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Past Tenses Exercises

The document provides examples of exercises using different past verb tenses, including past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. For each section (A through E), blanks are filled in with the appropriate past verb tense based on the context of the sentence. The document aims to help practice using various past verb tenses to narrate events and describe states in the past.

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Johana Wulandari
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271 views2 pages

Past Tenses Exercises

The document provides examples of exercises using different past verb tenses, including past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. For each section (A through E), blanks are filled in with the appropriate past verb tense based on the context of the sentence. The document aims to help practice using various past verb tenses to narrate events and describe states in the past.

Uploaded by

Johana Wulandari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PAST TENSES EXERCISES

A. Choose Past Simple or Past Continuous tense to complete the sentences.

1. She _______ (know) that I ________ (watch) her while she was singing.

2. James _______ (fall) off the stairs yesterday while I ______ (cook) dinner.

3. When the train _______ (arrive), we ________ (chat) with my friends.

4. When you first _______ (come) to this country, I ________ (work) as a cashier.

5. The first time I saw you, you _______ (play) the guitar and Bella _______ (sing) our favorite song by
the beach.

6. I _______ (call) you as soon as I _______ (hear) the news.

7. I don't know what it said but when she ________ (receive) his e-mail, she _______ (cry) a lot.

8. While it ________ (rain) yesterday, we _______ (swim) in the sea.

9. We _______ (call) the insurance company when our car ________ (break down) in the middle of
the highway.

10. My dad _______ (come) home just when the game _______ (end).

B. Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses (Past Simple
or Past Continuous).

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela _______ (call). She said she _______ (call) me on
her cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she ________ (wait) for class, but
she said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she _______ (talk)to me. I
couldn't believe she _______ (make)a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.

She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students _______ (sleep, actually) in
class. Some of the students _______ (talk) about their plans for the weekend and the student next
to her ________ (draw) a picture of a horse. When Angela _______ (tell) me she was not satisfied
with the class, I ________ (mention) that my biology professor was quite good and ________
(suggest) that she switch to my class.

While we were talking, I _______ (hear)her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?"
Suddenly, the line went dead. I _______ (hang) up the phone and went to the kitchen to make
dinner. As I _______ (cut) vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It _______ (be) Angela,
but this time she wasn't sitting in class.

C. Fill in the blanks with Past Simple or Past Perfect.

1. We had already eaten when John _______ (come) home.

2. Last year Juan ______ (pass) all his exams.

3. I went to the library, then I ______ (buy) some milk and went home.

4. I opened my handbag to find that I ______ (forget) my credit card.

5. When we _______ (arrive) at the station, the train had already left.

6. I ______ (know) my husband for three years when we got married.

7. Julie was very pleased to see that John _______ (clean) the kitchen.
8. It ________ (rain) all summer, so the grass was completely dead.

9. When he ______ (arrive) at the party, Julie had just left.

10. First I tidied the flat, then I ______ (sit) down and had a cup of coffee.

D. Fill in the blanks with Past Simple or Past Perfect Continuous.

1. I ______ (wait) for hours so I was really glad when the bus finally _____ (arrive).

2. Why ______ (be) the baby's face so dirty? He ______ (eat) chocolate.

3. I ______ (see) John yesterday, but he _____ (run) so he was too tired to chat.

4. It _____ (rain) and the pavement ______ (be) covered with puddles.

5. When I _____ (arrive) it was clear she ______ (work). There were papers all over the floor and books
everywhere.

6. They _____ (study) all day so when we _____ (meet) they were exhausted.

7. The boss _______ (talk) to clients on Skype for hours so she ______ (want) a break.

8. I _____ (drink) coffee all morning. By lunchtime, I _____ (feel) really strange!

9. Lucy ______ (hope) for a new car, so she was really pleased when she ______ (get) one.

10. I _____ (dream) about a holiday in Greece. I couldn't believe it when my husband _____ (book) one
as a surprise!

E. Fill in the blanks with Past Simple, Past Perfect , or Past Perfect Continuous.

1. When I ________ (arrive) home last night, I ________ (discover) that Jane ________ (prepare) a
beautiful candlelight dinner.
2. When I _______ (turn) the radio on yesterday, I _______ (hear) a song that was popular when I was
in high school. I ________ (not hear) the song for years, and it _______ (bring) back some great
memories.
3. Last week, I ________ (run into) an old friend of mine. We _______ (not see) each other for years
and both of us ________ (change) a great deal.
4. When Emilio _______ (enter) the room, I _______ (not recognize) him because he _______ (lose)
so much weight and _______ (grow) a beard. He ________ (look) totally different.
5. When Oprah Winfrey _________ (get) her own TV show in 1986, she _________ (work) as a news
reporter for a long time.
6. In 1976, 60% of families ________ (be) couples with children but by 1996, this ________ (fall) to
51%.
7. Several senior employees ________ (leave) the company by the time the new manager __________
(arrive) last week.
8. Until the new software ________ (purchase), the staff ________ (struggle) to keep the accounts up
to date.
9. I _________ (see) that movie three times last year
10. When my supervisor _______ (pop in) my office the other day, I ________ (work) on the project for
nearly three hours.

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