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Past Simple vs. Past Continuous Exercises

The document contains exercises focused on the use of past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It includes fill-in-the-blank activities, reading comprehension questions, and a section for choosing suitable musical shows based on personal preferences. The exercises aim to enhance understanding and application of past tense forms in various contexts.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
16 views12 pages

Past Simple vs. Past Continuous Exercises

The document contains exercises focused on the use of past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It includes fill-in-the-blank activities, reading comprehension questions, and a section for choosing suitable musical shows based on personal preferences. The exercises aim to enhance understanding and application of past tense forms in various contexts.

Uploaded by

Serena
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Past Simple or Past Continuous?

Choose the past simple or past continuous.

1. He _________________________ (sleep) when the doorbell


_________________________ (ring).
2. We _________________________ (eat) dinner at 8pm last night (we started eating at
7:30).
3. Yesterday I _________________________ (go) to the post office,
_________________________ (buy) some fruit at the supermarket and
_________________________ (read) a book in the park in the afternoon.
4. We _________________________ (watch) TV when we
_________________________ (hear) a loud noise.
5. Julie _________________________ (be) in the garden when Laurence
_________________________ (arrive).
6. A: What _________________________ (you / do) at 3pm yesterday?
B: I _________________________ (clean) my house.
7. Last year I _________________________ (visit) Paris and Rome.
8. They _________________________ (have) dinner when the police
_________________________ (come) to the door.
9. He _________________________ (work) in the garden when he
_________________________ (find) the money.
10. Laura _________________________ (study) at 11pm last night.
11. I _________________________ (walk) along the road when I
_________________________ (meet) an old friend.
12. It _________________________ (be) a day in December. Snow
_________________________ (fall), children _________________________ (sing)
carols and people _________________________ (do) their Christmas shopping.
13. My ex-boyfriend _________________________ (be) so annoying! He
_________________________ (always / miss) the bus and
_________________________ (arrive) late.
14. When I _________________________ (call) Julie, she
_________________________ (work).

1 ©www.perfect-english-grammar.com
May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.
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)

www.english-practice.at
Test4
READING (45 minutes)

Part 1
Questions 1-5

For each question, choose the correct answer.

-
1
Why is Anne texting?
43 i:;, a:;- .., /~ 08·21
A to ask Eric if he can do her a favour

Tric -
The traffic's awful but
l B to remind Eric about what they have
agreed
l'm almost there. Luckily
I ordered the tickets C to give Eric an update regarding their
online so we won't need arrangement
I to waste time queuing.
Let me know where to
find you when I get to
1

/ the theatre.
Anne

2
st
A udents of any year group are able to
~ inal-year Students
come to the careers talk.
Ex-students from our 8 t
course are coming here S udents should go to the talk if they
next week to talk to 'you need help applying fora job.
about how to do well
in your first job. Space C Students must register quickly because
tor a maximum of thirty places at the event are lim't d
students, so sign up now. I e .

3
Recycling Centre Users A Recycling centre staff Will cle .
Glass, plastic and metal items must be for recycling. an 1tems
cleaned before you bring them to the
B Certain items need to be w h
recycling centre. Please piace them in the
they are recycled. as ed before
correct recycling bin - the recycling centre
@ staff are there to help. @ C AII items can be placed in th
recycling bin. e same
62
Reading

-
4
A Gabriel has got a ticket for Nora to go
to the special dance event.
'-J.:..-;-
-•k"~I-,.
"'

....?';_\
. ,,;oa21
'4 ' -~. B Gabriel is informing Nora that she needs
! Nora
to remember to bring headphones.
You know the silent C Ga~riel wants Nora to suggest who may
disco we spoke about?
be 1nterested in going to the disco.
You've got to wear their
special headphones so
you can hear the DJ.
Besides you, who else
should I get tickets tor?
They're running out!
Gabriel

5 A Our staff can let you know about what


we've used to make our dishes.
lf you need
information about the B Read the information on our menu
if you need to avoid eating certain
ingredients in any of
ingredients.
our dishes, please
C Teli your waiter if you 'd prefer something
tell your waiter when
different from what's on the menu.
you are choosing
food from our menu.
Test4

Part 2
Questions 6-10
For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to see a musical show at the theatre.
On the apposite page there are eight reviews of shows.
Decide which show would be the most suitable for the people below.

Erika wants to see a show with music and which has famous actors
6 in the lead roles. She'd like it to be based on a book and contain
many different types of music.

Guillermo would like to go to a show that's funny and is about a real


7
person. He's looking for one with some music in it, but with more
speaking than singing.

Neelam wants to see a musical show which contains lots of special


8
effects and would like to watch it in an unusual piace. She'd like to
see a love story.

