Present simple vs Continuous
I ____ (work) at the bank on Mondays, but today I ____ (stay) at home.
work / am staying (Routine/permanent state vs. temporary action happening today)
While I ____ (cook) dinner, the phone ____ (ring)
was cooking / rang
Explanation: A longer background action in progress was interrupted by a short, sudden action.
When I was a child, I ____ (have) a very small dog.
used to have
Explanation: State verbs of possession (like have, be, live) can only use used to, never would.
I ____ (lose) my keys yesterday, so I couldn't get into the house.
lost
Explanation: The time is finished and explicitly specified (yesterday).
I ____ (live) in London for three years now, but before that, I ____ (live) in Paris.
have lived / lived (An ongoing state up to the present vs. a finished past state).
Look at her! She ____ (wear) a red dress today, even though she usually ____ (prefer) jeans.
is wearing / prefers
(Action happening right now/temporary vs. a general preference (stative verb).)
At 8 PM yesterday, we ____ (watch) a movie.
were watching
Explanation: An action that was already in progress at a specific, precise moment in the past.
Every summer, we ____ (go) to the beach and build sandcastles.
would go (or used to go)
Explanation: Both work here because go is an active, repeated habit in the past.
Oh no! I ____ (lose) my keys! Can you help me look for them?
have lost
Explanation: The action happened in an unspecified past, but it has a direct, important result in the present.
By the time he ____ (arrive) at the party last night, everyone ____ (already / leave).
arrived / had already left (Past Simple for the anchor event vs. Past Perfect for an action that happened before that event).
Why ____ (you / smell) the soup? Does it ____ (taste) bad?
are you smelling / taste
Explanation: "Smell" is an active, deliberate action here (continuous), while "taste" describes a regular state/property (simple).
She ____ (walk) into the room, ____ (turn on) the light, and ____ (sit) down.
walked / turned on / sat
Explanation: A sequence of consecutive, completed events in a past narrative.
I ____ (not / like) eating vegetables when I was younger.
didn't use to like
Explanation: Negative form of a past state (like). Remember to drop the "-d" from "used".
____ (you / ever / be) to Japan? — Yes, I ____ (go) there in 2018.
Have you ever been / went
Explanation: Asking about general life experience (unspecified time) vs. giving details about a specific, finished time (in 2018).
While I ____ (study) for my exam yesterday, I suddenly realized I ____ (forget) my textbook at school.
was studying / had forgotten (Past Continuous for an action in progress vs. Past Perfect for an earlier past action).
The train to London ____ (leave) at 9:00 AM tomorrow, but we ____ (meet) at the station at 8:30 AM.
leaves / are meeting
Explanation: Fixed timetables and schedules use the Present Simple, while personal future arrangements use the Present Continuous.
While my brother____ (prepare) lunch, I ____ (mow) the lawn.
was preparing / was mowing
Explanation: Two longer actions happening simultaneously in the past use the Past Continuous for both.
My grandparents ____ (live) in a small cottage before they moved to the big city.
used to live
Explanation: Live is a stative verb describing a long-term situation. Would cannot be used to describe past states, only past actions.
She ____ (write) three books so far, but last year she ____ (not publish) anything.
has written / didn't publish
Explanation: Present Perfect for an ongoing period up to now (so far), and Past Simple for a finished time period (last year).
I ____ (play) tennis since I was a child, but I ____ (not / have) time to play a single match last month.
have played (or have been playing) / didn't have (An ongoing habit from childhood to present vs. a specific completed past time frame).
You ____ (always / leave) your dirty dishes in the sink! It's so annoying!
are always leaving
Explanation: "Always" paired with the Present Continuous is used to express criticism or complain about an annoying, repetitive habit.
The sun ____ (shine) and the birds ____ (sing), when suddenly a loud scream ____ (echo) through the woods.
was shining / were singing / echoed
Explanation: Past Continuous sets the background scene/atmosphere of a story, while the Past Simple introduces the sudden main event.
She ____ (be) quite shy, but every Friday she ____ (sing) on stage at the local pub.
used to be / would sing (or used to sing)
Explanation: Be requires used to because it is a past state. Sing is a repeated past action, so it can take either would or used to.
Since we ____ (arrive) at the hotel, it ____ (not stop) raining.
arrived / hasn't stopped
Explanation: The specific starting point in the past uses the Past Simple (since we arrived), while the continuous result up to the present uses the Present Perfect.
If I ____ (know) you were coming to town yesterday, I ____ (bake) a cake.
had known / would have baked (Third conditional: Past Perfect for the hypothetical condition vs. conditional perfect for the past result).