Fill in the blanks.
1He crashed his car shortly after he ............... it.
Wrong!
Use "had bought" for the earlier of two past actions.
2I ............... my work before I went out to play.
Wrong!
Use "had finished" because the work was completed before another past action.
3He ............... ill for about a month before he died.
Wrong!
Use "had been" for a state that continued up to a later time in the past.
4The show ............... before we reached the venue.
Wrong!
Use "had begun" because the show started before we reached the venue.
5No one took care of the children after their parents ............... .
Wrong!
Use "had died" for the earlier event before no one took care of the children.
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 could explain what ............... .
Wrong!
Use "had happened" for the event that occurred before the driver explained it.
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 ............... is a mystery.
Wrong!
Use "escaped" to refer to a completed past event.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- He crashed his car shortly after he had bought it.
- I had finished my work before I went out to play.
- He had been ill for about a month before he died.
- The show had begun before we reached the venue.
- No one took care of the children after their parents 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 could explain what had happened .
- Neither of the boys has arrived.
- One of the students has gone missing.
- How they escaped is a mystery.