Oumar wants t~ goto a show that's a bit frightening. He'd like to


see a story set 1n the past and realistic costumes from the period.
9 ~~~ ,)! '/
l. '"

j.
I -

Mira wants a show with dancing, as well as songs by well-kn


musicians. She'd like the music to be in a range of styles fro~wn
10 around the world .

64
Reading

The best musical shows in town


A Glad!
B MaryWright
Gladi tells the story of a teenage giri
whose dreams of becoming a famous Tue two well-known lead actors in this
th
musician come true with the help of 16 -century drama are surprisingly good
dancers, and the music creates quite a scary
some special (and amusing!) friends.
atmosphere. Tue clothes by top designer Jean-
The costumes and songs are amazing,
Luc Filbert are historically accurate and look
and although it's fiction, it has the feel
absolutely wonderful.
of a real-life story. lt's on for one week
only, on a temporary stage in the football
stadium.

e The Amazing Mr Mason D The End of Summer


Th is unusual musical is based on a famous You've probably read the novel which this
story written over 400 years ago. The hero musical comedy takes its story from, but
fa lls in love with a princess who's forced to you won't recognise the songs, as they
move to another country. There's quite a lot were specially written for the show. Several
of speaking fora musical, but the ending's songwriters were needed, due to the wide
a su rprising pleasure. variety of music the producers wanted. The
stars, who you'II probably recognise from TY,
are fantastic.

E KeepingTime F No Exit
Keeping Time is based on the real-life story With its use of film and advanced
of the popular group Marcellous, and includes tech no lo gy to make it seem like the
their best work. We see how having members c ha racters appear in two places at o nce,
from three different continents allowed them this s pectacula r musical starts off as an
to create songs using music from each piace. o ld-fashio ned ghost story but q uickly
Unusually, there's ballet in this show, but it turns into a highly entertaining romantic
goes surprisingly well with their music. comedy. The fact that the show is
performed in an old factory building only
adds to the enjoyment.

G Tiger Prince H The Final Whistle


The Tiger Prince leaves his jungle home and lf you're tired of serious dramas and dull love
comes to the city in this fabulous musical. stories, why not give this laugh-a-minute show
The story isn 't particularly origina! but the a try? Tue true story of basketball player
computer-controlled light show goes perfec~ly Andy Hammond is cleverly told. Despite being
with the amazing dance routines to make th1s advertised as a musical show, it actually has
a must-see show. very few songs. You'll love ali the brilliant jokes
and entertaining conversations.

RF.
Test4

Part 3
Questions 11-15

For each question, choose the correct answer.

My Canadian trip
by Louise Wa/ton

Last year I went on an amazing trip - travelling by boat on a guid~d gro~p t~ur along
the west coast of Canada. lt was my brother Harry's idea. He's a 1ournal1st, hke
me and he wanted to write articles about the trip. He's also a great fan of boats,
although that's one interest we definitely don't share. But l'd dreamt of visiting the
area ever since seeing it on TV as a child, especially as I knew it was where our
great-grandparents had lived before moving to Europe. So I kept asking Harry if I
could go too - until he finally agreed!

A few weeks before we left home, there were storms in the area we were going
to. But luckily the forecast for the time we intended to be there was for calm seas.
Although there was plenty to arrange, I was busy at work so didn't have much
time to think about what needed doing. But Harry promised he'd taken care of
everything, so I knew everything would be ali right.

After arriving in Canada, we joined the group, packed our limited supplies into small
boats and set off. The guide had mentioned that very few people now lived along
that coast, and sure enough, the only other living creatures we saw far the first few
days were dolphins and birds. We knew there were islands in the distance, but the
early-morning fog made it hard to see very far, so I just focussed on the beautiful
patterns our boat made in the water.

We often stopped for hours to explore the rock pools on the beaches. They were
full of amazing coloured fish , many of which I didn't recognise. And it was great to
be able to stop caring about how quickly or slowly the day was passing . We never
forgot lunch or dinner, though, which we ali made together aver camp fires. When
we finally fell asleep on the boats each evening, even though the beds were hard it
really felt like stress-free living! '

When the ti_me carnet~ lea~e, I wa~ sad . H?w could I return to normai life again?
But I knew 1f I stayed, I d miss fam1ly and fnends. I was also looking forward to
telling everyone at home about our adventures!
Reading

11 Why was Louise keen to go on the trip to Canada?


A She liked the idea of spending time in a boat.
B She knew her brother wanted her to accompany him.
e She had wanted to travel there tor a long time.
D She had heard from some relatives who lived there.

12 Just before their departure, Louise

A began to wonder how they would deal with bad weather.


B was confident that they were fully prepared tor the trip.
C wished she could help her brother more.
D felt she was better organised than usual.

13 On the first morning of the trip, Louise says she admired


A the way the sea around them looked.
B the wildlife which their boats attraeteci.
C the homes that people had built in the area.
D the views of islands they were passing.

