English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. Fluent speakers of english know when and how to use past simple and past continuous to talk. Tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and. The pictures are story pictures with two actions happening at the same time. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in english.
We use the past perfect for the action which happened first to make the time order clear to the listener. This chapter introduces tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and perfect to students of class 5. The action a haircut happened before the other past action i noticed. This sheet may be photocopied and used within the class.
Multiple choice questions and complete the sentences exercise about past tenses. Genitive s vs of expressing possession gerunds and infinitives. We use the past progressive to say what was happening at a particular moment in the past, to set the scene and to emphasise duration of a past action. And used to is interesting because it is used to compare the past and present. We use the past progressive to talk about actions were in progress at special time in the past. Past continuous and past simple page 2 of 3 test english.
The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts. Past simple or past continuous exercise esl lounge student. Heres another exercise to practise the verb tenses. Teaching english to adults free printable pdf grammar worksheets, quizzes and games, from a to z, for eflesl teachers. English esl past simple vs continuous tense worksheets. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 answers. Home page grammar exercises intermediate past simple or used to gap fill exercise. Use the words in brackets to complete each of the following. In this exercise you will practise the past simple tense exercise instructions.
The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important. More past tenses including the past continuous and used to. I n te r m e d i a te g r a m m a r e x e r c i s e. Although they are both past tenses their uses are quite different. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using simple past.
In each sentence, fill the gaps with one past continuous verb and one past simple verb. English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets. Simple past or past progressive english tense comparison. Heres another interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. We often use the past continuous at the beginning of a story to describe the situation. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, simple past is preferred. Dec 04, 2017 fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb phrase.
Learn to use past simple and past continuous really. Test comprising exercises with present simlpe, present continuous. Past simple past continuous, used to answers a 1 rode 4 didnt clean 2 played 5 didnt travel 3 forgot 6 did drink b 1 was writing, were taking 2 werent studying, were making 3 were riding 4 were sitting 5 wasnt washing, was sleeping 6 was snowing c 1 was writing, delivered 2 left, were sitting 3 wasnt swimming. Jul 31, 2018 past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises 18 multiple choice questions with answers past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises. Please note that specific times and dates in the past can also be used. The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past. On winter days, we used to would sit around the fire and tell stories when i was a child, my sister used to would take me to the cinema every sunday. In this exercise you will practise the past simple and past continuous tenses. English grammar practice exercise, for preintermediate and intermediate level. The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. Future perfect simple and continuous progressive tense.
The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past a common mistake students make is to use the past continuous when the action was carried out over a long period of time. Past continuous we use the past continuous the set the scene in a story. Worksheet 2 past simple and past continuous 1 complete the sentences with the correct past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Also, the past simple doesnt make it so clear that the thing is no longer true.
Last night i was walking home and listening to my ipod when the sun was shinning and lots of tourists were lying on the beach. Nov 22, 2019 used to is used to express something that you did frequently in the past. The simple past tense is only used to say that something happened at some time in the past. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank. Simple past vs past continuous exercise grammarbank. Suddenly past simple vs past continuous we use the past simple for completed actions in the past, and we use the past continuous for actions in progress not finished in the past. English esl past simple vs continuous tense worksheets most.
We use did here because the statement is in the past tense. Both would and used to can be used to talk about repeated actions in the past. Past simple past continuous, used to was writing delivered used to wear was writing rode a complete the sentences with the past simple form of the verbs in brackets. Past continuous affirmative, negative and questions. Heres an interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. The past continuous is one of the tenses used to tell stories as it describes multiple actions and events happening at the same time in the past. Past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises 18 multiple choice questions with answers past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises. Two common signal words for the past continuous are, when and while. It is better not to use used to in questions or negative forms.
English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets most. Past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises english. Past simple and past continuous 1 complete the sentences with the correct past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Past simple or used to gap fill exercise esl lounge student. As i was walking in the streets of holland, i met an old friend of mine. This exercise focuses on the difference between the past simple and the past perfect. B complete the sentences with the past continuous form of the.
When the teacher came in, they were studying english. Before the exercise,there is a small tip about these thre. Past simple, past continuous exercise 1 was doing, i broke was playing, was doing he drank, he ate i was having, i suddenly heard. English grammar practice exercise, upperintermediate advanced level. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb phrase. Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous form of the verb. Helen do her weekly shopping when she meet her old friend, june. E x e r c i s e i ns t r u c t i o ns use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. Used to is used to express something that you did frequently in the past. Use 1 habit in the past used to expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. Students can use their imaginations to answer the questions while hopefully using the correct grammar.
The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. Past tense simple is used to describe actions that happened in the past. Simple past vs past continuous exercise 3 grammarbank. Simple past both simple past and used to can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations. Exercises simple past he went and past continuous he was going elementary exercise 1. Past simple vs past continuous language on schools. We use the simple past as the narrative form of the past to express completed, sequential actions. Click on the pdf download button to get the printable exercises. Students learn about the characteristics and needs of tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and perfect. Simple past and past continuous flashcards quizlet. The past progressive describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking in other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past uses of the past progressive.
Fill each gap with a verb in either the past simple or past continuous tense. Past simple or used to gap fill exercise esl lounge. Present simple, present continuous, or past simple. Past perfect and past perfect continuous exercises past perfect i had gone and past perfect continuous i had been going. Suddenly we use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past or longer actions interrupted by shorter actions in past simple. Past continuous and past simple grammar principiante a.
Complete the sentences below by putting the verb in brackets into the past perfect simple or past perfect continuous. The past simple refers to something you did once at a specific time in the past. Choose simple past or past continuous tense to complete the sentences. The simple past and the past progressive, also past continuous, are used to express actions in the past. Past simple and past continuous author last modified by. A common mistake students make is to use the past continuous when the action was carried out over a long period of time.
Use either used to or the past simple to complete each of the sentences. When we refer to a past state, we can only use used to i used to have would have a toyota celica mary used to bewould be a teacher but shes now retired. Past simple, past perfect and past continuous brickfield. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and past continuous exercises. Irregular verbs have a different form, usually with a different vowel sound e. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. B complete the sentences with the past continuous form of. The main difference is that the past simple doesnt emphasise the repeated or continuous nature of the action or situation. The simple past and the past continuous are two tenses commonly used to make general statements about the past. Home page grammar exercises preintermediate past simple or past continuous exercise. This is a question and answer worksheet to help students understand how to use the past continuous tense.
229 430 1347 1239 755 1095 305 1423 15 1620 299 1491 1030 165 1396 1583 1426 1459 275 721 1474 62 928 226 1137 1338 306 787 1140 413 825 123 1536 371 1003 8 518 1345 999 278 348 634 984 590 606 1330 977