EXERCISES
A. Complete the sentences with simple past or past continuous tense.
1. While I _________________(study) very hard for my exam, my lucky sister
_________________(enjoy, herself).
2. Due to the rain was late so, when I _________________(get) to work everyone else
_________________( already, work).
3. Look at the rain! It is hard to believe that at this time yesterday we
_________________(have) a picnic.
4. I _________________(phone) you two hours ago but you _________________(not,
answer). What _________________(you, do).
5. My sister _________________(drop) two plates while she
_________________(wash up) yesterday morning; one of them
_________________(break).
6. While she _________________(read) the newspaper, the telephone
_________________(ring); as she _________________(go) to answer it,
she_________________( hear) a knock at the door. The telephone
_________________(still\ ring) while she _________________(walk to the door) but
just as she _________________(open ) it _________________(stop) ringing.
7. When they _________________(live) in that house, they
_________________(have) three servants.
8. Between June 1985 and July 1990. He _________________(write) a novel.
9. Sorry can you repeat your question? I _________________(not listen) to you. I
_________________(think) about something else.
10. On the morning I _________________(leave) Tokyo it _________________(rain)
heavily, but when I _________________(arrive) in Istanbul; it was a beautiful day.
The sun_________________(shine), and a warm wind _________________(blow).
11. When I_________________(walk) into the kitchen after dinner at night, my mother,
_________________(wash) the dishes, so I _________________(pick up) a dish
towel and _________________(help) her.
12. A There was a power cut in your part of the town last night.
_________________(your lights, go out, too?)
B Yes. It _________________(be) terrible! I _________________(wash) my hair
when the lights _________________(go out). My sister _________________(find) a
flashlight and _________________(rescue) me from the bathroom! We couldn’t cook
dinner, so we _________________(eat) sandwiches instead. I
_________________(try) to study by candle light, but I couldn’t see well enough, so I
_________________(go) to bed and _________________(sleep).
B. Choose the correct answer.
1. After years as a classroom assistant, Alicia finally ………………………….. a
teacher.
a. become b. became c. did become
2. I know about the timetable changes. ‘Oh when ………………………….. you?’
a. they told
b. did they told
c. did they tell you?
3. My boss ………………………….. to shout when we were discussing the sales
figures.
a. was starting b. was started c. started.
4. My mother’s hair is grey now but she ………………………….. beautiful red hair.
a. had had b. used to have c. was having
5. Jeff was working for medical company………………………….. he finished his Phd.
a. when b. while c. as
C. The Past
Fill in each blank by putting the verb in (brackets) into the correct past tense.
1 I _________________________(see) my first baseball game when I
_________________________(live) in
New York.
2 How many pints of beer _________________________(he/drink) before he
_________________________
(leave) the pub?
3 It _________________________(rain) so we _________________________(decide) to
stay at home all
afternoon.
4 By the time I _________________________(leave) university I
_________________________(be) to
France fifteen times.
5 What _________________________(you/do) at the time the murder was committed?
6 When we _________________________(get) home we saw that someone
_________________________
(break) in to steal the DVD recorder.
7 He _________________________(send/passive) to prison four times before he
_______________________
(decide) that it would be better to go straight.
8 I didn't realise I _________________________(lose) my credit cards until I
_________________________
(try) to pay for dinner at the restaurant.
9 I _________________________(write) an email to my sister when she
_________________________(ring)
me.
10 She was so upset by the news that she _________________________(drop) her tea and
_________________________(start) crying.
D. Modal verbs
1 Fill the gaps with the modal verbs in the boxes. You may use them more than once.
have to
don’t / doesn’t have to
must
mustn’t
We_________ 1 decide on this now. The deadline is not until next week so we have
plenty of time to think about it.
When we think about manufacturing this, we _________ 2 consider whether we
should have this product made at home or abroad.
In my opinion, we_________ 3 act quickly. I don’t agree with the majority in this
case. I don’t think we have enough time.
b: Really, we_________ 4 get the agreement signed now.
We _________ 5 rush into this. If we sign an agreement before the design is even
finished, there is a risk that we will not have the finished product ready in time.
He_________ 6 choose the final materials for manufacturing yet. Let’s do some
consumer testing and see how it works first. If we do it now, we may have great problems
later.
can can’t should shouldn’t
We_________ 7 say this product is handmade. It isn’t! That would be breaking the
law.
When you’re designing a new product, you_________ 8 be too influenced by other
people. Each product_________ 9 be driven by one designer’s vision.
E. PAST CONTINUOUS
1 What were you doing at the following times? Write one sentence as in the examples.
The past continuous is not always necessary (see the second example).
1. (at 8 o'clock yesterday evening)
I was having dinner with some friends.
2. (at 5 o'clock last Saturday)
I was on a train on my way to London.
3. (at 10.15 yesterday morning)________________________________
4. (at 4.30 this morning)________________________________
5. (at 7.45 yesterday evening)________________________________
6. (half an hour ago) ________________________________
2 Example answers: 2 was having a shower. 3 were waiting for the bus. 4 was reading the
paper. 5 was watching it.
