Past tenses practice

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Past tenses recap

Past simple, past continuous and present perfect

What tense is the following sentence:
Where is Bob? I have just seen him.

Present Perfect

Use the present perfect when describing things that just happened, actions which start in the past but have not yet ended, or when you can still see the result of a past action.

And this: My brother came in the door (while I was brushing my teeth).

Past Simple

Use the past simple when describing (short) actions which start and end in the past.

And this: The birds were singing, the sun was shining.

Past Continuous

Use the past continuous when describing the background of a story or (longer) actions which start and end in the past

_____she ever _____in a foreign country? (live)

While we _____ TV, the lights _____out. (watch / go)

My mother _____in the living room when someone _____into our garage. (sit / break)

He _____ at the airport. (already arrive)

Someone _____poison into the glass while we _____ in the kitchen. (put / talk)

I _____ to the radio when the fire _____. (listen / break out)

_____you _____tennis last weekend? (play)

I _____the window because it _____to rain. (close / start)

First she _____the lawn and then she _____shopping. (cut / go)

He _____ to school for a week. (not be)

She _____ while I _____ in the sun. (surf / lie)

In the middle of the night the phone _____. (ring)

I _____ her since her birthday. (not meet)

They _____back yesterday at nine in the evening. (come)

I _____the housework when you _____at work. (do / be)