Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
Grammar » Grammar Test for B1 » Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
2 While I ______ (walk) to school, it suddenly ______ (start) to rain.
3 They already ______ (leave) when we ______ (get) to the party.
4 He ______ (read) a book when the lights ______ (go) out.
5 After she ______ (finish) her homework, she ______ (watch) TV.
6 I ______ (see) him yesterday, but he ______ (not/see) me.
7 The children ______ (play) in the yard while their mother ______ (cook).
8 We ______ (not/believe) the news because we never ______ (hear) it before.
9 At 8 p.m. last night, my family ______ (eat) dinner together.
10 By the time the teacher ______ (come) in, the students already ______ (start) the test.
11 She ______ (forget) her umbrella, so she ______ (get) wet.
12 While they ______ (watch) the match, the lights suddenly ______ (go) off.
13 I ______ (study) for three hours before I finally ______ (take) a break.
14 He ______ (not/finish) the project when the boss ______ (ask) about it.
15 We ______ (travel) around Europe last summer.
16 When I ______ (arrive), she ______ (talk) to her colleague.
17 They ______ (never/visit) London before they ______ (move) there.
18 While I ______ (try) to fix the car, my brother ______ (call) a mechanic.
19 She ______ (hurt) her ankle because she ______ (fall) off the bike.
20 At this time yesterday, we ______ (sit) in the café near the station.
21 He already ______ (sell) his car when I ______ (offer) to buy it.
22 The children ______ (sleep) when the storm ______ (begin).
23 I ______ (be) nervous because I never ______ (speak) in public before.
24 She ______ (take) notes while the teacher ______ (explain) the lesson.
25 After we ______ (eat) dinner, we ______ (decide) to go for a walk.
26 He ______ (not/know) what to say because he never ______ (face) such a problem.
27 I ______ (walk) home when I suddenly ______ (remember) my keys were in the office.
28 They already ______ (close) the shop when we ______ (arrive).
29 While the kids ______ (play) outside, it suddenly ______ (snow).
30 She ______ (cry) because she ______ (lose) her wallet.
Answer
1 arrived / had missed – She missed the bus first → Past Perfect.
2 was walking / started – Ongoing action interrupted by sudden event.
3 had left / got – Leaving happened before we arrived.
4 was reading / went – Past Continuous + Past Simple interruption.
5 had finished / watched – Finished homework before watching TV.
6 saw / didn’t see – Past Simple for events yesterday.
7 were playing / was cooking – Two simultaneous actions.
8 didn’t believe / had heard – Past Perfect for experience before disbelief.
9 were eating – Ongoing action at a specific past time.
10 came / had started – Students started before teacher arrived.
11 had forgotten / got – Forgetting happened first.
12 were watching / went – Ongoing action interrupted.
13 had studied / took – Long action completed before break.
14 hadn’t finished / asked – Unfinished project when asked.
15 travelled – Past Simple for last summer.
16 arrived / was talking – Continuous action in progress.
17 had never visited / moved – Past Perfect for earlier experience.
18 was trying / called – Ongoing + simple past action.
19 hurt / had fallen – Fall caused the injury.
20 were sitting – Ongoing action at a past moment.
21 had sold / offered – Selling happened before the offer.
22 were sleeping / began – Ongoing action interrupted.
23 was / had never spoken – Past Perfect for life experience.
24 was taking / was explaining – Two parallel ongoing actions.
25 had eaten / decided – Dinner before decision.
26 didn’t know / had faced – Past Perfect for earlier life event.
27 was walking / remembered – Walking interrupted by sudden memory.
28 had closed / arrived – Shop closed before our arrival.
29 were playing / snowed – Ongoing action interrupted.
30 was crying / had lost – Loss caused the crying.