Past tenses are used to talk about actions or situations completed in the past. Complete the following sentences using an appropriate past tense form.
1She ............... school at fourteen.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "left" for a completed action at a specific age in the past.
2I ............... his letter a week ago.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "received" with the finished past time expression "a week ago".
3When I saw him, he ............... chess.
Wrong!
We use the past continuous "was playing" for an action in progress when another past action happened.
4The guests ............... before he reached home.
Wrong!
We use the past perfect "had gone" for the earlier of two past actions.
5The train had left before I ............... the station.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "reached" for the later action after an earlier past perfect action.
6I ............... in the garage when John turned up.
Wrong!
We use the past continuous "was working" for an action in progress when John arrived.
7When I opened the door, the cat ............... out.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "jumped" for a completed action that happened after the door opened.
8I ............... when the lights went out.
Wrong!
We use the past continuous "was reading" for an action in progress when the lights went out.
9His father ............... last year.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "died" with the finished past time expression "last year".
10Babar ............... Rana Sanga in the battle.
Wrong!
We use the past simple "defeated" for a completed historical event in the past.
Exercise complete
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Answers
- She left school at fourteen.
- I received his letter a week ago.
- When I saw him, he was playing chess.
- The guests had gone before he reached home.
- The train had left before I reached the station.
- I was working in the garage when John turned up.
- When I opened the door, the cat jumped out.
- I was reading when the lights went out.
- His father died last year.
- Babar defeated Rana Sanga in the battle.