UNIT 2.

PAST SIMPLE-PAST CONTINUOUS

Exercise on Simple Past
1. Exercise on questions with interrogative.Ask for the bold part of the sentence.
1. She pushed her bike. →
2. She carried a bag. →
3. We waited in the park. →
4. The policeman arrested the thief. →
5. We ate fish. →
6. She watched the match last night. →
7. She asked her friend because she did not know what to do. →
8. I opened the door. →
9. The teacher checked our homework. →
10. Cindy had a dog. →

2. Put the verbs into the correct form (simple past).

spent
1. Last year I (spend) my holiday in Ireland.
2. It (be) great.
3. I (travel) around by car with two friends and we (visit) lots of interesting places.
4. In the evenings we usually (go) to a pub.
5. One night we even (learn) some Irish dances.
6. We (be) very lucky with the weather.
7. It (not / rain) a lot.
8. But we (see) some beautiful rainbows.
9. Where (spend / you) your last holiday?

3. READING:

Oxford is a beautiful university town that is famous all over the world. The
University of Oxford is the oldest university in Great Britain; it already existed
in the 12th century. In the town centre there are many old buildings. There is
also a museum where you can learn more about Oxford’s history.

Grammar Exercise on the Text:

We use the simple past for situations and actions in the past. For further information, check
out our grammar section: Simple Past.

Write the verbs in simple past.

1. The University of Oxford (be) the first British university.

2. The lecturers of the colleges (speak) a very clear English.
3. That's why Oxford English (become) known as the English of educated people.
4. In the 19th century, Lewis Carroll (write) 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' in
Oxford.
5. Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) (study) electrical engineering at Oxford.

→4. HIGHLIGHT VERBS IN SIMPLE PAST

Chapter II

There was a horrible storm that night, but apart from that nothing scary happened. The next
morning, however, when the family came down to breakfast, they found the terrible stain of
blood once again on the floor. Washington cleaned it a second time, but the second morning
it appeared again. The third morning it was there, too, although the library had been locked
up at night by Mr Otis himself.

The following night, all doubts about the existence of the ghost were finally removed
forever. At eleven o'clock the family went to bed and some time after, Mr Otis was awakened
by a strange noise in the corridor, outside his room. It sounded like the clank of metal, and it
came nearer every moment. Mr Otis got up and looked at the time. It was exactly one
o'clock. So Mr Otis put on his slippers, went to the door and opened it. There, right in front
of him, stood the ghost - his eyes were as red as burning coals; long grey hair fell over his
shoulders and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy chains.

“My dear Sir,” said Mr Otis, “you must oil those chains. It's impossible to sleep with such a
noise going on outside the bedrooms. I have therefore brought you this bottle of lubricator,
and I will be happy to supply you with more if you require it.” With these words Mr Otis laid
the bottle down, closed his door and went back to bed.

Shocked, the Canterville ghost stood quite motionless for a moment, but then he growled
angrily. Just at this moment, the twins appeared on the corridor and threw a large pillow at
him! The ghost hastily escaped through the wall, and the house became quiet again.

When the ghost reached his small secret chamber, he took a deep breath. No ghosts in
history had ever been treated in this manner!

The Canterville Ghost

Chapter II

Questions on the text

 Which statement is true?

The ghost appears on the first night the Otis family spends in the castle.

Washington runs out of stain remover.

The blood-stain is there again every morning.

 What wakes Mr Otis up?

The ghost's chains.

His wife's snoring.

The screaming of a person.

 Is Mr Otis afraid of the ghost? yes no

Find a synonym for each word in the text.

 terrible →

 closer →

Why do we use the simple past in the following sentences?

 He put on his slippers, went to the door and opened it.

states in the past

actions that happened one after the other

 His eyes were red; grey hair fell over his shoulders and from his wrists hung heavy
chains.

states in the past

actions that happened one after the other


 5. Exercise on Simple Past. Exercise on negative sentences
Rewrite the sentences in the negative.

They did not colle

1. They collected postcards. →
2. You jumped high. →
3. Albert played squash. →
4. The teacher tested our English. →
5. Fiona visited her grandma. →
6. He washed the car. →
7. You were thirsty. →
8. He had a computer. →
9. I bought bread. →
10. You saw the house. →

6. Exercise on Simple Past

Erxercise on questions

Write questions in simple past.

Did Anna open th

1. Anna / the window / open
2. she / home / walk
3. you / in the garden / work
4. you / a song / sing
5. she / on a chair / sit
6. you / the castle / visit
7. Jenny / the door / lock
8. she / happy / be
9. Greg / the ball / kick
10. the car / at the corner / stop

7. Exercise on Simple Past

Have a look at James's last week's diary and answer the questions in complete
sentences. Put the time expression at the end of the sentence.

