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By the time the police arrived, the ghost (disappeared / had disappeared)
had disappeared
Is it correct? Yesterday I have carved three pumpkins.
carved (finished time, so past simple)
The old house ___ (stand) empty since the fire.
has stood / has been standing
What is the difference? “When we arrived, the party started.” vs “When we arrived, the party had started.”
In the first, the party began after we arrived. In the second, it was already going when we arrived.
When I (opened / had opened) the door, the candle flickered and went out.
opened (the events happened one after another)
Is it correct? When I had got home, I locked all the doors.
When I got home, I locked... (two consecutive actions)
Which is correct, and why: “I’ve seen him last night” or “I saw him last night”?
I saw (a finished time expression needs past simple)
She (didn’t know / hadn’t known) the house was haunted until the lights began to flicker.
hadn’t known (a state that ended before the main event, with “until”).
Choose the correct option: Hardly (had the clock struck / did the clock strike) midnight when the lights went out.
had the clock struck
Is it correct? The witch lived in that cottage since 1990.
has lived / has been living
What is the difference between “I’ve lost my keys” and “I lost my keys”?
The first means they are still lost (the result matters now). The second only reports a past event, and they may have been found since.
This is the first time I ___ (feel) so scared.
have felt
Rewrite with one verb phrase: “It started raining at 6 p.m., and it’s still raining.”
It has been raining since 6 p.m.
Is it correct? I know my neighbour for ten years, and he never once smiled.
I’ve known my neighbour for ten years, and he has never once smiled.
Her eyes were red because she ___ (cry) all night.
had been crying
Say one sentence about a Halloween party that uses past simple, past perfect, and present perfect.
Model: “I’ve never trusted pumpkin pie since the night I tasted my aunt’s, because she had used salt instead of sugar.”
Is it correct? “Nobody lived in the house since the owner died, and the rumours are spreading for years.”
Nobody has lived in the house since the owner died, and the rumours have been spreading for years.
The graveyard ___ (not / touch) for over a century, but last night someone ___ (dig) up a coffin.
hasn’t been touched; dug up (present perfect passive for the period up to now, then past simple for the finished event)
Rewrite using the present perfect: “The last time I slept properly was before I moved into this house.”
I haven’t slept properly since I moved into this house.
Complete both gaps and explain the difference: I ___ (clean) the attic all morning, so I ___ (not / finish) yet.
have been cleaning; haven’t finished (continuous for the activity and its duration, simple for the completed result, and “not finished” means no completion)