• a colorful Khmer New Year celebration in Phnom Penh filled with traditions, food, and fun

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Subject: My Visit to Nokor Sangkranta festival

Dear Salas,

I hope you are fine. I want to tell you about a festival I visited last year in Phnom Penh. It is called Nokor Sangkranta. It is part of the Khmer New Year, Chaul Chnam Thmey. The festival is very big and it is from April 14 to April 19.

I went to the festival with my family. First, we visited a temple. The temple was very beautiful. There were many flowers and candles. We gave food to the monks and prayed for health and happiness. I felt very calm and happy in the temple.

After that, we watched traditional dances and music. There were also martial arts shows. Children played games like tug-of-war and other competitions. I joined some games too, and it was fun.

We also visited the markets. There were many food stalls and local crafts. I tried some Cambodian dishes. They were very delicious! I bought small gifts and souvenirs for my friends.

The festival was very colorful. People were happy and smiling. Families and friends were together. I enjoyed the festival very much. I learned a lot about Cambodian culture and traditions.

I hope you can visit Nokor Sangkranta one day. It is a very special and happy festival.

Best wishes,
Char

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Vocabulary:

• a celebration – a happy event with people, music, or food.
• a candle – a stick that you can light to make light.
• a monk – a man who lives in a temple and prays to God.
• to pray – to speak to God or a spirit for help or thanks.
• health – the state of being well and not sick.
• to feel calm – to feel relaxed and quiet.
• traditional dance – a dance from a country long ago, done by many people.
• martial arts – sports like fighting, using hands or feet, with rules.
• tug-of-war – a game where two teams pull a rope in opposite directions.
• a competition – a game or event where people try to win.
• to join a game – to play a game with other people.
• a food stall – a small shop or table that sells food.
• a local craft – things made by people in a country, like art or tools.
• cambodian dishes – food from Cambodia.
• to be delicious – to taste very good.
• a gift – something you give to someone to make them happy.
• to enjoy – to feel happy with an activity.
• a tradition – something people do for a long time, usually at special times.

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Infinitive	Past simple	Definition
to hope	hoped	to want something to happen
to tell	told	to say something to someone
to call	called	to say someone’s name or speak on the phone
to be	was/were	to exist or to have a state
to go	went	to move from one place to another
to visit	visited	to go to a place
to pray	prayed	to speak to God or a spirit
to give	gave	to give something to someone
to feel	felt	to experience a feeling
to watch	watched	to look at something
to join	joined	to take part in something
to enjoy	enjoyed	to feel happy with an activity
to try	tried	to do something to see if it works
to buy	bought	to get something by paying money
to celebrate	celebrated	to enjoy a special event
to learn	learned	to get knowledge
to play	played	to do a game or fun activity

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Basics in past simple:

Past Simple –

• Regular Verbs:
• Most verbs: add -ed
  play → played
• Verbs ending in -e: add -d
  live → lived
• Verbs ending in consonant + y: change y to i and add -ed
  study → studied
• Short verbs ending in vowel + consonant: double the final consonant and add -ed
  stop → stopped
• List of irregular verbs => LINK

Use:
The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past.

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Personal Pronoun	Verb (Past)	Object
I	ate	apples
You	ate	apples
He	ate	apples
She	ate	apples
It	ate	apples
We	ate	apples
You (plural)	ate	apples
They	ate	apples
I	played	football
You	played	football
He	played	football
She	played	football
It	played	football
We	played	football
You (plural)	played	football
They	played	football

Personal Pronoun	Verb (Past Negative)	Object
I	did not eat	apples
You	did not eat	apples
He	did not eat	apples
She	did not eat	apples
It	did not eat	apples
We	did not eat	apples
You (plural)	did not eat	apples
They	did not eat	apples
I	did not play	football
You	did not play	football
He	did not play	football
She	did not play	football
It	did not play	football
We	did not play	football
You (plural)	did not play	football
They	did not play	football

Did + Pronoun	Verb	Object
Did I	eat	apples?
Did you	eat	apples?
Did he	eat	apples?
Did she	eat	apples?
Did it	eat	apples?
Did we	eat	apples?
Did you	eat	apples?
Did they	eat	apples?
Did I	play	football?
Did you	play	football?
Did he	play	football?
Did she	play	football?
Did it	play	football?
Did we	play	football?
Did you	play	football?
Did they	play	football?

