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English Test Test Simple Past – Past Perfect Simple

Test your knowledge on Simple Past and Past Perfect Simple. After submitting your answers, you will see how well you have done in the test.

Form

Write down the correct form (pronoun + verb).

  Simple Past Past Perfect
they / work
I / see
she / tidy
he / run
you / buy

Use

When do we use which tense?

  1. If we give past events in the order in which they occured, we use ...
  2. If from a certain time in the past we look back to what had happened before, we use ...

Choosing the correct form

Choose the correct tense (simple past or past perfect simple).

  1. When I at school, the lesson .
  2. I to New York last month. I to the USA before.
  3. Bob us into his room because he it for weeks.
  4. I very hungry because I anything yet.
  5. As Vanessa the film before, she to go to the cinema with us.

Filling in the correct form

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or past perfect simple).

  1. William (live) in Boston for six years before he (move) to New York.
  2. The blue car (cross) the street after the lights (turn) red.
  3. When James (try) to ring us, we (leave / already) the house.
  4. After Joanna (finish) her presentation, we (ask) our questions.
  5. On her first day at the driving school, we (be) very nervous because we (drive / not) a car before.

Text

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or pas perfect simple).

  1. It (be) a cold and rainy Sunday, so I (decide) to finish the essay that I (start) writing a few days before.
  2. I (switch) on the computer and (open) the document.
  3. Then I (begin) looking for my notes that I (handwrite) on a sheet of paper.
  4. But the notes (be) not on my desk and I (can / not) remember where I (put) them.
  5. I (turn) the whole house upside down.
  6. And where (find / I) my notes?
  7. I (leave) them in the sitting room, under a huge staple of papers and magazines.
  8. Now that I (find) my notes, I (want) to continue writing my essay.
  9. First I (know / not) what to write but then I (have) lots of ideas.
  10. I (complete / almost) my essay when my computer suddenly (crash) and I (notice) that I (forget) to save the document.
  11. After I (reboot) my computer, I (see) that at least 5 of the pages I (type) (be) missing.
  12. So I (have) to start all over again.