Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form.
1. By the time they found him, he .................................
Correct!
Wrong!
The past perfect is used to mean that something had already happened at the time we are talking about it.
2. He ..................................... many years ago.
Correct!
Wrong!
To simply state that something happened sometime ago we use the simple past tense.
3. By that time, everybody ........................................ asleep.
Correct!
Wrong!
4. She told me that something ........................................ to him.
Correct!
Wrong!
A simple past tense in the direct speech changes to past perfect tense in the indirect speech.
5. I ............................................ about it until you mentioned it.
Correct!
Wrong!
6. She ............................................. him at once.
Correct!
Wrong!
To simply state that something happened sometime ago we use the simple past tense.
7. I ....................................... him yesterday.
Correct!
Wrong!
To simply state that something happened sometime ago we use the simple past tense.
8. He ......................................... in 1960.
Correct!
Wrong!
We use the simple past to talk about people’s date or place of birth.
9. I ............................................... enough time to finish the job.
Correct!
Wrong!
10. When I arrived at the party, everybody .......................................... home.
Correct!
Wrong!
11. I wondered who ........................................... the cat in.
Correct!
Wrong!
The past perfect is common after past verbs of saying and thinking.
12. I thought I .......................................... the money.
Correct!
Wrong!
Answers
- By the time they found him, he had died.
- He died many years ago.
- By that time, everybody was asleep.
- She told me that something had happened to him.
- I hadn’t thought about it until you mentioned it.
- She recognized him at once.
- I saw him yesterday.
- He was born in 1960.
- I didn’t get enough time to finish the job.
- When I arrived at the party, everybody had already gone home.
- I wondered who had let the cat in.
- I thought I had sent the money.
