Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
Grammar » Grammar Test for B1 » Past Tense – English Grammar Test for B1
2 While we ______ (eat) lunch in the canteen, the fire alarm rang.
3 By the time the bus ______ (arrive), we already ______ (wait) for 20 minutes.
4 When I ______ (enter) the classroom, the students ______ (talk) loudly.
5 After she ______ (finish) her work, she went shopping.
6 While my dad ______ (drive) to work, he saw a car accident.
7 I ______ (lose) my umbrella yesterday, so I got wet in the rain.
8 By the time I called her, she already ______ (go) to bed.
9 While they ______ (play) football, it suddenly started to rain.
10 I ______ (see) Anna in the library yesterday afternoon.
11 When I came home, my brother ______ (watch) TV.
12 We were late because we ______ (miss) the train.
13 By the time the film started, we already ______ (find) our seats.
14 While I ______ (walk) to school, I met my old friend.
15 He was tired because he ______ (study) all night.
16 I ______ (buy) some bread on my way home yesterday.
17 By the time we arrived at the station, the train already ______ (leave).
18 While the teacher ______ (explain) the lesson, some students were talking.
19 We ______ (not/know) the answer, so we stayed quiet.
20 She couldn’t play basketball because she ______ (break) her arm.
21 At 9 p.m. yesterday, I ______ (chat) with my best friend online.
22 After we ______ (eat) dinner, we went for a walk.
23 While I ______ (wait) for the bus, it suddenly began to snow.
24 He was very happy because he finally ______ (get) his driver’s license.
25 I ______ (not/go) to school last Monday because I was sick.
26 By the time the teacher arrived, the students already ______ (start) the test.
27 While we ______ (clean) the house, our neighbors came to visit us.
28 She didn’t answer the phone because she ______ (take) a shower.
29 I ______ (see) that film twice before I talked about it with my friends.
30 When the storm ______ (begin), the children were sleeping.
Answer
1 forgot – Past Simple, event yesterday.
2 were eating – Ongoing action interrupted by alarm.
3 arrived / had already waited – Waiting completed before bus arrived.
4 entered / were talking – Simple past action + ongoing background action.
5 had finished – Completed action before shopping.
6 was driving – Ongoing action when he saw the accident.
7 lost – Simple past event.
8 had gone – Action completed before the call.
9 were playing – Continuous action interrupted.
10 saw – Past Simple for single event.
11 was watching – Ongoing action when I came home.
12 had missed – Missing happened before we were late.
13 had found – Seats found before film started.
14 was walking – Continuous action when I met friend.
15 had studied – Studying happened before tiredness.
16 bought – Simple past shopping event.
17 had left – Train gone before we arrived.
18 was explaining – Ongoing action, background event.
19 didn’t know – Simple past for fact at that moment.
20 had broken – Injury happened before basketball.
21 was chatting – Ongoing action at a specific past time.
22 had eaten – Dinner before walk.
23 was waiting – Ongoing action when snow started.
24 got – Simple past event causing happiness.
25 didn’t go – Negative Past Simple.
26 had started – Test already started before teacher arrived.
27 were cleaning – Ongoing activity interrupted by visit.
28 was taking – Ongoing action explains why she didn’t answer.
29 had seen – Past Perfect for earlier experience.
30 began – Simple past event; children were sleeping as background.
