The document provides examples of using past simple tense verbs like "was" and "were" to talk about actions and states that occurred in the past. It includes example sentences describing what different people and characters were doing at different times and places in the past, with short answers to questions using affirmative and negative forms of the past tense verbs. It also includes exercises for learners to practice filling in the correct past tense form of "to be" based on provided subjects and contexts.