Exercises

The Past Tenses Compared

Сравнение прошедших времен

Exercise 1.

Choose the correct form of the verb.

1.	She broke the vase while she ____ (had put/was putting) it on the table.
2.	Mr. Todd ____ (was teaching/had been teaching) for thirty years when he retired.
3.	I phoned Roy because I ____ (wanted/had wanted) to inform him about the accident.
4.	They ____ (had walked/had been walking) for hours when they stopped for a rest.
5.	The shop ____ (had been selling/had sold) the dress by the time I got there.
6.	Joe was happy. He ____ (was getting/had got) the certificate.
7.	It ____ (was raining/had rained) while they were playing the football match.
8.	Rob ____ (was opening/opened) the box and looked inside.
9.	Cathy was glad to hear that she ____ (was getting/had got) the job.
10.	People ____ (used to work/were working) a lot in those days.
11.	I was skating when I ____ (slipped/was slipping) on the ice.
12.	They ____ (were already buying/had already bought) the tickets when they went to the cinema.
13.	Megan ____ (had broken/was breaking) her leg, so she couldn't run for months.
14.	We ____ (had been staying/stayed) by the sea last summer.
15.	Elvis Presley ____ (sang/had sung) lots of hit songs.
16.	I ____ (opened/was opening) the window and called her.
17.	They ____ (had stood/were standing) inside when the rain started.
18.	Alexander Graham Bell ____ (had invented/invented) the telephone.

Exercise 2.

Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, the Past Continuous or the Past Perfect Tense form.

1.	– What ____ (you/do) at ten o’clock this morning? – I ____ (go) to the office.
2.	– Alice passed the exam, didn’t she? – Yes. She ____ (study) very hard for it.
3.	– Why are you so sad? – Because I ____ (hope) that I would get the driving license, but I didn’t.
4.	– Have you found your bag yet? – No, but I ____ (report) it stolen to the police yesterday.
5.	– Did you enjoy the play last night? – No, even though I ____ (read) good reviews of it before I bought the tickets.
6.	– Have you written the exercise yet? – I ____ (just/start) when you came in.
7.	– Sorry I’m late. – Where have you been? I ____ (expect) you an hour ago.
8.	– We ____ (go) shopping yesterday. – ____ (you/buy) anything?
9.	– Were you surprised that lost the job? – Not really. I ____ (expect) it to happen.

Exercise 3.

Fill in the gaps with an appropriate past form.

One fine morning, a man 1. ____ (fish) in a river. The sun 2. ____ (shine) and the man 3. ____ (sit) on the river bank. Everything was very quiet and peaceful. The man 4. ____ (feel) something pulling on the fishing line. He 5. ____ (stand up) quickly and 6. ____ (begin) to take in the line. He 7. ____ (just/lift) the huge fish he had caught out of the water when there was a loud splash and it fell back into the river. At first, the man didn't know what 8. ____ (happen). Then, he 9. ____ (look) carefully at his fishing line. It 10. ____ (snap). The poor man was so disappointed that he 11. ____ (pack) away all his things and went home.

Exercise 4.

Make the past tense questions and answers using the words given.

Model:	When / be / fibre optics / first / develop?
When were fibre optics first developed?

1.	The boxes / break / because they / make / of low quality materials.
2.	The power supply / cut off / because / cables / come down / during the storm.
3.	They / not complete / the foundations / by the time the building materials / arrive.
4.	When / they / install / the solar panels?
5.	be / this / the first hydroelectric scheme/ in Scotland?
6.	They / not use / wood chip / for heating / when the engineer / visit / the factory.
7.	How / they / produce / gas / before they / discover / North Sea gas?
8.	be / the oil pollution along the coastline / cause / by an oil tanker spillage?

Exercise 5.

Choose the incorrect words or phrases and rewrite them correctly.

1.	I had paint on my shoes because I'd painted my bedroom all morning.
2.	I missed the start of the film because I buy popcorn.
3.	It was obvious that Bill has worked because he was very tired when I saw him.
4.	We had been tidying the garden for hours and I was needing a rest.
5.	When the bus was arriving/ we missed it because we were talking.
6.	During the Christmas holiday, I was eating too much and watching too much TV.
7.	Julian was learning all about computer games by the time he was six.
8.	My grandfather was owning a hotel by the beach until he sold it last year.
9.	Sydney Harbour Bridge was building in 1932.
10.	The first real road builders in Britain was the Romans.

Exercise 6.

You are going to tell an anecdote (an informal true story about something that happened to you). Choose one of the topics below and plan what you are going to say. Ask your teacher for any words you need. Tell your partner about…

1.	A time you cheated (in an exam or in a sport / game).
What were you doing?
Where?
When?
What happened?
2.	A really exciting sports event you saw.
Where and when was it?
Who was playing?
What happened?
Why was it so exciting?
3.	A time you saw or met a celebrity.
Where were you?
What was the celebrity doing?
What was he/she wearing?
Did you speak to him/her?
What happened in the end?

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27