Didn’t + Pronoun	Verb	Object
Didn’t I	eat	apples?
Didn’t you	eat	apples?
Didn’t he	eat	apples?
Didn’t she	eat	apples?
Didn’t it	eat	apples?
Didn’t we	eat	apples?
Didn’t you	eat	apples?
Didn’t they	eat	apples?
Didn’t I	play	football?
Didn’t you	play	football?
Didn’t he	play	football?
Didn’t she	play	football?
Didn’t it	play	football?
Didn’t we	play	football?
Didn’t you	play	football?
Didn’t they	play	football?

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Past simple forms of ‚to be‘:

Person	Past
I	was
You	were
He/She/It	was
We	were
You (pl)	were
They	were

Person	Question
I	Was I …?
You	Were you …?
He/She/It	Was he/she/it …?
We	Were we …?
You (pl)	Were you …?
They	Were they …?

Person	Negative
I	I was not (I wasn’t)
You	You were not (You weren’t)
He/She/It	He/She/It was not (He/She/It wasn’t)
We	We were not (We weren’t)
You (pl)	You were not (You weren’t)
They	They were not (They weren’t)

Person	Negative Question
I	Wasn’t I …?
You	Weren’t you …?
He/She/It	Wasn’t he/she/it …?
We	Weren’t we …?
You (pl)	Weren’t you …?
They	Weren’t they …?

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Short answers in past simple:

Question	Short Answer (Yes/Positive)	Short Answer (No/Negative)
Did she check reservations?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn’t.
Did she give keys to guests?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn’t.
Did she talk to many guests?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn’t.
Was she happy?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn’t.
Were the guests satisfied?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren’t.

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Fill in, past simple:

1. Char __________ (go) to the festival with her family.
   
   YOU FILL IN:
   went
   
2. They __________ (visit) a temple.
3. They __________ (give) food to the monks.
4. Char __________ (pray) for health and happiness.
5. She __________ (watch) traditional dances.
6. She __________ (join) some games.
7. Char __________ (try) Cambodian dishes.
8. She __________ (buy) souvenirs for her friends.
9. She __________ (enjoy) the festival very much.
10. She __________ (feel) happy and calm in the temple.
11. Families __________ (celebrate) the Khmer New Year together.
12. Children __________ (play) tug-of-war at the festival.
13. People __________ (decorate) the temples with flowers and candles.
14. Visitors __________ (learn) about Cambodian traditions.
15. Tourists __________ (take) many photos.
16. They __________ (call) their friends to join the festival.
17. Everyone __________ (say) “Happy New Year!” to each other.
18. People __________ (share) food and drinks at the market.
19. Monks __________ (bless) the visitors at the temple.
20. Char __________ (hope) to come again next year.

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Correct version:

1. Char went to the festival with her family.
2. They visited a temple.
3. They gave food to the monks.
4. Char prayed for health and happiness.
5. She watched traditional dances.
6. She joined some games.
7. Char tried Cambodian dishes.
8. She bought souvenirs for her friends.
9. She enjoyed the festival very much.
10. She felt happy and calm in the temple.
11. Families celebrated the Khmer New Year together.
12. Children played tug-of-war at the festival.
13. People decorated the temples with flowers and candles.
14. Visitors learned about Cambodian traditions.
15. Tourists took many photos.
16. They called their friends to join the festival.
17. Everyone said “Happy New Year!” to each other.
18. People shared food and drinks at the market.
19. Monks blessed the visitors at the temple.
20. Char hoped to come again next year.

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Complete as shown in 1.,
a) negation,
b) question,
c) negative question.

