Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.
1. Their first child ............................... in 2006.
The past tense is always used to express this idea.
2. I ................................ my first car many years ago.
The simple past is used to say when something happened.
3. She ............................. in Madrid when she was a child.
The simple past is used to say when something happened.
4. When I ..................................... he ........................... in the garage.
The simple past is used for the short action that happens in the middle of the longer background action.
5. As I ................................ up the stairs, I ............................. a scream from one of the rooms.
The simple past is used for the short action that happens in the middle of the longer background action.
6. He ............................ up, .......................... on his coat and went away.
7. When they were together, they .....................................
8. I ..............................the door bell six times.
9. Smallpox .................................. millions of people before it ....................................
Use the simple past to talk about a finished event in the past. The passive form is used to fill in the second blank because small pox is not the doer of the action.
10. I .................................. for your drinks.
Paid is the past form of pay. The present perfect is used to talk about finished events that are in some way related to the present.
11. Between three and six I ...................................
The past continuous is used to talk about an action or situation that was going on at a particular point of time in the past.
12. I ............................... you .......................... lend me a few pounds.
Past tenses are used to make requests sound more polite.
Answers
- Their first child was born in 2006.
- I bought my first car many years ago.
- She lived in Madrid when she was a child.
- When I called, he was working in the garage.
- As I was running up the stairs, I heard a scream from one of the rooms.
- He got up, put on his coat and went away.
- When they were together, they were constantly fighting.
- I rang the door bell six times.
- Smallpox killed millions of people before it was eradicated.
- I have paid for your drinks.
- Between three and six I was studying.
- I thought you could lend me a few pounds.
