Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1By the time the keynote started, the technicians ............... the microphones twice, so the sound was crystal clear.
Wrong!
Use "had tested" because the microphone test was completed before the keynote started.
2I ............... my old boss at first, but I recognized her voice as soon as she spoke.
Wrong!
Use the past simple "didn't recognize" for a completed past situation; the present perfect does not fit a finished past time, and "recognize" is not normally used in the continuous.
3While we ............... dinner, the power went out and the oven shut off mid-roast.
Wrong!
Use "were cooking" for an action in progress when the power went out.
4She looked exhausted because she ............... since dawn and still hadn't finished the report.
Wrong!
Use "had been working" for an activity that continued up to the past moment when she looked exhausted.
5I ............... call you, but my phone died on the train, so I couldn't.
Wrong!
Use "was going to" for a past intention that did not happen.
6He ............... the contract by the time he noticed the missing page, so it was too late to change it.
Wrong!
Use "had signed" because the signing was completed before he noticed the missing page.
7By the time they finally bought a house nearby, they ............... in that flat for years.
Wrong!
Use "had lived" because the years in the flat came before they bought the house.
8I ............... my keys when you called, which is why I didn't answer right away.
Wrong!
Use "was looking for" for an action in progress when the call happened.
9We ............... in the rain for nearly an hour when the bus finally showed up.
Wrong!
Use "had been waiting" to show how long the wait continued before the bus arrived.
10When I was a teenager, I ............... get up early on Saturdays, but now I sleep in.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "would" and "used to" can describe the repeated past habit of getting up early.
11As soon as the judge entered, everyone ............... talking and stood up at once.
Wrong!
Use "stopped" for the completed action that happened as soon as the judge entered.
12I ............... the email, but I realized too late that I'd attached the wrong file.
Wrong!
Use "sent" for the completed past action before the later realization.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By the time the keynote started, the technicians had tested the microphones twice, so the sound was crystal clear.
- I didn’t recognize my old boss at first, but I recognized her voice as soon as she spoke.
- While we were cooking dinner, the power went out and the oven shut off mid-roast.
- She looked exhausted because she had been working since dawn and still hadn’t finished the report.
- I was going to call you, but my phone died on the train, so I couldn’t.
- He had signed the contract by the time he noticed the missing page, so it was too late to change it.
- By the time they finally bought a house nearby, they had lived in that flat for years.
- I was looking for my keys when you called, which is why I didn’t answer right away.
- We had been waiting in the rain for nearly an hour when the bus finally showed up.
- When I was a teenager, I would / used to get up early on Saturdays, but now I sleep in.
- As soon as the judge entered, everyone stopped talking and stood up at once.
- I sent the email, but I realized too late that I’d attached the wrong file.