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Exercise
1 The
simple past and the past continuous. Put the verbs in
brackets into the correct tense: simple past or past continuous.
1 Peter
and Ann (decide) to redecorate their sitting-room themselves. 2
They (choose) cream paint for the woodwork and apricot for the walls.
3 When John (look) in to see how they (get) on, Ann (mix) the
paint, and Peter (wash) down the walls. 4 They (be) glad to
see John and (ask) if he (do) anything special that day. 5 He
hastily (reply) he (go) to the theatre and (go) away at once, because
he (know) they (look) for someone to help them. 6 They (begin)
painting, but (find) the walls (be) too wet. 7 While they
(wait) for the walls to dry, Ann (remember) she (have) a phone call
to make. 8 Peter (start) painting while she (telephone), and
(do) a whole wall before Ann (come) back. 9 He (grumble) that
she always (telephone). 10 Ann (retort) that Peter always
(complain). 11 They (work) in silence for some time. 12
Just as they (start) the third wall, the doorbell (ring). 13 It
(be) a friend of Peter’s who "(want) to know if Peter (play)
golf the following weekend. 14 He (stay) talking to Peter in
the hall while Ann (go) on painting. 15 At last he (leave). 16
Peter (return), expecting Ann to say something about friends who
(come) and (waste) valuable time talking about golf. 17 But
Ann nobly (say) nothing. 18 Then Peter (think) he would do the
ceiling. 19 He just (climb) the step ladder when the doorbell
(ring) again. 20 Ann (say) she (get) tired of interruptions
but (go) and (open) the door. 21 It (be) the postman with a
letter from her aunt Mary, saying she (come) to spend the weekend
with them and (arrive) that evening at 6.30.
Exercise
2 The
simple past and the past continuous. Put the verbs in
brackets into the simple past or past continous.
1 I (walk)
along Piccadilly when I (realize) that a man with a ginger beard,
whom I had seen three times already that afternoon, (follow) me. 2
To make quite sure, I (walk) on quickly, (turn) right, then left and
(stop) suddenly at a shop window. 3 In a few minutes the man
with the beard (appear) and (stop) at another shop window. 4 I
(go) on. 5 Whenever I (stop) he (stop), and whenever I (look)
round he (be) still there. 6 He (look) a very respectable type
and (wear) very conventional clothes and I (wonder) if he was a
policeman or a private detective. 7 I (decide) to try and
shake him off. 8 A 74 bus (stand) at the bus stop just beside
me. 9 Then the conductor (come) downstairs and (ring) the
bell; just as the bus (move) off, I (jump) on it. 10 The man
with the beard (miss) the bus but (get) into another 74, which
(follow) the first. 11 Both buses (crawl) very slowly along
Knightsbridge. 12 Every time the buses (pull) up at a stop,
the man (look) out anxiously to see if I (get) off. 13 Finally,
at some traffic lights, he (change) buses and (get) into mine. 14
At Gloucester Road Underground, I (leave) the bus and (buy) a
ticket at a ticket machine. 15 As I (stand) on the platform
waiting for a Circle Line train, my pursuer (come) down the stairs.
16 He (carry) a newspaper and when we (get) into the same
compartment, he (sit) in one corner reading it, and I (read) the
advertisements. 17 He (look) over the top of the newspaper at
every station to see if I (get) out. 18 I (become) rather
tired of being shadowed like this, so finally I (go) and (sit) beside
the man and (ask) him why he (follow) me. 19 At first he (say)
he (not follow) me at all but when I (threaten) to knock him down, he
(admit) that he was. 20 Then he (tell) me he (be) a writer of
detective stories and (try) to see if it was difficult to follow
someone unseen. 21 I
(tell) him he hadn’t been unseen because I had noticed him
in Piccadilly and I (advise) him to shave off his ginger beard if he
(not want) his victim to know he (be) followed.
Student
Exercise
3 The
simple past and the past continuous. Put the verbs in
brackets into the correct tense: simple past or past continuous.
1
He (sit) on the bank fishing when he (see) a man’s hat floating
down the river. It (seem) strangely familiar.
2
It (snow) heavily when he (wake) up. He (remember) that Jack (come)
for lunch and (decide) to go down to the station to meet him in case
he (lose) his way in the snowy lanes.
