Past simple and past continuous: exercise 5

Story, part 1
Complete the story. _____________________________________________

Every day James Lullaby travels to London. Yesterday he ................................ (drive) his car,

when he .................... (see) a dog in the middle of the road. The dog ............................ (watch)

the car. James ................................. (stop) and .................................. (get) out of his car. As he

............................ (get) out, the dog ........................... (run) away. James ........................... (go)

back to his car. While he ................................. (get) in it, the dog ................................ (appear)

again and ............................. (sit) down in the middle of the road. James ........................ (start)

the engine, but the dog ............................. (not move). James ................................... (jump) out

of the car and ................................ (shout) at the dog. The dog ............................. (bark) at him

and ............................ (begin) to run. James ................................... (follow) the dog. Suddenly,

he .......................... (see) two girls lying on the grass. They ............................... (bleed).

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Past simple and past continuous: exercise 6
Story, part 2 (negative)
Exercise 6. Make negative sentences. ____________________________

James was riding a motorbike.

He ..................................................... a motorbike. He was driving a car.

James heard a dog on the road.

He ................................................... a dog on the rode. He saw it.

James ran over the dog.

He ........................................ over the dog. He stopped his car.

The dog was barking at James all the time.

The dog ...................................................... at James all the time. It barked at him only once.

James talked to the dog.

He ......................................... to the dog. He shouted at him.

James threw a stone at the dog.

He ............................................. a stone at the dog. He followed it.

The dog bit James.

The dog ......................................... James. It took him to the girls.

The girls were sitting on the grass.

They .................................................... on the grass. They were lying on it.

The girls were sleeping.

They ............................................... . They were bleeding.

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Past simple and past continuous: exercise 7
Story, part 3 (questions)
Make the policeman's questions. ________________________________

Policeman: What ..................................................... yesterday at 8 o'clock? (do)

James: I was driving to work.

Policeman: What time ........................................................ the dog? (meet)

James: I saw him at about 8.30.

Policeman: .......................................................... fast when you saw the dog? (drive)

James: No, I wasn't.

Policeman: What .................................................. when you stopped your car? (the dog/do)
James: He was sitting in the middle of the road.

Policeman: What ................................................... after that? (the dog/do)

James: He ran away.

Policeman: How ..................................................... the two girls? (find)

James: I followed the dog, when he came back.

Policeman: ................................................................... when you found them? (the girls/bleed)

James: Yes, they were. They were lying on the grass.

Policeman: .................................................. anyone else? (see)

James: No, I didn't.

Policeman: .................................................. an ambulance? (call)

James: No, I didn't. I drove the girls to the hospital.

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 www.grammarbank.com
Past Simple or Past Continuous

Worksheet 1

Fill in the blanks with a correct form, the PAST SIMPLE or the PAST CONTINUOUS:

1. We ___________________________ (play) volleyball with Mary, when you

___________________________(call) me.

2. When the teacher ___________________________(come) in, they

___________________________ (study) English.

3. The baby ___________________________ (sleep) when the telephone

___________________________(ring).

4. As I ___________________________ (walk) in the streets of Holland, I

___________________________ (meet) an old friend of mine.

5. I ___________________________ (lose) my car keys.

6. I was looking for my purse when I ___________________________ (drop) my credit card.

7. My uncle ___________________________ (take) me to the airport yesterday.

8. She ___________________________ (dance) when she hurt her ankle.

9. It ___________________________ (rain) heavily when I got up.

10. I ___________________________ (see) the thief while he

___________________________ (get) into my neighbor’s house.

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TENSES T 9

Past Tense – Simple or Progressive: Fill in the correct form.

