Surname: First name:Grade:

TEST PAPER

I. Translate the following words:CarnationRoseDaisyDaffodilTulipRoseTo gazeTo stareTo watchTo peep

II. Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses:It (rain) …………………….very hard when the bus (leave) ……………….the school. When we

(get) ……………….home, my Aunt Carol and Uncle Arthur (wait) …………………….for us. They (tell) ……………….us to run into their basement. When I (look) …………………….up the road, I (see) ……………….that a tornado (come) …………………….towards our house. We all (run) …………….towards the shelter. But it was too late. The tornado (pass) ……………….over us while we (try) …………………….to get down the stairs. We (close) ………………….the door when the wind suddenly (pull) ……………….it off. The noise was as loud as a train, and it was very dark. My uncle (hold) …………………….me down when suddenly the tornado (lift) ………………….him and threw him against a wall. Everybody (scream) ………………….for help while the tornado (throw) ………………….things on top of us. Suddenly the wind (stop) …………………. . It (become) ………………….very quiet. My uncle and sister were hurt, but we all (survive) …………………. .

III. Match the three columns:A.Red 1.sky, spirituality, intellect a. Life in some cultures, inexperience in others B.Blue 2.growth in nature, leaves, calm b.In China, it is a lucky colour for brides.C.Green 3.joy, sun, musicality c. Fear, money, jealousy or fertilityD.Yellow 4. passion, anger, vitality d.In Africa it represents youth, while in America sadness.

IV. Fill in the blanks with the following words: poor, Nottingham, old man, Richard the Lion heart, outlaw, Sherwood, rich, green

Robin Hood was an ………………….…. who lived in…………………….., near………………………. .He lived in the years of king ……………….…………………………….. .He stole from the ……………..…… to give to the …………….…… . Robin and his companions wore …………………. clothes.When he wanted to save Jim, one of his friends caught by the sheriff, he disguised as an …………………… .

V. What’s your favourite colour? Note the most important things about your personality.

D.   Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.(Past simple, continuous or perfect) 

 It was Friday again, the day for famous parties at Wellington High School.

Students (dance) in the garden and everyone (enjoy) the pleasure of being away from boring lessons.

When Sarah (come) to the party, the music (already /

start). Tim suddenly (notice) Sarah and (feel) shocked. He had

(look for) her for 2 years. They (meet) each other at a holiday camp in 1999, but mysteriously

Sarah (disappear) after a while. He (think) about her since then.

At the party, Sarah (talking) to one of her friends while most of the students

(drink) as much as they could. Tim (decide) to talk to her and (wait)

for her friend to leave. When he (go) next to her, she

(search for) something in her bag, so she (not see) him. As

soon as he (touch) her on the shoulder, she (raise) her head

and couldn’t believe her eyes. She (never / forget) him.

At the end of the party, no one (be) happier than Sarah and Tim as

they (find) each other after 2 years.

Past Simple, Past Perfect and Past Continuous exercise

Chapter 1

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who

(be) usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I

(stand) upon the hearth-rug and

(pick up) the stick which our visitor

(leave) behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." Just under the head

(be) a broad silver band nearly an inch across. "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.," was

(engrave) upon it, with the date "1884." It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry--dignified, solid, and reassuring.

"Well, Watson, what

(you make) of it?"

Holmes

(sit) with his back to me, and I

(give) him no sign of my occupation.

"How

(you know) what I

(do)? I

(believe) you have eyes in the back of your head."

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call) . She said she (call) me on her

cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she (wait) for class, but she said that the

professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) to me. I couldn't believe she (make)

a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.

She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep, actually) in class.

Some of the students (talk) about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her (draw)

a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell) me she was not satisfied with the class, I

(mention) that my biology professor was quite good and (suggest) that she switch to my class.

While we were talking, I (hear) her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the

line went dead. I (hang) up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner. As I (cut)

vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be) Angela, but this time she wasn't sitting in class.

Past Tenses 

I. Complete the text with either the past simple or the past continuous form of the verb.

I _____________ (buy) a new alarm clock one day in Twinkle’s, when I _____________ (see) somebody shoplifting. I’d just finished paying for my clock as I _____________ (turn) round, an elderly woman _____________ (slowly put) a silver ashtray into her bag that she _____________ (carry). Then she _____________ (walk) over to another part of the shop and _____________ (pick up) an expensive-looking bracelet many times. When she _____________ (think) that nobody _____________ (look), she _____________ (drop) it into the bag. Before I _____________ (have) a chance to tell the staff in the shop, she _____________(notice) that I _____________ (watch) her and _____________ (hurry) out. Unfortunately for her, two policemen _____________ (walk) past at that moment and she _____________ (run) straight into them.

