Past Simple & Past Continuous: The others

An activity by Isabel Pérez for Students of Secondary Education

Last weekend Carmela to the cinema to see "The Others".

Carmela it because it about ghosts and she is afraid
of them. When she home with her friend Lola, she very
strange.

There a noise behind them, but they could not see anyone. It
a lot and there any taxis on the street, so they
to go home walking. The noise still behind them and while they
to see what or who it , the lights on the street out
and they for five minutes. Do you know what happened
next?

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. The receptionist (welcome) the guests and (ask) them to fill

in the form.
2. The car (break)
3. The boys (swim)
4. My father (come)
to tidy up my room.
5. As long as one group (prepare)
wood for their campfire.
6. While the parents (have)
about.
7. Martha (turn)
down and we (have) to walk home.
while the girls (sunbathe) .
in, (look) around and (tell) me
dinner, the others (collect)
breakfast, their children (run)
off the lights and (go) to bed

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).
 1. We (wait) for Jane, when suddenly Louis (come) around the
corner.
2. I (cycle) through the park, when I (hear) a strange noise.
3. He (pass) her a message when the teacher (look / not) .
4. I (fall) asleep while I (watch) TV last night.
5. When Mike and Jane (paint) the walls, their dog (knock)
over the paint pot.
6. Tom (break) his leg when he (play) frisbee.
7. The phone (ring) when I (sit) on the toilet.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. I (jog) in the park, when two squirrels (cross) my way.

2. Robert (fall)
3. Archimedes (discover)
a bath.
4. When we (travel)
people.
5. While she (speak)
6. When I (leave)
7. Caroline (burn)
off the ladder when he (pick) cherries.
the theory of buoyancy while he (take)
around Ireland, we (meet) some very nice
on the phone, the milk (boil) over.
the house this morning, the sun (shine) .
her hand when she (iron) her clothes.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or past progressive).

w as doing broke
1. When I (do) the washing-up, I (break) a plate.
2. While Tom (play) the piano, his mother (do) the washing-
up.
3. He (drink) some juice and then he (eat) a few chips.
4. I (have) dinner when I suddenly (hear) a loud bang.
5. When my father (work) in the garden, an old friend (pass)
by to see him.
6. She (go) to school, (take) out her textbook and (begin)
to learn.
7. When it (start) to rain, our dog (want) to come inside.
 8. When Jane (do) a language course in Ireland, she (visit)
Blarney Castle.

Simple Past or Past Progressive

Exercise 1

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. While Tom (read) , Amely (watch) a documentary on TV.

2. Marvin (come) home, (switch) on the computer and (check)
his emails.
3. The thief (sneak) into the house, (steal) the jewels and
(leave) without a trace.
4. Nobody (listen) while the teacher (explain) the tenses.
5. While we (do) a sight-seeing tour, our friends (lie) on the
beach.
6. He (wake) up and (look) at his watch.