Simple Past & Past Progressive

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| By Mireya17

Mireya17

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Quizzes Created: 1 | Total Attempts: 895

Questions: 5 | Attempts: 895 | Updated: Mar 21, 2023

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This quiz focuses on differentiating between the simple past and past progressive tenses in English. It assesses the ability to correctly form and use these tenses in context, enhancing understanding of English grammar dynamics.

Questions and Answers

1.

1. I _____________________(sit) in a cafe when you __________________ (call).

Explanation
The correct answer is "was sitting, called". This is because the first part of the sentence is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past. The verb "sit" is conjugated as "was sitting" to match the past continuous tense. The second part of the sentence is in the past simple tense, indicating a completed action in the past. The verb "call" is conjugated as "called" to match the past simple tense.

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2
2.

2. When you __________________(arrive) at the party, who ____________(be) there?

Explanation
The given correct answer "arrived, was" suggests that the question is asking about the specific point in time when the person arrived at the party. The verb "arrived" indicates the action of reaching the party, while the verb "was" indicates the state of the people who were already present at that time.

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1
3.

3. Susie _________________(watch) a film when she _____________(hear) the noise.

Explanation
The given sentence is in the past continuous tense. It indicates that an action was ongoing in the past. "Susie was watching a film" shows the ongoing action, and "when she heard the noise" indicates that another action happened suddenly. Therefore, the correct answer is "was watching" for the ongoing action and "heard" for the sudden action.

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4
4.

4. Yesterday I ________________(go) to the library, next I ____________(have) a swim, later I _______________(meet) Julie for coffee.

Explanation
The given sentence is describing a sequence of events that happened in the past. The first event is going to the library, which is expressed using the past tense verb "went". The second event is having a swim, which is also in the past tense and is expressed using the verb "had". The last event is meeting Julie for coffee, which again is in the past tense and is expressed using the verb "met".

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1
5.

5. We _____________(play) tennis when John ______________(hurt) his ankle.

Explanation
This question is asking for the correct verb forms to fill in the blanks in the sentence. The correct answer is "were playing" and "hurt". This is because the sentence is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past. "Were playing" is the correct past continuous form of the verb "play", and "hurt" is the correct past simple form of the verb "hurt". This shows that the action of playing tennis was happening when John injured his ankle.

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2