I.

Change the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous
1. They (study) _______ in the library when the fire alarm (go) _________ off.
2. When I (see) _______________ him. He (wear) _______________boots.
3. Charles (start) ________________________ to build the house last week.
4. At that time my wife (cook) ________________________
5. It (snow) _______________ when I (get) ________________ up this morning.
6. Albert Einstein (die) ________________________ in 1955.
7. I (make) ________________________ a cake when the light (go)
_____________out. I (have) ____________________ to finish it in the dark.
8. He always (wear) ________________________ a raincoat and (carry)
________________________an umbrella when he walked to the office.
9. I (share) _______________ a flat with him when we (be) _________ students. He always
(complain) _____________________ about my untidiness.
10. Tom (go) ________________________ to the office twice yesterday.
11. At the end of the week she (phone) __________ me that she (return) ________
12. He was busy packing, for he (leave) ___________________ that night.
13. Yesterday we (listen) ________________________ to an interesting play on radio while
our mother (prepare) ______________________ dinner.
14. Professor John (teach) ____________ English at Harvard for almost 50 years.
15. The wind (blow) _________ very hard when I (go) ________ out this morning.
16. I (go) ________________________ past her house every day.
17. When I (be) ________________a child, I (play) _________________the violin.
18. Mario (work) _____________in a restaurant when I (live) __________ in Paris.
19. I (work) _____________________in a factory during the summer of 1976.
20. He (work) ________________________ hard all his life.
21. What she (do) ____________________when you (arrive)____________there?
22. When he (see) ______________me he (put) ____________the receiver down.
23. I (not drive) _____________very fast when the accident (happen) _________.
24. The 2 man (argue) ________________________ about the plan when I (come)
________________________ into the office.
25. Catherine (wave) __________ at us happily as soon as she (see) ________ us.
26. I (break) _________ a plate last night. I (do) _______________the washing up when it
(slip) ________________________out of my hands.
27. This time last year I (be) ________________________ in Paris.
28. What you (do) ________________________ at this time yesterday?
29. I (see) _________ Carol at the party. She (wear) _____________ a really beautiful dress.
30. While her husband (be) ________________________ in the army, she
(write) ________________________to her husband once a week.
31. At 8 this morning I (have) _____________________ breakfast.
32. All last week, they (stay) ________________________ with me.
33. We (have, at home) ________________________ our anniversary dinner when my uncle
(call) _______________________congratulate us last night.
34. Who was that girl who (talk) ________________________ to you when I (pass)
________________________ you in the street?
35. He (sleep) ___________soundly when he (be) ________ awakened by a noise. He (go)
___________downstairs to find out what (happen) ____________.
36. When we (look) ___________________ in on the baby last night, he (sleep)
___________________ .I (think) __________ he (dream) __________________ about
something nice because he (smile) ________________________
37. When Richard (stop) ______________ his car suddenly, the groceries (fall)
_____________out of the bag they (be)_____________ in and (spill) ____________ all
over the floor of the car.
38. Ann (not hear) ________________ her parents having an argument last night. She (listen,
in her room) _________________ _______ to music.
39. As soon as the rain (stop)______________ Bill asked me to come over to his house, but I
(not want) ____________to leave the house because I (wait) ___________for a phone call.
40. Last Monday while we (watch, in our living room) ____________________
an exciting game on T.V, the electricity (go)____________out. So we (go) ____________
outside, (get) _________ into the car, (turn) ____________ on the radio and (listen)
__________________ to the rest of the game. The next day the car battery (be)
________________________ dead.
41. Yesterday evening Tom (have) _______________ a bath when the phone
(ring)_______________ . He (get) _______________ out of the bath and (answer)
_____________ the phone.
42. They (play) _______________________football at 4 yesterday afternoon
43. This morning at 6.30 it (rain) _______________________ heavily.
44. They (live) ________________________ in Nha Trang for 5 years
45. The moment I (notice) ________________________ the man’s injury, I (call)
________________________ an ambulance.
46. When the man (snap) ________________________ his fingers, the dog
(jump) __________________ up immediately.
47. He (know) ________________________something must be wrong because the dog (bark)
________________________ furiously.
48. The director didn’t allow the actors to travel by air while they (work)
________________________ on the film.
49. He watched the children for a moment. Some of them (bathe)________ in the sea, others
(look) __________ for shells, others (play) _________ in the sea.
50. When I (arrive) ____________she (have) __________ dinner. She (apologise)
___________for starting without me but (say) ______________ that she always (dine)
___________at 8.
51. When I (come) ___________ in they (sit) _____________ round the fire. Mr. Phi (do)
_____________ a crossword puzzle, Mrs. Phi (knit) ___________ , the others (read)
____________. Mr. Phi (smile) _____________ at me and (say) ____________ ”come
and sit down”
52. Yesterday we had a houseful of children for my son’s sixth birthday party. In the middle of
the party, the phone (ring) ___________________, so I had to leave the children alone for a
moment. When I (come) ________________________back into the room, most of the
children (still play) _______________________together nicely. But over in the
corner, Bobby (pull) ________________________ Annie’s hair. I quickly (run)
________________________ over and (tell) ____________________ Bobby to stop.
53. When Mr. Black (leave) ________________________ his office at 6p.m. it (rain)
________________________ hard. He (not wear) ______________ a raincoat or
(carry) ________________________ an umbrella, so he (run)
________________________as quickly as he could to the nearest bus stop.
As he (run) ________________________, he (bump) ________________ into
an elderly woman and nearly (knock) ________________________ her over.
She was very angry and (ask) ________________________ him why he (not
look) ________________________ where he (go)
________________________. He (say) ________________________ he was sorry, and
(start) ________________________ running again. He (get)
________________________to the bus stop as the bus (begin) ___________
to move and (jump) ________________________ on.