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CHUYÊN ĐỀ 1: TENSES
4. PAST CONTINUOUS (THÌ QUÁ KHỨ TIẾP DIỄN)
Exercise 1: Put the verbs in the brackets into past continuous.
1. They (do) ………………………………………. their homework all yesterday evening.
2. The boys (play) ………………………………………. soccer at 3.00 yesterday afternoon.
3. The children (help) ………………………………………. their parents with the housework all yesterday.
4. She (not, practice) ………………………………………. her music lesson at 7.00 this morning.
5. Ba and Tam (write) ………………………………………. their report on Sports all this morning.
6. ……………… Lien (sew) ………………………… her handkerchief at 7.00 last night?
7. ……………… Phong (learn) ………………………………………. English at 8.00 last Tuesday?
8. They (discuss) ………………………………………. about wastepaper at 2.00 yesterday afternoon.
9. George (fall) ………………………………………. off the ladder while he (paint)
………………………………………. the ceiling.
10. Last night I (read) ……………………………………….in bed when suddenly I heard a scream.
11. ……………………… you (watch) ………………….. television when I phoned you?
12. Ann (wait) ……………………………………….for me when I arrived.
13. I (not, drive) ………………………………………. very fast when the accident happened.
14. I broke a plate last night. I (do) ………………………………………. the washing-up when it slipped out
of my hand.
15. Tom (take) ………………………………………. a photograph of me while I didn’t look.
Exercise 2. Choose the correct answer.
1. I listened / was listening to the radio when I heard / was hearing this fantastic song.
2. When the teacher said / was saying ‘Stop!’, I still tried / was still trying to finish the last
question.
3. I feel really silly! While I danced / was dancing, I fell / was falling and broke / was
breaking my elbow.
4. Tim played / was playing a computer game when his mum called / was calling him for lunch.
5. I looked / was looking for a file on my memory stick when I noticed / was noticing there was
a virus.
6. Ron found / was finding a really interesting website about dance music while he surfed / was
surfing the internet.
7. My mum had / was having breakfast near the computer when she spilled / was spilling her
cup of coffee on the keyboard.
8. When you saw / were seeing me yesterday, I didn’t go / wasn’t going to school, I went / was
going to the doctor’s – I felt terrible.
9. How many pictures did you take / were you taking while you travelled / were
travelling around Ireland?
10. Why did you chat / were you chatting to Philip while I tried / was trying to tell you
something really important?
11. We watched/ were watching TV when Dad was arriving/ arrived home.
12. We weren’t having/ didn’t have dinner when you called us.
13. What did they do/ were they doing when the light went out/ was going out?
14. What was Max doing/ did Max do when you saw/ was seeing him?
15. When I found my toy, I tidied / I was tidying my room.
I can do it. You can do it. We can do it!
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16. Grandpa found/ was finding some old coins when he was working in the garden.
17. When the children were visiting/ visited the zoo, an elephant escaped/ was escaping.
18. What was you doing/ were you doing when the storm started/ was starting?
19. Kate was having / had dinner and then she did/ was doing her homework
20. While we were cleaning/ we cleaned the house, we broke / were breaking some glasses.
Exercise 3: Put the verbs in the brackets into past simple or past continuous.
1. His uncle (teach) ………………………………………. English in our school five years ago.
2. While I was working in the garden, my son (play) ………………………………………. video games.
3. They (not, go) ………………………………………. to the movies last Sunday.
4. When I was five, I (want) ………………………………………. to become a teacher.
5. …………………. you (live) …………………… in Paris in 1999?
6. I (come) ………………………………………. back home at 9 o’clock last night.
7. While I (work) ………………………………………. in the garden, my wife (cook)
………………………………………. in the kitchen.
8. They (give) ………………………………………. me the letter yesterday.
9. I (watch) ………………………………………. television when the phone (ring) ……………………………………
10. When you phoned me, I (do)……………………………………. my homework.
11. What ………………. you (do) ………………….. at this time yesterday?
12. When I arrived his house, he (sleep) ……………………………………….
13. He usually wears sandals but when I last saw him he (wear) ………………………………………. boots.
14. Who …………….. you (talk) ……………….. to on the phone when I came in?~I (talk)
…………………………. to MR.Pitt.
15. The light (go) ……………………………………… out while we (have) ……………………………………… dinner.
16. When I (see) ……………………………………… him, he (wear) ………………………………………a grey suit.
17. Nam (play) ……………………………………… soccer when he (break) ……………………………………… his
leg.
18. We (drink) ……………………………………… a lot of beer the day before yesterday.
19. They (build) ……………………………………… a new bridge when I (be) ………………………… there.
20. He (sit) ……………………………………… in a cafe’ when I (see) ……………………………………… him.
Exercise 4: Put the verbs in the brackets into past simple or past continuous.
1. My company (make) ………………………………………a lot of profits 5 years ago.
2. What …………… you (do) ………………….. when I phoned you yesterday?
3. While two thieves (argue) …………………………………, someone (steal) ……………………………… their
car.
