Exercise 9. Put the verbs into the Past Continuous, Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous

1. It was very noisy next door. Our neighbours were having __ (have) a party.

2. We were good friends. We __________________ (know) each other for years.

3. John and I went for a walk. I has difficulty keeping up with him because he_______________ (walk) so fast.

4. Sue was sitting on the ground. She was out of breath. She _________________ (run).

5. When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table with their mouths full. They _________________________ (eat).

6. When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table and talking. Their mouths were empty, but their stomachs were full. They ________________________ (eat).

7. Jim was on his hands and knees on the floor. He ______________________ (look) his contact lens.

8. When I arrived, Kate _______________________ (wait) for me. She was annoyed with me because I was late and she ______________________________ (wait) for a long time.

9. I was sad when I sold my car. I ____________________ (have) it for a very long time.

10. We were extremely tired at the end of the journey. We ________________________ (travel) for more than 24 hours.

Exercise 10. Use had or hadn't to complete the following:

1. When her daughter arrived home from a party, Mrs Thompson asked her if she ______________ (thank) her hostess. “No,” she said. “The girl in front of me thanked her and the lady said ‘Don't mention it’ so I didn't.”

2. “Here's your coffee, madam. It's a special coffee all the way from Brazil.” – “Oh, I was wondering where you ________________(go).”

3. A stressed managing director went to his doctor for help in getting to sleep. The workers at his factory ____________ (go) on strike. They wanted better pay and conditions. The director ____________ (try) sleeping pills but they ____________ (not work). The doctor asked the director to lie quite still in bed at night and to count sheep. The following day the director returned to the doctor's surgery. “Well,” said the doctor. “Any success?” – “I'm afraid not”, he said. “By the time I ____________ (count) the thirty-first sheep they ______________ (all go) on strike for shorter hours and lower fences.”

4. Kenneth is so stupid. He phoned his teacher at school yesterday to say he couldn't come to school because he _________________ (lose) his voice!

5. A doctor _____________ (just give) a boy an injection in his arm. He was about to put a bandage on his arm when the boy said, “Would you mind putting the bandage on my other arm, doctor?” – “Why? I'm putting it over your vaccination so that the other boys will know not to bang into it.” – “You don't know the boys in my school, doctor!”

6. “Mum! Mum! Dad's fallen over a cliff.” – “Is he okay?” – “I don't know. He __________________ (not stop) falling when I left.”

7. “A beggar stopped me the other day and said he ____________ (not have) a bite for days.”

“What did you do?” – “I bit him!”

8. It was my grandmother's birthday yesterday. “Is she old?” – “Well, by the time we lit the last candle on her birthday cake, the first one ___________ (go) out!”

9. Harry Smith was sent to Central Africa by his company. He sent a postcard to his wife as soon as he arrived. Unfortunately it was delivered to another Mrs. Smith whose husband _________________ (die) the day before. The postcard read: “ARRIVED SAFELY THIS MORNING. THE HEAT IS TERRIBLE.”