Bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn

I. Phân biệt thì quá khứ đơn (Past Simple) và quá khứ tiếp diễn (Past Continuous):
Thì quá khứ đơn Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn

- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra trong quá - Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra trong quá
khứ và kết thúc ở quá khứ khứ

- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra ngay sau - Diễn tả hai hành động hoặc nhiều hơn
hành động khác trong quá khứ đang diễn ra tại thời điểm nới trong quá
khứ

- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra thì một

hành động khác xen vào. Hành động làm
gián đoạn chia thì quá khứ đơn.

Dấu hiệu: ago, yesterday, last month/ year/ Dấu hiệu: while, when, all day/ night/
week, in 2019, then,… morning, ….

II. Bài tập luyện tập

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the past simple or the past continuous form
the verbs.
1. Peter ____was playing_______ (play) a video game when his brother, Jack,
_____entered______ (enter) the room.
2. I _____was studying______ (study) for my English test when my mother
____came_______ (come) home from work.
3. Emma _____was washing______ (wash) the dishes when the telephone
____rang_______ (ring).
4. I _____was eating_____ (eatate) a sandwich while my parents ____was
drinking_______ (drink) coffee.
5. I _____was watching______ (watch) a DVD when my cat _______ jumped____
(jump) on me.
6. I ____wasn’t hearing_______ (not hear) the thunder during the storm last night
because I _____was sleeping______ (sleep)
7. It (be) ______was_____ beautiful yesterday when we ______went_____ (go) for a
walk in the park. The sun ___was shining________ (shine). The birds _______were
singing____ (sing).
8. My brother and sister ____were talking_______ (talk) about something when I
___walked________ (walk) into the room.
9. Tom ____went_______(go) to his friend’s house, but the boys _____weren’t______
(not be) there. They ____were playing_______ (play) soccer in the vacant lot down the
street.
10. The little boy _____fell______ (fall) asleep while his mother ____was
reading_______ (read) him a story.
11. I really _____enjoyed______ (enjoy) my holiday last January. While it ___was
snowing________ (snow) in Iowa, the sun _____was shining______ (shine) in Floria.
12. It _________was snowing__ (snow) when I _____left______ (leave) home this
morning.
13. It was a sunny afternoon and people _____was sitting______ (sit) on the grass in the
park. Then suddenly it ___started________ (start) to rain.
14. My brother ________was talking___ (talk#take) on the phone when I arrived, but
when he ______was seeing_____ (see) me, he ______finished_____ (finish) the call.
Perhaps he thought that I ______listened_____ (listen) to his conversation.
15. We ____was climbing_______ (climb) the wall when the gardener _____saw______
(see) us.
16. Susan _____was playing______ (play) the piano while Mary ______was
singing_____ (sing)
17. __Did you listen_________ (you/ listen) to the teacher when she __was
explaining_________ (explain) this exercise?
18. Linda ____was having_______ (have) a beautiful dream when the alarm clock
_____rang______ (ring).
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer
1. The Smiths aren’t painting/ weren’t painting their house last weekend
2. Tom cleaned/ was cleaning the living room when Jane arrived
3. Did/ Were the students writing an essay in class this morning?
4. Frank was fixing/ fixed his car when his mobile rang
5. Mark didn’t wear/ wasn’t wearing a coat when it started to rain.
6. He is/ was driving to work this morning when Anna called.
7. While my parents were working/ was working, I was studying at home
8. I walked/ was walking home when I tripped/ was tripping and fell
9. At 8 o’clock last night, we were having/ had dinner at a Chinese restaurant
Exercise 3: Read the letter and write the missing words. Write one word on each
line
Dear Georgia,
I’m writing to you from my hotel room (1) ______ New York. You can’t imagine what
happened to me yesterday! I was walking in Mitte at around noon (2) _______ it started
raining. (3) ______ I was running back to the hotel, I saw a famous actor who was eating
in a restaurant. I went in and (4) ______ hello and he gave me two tickets to see his new
film. Isn’t that great?
That’s all for now. See you (5) ______ I get back!
Love,
Rachel
Exercise 4: Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous
1. A: How (1) _______________ (Anne/ break) her leg?
B: She (2) ______________ (ride) her horse when she (3) _______________ (fall) and
(4) __________ (land) on her leg.
A: (5) ________________ (she/go) to hospital?
2. A: When (1) ___________ (you/see) Peter?
B: While I (2) ___________ (do) my shopping at the supermarket
3. A: I (1) __________ (call) you last night but you (2) _____________ (not/ answer).