II. Put the verbs into the past simple or the past continuous form.

1.    He _____________ (sit) on the bank fishing, when he _____________ (see) a man’s hat floating down the river. It _____________ (seem) rather worn.2.    It _____________(rain) when we _____________ (drive) home. I _____________(remember) closing the windows, so I _____________(not worry).3.    As the goalkeeper _____________ (throw) the ball to the defender a sparrow _____________ (fly) across the pitch and it _____________ (hit) the poor bird.4.    A history lesson _____________ (go) on. I _____________ (glance) at the teacher who _____________ (draw) something on the blackboard. 5.    The waiting room was full of people. Some _____________(read) others _____________ (sleep). When the doctor _____________ (arrive) I _____________ (stop) doing my crosswords.6.    The train _____________ (start) when the door _____________ (open) and two men _____________ (leap) in.7.    Most of us _____________ (listen) to the lecturer but some students _____________ (whisper) to each other. One of the boys _____________ (close) his eyes and _____________ (fall) asleep).8.    While I _____________ (wonder) wether to buy that scarf a woman _____________ (come) and _____________ (buy) it.

III. Decide whether the verbs underlined are in the correct tense.

I was sitting at a desk writing letters. Outside the wind shut the garden shed’s door. Again and again. I wasn’t able to concentrate on my work. I was getting up and went to the window. The sounds of the storm were getting louder and the murmurs of a distant thunder were reaching me at that moment. I was thinking I was going to finish what I was doing but I went back to my writings. The rain was pouring down in large drops. I was hearing an animal howling. A dog – I thought. But it was the wind. I was seeing the trees bending down to the ground. Some leaves were rushing high up to the sky but suddenly they were giving up their struggle and returned. At that instant someone knocked at the door. While I turned towards it I realised that it was me. My heart beat aloud. When I continued the letter I wrote I constantly smiled upon my cowardness.

IV. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous form.

1.   Where _______ he ________ (go) when you _________(see) him yesterday?2.   The boys ________ (break) the window when they _______ (play) football.3.   I _______ (lose) all my money when I ________ (travel) from Prague to Budapest.4.   It ________ (rain) while I ________ (go) home.5.   When my mother _________ (clean) my room she __________ (find) all my love letters.6.   I __________ (stop) at a garage because my car __________ (make) a funny noise.7.   He __________ (think) of her while he __________ (travel) home.8.   The doorbell ___________ (ring) while I __________ (dry) my hair.9.   They ___________ (have) an accident when they __________ (come) back from holiday.10. My grandmother first _________ (meet) my grandfather  when he __________ (work) in the country.11. I ________ (see) him at the party. He __________ (wear) jeans and a T-shirt.

12. She _________ (go) to sleep while I __________ (tell) her about my boyfriend.13. When I __________ (look) at him I saw that he _________ (cry).14. They ___________ (clean) the house all day yesterday.15. They ___________ (play) in the garden when it __________ (start) to snow.

 

V.    Make the following sentences negative.

a.    He washed his car yesterday.b.    The film was worse than I expected.c.    I arrived before the end of the show.d.    She threw the ball into the goal.e.    Two people were sitting in the roomf.    She was making breakfast.

VI.    Write questions for the underlined parts.

a.    He stopped the train when he saw the cow.b.    I borrowed my brother’s bike.c.    John bought the tickets.d.    They went to Stockholm.e.    There were four chairs around the table.f.    A man was standing next to the window.g.    It cost a lot of money.h.    We were waiting for the bus that time.i.    My grandfather smoked ten cigarettes a day.

VII.    Put the verbs into the correct tense (past simple or continuous).

When Samy         (arrive) home he         (find) three men in his flat. One of them         (be) Timmy, his best friend. He (sit) on the sofa and he         (talk) with Eric. Eric is a funny guy. Sammy and Eric        (be) classmates in the elementary school. They         (do) a lot of things together. The third men         (be) Craig. Sammy             (meet) craig only once. Last year they         (go) camping together to the mountains. But why          (be) they in his flat? And why they             (drink) cocktails in his living room? Sammy        (want) to ask them theese questions when suddenly he     (realise) that it         (be) his birthday. He             (not ask) anything just         (join) the boys who now         (laugh) at his suprise.

VIII.    Put the words into the correct order.

a.    in I a when I Manchester worked lived in shop.b.    our to we them invited party.c.    yesterday at Tom work was ?d.    that enough have to I didn’t money buy ring.e.    the I very film enjoyed much.

