Past Perfect Simple & Continuous Practice

Past Perfect Simple & Continuous Practice

by Enguroo

Welcome back to our Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous challenge! Are you ready to put your grammar skills to the test? Before you begin, make sure you’ve reviewed the theory behind these two tenses in the article here. Once you’re feeling confident, jump into the exercises below and see how well you’ve mastered them. If you get stuck or have any questions along the way, leave a comment below. We’re always happy to help!

Exercise 1. Click the link here and choose the best sentence, A or B, to illustrate each picture.

Exercise 2. Choose the most suitable verb form in italics.

  1. So I turned / had turned on my heels and walked out of the shop in disgust.
  2. Many voters were turned away from the voting stations although they had queued / queued for hours to cast their vote.
  3. The mechanics had been taking / had taken the engine apart several times before they were able to locate the source of the mysterious rattle.
  4. By 1280 Genghis Khan had conquered / had been conquering the whole of China.
  5. She was surprised to find the fridge empty; the children had eaten / had been eating everything!
  6. Our lead actor turned up and he was word perfect; apparently he was practicing / had been practicing his lines all day.
  7. The children wanted to invite their friends to the circus, but their father had booked / had been booking tickets for just the family.
  8. Debbie couldn’t understand why her computer crashed; it had been working / was working perfectly for as long as she could remember.
  9. My niece’s accident was rather a setback because she hoped / had hoped to pursue a career as a tennis player.
  10. Mrs. Lawson arrived at the emergency room in quite a state; she suffered / had been suffering from severe stomach pains for hours.
Answer Key 🔑
  1. turned
  2. had queued
  3. had taken
  4. had conquered
  5. had eaten
  6. had been practicing
  7. had booked
  8. had been working
  9. had hoped
  10. had been suffering

Exercise 3. Complete the text with the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple, Past Perfect, Past Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous form of the verbs.

Christopher Reeve

Known primarily as an actor, Reeve 1. ___ (have) many other talents and interests, including directing, which he 2. ___ (do) for several years at the time of his death in 2004. Born in September 1952, Reeve 3. ___ (be) heavily influenced throughout his life by his novelist and poet father, F. D. Reeve. As a child, he 4. ___ (begin) acting out stories with his younger brother, and by the age of eight, he 5. ___ (already / appear) in several school plays. He 6. ___ (study) music and English at Cornell University, and during his final year, he 7. ___ (be accepted) into the renowned Juilliard School.

He 8. ___ (perform) in both films and on stage for a few years when he 9. ___ (accept) the role for which he is best remembered: Superman, in 1978. Always active and an avid athlete, Reeve 10. ___ (perform) all of his own stunts. In terms of sports, his main interest 11. ___ (be) horseback riding, and he 12. ___ (compete) in events for several years when, in 1995, he 13. ___ (be thrown) from his horse and 14. ___ (break) his neck.

A man who 15. ___ (once / be) at the peak of his abilities 16. ___ (be) now paralyzed from the neck down. Perhaps because he 17. ___ (always / be) so active, he 18. ___ (be) determined to continue making the most of his life. Despite his severe injuries, he 19. ___ (continue) acting and 20. ___ (begin) directing.

In October 2004, Reeve 21. ___ (promote) a film he 22. ___ (recently . direct), The Brooke Ellison Story, when he 23. ___ (suffer) a sudden and unexpected heart attack and 24. ___ (fall) into a coma. He 25. ___ (die) the following day at the age of 52, leaving behind a wife and three children.

Answer Key 🔑
  1. had
  2. had been doing
  3. was
  4. began
  5. had already appeared
  6. studied
  7. was accepted
  8. had been performing
  9. accepted
  10. performed
  11. was
  12. had been competing
  13. was thrown
  14. broke
  15. had once been
  16. was
  17. had always been
  18. was
  19. continued
  20. began
  21. was promoting
  22. had recently directed
  23. suffered
  24. fell
  25. died

Going through the theory and completing the exercises is a great way to practice, and we hope you’ve found real value in taking the time to improve your grammar. However, there is only so much a blog can do. Wouldn’t it be even more effective to consolidate what you’ve learned with a tutor who could be not only your speaking partner but also someone who can point out possible mistakes, help you work on them, and guide you toward using these forms more accurately to convey your intended meaning?

Now, this is possible with the author of this blog – a professional English teacher with extensive experience working with students from all walks of life and from around the world. If you’re interested, contact Kate through this form. You can find more information about her here.

Feel free to ask any questions about private tutoring. We’re here to help.

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