Simple Past Or Past Continuous Tense Exercise

We use the past continuous to talk about an action or situation that was going on at a particular point of time in the past.

2. I . her many times but she didn't answer.

We use the simple past to talk about finished actions in the past.

3. 'What . then?' 'I was watching TV.'

4. He . money from the rich and gave it to the poor.

The simple past is used to talk about all types of finished actions in the past.

5. 'Did you meet James yesterday?' 'Yes, I . him.'

6. The train . at 6.30.

The simple past is used to talk about finished actions in the past.

7. The children . when their mother . home.

When we talk about two past events, the past continuous is used to refer to the longer background action.

8. I cooked dinner while Mike . the house.

The past simple can be used to talk about two actions that happened at the same time.

9. I . dinner when the lights went out.

The past continuous can be used to talk about a longer background action that was going on when another action took place.

10. It . me quite sometime to learn French.

11. As I . down the street, I saw a strange sight.

12. I . a car last month.

Answers

1. I was sleeping. I didn’t hear the door bell.
2. I phoned her many times but she didn’t answer.
3. ‘What were you doing then?’ ‘I was watching TV.’
4. He stole money from the rich and gave it to the poor.
5. ‘Did you meet James yesterday?’ ‘Yes, I met him.’
6. The train arrived at 6.30.
7. The children were sleeping when their mother got home.
8. I cooked dinner while Mike tidied the house.
9. I was having dinner when the lights went out.
10. It took me quite sometime to learn French.
11. As I was walking down the street, I saw a strange sight.
12. I bought a car last month.