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1. Char went to the festival with her family.
   a) Char did not go to the festival with her family.
   b) Did Char go to the festival with her family?
   c) Didn’t Char go to the festival with her family?
   
2. They visited a temple.
   
3. They gave food to the monks.
   
4. Char prayed for health and happiness.
   
5. She bought souvenirs for her friends.
   
6. Char hoped to come again.
   
7. She enjoyed the festival very much.
   
8. Tourists took many photos.

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Correct answers:

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1. Char went to the festival with her family.
   a) Char did not go to the festival with her family.
   b) Did Char go to the festival with her family?
   c) Didn’t Char go to the festival with her family?
2. They visited a temple.
   a) They did not visit a temple.
   b) Did they visit a temple?
   c) Didn’t they visit a temple?
3. They gave food to the monks.
   a) They did not give food to the monks.
   b) Did they give food to the monks?
   c) Didn’t they give food to the monks?
4. Char prayed for health and happiness.
   a) Char did not pray for health and happiness.
   b) Did Char pray for health and happiness?
   c) Didn’t Char pray for health and happiness?
5. She bought souvenirs for her friends.
   a) She did not buy souvenirs for her friends.
   b) Did she buy souvenirs for her friends?
   c) Didn’t she buy souvenirs for her friends?
6. Char hoped to come again.
   a) Char did not hope to come again.
   b) Did Char hope to come again?
   c) Didn’t Char hope to come again?
7. She enjoyed the festival very much.
   a) She did not enjoy the festival very much.
   b) Did she enjoy the festival very much?
   c) Didn’t she enjoy the festival very much?
8. Tourists took many photos.
   a) Tourists did not take many photos.
   b) Did tourists take many photos?
   c) Didn’t tourists take many photos?

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True or false:

1. The festival had no food stalls.
2. People prayed for health and happiness.
3. Cambodian dishes were only for monks.
4. Children and adults played games like tug-of-war.
5. Everyone ignored the monks during the festival.
6. The temples were decorated with flowers and candles.
7. The festival did not have any traditional dances.
8. Visitors bought local crafts and souvenirs.
9. Monks celebrated by playing martial arts.
10. Char felt calm when she visited the temple.
11. The festival was a big celebration of Cambodian culture.
12. People did not join any games at the festival.
13. Children played tug-of-war at the festival.
14. People gave food and gifts to monks and the poor.

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True: 2,4,6,8,10,11,13,14

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Correct version:

1. The festival had no food stalls.
   True is: The festival had many food stalls.
2. People prayed for health and happiness.
3. Cambodian dishes were only for monks.
   True is: Cambodian dishes were for visitors and families at the festival.
4. Children and adults played games like tug-of-war.
5. Everyone ignored the monks during the festival.
   True is: People visited the monks and gave them food.
6. The temples were decorated with flowers and candles.
7. The festival did not have any traditional dances.
   True is: The festival had traditional dances.
8. Visitors bought local crafts and souvenirs.
9. Monks celebrated by playing martial arts.
   True is: People watched martial arts performances at the festival.
10. Char felt calm when she visited the temple.
11. The festival was a big celebration of Cambodian culture.
12. People did not join any games at the festival.
    True is: People joined games and competitions at the festival.
13. Children played tug-of-war at the festival.
14. People gave food and gifts to monks and the poor.

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Short answers, rewrite as shown in 1.:

1. Char traveled to the festival alone.
   
   YOU WRITE:
   No, she didn’t.
   She traveled with her family.
   
2. The visitors gave money to the monks in the market.
3. People decorated the temples with balloons and flags.
4. Children studied mathematics during the festival games.
5. The festival lasted only one day in March.
6. People ate only foreign food at the market.
7. Tourists watched a football match at the temple.
8. The monks played tug-of-war with the tourists.
9. Char cooked Cambodian dishes for everyone at the temple.
10. Families slept in the market during the festival.