Where were you?
B: I (3) __________________ (jog) in the park
Exercise 5: Give the correct forms of the verbs given in the brackets
1. Susan __was stuyding_________ (study) in her room when she heard the noise.
2. What ____were they doing________ (they, do) at eleven p.m. last night - it was so
noisy?
3. I was eight years old when my elder sister _______was teaching___ (teach) me how to
ride a bike.
4. John ________didn’t go______ (not go) to school last week because he was ill.
5. I didn't know anything about the plane crash in my neighborhood because I _was
working_______ (work) inside at that time.
6. Yesterday at 9.30 p.m my parents ______was sitting________ (sit) in the garden
_______drinking_______ (drink) some Coke.
7. The chambermaid ________made______ (make) my bed in the hotel and
_______cleaned_______ (clean) the bathroom.
8. Someone ______knocked________ (knock) on the door while I ____was
reading__________ (read) the newspaper.
9. My brother ______bought________ (buy) a lot of books when he ____was
living__________ (live) in Cambridge.
10. William ____didn’t__________ (not meet) Sally at the airport last Sunday.
11. Jerry __was having____________ (have) dinner when the lights
______went________ (go) out.
12. The girl _____felt_________ (feel) ill so she _______didn’t______ (not go) to work.
13. I _________was making_____ (make) a pudding when the light
_______went_______ (go) out.
14. We suddenly _____realized_________ (realize) that we ___was
traveling___________ (travel) in the wrong direction.
15. While I _____was swimming_________ (swim) someone ___stole___________
(steal) my clothes and I ______had to________ (have to) walk to the hotel in my
swimsuit.
16. The floor ______was________ (be) covered with balls of wool. Obviously
Grandmother ___was knitting___________ (knit) something.
17. I _______found_______ (find) this coin as I ______was digging________ (dig) in
the garden. It looks very old.
18. When I first ______met________ (meet) him, he __was working____________
(work) in a cafe.
19. When I ________was reading______ (read) a book, I _______heard_______ (hear) a
knock, I ______went ________ (go) to the door and ____opened__________ (open) it,
but I ____didn’t recognize__________ (not recognize) my friend at first because I
______didn’t__wear______ (not wear) my glasses.
20. When I _____came_________ (come) in they ____were sitting__________ (sit)
round the fire.
Exercise 6: Supply the correct tenses of the verbs in brackets
One afternoon, a big wolf (wait) ____________ in a dark forest for a little girl to come
along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally a little girl did come along
and she (carry) ____________ a basket of food. 'Are you carrying that basket to your
grandmother?' asked the wolf. The little girl said yes, she (be)____________. So the wolf
(ask) ____________her where her grandmother lived and the little girl
(tell)____________ him and he (disappear)____________ into the wood.
When the little girl (open) ____________ the door of her grandmother's house, she
(see)____________ that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on.
She (approach)____________ no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she
(see)____________ that it was not her grandmother but the wolf , for even in a nightcap
a wolf does not look like anybody's grandmother. So the little girl (take) ____________
an automatic pistol out of her basket and (shoot) ____________the wolf dead.
Exercise 7: Complete this email with either the past simple or the past
continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Where alternatives are possible, think
about any difference in meaning.
I (1. buy) ____________ a new alarm clock the other day in Taylor’s the jewellers,
when I actually (2. see) ____________ somebody shoplifting. I’d finished paying for
my clock and as I (3. turn) ____________ round, an elderly woman (4. slowly put)
____________ a silver plate into a bag that she (5. carry) ____________. Then she (6.
walk) ____________ over to another part of the shop and (7. pick up) ____________
an expensive-looking watch a number of times. When she (8. think) ____________
that nobody (9. look) ____________, she (10. drop) ____________ it into the bag.
Before I (11. have) ____________ a chance to tell the staff in the shop, she (12.
notice) ____________ that I (13. watch) ____________ her and (14.
hurry)____________ out. Unfortunately for her, two police officers (15. walk)
____________ past just at that moment and she (16. run) ____________ straight into
them.
Exerccise 8: Complete the sentences using these pairs of verbs. Use the past simple in one gap and the
past continuous in the other.
come - show get - go hope - give live - spend
look - see play - break start - check in
1. Just as I was getting into the bath all the lights went off.
