Here are the answers to the two-part exercise in Using the Past Forms of Regular Verbs.

I. Correct Verb Forms

1. Henry David Thoreau was a writer who lived in Massachusetts over 150 years ago.
2. He supported himself in various ways.
3. He lectured.
4. He surveyed.
5. He worked as a hired hand.
6. But work never dominated his life.
7. Thoreau attended Harvard in his youth.
8. He received his true education in the world of nature.

1. In 1854 he published a book.
2. In this book, he recorded his observations on man and nature.
3. He titled the book Walden, after Walden Pond.
4. Several years earlier he had lived by Walden Pond.
5. He occupied a small cabin in the woods.
6. He had constructed the cabin himself.
7. Some people have said that Thoreau escaped to the woods.
8. In truth, he confronted life there.
9. He encouraged people to simplify their lives.
10. Certainly he simplified his own.
11. On his deathbed, someone asked if he had made his peace with God.
12. "I wasn't aware that God and I had quarreled."
13. That was how he replied.

II. Sample Combinations
Here is the original version of the paragraph "Thoreau," which served as the model for the sentence-completion exercise on page one. Many variations are possible, of course, and so your paragraph may differ significantly from this version.

Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was a writer who lived in Massachusetts over 150 years ago. He supported himself in various ways--lecturing, surveying, working as a hired hand--but work never dominated his life.

Though he had attended Harvard in his youth, Thoreau received his true education in the world of nature. In a book published in 1854, he recorded his observations on man and nature. He titled the book Walden, after Walden Pond, where he had lived several years earlier in a small cabin that he had constructed in the woods. Some people have said that Thoreau escaped to the woods, but in truth he confronted life there. He encouraged people to simplify their lives, and certainly he simplified his own. On his deathbed, someone asked if he had made his peace with God. He replied, "I wasn't aware that God and I had quarreled."