USE OF LANGUAGE QUIZ

1. Complete the paragraph using past simple or past continuous.

MATT DAMON

Today Matt Damon is one of Hollywood’s most famous movie stars. But in the early 1990s he
was struggling to be a success, and, over the years, life has not always been easy. In 1996, he
1. (have)___had__ to lose 40 pounds for his role as a drug-addicted soldier in Courage under
Fire. While he __was dieting___2. (diet), he became ill and had to take medication for several
years afterwards. In 2000, he__cracked__3. (crack) a rib while he _was playing_4. (play) golf in
The Legend of Bagger Vance. Then, 12 years after losing weight for Courage under Fire, he had
to gain 30 pounds to play a businessman in The Informant. Matt ___grew__ 5. (grow) up in
Massachusetts in the U.S. and started acting while he was still a student. He 6.__was studying_
(study) English at Harvard University when he__got__ 7. (get) a part in the movie Geronimo:
An American Legend. When he 8. _heard__(hear) the good news, he immediately dropped out
of Harvard, hoping that Hollywood would take notice of him. It didn’t. It wasn’t until he 9.
_won_ (win) an Oscar with his friend, Ben Affleck, for Good Will Hunting in 1997 that
Hollywood 10. __began___(begin) to show interest. After excellent performances in The
Talented Mr. Ripley, Saving Private Ryan, and Ocean’s 11, he was offered the lead role in 2002
as the assassin Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity. From then on, his career moved in one
direction only—upward

2. Fill in the blancks using past simple or past perfect where needed.

got had submite d

I can't believe I (get)   that apartment. I (submit)   my
application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I
showed
(show)   up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people
had arrived had already fille d
who (arrive)   before me. Most of them (fill, already)   out
their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I
did.

tried
I (try)   to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They
wanted
(want)   me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous
had had
landlord because I (have)   some problems with him in the past and I knew
ended
he wouldn't recommend me. I (end)   up listing my father as a reference.

decided
It was total luck that he (decide)   to give me the apartment. It turns out
had gone
that the landlord and my father (go)   to high school together. He decided
looked
that I could have the apartment before he (look)   at my credit report. I
really lucked out!