1. George ________________ off the ladder while he ________________ the ceiling. (fall, paint)
2. Last night I ________________ in bed when I suddenly ________________ a scream. (read, hear)
3. ________________ TV when I ________________ you? (you watch, phone)
4. Ann ________________ for me when I ________________ . (wait, arrive)
5. Maisie ________________ up the kitchen when John ________________ her to marry him.
(clean, ask)
6. The house ________________ £ 150,000 in 2003. (cost)
7. The fire _______________________ at six in the morning. (still burn)
8. My brother ________________ a new job a week ago (get).
9. Columbus ________________ America over 500 years ago (discover)
10. She ________________ not interested in the book because she ________________ it (be ,not
understand)
11. ________________ at school yesterday? (you be)
12. We ________________ in a house near the sea last summer (live)
13. She ________________ the piano very well when she ________________ young (can play, be)
14. She ________________ the office very early last night (leave).
15. I ________________ a friend while I ________________ the shopping (meet, do)
16. I ________________ for my things when I ________________ someone call my name (pay, hear)
17. I ________________ around and ________________ Judy. (turn, see)
18. She ________________ a bright yellow dress when I ________________ her last (wear, see)
19. We ________________ to have a cup of tea. (decide)
20. While the waiter ________________ up the pieces of glass he ________________ his finger (pick,
cut)
21. Then we ________________ the cafe and ________________ good bye (leave, say)
22. I ________________ the fire at six and it ________________ brightly when Tom came in at seven.
(light, still burn)
23. My dog ________________ along quietly when Mary’s Pekinese ________________ him. (walk,
attack)
24. When I ________________ she ________________ lunch. She said she always ________________
lunch at 12:30. (arrive, have, have)
25. What ________________ of his last book? –I ________________ it a lot (you think, like)
26. He suddenly ________________ that he ________________ in the wrong direction. (realize,
travel)
27. He ________________ guitar when someone ________________ the window and
________________ out a bucket of water. (play, open, throw)
28. He ________________ us to go out in the boat yesterday because a strong wind
________________ (not allow, blow)
29. The next day, as they ________________ that the police ________________ for them, they
________________ the coats in the woods and ________________ off in different directions.
(know, look, hide, go)
30. When I ________________ home they ________________ around a fire. Jack ________________
a crossword puzzle, Judy ________________ and the others ________________ . Mother
________________ at me and said : “ Come and sit down” (come, sit, do, knit, read, smile)
TENSES T 15

Past Tense – Simple or Progressive: Fill in the correct form

1. I _________________ Sue in town yesterday, but she _________________ me. She

_________________ the other way. (see, not see, look)
2. I _________________ Tom and Jane at the airport a few weeks ago. They _________________ to
Berlin and I _________________ to Madrid. We _______________a chat while we
_________________ for our flights. (meet, go,go,have,wait)
3. I _________________ home yesterday when suddenly a man _________________ out into the
road in front of me. I _________________ quite fast but luckily I _________________ to stop in
time and _________________ him. (cycle, step, go, manage, not hit)
4. Jerry _________________ for me when I _________________ . (wait, arrive)
5. “What _________________ at this time yesterday”? – “I was asleep.” (you do)
6. “_________________ out last night?” – “No, I was too tired”. (you go)
7. “Was Carol at the party last night?” – “Yes she _________________ a really nice dress.” (wear)
8. How fast _________________ when the accident _________________ ? (you drive, happen)
9. John _________________ a photo of me while I ____________________ . (take, not look)
10. We _________________ in a very difficult position. We _________________ what to do. (be, not
know)
11. I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last _________________ him, he _________________ to find
a job in Leeds (see, try)
12. I _________________ along the street when suddenly I _________________ footsteps behind me.
Somebody _________________ me. I was frightened and _________________ to run. (walk,
hear, follow, start)
13. When I _________________ young I _________________ to be a bus driver. (be, want)
14. While Mike _________________ TV Sheila _________________ a book. (watch, read)
15. She _________________ for the bus when I _________________ her yesterday. (wait, see)
16. On Sunday I _________________ for a walk and then I _________________ the museum. (go,
visit)
17. He _________________ lunch when the first guests _________________ . (prepare, arrive)
18. She _________________ when she suddenly _________________ a strange noise. (sleep,hear)
19. We _________________ on the lake when a terrible thunderstorm _________________ up. (sail,
come)
20. Some minutes later his friend _________________ to take him to the airport. (come)
21. While his friend _________________ the car, John _________________ about his holidays. (drive,
talk)
22. John _________________ a shower when the telephone _________________ . (have, ring)
23. When they _________________ at the airport, the plane ______________________ high above
their heads. (arrive, already fly)
24. They _________________ to the restaurant and _________________ a cup of coffee. (go, have)
25. While the football teams _________________ up, the fans _________________ their flags.
(warm, wave)
 B1 Past Tense Simple and Progressive T023

