Fill in the blanks.
1He crashed his car shortly after he ............... it.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "had bought" for the earlier of two past actions; after "after" the past simple "bought" is also possible because the order is already clear.
2I ............... my work by the time I went out to play.
Wrong!
Use "had finished" because the work was completed before another past action; "by the time" needs the past perfect here.
3He ............... ill for about a month before he died.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "had been" for a state that continued up to a later time in the past; because "before" shows the order, the past simple "was" is also correct.
4The show ............... by the time we reached the venue.
Wrong!
Use "had begun" because the show started before we reached the venue; "by the time" needs the past perfect here.
5No one took care of the children after their parents ...............
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "had died" for the earlier event; because "after" already shows the order, the past simple "died" is also correct.
6We ............... here since 1990.
Wrong!
Use "have been living" for an action that began in the past and continues now.
7He ............... here for two hours.
Wrong!
Use "has been waiting" for an action that started in the past and continues now.
8I ............... them for a long time.
Wrong!
Use "have not met" with "for a long time" to connect the past with the present.
9Although the driver was badly hurt, he was able to explain what ...............
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "had happened" for the event that occurred before the driver explained it; the past simple "happened" is also acceptable because the order is clear.
10Neither of the boys ............... arrived.
Wrong!
Use "has" because "neither of the boys" takes a singular verb in formal English.
11One of the students ............... gone missing.
Wrong!
Use "has" because the subject "one of the students" is singular.
12How they ............... from the prison last night is a mystery.
Wrong!
Use "escaped" to refer to a completed past event at a finished time ("last night").
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- He crashed his car shortly after he bought / had bought it.
- I had finished my work by the time I went out to play.
- He was / had been ill for about a month before he died.
- The show had begun by the time we reached the venue.
- No one took care of the children after their parents died / had died.
- We have been living here since 1990.
- He has been waiting here for two hours.
- I have not met them for a long time.
- Although the driver was badly hurt, he was able to explain what happened / had happened.
- Neither of the boys has arrived.
- One of the students has gone missing.
- How they escaped from the prison last night is a mystery.