Fill in the blanks using the verbs in brackets in the past simple, past continuous, past perfect or past
perfect continuous.
1.-They……………………………….. (not be) to the zoo until their teacher……………………………….. (take) them
in one of their science lessons.
2.-While we ……………………………….. (look) at a shop window a car……………………………….. (crash) into a
street lamp. The police ………………………….. (arrive) immediately and an ambulance ………………..………..
(take) the driver to hospital.
3.-She ……………………………….. (say) she ……………………………….. (never/ ride) a bike before her parents
……………………………….. (buy) her one for her 14th birthday.
4.-Alan ……………………………….. (give) me back the book last Sunday and ……………………………….. (tell) me
he……………………………….. (enjoy) it very much.
5.-He ……………………………….. (look) for a job for over two months till my father…………………………..
(offer) him the post of accountant in his factory.
6.-We ……………………………….. (not contact) Sue although we ……………………………….. (phone) her the
whole morning. Later we ……………………………….. (find) out she ……………………………….. (go) to London with
her mum. She ……………………………….. (want) to buy some clothes as one of her friends …………………………
(invite) her to her birthday party.
7.-Mum ……………..……………(do) the housework since she ………..…..… (get) up early in the morning and
……………………………(not finish) by the time I …………………….. (arrive) home from university.
8.-Mary ……………………………….. (finish) the project she……………………………….. (have) to do for her
history class while she ………………………………….……….. (download) some mp3 files from the Internet.
9.-When I ………………………………….….. (get) off the plane it………………………..………….. (rain) and a man
………………………….. (comment) it…………………………….. (rain) since the beginning of the week. Fortunately,
the next day it………………………….. (stop) and the sun………………………….. (shine) till the day of my return.
10.-He……………………………..……….……..(study) very hard since the beginning of the last term at University
and……………………….. (manage) to pass all the exams with very good marks. His parents ………………….……..
(get) very happy. Two week after he……………………………….. (finish) his exams, they………………………………..
(give) a big party to celebrate it. They……………………………………..…….. (invite) all their relatives and friends.
11.-When Elisabeth………………………………….…………….. (switch) on the TV set, her favourite series
…………...............……………… (already/ start). When it………………………………………….….. (finish),
she………………………. (call) her friend Sue to ask how the episode…………………………….….
(begin) that day.
12.-Everybody………………………..…………(dance) and …………………..……………….. (drink)
when I……………………………….. (leave) the disco at midnight. As it………………………..………..
(not rain), I……………………………….. (decide) to walk back home. I…………………………..………..
(walk) about 200 metres, when a terrible storm……………………………………………..….. (begin). I
………………………….……….. (run) to the nearest café and………………………….………………..
(wait) there till the rain ………………………………..……………….. (stop).

1.hadnt been, took

2.were looking, crashed, had been arriving, took

3.said, had never ridden, bought

4.gave, told, enjoyed

5.was looking, offered

6.hadnt been contacting, phoned, found,went,had wanted,invited

7.had done, get, didn’t finished, arrived

8.finished, had had, was downloading

9.get, was raining, commented,was raining, had been stopping, was shining

10. Was studying, managed, get, had finished,gave,had invited

11.switched,had been already starting, had finished, called,began

12.were drinking, were dancing, left,didn’t rain, had been deciding., was walking, began, ran, was waiting, had stopped