TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

I. Read the story and highlight the simple past (green) and the past continuous (yellow).
A DISASTROUS DINNER
Last Friday, Mrs. Williams planned to have a delicious dinner. She bought a
T-bone steak and some cream and apples for an apple pie. When she
came home from the shops she put her shopping on the table. While she
was setting the table, her two pets sat underneath it and watched her. Then
she went to the kitchen to make the pastry for the pie. She was a little
forgetful so she didn’t realize the steak, cream and apples were still on the
table. While she was making the pastry, the dog jumped on a chair and
looked longingly at the steak. At last it took the steak in its mouth and
jumped off the chair, just as Mrs. Williams was coming back into the dining
room. Mrs. Williams screamed, but the dog ran into the garden. She ran
after the dog. While she was chasing the dog, the cat jumped on the table
and started drinking the cream. Mrs. Williams didn’t manage to catch the
dog, and she came back into the dining room. When she saw the cat, she
shrieked, and the cat got such a fright that it jumped a meter into the air,
and leapt out the window. Mrs. Williams threw her broom at the cat, but
she missed, and broke the window. At the same time she overbalanced
and put her hand in the cream, spilling it all over the tablecloth. Poor Mrs.
Williams - she had no dinner, only a dirty tablecloth and a broken window.
Write a complete sentence to answer each of the following questions.
1. What did Mrs. Williams plan?
Have a delicious dinner.
2. Why did she buy cream and apples?
To make an apple pie
3. When did her pets watch her?
They sat and watched her.
4. Where did she leave the steak?
On the table.
5. When did the dog jump on the chair?
While she makes the pastry
6. How did the dog look at the steak?
With longingly.
7. When did the dog jump off the chair?
When it already had the steak in its mouth.
8. Where did the dog go?
To the garden
9. What was she doing when the cat jumped on the table?
She started shrieking.
10. What did Mrs. Williams do when she saw the cat?
Throw the broom to cat, she missed and broke the window.
II. Fill in the blanks with present continuous or simple past.
1. A: What (you, do) …you did…when the murder occurred?

B: Mary (try) …is trying………. to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find) …found…….. the wallet full of money, I (go) …went. to the police and
(turn)…turned…….. it in.

3. The doctor (say) ----said--------------- that Tom (be) …was………. too sick to go to work and that he
(need) ………needed…….to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Thomas (arrive) …arrived…. at Pam’s house a little before 8:00 PM, but she (be, not)…wasn´t….. there.
She (study) was studying……… for her final examination in English.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch)… watched…………
television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: She (call)…called………. you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)…aren´t……………

there. Where were you?

B: Chris (work) …is working……….. out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk) walked…………… into the busy office, the secretary (talk)…talked……………….

on the phone with a customer, several clerks (work) …worked………

 at their desks, and two managers (discuss) …are discussing……………….. methods to improve customer
service.

8. I (watch) …watched…. a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to
find out how the movie ends.

9. Carol (be) …was… in the basement when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything
because she (listen, not) …doesn´t listen…………..

10. It's strange that you (call) are calling……… because I (think) …am thinking……..about you.

11. The Titanic (cross)…crossed…….. the Atlantic when it (hit)…hit…… an iceberg.

12. When I entered the store, a couple of merchants (bargain)…bargained….. and (try) …tried…… to sell
their goods to naive tourists who (hunt) ……hunted……….. for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)
……leaded….their horses through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue) …are
argueding……over the price of a leather belt. I (walk) …walked…. over to a man who (sell) …was
selling…….. fruit and (buy) …bought… an apple.

13. The firemen (rescue)…rescued…. the old woman who (be) …was…..trapped on the third floor of the
burning building.

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)…was leaving always ……. her dirty dishes in the sink. I
think she (expect)

me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live)…lived…. in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) …was living…..

there when the Berlin Wall came down.

III. What’s your alibi? Use simple past and past continuous.

Make up a story that something was stolen at the party at 11pm last night.

In the party o Manuel Rivera, two guys walked in to the house

On a quiet night of friends, everyone gathered at a house, everything started well and quiet, but the next
morning, someone had stolen a very precious object for the owner of the house, so the round of questions
began to find out who it was guilty.

First Osvaldo "I was calm in the sofa I never moved from there only when I was going to the bathroom."

Finally, Ricardo "I was going to the kitchen, and I saw someone come up the stairs, but I didn't see who it
was."