3 1 didn't see ... was looking 2 met ... were going ... was going ... had ... were waiting/waited
3 was cycling ... stepped ... was going ... managed ... didn't hit
4 2. were you doing 3. Did you go out 4. was wearing 5. were you driving / happened 6.
took / was not looking 7. didn’t know 8. saw / was trying 9. walked / heard / was following/
started 10. wanted
F. 1. 2 It had changed a lot. 3 She had arranged to do something else./She'd arranged. 4
The film had already begun. 5 1 hadn't seen him for five years. 6 She had just had
breakfast./She'd just had.
2 2 I had never seen her before./I'd never seen. 3 He had never played tennis before./He'd
never played. 4 We had never been there before./We'd never been there before. or ... been
to Denmark before.
3 1 called the police 2 there was ... had gone I'd gone 3 had just come back from holiday/'d
just come ... looked very well 4 had a phone call from Sally was had written to her I 'd written.
had never replied to his letters/'d never replied.
4 2 went 3 had gone 4 broke 5 saw ... had broken ... stopped
G.1 3 can 4 been able to 5 be able to 6 can 7 be able to
2 Example answers: 2 I used to be able to run fast. 3 I'd like to be able to play a musical
instrument. 4 I've never been able to get up early.
3 2 could run 3 can wait 4 couldn't eat 5 can't hear 6 couldn't sleep
4 2 were able to find it. 3 I was able to finish it. 4 was able to get away.
5 4 couldn't/wasn't able to 5 was able to 6 could/was able to 7 was able to 8 could/was able
to 9 were able to 10 couldn't/wasn't able to
2 Use your own ideas to complete these sentences. Use the past continuous.
1. Tom burnt his hand while he was cooking the dinner.
2. The doorbell rang while I ________________________________
3. We saw an accident while we ________________________________
4. Mary fell asleep while she ________________________________
5. The television was on but nobody ________________________________
3 Put the verbs into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1. I saw (see) Sue in town yesterday but she __________ (look) the other way.
2. I __________ (meet) Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. They __________ (go)
to Berlin and I __________ (go) to Madrid. We __________ (have) a chat while we
__________ (wait) for our flights.
3. I __________ (cycle) home yesterday when suddenly a man __________ (step) out into
the road in front of me. I __________ (go) quite fast but luckily I __________ (manage) to
stop in time and __________ (not/hit) him.
4 Put the verbs into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1. Jane was waiting (wait) for me when I arrived (arrive).
2. 'What __________ (you/do) this time yesterday?' 'I was asleep.'
3. '__________ (you/go) out last night?' 'No, I was too tired.'
4. 'Was Carol at the party last night?' 'Yes, she __________ (wear) a really nice dress.'
5. How fast __________ (you/drive) when the accident __________ (happen)?
6. John __________ (take) a photograph of me while I __________ (not/look).
7. We were in a very difficult position. We __________ (not/know) what to do.
8. I haven't seen Alan for ages. When I last __________ (see) him, he __________ (try) to
find a Job in London.
9. I __________ (walk) along the street when suddenly I __________ (hear) footsteps
behind me. Somebody __________ (follow) me. I was frightened and I __________ (start) to
run.
10. When I was young, I __________ (want) to be a bus driver.
F. PAST PERFECT
1 Read the situations and write sentences from the words in brackets.
1. You went to Jill's house but she wasn't there. (she/go/out) She had gone out.
2. You went back to your home town after many years. It wasn't the same as before.
(it/change/a lot) _____________________________________.
3. I invited Rachel to the party but she couldn't come.
(she/ arrange /to do something else) _____________________________________.
4. You went to the cinema last night. You arrived at the cinema late.
(the film/already/begin) _____________________________________.
5. I was very pleased to see tim again after such a long time.
(I/not/see/him for five years) _____________________________________.
6. I offered Sue something to eat but she wasn't hungry.
(she/just/have/breakfast) _____________________________________.
2 Read the situations and write sentences ending with before. Use the verb given in
brackets.
1. The man sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous. It was his first flight.
(fly) He had never flown before. OR He hadn't flown before.
2. A woman walked into the room. She was a complete stranger to me.
(see) I _____________________________________. before.
3. Simon played tennis yesterday. He wasn't very good at it because it was his first game.
(play) He _____________________________________.
4. Last year we went to Denmark. It was our first time there (be)
We _____________________________________.
3 Use the sentences on the left to complete the paragraphs on the right. These
sentences are in the order in which they happened - so (1) happened before (2), (2)
before (3) etc. But your paragraph begins with the underlined sentence, so sometimes
you need the past perfect.
1.(1) Somebody broke into the office during the night.
(2) _We arrived at work in the morning._
(3) We called the police
We arrived at work in the morning and found that somebody had broken into the office during
the night. So we _____________________________________.
2. (1) Ann went out.
(2) _I tried to phone her_ this morning.
(3) There was no answer.
