Bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn

I. Phân biệt thì quá khứ đơn (Past Simple) và quá khứ tiếp diễn (Past Continuous):
Thì quá khứ đơn Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn

- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra tại một thời - Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra trong quá
điểm cố định trong quá khứ khứ

- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra ngay sau - Diễn tả hai hành động hoặc nhiều hơn
hành động khác trong quá khứ đang diễn ra tại thời điểm nới trong quá
khứ

- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra thì một

hành động khác xen vào. Hành động làm
gián đoạn chia thì quá khứ đơn.

Dấu hiệu: ago, yesterday, last month/ year/ Dấu hiệu: while, when, all day/ night/
week, in 2019, then,… morning, ….

II. Bài tập luyện tập

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the past simple or the past continuous form
the verbs.
1. Peter ___________ (play) a video game when his brother, Jack, ___________ (enter)
the room.
2. I ___________ (study) for my English test when my mother ___________ (come)
home from work.
3. Emma ___________ (wash) the dishes when the telephone ___________ (ring).
4. I ___________ (ate) a sandwich while my parents ___________ (drink) coffee.
5. I ___________ (watch) a DVD when my cat ___________ (jump) on me.
6. I ___________ (not hear) the thunder during the storm last night because I
___________ (sleep)
7. It (be) ___________ beautiful yesterday when we ___________ (go) for a walk in the
park. The sun ___________ (shine). The birds ___________ (sing).
8. My brother and sister ___________ (talk) anout something when I ___________
(walk) into the room.
9. Tom ___________(go) to his friend’s house, but the boys ___________ (not be) there.
They ___________ (play) soccer in the vacant lot down the street.
10. The little boy ___________ (fall) asleep while his mother ___________ (read) him a
story.
11. I really ___________ (enjoy) my holiday last January. While it ___________ (snow)
in Iowa, the sun ___________ (shine) in Floria.
12. It ___________ (snow) when I ___________ (leave) home this morning.
13. It was a sunny afternoon and people ___________ (sit) on the grass in the park. Then
suddenly it ___________ (start) to rain.
14. My brother ___________ (talk) on the phone when I arrived, but when he
___________ (see) me, he ___________ (finish) the call. Perhaps he thought that I
___________ (listen) to his conversation.
15. We ___________ (climb) the wall when the gardener ___________ (see) us.
16. Susan ___________ (play) the piano while Mary ___________ (sing)
17. ___________ (you/ listen) to the teacher when she ___________ (explain) this
exercise?
18. Linda ___________ (have) a beautiful dream when the alarm clock ___________
(ring).
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer
1. The Smiths aren’t painting/ weren’t painting their house last weekend
2. Tom cleaned/ was cleaning the living room when Jane arrived
3. Did/ Were the students writing an essay in class this morning?
4. Frank was fixing/ fixed his car when his mobile rang
5. Mark didn’t wear/ wasn’t wearing a coat when it started to rain.
6. He is/ was driving to work this morning when Anna called.
7. While my parents were working/ was working, I was studying at home
8. I walked/ was walking home when I tripped/ was tripping and fell
9. At 8 o’clock last night, we were having/ had dinner at a Chinese restaurant
Exercise 3: Read the letter and write the missing words. Write one word on each
line
Dear Georgia,
I’m writing to you from my hotel room (1) ______ New York. You can’t imagine what
happened to me yesterday! I was walking in Mitte at around noon (2) _______ it started
raining. (3) ______ I was running back to the hotel, I saw a famous actor who was eating
in a restaurant. I went in and (4) ______ hello and he gave me two tickets to see his new
film. Isn’t that great?
That’s all for now. See you (5) ______ I get back!
Love,
Rachel
Exercise 4: Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous
1. A: How (1) _______________ (Anne/ break) her leg?
B: She (2) ______________ (ride) her horse when she (3) _______________ (fall) and
(4) __________ (land) on her leg.
A: (5) ________________ (she/go) to hospital?
2. A: When (1) ___________ (you/see) Peter?
B: While I (2) ___________ (do) my shopping at the supermarket