IX.    Decide whether the parts in bold are in the correct tense.

a.    Leopold was falling off the ladder while he was painting the ceiling.b.    Wendy was waiting for me when I arrived.c.    We didn’t go fishing because it rained.d.    I was seeing  Scott in the park. He was sitting on the grass and he read a book.e.    This time last year I had holiday on Bali.f.    When I was getting up the TV was on.

X) Complete the gaps with the correct form of the verbs. 1. A: What (you, do)                                     when the accident happened? B: I (try)                        to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find)                           the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately)                       to the police and (turn)                                        it in.

3. The doctor (say)                                         that Tom (be)                                           too sick to go to work and that he (need)                                         to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian (arrive)                                         at Susan's house a little before 9:00 pm, but she (be, not)                                           there. She (study, at the library)                                for her final examination in French.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also)           television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I (call)                                                 you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)            there. Where were you? B: I (work)                                  out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk)                                       into the busy office, the secretary (talk)                  on the phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily)                                             at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly)                                   methods to improve customer service.

8. I (watch)                                            a mystery movie on T.V. when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.

9. Sharon (be)                                         in the room when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything because she (listen, not)                                           .

10. It's strange that you (call)                                   because I (think, just)                about you.

11. The Titanic (cross)                             the Atlantic when it (strike)                        an iceberg.

12. When I entered the souk, a couple of sellers (bargain, busily)                                and (try)                                                to sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt)                  for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)                                               their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home.

13. The firemen (rescue)                              the old woman who (be)                  trapped.

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)                                               her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she (expect, actually)                                    me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live)                                                     in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)                                     there when the Berlin wall came down.

To Catch A Thief: Past simple and past continuous practice. I use this activity as practice for using narrative tenses, particularly past simple and progressive/continuous with pre-intermediate students. It is a very structured activity in which students write a short newspaper article about a robbery.Procedure

Tell students they are going to write a newspaper article about a robbery in a public place. Elicit the kind of information the students think they would need to write the article and write questions up on

the board as they give you ideas. At this point the teacher formulates the questions as the focus is on the students creating the content of the story and not an exercise in grammar.

Write these questions on one side of the board and leave them there as students will need them again in stage 5 of this activity. Typical questions could be:

1. Where was the robbery?2. When did it take place?3. How many robbers were there?4. Were they wearing disguises?5. Were they armed?6. How many robbers were there?7. What did the workers and customers do?8. Was anybody injured?9. What did the robbers take?10. How did they get away?11. Who called the police?12. When did the police arrive?13. Have the robbers been caught yet?

Help students out with your own ideas if they are not very inspired at this point.

In pairs or small groups ask students to answer each question using their imagination. Make bilingual dictionaries available and move round the class assisting with vocabulary.

Once the groups have the basic information for their story, you can discuss the organisation of  the text. As this is a newspaper article, talk about how the first paragraph would contain a summary of what the writer feels the reader would most like to know about the incident, and the rest of the article would tell the story in full. Of course, the most important/interesting facts may vary from story to story but would most likely be what the robbers took, whether anyone was injured and whether the robbers have been caught. Get students to show their plan by drawing a box for each paragraph and putting key words in. 

Ask students to write their texts and tell them that they should focus on communicating their story clearly and on using the past simple and past progressive/continuous correctly.  At pre-intermediate level students can’t be expected to write a perfect newspaper article but by giving them achievable aims within the task the teacher needs only mark the text against the criteria given and will not need to correct every mistake as this could be very demotivating.  Give students a time limit of about 15 to 20 minutes for this task.

Students now swap round their finished texts with other groups.  The new group reads the article and answers the questions on the board that were produced in stage 1 of this activity.

Follow-up Activity

In open class ask students to talk about events that have been happening recently in the news. You may want to ask them to choose a current event to talk about briefly in the next class and, depending on your curriculum and the interest of the students, you could get students to plan an article on a real news event in a future lesson.  Take in the finished articles. You can correct the use of the past simple and progressive/continuous and give them a grade or comment as to how clearly they told their story.

Past simple / Past Continuous

 

1.-Complete the sentences. Use the past simple or the past continuous.

