This document provides examples and exercises to practice using the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It includes: 1) Examples of irregular verbs in the past simple and sentences to practice this tense. 2) More sentences using common verbs like "teach", "fall", "catch" in the past simple. 3) Sentences to complete using common verbs like "clean", "watch", "smoke" in the past simple and past continuous tenses. 4) Questions to ask about a friend's past holiday using the past simple tense. 5) Sentences rewriting phrases with verbs in the past simple. 6) Identifying the correct tense - past simple

1. A) PAST SIMPLE
1.- Look at these irregular verbs:
go give sit have come get up write eat run drink
Using the verbs above, complete these sentences using the past.
1. I _____________ a few letters yesterday.
2. He _____________ at six o'clock in the morning.
3. They _____________ home late last night.
4. She _____________ a headache yesterday.
5. I was hungry so I _____________ some bread and cheese.
6. They came into my office and _____________ down.
7. We _____________ some water.
8. I was late so I _____________ to work.
9. She _____________ abroad last week.
10. They _____________ him some money.
2.- This time you have to put one of these verbs in each sentence:
hurt teach spend sell throw fall catch buy cost.
Example: I was hungry, so I bought something to eat in the shop.
1. Tom's father _____________ him how to drive when he was 17.
2. Don _____________ down the stairs this morning and _____________ his leg.
3. We needed some money so we............... our car.
4. Ann ____________ a lot of money yesterday. She _____________ a dress which __________ £50.
5. Jim _____________ the ball to Sue who _____________ it.
3.- Complete these sentences. Use one of these verbs in the past simple:
clean die enjoy finish happen live open play rain smoke start
stay want watch
1. Yesterday evening I watched television.
2. I _____________my teeth three times yesterday.
3. Bernard _____________ 20 cigarettes yesterday evening.
4. The concert last night _____________ at 7.30 and _____________ at 10 o'clock.
5. The accident _____________ last Sunday afternoon.
6. When I was a child, I _____________ to be a doctor.
7. Mozart _____________ from 1756 to 1791.
8. We _____________ our holiday last year. We _____________ at a very good hotel.
9. Today the weather is nice, but yesterday it _____________
10. It was hot in the room, so I _____________ the window.
11. The weather was good yesterday afternoon, so we _____________ tennis.
12. William Shakespeare _____________ in 1616.
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2. 4.- In this exercise you have to write questions. A friend has just come back from holiday and you
are asking him about it.
Examples: where/go/? - Where did you go?
food/good? . Was the food good?
1. how long/stay there? _____________________________________________________
2. stay in a hotel? _____________________________________________________
3. go alone? _____________________________________________________
4. how/travel? _____________________________________________________
5. the weather/fine? _____________________________________________________
6. what/do in the evenings? _____________________________________________________
7. meet any interesting people?_____________________________________________________
5.- Write these sentences, putting the verbs given into the Past Simple. Mind the word order.
1. I ___________________ some new clothes last week. (buy)
2. What time ___________________ last night? (they come)
3. I ___________________ his question. (not understand)
4. I ___________________ he was wrong. (think)
5. ___________________ a lot at the party? (you eat)
6. I ___________________ the bus this morning. (not catch)
7. I ___________________ my keys yesterday. (forget)
8. ___________________ you about the meeting? (they tell)
9. Peter ___________________ the washing-up last night. (do)
10. They ___________________ anything at the disco. (not drink)
11. I ___________________ your suitcase in your bedroom. (put)
12. We ___________________ it was your birthday. (not know)
13. ___________________ to the office yesterday? (you go)
14. They ___________________ her a present when she left. (give)
15. We ___________________ their letters. (read)
16. He ___________________ a bad mistake. (make)
18. ___________________ the money from the office? (you take)
19. I ___________________ anything strange. (not see)
20. She ___________________ to me. (not speak)
6.- This time you have to put the verb into the correct form. All the sentences are past.
Example: I didn't go (not/go) to work yesterday because I wasn't (not/be) very well.
1. Tom . ________________ (not/shave) this morning because he_________________ (not/have)
time.
2. We ___________________ (not/eat) anything because we ___________________ (not/be) hungry.
3. I ___________________ (not/rush) because I ___________________ (not/be) in a hurry.
4. She___________________ (not/be) interested in the book because she ___________________.
(not/understand) it.
B) PAST CONTINUOUS
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3. 7.- Look at these sentences and answer the questions by choosing A or B.
1. When I saw them, they were playing football.
Which happened first?