Fill in the correct form of the past tense.

1. My friend Harry _______________ off the ladder while he _______________ the ceiling of his
room. (FALL, PAINT)
2. We _______________ the house in 2003. At that time it _______________ £ 150,000. (BUY,
COST)
3. Dad _______________ interested in buying a new car. (NOT BE)
4. My sister __________________ for me at the airport terminal when I _______________. (WAIT,
ARRIVE)
5. A few nights ago, I _______________ a book when suddenly I _______________ a noise
outside. A few teenagers __________________ loud music. (READ, HEAR, PLAY)
6. The fire ____________________ when the first firefighters _______________ at the scene.
(STILL BURN, ARRIVE)
7. My brother _______________ for a job when he _______________ across an interesting ad in
the newspaper. (LOOK, COME)
8. I _______________ someone call my name. I _______________ around and _______________
my dad standing at the back of the queue. I _______________ so surprised. (HEAR,
TURN, SAW, BE)
9. My sister _______________ a bright summer dress when I _______________ her at the
performance. (WEAR, SEE)
10. I _______________ preparing dinner at 4.pm and I _______________ still at it when my wife
_______________ home. (START, BE, COME)
11. Our housekeeper _______________ the vase. As she _______________ up the pieces, she
_______________ her middle finger. (BREAK, PICK, CUT)
12. We suddenly _______________ that we _______________ in the wrong direction. (REALISE,
DRIVE)
13. She _______________ a great skier when she was young. (BE)
14. I _______________ an old friend in town while I _______________ the shopping. (MEET, DO)
15. While the children _______________ with others my husband and I _______________ to
have a cup of coffee. (PLAY, DECIDE)
16. Magellan _______________ around the world for the first time 500 years ago. (SAIL)
17. I _______________ my dog for a walk in the park when suddenly another dog
_______________ him. (TAKE, ATTACK)
18. When I _______________ back from town everyone was at home. Mum _______________
homework. Dad _______________ the car and my sister Julia _______________ on her
school project. (COME, CORRECT, WASH, WORK)

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TENSES T 23

Past Tense – Simple or progressive

1. It ______________________ (rain) when we __________________ (come) out of the shopping

centre.

2. It _________________(happen) very quickly. The car ______________________ (come) out of the

side road and then the van ______________________ (drive) into the back of it.

3. I ______________________ (be) ill last week.

4. He ______________________ (break)his leg when he ______________________ (ski) .

5. I ______________________ (look)out of the window and saw that people __________________

(walk) in the park.

6. Emma ______________________ (pass) her exam a few weeks ago.

7. When we ______________________ (see) the spaceship we ___________________(stop) the car.

8. When ______________________ (you buy) the car? – I ______________________ (buy) it a few

years ago.

9. He ______________________ (sit) in the garden when a wasp ______________________(sting)

him in the nose.

10. Claire ______________________ (go) to Egypt last month.

11. She ______________________ (have) a beautiful dream when the alarm clock ________________
(ring).

12. The car ______________________ (stop) at the lights.

13. We ______________________ (drive) home in the middle of the night when we ______________
(see) a flashing light.

14. Soft music ______________________ (play) when I ______________________ (go) into the room.

15. ______________________ (you buy) that bag while I ______________________ (look) after the
children?

