CONTRAST & CHOICE
Choose the best option and explain why:
While I ___ my homework, my phone rang.
A) did
B) was doing
was doing – background action in progress
Find and correct the mistake:
I was knowing the answer, but I didn’t say anything.
I knew the answer… (state verb)
Rewrite using Past Perfect:
First we booked the tickets. Then we realised they were too expensive.
We realised the tickets were too expensive after we had booked them.
What is the difference in meaning?
I worked there for five years. vs I had worked there for five years.
General past vs past before another past
Fill in the gap:
She ___ (not understand) the film because she ___ (miss) the beginning.
didn’t understand / had missed
By the time we arrived, the concert ___.
had finished– earlier completed past action
Correct ALL errors:
When we had arrived, the teacher already started the exam.
When we arrived, the teacher had already started the exam.
Rewrite using used to:
When I was younger, I never liked vegetables.
I used to dislike vegetables.
Which sentence suggests annoyance?
A) She waited for him.
B) She had been waiting for him.
B) She had been waiting for him.
I recognised her immediately because we ___ before.
had met
Which sentence sounds more natural and why?
A) I lived in London for five years before I moved back.
B) I had lived in London for five years before I moved back.
B) I had lived in London for five years before I moved back.– sequence and emphasis on prior experience
Explain what is wrong:
I used to going out every weekend.
used to + base form (TO infinitive)
Rewrite using Past Continuous:
He studied when his parents came home.
He was studying when his parents came home.
Explain the difference:
I would walk to school vs I used to walk to school
Would = habit only; Used to = habit or state
Rewrite without changing meaning:
It was the first time I had spoken in public.
I had never spoken in public before.
Complete and justify:
She was angry because she ___ (wait) for over an hour.
had been waiting – focus on duration
One tense is unnecessary. Which one and why?
After he had finished his homework, he had gone out.
He had gone out. Past Perfect not needed twice
Rewrite using Past Perfect Continuous:
She was exhausted because she studied all night.
She was exhausted because she had been studying all night.
Why is Past Perfect used here?
It was the worst exam I had ever done.
Experience before a past moment
When the police arrived, the thief ___ (run) for ten minutes and ___ (already escape).
had been running / had already escaped
Choose the option that changes the meaning the MOST:
When I arrived, they ___ dinner.
A) ate
B) were eating
C) had eaten
Had eaten – dinner was already finished
Rewrite correctly and explain the change:
She didn’t realise they waited for her for hours.
She didn’t realise they had been waiting for her for hours.
Rewrite starting with Hardly…
They arrived and then the match started.
Hardly had they arrived when the match started.
Identify the tense and its function:
He looked tired; he’d been arguing with his parents.
Past Perfect Continuous – cause + duration
Write a short paragraph (2–3 sentences) using at least three different past tenses correctly.
Teacher corrects