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The Past Simple and The Past Continuous-Exercises-Key

This document contains two exercises related to using the past continuous and past simple tenses in English. Exercise 1 provides 10 examples of using time expressions like "while" and "during" with the past continuous tense. Exercise 2 provides 30 sentences where learners must choose whether to use the past continuous or past simple form of verbs in brackets to complete the sentences. The exercises focus on understanding when to use each past tense form in different contexts.

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Jaxin Valdovinos
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104 views3 pages

The Past Simple and The Past Continuous-Exercises-Key

This document contains two exercises related to using the past continuous and past simple tenses in English. Exercise 1 provides 10 examples of using time expressions like "while" and "during" with the past continuous tense. Exercise 2 provides 30 sentences where learners must choose whether to use the past continuous or past simple form of verbs in brackets to complete the sentences. The exercises focus on understanding when to use each past tense form in different contexts.

Uploaded by

Jaxin Valdovinos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EXERCISE 1

PAST CONTINUOUS

Choose the correct time expression used with the past continuous tense.

1. What were you doing (while/during) the meeting?


2. Tim was finishing the report (in/at) five o'clock.
3. They were discussing the problem (when/at) I walked into the room.
4. Jackson wasn't listening (while/during) he was explaining the situation.
5. Was Alice paying attention (while/during) the presentation?
6. They were having a quiet breakfast (this/at) morning when he arrived.
7. What were they doing (when/in) that happened?
8. Sheila was playing the piano (while/during) he was working on the
computer.
9. I was working at the computer (at/on) seven o'clock this morning.
10. Alex wasn't playing golf (this/at) morning. He was working.

EXERCISE 2

PAST CONTINUOUS/PAST SIMPLE

Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous
tense.
1 Mr. Smith never woke up in time in the mornings and always got into
trouble for being late; so one day he went to town and bought an alarm
clock.
2 To get home he had to go through a field where a bad-tempered bull was
usually grazing.
3 This bull normally didn’t chase people unless something made him
angry. Unfortunately, as Mr. Smith was crossing the field, his alarm clock
went off.
4 This annoyed the bull, who immediately began to chase Mr. Smith.
5 Mr. Smith was carrying an open umbrella as it was raining slightly.
He threw the umbrella to the ground and ran away as fast as he could.
6 The bull stopped and began to attack the umbrella. While he was
doing this, Mr. Smith escaped.
7 When he awoke she was sitting by the window. She was looking at
something in the street, but when he called her she turned and smiled at
him.
8 Why were you interrupting me just now? I was having a very
interesting conversation with Mr. Pitt.
9 The murderer was carrying the corpse down the stairs when he heard
a knock on the door.
10 When I was looking through your books I noticed that you have a
copy of Murder in the Cathedral.
11 As they were walking along the road they heard a car coming from
behind them. Tom turned round and held up his hand. The car stopped.
12 When I arrived at the station Mary was waiting for me. She was
wearing a blue dress and looked very pretty. As soon as she saw me she
waved and shouted something, but I couldn't hear what she was saying
because everybody was making such a noise.
13 The prisoner escaped by climbing the wall of the garden where he was
working. He was wearing blue overalls and black shoes.
14 She said that the car was going at 40 kph when it began to skid.
15 She said that she didn’t like her present flat and was trying to find
another.
16 While he was making his speech the minister suddenly felt faint. But
someone brought him a glass of water and after a few minutes he was
able to continue.
17 When I saw him he was painting a portrait of his wife. ~
Did you like it? ~
He only just started when I saw it, so I couldn't judge.
18 I took my friend to a murder trial the other day. ~
Who was tried?-
A man called Bill Sykes. ~
Was he acquitted? —
I don't know. They are still listening to the evidence when we left.
19 I was sorry that I had to leave the party early, because I wasn’t
enjoying myself.
20 As we were coming here a policeman stopped us. He said that he
was looking for some stolen property and asked if he could search the
car.
21 I saw you yesterday from the bus. Why were you using a stick? ~
I was using a stick because I had hurt my leg that morning falling off a
horse. ~

22 The floor was covered with balls of wool. Obviously Mrs. Pitt was
knitting something.
23 Ann said that she was on holiday. I said that I hoped that she was
enjoying herself.
24 While he was watering the flowers it began to rain. He put up his
umbrella and went on watering.
25 I just wrote a check when I remembered that I had nothing in the
bank.
26 I found this ring as I was digging in the garden. It looks very old. I
wonder who it belonged to?
27 When I last saw her she was hurrying along the road to the station. I
asked her where she was going and she said, 'London', but I don't think
she told the truth because there wasn’t any train for London at that time.
28 The tailor said, 'Your suit will be ready on Monday.' But when I called
on Monday he was still working on it.
29 The teacher came into the classroom unusually early and one of the
boys, who was smoking a cigarette, had no time to put it out. So he
threw it into the desk and hoped for the best.
30 A little later the teacher noticed that smoke was rising from this desk.
'Were you smoking when I came in?' he asked.

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