16. It ______________________ (be) peaceful and the birds ______________________ (sing).

17. Was _________________________(Jimmy, already wait) for you when you

______________________ (get) there?

18. I ______________________ (ring) at about 3 o’clock yesterday, but you

______________________ (not pick) up the phone. – What ______________________ (you do) ?
– I ______________________ (help) Dad in the garden so I probably ______________________
(not hear)it.

19. I ______________________ (lie) in the bath when the phone ______________________ (ring). It
______________________ (stop) after a few rings.

20. It ______________________ (be) cold when we ______________________ (leave) the house that
day.

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 B1 Past Tense Simple and Progressive T024

Fill in the correct form of the past tense.

1. I ________________ my old friend in town the other day. He ________________ to ignore me
and ________________ somewhere else. (SEE, SEEM, LOOK)
2. The teacher ________________ a photo of us while we ________________ up the tree. (TAKE,
CLIMB)
3. We ________________ Martha at the airport last week. She ________________ for the arrival of
her sister while we ________________ to New York. (MEET, WAIT, TRAVEL)
4. "What ________________ to him? – He ________________ totally surprised when I
________________ him. " – (YOU SAY, LOOK, SEE)
5. He ________________ exam papers when I ________________ him. (CORRECT, VISIT)
6. A man ________________ on the road while I ________________ my bike. Luckily, I
________________ not to crash into him. (FALL, RIDE, MANAGE)
7. We ________________ a few miles off the coast when a horrible thunderstorm
________________ up. We ________________ to get to safety as soon as possible. (SAIL,
COME, HAVE)
8. I haven't seen him for ages. When I last ________________ him, he ________________ for a
new job. (SEE, LOOK)
9. While the two teams ________________ up everyone ________________ a flag. It
________________ a very emotional moment. (WARM, WAVE, BE)
10. "What ___________________ when I ________________ to your place yesterday evening?" – "I
________________ the baby". (YOU DO, COME, FEED)
11. I ________________ down a dark alley when suddenly I ________________ footsteps. I
________________ around and ________________ that an old woman with a dog
________________ me. (WALK, HEAR, TURN, SEE, FOLLOW)
12. "Why ___________________ out last night?" – "I ________________ too tired and ______________
to stay at home." (YOU NOT GO, BE, DECIDE)
13. The policeman asked me, " How fast ________________ when you ________________ the old
lady in front of you?" (YOU DRIVE, SEE)
14. Mom ________________ dinner when we ________________ home from football practice.
(PREPARE, GET)
15. When I ________________ young, I always ________________ to be a pilot. (BE, WANT)
16. Las Sunday afternoon I ________________ for a walk in the park and ________________ a cup
of coffee at a local restaurant. (GO, HAVE)
17. When they ________________ to the airport the plane ________________ off. (GET, JUST TAKE)
18. I ________________ on a bench in the park when a man ________________ up to me and
________________ to know what time it ________________. (SIT, COME, WANT, BE)

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 PAST SIMPLE
PAST CONTINUOUS
Exercise 1:

Complete the following sentences with the correct form (Past Simple or Past
Continuous).

1. A: What (you, do) ___________________ when you heard that noise?

B: I (try) ___________________ to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find) ___________________ the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately)

___________________ to the police and (turn) ___________________ it in.

3. The doctor (say) ___________________ that Brian (be) ___________________ too

weak to go to work and that he (need) ___________________ to stay at home for a

couple of days.

4. My best friend (arrive) ___________________ at my house a little before 9:00 pm,

but I (be, not) ___________________ there. I (study) ___________________ at the

library for my final examination in Italian.

5. John is in the living room working on his computer. At this time yesterday, he (work,

also) ___________________ on his computer. That's all he ever does!