3. A: I (1) __________ (call) you last night but you (2) _____________ (not/ answer).
Where were you?
B: I (3) __________________ (jog) in the park
Exercise 5: Give the correct forms of the verbs given in the brackets
1. Susan ___________ (study) in her room when she heard the noise.
2. What ____________ (they, do) at eleven p.m. last night - it was so noisy?
3. I was eight years old when my elder sister __________ (teach) me how to ride a bike.
4. John ______________ (not go) to school last week because he was ill.
5. I didn't know anything about the plane crash in my neighborhood because I ________
(work) inside at that time.
6. Yesterday at 9.30 p.m my parents ______________ (sit) in the garden
______________ (drink) some Coke.
7. The chambermaid ______________ (make) my bed in the hotel and ______________
(clean) the bathroom.
8. Someone ______________ (knock) on the door while ______________ (read) the
newspaper.
9. My brother ______________ (buy) a lot of books when he ______________ (live) in
Cambridge.
10. William ______________ (not meet) Sally at the airport last Sunday.
11. Jerry ______________ (have) dinner when the lights ______________ (go) out.
12. The girl ______________ (feel) ill so she ______________ (not go) to work.
13. I ______________ (make) a pudding when the light ______________ (go) out.
14. We suddenly ______________ (realize) that we ______________ (travel) in the
wrong direction.
15. While I ______________ (swim) someone ______________ (steal) my clothes and I
______________ (have to) walk to the hotel in my swimsuit.
16. The floor ______________ (be) covered with balls of wool. Obviously Grandmother
______________ (knit) something.
17. I ______________ (find) this coin as I ______________ (dig) in the garden. It looks
very old.
18. When I first ______________ (meet) him, he ______________ (work) in a cafe.
19. When I ______________ (read) a book, I ______________ (hear) a knock, I
______________ (go) to the door and ______________ (open) it, but I ______________
(not recognize) my friend at first because I ______________ (not wear) my glasses.
20. When I ______________ (come) in they ______________ (sit) round the fire.
Exercise 6: Supply the correct tenses of the verbs in brackets
One afternoon, a big wolf (wait) ____________ in a dark forest for a little girl to come
along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally a little girl did come along
and she (carry) ____________ a basket of food. 'Are you carrying that basket to your
grandmother?' asked the wolf. The little girl said yes, she (be)____________. So the wolf
(ask) ____________her where her grandmother lived and the little girl
(tell)____________ him and he (disappear)____________ into the wood.
When the little girl (open) ____________ the door of her grandmother's house, she
(see)____________ that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on.
She (approach)____________ no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she
(see)____________ that it was not her grandmother but the wolf , for even in a nightcap
a wolf does not look like anybody's grandmother. So the little girl (take) ____________
an automatic pistol out of her basket and (shoot) ____________the wolf dead.
Exercise 7: Complete this email with either the past simple or the past
continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Where alternatives are possible, think
about any difference in meaning.
I (1. buy) ____________ a new alarm clock the other day in Taylor’s the jewellers,
when I actually (2. see) ____________ somebody shoplifting. I’d finished paying for
my clock and as I (3. turn) ____________ round, an elderly woman (4. slowly put)
____________ a silver plate into a bag that she (5. carry) ____________. Then she (6.
walk) ____________ over to another part of the shop and (7. pick up) ____________
an expensive-looking watch a number of times. When she (8. think) ____________
that nobody (9. look) ____________, she (10. drop) ____________ it into the bag.
Before I (11. have) ____________ a chance to tell the staff in the shop, she (12.
notice) ____________ that I (13. watch) ____________ her and (14.
hurry)____________ out. Unfortunately for her, two police officers (15. walk)
____________ past just at that moment and she (16. run) ____________ straight into
them.
Exerccise 8: Complete the sentences using these pairs of verbs. Use the past simple in one gap and the
past continuous in the other.

