The Past Tenses
(Past, Past Continuous,
Past Perfect)
Instructions: Please read the questions or statements below
carefully, and complete the sentences in the correct tenses.
She (paint) the entire room when the power suddenly went out.
While they (walk) in the park, it started raining heavily.
By the time I (arrive) at the party, everyone had already left
When the bell (ring), the students rushed out of the classroom.
They (wait) for hours before the bus finally arrived.
By the time he (realize) his mistake, it was too late to fix it.
As she (cook) dinner, she accidentally burned the pasta.
While he (study) for his exam, his phone kept ringing.
By the time we (reach) the theater, the movie had already started.
The cat (sleep) peacefully on the couch when the dog suddenly barked.
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Past Tense Activity Sheet with Verb Identification
While they (travel) through Europe,
they visited several historic landmarks.
He (work) on his project for hours
when his computer crashed.
As she (walk) home, she found
a lost puppy on the street.
By the time they (finish) their
homework, it was already midnight.
They (talk) about their childhood
memories while sitting by the fireplace.
She (read) the entire book before
the movie adaptation was released.
By the time he (realize) he left
his keys at home, he was already at the office.
While they (prepare) dinner, they
realized they were out of ingredients.
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Past Tense Activity Sheet with Verb Identification
He (save) up money for years
before he could afford to buy a car.
By the time they (reach) the
summit, the sun had already set.
The children (play) in
the park when it suddenly started raining.
While she (clean) the attic, she
found an old photo album.
By the time he (get) to the
airport, the plane had already departed.
They (wait) for the train for
over an hour before it finally arrived.
She (work) at the company
for ten years before she got promoted.
By the time they (realize) they
were lost, it was getting dark.
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Past Tense Activity Sheet with Verb Identification
He (watch) the sunrise from the
mountaintop when he proposed.
While they (walk) along the
beach, they collected seashells.
By the time she (finish) her
dessert, everyone else had left the restaurant.
The team (practice) for months
before the championship game.
While he (read) the newspaper, he
spilled coffee on it.
By the time they (arrive) at
the party, most of the food had been eaten.
She (live) in New York for
five years before she moved to London.
While they (wait) for the bus, they
played cards to pass the time.
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Past Tense Activity Sheet with Verb Identification
By the time he (realize) he forgot
his phone, he was already halfway to work.
They (travel) to five different
countries during their vacation.
While she (write) her essay,
she kept getting distracted by her phone.
By the time they (finish)
renovating the house, it looked brand new.
He (save) all his pocket money to buy a
birthday gift for his sister.
While they (hike) in the
mountains, they encountered a bear.
By the time she (get) her
diploma, she had already secured a job.
The cake (burn) in the oven while
she was on the phone.
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Past Tense Activity Sheet with Verb Identification
While they (study) for the exam,
they realized they had missed a crucial chapter.
By the time they (realize)
they were on the wrong train, they were miles
away from their destination.
She (work) as a teacher
before she decided to pursue a career in medicine.
While he (fix) the leaky faucet,
he accidentally broke the handle.
By the time they (reach) the top of
the mountain, it had started snowing.
They (plan) their trip for
months before they finally embarked on it.
While she (wait) for her
friends at the café, she read a book to pass the
time.
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Answers
was painting realized were waiting
were walking were preparing realized
arrived had saved had traveled
rang reached was writing
had been waiting were playing had finished
realized was cleaning had saved
was cooking got were hiking
was studying had been waiting got
reached had worked burned
was sleeping realized were studying
were traveling was watching realized
finished were walking had worked
had been working finished was fixing
was walking had been practicing reached
arrived was reading had planned
were talking arrived was waiting
had read had lived
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