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

shop meeti ring conc saili
football buy flowers
ping ng Jane ert ng
cine tenni Englis Italian
ma s h restaurant
1. When was his English course? →
2. When did he go shopping? →
3. When did he buy flowers? →
4. When was his meeting? →
5. When did he play football? →
6. When did he go to the Italian restaurant? →
7. When did he ring Jane? →
8. When did he go to the cinema? →
9. When did he play tennis? →
10. When was the concert? →
11. When did he go sailing? →
8. Exercise on Simple Past

Exercise on positive sentences

Write positive sentences in simple past.

1. he / the question / answer

2. you / a question / ask
3. the dog / bark
4. they / us / call
5. we / a mountain / climb
6. John / stamps / collect
7. we / in London / live
8. I / hungry / be
9. they / a hamster / have
10. he / to school / go

9. Exercise on Past Progressive

Was or Were

Decide whether to use 'was' or 'were'.

1. Boris learning English.

2. They swimming in the lake.
3. Your father repairing the car.
4. I reading a magazine.
5. You packing your bag.
6. My friends watching the match on TV.
7. It raining.
8. The dog barking.
9. The children brushing their teeth.

10. Anne and Maureen singing a song

Exercise on Past Progressive

Positive Sentences

Yesterday at 3 pm the following people were in the middle of an action.

Write positive sentences in past progressive.

1. you / play / cards

2. Alice / walk / around the lake
3. Caron / listen / to the radio
4. we / read / a book about Australia
5. Linda / look for / her ring
6. Fiona and Sam / visit / the castle
7. Ben / wash / the car
8. Kim and I / wait / in the park
9. My sister / feed / the birds
10. Greg and Phil / count / their money
11.Exercise on Past Progressive

Negative Sentences

Somebody believes that yesterday at 3 pm the following people were in the middle of an
action. That cannot be, however, as yesterday at 3 pm these people were not doing those
things.
Write negative sentences in past progressive.

1. Sarah and Luke / not / work

2. Mister Miller / not / teach / chemistry
3. Barry / not / drive / a lorry
4. Mandy / not / have / lunch
5. Albert / not / play / tennis
6. Taylor and Bob / not / cycle / home
7. Annie / not / clean / the table
8. Benjamin / not / write / an e-mail
9. Jane / not / exercise / in the gym
10. Robert / not / buy / flowers

12. Exercise on Past Progressive

Questions

You want to know whether the following people were in the middle of an action at a certain
time in the past.
Write questions in past progressive.

1. Rachel / feed / the cat

2. the children / paint / a picture
3. Clark / repair / his computer
4. Hazel / swim / in the pool
5. Lucas / have / a shower
6. Jason and Aron / run / down the street
7. Betty / do / her homework
8. Cindy and James / make / dinner
9. Rebecca / watch / Star Trek
10. Anita and Linda / sit / in the kitchen

13. Exercise on Past Progressive

Questions

You want to know whether the following people were in the middle of an action at a certain
time in the past.
Write questions in past progressive.

1. Rachel / feed / the cat

2. the children / paint / a picture
3. Clark / repair / his computer
4. Hazel / swim / in the pool
5. Lucas / have / a shower
6. Jason and Aron / run / down the street
7. Betty / do / her homework
8. Cindy and James / make / dinner
9. Rebecca / watch / Star Trek
10. Anita and Linda / sit / in the kitchen

14. Exercise on Past Progressive

Questions with Interrogatives. Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.
 1. Henry was living in London last year.
2. Anita was working at a restaurant last week.
3. Ricky was waiting for Holly.
4. Sarah was singing a song.
5. Joe was reading a book.
6. At six o'clock, Myriam and her family were having dinner.
7. Bob was walking home because his car had a flat tire.
8. At half past seven, Mister Logan was driving home.
9. The children were playing in the sandbox.
10. Claire was visiting her best friend.

15. Exercise on Past Progressive

Put the verbs into the correct form (past progressive).
w ere playing
1. When I phoned my friends, they (play) monopoly.
2. Yesterday at six I (prepare) dinner.
3. The kids (play) in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.
4. I (practise) the guitar when he came home.
5. We (not / cycle) all day.
6. While Aaron (work) in his room, his friends (swim) in the pool.
7. I tried to tell them the truth but they (listen / not).
8. What (you / do) yesterday?
9. Most of the time we (sit) in the park.

