Past Simple / Continuous (2)

1. Complete the dialogue using the Past Simple of the verbs in brackets.

Mum: So, what 1_____________________ (you/think) of London? 2______________________(you/like) it?

Judy: I 3__________________ (love) it! I want to go back there again.

Mum: What 4______________________________ (you/see)?

Judy: We 5_____________ (see) Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace.

Mum: 6__________________________ (you/go) inside Backingham Palace?

Judy: No, 7__________________. But we 8____________________ (watch) the Changing of the Guard.

Mum: 9______________________________________ (the teachers/take) you to the Houses of Parliament?

Judy: No, 10_________________ but we 11______________ (go) to the Science Museum. Then we
12____________ (go) shopping. The shops in London are fantastic. Anita and I 13__________ (spend)

two hours in Top Shop. It’s enormous. I 14_____________________ (not buy) anything but Anita
15__________________ (buy) a really nice skirt there.

2. Complete the text with the Past Simple or the Past Continuous of the verbs in brackets.

Susan _walked_ (walk) over to a bench (= panchina) in the park and she 1____________ (sit) down.

She 2_____________________ (cry) but luckily nobody 3____________________ (notice = accorgersi). It

was only the end of October but a cold wind 4_____________________ (blow) and there
5________________
(not be) many people in the park that day. A few people 6___________________ (jog)

and on the other side of the park some boys 7______________________ (play) football but they
8
___________________ (be) all quite far from her. Once more (= ancora una volta) she
9___________________
(try) to think about things calmly but she 10____________________ (have) only

one thought in her head. Steve! Where 11____________________ (he/be)?

3. Translate the following sentences.

1. Mentre la loro mamma 1cucinava, i bambini 2giocavano nella loro stanza.

2. 3Stavo scrivendo una mail quando 4è arrivato un fax.

3. A: 5Stavi studiando quando ti 6ho telefonato? B: 7No, 8guardavo la televisione.

4. Quand’ero 9 in Inghilterra 10andavo

al pub ogni sera.
11leggevano
5. Nella biblioteca molte persone e due ragazze 12guardavano fuori dalla finestra.

6. Il professor Watkins 13era un uomo eccezionale. 14Aveva tre lauree (= degree) e 15parlava cinque lingue.
Quella sera, mentre 16parlava del suo ultimo libro, un ragazzo gli 17fece una domanda.
 Soluzioni

Es. 1

1. did you think

2. did you like
3. loved
4. did you see
5. saw
6. did you go
7. we didn’t
8. watched
9. did the teachers take
10. they didn’t
11. went
12. went
13. spent
14. didn’t buy
15. bought /15

Es. 2

1. sat
2. was crying
3. noticed
4. was blowing
5. weren’t
6. were jogging
7. were playing
8. were
9. tried
10. had
11. was he /11

Es. 3

1. While their mum was cooking, the children were playing in their room.

2. I was writing an e-mail, when a fax arrived.

3. A: Were you studying when I called/phoned you? B: No, I wasn’t. I was watching TV.

4. When I was in England, I went to the pub each/every night.

5. In the library many people were reading and two girls were looking out of the window.

6. Professor Watkins was an extraordinary man. He had three degrees and spoke five languages. That night,
while he was talking about his last book, a boy asked him a question.

/17 + /7 (= 1 pnt per ogni frase completamente corretta, 2 per la frase n.6)

TOT /50