Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
Grammar » Grammar Test for B1 » Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
Part A – Multiple Choice
1 While I ______ TV, the lights went out.
(a) watched
(b) was watching
(c) had watched
2 By the time she arrived, the bus ______.
(a) left
(b) was leaving
(c) had left
3 He ______ his homework before he played video games.
(a) finished
(b) was finishing
(c) had finished
4 I ______ him yesterday at the station.
(a) saw
(b) was seeing
(c) had seen
5 They ______ dinner when the phone rang.
(a) had
(b) were having
(c) had had
6 We ______ in London for five years before we moved to Paris.
(a) lived
(b) were living
(c) had lived
7 What ______ you ______ at 9 p.m. last night?
(a) did / do
(b) were / doing
(c) had / done
8 After he ______ the letter, he sent it.
(a) wrote
(b) was writing
(c) had written
9 The children ______ football when it started to rain.
(a) played
(b) were playing
(c) had played
10 She ______ her keys, so she couldn’t open the door.
(a) lost
(b) was losing
(c) had lost
Part B – Gap-fill
11 When I ______ (enter) the room, my friends ______ (discuss) the trip.
12 She ______ (never/see) that movie before yesterday.
13 I ______ (do) my homework when my brother came in.
14 By the time the police arrived, the thief ______ (escape).
15 We ______ (wait) for the bus when it suddenly started to rain.
16 After he ______ (finish) lunch, he went back to work.
17 They ______ (not/go) to school last Monday because it was a holiday.
18 She ______ (read) a book at 10 p.m. yesterday.
19 He was tired because he ______ (study) all night.
20 I ______ (see) that man before, but I couldn’t remember where.
Part C – Error Correction
21 He didn’t went to class yesterday.
22 While we walked home, it began to rain.
23 She had wrote three letters before dinner.
24 The students was listening to music when the teacher arrived.
25 By the time I arrived, they already leave.
Part D – Dialogue Completion
26
A: Why were you late yesterday?
B: Because I ______ (miss) the bus.
27
A: What ______ (you/do) when the fire alarm rang?
B: I was having lunch.
28
A: Did you see Tom yesterday?
B: Yes, he ______ (talk) to Anna when I met him.
Part E – Short Reading Comprehension
Last weekend, Mark went hiking in the mountains. While he was climbing, the weather changed suddenly. It started to rain, and the wind was very strong. Luckily, Mark had brought a raincoat, so he continued walking. By the time he reached the top, the rain had stopped. He took some photos and then went back home, very tired but proud of himself.
29 What happened while Mark was climbing?
(a) He met his friends.
(b) The weather changed suddenly.
(c) He lost his bag.
30 Why was Mark proud at the end of the day?
Answer
1 (b) was watching – Ongoing action interrupted.
2 (c) had left – Bus left before she arrived.
3 (c) had finished – Completed before playing.
4 (a) saw – Past Simple for yesterday.
5 (b) were having – Ongoing action when phone rang.
6 (c) had lived – Action completed before moving.
7 (b) were / doing – Past Continuous at a specific time.
8 (c) had written – Writing completed before sending.
9 (b) were playing – Ongoing action interrupted.
10 (c) had lost – Earlier action caused later problem.
11 entered / were discussing – One completed, one ongoing.
12 had never seen – Past Perfect before yesterday.
13 was doing – Ongoing action when interrupted.
14 had escaped – Action completed before police arrived.
15 were waiting – Ongoing action when it rained.
16 had finished – Completed before going back.
17 didn’t go – Past Simple negative.
18 was reading – Ongoing action at a specific time.
19 had studied – Past Perfect explains tiredness.
20 had seen – Experience before that moment.
21 didn’t went → didn’t go. Bare infinitive after “did.”
22 walked → were walking. Continuous background action.
23 had wrote → had written. Correct participle.
24 was listening → were listening. Plural subject.
25 leave → had left. Past Perfect needed.
26 missed – Simple past for reason of lateness.
27 were you doing – Past Continuous question.
28 was talking – Ongoing action when met.
29 (b) The weather changed suddenly – Passage detail.
30 Because he reached the top and continued despite the rain – Shows achievement.