Past Perfect Exercises PDFSet 8: Past Simple, Past Continuous & Past Perfect
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.While I ___ (walk) home, I realised I ___ (forget) my phone at work.
a) walked ... had forgottenb) was walking ... forgotc) walked ... forgotd) was walking ... had forgotten
2.She ___ (read) the book that her friend ___ (recommend) to her the previous month.
a) read ... had recommendedb) was reading ... recommendedc) read ... recommendedd) was reading ... had recommended
3.When the police ___ (arrive), the thief ___ (escape) and the victim ___ (lie) on the ground.
a) arrived ... had escaped ... was lyingb) arrived ... escaped ... layc) arrived ... was escaping ... layd) were arriving ... had escaped ... was lying
4.I ___ (watch) TV when I ___ (remember) that I ___ (not/call) my mother.
a) was watching ... remembered ... hadn't calledb) watched ... remembered ... didn't callc) watched ... was remembering ... hadn't calledd) was watching ... had remembered ... didn't call
5.They ___ (dance) at the party when suddenly the lights ___ (go) out.
a) were dancing ... were goingb) danced ... were goingc) were dancing ... wentd) danced ... went
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.was walking ... had forgotten
2.was reading ... had recommended
3.arrived ... had escaped ... was lying
4.was watching ... remembered ... hadn't called
5.were dancing ... went
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."was walking ... had forgotten"(d)
Past Continuous 'was walking' sets the scene. Past Perfect 'had forgotten' shows the phone was forgotten earlier (before realising).
2."was reading ... had recommended"(d)
Past Continuous 'was reading' describes an ongoing action. 'The previous month' anchors the recommendation firmly in an earlier time, requiring Past Perfect 'had recommended'.
3."arrived ... had escaped ... was lying"(a)
Past Simple for police arrival. Past Perfect for earlier escape. Past Continuous for the scene they found.
4."was watching ... remembered ... hadn't called"(a)
Past Continuous for background. Past Simple for the moment of remembering. Past Perfect for the earlier non-action.
5."were dancing ... went"(c)
Past Continuous for ongoing action interrupted by Past Simple (sudden event). No Past Perfect needed here.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
Prefer practicing online?
Try our interactive exercises with instant feedback.