BEN'S UPS AND DOWNS Irregular verbs 1 Write the Past Simple of these verbs. (There is a list of irregular verbs on p158.) Test your partner. be was/were begin can catch come get give go have leave lose make meet send take win write ►►Grammar Reference 6.3 p138 2 Read about Ben Way. What were his ups and downs? Ben Way He made his first million at 17. He was one of the first dotcom millionaires. Then he lost it all ... And now he's a millionaire again! How did he do it? 3 Read and complete the PROFILE of Ben with the verbs in the Past Simple. Compare your answers with a partner. Listening 4 T6.8 Listen to an interview with Ben. What else do you learn about him? 5 Make the questions. Ask and answer them with a partner. 1 What/Ben's parents do? What did Ben's parents do? 2 Where/he go to school? 3 Why/he have problems at school? 4 What/his dad give him in 1989? 5 Who/he help with their computers? 6 Why/he leave school at 16? 7 When/he win 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year'? 8 Why/he lose his money? His father was a ...

Irregular verbs

1 This exercise requires filling in the Past Simple of irregular verbs. The correct Past Simple forms are:

• be: was/were
• begin: began
• can: could
• catch: caught
• come: came
• get: got
• give: gave
• go: went
• have: had
• leave: left
• lose: lost
• make: made
• meet: met
• send: sent
• take: took
• win: won
• write: wrote

Ben's Ups and Downs

2 The text describes Ben Way's rise to becoming a millionaire at a young age, then losing it all, and finally becoming a millionaire again.

3 This exercise requires completing a profile with the Past Simple verbs. Without the provided verbs, this cannot be completed. However, based on the text, some possible completions are:

• Ben made his first million at 17.
• He was one of the first dotcom millionaires.
• Then he lost it all.
• And now he's a millionaire again.

Listening

T6.8 This exercise requires listening to an interview, which cannot be completed without the audio file.

5 Here are the questions transformed into grammatically correct forms:

1. What did Ben's parents do?
2. Where did he go to school?
3. Why did he have problems at school?
4. What did his dad give him in 1989?
5. Who did he help with their computers?
6. Why did he leave school at 16?
7. When did he win 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year'?
8. Why did he lose his money?