The Past Simple Tense vs. the Past Continuous(Progressive)Tense
EXERCISES
| Exercise 1. | Choose the correct form of the verb. |
| 1. | When we were in Turkey, we ____ (went / were going) swimming almost every day. |
| 2. | About four years ago, Richard____(decided / was deciding)to move to this town. |
| 3. | Megan ____ (had / was having)a shower when the doorbell rang. |
| 4. | Fred and Deborah ran from the car to the house because something ____ (burnt / was burning)in the kitchen. |
| 5. | Some people ____ (fought / were fighting)outside, so my neighbour called the police. |
| 6. | Daniel ____ (called / was calling)you at one o’clock yesterday, but you ____ (slept / were sleeping). |
| 7. | We ____ (ate / were eating)breakfast when a dog started to bark. |
| 8. | As I walked past the crowd, I saw that Ella ____ (argued / was arguing)with an old woman. |
| 9. | I ____ (dreamt / was dreaming)about walking on the beach when the alarm clock went off. |
| 10. | While we ____ (practised / were practising)playing tennis yesterday, Lisa fell on her back. |
| Exercise 2. | Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or the Past Continuous. |
The sun 1. ____(shine) and the birds 2. ____ (sing) as Mike 3. ____ (drive) down the country lane. He 4. ____ (smile), because he 5. ____ (look forward) to the journey ahead. Mike 6. ____ (enjoy) driving, especially when he 7. ____ (go) somewhere new. Then, suddenly, the engine 8. ____ (begin) to make a strange noise and the car 9. ____ (stop) dead in the middle of the road. Mike 10. ____ (try) to start it, but nothing 11. ____ (happen). He 12. ____ (sigh), then 13. ____ (get out) of the car. Ashe 14. ____ (push) the car to the side of the road, Mike 15. ____ (start) to wish he had stayed at home.
| Exercise 3. | David is always having accidents. His girlfriend Melanie is talking about some of the accidents. Write her sentences from these notes. Each sentence has one verb in the Past Continuous and one in the Past Simple. |
| Model: | when/he/carry/a suitcase/he/drop/it/on his foot |
| When he was carrying a suitcase, he dropped it on his foot. |
| 1. | he/sit down/on a chair/while/I/paint/it |
| 2. | as/he/run/for a bus/he/collide/with a lamppost |
| 3. | his hair/catch/fire/when/he/cook/chips |
| 4. | when/he/hold/a beautiful vase/he/suddenly/drop/it |
| 5. | he/sit/in the garden/when/a wasp/sting/him/on the nose |
| 6. | he/break/his leg/when/he/ski |
| Exercise 4. | Find 7 mistakes in the story and correct them. |
John entered his flat and closed the door. He hung up his coat when he heard a strange noise. A tap was runing in the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and turned it off. Then, he freezed. Someone was standing behind him. He was taking a deep breath and turned around. His flatmate, Steve, was leaning in the doorway. “You gave me a fright!” John exclaimed.
Steve laughed at him. John started to laugh, too. “I think you had gone to London today,” he said. “No, replyed Steve. Unfortunately, I was missing the train.”
| Exercise 5. | Complete the letter using the correct form of the verbs from the box. |
| answer | be | continue | get | go | have | open |
| practise | put | ring | say | shine | sing | wake |
Hi, Liza!
Yesterday I 1. ____ up early. The sun 2. ____ and the birds 3. ____. I 4. ____ very excited because it was the day of the big tennis match. I 5. ____ downstairs and into the kitchen, where her father 6. ____ breakfast. “Morning, Mary. Today’s the day!” he 7. ____ I smiled nervously. “Don’t worry!” he 8. ____ You’ll be fine.” I 9. ____ some toast into the toaster and 10. ____ the fridge. Just as I 11. ____ the butter out, the phone 12. ____. My father 13. ____ it after a few minutes, he put the phone down. “Bad news, I’m afraid. The other player 14. ____ yesterday when she had an accident. The match is off.” I ate her toast slowly. I was surprised I didn't feel disappointed.
Love,
Mary
| Exercise 6. | Work in pairs. Act out a dialogue. |
| SA: | At 10.05 a.m. yesterday, there was a robbery at the Midwest Bank. You are a police officer and you are asking a man some questions about what he was doing, what other people were doing, and what he saw. Write the questions. Use was/were, the past simple (did you __) and the past continuous (were you __). |
| SB: | At 10.05 a.m. yesterday, there was a robbery at the Midwest Bank. You’re a man who witnessed a robbery at the Midwest Bank. Answer the questions of the police officer. |
Прошедшее совершенное время
The Past Perfect Tense
Образование. The Past Perfect Tense образуется при помощи вспомогательного глагола to have в форме прошедшего времени (had) и формы причастия прошедшего времени (Past Participle) смыслового глагола: I had worked, he had worked.
В вопросительной форме вспомогательный глагол ставится перед подлежащим: Had I worked? Had he worked?