I tried to phone Ann this morning but ___________. no answer. She
_______________________ out.
3. (1) Jim came back from holiday a few days ago.
(2) _I met him the same day._
(3) He looked very well.
I met Jim a few days ago. He _______________just ________________He
_______________.
4. (1) Kevin wrote to Sally many times.
(2) She never replied to his letters.
(3) _Yesterday he had a phone call from her._
(4) He was very surprised.
Yesterday Kevin
________________He
________________very
surprised.
He
________________many times but she ________________
4 Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done etc.) or past simple (I did
etc.).
1. 'Was Tom at the party when you arrived?' 'No, he had gone (go) home.'
2. I felt very tire when I got home, so I ________________ (go) straight to bed.
3. The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody ________________ (go) to bed.
4. Sorry I'm late. The car ________________ (break) down on my way here.
5. We were driving along the road when we ________________ (see) a car which.
________________ (break) down, so we ________________ (stop) to see if we could help.
G. MODALS
1 Complete the sentences using can or (be) able to. Use can if possible; otherwise use
(be) able to.
1. George has travelled a lot. He _can_ speak four languages.
2. I haven't _been able to_ sleep very well recently.
3. Sandra ______ drive but she hasn't got a car.
4. I can't understand Martin. I've never ______ understand him.
5. I used to ______ stand on my head but I can't do it now.
6. I can't see you on Friday but I ______ meet you on Saturday morning.
7. Ask Catherine about your problem. She might ______ help you.
2 Write sentences about yourself using the ideas in brackets.
1. (something you used to be able to do) I used to be able to sing well.
2. (something you used to be able to do) I used ________________________.
3. (something you would like to be able to do) I'd ________________________.
4. (something you have never been able to do) I've ________________________.
3 Complete the sentences with can/can't/could/couldn't + one of these verbs:
come cat hear run sleep wait
1. I'm afraid I _can't come_ to your party next week.
2. When Tim was 16, he was a fast runner. He ______ 100 meters in 11 seconds.
3. Are you in a hurry?' 'No, I've got plenty of time. I ______.'
4. I was feeling sick yesterday. I ______ anything.
5. Can you speak up a bit? I ______ you very well.
6. 'You look tired.' 'Yes, I ______ last night,'
4 Complete the answers to the questions with was/were able to.
1 A: Did everybody escape from the fire?
B: Yes. Although the fire spread quickly, everybody _was able to escape._
2 A: Did you have difficulty finding Ann's house?
B: Not really. Ann had given us good directions and we _______________.
3. A: Did you finish your work this afternoon?
B: Yes. There was nobody to disturb me, so _______________.
4. A: Did the thief get away?
B: Yes. No one realised what was happening and the thief _______________.
5 Complete the sentences using could, couldn't or was/were able to.
1. My grandfather was a very clever man. He _could_ speak five languages.
2. I looked everywhere for the book but I _couldn't_ find it.
3. They didn't want to come with us at first but we _were able to_ persuade them.
4. Laura had hurt her leg and ______ walk very well.
5. Sue wasn't at home when I phoned but I ______ contact her at her office.
6. I looked very carefully and I ______ see a figure in the distance.
7. I wanted to buy some tomatoes. The first shop I went to didn't have any but I ______ get
some in the next shop.
8. My grandmother loved music. She ______ play the piano very well.
9. A girl fell into the river but fortunately we ______ rescue her.
10. I had forgotten to bring my camera so I --- take any photographs.
H. CLOSE TEST
The modern Irish language poet lives in a culture dominated by the English language and
indeed (1)………………………. Poets – like Pearse, Hutchinson – have written extensively in
(2)………………………. languages. (3)………………………. such as Michael O Siadhail,
have moved from one language to (4)……………………….. Many poets engage in other
media as well, notable drama and the short story, and some have been able to make a
career in broadcasting and the print media, though most, in fact earn their livelihood in the
civil service or in teaching two or three though have managed to support
(5)………………………. as full time poets- the first time such a thing has happened in
Ireland in nearly three hundred years.
1 a) any
b) either
c) every
d) some
2 a) neither
b) both
c) each
d) all
3 a) other
b) the other
c) some other d) another
4 a) the other b) in other words c) every other d) none
5 a) them
b) itself
e) both
e) either
e) others
e) all
c) themselves d) it
e) theirs
I. Fill in the blanks with either Ving or I V2.
1.Would you mind …………………… (show) me your boarding pass please?
2. Would you mind …………………….(fasten) your belts please?
3.Would you mind ………………………(open) the window? I mean can I open it?
4.Would you mind……………………. (remain) in your seats please?
5. Would you mind……………………. (sit) down please?
6. Would you mind if ……………………. (call) you about the work tonight?
7.Would you mind……………………. (put out) your cigarettes, please?
8. Would you mind……………………. (open) your suitcase please?
9. Would you mind if……………………. (stay) at your house tomorrow?
10.Would you mind……………………. (have) another seat please?
11. Would you mind……………………. (lend) me some money please?
12.Would you mind ……………………. (speak) more slowly, please?