PAST SIMPLE and PAST CONTINUOUS – EXERCISES

A Put the verbs into the Past Tense Continuous Form:

1. I (read) _______________ a book when he came in.
2. The sun (shine)_____________________ when he went out.
3. When you came in I (write) ________________________ .
4. I came in while he (write) _________________________.
5. It (rain) ____________________ this morning when I got up.
6. He (work) all day yesterday.
7. When I arrived at his house he still (sleep)______________________.
8. The boy jumped off the tram while it (move)_______________________.
9. The fire still (burn) _______________________ at six o’clock this morning.
10. He (walk) ___________________ across the bridge when his hat blew off.
11. She cut her finger while she (cut) __________________ the bread.
12. The bus started while I (get) ___________________ on.
13. The light went out while we (have) ___________________ supper.
14. I took another cake when you (not look)___________________________ !
15. The children (do) __________________________ their homework when their
father came back from the office.

B Put the verbs into the correct form, Past Continuous or

Past Simple:
1. I (see) _________________ Sue in town yesterday but she (not/see)
_________________ me. She (look) _____________________ the other way.
2. I (meet) _______________________ Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks
ago. We (have) ___________________ a chat while we (wait) _____________
for our flights.
3. I (cycle) _____________________ home yesterday when suddenly a man (step)
________________________ out into the road in front of me. I (go) __________
quite fast but luckily I (manage) ________________________ to stop in time and
(not/hit) _____________________ him.
4. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) ___________________ brightly when Tom came
in at 7:00.
5. I (make) ___________________ a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it
in the dark.
6. I didn’t want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave) ____________.
7. He (have) ____________________ a bath when the phone rang. Very unwillingly
he (get) _________________ out of the bath and (go) ____________to answer
it.
8. My dog (walk) __________________ along quietly when Mr Pitt’s Pekinese
attacked him.
9. On Sundays he always (wear) __________________ a bowler hat and (carry)
___________________ an umbrella.

© Prof. Mag. Karin Steppan, HLW Linz-Auhof

 10. He suddenly (realize) ______________________ that he (travel)
________________________ in the wrong direction.

C Put the verbs into the correct form, Past Continuous or

Past Simple:
1. Mr Smith never (wake) ___________________ up in time in the mornings and
always (get) ______________________ into trouble for being late; so one day he
(go) _______ ____________ to town and (buy) an alarm clock.
2. To get home he (have to) ____________________ go through a field where a
bad-tempered bull usually (graze)____________________ . (bad-tempered =
schlecht gelaunt / graze = grasen)
3. This bull usually (not chase) __________________ people unless something
(make) ____________________ him angry. (chase = jagen, verfolgen) Unfortunately,
as Mr Smith (cross) ____________________ the field, his alarm clock (go)
_________________ off.
4. This (annoy) ____________________ the bull, who immediately (begin)
___________________ to chase Mr. Smith. (annoy = verärgern, stören)
5. Mr. Smith (carry) ____________________ an open umbrella as it (rain) _______
____________________ slightly. He (throw) _______________________ the
umbrella to the ground and (run) ________________________ away as fast as
he could.
6. The bull (stop) _____________________ and (begin) ____________________
to attack the umbrella. While he (do) ______________________ this Mr Smith
escaped.

© Prof. Mag. Karin Steppan, HLW Linz-Auhof