EXERCISES. The Past Simple Tense vs

The Past Simple Tense vs. the Past Continuous (Progressive) Tense

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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.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27