ENGLISH 2

Hogeschool PXL
Academic Year 23-24

GRAMMAR
REVISION OF THE PAST TENSES

Lecturers:
Yelmer MOTMANS (2SALa)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
COURSE BOOK ENGLISH 2SAL

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1. THEORY............................................................................................................................................. 3

2. EXERCISES........................................................................................................................................ 7

2.1. SIMPLE PAST VS. PAST CONTINUOUS........................................................................................... 7

2.2. SIMPLE PAST VS. PRESENT PERFECT............................................................................................ 9

2.3. SIMPLE PAST VS. PAST PERFECT................................................................................................. 11

2.4. PRESENT PERFECT VS. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.....................................................12

2.5. PAST PERFECT VS. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS....................................................................13

2.6. REVISION OF THE PAST TENSES.................................................................................................. 14

GRAMMAR:
REVISION OF THE PAST TENSES

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1. THEORY
PAST SIMPLE
Form Infinitive + ed: I worked, he played, they lived
! see list of irregular verbs for an overview of the past form of irregular
verbs

Questions: did + subject + infinitive: Did they play?

Negative: did + not + infinitive: They did not live there anymore.
Use o Talking about an action that's completely over / finished
He handed in his essay last week.
o Talking about past habits, routines, states
I smoked a lot when I was younger.
o Talking about a succession of actions in the past
She missed the bus, so she walked to work. Unfortunately, this made
her late for the meeting.

Time The Past Simple is typically combined with the following time indicators:
indicators o Yesterday
o In … (year)
o Earlier
o Last …
o Ago
o …
PAST CONTINUOUS
Form Simple past form of to be + present participle: You were working in the
garden.

Questions: past simple of to be + subject + present participle: Was I

interrupting something?
Negative: past simple of to be + not + present participle: They were not
working hard enough.

Use o An action in the past in progress, of some duration, without time

limits
She was watching a movie.
o Multiple actions happening at the same time in the past
While mom was cooking in the kitchen, I was studying in my
bedroom.
o Describing an unfinished action that was interrupted by another action
She was swimming in the ocean when suddenly a shark attacked her.

Time The Past Continuous is typically combined with the following time

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indicators
indicators:
o While
o When
o As …
o The whole day / evening / night / …
o Yesterday at … ‘o clock
o …
PRESENT PERFECT
Form To have + past participle*: You have seen that movie many times.

Questions: to have + subject + past participle: Have you been to Paris

before?
Negative: to have + not + past participle: She has not met him before.

! see list of irregular verbs for an overview of past participles

*voltooid deelwoord

Use o Talking about an unspecified time before now

I have seen that movie twenty times.
There have been many earthquakes in California.
o An action that started in the past, that still has a result now
She has had a cold for two seeks.
They have been in England for 6 months.
Time The Present Perfect is typically combined with the following time
indicators indicators:
o Just
o Since
o Yet
o Ago
o Never
o Ever
o For
o Already
o So far
o Yet
o …
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Form To have + been + present participle (ing-form): She has been studying
really hard.

Questions: to have + subject + been + ing-form: Have you been working

out?

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 Negative: to have + not + been + ing-form: She has not been practising her
English.
Use o An action that started in the past, that still has a result now, but the
stress is on the duration
She has been working at that company for three years.
o Recently, lately
I have been feeling really tired lately.
Time The Present Perfect Continuous is typically combined with the following
indicators time indicators:
o Lately
o All day
o The whole (week)
o Since …
o For …
o …
PAST PERFECT
Form Had + past participle: She had built the house.

Questions: had + subject + past participle: Had he worked hard enough?

Negative: had + not + past participle: He had not worked hard enough.

Use o To look back upon an action that began before another moment in the
past, or before another past action
When I got home, my husband had already done the dishes.
When I was at the party, I realised I had met this man before.

Time The Past Perfect is typically combined with the following time indicators:
indicators o Already
o Just
o Once
o For
o Never
o (Not) yet
o Until that moment
o …

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form Had + been + present participle: I had been dancing.

Questions: had + subject + been + present participle: Had I been speaking

too much?
Negative: had + not + been + present participle: She had not been working.

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 Use o Very similar to the past perfect, but with stress on the duration of the
action
He was delighted when he finally bought his new car. He had been
saving up for it for a long time.
We had been waiting for ages when she finally showed up.
Time The Past Perfect Continuous is typically combined with the following
indicators time indicators:
o All day
o The whole (week)
o For …
o Since …
o When
o Before
o …

2. EXERCISES
2.1. SIMPLE PAST VS. PAST CONTINUOUS

EXERCISE 1: put into the simple past tense

1. He ___________________ (sleep) badly.

2. He ___________________ (put) up his prices every year.
3. These dogs ___________________ (fight) whenever they ___________________ (meet).
4. He often ___________________ (fall) off.
5. He ___________________ (ride) every day.
6. His roses ___________________ (grow) well.
7. I ___________________ (lie) down after lunch.
8. His dog always ___________________ (bite) me.
9. He often ___________________ (feel) ill.
10. I ___________________ (think) I ___________________ (know) it.