come - show get - go hope - give live - spend

look - see play - break start - check in
1. Just as I was getting into the bath all the lights went off.
2. I……………………..to go away this weekend, but my boss…………………..me
some work that I have to finish by Monday.
3. When I………………………..in Paris, I……………………three hours a day
travelling to and from work.
4. A friendly American couple…………………..chatting to him as
he…………………at the hotel reception.
5. I bumped into Lena last week. She……………………….a lot better than when I
last…………………..her.
6. My boss…………………………..into the office just as I…………………………
everyone my holiday photos.
7. I…………….badminton four times a week before I……………………..my ankle.
Exercise 9: Choose the correct alternative “When/ While”
1. I had a bad dream _____________ I was sleeping on the sofa
2. I was talking to my husband in the park _____________ two cars crashed behind
us.
3. You called me last night _____________ I was studying for an important exam.
4. The students were doing an exercise _____________ the bell rang.
5. Anna was doing her homework _____________ the lights went out.
Exericise 10: Circle the correct verb form in each of the following sentences
1. Mary (prepared/ was preparing) lunch when they (came/ was coming)
2. The sun (shone/ was shining) brightly when I (got up/ was getting up) this morning.
3. Ann finally (told/ was telling) us the whole story about Peter
4. We (drove/ were driving) to Berlin in Robert’s new car
5. Last weekend Susan (fell/ was falling) and (broke/ was breaking) her leg
6. Who was that nice girl you (talked/ were talking) to when I (walked/ was walking)
by the pub?
7. When I (entered / was entering) the cafeteria Mary (had / was having) lunch with
Peter.
Exercise 11: Complete the gaps in Past Simple or Past Continuous
1. We ______________ to the cinema yesterday. (to go)
2. I ______________ my homework for the whole evening yesterday. (to do)
3. Emily ______________ the piano at 4 p.m yesterday. (to play)
4. When John came home, his little brother ______________ TV. (to watch)
5. They ______________ a new house last month. (to buy)
6. We ______________ our relatives in the USA two years ago. (to visit)
7. As Sophie ______________ (walk) up Regent Street, she ______________ (meet)
an old friend from college.
8. Who ______________ (you/ speak) to on the phone when I ______________
(come) in?
9. Mary ______________ (read) in bed when she ______________ (hear) a strange
noise downstairs.
10. The fireman ______________ (rescue) a 75-year-old woman who
______________ (be) trapped on the second floor of the burning building.
11. When I ______________ (open) the door, two people ______________ (stand)
there.
12. Your package ______________ (arrive) while we ______________ (have) dinner.
13. Gran ______________ (do) really well when I ______________ (see) her
yesterday.
14. The teacher ______________ (ask) me a question while I ______________ (look)
out of the window
15. We ______________ (not drive) very fast when the police officer
______________ (stop) us.
16. While I ______________ (drive), I ______________ (have) an accident.
17. Kate ______________ (have) dinner and then she ______________ (do) her
homework.
18. The thieves ______________ (hide) in the kitchen when the police
______________ (come) in.
19. Sam ______________ (plan) a party and then he ______________ (phone) his
friends.
20. While we ______________ (clean) the house, we ______________ (break) some
glasses.
21. Alan ______________ (look) out of the window when he ______________ (see)
a UFO.
Exercise 12: Give the correct form of verbs in bracket
1. I ( not permit) _____________ to go out after 10 pm
2. The black dress ( make) _____________ me look older than my mother.
3. This little girl (expect) _____________ by her parents to win the competition.
4. My manager ( not let) _____________me use the computer in the office for
personal purposes.
5. Your hydro bill (pay) _____________ by Mr. Smith yesterday.
6. This building (design) _____________ by a well-known architect in 2001.
7. last year, It ( rumour) _____________ that people would build a new bridge here.
8. The teacher (order) _____________ me to finish my report before yesterday.
9. his shoes ( often shine) _____________ by his wife.
10. Our way ( light) _____________ by a full moon.
Đáp án bài tập luyện tập
Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the past simple or the past continuous form
the verbs.
1.Peter ____was playing_______ (play) a video game when his brother, Jack,
____entered_______ (enter) the room.
2.I _______was studying____ (study) for my English test when my mother
_____came______ (come) home from work.
3.Emma ____was washing_______ (wash) the dishes when the telephone
___rang________ (ring).
4.I ___was eating________ (eat) a sandwich while my parents __were drinking____
(drink) coffee.
5.I ___was watching________ (watch) a DVD when my cat _____jumped______
(jump) on me.
6. I _____didn’t hear______ (not hear) the thunder during the storm last night because I
_____was sleeping______ (sleep)
7. It (be) ____was_______ beautiful yesterday when we ____went_______ (go) for a
walk in the park. The sun _______was shining____ (shine). The birds _____was
singing______ (sing).
8. My brother and sister ___were talking________ (talk) anout something when I
______walked_____ (walk) into the room.
9. Tom _____went______(go) to his friend’s house, but the boys _____weren’t______
(not be) there. They _____were playing______ (play) soccer in the vacant lot down the
street.
10. The little boy _____fell______ (fall) asleep while his mother ____was
reading_______ (read) him a story.
11. I really ____enjoyed _______ (enjoy) my holiday last January. While it ____was
snowing_______ (snow) in Iowa, the sun _____was shining______ (shine) in Floria.
12. It ______was snowing_____ (snow) when I ______left_____ (leave) home this
morning.
13. It was a sunny afternoon and people ____were sitting_______ (sit) on the grass in
the park. Then suddenly it _____started______ (start) to rain.
14. My brother ____was talking_______ (talk) on the phone when I arrived, but when
he ______was seeing_____ (see) me, he ______finished_____ (finish) the call.
Perhaps he thought that I ______listened_____ (listen) to his conversation.
15. We ___were climbing________ (climb) the wall when the gardener
____saw_______ (see) us.
16. Susan ____was playing_______ (play) the piano while Mary ______was
