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Exercise 29
Past Tense
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in simple past
perfect tense.
Note: All of the past participles used in this exercise are regular.
(See note at exercise 28.)
Example: Vikings (invade) had invaded England long before the Angles and Saxons
arrived.
1) Tonya (work) _______ _______ as a decorator before she opened her shop.
2) My daughter and I (enjoy) _______ _______ the ballet so much that
we wanted to see it again.
3) The power supply (fail) _______ _______ during the night, so the
house got cold.
4) You (call) _______ _______ earlier in the day, so we knew you were
on your way.
5) The cat (scratch) _______ ______ a hole in the sofa before its owner noticed.
6) John and Nikki (start) _______ _______ their bakery long before the big one came
to town.
7) The alligators at the edge of the pond (scare) _______ _______ us until we realized
they were behind a fence.
8) The defense attorney (argue) _______ _______ before Judge Sanchez prior to last
June's trial.
9) The trumpet player (finish) ______ ________ his solo before the trombonist stood
up.
10) Mark (behave) _______ _______ well at the playground, so his mother bought him
a treat.
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Exercise 30
Past Tense
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in simple past
perfect tense.
Note: As noted in Exercise 28, when used in the simple past perfect tense, the past
participle is often regular. In Exercises 28 and 29, we concentrated on the regular form.
However, for irregular verbs, like the ones used in this exercise, the spelling and
pronunciation gets changed.
Example: He (wrote) had written a book about bass fishing before he began the one on
fishing boats.
1) You (know) _______ _______ about conditions in the Middle East long before you
made that trip.
2) Robert (begin) _______ ______ to research his family history a year before he visited
Ireland.
3) The Kowalske family (eat) _______ ______ organic vegetables even before they
planted their garden.
4) Before the treasure hunt started, Ryan's mother (hide)_______ ________ clues in
the yard.
5) Jenna (ride) _______ _______ her bike 12 miles; now she was sore.
6) The geese (fly) _______ _______ from Michigan to Florida before the first snow fell.
7) Mrs. Hughes (fall) _______ _______ several times in the past, so she decided to get
a walker.
8) The choir (sing) _______ _______ together many times before its tour of Europe last
month.
9) Bill (write) ______ _______ three cookbooks before his book on baking with
chocolate was released.
10) Olga was amused when Seventies styles returned; she (wear) _______ ______
them since high school!
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Name________________
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Exercise 31
Past Tense
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in simple past
perfect tense. Then indicate whether the past participle is regular or irregular.
Note: This exercise offers practice in using negatives in the simple past perfect tense.
Example: Huan (not, want) had not wanted to study chemistry last semester.
(regular / irregular)
1) We (not, stand) _______ _______ _______ in the rain long before the
gates were opened. (regular / irregular)
2) Russ and Becca (not, have) ______ ______ ______much experience
with building before they started their deck. (regular / irregular)
3) The Wilsons (not, save)_______ _______ ______ enough money to pay their
taxes before the deadline arrived. (regular / irregular)
4) He and Carlos (not, work) _______ _______ _______ for six months, then the
company rehired them. (regular / irregular)
5) The batter (not, swing) _______ _______ _______ at any pitches before he was
hit by the ball. (regular / irregular)
6) Ivan (not, take) ______ ______ ______ a coat with him; now the temperature was
dropping fast. (regular / irregular)
7) Carl (not, sleep) _______ _______ _______long enough when his mother woke him
up. (regular /irregular)
8) The mechanic (not, fix) ______ ________ _______the engine yet when we called
him last Saturday. (regular / irregular)
9) Tyler (not, surf) _______ _______ _______ until he visited his brother in San
Diego (regular / irregular).
10) The city employees (not, expect) _______ _______ _______ to get a raise in last
year's budget. (regular / irregular)
●●●[Link] © 2010
[Link] © 2008
Name________________
Date________________
Exercise 32
Past Tense
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in parentheses in simple past
perfect tense. Then indicate whether the past participle is regular or irregular.
Note: In this exercise, adverbs, like still, already, usually, frequently, never, and
others—are used in verbs which are in the simple past perfect tense. An adverb
tells us something more about the action of the verb. It is said to "modify" the
verb.
Example: You (already, ring) had already rung the bell before it was time for class.
(regular / irregular)
1) Christy (already, adopt) _______ ______ _______ several dogs before she
adopted Molly. (regular / irregular)
2) Seth (seldom, play) _______ _______ _______soccer before he tried
out for his
school's team. (regular / irregular)
3) That species of elephant (recently, disappear) ______ ______ ______
from the area, so we were not able to see it. (regular / irregular)
4) It was a good year for Melissa; she (quickly, sell) ______ ______ ______ her quota
of houses and was rewarded with a vacation. (regular / irregular)
5) Edward (never, forgive) ______ ______ ______ Elise; now he was leaving her.
(regular / irregular)
6) The company (seriously, consider) ______ ______ ______ moving its plant to
Iowa, but chose Oregon instead. (regular / irregular)
7) Lucia (frequently, think) ______ ______ ______ about returning to her home in
Costa Rica before she found a job in New York. (regular / irregular)
8) The history class members (usually, watch) ______ ______ ______ a movie the
day before a test. (regular / irregular)
9) The new citizens (solemnly, swear) ______ ______ ______ their loyalty to the
country when they took the oath. (regular / irregular)
10) The car (still, cost) ______ ______ ______ Jamie $15,000, even after the price
was reduced. (regular / irregular)
