PAST TENSE Remember! There are verbs that do not have a continuous aspect.

A. Choose the correct form of the verbs:

1. I met / was meeting a friend while I did/was doing the shopping.
2. I paid / was paying for my things when I heard /was hearing someone call my name.
3. I turned / was turning round and saw / was seeing Paula.
4. She wore / was wearing a bright red coat.
5. We decided / was deciding to have a cup of coffee.
6. While we had / were having a drink, a waiter dropped / was dropping a pile of plates.
7. We all got / were getting a terrible shock.
8. While the waiter picked / was picking up the broken plates, he cut / was cutting his finger.
9. I saw / was seeing a very good program on TV last night.
10. While I shopped / was shopping this morning, I lost / was losing my money. I dont know how.
11. Last week the police stopped / were stopping Alan in his car because he drove / was driving at over
80 miles an hour.
12. How did you cut / were you cutting your finger?
13. I cooked / was cooking and I dropped / was dropping the knife.
14. When I arrived / was arriving at the party, everyone had / was having a good time.
15. Did you have / Were you having a good time last night?
B. Past Simple or Continuous?
1. He ____________________ (go) to school by bicycle last year.
2. My friends ____________________ (watch) TV when I phoned them.
3. They ____________________ (invite) me to see the film when I phoned them.
4. Bob ____________________ (write) the letter in ten minutes yesterday.
5. While he ____________________ (write) the letter, his sister laid the table.
6. Father ____________________ (read) the newspaper when I came home.
7. She ____________________ (ask) me about my holidays when we met.
8. I ____________________ (read) a travel brochure when we met.
9. The sun ____________________ (shine) when we met.
10. We ____________________ (see) a very good film yesterday.
11. He ____________________ (drive) all the way to London.
12. I saw Mary just as she ____________________ (get) into the classroom.
13. They ____________________ (spend) a beautiful holiday at the seaside last year.
14. She ____________________ (run) to the door the moment she heard the bell.
15. When she reached the door the bell __________ still ____________________ (ring).
16. They ____________________ (fly) to Constana last night.
17. Michael missed the flight. The plane __________(take off) when he arrived to the airport.
18. The house ____________________ (burn) when they came out.
19. Mary __________ always__________ (talk) about fashion and this annoyed her friends.
20. The Grants ____________________ (live) in Braov when I met them.
C. Complete the text with Past Simple or Continuous as appropriate:
1. Fire at Grand Hotel last night. William Barnes ____________________ (see) it as he
____________________ (walk) past. He ____________________ (wake) the porter and then
____________________ (phone) the fire brigade. After that they ____________________ (wake) the
hotel guests who ____________________ (sleep) in their rooms. Margaret Davidson who
____________________ (stay) in a room on the first floor ____________________ (get) frightened
and ____________________ (jump) out of a window. Mary Stevens from the same room
____________________ (get) badly burnt while she ____________________ (run) down the stairs and
____________________ (be) taken to hospital. Soon the fire brigade ____________________ (arrive).
A fireman ____________________ (break) his leg while/as he ____________________ (try) to get
into the building. Nobody else ____________________ (be) hurt. Finally they
____________________ (put) out the fire.

