KEY

1. The weather around here has been terrible in the last few weeks. (BE)
2. Maria packed her suitcase last night. (PACK)
3. I haven't played volleyball since I was a teenager. (NOT PLAY)
4. We have helped wash the dishes. They're all clean now (HELP)
5. They have closed the factory. – Really? When did that happen? (CLOSE, THAT
HAPPEN)

6. Has your business course started yet? (YOUR BUSINESS COURSE – START)
7. How long have you had that camera? – About a month. I bought it because it was on
sale just before Christmas. (YOU HAVE, BUY)

8. Have you seen last week's magazine? – It must be here because I bought it on Monday.
(YOU SEE, BUY)

9. The books you ordered have arrived. The delivery service brought them an hour ago.
(ARRIVE, BRING)

10. The Queen started her two-week tour through Australia yesterday. (START)

11. The plane from New York has just landed. The passengers are getting out. (JUST
LAND)

12. We haven't had a party at school for ages. (NOT HAVE)

13. I caught a cold in school a few days ago and have been ill ever since. (CATCH, BE)

14. Dinosaurs wandered around the earth millions of years ago. (WANDER)

15. Prices didn't go up last year, but they have increased by 8% already this year. (NOT
GO, INCREASE)

16. I'm so tired. I have walked all the way to the underground station. (WALK)

17. We have just come home from our holidays and getting ready to settle in. (JUST
COME)

18. She lived in London for three years. However, when her mom died, she moved to
Leeds and has lived there ever since. (LIVE, DIE, MOVE, LIVE)

19. Dusty has never lost a match so far this year. He is more successful than last year,
when he lost the first three matches. (NEVER LOSE, LOSE)
20. He fell off the ladder and broke his ankle. That's why he hasn't been in school for a
while. (FALL, BREAK, NOT BE)

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Answers Exercise 1
1. After I had posted the letter, I realised that I had written the wrong address on it
2. John asked me where I had been the day before.
3. At this time yesterday, we had already been walking for 6 km
4. When I was walking through the streets of Madrid, I thought about the magnificent time I had
spent there as a student.
5. It was the first time that she had invited me to dinner.
6. As soon as the maid had finished scrubbing the kitchen floor, she started working in
the garden.
7. We started to worry about Jimmy because we had been calling him all afternoon.
8. They had already made their way out of town before the sun rose.
9. We had been driving for two hours when we finally got to our hotel.
10. When I arrived home, I saw that the children had already left.
11. While I was working in the garden it struck me that I hadn't turned off the oven.
12. I invited my best friend to the party, but he couldn't come because he had already made other
plans.
13. I looked out of the window because I thought I had heard some noises.
14. We were watching TV when we saw that a devastating earthquake had hit California.
15. The police told me that someone had broken into our neighbour's house.
16. When I finally arrived at the airport, he told me that he had been waiting for half an hour.

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Answer Key Exercise 2

1. We were all happy because we had handed in our homework in time. (HAND)
2. Mrs Shilton had been a primary school teacher for twenty years before she became headmaster
of the school. (BE)
3. When we got there, we saw that they had been resting for over 20 minutes. (REST)
4. We had been practicing dance moves for over two hours, so you can imagine we were very tired.
(PRACTICE)
5. The film had already started when we finally got to the cinema. (ALREADY START)
6. By the time I got to school the lesson had already started. (GET)
7. I had only been washing up for a few minutes when the doorbell rang and our friends arrived.
(ONLY WASH)
8. He had heard about the accident before he saw it on TV. (HEAR)
9. I left the office after I had finished writing my last email. (LEAVE)
10.The car broke down shortly after we had got on the motorway. (BREAK)
11.We had been walking for an hour when we finally arrived at the remote village. (WALK)
12.I saw the film after I had read the book. (READ)
13.I had already thought of that before you brought it up. (BRING)
14.She was so tired because she had been playing football the whole afternoon. (PLAY)
15.As soon as the girls had cleaned the house the visitors arrived. (ARIVE)
16.By the time I was 16 I had already decided to become a scientist. (ALREADY DECIDE)
17.Suddenly I realised that I had been shouting at the wrong person. He was absolutely innocent.
(SHOUT)
18.I resigned from my job because I had received an offer from another company. (RESIGN)
19.The teacher gave us a break because we had been working on the project for several hours.
(WORK)
20.After dad had finished mowing the lawn, he started repairing the car. (START)

