Test 6: Past Tenses

English Grammar Tests » Test 6: Past Tenses

Test 6: Past Tenses

- Past Tenses

She never ___ to eat soup.
- A) didn’t like
- B) like
- C) had liked
- D) would not like
- E) liked
“I’ll drink tea from this tin mug.”
“Where ___ you ___ it?”
- A) did/find
- B) do/find
- C) did/found
- D) were/found
- E) are/found
It was dark and cold. At one moment he thought that he ___ his way.
- A) lost
- B) will lose
- C) had lost
- D) was lost
- E) loses
I didn’t know anyone in the city where I ___ to get.
- A) did try
- B) was trying
- C) would try
- D) have tried
- E) shall try
- Why ___ you go to the plant?
- I ___ no time.
- A) do/had
- B) will/have
- C) did/hadn’t
- D) didn’t/hadn’t
- E) didn’t/had
A policeman ___ me crossing the street yesterday.
- A) seen
- B) saw
- C) has seen
- D) will see
- E) had seen
Arthur ___ all his exams by 5 o’clock yesterday.
- A) passed
- B) passes
- C) has passed
- D) has been passed
- E) had passed
He evidently ___ his shoes for a very long time. They were worn-out.
- A) were wearing
- B) are wearing
- C) had been wearing
- D) was wearing
- E) had been worn
So, the invisible man ___ into the shop and ___ down.
- A) comes/walked
- B) didn’t come/walk
- C) came/walked
- D) will come/walked
- E) comes/would walk
- We were at the theatre 2 days ago. The performance was excellent.
- Who ___ the leading part?
- A) did play
- B) play
- C) played
- D) would play
- E) has played
One day the boys found a man in the forest. He ___
- A) will die
- B) had been dying
- C) had died
- D) was dying
- E) die
His father ___ a doctor and he ___ to make his son a doctor, too.
- A) was/wants
- B) were/wanted
- C) will be/would want
- D) was/wanted
- E) were/wanted
During his school years Cronin ___ great interest in literature.
- A) take
- B) took
- C) has taken
- D) had taken
- E) would take
He ___ the box yesterday, because he had to do it.
- A) would open
- B) had opening
- C) have opened
- D) opens
- E) opened
While the gentlemen ___ the recent events, the ladies ___ about the weather.
- A) discuss/talk
- B) are discussing/was talking
- C) being discussed/being talked
- D) were discussing/were talking
- E) have discussed/have talked
She ___ you a letter three weeks ago.
- A) had sent
- B) has sent
- C) sent
- D) send
- E) was sending
When he ___ home I ___ him the book.
- A) came /shall show
- B) comes/showed
- C) has come/has shown
- D) came/showed
- E) was coming/shall show
They ___ breakfast at 7 and ___ home at eight.
- A) have/left
- B) had/left
- C) had/leave
- D) have/leaves
- E) had/had left
Long ago people ___ little about those minerals.
- A) had known
- B) knowed
- C) will know
- D) knew
- E) have known
The dentist ___ two of his teeth. One of them ___ quite good.
- A) pulls out/are
- B) pull out/was
- C) pulled out/was
- D) pull out/was
- E) pulled out/were
I couldn’t imagine what ___ to her.
- A) had happened
- B) has been happened
- C) will happen
- D) has been happening
- E) happens
He felt that he ___ it wrong.
- A) has made
- B) made
- C) will make
- D) was made
- E) had made
I ___ my homework when my mother came.
- A) already did
- B) have already done
- C) had already done
- D) has already done
- E) already do
Turning I found my father sitting beside me on the sofa. I said “How ___ you ___ here?”
- A) do/get
- B) did/get
- C) does/get
- D) was/getting
- E) has/been getting
Last summer we ___ a trip to Houston.
- A) made
- B) has made
- C) are making
- D) shall make
- E) will be making
He ___ barely ___ of him until that evening.
- A) had/heard
- B) has/heard
- C) was/heard
- D) did/hear
- E) didn’t/hear
She ___ in Tashkent five years ago.
- A) had lived
- B) lived
- C) has lived
- D) live
- E) have lived
We ___ English, so I know it a little.
- A) were learning
