TEST (Past Simple – Past Continuous) 1. Put the verbs in the Past Continuous.

1. He …………….. (do) a project at 6 o’clock.
2. Mary and Jane ……………(watch) TV when I came home.
3. I …………….(fly) to Madrid at 7 o’clock yesterday.
4. We ……………(enjoy) the party, it was really great.
5. The dog looked friendly. It ………….(bark) happily.

2. Put the verbs in the Past Simple or Past Continuous tense

1. She (write) a letter when the lights went out, because there …… (be) a storm.
2. Paul (get dressed), …………. (have) breakfast and then ………. (go) to school.
3. He was walking in the street when he ……… (see) a fire.
4. Gary (ride) his bicycle while Alan was skateboarding.
5. Sorry, I couldn’t answer the phone. I ……………..(have) a bath at the time.
6. What ………………………….. (you/do) at 6 o’clock yesterday?
7. He ……. (train) so hard for the last three months and eventually he ……. (brake) the record.
8. The detective asked, ‘What (you/do) at the time of the robbery?’
9. He (cook) when the lights went out.
10. He ………… (sleep) while Ann ……… (draw) a picture.
11. She ……….. (wash) the dishes when one of the plates …… (fall) down and …. (break) to pieces.
12. Tom …….. (be ) in a hurry, so he …… (eat) quickly, ………. (pack) his things and ….. (leave) the room.
13. When he heard that noise he ……….. (watch) the local news.
14. When I met him in the street, he …………(go) to the cinema.

1. He was doing a project at 6 o'clock.
- In this sentence, the action of doing a project is happening in the past at a specific time (6 o'clock), so we use the past continuous tense.

2. Mary and Jane were watching TV when I came home.
- The action of watching TV was in progress when the speaker arrived home, so we use the past continuous tense.

3. I flew to Madrid at 7 o'clock yesterday.
- The action of flying to Madrid happened at a specific time (7 o'clock), so we use the past simple tense.

4. We were enjoying the party, it was really great.
- The action of enjoying the party was in progress, so we use the past continuous tense.

5. The dog looked friendly. It was barking happily.
- The action of barking was in progress, so we use the past continuous tense.

1. She was writing a letter when the lights went out because there was a storm.
- The action of writing a letter was in progress when the lights went out, so we use the past continuous tense. The second part of the sentence describes the reason for the lights going out, so we use the past simple tense.

2. Paul got dressed, had breakfast, and then went to school.
- These actions happened one after the other in the past, so we use the past simple tense for each action.

3. He was walking in the street when he saw a fire.
- The action of walking was in progress when he noticed the fire, so we use the past continuous tense. The second part of the sentence describes seeing the fire, so we use the past simple tense.

4. Gary was riding his bicycle while Alan was skateboarding.
- Both actions were happening at the same time in the past, so we use the past continuous tense for both actions.

5. Sorry, I couldn't answer the phone. I was having a bath at the time.
- The action of having a bath was in progress when the phone rang, so we use the past continuous tense. The speaker couldn't answer the phone because they were busy in the bath.

6. What were you doing at 6 o'clock yesterday?
- This question is asking about an action that was happening at a specific time in the past, so we use the past continuous tense.

7. He had been training so hard for the last three months, and eventually he broke the record.
- The action of training was happening continuously before breaking the record, so we use the past continuous tense. The action of breaking the record happened in the past simple tense.

8. The detective asked, "What were you doing at the time of the robbery?"
- The detective is asking about the action the person was engaged in when the robbery happened, so we use the past continuous tense.

9. He was cooking when the lights went out.
- The action of cooking was happening when the lights suddenly went out, so we use the past continuous tense.

10. He was sleeping while Ann was drawing a picture.
- The action of sleeping and the action of drawing a picture were happening at the same time, so we use the past continuous tense for both actions.

11. She was washing the dishes when one of the plates fell down and broke to pieces.
- The action of washing the dishes was happening when the plate fell and broke, so we use the past continuous tense for washing dishes. The actions of falling and breaking are in the past simple tense.

12. Tom was in a hurry, so he ate quickly, packed his things, and left the room.
- The actions of eating, packing, and leaving happened one after the other in the past, so we use the past simple tense for each action.

13. When he heard that noise, he was watching the local news.
- The action of watching the local news was happening when he heard the noise, so we use the past continuous tense.

14. When I met him in the street, he was going to the cinema.
- The action of going to the cinema was in progress when the speaker met him, so we use the past continuous tense.