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 Correct Answers

Exercise 1

1 was watching
We use the past continuous the set the scene in a story.
2 realised
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.
3 hadn't eaten 4 had run
We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in the
past.
5 thought
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.
6 had given
We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in the
past.
7 went 8 opened 9 poured 10 looked
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.
11 wasn't
We also use the past simple to talk about past states.
12 had taken 13 had eaten 14 had put 15 had eaten
We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in the
past.
16 was drinking 17 heard
We use the past continuous when a longer action (was drinking) is interrupted by a
shorter action in past simple (heard).
18 went
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.
19 opened 20 was eating
We use the past continuous when a longer action (was eating) is interrupted by a
shorter action in past simple (opened).
Exercise 2

1 c. had already started

We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in the
past. In this case, the conference started before I arrived.
2 a. hid
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story. First he heard the police, and then he hid under the bed.
3 b. was carrying
We use the past continuous when a longer action (was carrying a gun) is interrupted by
a shorter action in past simple (arrested).
4 c. hadn't done
We use the past perfect simple to talk about an earlier past: events which happened
before the main event. First he did or did not do something wrong, and then the police
arrested him.
5 b. was lying
We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past. When he said that he
loved me, the action of lying was in progress.
6 c. had been
We use the past perfect simple to talk about an earlier past: events which happened
before the main event. First he was in a fight, and then I looked at him.
7 a. ran
We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story. First he pulled out a gun, and then everybody ran away.
8 a. never went
We use the past simple to talk about past habits or past states.
9 c. had been
We use the past perfect simple with stative verbs to talk about states or situations that
had started earlier in the past. We often use how long, for or since, always, etc.
10 b. wasn't paying attention
We use the past continuous when a longer action (wasn't paying attention) is
interrupted by a shorter action in past simple (crashed).
Exercise3

1 happened - We use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past.

2 was walking 3 was carrying

We use the past continuous the set the scene in a story.

4 had saved - We use the past perfect simple (and not continuous) to say how much
or how many we had done of something earlier in the past.

5 had bought - We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions
completed earlier in the past.

6 was holding - We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past.

7 sounded - The verbs of the senses (look, sound, taste, etc.) are stative verbs,
which means that they cannot be used in continuous verb forms.

8 was playing - We use the past continuous when a longer action (was playing) is
interrupted by a shorter action in past simple (bit).

9 bit 10 went 11 treated 12 hung

We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.

13 had just been - We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions
completed earlier in the past.

14 had - We use the past simple to talk about past states.

15 had left - We use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed
earlier in the past.

16 was watching - We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past.

17 disappeared 18 stood up 19 went

We use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main
events of a story.

20 had sunk We use the past perfect simple to talk about earlier events and
experiences.
A2 Present Perfect Vs Past Simple Answer Key

Complete the Sentences Using Present Perfect / Past Simple

1. I haven’t eaten anything today, I am famished. (eat)
2. You didn’t go to work yesterday. (go)
3. I have seen this movie before, lets watch another one. (see)
4. Have you ever been to Canada?
5. Did you visit your parents last weekend?
6. She hasn’t ridden a camel before. (not ride)
7. I completed my homework two hours ago. (complete)
8. I haven’t finished my project yet. (not finish)
9. She hasn’t found a job yet, she needs money. (find)
10. Did you take my car yesterday? (take)

Choose the correct option.

1. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten / didn’t eat yet.
2. She left / has left a week ago.
3. I have worked / worked there for ten years.
4. They have run / run since the morning.
5. I have been / was in school for ten hours yesterday.

Writing: Write about your memories.

- What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?

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