English Grammar Exercises for A2 - Past simple and continuous

1. Choose the correct tense.

Last year, some friends and I 1 went / were going to Brazil for three weeks. While we 2 stayed / were staying in Rio de Janeiro, an unusual thing 3 happened / was happening. The sun 4 shone / was shining one morning, so we 5 decided / were deciding to go to the beach. Next to us on the beach, a group of boys 6 played / were playing football. One of them 7 came / was coming over to us and 8 suggested / was suggesting a football match: Brazil versus England. Maybe it was because one of my friends 9 wore / was wearing an England T-shirt. Anyway, we 10 agreed / were agreeing. In the end, we 11 lost / were losing the game, but we all 12 enjoyed / were enjoying our international football match against Brazil!

Answer

1 went 2 were staying 3 happened 4 was shining

5 decided 6 were playing 7 came 8 suggested

9 was wearing 10 agreed 11 lost 12 enjoyed

2. Find and circle seven more errors in this text and write the correct words.

In 1980, a 23-year-old athlete from New York called Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon. Her time were was very fast – just over two and a half hours – but almost immediately, the officials begin to think something was wrong. Nobody remembered seeing Rosie during the race and she not appear on videos of the runners while they was running. While the officials were investigating, two students were giving them important information. The students was watching the runners from the side of the road when Rosie suddenly appeared from the crowd. In fact, Rosie didn’t won the race. She only crossed the finish line first because she didn’t ran the course!

Answer

1 begin -> began

2 not appear -> didn’t appear

3 was running -> were running

4 were giving -> gave

5 was watching -> were watching

6 didn’t won -> didn’t win

7 didn’t ran -> didn’t run

3. Complete the sentences with the correct verb forms: one past simple and one past continuous.

1 My uncle …………………… (break) his nose when he …………………… (play) baseball.

2 The students …………………… (not hear) the instructions because they …………………… (not listen) to their teacher.

3 My mum …………………… (drop) her money when she …………………… (run) for the bus.

4 You …………………… (not wear) glasses when I …………………… (meet) you at the party.

5 It …………………… (rain) when I …………………… (leave) the house this morning.

6 My little brother …………………… (eat) three biscuits while our mum …………………… (not look).

Answer

1 broke, was playing

2 didn’t hear, weren’t listening

3 dropped, was running

4 weren’t wearing, met

5 was raining, left

6 ate, wasn’t looking

Challenge!

Look at the picture and match the nouns and verbs in the box. Then write a description of the picture using the past continuous.

a boy

the sun

two cats

a man

a girl

two women

shine

chat on the phone

cycle

have a coffee

fight

read a magazine

At eleven o’clock yesterday morning, the sun was shining.

A boy ……………………………………

……………………………………………..

Answer

At eleven o’clock yesterday morning, the sun was shining. A boy was cycling and a girl was chatting on the phone. Two women were having a coffee and a man was reading a magazine. Two cats were fighting.