Past Continuous Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A2
Choose the best answer (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence. All questions belong to an online restaurant review describing the vibrant atmosphere of “The Golden Spoon.”
1 When we arrived at the restaurant, the live band ______ soft jazz.
(a) played
(b) was playing
(c) was play
2 The busy waiters ______ carrying large trays of delicious food.
(a) are
(b) was
(c) were
3 I noticed that it ______ heavily outside the window, but inside it was warm and cozy.
(a) was raining
(b) raining
(c) rained
4 The friendly manager ______ greeting guests at the front door with a big smile.
(a) was
(b) is
(c) were
5 Happy customers ______ laughing and chatting loudly at their tables.
(a) was
(b) did
(c) were
6 We ______ for a quiet dinner, but the place was incredibly noisy and full of life!
(a) hoped
(b) was hoping
(c) were hoping
7 I looked at the open kitchen, where a talented chef ______ a huge steak.
(a) was cooking
(b) was cook
(c) cooked
8 While we ______ for our table, the host kindly offered us some complimentary drinks.
(a) waited
(b) are waiting
(c) were waiting
9 The lights were beautifully dim, and soft music ______ in the background.
(a) plays
(b) was playing
(c) played
10 The bartender was amazing; he ______ three colorful cocktails at the same time!
(a) making
(b) was making
(c) was makeing
11 Unfortunately, the ceiling fan ______ properly, so the dining room felt a bit hot.
(a) wasn’t working
(b) weren’t working
(c) didn’t working
12 “______ you celebrating a special occasion?” the cheerful waiter asked us.
(a) Did
(b) Were
(c) Was
13 What ______ the people at the next table eating? It looked absolutely fantastic.
(a) were
(b) was
(c) did
14 As the waitress ______ our hot soup, she accidentally dropped a napkin on the floor.
(a) brought
(b) was bring
(c) was bringing
15 The chocolate dessert looked fantastic, but I ______ to order it because I was too full.
(a) didn’t want
(b) wasn’t wanting
(c) weren’t wanting
16 I looked around and saw that two friends ______ a large plate of pasta.
(a) were shareing
(b) was sharing
(c) were sharing
17 While the father was paying the bill, his little children ______ to put on their heavy coats.
(a) tried
(b) were trying
(c) was trying
18 I ______ a wonderful smell of garlic and fresh butter coming from the kitchen.
(a) was smelling
(b) was smell
(c) smelled
19 As we were leaving, the busy restaurant ______ to quiet down.
(a) was beginning
(b) was begining
(c) begins
20 Overall, I ______ that this place had the best dining atmosphere in town.
(a) was believing
(b) believed
(c) am believing
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b)
Explanation: “Was playing” is correct because it sets the background scene at the exact moment the reviewer arrived. (a) is the Past Simple, which sounds like a completed action rather than an ongoing vibe. (c) is grammatically incorrect (missing the “-ing” suffix).
2 (c)
Explanation: “Were” is the correct past “to be” verb for the plural subject “waiters”. (b) is singular. (a) is present tense, but this is a past review.
3 (a)
Explanation: “Was raining” perfectly describes the ongoing background weather. (b) is missing the auxiliary verb “was”. (c) is Past Simple, which implies a finished fact rather than an active, ongoing scene.
4 (a)
Explanation: “Was” matches the singular subject “manager”. (b) is present tense. (c) is for plural subjects.
5 (c)
Explanation: “Were” is correct for the plural subject “customers”. (a) is singular. (b) “did” cannot be used with an “-ing” verb (“laughing”).
6 (c)
Explanation: “Were hoping” shows an ongoing expectation in the past that was interrupted by reality. (b) is singular, but “we” is plural. (a) “hoped” is Past Simple, which is grammatically okay but misses the “ongoing expectation” nuance that native speakers use in this context.
7 (a)
Explanation: “Was cooking” describes an action in progress that the reviewer observed. (b) is structurally incorrect. (c) “cooked” implies the whole process was completed, rather than just “pressing play” on the scene.
8 (c)
Explanation: “Were waiting” is correct because the word “While” almost always introduces a continuous action. (a) “waited” is Past Simple. (b) is present tense.
9 (b)
Explanation: “Was playing” sets the ongoing background atmosphere. (a) is present tense. (c) “played” is a completed past action, which doesn’t fit the continuous “vibe” description.
10 (b)
Explanation: “Was making” is the correct form and spelling. (a) is missing “was”. (c) is a spelling error (you must drop the ‘e’ from “make” before adding “-ing”).
11 (a)
Explanation: “Wasn’t working” correctly describes the continuous failure of a singular subject (“fan”). (b) “Weren’t” is plural. (c) “Didn’t” is grammatically invalid with an “-ing” verb.
12 (b)
Explanation: “Were” correctly matches the pronoun “you”. (a) “Did” cannot be used to form a continuous question. (c) “Was” is incorrect subject-verb agreement for “you”.
13 (a)
Explanation: “Were” matches the plural subject “people”. (b) “Was” is for singular subjects. (c) “Did” cannot be used with the verb “eating”.
14 (c)
Explanation: “Was bringing” is correct because “As” acts similarly to “while,” showing an action in progress that gets interrupted (dropping the napkin). (a) “brought” is Past Simple. (b) is grammatically invalid.
15 (a)
Explanation: “Didn’t want” is correct. “Want” is a state verb (stative verb) describing a feeling, not an action, so it cannot be used in the continuous form. (b) and (c) incorrectly apply the “-ing” form to a state verb.
16 (c)
Explanation: “Were sharing” correctly drops the ‘e’ from “share” and adds “-ing” for a plural subject (“friends”). (a) is a spelling error. (b) is singular.
17 (b)
Explanation: “Were trying” correctly describes a plural subject doing an ongoing action simultaneously with another action (“was paying”). (a) “tried” is Past Simple. (c) “was trying” is singular, but “children” is plural.
18 (c)
Explanation: “Smelled” is correct. “Smell” (when meaning ‘to perceive a scent’) is a state verb of perception and is generally used in the Past Simple. (a) is incorrect because we don’t usually say “was smelling” for an involuntary perception. (b) is structurally invalid.
19 (a)
Explanation: “Was beginning” is the correct spelling. When a two-syllable verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant and the stress is on the second syllable (be-GIN), you must double the final consonant. (b) forgot to double the ‘n’. (c) is present tense.
20 (b)
Explanation: “Believed” is correct. “Believe” is a state verb expressing a mental state, so it must be in the simple tense. (a) applies an incorrect continuous form to a state verb. (c) is Present Continuous.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Setting the Scene (The “Play Button”): The Past Continuous (was/were + V-ing) is the perfect tense for reviews and storytelling. It helps describe the vibes and background actions that were already happening when you arrived (e.g., music was playing, people were laughing).
- Interrupted & Parallel Actions: Use Past Continuous with words like while or as to show actions in progress. You can have two ongoing actions happening at the same time (I was waiting while he was cooking) or a long action interrupted by a short one (She was bringing soup when she dropped a napkin).
- State Verbs (The Trap): Verbs that describe feelings, senses, or thoughts (e.g., want, smell, believe, know, like) usually cannot be used with “-ing”. Even if the feeling was ongoing in the past, you must use the Past Simple (I wanted, NOT I was wanting).
- Spelling Rules: * Drop the final ‘e’ before adding ‘-ing’ (make -> making, share -> sharing).
- Double the final consonant for verbs ending in C-V-C if the stress is on the final syllable (begin -> beginning).