Отрицательная форма образуется при помощи частицы not, которая ставится после вспомогательного глагола: I had not worked, he had not worked.
Употребление the Past Perfect Tense.
1. Прошлое действие, которое предшествовало другому прошлому действию или произошло к определенному моменту в прошлом. Этот момент может быть указан:
– обозначениями времени, такими как by five o ’ clock к пяти часам, by Saturday к субботе, by the 15th of December к 15 декабря, by the end of the year к концу года, by that time к тому времени и т. п.:
| She had written only two letters by noon. | К полудню она написала только 2 письма. |
– другим (более поздним) прошедшим действием, выраженным глаголом в the Past Simple (Indefinite):
| When we came to the station the train had already gone. | Когда мы приехали на станцию, поезд уже ушел. |
2. Законченные прошлые действия, которые имели очевидные результаты в прошлом.
| I was exhausted because I hadn’t slept the night before. | Я обессилен, потому что не спал всю ночь. |
EXERCISES
| Exercise 1. | Choose the sentence (a or b) which means the same as the first sentence. |
| 1. | We had discussed the problem when David came. | ||
| a) | David came and then we had discussed the problem. | ||
| b) | We had discussed the problem and then David came. | ||
| 2. | Lisa read the book after she had seen the film. | ||
| a) | Lisa saw the film and then she read the book. | ||
| b) | Lisa read the book and then she saw the film. | ||
| 3. | By the time Mum phoned me, I’d taken a shower. | ||
| a) | I took a shower before Mum phoned me. | ||
| b) | I took a shower after Mum phoned me. | ||
| 4. | Kate didn’t go to bed until her parents had come home. | ||
| a) | Kate went to bed and then her parents came home. | ||
| b) | Her parents came home and then Kate went to bed. | ||
| 5. | Doris hadn’t arrived at the station by the time the train left. | ||
| a) | The train left before Doris arrived. | ||
| b) | Doris arrived before the train left. | ||
| 6. | She had bought a new dress before she heard about the sale. | ||
| a) | She bought a new dress and later she heard about the sale. | ||
| b) | She heard about the sale and then she bought a new dress. | ||
| 7. | The sisters had gone shopping when the guests arrived. | ||
| a) | The guests arrived and later the sisters had gone shopping. | ||
| b) | The sisters had gone shopping and then the guests arrived. | ||
| Exercise 2. | Read about each situation and then tick the right answer. |
| Model: | Two men delivered the sofa. I had already paid for it. |
| Which came first, a) the delivery, or b) the payment? |
| 1. | The waiter brought our drinks. We’d already had our soup. |
| Which came first, a) the drinks, or b) the soup? | |
| 2. | Harry had seen the film, so he read the book. |
| Did he first a) see the film, or b) read the book? | |
| 3. | The documentary had ended, so I switched off a TV set. |
| Did I switch off a TV set a) after, or b) before the documentary ended? | |
| 4. | I had bought a ticket to the concert, but I'd arranged a trip to London. |
| Which came first, a) the ticket, or b) the arrangements for the trip? | |
| 5. | When you arrived he had just left. |
| Did you arrive a) after, or b) before he left? |
| Exercise 3. | Give the correct form of the Past Perfect of each verb. |
| 1. | By the time I switched on a TV set, the programme ____ (finish)! |
| 2. | Simon ____ (already / be) to Italy, so he didn’t go with us travelling. |
| 3. | Tina ____ (not / clean)her room by the evening, so she called Betty to tell her she wouldn’t come to the party. |
| 4. | ____ (you / sleep) when your mother rang? |
| 5. | The car broke down just after ____ (we / set off). |
| 6. | I didn’t eat anything at the weekend because ____ (I / feel sick) at home. |
| 7. | ____ (you / hear)about the accident before I told you about it? |
| 8. | After Fred ____ (spend) his holiday in Italy he wanted to learn Italian. |
| 9. | They ____ (ride) their bikes before they met their friends. |
| 10. | She watched a video after the children ____ (go) to bed. |
| Exercise 4. | Fill in with the Past Simple or the Past Perfect, then state which action happened first. |
| Model: | When I left (leave) the house, I realized (realize) that I had forgotten (forget) my keys. First action: had forgotten. |
| 1. | After my granny ____ (finish) planting the trees she ____ (decide) to dig flowerbeds. First action: __________ |
| 2. | I ____ (lend) Ann some money only after she ____ (promise) to give it back soon. First action: __________ |
| 3. | What did they do with the money their grandfather ____ (leave) them in his will when he ____ (die). First action: __________ |
| 4. | John ____ (start) driving after he ____ (clean) the car. First action: __________ |
| 5. | We ____ (buy) Betty a rose yesterday because she ____ (have) her birthday the night before. First action: __________ |
| 6. | When we ____ (speak) a little, I ____ (realize) that we ____ (meet) each other before. First action: __________ |
