Past simple and past continuous – English Grammar Test for A2
Grammar » Grammar Test for A2 » Past simple and past continuous - English Grammar Test for A2
Gap-fill
1 She ______ (read) a book when I called her.
2 They ______ (play) football yesterday afternoon.
3 While I ______ (cook), the phone rang.
4 He ______ (not/finish) his homework before dinner.
5 At 8 p.m. yesterday, we ______ (watch) TV.
6 I ______ (lose) my keys while I ______ (walk) home.
7 She ______ (fall) asleep during the lesson.
8 We ______ (stay) in Paris for two weeks last year.
9 He ______ (repair) his bike when I saw him.
10 The children ______ (sing) when the teacher came in.
Sentence Transformation
11 He repaired the car. (Change into Past Continuous)
12 She was cooking when I arrived. (Rewrite using “while” + Past Simple)
13 We studied English last night. (Change into Past Continuous)
14 I was writing a letter when the phone rang. (Rewrite using “when” + Past Continuous)
15 They played chess yesterday. (Change into Past Continuous)
16 She was opening the window when the cat jumped in. (Rewrite using “while” + Past Simple)
17 I watched TV yesterday evening. (Change into Past Continuous)
18 He was reading when I entered. (Rewrite using Past Simple + while)
19 We had dinner at 7 o’clock. (Change into Past Continuous)
20 They were singing when the teacher came in. (Rewrite using Past Simple + while)
Reading Comprehension
Last night, David stayed at home because it was raining. While he was watching TV, the electricity suddenly went off. David lit a candle and started to read a book. While he was reading, he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw his friend Peter. Peter was wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. He said he was walking home when the heavy rain began. The two friends sat down and talked for an hour. Finally, the lights came back, and they laughed about the adventure.
21 Why did David stay at home?
(a) Because it was raining
(b) Because he was tired
(c) Because he was sick
22 What was David doing when the electricity went off?
(a) Reading
(b) Watching TV
(c) Sleeping
23 What did David do after the lights went off?
(a) Went to bed
(b) Lit a candle and read a book
(c) Called his friend
24 Who knocked on the door?
(a) His neighbor
(b) His friend Peter
(c) His brother
25 What was Peter wearing?
(a) A hat
(b) A raincoat
(c) A jacket
26 What was Peter carrying?
(a) A bag
(b) An umbrella
(c) A book
27 What happened to Peter while he was walking home?
(a) He met David
(b) It started to rain heavily
(c) He lost his umbrella
28 How long did they talk?
(a) One hour
(b) Two hours
(c) Half an hour
29 What happened at the end of the story?
(a) The lights came back
(b) They went outside
(c) They went to sleep
30 How did they feel in the end?
(a) Angry
(b) Worried
(c) Happy and laughing
Answer
Gap-fill
1 was reading – Ongoing action interrupted by a call.
2 played – Completed past action yesterday.
3 was cooking – Background action interrupted.
4 didn’t finish – Negative Past Simple.
5 were watching – Ongoing action at specific past time.
6 lost / was walking – Sudden completed action + background.
7 fell – Sudden completed event.
8 stayed – Completed past event.
9 was repairing – Background action when another happened.
10 were singing – Continuous action interrupted.
Sentence Transformation
11 He was repairing the car. – Past Continuous form.
12 I arrived while she was cooking. – Past Simple + Past Continuous.
13 We were studying English last night. – Ongoing past action.
14 The phone rang when I was writing a letter. – Inverted structure.
15 They were playing chess yesterday. – Continuous form.
16 The cat jumped in while she was opening the window. – Action + background.
17 I was watching TV yesterday evening. – Continuous form.
18 I entered while he was reading. – Past Simple + Continuous.
19 We were having dinner at 7 o’clock. – Ongoing action at specific time.
20 The teacher came in while they were singing. – Past Simple + Continuous.
Reading Comprehension
21 (a) Because it was raining – Correct detail.
22 (b) Watching TV – Action in progress.
23 (b) Lit a candle and read a book – Sequence of actions.
24 (b) His friend Peter – Visitor identified.
25 (b) A raincoat – Description detail.
26 (b) An umbrella – He was carrying this.
27 (b) It started to rain heavily – Reason for his visit.
28 (a) One hour – Exact detail.
29 (a) The lights came back – Ending event.
30 (c) Happy and laughing – Emotion at the end.