__________________________

Correct version:

1. Char traveled to the festival alone.
   No, she didn’t. She traveled with her family.
2. The visitors gave money to the monks in the market.
   No, they didn’t. They gave food and gifts to monks at the temple.
3. People decorated the temples with balloons and flags.
   No, they didn’t. They decorated the temples with flowers and candles.
4. Children studied mathematics during the festival games.
   No, they didn’t. They played games and competitions.
5. The festival lasted only one day in March.
   No, it didn’t. It lasted from April 14 to April 19.
6. People ate only foreign food at the market.
   No, they didn’t. They ate Cambodian dishes.
7. Tourists watched a football match at the temple.
   No, they didn’t. They watched traditional dances and martial arts.
8. The monks played tug-of-war with the tourists.
   No, they didn’t. Children and adults played tug-of-war.
9. Char cooked Cambodian dishes for everyone at the temple.
   No, she didn’t. She tried Cambodian dishes at the market.
10. Families slept in the market during the festival.
    No, they didn’t. They enjoyed the festival together.

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Short answers:

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1. Did Char go to the festival with her family?
   
   YOU WRITE:
   Yes, she did.
   
2. Did the festival happen in December?
   
   No, it didn’t.
   The festival happened from April 14 to April 19.
   
3. Did people visit temples during the festival?
4. Were the temples decorated with flowers and candles?
5. Was Nokor Sangkranta part of the Khmer New Year?
6. Did Char cook food for the monks at the temple?
7. Was the festival only for tourists?
8. Did the festival last only one day?
9. Did visitors buy souvenirs and local crafts?
10. Did children study in school during the festival games?
11. Did the festival have swimming competitions?
12. Were families and friends together at the festival?
13. Did people play football during the festival?
14. Were there food stalls at the market?

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____________________

Correct answers:

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1. Did Char go to the festival with her family?
   Yes, she did.
2. Did the festival happen in December?
   No, it didn’t. The festival happened from April 14 to April 19.
3. Did people visit temples during the festival?
   Yes, they did.
4. Were the temples decorated with flowers and candles?
   Yes, they were.
5. Was Nokor Sangkranta part of the Khmer New Year?
   Yes, it was.
6. Did Char cook food for the monks at the temple?
   No, she didn’t. She tried Cambodian dishes at the market.
7. Was the festival only for tourists?
   No, it wasn’t. The festival was for families, locals, and tourists.
8. Did the festival last only one day?
   No, it didn’t. The festival lasted several days, from April 14 to April 19.
9. Did visitors buy souvenirs and local crafts?
   Yes, they did.
10. Did children study in school during the festival games?
    No, they didn’t. Children played games and competitions during the festival.
11. Did the festival have swimming competitions?
    No, it didn’t. There were traditional dances, music, and martial arts performances.
12. Were families and friends together at the festival?
    Yes, they were.
13. Did people play football during the festival?
    No, they didn’t. People played games like tug-of-war and other traditional competitions.
14. Were there food stalls at the market?
    Yes, there were.

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Form questions to which word/s given is/are the answer:

1. Char went to the festival with her family.
   a) Char:
   b) went to the festival:
   c)to the festival:
   d) with her family:
   
2. They visited a temple.
   a) They:
   b) visited a temple:
   c) a temple:
   
3. People gave food and gifts to monks.
   a) People:
   b) gave food and gifts to monks:
   c) food and gifts:
   d) to monks:
   
4. Children played tug-of-war at the festival.
   a) Children:
   b) played tug-of-war at the festival:
   c) tug-of-war:
   d) at the festival:
   
5. Char enjoyed Cambodian dishes at the market.
   a) Char:
   b) enjoyed Cambodian dishes at the market:
   c) Cambodian dishes:
   d) Cambodian:
   e) at the market:

_________________________

Correct answers:

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1. Char went to the festival with her family.
a) Char – Who went to the festival with her family?
b) went to the festival – What did Char do?
c) to the festival – Where did Char go?
d) with her family – Who did Char go with to the festival?

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2. They visited a temple.
a) They – Who visited a temple?
b) visited a temple – What did they do?
c) a temple – What did they visit?

