Simple Past Tense Used in Recount Text

JOHNNY RAMONE

Objectives :
In this section, you will learn how to:

•     use past tense to express past event

TRY THIS. Read the following text. Change the verbs into the correct past form. Then, answer the questions.

Punk Legend

JOHNNY RAMONE DIED

LOS ANGELES. Jhonny Ramone, a guitarist and cofounder of the seminal punk band ‘The Ramones’ (die) (1) _______. He (be) (2)_______ 55.
Ramone (die) (3)________ in his sleep on Wednesday afternoon at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family.
He (battle) (4)_________ against prostate cancer for five years and was hospitalized in June at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Ramone,born Jhonny Cuming, was one of the original members of ‘The Ramones’, whose hit songs I Wanna Be Sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop,among others, (reach) (5)_________ the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Jhonny Ramone (found) (6)_________ ‘The Ramones’ in 1974  with Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Tommy Ramone, the only surviving member of the original band.

Find out :

1. How old was Johny Ramone when he died?
2. How long had he suffered from prostate cancer?
3. What was Johny Ramone’s given name?
4. When was The Ramones established?
5. The Ramones consisted of four people. How many people have died? Mention them.
6. When did Johny Ramone die? (Mention the day and date)?
7. According to the text, where was the hospital? How do you know?
8. Where was this news taken from?
9. Pay attention to the verbs in the biography of Johny Ramone. All the verbs are written in the past    tense. Do you know why?

Derived from: Look Ahead for Senior High School Students Year X, p. 21