6. A: I (call) ___________________ you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)

___________________ there. Where were you?

B: I (work) ___________________ out at the gym.

7. When I (walk) ___________________ into the busy office, the secretaries (talk)

___________________ on the phone with customers, a clerk (work, busily)

___________________ at his desk, and two managers (discuss, quietly)

___________________ methods to improve customer service.

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 PAST SIMPLE
PAST CONTINUOUS
8. I (watch) ___________________ a thriller on T.V. when the electricity went

out. Now I am never going to find out how the film ends.

9. Samantha (be) ___________________ in the room when Bob (tell)

___________________ me what happened, but she didn't hear anything because she

(listen, not) ___________________.

10. It's strange that you (call) ___________________ because I (think, just)

___________________ about you.

11. The Titanic (cross) ___________________ the Atlantic when it (strike)

___________________ an iceberg.

12. When I entered the store, a couple of merchants (bargain, noisily)

__________________ and (try) ___________________ to sell their goods to naive

tourists who (hunt) ___________________ for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)

___________________ their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A

couple of men (argue) ___________________ over the price of a leather belt. I (walk)

___________________ over to a man who (sell) ___________________ fruit and (buy)

___________________ a banana.

13. The firemen (rescue) ___________________ the old woman who (be)

___________________ trapped on the third floor of the burning building.

14. I was very upset! He (leave, always) ___________________ his dirty dishes

in the sink. I think he (expect) ___________________ me to do them up for him.

15. Samantha (live) __________________ in Cambridge for more than two years. In fact,

she (live) ___________________ there when I was a student.

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 www.perfect-english-grammar.com
Past Simple or the Past Continuous?

Choose the past simple or past continuous:

1. What ________________________ (you / do) when I

________________________ (call) you last night?
2. I ________________________ (sit) in a café when you
________________________ (call).
3. When you ________________________ (arrive) at the party, who
________________________ (be) there?
4. Susie ________________________ (watch) a film when she
________________________ (hear) the noise.
5. Yesterday I ________________________ (go) to the library, next I
________________________ (have) a swim, later I
________________________ (meet) Julie for a coffee.
6. We ________________________ (play) tennis when John
________________________ (hurt) his ankle.
7. What ________________________ (they / do) at 10pm last night? It
________________________ (be) really noisy.
8. He ________________________ (take) a shower when the telephone
________________________ (ring).
9. He ________________________ (be) in the shower when the telephone
________________________ (ring).
10. When I ________________________ (walk) into the room, everyone
________________________ (work).

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11. It ________________________ (be) a day last September. The sun
________________________ (shine), the birds ________________________
(sing). I ________________________ (walk) along the street when I
________________________ (meet) an old friend.
12. He ________________________ (live) in Russia when the Revolution
________________________ (start).
13. When her train ________________________ (get) to the station, we
________________________ (wait) on the platform.
14. He ________________________ (be) so annoying! He
________________________ (always / leave) his things everywhere.
15. On holiday we ________________________ (visit) Rome,
________________________ (see) the Vatican, and
________________________ (spend) a few days at the beach.
16. Why ________________________ (you / stand) on a chair when I
________________________ (come) into the room?
17. They ________________________ (live) in Germany when they
________________________ (be) young.
18. At 7pm yesterday, we ________________________ (listen) to music.
19. When I ________________________ (leave) the house, it
________________________ (snow).
20. He ________________________ (work) in a bank when he
________________________ (meet) his wife.

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May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.
Past simple and past continuous: exercise 1
Affirmative
Choose the correct tense. _______________________________________

As I came | was coming to the station, a car stopped | was stopping behind me. A man

wearing sunglasses got | was getting out of the car and said | was saying: "Mike, what

are you doing here?"

My grandma never watched | was never watching TV. But she read | was reading books.

When I started | was starting work at 6 o'clock this morning, the sun shone | was shining.

My mum got | was getting up and switched | was switching off the light.

