The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Exercises: past time

Past time - Exercise 1

Order the words to make sentences.

crying you Why when were met we

week was beach This the I sunbathing time last on

We finally she waiting had for hour when been an arrived

night you dancing all Were long

By their kids time finished Jimmy the up the woke other had breakfast

like He always didn't because teasing Claire she him was

we playing blackout there were cards was a While

How when been you living long sold there you had the flat

That seen was the violin the children time had a first

had got already they When home I left

Past time - Exercise 2

Choose the best answer for each of the following sentences.

Julie ... to school last week because she ... ill.

hadn't been going / was

didn't go / was

didn't go / had been

I ... around to see what ... .

looked / was going on

looked / went on

had looked / went on

He ... on the motorway when he ... a puncture.

had been driving / had

was driving / had

drove / was having

What comics ... when you were young?

did you read

had you read

had you been reading

We ... why Peter ... a white shirt and a tie.

weren't understanding / wore

didn't understand / worn

didn't understand / was wearing

How long ... together when their first child was born?

were they

had they been

did they use to be

After I paid, I ... that I ... to buy cheese.

remembered / forgot

remembered / had forgotten

had remembered / had forgotten

People ... eat so many carbohydrates before.

didn't use to

didn't used to

wasn't used to

By the time the concert ... , the fans ... impatiently for almost two hours.

had begun / had queued

began / had been queueing

began / were queueing

Sally ... for her mid-term all day yesterday.

had been revising

was revising

used to revise

Past time - Exercise 3

Make sentences with the appropriate past tenses.

What | you | do | at 5 o'clock?

Carlos | not | come | to the cinema | because | he | work

I | take | the bus | to work today | because | my car | break down

How long | Nick and Susan | know | each other | when | they | move together?

It | get | colder and colder

While | the professor | give | a lecture | some students | talk | to one another

By Tuesday | we | paint | every room

What | you | want | to be | when | you | be | younger?

I | fall off | my bike | when | a cat | run | in front of me

When | John | get | his first pay rise | he | work | for the company | for 10 years

Past time - Exercise 4

Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word(s) in capital letters and the meaning stays the same. Do not change the words given.

I have been staying in London for three weeks. (AGO)

When was your last exam? (TAKE AN EXAM)

She got to the theatre after the beginning of the play. (BY THE TIME)

Paul lived in Brazil when he was young. (LIVE)

Was there anybody interesting at the reception? (MEET)

I left the office. Filip rang me half an hour later. (WHEN)

In the middle of his speech, somebody knocked on the door. (WHILE)

We didn't clean up until everybody had left. (AFTER)

The man was driving the wrong way for several miles. Then the police stopped him. (WHEN)

What time did you usually go to bed when you were a kid? (USE)

Past time - Exercise 5

Tell your partner about ...

your last birthday party.

the last time you went abroad.

a time when you felt extremely angry.

the best present you have ever given.

the funniest thing that has happened to you in the past three weeks.

the last time you had to study a lot for an exam.

how you got to school/work this morning.

the first thing you remember from your childhood.

the best and worst things in your secondary school years.

why you decided to learn English.

Answer key: past time

Answer key - Past time - Exercise 1

Why were you crying when we met?

This time last week, I was sunbathing on the beach.

We had been waiting for an hour when she finally arrived.

Were you dancing all night long?

By the time Jimmy woke up, the other kids had finished their breakfast.

He didn't like Claire because she was always teasing him.

While we were playing cards, there was a blackout.

How long had you been living there when you sold the flat?

That was the first time the children had seen a violin.

When I got home, they had already left.

Answer key - Past time - Exercise 2

Julie ... to school last week because she ... ill. (2) didn't go / was

I ... around to see what ... . (1) looked / was going on

He ... on the motorway when he ... a puncture. (2) was driving / had

What comics ... when you were young? (1) did you read

We ... why Peter ... a white shirt and a tie. (3) didn't understand / was wearing

How long ... together when their first child was born? (2) had they been

After I paid, I ... that I ... to buy cheese. (2) remembered / had forgotten

People ... eat so many carbohydrates before. (1) didn't use to

By the time the concert ... , the fans ... impatiently for almost two hours. (2) began / had been queueing

Sally ... for her mid-term all day yesterday. (2) was revising

Answer key - Past time - Exercise 3

What were you doing at 5 o'clock?

Carlos didn't come to the cinema because he was working.

I took the bus to work today because my car had broken down.

How long had Nick and Susan known each other when they moved together?

It was getting colder and colder.

While the professor was giving a lecture, some students were talking to one another.

By Tuesday, we had painted every room.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

I fell off my bike when a cat ran in front of me.

When John got his first pay rise, he had been working for the company for 10 years.

Answer key - Past time - Exercise 4

I came to London three weeks ago.

When did you last take an exam?

By the time she got to the theatre, the play had begun.

Paul used to live in Brazil when he was young.

Did you meet anybody interesting at the reception?

When Filip rang me, I had already left the office.

While he was speaking, somebody knocked on the door.

We cleaned up after everybody (had) left.

The man had been driving the wrong way for several miles when the police stopped him.

What time did you use to go to bed when you were a kid?