14 During the trip, Louise enjoyed


A learning the names of the fish she saw.
B not having to cook regular meals.
e spending the nights in comfort.
D not having to worry about time.

15 What would Louise write in her diary during the trip?

A B
There are wonderful pools along I can't believe l'm in the same
the coast, left behind by the sea. piace I saw on that programme
I wish we had the time to look at ages ago. Our great-grandparents
them more carefully. would be amazed!

e D
We've brought a lot of stuff with lt'II be hard to say goodbye to
us in the boats - l'm sure it's not the piace at the end, but I can't
ali necessary. lt's surprising they wait to get back to work - l've really
don't sink! missed it.
Test4

Part 4
Questions 16-20
Five sentences have been removed fròm the text below.
For each question, choose the correct answer.
There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.

The Museum of Trash


In an industriai area in California, in the USA, large garbage trucks regularly
deliver tons of rubbish to a recycling centre. Meanwhile, coaches deliver crowds
of people who are coming to visit The Museum of Trash. FJ.iJ j /1t is a
colourful elephant made entirely out of rubbish.

The unusual sculpture was createci out of ali sorts of rubbish: old signs, mobile
phones, shoes, sunglasses, plastic toys, car number plates, and anything else
that the artist could get his hands on.

l...1_1__J...__~I They have fun trying to find them ali. The sculpture is 4 metres tali
person in California throws away every year. fii
and weighs around 900 kg, which is equa! to the average amount of rubbish each
J
While the elephant sculpture is popular, visitors also enjoy being able to see what
happens at a real recycling centre. Rubbish which can be recycled is brought
here every day. kiij ]People who live in these places are happy to
know that what they throw away will not be wasted. Once it has arrived at the
recycling centre, the rubbish is put into separate containers ac?ording to what it
is made from, and sold to businesses that can use it to create new products. The
companies make a range of things out of the recycled materials, and some of
them can be bought in the museum shop.

'What is really exciting is that people go home and teli their friends what they can
recycle,' says the museum's director. •~ 'j JThey can see where ali the
rubbish goes and learn that recycling is better than just wasting things.,

68
A Few of these items were recycled into anything that people could wear.

B Visitors are given a list of the different objects in it.

C Although this might not seem like a lot, it is more than in most museums.

D So while it is fun tor visitors, they also pass on their new knowledge.

E lt comes from twenty towns in the locai area.

F Nowadays, however, over 30,000 visitors come to the museum each year.

G The first display they see looks like something out of an animateci movie.

H lt is certainly shocking to see what that actually looks like.


Test4

Part 5
Questions 21-26

For each question, choose the correct answer.

lnventing the telephone


The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Beli. His first career involved teaching
people how to use a system which his father had (21) .... ... .. ... ..... ....... to help deaf
people communicate. Because of this, Beli became more and more interested in ali types
of communication.

Beli wanted to (22) .. .. ... ... . ........ .. ... it possible for people to talk to each other over
(23) .... .. ......... .... .. ... distances. He realised that he had to turn sound into electricity and
then back to sound again . This was a big engineering (24) .. .. ... .. .. ..... ... ... .. . .

In 1876, after severa! months of hard work on this problem, Beli and his assistant Thomas
Watson (25) .. ....... .. ... ... .... ... it.

The first words ever spoken on the telephone are famous. Beli was working on their new
invention in his laboratory when he accidentaliy (26) .... ................. ... dangerous liquid on
his clothes. He called Watson and said, 'Come here, I want to see you!'

21 A thought B developed e done D reached

22 A create B have e get D make

23 A long B high e wide D far

24 A request B demand e challenge D method

25 A solved B answered e succeeded D found

26 A lost B kept e fell D Spilt

70
Reading

Part 6
Questions 27-32
For each questìon, wrìte the correct answer.
Wrìte one word for each gap.

From: Harry

To: Oliver

Subject: Piano lessons .

Hi Olìver,

Guess what? l've finally started piano lessons, like you! As you know, it's something l've
wanted to do ever (27) .............. ... . .... .. I was young . Anyway, a couple of months ago
I saw someone playing the piano on lV - he was brilliant. And when I found out he'd only
started playing quite recently, that encouraged (28) ..................... .. . to start lessons.

l've gota really good teacher, and I goto her house twice a week (29) ................ ... .... .
lessons. She's very patient. Every time I make a mistake, she explains what I did wrong.
Also, I couldn't read music when I started. lt's been hard to learn to read the notes on the
page and decide which piano keys to use at the (30) .......... .. ............ time! But when
I finally play something that other people recognise, it really makes me happy. Maybe
(31) ........................ day, 1'11 become even better (32) ........................ you are at

playing the piano!

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