When I finished | was finishing my homework, I cooked | was cooking dinner for my sister.

While we listened | were listening to the news, the telephone rang | was ringing. Kate stood

| was standing up and answered | was answering it.

As I drove | was driving to work last Friday, a car crashed | was crashing in front of me.

I stepped | was stepping on the brakes.

As Betty left | was leaving her house on the way to work, she left | was leaving the door open.

When she came | was coming back home in the evening, a dog sat | was sitting in the middle

of the living room.

Yesterday Carrol wrote | was writing emails from 10 to 11 and then from 5 to 7 again.

We arrived in Cannes at 2.30. The sun shone | was shining, people sunbathed | were

sunbathing on the beach and big yachts sailed | were sailing near the harbour. We parked our

car and went | were going to the beach.

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Past simple and past continuous: exercise 2
Affirmative
Find mistakes and correct them. ________________________________

I was doing my geography homework first and then I had a rest.

I ................................... my geography homework first and then I ................................... a rest.

My mum was often driving our car when we went on holiday.

My mum ................................... our car when we ................................... on holiday.

While her daddy watched TV, Susan put his key in her pocket.

While her daddy ................................... TV, Susan ................................... his key in her
pocket.

I needed to talk to her. And at 10 I was calling her.

I ................................... to talk to her. And at 10 I ................................... her.

I saw you with Jill at the cafe. You talked with her.

I ................................... you with Jill at the cafe. You .................................... with her.

As soon as I was learning English a little bit, I started to travel.

As soon as I ................................... English a little bit, I ................................... to travel.

As they walked along the river, they saw something in the water.

As they ................................... along the river, they ................................... something in

the water.

I was taking her to Dover last weekend. We had a great time.

I ................................... her to Dover. We ................................... a great time.

The weather was perfect when the sun was shining. But it was changing soon.

The weather was perfect when the sun .................................. But it .................................. soon.

When I met Samantha, she wore a straw hat.

When I ................................... Samantha, she ................................... a straw hat.

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Past simple and past continuous: exercise 3
Negative
Make negative sentences. _______________________________________

A: Susan lost her purse while she was shopping.

B: She ..................................... her purse while she was shopping. She left it in her office.

A: Ben was riding slowly when he ran the cat over.

B: He ..................................... slowly. He was hurrying to a football match.

A: I'm afraid we were making a lot of noise at midnight.

B: It was OK. You ..................................... so much noise.

A: Dan and Marion came quite early.

B: They ..................................... early. They were fifteen minutes late.

A: You were sitting at the table by the window.

B: We ..................................... by the window. We preferred the table near the door.

A: Kamala was scared. That's why she ran away.

B: She ..................................... away. She stayed there.

A: The sun set at 6.45 yesterday.

B: The sun ..................................... at 6.45. It rose at that time.

A: It was getting dark at 7 o'clock.

B: It ..................................... dark at 7 o'clock. It was still daylight.

A: My sister talked to Tim the other day.

B: Your sister ..................................... to Tim. She talked to Greg.

A: My grandparents were listening to the radio from 5 to 6.

B: They ..................................... to the radio. They were watching TV.

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Past simple and past continuous: exercise 4
Questions
Make questions. ________________________________________________

When I met him, he was talking on the telephone.

Who ............................................................... to? (he | talk)

The company wanted to finish this house last week.

And when ............................................................... it? (they | start)

I saw your wife last night. She was driving a car.

What car ...............................................................? (she | drive)

I tried to get in touch with you last weekend.

Why ............................................................... to get in touch with me? (you | want)

My sister was not listening when I wanted to tell her.

What ............................................................... ? (your sister | do)

When I came to his bedroom, he was snoring.

How ............................................................... ? On his back? (he | lie)

At 10 o'clock I was watching a documentary film.

Which channel ............................................................... ? (you | watch)

I had an accident on Monday.

What ............................................................... ? (happen | you)

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