A) I saw them B) They were playing football.
2. When she telephoned, I was having a bath.
Which happened first?
A) The telephone call B) The bath.
3. They were watching TV when I visited them.
Which happened first?
A) They were watching TV B) I visited them
4. I was walking into the house when I heard the noise.
Which happened first?
A) I was walking into the house B) I heard the noise.
5. I walked into the house when I heard the noise.
Which happened first?
A) I walked into the house. B) I heard the noise
6. We left the party when the police arrived.
Which happened first?
A) We left the party B) The police arrived
7. We were leaving the party when the police arrived.
Which happened first?
A) We were leaving the party B) The police arrived.
8.- Here is a list of some things that Ann did yesterday (and the times at which she did them):
1) 8.45 - 9.15 had breakfast 4) 12.45 - 1.30 had lunch
2) 9.15 - 10.00 read the newspaper 5) 2.30 - 3.30 washed clothes
3) 10.00- 12.00 cleaned her flat 6) 4.00 - 6.00 watched TV
.- Now write sentences saying what she was doing at these times:
1. At 9 o'clock ___________________________________________________
2. At 9.30 she ___________________________________________________
3. At 11 o'clock ___________________________________________________
4. At 1 o'clock ___________________________________________________
5. At 3 0'clock ___________________________________________________
6. At 5 o'clock ___________________________________________________
9.- A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm rang. Use the words in
brackets to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time.
Example: (Don/have/a bath) Don was having a bath.
1 (Ann/write a letter/in her room) Ann _______________________________________________
2 (George/get/ready to go out) George _______________________________________________
3 (Carol and Dennis/have/dinner) Carol and Dennis _____________________________________
4 (Tom/make/a phone call) Tom _______________________________________________
10.- Complete these sentences by putting the verbs into the PAST CONTINUOUS or the PAST
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4. SIMPLE:
1. I ______________________ TV when the phone rang. (watch)
2. When the ambulance came we ______________________ him into it. (carry)
3. She ______________________ her car when she suddenly felt ill. (drive)
4. When he saw me he ______________________ off the wall. (fall)
5. We ______________________ to the radio when it suddenly stopped working. (listen)
6. ______________________ you when you gave them the money? (they thank)
7. ______________________ when you turned on the gas? (you smoke)
8. When I arrived, they ______________________ hello but continued working. (say)
9. When I got to the hospital, she ______________________ in the waiting room. (sit)
11.- Put the verb into the correct form, PAST CONTINUOUS or PAST SIMPLE.
Example: While Tom was cooking (cook) the dinner, the phone rang (ring).
1. George__________________ (fall) off the ladder while he ___________________ (paint) the
ceiling.
2. Last night I _________________ (read) in bed when suddenly I _______________ (hear) a
scream.
3. ______________________ (you/watch) TV when I ______________________.(phone) you?
4. Ann ______________________ (wait) for me when I ______________________ (arrive)
5. I. ___________________ (not/drive) very fast when the accident ___________________ (happen)
6. I______________________ (break) a plate last night. I ______________________ (do) the
washing-up when it ______________________ (slip) out of my hand.
7. Tom___________________ (take) a photograph of me while I______________________
(not/look).
8. We______________________ (not/go) out because it ______________________ (rain)
9. What ______________________ (you/do) at this time yesterday?
10. I _______________ (see) Carol at the party. She ________________ (wear) a really beautiful
dress.
PAST SIMPLE / PAST CONTINUOUS
12 .- PAST CONTINUOUS as narrative. Write the verbs in this story in the PAST SIMPLE or
PAST CONTINUOUS. Sometimes both tenses are possible.
Choose the one that is most likely.
He stopped just before putting his key in the front door. Something was happening in the back
garden... Quietly, he crept around the side of the house and _____________________ (look) through
the gate. Two men _____________________ (stand) at the back of the house, holding a ladder. A
third man was at the top of the ladder, and a fourth inside the house: _____________________ (pass)
furniture through the window to his partner, who then ______________________ (give) it to his
friends below. All four _____________________ (work) quietly and efficiently, and the pile of
furniture in the garden ______________________________ (get) bigger by the minute. Derek
_____________________ (not/can) believe his eyes: the team of strangers _____________________
(empty) his entire flat, and they _____________________ (behave) as if this was the most natural
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5. thing in the world!
He _________________ (cough) loudly, and then _________________ (say), 'Excuse me!' -
and the man at the top of the ladder __________________ (drop) his portable TV onto the concrete
below.
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