Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1By the time the coach arrived, the team ............... for nearly an hour in the rain.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been training" shows an activity continuing before the coach arrived.
2She was out of breath when the fire alarm went off because she ............... up and down the stairs for twenty minutes.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been running" explains the earlier activity, continuing up to the moment the alarm went off, that caused her breathlessness.
3I was annoyed because I ............... for the bus for 40 minutes before it finally came.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been waiting" shows the duration before the bus came.
4They ............... the match for weeks before the referee postponed it.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been preparing for" shows ongoing preparation before the postponement.
5His hands were shaking because he ............... weights all morning.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been lifting" explains the earlier activity that made his hands shake.
6We ............... hard all season, so losing the final felt unfair.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been working" shows sustained effort before the final was lost.
7The pitch was muddy because it ............... heavily before kickoff.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been raining" describes weather continuing before kickoff.
8Before the injury, she ............... every day to improve her speed.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been training" shows a routine continuing before the injury.
9The crowd was restless because they ............... in line since dawn.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been standing" is used with "since dawn" to show duration up to a past time.
10He looked exhausted. He ............... defense all game before the coach substituted him.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been playing" highlights an activity continuing before he was substituted.
11I could tell she was improving because she ............... her serve for months.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been practicing" shows the practice period before the past observation.
12By halftime, the goalkeeper ............... brilliantly, but the defense kept making mistakes.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous "had been playing" describes performance continuing up to halftime.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By the time the coach arrived, the team had been training for nearly an hour in the rain.
- She was out of breath when the fire alarm went off because she had been running up and down the stairs for twenty minutes.
- I was annoyed because I had been waiting for the bus for 40 minutes before it finally came.
- They had been preparing for the match for weeks before the referee postponed it.
- His hands were shaking because he had been lifting weights all morning.
- We had been working hard all season, so losing the final felt unfair.
- The pitch was muddy because it had been raining heavily before kickoff.
- Before the injury, she had been training every day to improve her speed.
- The crowd was restless because they had been standing in line since dawn.
- He looked exhausted. He had been playing defense all game before the coach substituted him.
- I could tell she was improving because she had been practicing her serve for months.
- By halftime, the goalkeeper had been playing brilliantly, but the defense kept making mistakes.