Idioms: talking about the past

This ESL worksheet helps learners master 15 idioms and expressions related to memory, nostalgia, and reflecting on the past. Through relatable dialogues and engaging personal reflection activities, students boost their language skills and confidence using these idioms in meaningful conversations about memories, regrets, and emotional experiences. You might also like the worksheets “Idioms: memory” and “Phrasal verbs: childhood“.

In the opening activities, learners encounter idioms like a blast from the past, water under the bridge, turn back the clock, and a trip down memory lane through a conversation between former roommates. Students then match the bolded idioms to their definitions and complete a gap-fill activity, reinforcing meaning through context. Follow-up discussion questions prompt learners to reflect on their own lives—childhood memories, past decisions, and meaningful moments that are etched in their memory.

The rest of the idioms such as dig up the past, hindsight is 20/20, and open old wounds are introduced through short dialogues. To practice, students paraphrase 8 sentences, using the correct idiom.

The final set of activities is focused on speaking. First, students discuss the differences between the past and the present, using idioms from this lesson, and then debate whether life in the past was better. Next, they discuss a few conversation questions. Finally, they work in pairs or small groups and discuss how to handle different situations including unresolved past conflicts and regrets, integrating target idioms like let bygones be bygones, live in the past, and a thing of the past.

This worksheet is ideal for upper-intermediate and advanced ESL learners looking to expand their vocabulary, build storytelling skills, and express personal experiences more naturally in English.

For more engaging speaking practice, pair this worksheet with our printable conversation cards.