PAST SIMPLE

Lesson 3 &
PAST CONTINUOUS

Exercise 1
Place the verbs in brackets in to either the Past Simple or Past Continuous
tense.

1. The wind (blow) while John (walk) along the sea shore. The children (play) on
the beach. A bus (come) around the corner and (stop) at the bus stop. John (get
on) the bus and (go) to the city centre. He (jump off) the bus and (cross) the road.
He (walk) towards the hotel when he (hear) someone calling his name. He (turn)
around and (see) his friend Trevor. They (go) into the café for something to eat
and a chat.

2. Last weekend Mary (take) her bike and (ride) to the lake. She (meet) her friends
there and they (go) swimming. They (sit) in the sun but it soon (begin) to rain. They
(run) for shelter under the trees. After a while it (stop) and they (go) home. They
(decide) to go to the cinema and (call) a taxi to collect them. They (enjoy) the
movie and (be) all very excited.

Exercise 2
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.

1. Josh: Sorry Mum, but I dropped (drop) the glass on the floor.
Mum: Never mind. Just be careful next time.
2. Greg: (you/watch) the horror film last
night?
Peter: Yes, but I (not/enjoy) it.
3. Mary: your neighbours (move) house yesterday?
Alice: Yes, we (help) them move their boxes.
5. Andy: A train (crash) last night.
Sam: I know. Luckily, all the passengers (survive).
6. Ann: Susan (not/play) tennis yesterday.
Claire: I know. She’s playing today instead.
7. Sarah: you (see) Kate yesterday?
Paul: Yes. We (have) lunch together.

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 PAST SIMPLE
Lesson 3 &
PAST CONTINUOUS

Exercise 3
Choose the correct answer.

1. Jacques Cousteau B the oceans.

A explores B explored C is exploring
2. Sam a bicycle, but now he drives a car.
A is riding B used to ride C rides
3. I an interesting book at the moment.
A don’t read B read C am reading
5. He home early yesterday because he felt ill.
A went B is going C used to go
6. Mr Jones , but he does now.
A used to travel B didn’t use to travel C travelled
7. I a noise, so I went to see what it was.
A heard B hear C am hearing
8. Peter how to use a computer at present.
A learnt B is learning C learns
9. I to a party last night
A used to go B went C was going

Exercise 4
Used To or Past Simple? Put the verbs into the correct form

1. Mother cleaned (clean) the windows twice last week.

2. They (not/go) on holiday to Spain last year.
3. Mary (not/sing) in the school choir yesterday.
4. Peter often (fight) with his little brother when he was young.
5. Mother Teresa (help) the poor people of India.
6. Her sister (bake) this beautiful cake on Monday.
7. Sam (enjoy) his trip to Wales last weekend?
8. John (fall) and (hurt) his elbow.

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 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).
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.

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 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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 Past Simple / Past Continuous, used to

A Complete the sentences with the Past Simple form of the verbs in brackets.
rode
1 Peter ...................... (ride) his bicycle to school yesterday.
2 Mum ...................... (play) tennis yesterday.
3 I ...................... (forget) to do my homework last night.
4 Gina ...................................... (not clean) her room last week.
5 My grandparents ...................... (not travel) to London a month ago.
6 What ...................... you ...................... (drink) after the game?

B Complete the sentences with the Past Continuous form of the verbs in brackets.

s
was writing

.e
1 The reporter ...................................... (write) an article while the photographers
...................................... (take) pictures.

ar
2 The pupils ...................................... (not study) for a test. They ...................................... (make) a
poster.

ob
3 ......................you ...................... (ride) your horse at 4 o’clock yesterday?
4 We ...................................... (sit) at our desks when the bell rang.

pr
5 My brother ...................................... (not wash) the dishes when Mum came home.
He ...................................... (sleep)!
oa
6 ...................... it ...................... (snow) when you left the house?
er

C Complete the sentences with the Past Simple or Past Continuous form of the verbs in
brackets.
ui

was writing
1 I ...................................... delivered
(write) an e-mail to Tom when the postman ......................................
oq

(deliver) his letter!

2 When I ...................................... (leave) home yesterday, some dogs ...................................... (sit)
near the front gate.
.y

3 John ...................................... (not swim) at four o’clock. He ...................................... (play) football.

w

4 Bob ...................................... (lie) in the garden when it ...................................... (start) to rain.

w

5 As I ...................................... (put) the baby to bed, the phone ...................................... (ring).

6 What .................. you .................. (do) when Dan ...................................... (fall)?
w

D Complete the sentences with used to and the verbs in brackets.

used to wear
1 When Grandma was a girl, she ...................................... (wear) long dresses.
2 Ron ...................................... (not like) swimming, but now he swims every day.
3 Before Steven’s accident, he ...................................... (work) in a factory.
4 Where ...................... you ...................... (go) to school when you were young?
5 What music ...................... teenagers ...................... (listen) to in the 1950s?
6 A hundred years ago, people ...................................... (not travel) in aeroplanes.

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