1. She (read) ……………….. the newspaper when she saw the advert.

2. At the interview they (no ask) ………………..      Tom many questions.

3. Ellie (look) ……………….. at ten websites before she found an interesting job.

4. What job (you have) ……………….. before.

5. While Peter (explain) ……………….. his experience, someone knocked on the door.

6. Iván (sit) ……………….... in class when he had the idea of going to London.

7. She (not phone) ……………….... her friend last night.

8. We (talk) ……………….... about you when you called.

9. She arrived while they (eat) ………………....        lunch.

10. How many jobs (Ben have) ……………….... last year?

 

2.-Fill in the blanks with  Past tense or continuous.-

1. “What ……………….……. (you/do) this time yesterday?” “I was asleep”

2. “……. you……….. (go) out last night?” “No, I was too tired”

3. How fast ………………… (you/ drive) when the accident……………. (happen)?

4. When I last ……………… (see) Alan, he ………………… (try) to find a job.

5. I ……………….. (walk) along the street when suddenly I ……………. (hear) footsteps behind me.

 

3.-Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous

 1    I …................... (stand) in the bank when the robbers …................... (steal) the money.

 2    The police …................... (arrest) him because he …................... (speed) in the city centre.

 3    Julie’s friend …................... (arrive) when she …................... (talk) on the phone.

 4    When I …................... (see) them on their bikes, they …................. (not wear) helmets.

5        Tom …................... (not listen) to the teacher so he …................... (not hear) the question.

 6    The suspects …................... (try) to escape when they …................... (have) a car accident.

 

4.-Complete the text with the past simple or the past continuous.

            My friends and I (1) ……................. (enjoy) my birthday party when suddenly the lights

(2) ……................. (go) out. I (3) ……................. (think) that my brother (4) ……................. (try) to scare

everyone. I (5) ……................. (shout), ‘Switch the lights on!’ but nothing (6) ……................. (happen). While we

(7) ……................. (wait) in the darkness, somebody (8) ……................. (scream). Suddenly, I felt scared.

 

5.-Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in brackets.-

 

            I …………………. (listen) to some music in my room when I ………..…….. (hear) a loud bang in the

street, so I ……………. (go)

outside to investigate. The weather was terrible. The wind …………..…….. (blow) hard and it

…………………………. (rain) a lot.

Then I ……………. (see) what the problem was. A motorbike  …………………………… (lie)on the ground next

to a tree. Suddenly

somebody ………………… (say) “Please, help me” I …………………….(look) around and there was the

motorbike rider, also on the ground.

 

Key to Past simple/ Past continuous.

1.-Complete the sentences. Use the past simple or the past continuous.

1. was reading

2. didn’t ask.

3. looked

4. did you have

5. was explaining

6. was sitting

7. didn’t phone

8. were talking

9. were eating

10. did he have 

2.-Fill in the blanks with  Past tense or continuous.-

1. were you doing”

2. Did you go

3. were you driving, happened

4. saw, was trying

5. was walking,  heard

3.-Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous

 1    was standing, stole

 2    arrested, was speeding

3        arrived, was talking

4        saw, weren’t wearing

5        wasn’t listening, didn’t hear

 6    were trying, had

4.-Complete the text with the past simple or the past continuous.

1.      Were enjoying

2.      Went

3.      Thought

4.      Was trying

5.      Shouted

6.      Happened

7.      Were waiting

8.      screamed

5.-Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in

brackets.-

 

Was listening, heard, went, was blowing, rained/ was raining, saw, was lying, said, looked

Simple Past or Past Progressive - Exercise 1

Explanation: Simple Past or Past Progressive

Fill in all the gaps, with the right form of the verb in brackets.Press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. Note - you will lose points if you ask for hints!

James Ellis (go) on a business trip last week. He (be) (visit) some customers in Frankfurt. He

(leave) home early on Monday morning and (take) a taxi to the airport. He (get) there at about 8

o'clock. He (check in) and (go) to the airport lounge. He (buy) a newspaper and (go) to get a coffee.

He (be) (drink) his coffee when he (see) an old friend, Bob. He (be) very surprised that Bob

(be) in London and (find out) that he (be) (start) a new job in the city. As they

(be) (speak) they (hear) an announcement. "Would all passengers for the 9.30 flight to Frankfurt please

go to boarding gate 10". James (say) goodbye to Bob and as they (be) (leave) Bob (give)

him his business card and (ask) him to phone when he (return) from Frankfurt.

After (board) James (put) his briefcase in the overhead locker and (sit) down. During the flight,

James (do) some paper work and (speak) to the woman sitting next to him, while they (be)

(speak) the flight attendant (bring) breakfast. When the plane (land) in London, it was almost 11 o'clock.

Put in the verbs in brackets in the Simple Past or the Past Progressive into the gaps.

Example: I ________ my keys while I ________ to school. (to lose) (to walk)

Answer: I lost my keys while I was walking to school.

