PAST SIMPLE and PAST CONTINUOUS – EXERCISES
A Put the verbs into the Past Tense Continuous Form:
1. I (read) _______________ a book when he came in.
2. The sun (shine)_____________________ when he went out.
3. When you came in I (write) ________________________ .
4. I came in while he (write) _________________________.
5. It (rain) ____________________ this morning when I got up.
6. He (work) all day yesterday.
7. When I arrived at his house he still (sleep)______________________.
8. The boy jumped off the tram while it (move)_______________________.
9. The fire still (burn) _______________________ at six o’clock this morning.
10. He (walk) ___________________ across the bridge when his hat blew off.
11. She cut her finger while she (cut) __________________ the bread.
12. The bus started while I (get) ___________________ on.
13. The light went out while we (have) ___________________ supper.
14. I took another cake when you (not look)___________________________ !
15. The children (do) __________________________ their homework when their
father came back from the office.
Solutions:
1. I was reading a book when he came in.
2. The sun was shining when he went out.
3. When you came in I was writing.
4. I came in while he was writing.
5. It was raining this morning when I got up.
6. He was working all day yesterday.
7. When I arrived at his house he was still sleeping. (Attention: word order!)
8. The boy jumped off the tram while it was moving.
9. The fire was still burning at six o’clock this morning. (Attention: word order!)
10. He was walking across the bridge when his hat blew off.
11. She cut her finger while she was cutting the bread.
12. The bus started while I was getting on.
13. The light went out while we were having supper.
14. I took another cake when you were not looking !
15. The children were doing their homework when their father came back from the
office.
B Put the verbs into the correct form, Past Continuous or
Past Simple:
1. I (see) _________________ Sue in town yesterday but she (not/see)
_________________ me. She (look) _____________________ the other way.
© Prof. Mag. Karin Steppan, HLW Linz-Auhof
2. I (meet) _______________________ Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks
ago. 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. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) ___________________ brightly when Tom came
in at 7:00.
5. I (make) ___________________ a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it
in the dark.
6. I didn’t want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave) ____________.
7. He (have) ____________________ a bath when the phone rang. Very unwillingly
he (get) _________________ out of the bath and (go) ____________to answer
it.
8. My dog (walk) __________________ along quietly when Mr Pitt’s Pekinese
attacked him.
9. On Sundays he always (wear) __________________ a bowler hat and (carry)
___________________ an umbrella.
10. He
suddenly (realize)
______________________
that
he
(travel)
________________________ in the wrong direction.
Solutions:
1. I saw Sue in town yesterday but she did not see me. She was looking the other
way.
2. I met Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. We were having a chat while
we were waiting for our flights.
3. I was cycling home yesterday when suddenly a man stepped out into the road in
front of me. I was going quite fast but luckily I managed to stop in time and did
not hit him.
4. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it was burning brightly when Tom came in at 7:00.
5. I was making a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it in the dark.
6. I didn’t want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I left.
7. He was having a bath when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he got out of the
bath and went to answer it.
8. My dog was walking along quietly when Mr Pitt’s Pekinese attacked him.
9. On Sundays he always wears a bowler hat and carries an umbrella.
10. He suddenly realized that he was travelling in the wrong direction.
C Put the verbs into the correct form, Past Continuous or
Past Simple:
1. Mr Smith never (wake) ___________________ up in time in the mornings and
always (get) ______________________ into trouble for being late; so one day he
(go) _______ ____________ to town and (buy) an alarm clock.
2. To get home he (have to) ____________________ go through a field where a
bad-tempered bull usually (graze)____________________ . (bad-tempered =
schlecht gelaunt / graze = grasen)
© Prof. Mag. Karin Steppan, HLW Linz-Auhof
3. This bull usually (not chase) __________________ people unless something
(make) ____________________ him angry. (chase = jagen, verfolgen) Unfortunately,
as Mr Smith (cross) ____________________ the field, his alarm clock (go)
_________________ off.
4. This (annoy) ____________________ the bull, who immediately (begin)
___________________ to chase Mr. Smith. (annoy = verärgern, stören)
5. Mr. Smith (carry) ____________________ an open umbrella as it (rain) _______
____________________ slightly. He (throw) _______________________ the
umbrella to the ground and (run) ________________________ away as fast as
he could.
6. The bull (stop) _____________________ and (begin) ____________________
to attack the umbrella. While he (do) ______________________ this Mr Smith
escaped.
Solutions:
1. Mr Smith never woke up in time in the mornings and always got into trouble for
being late; so one day he went to town and bought an alarm clock.
2. To get home he had to go through a field where a badtempered bull usually
grazed.
3. This bull didn’t usually chase people unless something made him angry.
Unfortunately, as Mr Smith was crossing the field, his alarm clock went off.
4. This annoyed the bull, who immediately began to chase Mr. Smith.
5. Mr. Smith was carrying an open umbrella as it was raining slightly. He threw the
umbrella to the ground and ran away as fast as he could.
6. The bull stopped and began to attack the umbrella. While he was doing this Mr
Smith escaped.
© Prof. Mag. Karin Steppan, HLW Linz-Auhof