3
When I (reach) the street I (realize) that I (not know) the number
of Tom’s house. I (wonder) what to do about it when Tom himself
(tap) me on the shoulder.
4
As the goalkeeper (run) forward to seize the ball a bottle (strike)
him on the shoulder.
5
I (look) through the classroom window. A geometry lesson (go) on.
The teacher (draw) diagrams on the blackboard.
6
Most of the boys (listen) to the teacher but a few (whisper) to each
other, and Tom (read) a history book. Tom (hate) mathematics; he
always (read) history during his mathematics lesson.
7
Everyone (read) quietly when suddenly the door (burst) open and a
complete stranger (rush) in.
8
I (go) to Jack’s house but (not find) him in. His mother
(say) that she (know) what he (do) but
(think) he probably (play) football.
9
It used to be a station and all the London trains (stop)
here. But two years ago they (close) the station and (give) us a bus
service instead.
10
She (promise) not to report me to the police but ten minutes
later I (see) her talking with a policeman and from the expression on
his face I am sure she (tell) him all about it.
11
I (pick) up the receiver and (dial) a number. To my surprise
I (find) myself listening to an extraordinary conversation. Two men
(plan) to kidnap the Prime Minister.
12
I (meet) Paul at the university. We (be) both in the same
year. He (study) law, but he (not be) very interested in it and
(spend) most of his time practising the flute.
13
The train just (start) when the door (open) and two panting
passengers (leap) in.
14
‘What
you (do) between 9.00 and 10.00 yesterday?’ (say) the detective.
‘I
(clean) my house,’ said Mrs Jones. ‘I always clean my house on
Saturday mornings.’
15
My neighbour (look) in last night and (say) that he (leave) the
district and (go) to Yorkshire, to a new job. I (say) that I (be)
very sorry that he (go), and (tell) him to write to me from Yorkshire
and tell me how he (get) on.
16
They (build) that bridge when I (be) here last year. They haven’t
finished it yet.
17
The dentist’s waiting room was full of people. Some (read)
magazines, others just (turn) over the pages. A woman (knit); a child
(play) with a toy car. Suddenly the door (open) and the nurse (say),
‘Next, please.’
18
The house next to yours (be) full of policemen and police dogs
yesterday.
-
What they (do)?
-
I (hear) that they (look) for drugs.
- They (find)
any?
-
Yes, I believe one of the dogs (discover) some cannabis.
19
Peter (tell) me yesterday that he (make) his own £5 notes.
-
Don’t believe him. He just (pull) your leg.
20
A traffic warden just (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen when
I (come) back to the car. I (try) to persuade him to tear it up but
he (refuse).
21
Ann works in the branch where the big robbery (take) place.
-
"She actually (work) there at the time of the raid?
22
When Ann (say) that she (come) to see me the next day, I
(wonder) what flowers she would bring. She always brings flowers.
23 While I
(wonder) whether to buy the dress or not, someone else (come) and
(buy) it.
24
He always (borrow) from me (he borrowed more often than was
reasonable) but when I once (ask) him to lend me something, he (say)
he (not have) got it before he even (know) what I (want) to borrow.
25
I (go) home on foot and all the time I (have) the impression that I
(be) followed (passive). But though I (turn) round several times, I
never (see) anybody.
26
I (bump) into Tom yesterday. I (ask) him to join us for lunch
tomorrow but he (say) he (have) (had arranged to have) lunch with
Ann.
27
My dog (attack) the postman as he (put) the letters into the letter
box. The man (thrust) a large envelope into the dog’s mouth and of
course he (tear) it. Unfortunately the letter (contain) my diploma. I
(patch) the diploma up with Sellotape but it still looks a bit odd.
28
How you (break) your leg?
-
I (fall) off a ladder when I (put) up curtains. The worst of
it (be) that it (be) just before the holidays and I (go) away, (had
planned to go away)
29
So you (not go) away?
-
No, of course not. I (cancel) my bookings and (spend) the
holiday hobbling about at home.
30
The curtain just (rise) when somebody at the back of the theatre
(shout) ‘Fire!’ The audience
(look) round nervously.