2.George and Harry ____________________ (play) tennis yesterday when it started to rain. George
went home, but Harry ____________________ (decide) to go out in the car. He was driving along the
street when ____________________ (see) Margaret, a friend from work. While Margaret
____________________ (look) at a shop window Harry called her name. Margaret
____________________ (get) into the car and they talked for a long time. They
____________________ (still, talk) when a policeman arrived and showed Harry the No parking
sign. Just as the policeman ____________________ (write) down the number of Harrys car he
____________________ (hear) a scream. He looked up and ____________________ (see) an old lady
who ____________________ (cross) the street. A big dog ____________________ (bark) at her
fiercely. As the policeman ____________________ (cross) the road to chase the dog away, Harry and
Margaret ____________________ (drive) away in the car.
D. Put the verbs in brackets into the Simple Past or Past Continuous. In some cases both forms
can be used but the meaning will be different.
1. While I ____________________ (wait) for the bus, the rain ____________________ (stop).
2. When I ____________________ (meet) Alice she ____________________ (live) in the country.
3. Frank ____________________ (borrow) my bicycle while I ____________________ (be) in the
country.
4.We ____________________ (write) in our notebooks while the teacher ____________________
(talk).
5. We ____________________ (talk) about you when you ____________________ (come) into the
room.
6.The Browns ____________________ (lock) their house while they ____________________ (be)
away.
7.When Martha ____________________ (finish) her homework she ____________________ (help)
her mother with the housework.
8. The girls ____________________ (wait) while the boys ____________________ (buy) the tickets.
9.Alice ____________________ (work) as a hotel receptionist when I first ____________________
(meet) her.
10.While Margaret ____________________ (watch) TV, the milk ____________________ (boil) over.
11. As I ____________________ (cross) the road a lorry ____________________ (knock) me down
and ____________________ (break) my leg.
12.Mr. Green ____________________ (sit) in the yard while his wife ____________________ (cook)
dinner. Then he ____________________ (go) into the house and ____________________ (have)
dinner with the family.
E. Complete with the Past Simple or Continuous of the verbs:
1.Mary ____________________ (look) out of the window when the accident ____________________
(happen).
2. She ____________________ (see) a traffic light turn red.
3. She ____________________ (hear) brakes screech.
4. She ____________________ (know) the driver ____________________ (try) to stop his car.
5.Many people ____________________ (watch) when the two cars ____________________ (collide).
6.A wood fire ____________________ (burn) in the fireplace and a cat ____________________
(sleep) in front of it.
7.A girl ____________________ (play) the piano and ____________________ (sing) softly to herself.
8. Suddenly there ____________________ (be) a knock on the door.
9. The girl ____________________ (stop) playing.
10. The cat ____________________ (wake) up.
11. While I ____________________ (go) to work this morning I ____________________ (meet) an
old friend.

12.I ____________________ (not want) to get up this morning. It ____________________ (rain) and
it ____________________ (be) cold, and my bed ____________________ (be) so warm.
13.I ____________________ (listen) to the news on the radio when the phone
____________________ (ring).
14. But when I ____________________ (pick) up the phone there ____________________ (be) no
one there.
15. I ____________________ (say) hello to the children, but they ____________________ (not say)
anything because they ____________________ (watch) TV.
F. 1. Put the verbs in brackets in the simple or continuous past tense according to the meaning. (Z.
327)
1. He ____________________ (recognize) the voice that ____________________ (shout) the loudest
as that of the landlady.
2. I ____________________ (go) to ask you to help me, but you ____________________ (sleep) so
peacefully when I ____________________ (look) into your room that I ____________________
(decide) to do it alone.
3. He ____________________ (not keep) his appointment with you last Tuesday morning because at
the time of the appointment he ____________________ (be seen) by the Personnel Manager about a
new job.
4.When the dog ____________________ (bite) Mary again, mother ____________________ (prepare)
dinner and we ____________________ (listen) to the radio. Mary ____________________ (shout)
blue murder and ____________________ (have) hysterics again.
5. We ____________________ (have) to go round the back door because Grandfather
____________________ (have) his front door painted.
6. I ____________________ (see) that the Browns ____________________ (have) a lot of alterations
made to their house, but I ____________________ (not know) if the parents ____________________
(go) to pay for them.
7. I ____________________ (walk) down the street some minutes ago when I ____________________
(see) a curiously dressed man. He ____________________ (wear) a sports-coat with black trousers,
and one of his shoes ____________________ (be) black and the other ____________________ (be)
brown.
8. When they ____________________ (get married) he ____________________ (find) a job as a
caretaker on a large estate.
9. She ____________________ (wear) green and it ____________________ (suit) her very well. Her
face ____________________ (be) mildly pretty but, because she ____________________ (cry) and
mascara ____________________ (run) down her cheeks, she ____________________ (not seem) as
attractive as I ____________________ (expect).
10. The person who ____________________ (drive) the car on the day of the accident
____________________ (no be) insured.
11. While she ____________________ (wonder) whether to buy the suit or not, someone else
____________________ (come) and ____________________ (buy) it.
12. Ann ____________________ (work) in the branch where the big robbery ____________________
(take) place. She actually ____________________ (work) there at the time of the raid?
13. While the schoolmaster ____________________ (write) on the blackboard, he
____________________ (not notice) that the boys in the back row ____________________ (steal out)
of the room on tiptoe.
14. He ____________________ (come) into the room, ____________________ (light) a cigarette,
____________________ (open) the window and ____________________ (lean) out.
15. A traffic warden just ____________________ (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen when I
____________________ (come) back to the car. I ____________________ (try) to persuade him to
tear it up but he ____________________ (refuse).