EXERCISE 2: put the verbs between brackets in the SIMPLE PAST.

1. I never ___________________ (study) after ten when I ___________________ (be) a

student.
2. When the police ___________________ (arrive), the burglars
___________________ (jump) out of the window.
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3. I ___________________ (study) French when I ___________________ (be) at school.
4. The children ___________________ (run) home when they
___________________ (see) the old tramp.
5. Whenever the phone ___________________ (ring), she
___________________ (turn) off the radio.
6. When I ___________________ (ask) how much I ___________________ (owe) him, he
___________________ (say): two pounds.
7. I ___________________ (play) a lot of chess when I ___________________ (be) in
hospital.
8. When I ___________________ (come) into the room, they all
___________________ (start) singing.
9. He ___________________ (drink) a lot before he got married.
10. My grandfather never ___________________ (pick) the apples before September.

EXERCISE 3: simple past vs. past continuous – fill in the correct tense.

1. He ___________________ (sit) on the bank fishing when he ___________________

(see) a man's hat floating down the river. It ___________________ (seem) strangely
familiar.
2. Everyone ___________________ (read) quietly when suddenly the door
___________________ (burst) open and a complete stranger ___________________
(rush) in.
3. Peter ___________________ (tell) me yesterday that he ___________________ (make)
his own £5 notes. - Don't believe him. He ___________________ (just pull) your leg.
4. Whenever the colonel ___________________ (pass) by, the soldiers
___________________ (salute).
5. She ___________________ (leave) as she ___________________ (meet) him at 10
o'clock.
6. Thank goodness we ___________________ (get) rid of him, he ___________________
(always bore) people with his stories.
7. At 3 a.m. Mrs Ciccone ___________________ (wake) her husband and
___________________ (say) that she ___________________ (think) that someone
___________________ (try) to get into the house.
8. While I ___________________ (swim) someone ___________________ (steal) my
clothes.
9. Every time the drummer ___________________ (begin) practising, the people in the next
flat ___________________ (bang) on the wall.
10. Because the thieves ___________________ (know) the police ___________________
(look) for them, they ___________________ (hide) the stolen money in a wood and
___________________ (go) off in different directions.

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2.2. SIMPLE PAST VS. PRESENT PERFECT
EXERCISE 1: Change the sentences from one sentence to another. Use the verbs in
brackets. Follow the example.

Example:
She entered the room five minutes ago. (be)
She has been here for five minutes. [for]

1 He started this course two years ago. (do)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

2 He joined the company six months ago. (be/with the company)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

3 I started driving two years ago. (drive)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

4 He arrived here five minutes ago. (be)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

5 We came to live here two months ago. (live)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

6 I first met him twenty years ago. (know)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

7 They opened the shop in Birmingham eight months ago. (have)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

8 I bought the car six months ago. (own)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

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9 He passed his driving test three days ago. (have/his driving licence)
………………………………………………………………… [for]

10 She bought a dog two years ago. (have)

………………………………………………………………… [for]

EXERCISE 2: Fill in the correct form of the verb between brackets (simple past or
present perfect).

1 Mark ___________________ (live) in New York from 1983 to 1986.

2 He ___________________ (fly) his balloon for 2 weeks now.

3 Since when ___________________ (you, play) golf here in England?

4 ‘Mr. Black, you ___________________ (not, visit) Brussels yet, have you?’ ‘I will
show you around’.

5 Lindsey always ___________________ (take) a bath in the morning, but not anymore.

6 She ___________________ (visit) 20 castles this year so far.

7 Since the poor man ___________________ (be) married,

he ___________________ (do) the washing-up every evening.

8 He ___________________ (teach) foreign languages for 17 years.

9 She ___________________ (phone) just now.

10 Would you believe I ___________________ (send) fifty mails today?

11 Breaking news! I ___________________ (discover) a new species.

12 The store ___________________ (just, open). It’s open now.

13 ___________________ (you, be) to a good Chinese restaurant lately?

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2.3. SIMPLE PAST VS. PAST PERFECT
EXERCISE 1: join the sentences using the conjunction in brackets. Change one verb
into the past simple.

Example:
She won the lottery. She bought a house. (After)
After she had won the lottery, she bought a house.

1 He didn't sit down. She arrived. (until)

.…………………………………………………………………

2 He was tested for drugs. He won the race. (after)

…………………………………………………………………

3 She reads the letter. She put it back in the envelope. (after)
. …………………………………………………………………

4 I arrived. Everyone finished their meal. (when)

. …………………………………………………………………

EXERCISE 2: simple past or past perfect. Fill in the correct tense.

