Name That Tense
Identify the tense: “The phone rang at 8 p.m.”
Past simple
Which past tense describes completed events in the past?
Past simple
Sue (cried / was crying) because she had cut onions.
was crying
On New Year's Eve, we ______ to a party. (go)
went
Complete: We missed our flight because we ______ for the traffic. (not / plan)
hadn't planned
Identify the tense: “I was eating dinner at 7 p.m.”
Past continuous
Which tense describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past?
Past continuous
I broke my leg while I (was skiing / had been skiing) last year.
was skiing
I ______ my homework when you called. (do)
was doing
Complete: I opened the door and ______ outside. (go)
went
Identify the tense: “She had eaten before she left.”
Past perfect
Which tense describes an event that happened before another past event?
Past perfect
I (ironed / was ironing) my uniform when you called.
was ironing
By the time we arrived, the film ______ already ______. (start)
had already started
Complete: I didn't see him because he ______ under the chair. (hide)
was hiding
Identify the tense: “He had been studying for three hours when I arrived.”
Past perfect continuous
Complete the structure: subject + had + ______ + main verb.
Past participle (v3)
We (were / were being) hungry because we had missed lunch.
were
I went to the doctor because I ______ well for a few weeks. (not / feel)
hadn't been feeling
Complete: I didn't see him because he ______ under the chair. (hide)
had been working
Which tense describes an action that was in progress before another past event?
Past perfect continuous
Complete the structure: subject + had + been + ______.
Verb ending in -ing
Joe (worked out/ had been working out) a lot before the race, so he was very fit.
had been working out
Alice's face was burnt because she ______ all afternoon. (sunbathe)
had been sunbathing
Complete both verbs: The phone rang while we ______ dinner. (have) We ______ to bed early because we were tired. (go)
were having; went