4. He (sit) ……………………………………… in a bar when I (see) ……………………………………… him.
5. When I (go) ……………………………………… out, the sun (shine) ………………………………………
6. The light (go) ………………………………………. out while I (have) ……………………………………… tea.
7. We (walk) …………………………………… to the station when it (begin) ………………………………… to
rain.
8. He (have) ……………………………………… a bad fall while he (repair) ……………………………………… his
roof.
9. She met him while she (travel) ……………………………………… on a train.
10. While the woman was getting off the bus, she (fall down) ……………………………………….
I can do it. You can do it. We can do it!
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11. The thief (break) ……………………………………… into while we (sleep) ……………………………………….
12. Lan (take) ………………………………………. a photo while I (not/look) ……………………………………….
13. While my mum was working in the garden, she (hurt) ……………………………………… her back.
14. When I got up this morning, it (rain) ……………………………………… heavily.
15. While my dad was brushing teeth, my mum (fall asleep) ……………………………………….
16. I saw a nightmare while I (sleep) ……………………………………… last night.
17. What happened in your dream while a monster(chase)………………………………………. you?
18. He (study) ……………………………………… Chemistry when my friends (come)
……………………………………… around.
19. While Hoa (walk) ……………………………………… in the street, she (meet) ………………………………………
her ex.
20. Her baby (wake) …………………………………… up while she (wash) ……………………………………… the
dish.
21. He (work) ……………………………………… when her wife (phone) ………………………………………. him.
22. The students (have) ………………………………… a test when the storm (start)
…………………………………….
Exercise 5. Supply the correct verbs form.
1. When I (arrive) ………………………………… at her house last night, she (still, sleep)
…………………………………
2. She sometimes (buy) ………………………………… vegetables at this market.
3. She (water) ………………………………… the flowers in the garden while her next door neighbor
(chat) ………………………………… with her over the fence yesterday afternoon.
4. She (have) ………………………………… coffee for breakfast every morning
5. As we (cross) ………………………………… the street, we (see) ………………………………………. an
accident
6. The bell (ring) ………………………………… while Tom (take) ………………………………… a bath
7. She (hear) ………………………………… a noise and (get) ………………………………… out of the bed when
the door (open) …………………………………
8. Listen! Somebody (sing) …………………………………
9. How often ………………. you (read) ………………………………… a newspaper?
10. The sun always (rise) ………………………………… in the east. Look! It (rise) …………………………………
now.
11. The children (play) ………………………………… football when their mother (come)
………………………………… back.
12. Who (be) ………………………………… that man that you (talk) …………………………………to?
13. What’s that noise? Somebody (practise) ………………………………… the piano.
14. She (have) ………………………………… a shower at the moment.
15. Right now, she (run) ………………………………… down a hill.
16. We (wait) ………………………………… for the bus when he (pass) ………………………………… in his car
and (offer) ………………………………… us a lift.
17. When the students (hear) ………………………………………. the bell, they (get) …………………………………
up and (leave) …………………………………
18. When she first (meet).......................... him, he was studying law.
19. She often (clean) ………………………………… the house on Saturdays.
I can do it. You can do it. We can do it!
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20. We (swim) ………………………………… in the river when it started to rain.
Exercise 6. Supply the correct verbs form.
1. We (not, be) ………………………………… on holiday last week.
2. I (see) ………………………………… Lucy yesterday morning.
3. …………….. she ……………………(study) French now?
4. We (play) ………………………………… video games when my mum (say) …………………………………
‘Turn the volume down!’
5. While they (try) ………………………………… to fix the computer, all the lights (go out)
………………………………….
6. My and I always (go) ………………………………… to the countryside.
7. Hanh (not, read) ………………………………… book at the moment.
8. I (not, have) ………………………………… time to see my parents last week.
9. I (lose) ………………………………… my glasses on the way home two days ago.
10. I (have) ………………………………… a shower when my sister arrived.
11. While we (talk) ………………………………… each other, they (watch) ……………………….. TV.
12. I (cook) ………………………………… while Carol was doing the washing up.
13. They (plant) ………………………………… trees over there at the moment.
14. My old friend, Manh (write) ………………………………… to me twice a month.
15. Her parents (dance) ………………………………… at the ball when the burglar (break)
………………………………… into their house last night.
16. He (not, be) ………………………………… at home now.
17. At 9 o'clock last night I (do) ………………………………… my homework.
18. It’s time you (find) ………………………………… a new job.
19. The secretary sometimes (get) ………………………………… annoyed with her boss.
20. My sister (not, do) ………………………………… the homework every day.
21. Postmen (not, deliver) ………………………………… as many letters as a few years ago.
22. ……………… they (go) ………………………………… to the pub every evening?
23. The bank (open) ………………………………… at ten o’clock every morning.
24. My parents (not, be) ………………………………… teachers two years ago.
25. He (not, be) ………………………………… a mechanic last Monday.
26. I would rather he (not, go) ………………………………… out late.
27. It is high time we (start) ………………………………… to learn English seriously.
28. When they (be)……………………………… boys, they (play) ………………………………… football in the
field.
29. My dad (listen) ………………………………… to classical music when I (arrive)
………………………………… home from school.
30. My little sister (draw) ………………………………… a picture while I (study) …………………………………
for my French exam last night.
I can do it. You can do it. We can do it!
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