31
As it (rain) the children (play) in the sitting room. Tom was there
too. He (try) to write a letter but he (not get on) very well because
the children (keep) asking him questions.
32
What you (do) when the doorbell (ring)?
-
I (make) a cake.
-
And what you (do) when you (hear) the bell?
-
I (go) to answer it of course. But when I (open) the door
there (be) nobody there.
33
A few minutes later the bell (ring) again and this time I (find) a
man in a peaked cap who (say) he (make) a survey.
34
I (say), ‘(Be) it you who (ring) this bell a minute ago?’
‘No,’
he (answer), ‘but when I (talk) to your neighbour I (see) a man
standing at your door. I think he (go) round to the back of your
house.’
35
We (not get) much sleep last night because the people next door
(have) a noisy party. I (ring) up the landlord and (say) that his
tenants (make) too much noise. He (point out) that it (be) Saturday
and that people often (have) parties on Saturday nights. I (say) that
the people in his house always (have) parties, (had too many parties)
36
What you (do) before you (get) this job?
-
I (work) for Brown and Company.
-
And how long you (stay) with them?
-
I (stay) for about six months. I (leave) because they always
(go) on strike. It (become) quite monotonous.
Student
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Answers
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Exercise 1
1 decided 2 chose 3 looked, were getting, was mixing, was washing
4 were, asked, was doing 5 replied, was going, went, knew, were
looking 6 began, found, were 7 were waiting/waited, remembered,
had 8 started, was telephoning, did, came 9 grumbled, was always
telephoning 10 retorted, was always complaining 11 worked 12
started/were starting, rang 13 was, wanted, was playing 14 stayed,
went 15 left 16 returned, came, wasted 17 said 18 thought 19 was
just climbing, rang 20 said, was getting, went, opened 21 was, was
coming, arriving
Exercise 2
1 was walking, realized, was following 2 walked, turned,
stopped 3 appeared, stopped 4 went 5 stopped, stopped, looked, was
6 looked, was wearing/wore, wondered 7 decided 8 was standing 9
came, rang, moved off/was moving off, jumped 10 missed, got, was
following/followed 11 crawled 12 pulled, looked, was getting/got
13 changed, got 14 left, bought 15 was standing,
came 16 was carrying, got, sat, read 17 looked, was getting/got 18
was becoming/became, went, sat, asked, was following 19 said,
wasn't following, threatened, admitted 20 told, was, was trying 21
told, advised, didn’t want, was being followed
Exercise 3
1 was sitting, saw; seemed 2 was snowing, woke; remembered,
was coming, decided, lost 3 reached, realized, did not know; was
wondering, tapped 4 was running/ran, struck 5 looked; was going;
was drawing 6 were listening, were whispering, was reading; hated,
read 7 was reading, burst, rushed 8 went, didn’t find; said,
didn’t know, was doing, thought, was probably playing 9
stopped/used to stop; closed, gave 10 promised, saw, was telling
ll picked, dialled; found; were planning 12 met; were; was
studying, wasn’t, spent 13 was just starting, opened, leapt 14
were you doing, said; was cleaning 15 looked, said, was leaving
the district and (was) going; said, was, was going, told, was
getting/got on 16 were building, was 17 were reading, were just
turning over; was knitting, was playing; opened, said 18 was; were
they doing; heard, were looking; Did they find; discovered 19
told, made; was just pulling 20 was just sticking, came; tried,
refused 21 took; Was she actually working 22 said, was coming,
wondered 23 was wondering, came, bought 24 was always borrowing,
asked, said, hadn’t, knew, wanted 25 went, had, was being;
turned, saw 26 bumped, asked, said, was having 27 attacked, was
putting; thrust, tore; contained; patched 28 did you break; fell,
was putting, was, was, was going 29 didn’t go; cancelled, spent
30 was just rising, shouted; looked ffel was raining, played/were
playing; was trying, didn’t get/wasn’t getting on, kept 32
were you doing, rang; was making; did you do, heard, went; opened,
was 33 rang, found, said, was making 34 Was, rang; answered, was
talking, saw; went 35 didn’t get, were having/had; rang up,
said, were making; pointed out, was, had; said, were always having
36 were you doing/did you do, got; was working/worked; did you
stay, stayed; left, were always going; became/was becoming
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