Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1When I got to the station, the train ............... five minutes earlier.
Wrong!
Use "had left" because the train left before I got to the station.
2At 8 p.m. last night, we ............... dinner when the lights went out.
Wrong!
Use "were having" for an action in progress when another past action interrupted it.
3She was nervous because she ............... that speech before.
Wrong!
Use "had never given" because the experience was missing before she felt nervous.
4While Tom ............... home, he saw an accident on the bridge.
Wrong!
Use "was driving" for the longer background action in progress.
5By the time the film started, we ............... our seats.
Wrong!
Use "had found" because finding the seats was completed before the film started.
6I ............... for the bus when it finally arrived.
Wrong!
Use "was waiting" for the action in progress when the bus arrived.
7By the time I arrived, the classroom was empty because the students ...............
Wrong!
Use "had already left" because the students left before I arrived.
8As I ............... through the old photos, I found a picture of my grandfather.
Wrong!
Use "was looking" for the ongoing background action during the discovery.
9He apologized because he ............... my message the night before.
Wrong!
Use "hadn't seen" because he missed the message before he apologized.
10When the teacher came in, several students ............... loudly at the back.
Wrong!
Use "were talking" because the students were in the middle of the action when the teacher entered.
11After the storm ..............., we went outside to check the garden.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "had passed" and "passed" are possible after "after" because the order of events is already clear.
12I couldn't get in because I ............... my keys, so I had to climb in through the kitchen window.
Wrong!
Use "had forgotten" because forgetting the keys happened before the later problem.
Answers
- When I got to the station, the train had left five minutes earlier.
- At 8 p.m. last night, we were having dinner when the lights went out.
- She was nervous because she had never given that speech before.
- While Tom was driving home, he saw an accident on the bridge.
- By the time the film started, we had found our seats.
- I was waiting for the bus when it finally arrived.
- By the time I arrived, the classroom was empty because the students had already left.
- As I was looking through the old photos, I found a picture of my grandfather.
- He apologized because he hadn’t seen my message the night before.
- When the teacher came in, several students were talking loudly at the back.
- After the storm had passed / passed, we went outside to check the garden.
- I couldn’t get in because I had forgotten my keys, so I had to climb in through the kitchen window.
