A214 questions · Elementary · Tenses and Time
Past Simple and Past Continuous Exercises with Answers
What happened and what was happening: I walked home, I was walking home when it started to rain. Regular and irregular past forms included.
Lessons on this topic
- Ever and Never
Have you ever…? to ask about experience, I have never to say not once, short answers, and when the conversation switches to the past simple.
- For, During and While; By and Until
For says how long, during and while say when, by sets a deadline and until means all the time up to then. Examples, common mistakes and a quick check.
- Past Continuous
The was/were + -ing form, negatives and questions, actions in progress at a past moment, -ing spelling, and how it differs from the past simple.
- Past Perfect: Had + Past Participle
Use had + past participle for something that happened before another past moment: negatives, questions, by the time, and when the past simple is enough.
- Past Simple: Irregular Verbs
Irregular past simple verbs: no -ed, one form for every subject, common verbs first, sound groups that help you remember, and the usual mistakes.
- Past Simple: Regular Verbs
How regular verbs form the past simple with -ed, the four spelling rules, the three ways to pronounce -ed and the time phrases that go with it.
- Past Simple vs. Past Continuous
How to choose between the past simple and the past continuous: an action cut short, two actions at once, a sequence of events, and when vs. while.
- Present Perfect: Have / Has + Past Participle
How to form the present perfect with have / has + past participle, negatives and questions, when it replaces the past simple, and been vs. gone.
- Present Perfect vs Past Simple
Unfinished time takes the present perfect, finished time the past simple: today, this morning, It's the first time I've…, and news then details.
- Used To
Used to + base verb for past habits and states that have changed: didn't use to, Did you use to…?, any more, and when the past simple is the right choice.
- Was and Were
When to use was and when to use were, negatives with wasn't and weren't, questions, short answers and the time phrases that go with the past.
