Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1By the time the detective arrived, the crowd ............... into the alley and vanished.
Wrong!
"Had melted" shows that the crowd disappeared before the detective arrived.
2I ............... the letter when the phone rang, so I shoved it back into the drawer.
Wrong!
"Was reading" describes an action in progress when the phone rang.
3She ............... speak confidently in public, but that night her voice kept breaking.
Wrong!
"Used to" describes a past state or habit that contrasts with that night.
4We ............... for hours before anyone noticed the smoke seeping under the door.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "had been waiting" and "had waited" show the long action before the smoke was noticed; the continuous form emphasises the duration.
5He ............... for the key in his pocket, then remembered he had left it on the kitchen table.
Wrong!
"Felt" gives the next completed action in the story sequence.
6No one ............... why she was smiling until the judge read the final line.
Wrong!
"Understood" works with "until" to show the situation before the judge read the line.
7I ............... my story twice already, so I refused to repeat it a third time.
Wrong!
"Had told" shows the story was told before the refusal.
8As a child, he ............... sneak out after midnight, but only when his parents were asleep.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
"Used to" and "would" can both describe a repeated past action in a narrative.
9The moment I opened the file, I realised someone ............... the dates.
Wrong!
"Had changed" shows the dates were changed before the file was opened.
10While the guests ............... downstairs, she slipped out through the back gate.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "were gathering" and "gathered" can describe the background action after "while"; the continuous form stresses that it was in progress when she slipped out.
11He ............... to be calm, but his hands were shaking under the table.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "pretended" and "was pretending" work: the continuous form stresses that it was happening at the same time as the shaking; "had pretended" wrongly places it earlier.
12Until that evening, I ............... her as reckless, but the way she planned everything changed my mind.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "had seen" and "saw" work with "until" for an opinion held up to that evening; the past perfect stresses that it came before the change.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By the time the detective arrived, the crowd had melted into the alley and vanished.
- I was reading the letter when the phone rang, so I shoved it back into the drawer.
- She used to speak confidently in public, but that night her voice kept breaking.
- We had been waiting / had waited for hours before anyone noticed the smoke seeping under the door.
- He felt for the key in his pocket, then remembered he had left it on the kitchen table.
- No one understood why she was smiling until the judge read the final line.
- I had told my story twice already, so I refused to repeat it a third time.
- As a child, he used to / would sneak out after midnight, but only when his parents were asleep.
- The moment I opened the file, I realised someone had changed the dates.
- While the guests were gathering / gathered downstairs, she slipped out through the back gate.
- He pretended / was pretending to be calm, but his hands were shaking under the table.
- Until that evening, I had seen / saw her as reckless, but the way she planned everything changed my mind.