| Exercise 5. | Put the verbs in the brackets in the negative Past Perfect form. |
| Model: | Dan hadn ’ t phoned (not / phone) his girlfriend before they met. |
| 1. | The grass was yellow because it ____ (not / rain) all summer. |
| 2. | The lights went off because we ____ (not / pay) the electricity bill. |
| 3. | The children ____ (not / do) their homework, so they were in trouble. |
| 4. | They ____ (not / eat) so they went to a restaurant. |
| 5. | We couldn’t go into the concert because we ____ (not / bring) our tickets. |
| 6. | She said that she ____ (not / visit) the UK before. |
| 7. | Julie and Ann ____ (not / meet) before the party. |
| 8. | I ____ (not / have) breakfast when he arrived. |
| 9. | He ____ (not / use) email before, so I showed him how you use it. |
| 10. | You ____ (not / study) for the test, so you were very nervous. |
| Exercise 6. | Make the Past Perfect questions. |
| Model: | __ (we/have) that car for ten years before it broke down. |
| Had you had that car for ten years before it broke down? |
| 1. | ____ (she / live) in China before she went to Thailand? |
| 2. | ____ (we / finish) dinner, before they returned? |
| 3. | ____ (she / study) a lot before the yesterday’s exam? |
| 4. | ____ (you / previously / study) English before you moved to New York? |
| 5. | ____ (he / work) at the university for 30 years before he retired? |
| 6. | ____ (she / write) a letter by 5 o’clock on Saturday? |
| 7. | ____ (she / see) bears before she moved to Alaska? |
| 8. | ____ (she / visit) her Japanese relatives once before she moved? |
| 9. | ____ (you / ever / visit) the U.S. before your trip in 2007? |
| 10. | ____ (you / ever / do) yoga before you started it last week? |
| Exercise 7. | Write the sentences, putting one verb in each sentence into the Past Simple, and the other verb into the Past Perfect. |
| Model: | When the police ____ (arrive), the car ____ (go). |
| When the police arrived, the car had gone. |
| 1. | When we ____ (get) to the cafe, it ____ (be) overcrowded. |
| 2. | They ____ (discuss) everything by the time I ____ (arrive) at the meeting. |
| 3. | When we ____ (leave) the office, the rain ____ (already start). |
| 4. | Liz ____ (try) meeting her several times but she ____ (leave the country). |
| 5. | When I ____ (return) home, someone ____ (steal) it. |
| 6. | The man ____ (go) when I ____ (return) to the room. |
| 7. | The grandmother ____ (already die) by the time her son ____ (come) to see her. |
| 8. | All the shops ____ (close) by the time we ____ (get) into the town. |
| 9. | You ____ (already leave) when the trouble ____ (start)? |
| 10. | The letter ____ (not arrive) when I ____ (leave) the house this morning. |
| 11. | By the time I ____ (finish) my work, everybody ____ (go) home. |
| Exercise 8. | Add a sentence with the Past Perfect using the notes. |
| Model: | Claire looked very suntanned when I saw her last week. |
| She’d just been on holiday (just/be on holiday). |
| 1. | Thomas rushed to the station, but he was too late. ____ (the train / just / go) |
| 2. | I didn’t take an umbrella, and I got wet. ____ (the rain / stop) |
| 3. | When Ted got to the concert hall, he couldn’t come in. ____ (forget / his ticket) |
| 4. | Someone used my mobile phone. ____ (steal / it / a week before) |
| 5. | We were really pleased to see our nephew again yesterday. ____ (not see / for ages) |
| 6. | The flat was tidy when my boyfriend called in. ____ (just / clean / it) |
| 7. | There were plenty of dishes at the party, but Mary didn’t eat anything. ____ (already / eat / her lunch) |
| Exercise 9. | Find the mistakes and correct them. |
| 1. | After they had ate the shellfish, they began to sick. |
| 2. | She only understood the movie because she read the book. |
| 3. | Kristine has never been to an opera before last night. |
| 4. | After the man came home he had fed the cat. |
| 5. | Before he sang a song he played the guitar. |
| 6. | Julie didn’t watch the film because she had saw it before. |
| 7. | It was my first flight. I never had flown before. |
| 8. | The dentist was angry because John forgot the time of his appointment. |
| 9. | I was very tired because I had studyed too much. |
| 10. | Had ever Susan spoken Thai before she moved to Thailand? |
| Exercise 10. | Write sentences using the prompts. One of the verbs must be in the Past Perfect. |
| 1. | we/just/hear/the news/when/you/ring |
| 2. | I/already/think of/that/before/you/suggest/it |
| 3. | when/I/turn on/the TV/the programme/already/start |
| 4. | she/be/hungry/because/she/not/eat/anything/all day |
| 5. | by the time/I leave/school/I/decide/to become/a musician |
| Exercise 11. | Work in pairs. Tell to your partner what you have done before you entered the university. Use the verbs from the box. |
| be | do visit | play | read | get | redecorate |
| study | pass | taste | start | see | finish |
| Model: | Before I entered the university I had been to Poland. What about you? |