1) While I , the school bus . (to text) (to arrive)

2) Cindy her leg while she . (to break) (to snowboard)

3) He to the radio while he breakfast. (to listen) (to prepare)

4) My father at 70 km/h when a policeman him. (to drive) (to stop)

5) The girl that the boy her. (to notice) (to watch)

6) My dad the ladder while he the carport. (to fall off) (to paint)

7) While we , we crossword puzzles. (to wait) (to do)

8) Nick sick while he in Texas. (to become) (to travel)

9) What when you about 9/11? (to do) (to hear)

10) She said that she happy, so I to her. (not/to feel) (to talk)

James (take) a train to his hotel. Then he (walk) to the customer's office. He (get) there at 1.00 pm

and (go) to the reception desk. The receptionist (ask) him to wait. Whilst he (be) (wait) she

(offer) him a drink. He and his customer (talk) all afternoon. When Bob (get) to his hotel at 7

o'clock that night, he (phone) his wife and then (go) to the hotel restaurant.

*COMPLETE THE SENTENCES USING THE SIMPLE PAST PROGRESSIVE:1. A: What __________(you, do) when the accident occurred?B: I _______________(try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.2. After I___________ (find) the wallet full of money, I___________ (go,immediately) to the police and ___________ (turn) it in.3. The doctor ___________ (say) that Tom___________ (be) too sick to go towork and that he___________ (need) to stay at home for a couple of days.4. Sebastian___________ (arrive) at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, butshe___________ (be, not) there. She___________ (study, at the library) for her final examination in French.5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she ___________ (watch, also) television. That's all she ever does!6. A: I ___________ (call) you last night after dinner, but you___________ (be,not) there. Where were you?B: I ___________ (work) out at the fitness center.7. When I ___________ (walk) into the busy office, the secretary ___________ (talk) on the phone with a customer, several clerks ___________ (work, busily)at their desks, and two managers ___________ (discuss, quietly) methods toimprove customer service.8. I ___________ (watch) a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out.Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.9. Sharon ___________ (be) in the room when John told me what happened,but she didn't hear anything because she ___________ (listen, not) .10. It's strange that you ___________ (call) because I ___________ (think, just) about you.11. The Titanic ___________ (cross) the Atlantic when it ___________ (strike)an iceberg.12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants___________ (bargain,busily) and ___________ (try) to sell their goods to naive tourists who ___________ (hunt) for souvenirs. Some young boys___________ (lead) their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men ___________ (argue) over the price of a leather belt. I ___________ (walk)over to a man who ___________ (sell) fruit and ___________ (buy) a banana. 13. The firemen ___________ (rescue) the old woman who ___________ (be)trapped on the third floor of the burning building.14. She was so annoying! She ___________ (leave, always) her dirty dishes inthe sink. I think she ___________ (expect, actually) me to do them for her.15. Samantha ___________ (live) in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she ___________ (live) there when the Berlin Wall came down.•COMPLETE THIS TEXT WITH PAST SIMPLE OR PASTCONTINUOUS:Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela___________ (call) .She said she ___________ (call) me on her cell phone from her biologyclassroom at UCLA. I asked her if she ___________ (wait) for class, butshe said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing whileshe ___________ (talk) to me. I couldn't believe she ___________ (make)a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.She said her biology professor was so boring that several of thestudents ___________ (sleep, actually) in class. Some of the students ___________ (talk) about their plans for the weekend and the studentnext to her ___________ (draw) a picture of a horse. When Angela ___________ (tell) me she was not satisfied with the class, I ___________ (mention) that my biology professor was quite good and ___________ (suggest) that she switch to my class.While we were talking, I ___________ (hear) her professor yell, "Miss,are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the line went dead. I ___________ (hang) up the phone and went to the kitchen to makedinner. As I___________ (cut) vegetables for a salad, the phone rangonce again. It ___________ (be) Angela, but this time she wasn't sittingin class.WWW.MYPLACEFORENGLISH.BLOGSPOT.COMRafael Alcolea ©

Complete the text with the past simple or past perfect form of the verbs in brackets.When I ………………………..(come) back from New Zealand in 1994, after twenty years, Britain …………………………….(change) a lot. People ……………………………….(wear) different clothes, …………………………………(watch) different TV programs, and ……………………(have) different attitudes. And the traffic! I ………………………………….(never see) so many cars in London. And almost everyone ………………………………….(give up) smoking. One of the first things I ………………………….(notice) was that I …………………….(can) breathe in buses and cinemas! But I …………………………(be) sorry to see that most of the old red phone boxes ……………………………(go).

Change these sentences into the future with WILL.I have to wear a uniform. ……………………………………………I can’t tell you. ……………………………………………………..I don’t have to work. ………………………………………………..I can go windsurfing. ………………………………………………I don’t have to wear a suit. …………………………………………….