singing_____ (sing)
17. ____Did you listen_______ (you/ listen) to the teacher when she _____was
explaining______ (explain) this exercise?
18. Linda _____was having______ (have) a beautiful dream when the alarm clock
___rang________ (ring).
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer
1. The Smiths weren’t painting their house last weekend
2. Tom was cleaning the living room when Jane arrived
3. Were the students writing an essay in class this morning?
4. Frank was fixing his car when his mobile rang
5. Mark didn’t wear a coat when it started to rain.
6. He was driving to work this morning when Anna called.
7. While my parents were working, I was studying at home
8. I was walking home when I tripped and fell
9. At 8 o’clock last night, we were having at a Chinese restaurant
Exercise 3: Read the letter and write the missing words. Write one word on each
line
1. in
2. when
3. as
4. said
5. when
Exercise 4: Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous
1.A: How (1) _______did Anne break________ (Anne/ break) her leg?
B: She (2) ______was riding________ (ride) her horse when she (3)
_____fell__________ (fall) and (4) __landed________ (land) on her leg.
A: (5) ____Did she go____________ (she/go) to hospital?
2.A: When (1) ___did you see________ (you/see) Peter?
B: While I (2) ___was doing________ (do) my shopping at the supermarket
3.A: I (1) ____called______ (call) you last night but you (2) ___didn’t answer_______
(not/ answer). Where were you?
B: I (3) ____was jogging______________ (jog) in the park
Exercise 5: Give the correct forms of the verbs given in the brackets
1. Susan ____was studying_______ (study) in her room when she heard the noise.
2. What _____were they doing_______ (they, do) at eleven p.m. last night - it was so
noisy?
3. I was eight years old when my elder sister _____taught_____ (teach) me how to ride
a bike.
4. John _______did not go_______ (not go) to school last week because he was ill.
5. I didn't know anything about the plane crash in my neighborhood because I ____was
working____ (work) inside at that time.
6. Yesterday at 9.30 p.m my parents ____were sitting__________ (sit) in the garden
______drinking________ (drink) some Coke.
7. The chambermaid ______made________ (make) my bed in the hotel and
______cleaned________ (clean) the bathroom.
8. Someone _______knocked_______ (knock) on the door while ______was
reading________ (read) the newspaper.
9. My brother ____bought__________ (buy) a lot of books when he _______lived/ was
living_______ (live) in Cambridge.
10. William ______didn’t meet________ (not meet) Sally at the airport last Sunday.
11. Jerry _______was having_______ (have) dinner when the lights
______went________ (go) out.
12. The girl _____felt_________ (feel) ill so she _____didn’t go_________ (not go) to
work.
13. I _____was making_________ (make) a pudding when the light
____went__________ (go) out.
14. We suddenly ________realized______ (realize) that we _______were
travelling_______ (travel) in the wrong direction.
15. While I ______was swimming________ (swim) someone _______stole_______
(steal) my clothes and I _____had to_________ (have to) walk to the hotel in my
swimsuit.
16. The floor _______was_______ (be) covered with balls of wool. Obviously
Grandmother ______was knitting________ (knit) something.
17. I ______found________ (find) this coin as I ______was digging________ (dig) in
the garden. It looks very old.
18. When I first ______met________ (meet) him, he ____was working__________
(work) in a cafe.
19. When I ______was reading________ (read) a book, I _______heard_______ (hear)
a knock, I _________went_____ (go) to the door and ______opened________
(open) it, but I _____didn’t recognize_________ (not recognize) my friend at first
because I _________didn’t wear_____ (not wear) my glasses.
20. When I _______came_______ (come) in they _____were sitting_________ (sit)
round the fire.
Exercise 6: Supply the correct tenses of the verbs in brackets
One afternoon, a big wolf (wait) ____was waiting________ in a dark forest for a little
girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally a little girl did
come along and she (carry) ____was carrying________ a basket of food. 'Are you
carrying that basket to your grandmother?' asked the wolf. The little girl said yes, she
(be)_____was_______. So the wolf (ask) _____asked_______her where her grandmother
lived and the little girl (tell)____told________ him and he
(disappear)_____disappeared_______ into the wood.
When the little girl (open) ______opened______ the door of her grandmother's house,
she (see)____saw________ that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and
nightgown on. She (approach)_____had approached_______ no nearer than twenty-five
feet from the bed when she (see)____saw________ that it was not her grandmother but
the wolf , for even in a nightcap a wolf does not look like anybody's grandmother. So the
little girl (take) ______took______ an automatic pistol out of her basket and (shoot)
_____shot_______the wolf dead.
Exercise 7: Complete this email with either the past simple or the past
continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Where alternatives are possible, think
about any difference in meaning.
I (1. buy) ____was buying________ a new alarm clock the other day in Taylor’s the
jewellers, when I actually (2. see) _____saw_______ somebody shoplifting. I’d
finished paying for my clock and as I (3. turn) _____turned/ was turning_______
round, an elderly woman (4. slowly put) ______was slowly putting/ out______ a
silver plate into a bag that she (5. carry) _____was carrying_______. Then she (6.
walk) _____walked_______ over to another part of the shop and (7. pick up)
____picked up________ an expensive-looking watch a number of times. When she
(8. think) ____thought________ that nobody (9. look) _____was looking_______, she
(10. drop) _____dropped_______ it into the bag. Before I (11. have)
_____had_______ a chance to tell the staff in the shop, she (12. notice)
_______noticed_____ that I (13. watch) _____was watching_______ her and (14.
hurry)_____hurried_______ out. Unfortunately for her, two police officers (15. walk)
___were walking/ walked_________ past just at that moment and she (16. run)
______ran______ straight into them.
Exerccise 8: Complete the sentences using these pairs of verbs. Use the past simple in one gap and the
past continuous in the other.

