Narrative Tenses

When I __________ (arrive) home, everyone __________ (watch) TV.

• arrived, was watching

• arrived, watched

• had arrived, was watching

• had arrived, had watched

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'arrived, was watching' because it indicates that when I arrived, the action of watching TV was already in progress, which is expressed using the past continuous tense.

She was out of breath because she __________ (run) for an hour.

• ran

• had run

• was running

• had been running

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'had been running' because it indicates an action that was ongoing in the past and was completed before she became out of breath. The other options do not convey this continuous aspect.

I __________ (not/see) him since we __________ (graduate) from high school.

• didn’t see, graduated

• haven’t seen, graduated

• hadn’t seen, graduated

• hadn’t seen, had graduated

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'haven't seen, graduated' because it indicates a continuing situation from the past to the present. 'Haven't seen' is the present perfect tense, suitable for actions that started in the past and continue now.

While I __________ (cook) dinner, the phone __________ (ring).

• cooked, rang

• was cooking, rang

• had cooked, rang

• had been cooking, rang

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'was cooking, rang' because it uses the past continuous tense for the ongoing action of cooking, while the phone ringing is a simple past action that interrupts it.

By the time we __________ (get) to the party, everyone __________ (eat) all the food.

• got, ate

• got, had eaten

• had got, ate

• had got, had eaten

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'got, had eaten' because the first action (arriving at the party) happened after the second action (eating all the food), indicating a past perfect tense for the food being eaten.

They __________ (live) in London for ten years before they __________ (move) to Paris.

• lived, moved

• had lived, moved

• had lived, had moved

• were living, moved

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'had lived, moved' because it indicates that they lived in London for ten years before the action of moving to Paris. 'Had lived' shows the completed action before another past action.

I __________ (study) for hours before I finally __________ (understand) the concept.

• studied, understood

• was studying, understood

• had studied, understood

• had been studying, understood

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'had been studying, understood' because it indicates an ongoing action in the past that was completed before another past action (understanding the concept).

She __________ (not/answer) the phone because she __________ (take) a shower.

• didn’t answer, took

• wasn’t answering, took

• hadn’t answered, took

• hadn’t been answering, had taken

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'wasn't answering, took' because it indicates an ongoing action (not answering) while she was in the process of taking a shower, which fits the context of simultaneous actions.

They __________ (play) tennis when it suddenly __________ (start) to rain.

• played, started

• were playing, started

• had played, started

• had been playing, started

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'were playing, started' because it indicates an ongoing action (playing tennis) that was interrupted by a sudden event (it started to rain), fitting the past continuous and simple past tense usage.

By the time I __________ (arrive) at the meeting, they __________ (already/discuss) the main points.

• arrived, had already discussed

• arrived, already discussed

• had arrived, had already discussed

• had arrived, already had discussed

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'arrived, had already discussed' because it uses the past perfect tense 'had already discussed' to indicate that the discussion was completed before my arrival.