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3. People gave food and gifts to monks.
a) People – Who gave food and gifts to monks?
b) gave food and gifts to monks – What did people do?
c) food and gifts – What did they give to monks?
d) to monks – Who did they give food and gifts?

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4. Children played tug-of-war at the festival.
a) Children – Who played tug-of-war at the festival?
b) played tug-of-war at the festival – What did children do?
c) tug-of-war – What did they play at the festival?
d) at the festival – Where did they play tug-of-war?

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5. Char enjoyed Cambodian dishes at the market.
a) Char – Who enjoyed Cambodian dishes at the market?
b) enjoyed Cambodian dishes at the market – What did Char do?
c) Cambodian dishes – What did Char enjoy at the market?
d) Cambodian – What kind of dishes did she enjoy?
e) at the market – Where did she enjoy the dishes?

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Find answer to question:

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Questions:

1. Who visited the festival last year?
2. Did you plan to return next year?
3. How did you spend time at the temple?
4. Where did you enjoy the performances?
5. Did your family make pictures during the festival?
6. When did you share food with monks?
7. Who tasted the food at the market?
8. Where did you go first on the first day?
9. Did you choose anything at the market?
10. What games did you see at the festival?
11. Was the festival exciting for you?
12. Were many people present at the festival?

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Answers (shuffled)

A. I felt calm and happy.
B. We visited a temple first.
C. Yes, I bought souvenirs and local crafts.
D. I watched traditional dances and martial arts at the temple.
E. Yes, we took many photos.
F. Yes, I hope to go again next year.
G. I played tug-of-war and competitions.
H. I went to the festival last year.
I. Yes, I enjoyed the festival very much.
J. We gave food and gifts to the monks.
K. Many people joined the festival.
L. I tried Cambodian dishes.

_______________________

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Correct dialogue:

1. Q: Who visited the festival last year?
   A: I went to the festival last year.
2. Q: What games did you see at the festival?
   A: I played tug-of-war and competitions.
3. Q: Where did you enjoy the performances?
   A: I watched traditional dances and martial arts at the temple.
4. Q: When did you share food with monks?
   A: We gave food and gifts to the monks.
5. Q: How did you spend time at the temple?
   A: I felt calm and happy.
6. Q: Did you choose anything at the market?
   A: Yes, I bought souvenirs and local crafts.
7. Q: Was the festival exciting for you?
   A: Yes, I enjoyed the festival very much.
8. Q: Who tasted the food at the market?
   A: I tried Cambodian dishes.
9. Q: Did your family make pictures during the festival?
   A: Yes, we took many photos.
10. Q: Where did you go first on the first day?
    A: We visited a temple first.
11. Q: Were many people present at the festival?
    A: Yes, many people joined the festival.
12. Q: Did you plan to return next year?
    A: Yes, I hope to go again next year.

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Fill in, words below:

prayed – crafts – traditional – enjoy –
dishes – competition – celebration –
activities – gifts –
family

Char went to the Nokor Sangkranta festival with her __________.
They visited a temple and gave food and _________ to the monks.
Char __________ for health and felt calm.
She watched __________ dances and martial arts.
She joined a tug-of-war __________.
Children and adults could join a game and enjoy many __________.
At the food stalls, they tried Cambodian __________ which were delicious.
Visitors also bought local __________as souvenirs.
The festival is an important __________ and a special tradition in Cambodia.
Everyone can __________ the colors, music, and happiness together.

———————————-
Correct version:
Char went to the Nokor Sangkranta festival with her family.
They visited a temple and gave food and gifts to the monks.
Char prayed for health and felt calm.
She watched traditional dances and martial arts.
She joined a tug-of-war competition.
Children and adults could join a game and enjoy many activities.
At the food stalls, they tried Cambodian dishes, which were delicious.
Visitors also bought local crafts as souvenirs.
The festival is an important celebration and a special tradition in Cambodia.
Everyone can enjoy the colors, music, and happiness together.

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