1. was getting - went off 2. was hoping - gave

3. lived- was spending/ was living- spent 4. started- was checking in
5. was looking- saw 6. came- was showing
7. was playing-broke
Exercise 9: Choose the correct alternative “When/ While”
1. I had a bad dream _____while________ I was sleeping on the sofa
2. I was talking to my husband in the park ______when_______ two cars crashed
behind us.
3. You called me last night _____while________ I was studying for an important
exam.
4. The students were doing an exercise ____when_________ the bell rang.
5. Anna was doing her homework ______when_______ the lights went out.
Exericise 10: Circle the correct verb form in each of the following sentences
1. Mary was preparing lunch when they came
2. The sun was shining brightly when I got up this morning.
3. Ann finally told us the whole story about Peter
4. We were driving to Berlin in Robert’s new car
5. Last weekend Susan fell and broke her leg
6. Who was that nice girl you were talking to when I walked by the pub?
7. When I entered the cafeteria Mary was having lunch with Peter.
Exercise 11: Complete the gaps in Past Simple or Past Continuous
1. We _______went_______ to the cinema yesterday. (to go)
2. I ______was doing________ my homework for the whole evening yesterday. (to
do)
3. Emily _____was playing_________ the piano at 4 p.m yesterday. (to play)
4. When John came home, his little brother ____was watching__________ TV. (to
watch)
5. They _____bought_________ a new house last month. (to buy)
6. We _____visited_________ our relatives in the USA two years ago. (to visit)
7. As Sophie ______was walking________ (walk) up Regent Street, she
_______met_______ (meet) an old friend from college.
8. Who _______were you speaking_______ (you/ speak) to on the phone when I
_________came_____ (come) in?
9. Mary _____was reading_________ (read) in bed when she _____heard_________
(hear) a strange noise downstairs.
10. The fireman _____rescued_________ (rescue) a 75-year-old woman who
________was being______ (be) trapped on the second floor of the burning
building.
11. When I _______opened_______ (open) the door, two people ______were
standing________ (stand) there.
12. Your package ______arrived________ (arrive) while we ____were
having__________ (have) dinner.
13. Gran _______was doing_______ (do) really well when I ______saw________
(see) her yesterday.
14. The teacher ______asked________ (ask) me a question while I _____was
looking_________ (look) out of the window
15. We ______weren’t driving________ (not drive) very fast when the police officer
____stopped__________ (stop) us.
16. While I was driving, I had an accident.
17. Kate had dinner and then she did her homework.
18. The thieves were hiding in the kitchen when the police came in.
19. Sam planned a party and then he phoned his friends.
20. While we were cleaning the house, we broke some glasses.
21. Alan was looking out of the window when he saw a UFO.
Exercise 12: Give the correct form of verbs in bracket
1. I ( not permit) ______am not permitted_______ to go out after 10 pm
2. The black dress ( make) _______makes______ me look older than my mother.
3. This little girl (expect) _______is expected______ by her parents to win the
competition.
4. My manager ( not let) _______doesn’t let______me use the computer in the office
for personal purposes.
5. Your hydro bill (pay) ______was paid_______ by Mr. Smith yesterday.
6. This building (design) _____was designed________ by a well-known architect in
2001.
7. last year, It ( rumour) ______was rumoured_______ that people would build a new
bridge here.
8. The teacher (order) ______ordered_______ me to finish my report before
yesterday.
9. his shoes ( often shine) _____are often shone________ by his wife.
10. Our way ( light) ________is lit_____ by a full moon.