Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect Exercise

Mixed Forms in the Past – B1 Intermediate Level

Multiple Choice Exercise

Complete the gaps in the sentences by choosing the correct form of the PAST SIMPLE, PAST CONTINUOUS & PAST PERFECT.

Use the Past Simple: When the action is finished and the time is past.
Use the Past Continuous: When the action is unfinished in the past.
Use the Past Perfect: To show that one action happened before another in the past.

271 votes, 4.3 avg

Created on July 24, 2020

Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect

Choose the correct form of the verb in the Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect to complete the gaps in the sentences.

1 / 40

The thieves _______ (choose) a quiet time. The street _____ (be) quiet.

were choosing / was

had chosen / was

2 / 40

I ______ (close) the door and realised I ______ (forget) my bag.

had closed / was forgetting

closed / had forgotten

3 / 40

I __________ (know) my husband before we ________ (meet) at a party.

didn't know / met

wasn't knowing / were meeting

4 / 40

I _______ (hear) the phone because I _________ (work) in the garden.

wasn't hearing / was working

didn't hear / was working

5 / 40

I didn't like the dress she _____ (wore) yesterday.

was wearing

had worn

6 / 40

The children _______ (play) in the garden while I __________ (make) dinner.

had played / made

were playing / was making

7 / 40

In 1450, they _______ (have) phones, cars or the internet.

didn't have

hadn't had

8 / 40

The tennis match was postponed because it _____ (rain) too hard the night before.

had rained

was raining

9 / 40

He _______ (leave) the party because he ________ (have) a good time.

was leaving / didn't have

left / wasn't having

10 / 40

They _____ (spend) all their money before the holiday was finished.

were spending

had spent

11 / 40

France _____ (win) the football World Cup in 2019.

had won

won

12 / 40

After she ________ (eat) her lunch, she ________ (leave) the restaurant.

was eating / was leaving

had eaten / left

13 / 40

Lunch was delicious because I _________ (have) anything for breakfast.

hadn't eaten

wasn't eating

14 / 40

He ________ (wait) at the station, when she _______ (arrive).

waited / was arriving

was waiting / arrived

15 / 40

I _______ (saw) the man as I _______ (cross) the road.

was seeing / was crossing

saw / was crossing

16 / 40

She ________ (arrive) on time so she couldn't take the plane.

wasn't arriving

didn't arrive

17 / 40

He hurt his leg when he _____ (play) football.

was playing

had played

18 / 40

After she ________ (tell) the police officers, she ________ (feel) much better.

told / were feeling

had told / felt

19 / 40

Yesterday, she _______ (go) to the post-office.

went

was going

20 / 40

She ________ (know) the answers to all the exercises.

wasn't knowing

didn't know

21 / 40

When we arrived, the film _____ (start). We were late.

already started

had already started

22 / 40

They ______ (be) busy yesterday. They ________ (have) much work to do.

weren't / didn't have

weren't / weren't having

23 / 40

I _______ (get) a job until I __________ (leave) university.

wasn't getting / had left

didn't get / had left

24 / 40

We couldn't snowboard because it ______ (snow) yet. There wasn't any snow.

hadn't snowed

didn't snow

25 / 40

I _________ (arrive) at the airport when I ________ (realise), I had forgotten my passport.

had arrived / realised

arrived / had realised

26 / 40

The dog _______ (lie) on the sofa, when I ______ (get) home.

lied / got

was lying / got

27 / 40

When the men ______ (deliver) the T.V., I _________ (pay) for it.

delivered / had already paid.

were delivering / was paying

28 / 40

By the time, the waiter _____ (bring) our drinks, we __________ (finish) our food!

had brought / were already finished

brought / had already finished

29 / 40

She didn't pass the English exam even though she ______ (study) every evening.

had studied

was studying

30 / 40

Luckily, the rain ______ (start) after we ________ (arrive) home.

started / had arrived

had started / were arriving

31 / 40

We couldn't get a table at the restaurant because we ______ (book).

weren't booking

hadn't booked

32 / 40

What time __________ (get up) this morning?

were you getting up

did you get up

33 / 40

He was hit by a car when he _____ (cycle) to school.

cycled

was cycling

34 / 40

When we _______ (turn) on the T.V., the match ________ (start).

had turned / already finished.

turned / had already finished

35 / 40

The plane ________ (take) off at 10p.m. Right on time!

was taking

took

36 / 40

I _________ (recognise) her immediately even though I ________ (see) her for 20 years.

had recognised / didn't saw

recognised / hadn't seen

37 / 40

I ______ (make) dinner when I got home.

made

was making

38 / 40

It took a long time but after I _______ (save) enough money, I ________ (bought) a car.

was saving / had bought

had saved / bought

39 / 40

We _________ (have) dinner when the doorbell _____ (ring).

were eating / rang

ate / was ringing

40 / 40

While she _______ (do/make) the English exercises, he _______ (do/make) dinner.

was making / was doing

was doing / was making

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