Simple Past and Past Continuous Tenses

Choose the best option to complete the sentence.

Marcus was watching t.v. _____________________.

• that Jill was cooking dinner

• while Jill is cooking dinner

• while Jill was cooking dinner

Which sentence shows a continous action interrupted by an event?

• At 3 PM, the children were playing outside.

• I was having lunch when my package arrived.

• I was very tired when I got home.

Complete this sentence by choosing the best option: "I was leaving _______________."

• as she was arriving

• while she is arriving

• when she is arriving

Which sentence is correct?

• John was eat a pizza for dinner.

• John ate a pizza for dinner.

• John was ate a pizza for dinner.

Which sentence represents a habit or routine in the past?

• I was parking my car when I noticed an old woman walking with a French poodle in her arms.

• When Clara was younger, she played volleyball for her high school team.

• Last week, I interviewed twelve candidates, trained five new employees, and processed eight bids.

Which simple past question shows duration in the past?

• We finished the report, reviewed it, edited it, and submitted the final draft to operations.

• Jason practiced the guitar every day when he was a kid.

• We waited in the rain for two hours.

Choose the best answer to this question:

What were you doing last night at 10 PM?

• I was tired at 10 PM.

• At 10 PM, I was watching a movie on Netflix.

• I was watching a movie on Netflix at 10 PM.

Which sentence uses specific time as an interruption to a continuous action?

• We were still working in the office at 10 PM.

• We worked until 10 PM.

• We worked, attended a meeting, and finished the report at 10 PM.

How do we use the past continuous in this short paragraph?:

Everyone was working very quickly to finish the project before the deadline. The team leader was having meetings all day , and her assistant was constantly answering phone calls and responding to emails. One client made an unannounced visit to the office, and began shouting and demanding to see the COO. This made an already tense environment even more tense.

• To show interruption by an event

• To talk about habits in the past

• To set the atmosphere

Which sentence is INCORRECT?

• I wanted a hamburger for lunch.

• I was wanting a hamburger for lunch.

• I was want a hamburger for lunch.