16. Complete the table in past progressive.

positive negative question
They were not chatting.

Was the couple kissing?

They were complaining.

It was not getting dark.

Bob was studying.

Was or Were?
1. The pirates ................fighting for the treasure.
2. We …..........discussing the problem.
3. The candle ............burning.
4. The cat ................chasing the mice.
5. The mice ...............running away from the cat.

17. Write sentences in past progressive.

1. the snowman / melt / in the sun →
2. we / explore / a new territory →
3. the secretary / print out / a document →
4. the girls / not / concentrate / on the task →
5. Garth / not / practise / on the piano →

18. Write questions in past progressive.

1. Jill / dance →
2. your cousins / swim / in the lake →
3. the student / answer / a question →
4. William / play / the guitar →
5. Janet / sit / on the bench →

19. Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.
1. At a quarter past six, Phil was translating the document.
2. Sheila was waiting in the park.
 3. The pupils were talking about the United States.
4. The boss was dictating a letter.
5. Barbara was looking for her necklace

20. Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. While Tom (read) , Amely (watch) a documentary on

TV.

2. Marvin (come) home, (switch) on the computer and

(check) his emails.

3. The thief (sneak) into the house, (steal) the jewels

and (leave) without a trace.

4. Nobody (listen) while the teacher (explain) the

tenses.

5. While we (do) a sight-seeing tour, our friends (lie) on

the beach.

6. He (wake) up and (look) at his watch.

21. Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. When I (get) up yesterday, the sun (shine) .

2. It (is) a beautiful morning.

3. So I (decide) to cycle around a little.

4. I (go) to the shed and (take) out my bike.

5. While I (cycle) past some villages, I (see) some

people in their gardens.

6. One man (mow) the grass while his wife (pick)

strawberries.
7. After one hour of cycling in sunshine, a big fat raincloud suddenly (appear)

and it (start) to rain.

8. Luckily, a farmer (notice) me and (tell) me to come

in.

9. While it (rain) outside, I (sit) in the farmer's house.

10. After a while, the sun (come) out again.

11. I (thank) the farmer for his hospitality and (move) on.

22. Simple Past or Past Progressive

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or past progressive).
 w as doing broke
1. When I (do) the washing-up, I (break) a plate.

2. While Tom (play) the piano, his mother (do) the

washing-up.

3. He (drink) some juice and then he (eat) a few chips.

4. I (have) dinner when I suddenly (hear) a loud bang.

5. When my father (work) in the garden, an old friend (pass)

by to see him.

6. She (go) to school, (take) out her textbook and

(begin) to learn.

7. When it (start) to rain, our dog (want) to come

inside.

8. When Jane (do) a language course in Ireland, she (visit)

Blarney Castle.

9. When I (be) on my way home, I (see) an accident.

10. I (not / understand) what they (talk) about.

23. Simple Past / Past Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses, then
click the "Check" button to check your answers.
1. A: What (you, do) when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find) the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately) to the police and (turn) it in.

3. The doctor (say) that Tom (be) too sick to go to work and that he (need) to stay at home
for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian (arrive) at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she (be, not) there. She
(study, at the library) for her final examination in French.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also)
television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I (call) you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) there. Where were you?
B: I (work) out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk) into the busy office, the secretary (talk) on the phone with a customer,
several clerks (work, busily) at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly) methods to
improve customer service.

8. I (watch) a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to
find out how the movie ends.

9. Sharon (be) in the room when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything
because she (listen, not).

10. It's strange that you (call) because I (think, just) about you.

11. The Titanic (cross) the Atlantic when it (strike) an iceberg.

12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) and (try) to sell their
goods to naive tourists who (hunt) for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead) their donkeys
through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue) over the price of a
leather belt. I (walk) over to a man who (sell) fruit and (buy) a banana.

13. The firemen (rescue) the old woman who (be) trapped on the third floor of the burning
building.

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always) her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she
(expect, actually) me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live) in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) there when the
Berlin Wall came down.

24. Simple Past / Past Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses, then
click the "Check" button to check your answers.
Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call). She said she (call) me on her cell
phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she (wait) for class, but she said
that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) to me. I couldn't
believe she (make) a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.

She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep, actually) in
class. Some of the students (talk) about their plans for the weekend and the student next to
her (draw) a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell) me she was not satisfied with the class, I
(mention) that my biology professor was quite good and (suggest) that she switch to my
class.

While we were talking, I (hear) her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?"
Suddenly, the line went dead. I (hang) up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
As I (cut) vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be) Angela, but this time she
wasn't sitting in class.