PAST TENSES

I. Fill in the correct verb tense

Last night I .....................................................(walk) home next to the river Thames, when something
strange..........................................................(happen) to me. It was late at night and
I ..................................................(have) a long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon in the
sky and everything was quiet. I was tired and lonely and
I ......................................................................................(just have) a few pints of beer in my local pub, so I
decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while I ..........................................................(sit)
on some steps very close to the water's edge and looked up at the big yellow moon. I felt very tired so I
asleep. When I woke up, I opened my eyes and I .....................................(see) the
moon .....................................................(move) behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold.
The wind ..............................................(blow) and an owl .....................................(hoot) in a tree above me. I
rubbed my eyes and after a few minutes, I..............................................(get up) when suddenly
I ............................................(hear) a splash. I .....................................................(look) down at the water
and saw something. Something terrible and frightening, and unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
Something ................................................ (come) out of the water and ..........................................................
(move) towards me. Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long green arm and
it .....................................................(stretch) out from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I
couldn't move. I..............................................................................(never be) so scared in my whole life. The
cold green hand.......................................................(move) closer and closer when suddenly there was a
blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone ......................................(jump) onto the stairs
next to me. He .................................................(wear) strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes. He
shouted "Get Back!" and ............................................. (point) something at the monster in the water. There
was a bright flash and the monster hissed and disappeared. I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but
kind. "Don't fall asleep by the river when there's a full moon", he said "The Moon Goblins will get you."
I ......................................................... (never hear) of moon goblins before. I didn't know what to do.
"Who... who are you?" I asked him. "You can call me... The Doctor." He said. I ..............................................
(try) to think of something else to say when he turned around and said, "Watch the stars at night, and be
careful of the full moon". I was trying to understand what he meant, when there was another blue flash
and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he ............................................................................ (go). I
couldn't believe what ................................................(happen). What on earth were Moon Goblins, and who
was the mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was determined to find the answers to these
strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.
II. Fill in the appropriate adverbs
1. My brother found a new job three weeks _ .
2. What time did you get up _ morning?
3. (A) When did you get back from Korea?
(B) I got back two weeks _ .
4. Jack went to bed very late _ night.
5. Our class had a very difficult math exam _ Friday.
6. We had a picnic at the park _ morning.
7. I began to study Spanish _ September.
8. Marie felt sick, so she stayed home _ afternoon.
9. Dinosaurs lived on our planet millions of years _ .
10. Your friend just called you an hour _ but you were out.
11. Today is Tuesday. What day was it _ ?
12. Our family travelled to Brazil _ summer.
13. Did you really finish your science project two days _ ?
14. I moved to this city _ year.
15. Sarah and Mark got married _ month.

III. Fill in the correct verb tense

When Professor Sutcliffe, the famous archaeologist, ........................................................... (invite) me to

take part in his expedition to find a lost city in South America, I ...............................................................(not
hesitate) to accept his invitation. Sutcliffe ...............................................................(discover) an ancient map
showing the exact position of the city. In fact, most of Sutcliffe's colleagues in Cambridge
either........................................................ (believe) that such city ....................................................................
(never exist) or.................................................. (feel) that it....................................................... (vanish) a
long time ago and.................................................. (become) simply a legend. According to the Professor,
the builders of the city ..................................................(hide) it among the mountains in order to protect its
immense riches, which .......................................................... (consist) mainly of gold and precious stones.
He.................................................... (believe) that the modern
inhabitants....................................................... (still keep) themselves apart from the rest of mankind for the
very same reason. So, when we ............................................... (set off) on a cool April morning towards the
unknown, each of us ...................................................... (look forward) to exciting discoveries. For a week
we …................................................ (climb) higher and higher, following the map, which Sutcliffe
….......................................... (study) from time to time.
Then one morning, while we …..............................................(rest) near a valley, we
….........................................(notice) that a man on a horse....................................................... (wave) at us
from the other side of the valley. A rider whose clothes …...........................................................(shine) like
gold!

IV. Fill in the correct verb tense

Tim Wilkins loved his tree house. His father built it when he was 8. Tim Wilkins (not have) any siblings. He
usually ................................................… (play) alone when his family ...........................................................
(live) in London. He …........................................................ (go) to the park every afternoon after school
when the weather ......................................… (be) fine. When it ......................................…. (rain), his mum
….............................. (take) him to the library and Tim ….......................................... (Choose) a book and
he ............................................… (read). He to ….......................................... (prefer) reading adventure
books about pirates, explorers or spacemen. He ........................................................… (be) very imaginative.
When Tim …............................... (be) 8 years old, his father ...........................................… (lose) his job.
He .......................................… (work) as a Carpenter and he ..............................................… (decide) to start
a new life in a little village called Stonebridge. So Tim's parents …............................................... (sell) their
house in London and they .............................................… (buy) a beautiful house in Stonebridge. This house
…....................................................... (not be) new and the windows and
doors .................................................… (be) broken. The roof …............................................... (have) a hole.
They …................................................... (repair) the house and .........................................… (paint) the walls.
When they …............................................... (Finish), the house on ...........................…(look) fantastic! Tim's
father .....................................… (have) an idea. Their garden .....................................… (be) very big and
there ..................................… (be) a lot of old trees. There …............................................... (be) one tree
especially tall and thick. Tim's father ..........................................… (design) a tree house and
he ..........................................… (spend) the whole spring building the tree house. When the summer
…............................................... (begin), Tim ..............................................… (have) his new house finished.
He …........................................ (invite) some boys to play there and all the things he
…................................................ (read) in the books ...........................… (come) true. The tree house
….................................................... (not survive) many years. Unluckily, a terrible
storm ...................................... (destroy) it some years ago. But Tim Wilkins ..................................................
… (not forget) it when he …................................................... (grow up). He
…....................................................... (become) an architect and now he builds tree houses all around the
world!
…....................................................... (you / have) a tree house when you .........................................… (be) a
child?