorrectly?

• When people lived in caves, they hunted for food.

• Before electricity was invented, people used candles.

• The ancient Greeks were building the Parthenol in 432 BC.

• Many dinosaurs died when a meteor hit Earth.

Which sentence contains incorrect past tense usage for historical facts?

• By the time humans have reached the moon, they already explored much of Earth.

• When the printing press was invented, books became more available.

• Before cars existed, people traveled by horse and carriage.

• Scientists learned about gravity when Newton studied falling objects.