1. When I ___________________ (arrive) home last night, I discovered that Jane

___________________ (prepare) a beautiful candlelight dinner.
2. The teacher told me he ___________________ (never see) me in class before.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting ___________________ (begin,
already) without me. My boss ___________________ (be) furious with me and I
___________________ (be) fired.
4. When I ___________________ (turn) the radio on yesterday, I ___________________
(hear) a song that was popular when I was in high school. I ___________________ (hear,
not) the song in years, and it ___________________ (bring) back some great memories.
5. Last week, I ___________________ (run) into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We
___________________ (see, not) each other in years, and both of us ___________________
(change) a great deal. I ___________________ (enjoy) talking to her so much that I
___________________ (ask) her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for dinner.

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2.4. PRESENT PERFECT VS. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
EXERCISE 1: put the verbs between brackets in the Present Perfect or Present Perfect
Continuous

1. I ___________________ (write) three letters today.

2. I ___________________ (write) letters all day today.
3. The treatment ___________________ (do) him good.
4. They ___________________ (do) English exercises all the time.
5. We ___________________ (not have) a holiday for several years.
6. He ___________________ (have) drinks at the bar of the hotel all afternoon.
7. Tom ___________________ (read) most of Shakespeare's plays.
8. Tom ___________________ (read) in bed all night.
9. I ___________________ (see) only part of the exhibition.
10. I ___________________ (see) my doctor almost every day this week.
11. Little Maggie ___________________ (be) ill for three weeks now.
12. He ___________________ (lose) his umbrella. We ___________________ (look) for it
all day but we ___________________ (not find) it.
13. How long ___________________ (you wait) here? I ___________________ (wait) for
over an hour, but the doctor ___________________ (not arrive) yet.
14. We ___________________ (live) in this house since 1952.
I ___________________ (never think) of leaving it.
15. Mary still ___________________ (not succeed) in persuading her husband.

2.5. PAST PERFECT VS. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

EXERCISE 1: choose the past perfect or the past perfect continuous

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1. When we arrived the film (A) (start). 2. She A ……………………………………………….
(B) (work) in that company for twenty years B ……………………………………………….
when she was made redundant.
3. I felt ill because I (C) (drink) six cups of C ……………………………………………….
coffee.
4. I (D) (study) all day, so I was tired. 5. How D ……………………………………………….
long (E) (you / live) in London when your
E ……………………………………………….
daughter was born?
6. When I arrived at the airport I realised I (F) F ……………………………………………….
(forget) my passport.
7. I (G) (break) my ankle, so I couldn’t go G ……………………………………………….
skiing last year.
8. She (H) (study) English for three years when H ……………………………………………….
she took the exam.
I ……………………………………………….
9. I (I) (run), so I was hot and tired.
10. I didn’t go to the class because I (J) (not /
J ……………………………………………….
do) my homework.

2.6. REVISION OF THE PAST TENSES

EXERCISE 1: simple past, present perfect and present perfect continuous

1. We ………………………….. (receive) your enquiry yesterday and we are happy you are
interested in our products.
2. We ………………………………….. (receive) your letter and we will immediately take
action.

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3. We ……………………………. (obtain) your name and address from a business relation,
who …………………….. (to do business) with you since 2010.
4. I ………………………….. (love) her since 2005 .
5. He already …………………….. (send) the cargo by ship.
6. When ………………………… (go) to the exhibition in Singapore?
7. I …………………………. (mail) you last week, but I …………………………….
(receive) a reply yet.
8. He ………………………………….. (talk) to these customers for 2 hours now.

EXERCISE 2: mixed exercise : past tenses

Supply the most suitable tense (simple past, past continuous, present perfect simple,
present perfect continuous, past perfect or past perfect continuous ).

1. He ………………………………. (go) abroad last week.

2. No, he isn’t here. He just ………………………………. (go) out.
3. The cat was hungry because his owner ………………………………. (forget) to feed
him.
4. He ………………………………. (go) downstairs when I ……………………………….
(meet) him.
5. ‘Where is Mr Green?’ ‘He ………………………………. (go) out ten minutes ago.’
6. This boy …………… never …………………. (see) the sea.
7. ………………………………. (you - see) my bag? I …………… (lose) it.
8. What ………………………………. (laugh) at all this time.
9. I ………………………………. (see) you yesterday. You ……………………………….
(sit) outside a café.
10. He ……………… already ………………………………. (write) a lot of letters, but his
sister ………………………………. (not write) many.
11. …………………………. (you - see) a good film lately?
12. He ………………………………. (live) in England since 1970.
13. When I last ………………………………. (see) him, he ……………………………….
(live) in London.
14. We ………………………………. (live) in the country since 1989.
15. He ………………………………. (sit) in the garden when the storm
………………………………. (break) out.
16. The team lost the game because they ………………………………. (not / practice)
enough.
17. ‘You ………………………………. (go) to the cinema last night?’ ‘No, I
………………………………. (not be) for three weeks.’

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18. By the time the bus arrived, I ………………………………. (wait) for over an hour.
19. I ………………………………. (hear) the news last night, but I
………………………………. (not hear) it today.
20. Bob had lost weight as he ………………………………. (not eat) very much lately.

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