- B) learned
- C) learns
- D) should learn
- E) were learning
Yesterday at this time it ___ .
- A) had snowed
- B) snows
- C) snowed
- D) was snowing
- E) had been snowing
We ___ he ___ ill.
- A) did not know/was
- B) knew/am ill
- C) knew/will be
- D) had known/is
- E) were known/be
The plane ___ at 4 and it ___ us 20 minutes to get there.
- A) was landing/was taking
- B) was landing/took
- C) landed/took
- D) lands/was taken
- E) has landed/is taking
We ___ the station by 5 o’clock yesterday.
- A) shall reach
- B) were reaching
- C) had reached
- D) reached
- E) would reach
The Browns ___ out of town last Sunday and ___ a good time there.
- A) were going/had
- B) went/are having
- C) went/had
- D) are going/were having
- E) goes/has
Before answering the telephone he ___ down the table.
- A) laid
- B) was lying
- C) had laid
- D) lay
- E) has laid
Who ___ at the meeting yesterday?
- A) speak
- B) speaks
- C) spoke
- D) had spoken
- E) will speak
He met me with the bird in his hand. It ___ curiously at me.
- A) looks
- B) was looking
- C) has been looking
- D) would look
- E) should look
Nick ___ yesterday.
- A) will not come
- B) hadn’t come
- C) didn’t come
- D) hasn’t come
- E) came not
I knew that he ___ the same paper each morning.
- A) was bought
- B) buys
- C) is buying
- D) bought
- E) had bought
He asked the children who ___ the book.
- A) tore
- B) tear
- C) tears
- D) had torn
- E) will tear
Who ___ on a hike yesterday?
- A) did go
- B) will go
- C) has gone
- D) went
- E) had went
I ___ to do it but I ___ no time. I was very busy.
- A) wanted/has
- B) want/had have
- C) wanted/had
- D) would want/have
- E) have wanted/shall have
- What a luck. I haven’t seen you for ages.
- When ___ we ___ last time?
- A) did / meet
- B) have / met
- C) had / met
- D) did / met
- E) will / meet
In the summer of 1868, Melville Bell ___ on a lecture tour in the USA and Canada.
- A) goes
- B) had gone
- C) went
- D) have gone
- E) has gone
He ___ his work before you came.
- A) finished
- B) finishes
- C) has finished
- D) had finished
- E) finish
Why ___ he go to Great Britain last month?
- A) did
- B) was
- C) will
- D) had
- E) has
Did you ___ or ___ the potatoes?
- A) mince/peeled
- B) minced/peeled
- C) minced/peeling
- D) peels/minced
- E) mince/peel
When she ___ they ___ and he left the house.
- A) had come/quarreled
- B) came/quarreled
- C) has come/quarreled
- D) comes/would quarrel
- E) came/had quarreled
- Who had left the room by the time I came yesterday?
- A) Tom did
- B) Tom does
- C) Tom had
- D) Tom has
- E) Tom was
Neither your parents nor I ___ very glad of the fact that you failed your Math exam.
- A) has been
- B) have been
- C) were
- D) was
- E) are
What ___ you ___ at 5 p.m. yesterday?
- A) did/do
- B) have/been doing
- C) would/do
- D) were/doing
- E) will/do
Who ___ to see me last week?
- A) comes
- B) will come
- C) came
- D) has come
- E) have come
They didn’t believe him and ___ to laugh.
- A) begin
- B) begins
- C) began
- D) had begun
- E) have begun
Children didn’t ___ to school because it ___ Sunday.
- A) went/was
- B) go/were
- C) have gone/was
- D) gone/was
- E) go/was
The train ___ at 8.30 p.m. today, but as a rule it ___ at 8.00 p.m. sharp.
- A) has left / starts
- B) left / started
- C) left / has started
- D) has left / has started
- E) have left / starts
The moon ___ and it ___ surprisingly light at night yesterday.
- A) is rising / is
- B) rose / was
- C) had risen / was
- D) was rising / were
- E) rose / had been
Who ___ him yesterday?
- A) has seen
- B) did see
- C) saw
- D) have seen
- E) sees
He ___ nobody about his secret that day.
- A) don’t tell
- B) tell
- C) didn’t tell
- D) told
- E) doesn’t tell

Answer Key

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