Fill in the blanks with an appropriate past tense form.
1I ............... with my son when you called.
Wrong!
Use "was playing" for the action in progress when the phone call happened.
2The doorbell ............... while I was having a bath.
Wrong!
Use "rang" for the short completed action that interrupted the longer action.
3As I was waiting for the bus, I ............... Joe crossing the road.
Wrong!
Use "saw" for the single completed event during the background action.
4Yesterday, I ............... to the movies with my wife.
Wrong!
Use "went" for a finished action at a definite time in the past.
5When I was a child, we ............... our own amusements.
Wrong!
Use "made" for a repeated habit in a finished past period.
6When we reached home, we discovered that water ............... down the walls.
Wrong!
Use "was running" for the situation already in progress when we arrived.
7It ............... while I was living in Mumbai.
Wrong!
Use "happened" for the completed event that occurred during the longer background situation.
8I ............... in Rome for ten years while I was a child.
Wrong!
Use "lived" for a complete past period described with "for ten years".
9I ............... when you called yesterday afternoon.
Wrong!
Use "was sleeping" for the action in progress at the moment someone called.
10What ............... at 11 pm last night?
Wrong!
Use "were you doing" for an action in progress at a specific time in the past.
11Who ............... you that watch?
Wrong!
Use "gave" to ask about a completed past action.
12When I walked into the office, everybody ...............
Wrong!
Use "was working" for the background action in progress when I entered.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- I was playing with my son when you called.
- The doorbell rang while I was having a bath.
- As I was waiting for the bus, I saw Joe crossing the road.
- Yesterday, I went to the movies with my wife.
- When I was a child, we made our own amusements.
- When we reached home, we discovered that water was running down the walls.
- It happened while I was living in Mumbai.
- I lived in Rome for ten years while I was a child.
- I was sleeping when you called yesterday afternoon.
- What were you doing at 11 pm last night?
- Who gave you that watch?
- When I walked into the office, everybody was working