F 2. Use the simple past and the past continuous (Z. 402-1)
1. When I ____________________ (hear) his knock I ____________________ (go) to the door and
____________________ (open) it, but I ____________________ (not recognize) him at first because I
____________________ (not wear) my glasses.
2. How you ____________________ (damage) your car so badly?
I ____________________ (run) into a lamp-post yesterday.
I suppose you ____________________ (drive) quickly or were not looking where you
____________________ (go).
3. I often ____________________ (tell) her that she ____________________ (spend) too much money
but she never ____________________ (listen).
4.She said she ____________________ (not like) her present flat and ____________________ (try) to
find another.
5. When I ____________________ (see) him he ____________________ (paint) a portrait of his wife.
You ____________________ (like) it?
He only just ____________________ (start) when I ____________________ (see) it, so I couldnt
judge.
6. When I ____________________ (arrive) at the station Mary ____________________ (wait) for me.
She ____________________ (wear) a blue dress and ____________________ (look) very pretty. As
soon as she ____________________ (see) me she ____________________ (wave) her umbrella and
____________________ (shout) something, but I couldnt hear what she ____________________
(say) because everybody ____________________ (make) such a noise.
7. While he ____________________ (water) the flowers it ____________________ (begin) to rain. He
____________________ (put) up his umbrella and ____________________ (go) on watering.
8. When I last ____________________ (see) her she ____________________ (hurry) to the station. I
____________________ (ask) her where she ____________________ (go) and she
____________________ (say) London, but I dont think she ____________________ (speak) the
truth because there ____________________ (not be) any train at that time.
9. The tailor said This suit will be ready on Monday. But when I ____________________ (call) on
Monday he still ____________________ (work) on it.
G. Translate into English using the Past Tense Simple or Continuous.
1. Sptmna trecut Dan a lucrat intens la pregtirea lucrrii despre literatura englez contemporan.
Acum dou zile a rugat-o pe Diana s i-o bat la main.
2. Lunea trecut orele au nceput mai trziu dect de obicei pentru c toi copiii erau ocupai cu
pregtirea serbrii colare.
3. Ieri a plouat toat ziua, aa c am stat acas i m-am uitat la televizor.
4. Duminica trecut Mary a scris cteva scrisori, apoi a ascultat un concert la radio.
5. Fratele meu cel mic i-a terminat micul dejun acum o or. A mncat pine cu unt i a but lapte.
6. Dan i-a vizitat prietenii acum cteva zile.
7. De obicei plec la coal devreme, dar ieri am plecat mai trziu i am alergat s prind autobuzul.
8. Ieri Andy a luat nota 10 fiindc a tiut lecia foarte bine.
9. Acum cteva zile a fost ziua lui Dan, aa c i-am cumprat un cadou, iar mama i-a fcut un tort.
10. Sptmna trecut am cheltuit foarte mult.
11. Acum cteva zile echipa noastr de fotbal a ctigat meciul.
12. Lunea trecut profesoara de englez ne-a predat trecutul verbelor regulate.
13. Vizitam muzeul cnd i-am ntlnit.
14. L-am vzut pe fratele tu cnd traversam strada.
15. M uitam la televizor cnd a sosit potaul.
16. Tom tocmai ieea din cas cnd l-a strigat Dan.
17. George i Harry se plimbau prin parc cnd a nceput s plou.
18. n timp ce Diana asculta un concert la radio cineva a btut la u.
19. George i spla maina cnd Angela a venit acas.
20. Bieelul alerga cnd, deodat, a czut i s-a lovit la picior.