2. I……………………..to go away this weekend, but my boss…………………..me
some work that I have to finish by Monday.
3. When I………………………..in Paris, I……………………three hours a day
travelling to and from work.
4. A friendly American couple…………………..chatting to him as
he…………………at the hotel reception.
5. I bumped into Lena last week. She……………………….a lot better than when I
last…………………..her.
6. My boss…………………………..into the office just as I…………………………
everyone my holiday photos.
7. I…………….badminton four times a week before I……………………..my ankle.
Exercise 9: Choose the correct alternative “When/ While”
1. I had a bad dream _____________ I was sleeping on the sofa
2. I was talking to my husband in the park _____________ two cars crashed behind
us.
3. You called me last night _____________ I was studying for an important exam.
4. The students were doing an exercise _____________ the bell rang.
5. Anna was doing her homework _____________ the lights went out.
Exericise 10: Circle the correct verb form in each of the following sentences
1. Mary (prepared/ was preparing) lunch when they (came/ was coming)
2. The sun (shone/ was shining) brightly when I (got up/ was getting up) this morning.
3. Ann finally (told/ was telling) us the whole story about Peter
4. We (drove/ were driving) to Berlin in Robert’s new car
5. Last weekend Susan (fell/ was falling) and (broke/ was breaking) her leg
6. Who was that nice girl you (talked/ were talking) to when I (walked/ was walking)
by the pub?
7. When I (entered / was entering) the cafeteria Mary (had / was having) lunch with
Peter.
Exercise 11: Complete the gaps in Past Simple or Past Continuous
1. We ______________ to the cinema yesterday. (to go)
2. I ______________ my homework for the whole evening yesterday. (to do)
3. Emily ______________ the piano at 4 p.m yesterday. (to play)
4. When John came home, his little brother ______________ TV. (to watch)
5. They ______________ a new house last month. (to buy)
6. We ______________ our relatives in the USA two years ago. (to visit)
7. As Sophie ______________ (walk) up Regent Street, she ______________ (meet)
an old friend from college.
8. Who ______________ (you/ speak) to on the phone when I ______________
(come) in?
9. Mary ______________ (read) in bed when she ______________ (hear) a strange
noise downstairs.
10. The fireman ______________ (rescue) a 75-year-old woman who
______________ (be) trapped on the second floor of the burning building.
11. When I ______________ (open) the door, two people ______________ (stand)
there.
12. Your package ______________ (arrive) while we ______________ (have) dinner.
13. Gran ______________ (do) really well when I ______________ (see) her
yesterday.
14. The teacher ______________ (ask) me a question while I ______________ (look)
out of the window
15. We ______________ (not drive) very fast when the police officer
______________ (stop) us.
16. While I ______________ (drive), I ______________ (have) an accident.
17. Kate ______________ (have) dinner and then she ______________ (do) her
homework.
18. The thieves ______________ (hide) in the kitchen when the police
______________ (come) in.
19. Sam ______________ (plan) a party and then he ______________ (phone) his
friends.
20. While we ______________ (clean) the house, we ______________ (break) some
glasses.
21. Alan ______________ (look) out of the window when he ______________ (see)
a UFO.
Exercise 12: Give the correct form of verbs in bracket
1. I ( not permit) _____________ to go out after 10 pm
2. The black dress ( make) _____________ me look older than my mother.
3. This little girl (expect) _____________ by her parents to win the competition.
4. My manager ( not let) _____________me use the computer in the office for
personal purposes.
5. Your hydro bill (pay) _____________ by Mr. Smith yesterday.
6. This building (design) _____________ by a well-known architect in 2001.
7. last year, It ( rumour) _____________ that people would build a new bridge here.
8. The teacher (order) _____________ me to finish my report before yesterday.
9. his shoes ( often shine) _____________ by his wife.
10. Our way ( light) _____________ by a full moon.
Exercise 13: Make sentences from the prompts using past simple and past
continuous
1. I / drop / my mobile phone / when / I / walk / to school.
_______________________________________________________
2. What / Jamie / do / when / you / see / him?
_______________________________________________________
3. It / not rain / when / we / leave / the house / this morning.
_______________________________________________________
4. Emily / not ride / her bike / when / the accident / happen.
_______________________________________________________
5. they / sleep / when / you / phone / them?
_______________________________________________________
6. Who / you / talk / to / when / I arrive?
_______________________________________________________