SIXTY YEARS AGO, PEOPLE COULD RETURN GLASS BOTTLES FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY

 In the past, many people returned glass bottles to stores. They received a small amount of money for each bottle. This helped reduce waste and kept the environment clean. Today, we often throw bottles in the trash. In this lesson, you will learn to talk about past habits and actions using the past simple tense and could for past possibility.

Examples:

• Sixty years ago, people returned bottles.

• They could get money for the bottles.

• Today, we don’t return bottles.

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GRAMMAR

We use the past simple tense to talk about actions in the past. We also use could to talk about what was possible in the past.

Structure:

• Subject + past verb (for actions)

• Subject + could + base verb (for possibility)

Examples:

• People returned glass bottles.

• You could get a small amount of money.

• They didn’t throw bottles away.

Negative Form:

• People didn’t recycle plastic.

• We couldn’t return plastic bottles.

Questions:

• Did people return glass bottles?

• Could you get money for them?

Short Answers:

• Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t.

• Yes, we could. / No, we couldn’t.

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VOCABULARY (10 words with definition)

1. Return – to give back something

2. Glass – a hard, clear material

3. Bottle – a container for liquids

4. Money – something we use to buy things

5. Waste – things that are thrown away

6. Store – a place where you buy or return items

7. Clean – not dirty

8. Trash – things we throw away

9. Past – a time before now

10. Action – something someone does

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

• Sixty years ago...

• People could return bottles.

• It helped the environment.

• We don’t do that now.

• That was a good habit.

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SENTENCES

Positive:

• People returned bottles for money.

• Stores gave money for glass bottles.

• It was a helpful habit.

Negative:

• They didn’t throw bottles in the trash.

• We couldn’t return plastic bottles.

• Many people didn’t waste glass.

Questions and Answers:

• Did people return bottles? – Yes, they did.

• Could they get money? – Yes, they could.

• Did they throw bottles away? – No, they didn’t.

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CONVERSATION

Marta: Did your grandparents return bottles?

Luis: Yes, they did. They could get some money for each bottle.

Marta: That’s so interesting! Where did they return them?

Luis: At the local store. It was common.

Marta: I wish we could do that now.

Luis: Me too. It helped reduce trash.

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READING

Returning Bottles in the Past

Sixty years ago, people didn’t throw glass bottles in the trash. They returned them to stores and received a small amount of money. This simple action helped reduce waste and keep the environment clean. Today, we use many plastic bottles and don’t return them. We can learn from the past. Reusing and returning bottles is good for our planet.

Questions:

1. What did people do with glass bottles?

2. Where did they return them?

3. What did they get?

4. Why was this good?

5. What do we use today?

Answers:

1. They returned them.

2. To stores.

3. A small amount of money.

4. It reduced waste and helped the environment.

5. Plastic bottles.