A. Match the sentence beginnings to the correct endings.
1 We had become friends
2 I had been waiting for an hour
3 They had been enjoying the picnic
4 I was bored with piano classes; I had been going
5 He’d had an accident
6 My best friend had already been at the school.
a for as long as I could remember.
b for a year when I came.
c by the time the bus finally arrived.
d when he was on his way to work.
e when it started to rain.
f a few years earlier on holiday.
Answers
1 f 2 c 3 e 4 a 5 d 6 b
B. What do these sentences mean? Tick a or b.
1 The film had started when we sat down.
a We sat down, then the film started.
b The film started, then we sat down. ✓
2 When I arrived, everyone had left.
a Everyone left, then I arrived.
b I arrived, then everyone left.
3 By the time I got his letter, I had forgiven him.
a I got the letter, then I forgave him.
b I forgave him, then I got the letter.
4 We had just been talking about my cousin when she phoned us.
a My cousin phoned and then we talked about her.
b We talked about my cousin and then she phoned us.
5 She went to her friend’s house. She’d made a cake for her.
a She made a cake, then she went to her friend’s house.
b She went to her friend’s house, then she made a cake.
6 When they had given me the medicine, I felt ill.
a I felt ill, then they gave me the medicine.
b They gave me the medicine, then I felt ill.
7 When I started school, I had learnt to read.
a I started school, then I learnt to read.
b I learnt to read, then I started school.
8 She’d taken the wrong turning, so she got lost.
a She took the wrong turning, then she got lost.
b She got lost, then she took the wrong turning.
Answers
2 a 3 b 4 b 5 a 6 b 7 b 8 a
C. Read the story and number the pictures in order 1-8.
One Monday evening in September, Grant put up his tent on a campsite on the edge of a mountain lake. The next morning Grant started a 15-mile walk through the mountains. A ranger had driven him to the start of the walk.
That evening a snowstorm started after he had put up his tent for the night. In the morning there was snow on the ground, but it was sunny and clear, so Grant continued his walk. Grant could not see the path very well and he slipped and fell down some steep rocks. He landed on a flat rock, but he could not move. He had lost his glasses and broken his arm.
On Saturday morning Grant’s friend, Ed, waited for him at the end of the trail. When he did not arrive, Ed phoned the rescue team. But Grant was lucky, a helicopter had already found him.
Answers
a 4 b 1 c 6 d 5 e 7 f 3 g 8 h 2
D. Underline the correct option.
1 She was surprised to see him at work so early. She had told / had been telling him not to arrive before 9.00.
2 I couldn’t believe it when I saw the exam question. It was just what had been hoping / had hoped for.
3 He’d been coming / had come to the station to pick her up.
4 He wanted to see the dentist, but she had been going / had gone on holiday.
5 It was great to hear from her. I had been waiting / had waited for her call.
6 She fell over and hit her head. She didn’t know how she had been doing / had done it.
7 The children were very dirty. They had been playing / had played in the woods.
8 I hadn’t been hearing / hadn’t heard of Louis de Bernières before I read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Answers
2 had been hoping 3 had come 4 had gone
5 had been waiting 6 had done
7 had been playing 8 hadn’t heard
E. Complete the sentences using the words in brackets. Use one verb in the past simple and the other in the past perfect simple or continuous.
1 I ……found…… (find) the letter in my bag – I ……had forgotten…… (forget) to post it.
2 I ……………………………. (already make) some new friends by the time my first day ……………………………. (end).
3 I ……………………………. (visit) Mallorca twice before, so I ……………………………. (know) the best hotel to stay at.
4 I ……………………………. (thank) my aunt for the book – but she ……………………………. (give) me the same one the year before!
5 I ……………………………. (just finish) my lunch when Jemma ……………………………. (arrive).
6 Toby ……………………………. (come) home late last night – he ……………………………. (watch) the football with his friends.
7 I ……………………………. (think) that my friends ……………………………. (not be) very kind.
8 I ……………………………. (not be) ready for the exams. I ……………………………. (intend) to study more for them.
Answers
2 had already made; ended
3 had visited; knew
4 thanked; had given
5 had just finished; arrived
6 came; had been watching / had watched
7 thought; had not (hadn’t) been
8 wasn’t; had intended
F. Complete the text using the verbs in brackets in either the past simple, past perfect simple or past perfect continuous.
On 26 December 2004 a very large earthquake 1…took place… (take place) off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. The earthquake 2……………… (cause) one of the worst tsunami in history. More than 200,000 people 3……………… (die) in 11 countries on the Indian Ocean. In all these countries, survivors 4……………… (tell) similar stories of that morning’s events. Many were tourists who 5……………… (travel) to the area for their Christmas holiday. Many of them 6……………… (begin) their day with a morning swim or 7……………… (run) on the beach when the wave suddenly 8……………… (arrive). They 9……………… (not have) any warning. Some 10……………… (see) the sea disappear from the beach before it 11……………… (return) a few minutes later as a wall of water. Many local fishermen also 12……………… (lose) their lives in the tsunami. They 13……………… (be fishing) at sea but they 14……………… (not come) home again.
Answers
2 caused 3 died 4 told 5 had travelled
6 had begun 7 had been running
8 arrived 9 had not (hadn’t) had
10 saw 11 returned 12 lost
13 had been fishing 14 did not (didn’t) come
G. Complete the sentences with your own ideas. Use the past perfect simple or continuous.
1 When I woke up, I was in hospital. I didn’t remember what ……had happened…… .
2 I saw the water on the ground and I thought …………………………………………… .
3 By the time I arrived, …………………………………………… .
4 When I saw my friend’s face, I knew …………………………………………… .
5 When I got home, the door was open. Maybe …………………………………………… .
6 I was very tired when I got off the bus. It …………………………………………… .
7 Nobody understood why …………………………………………… .
8 In the morning I could still remember my dream. I …………………………………………… .
Answers
your own answers
H. Circle the correct option.
1 We ………… long when we saw her.
a didn’t wait
b don’t wait
c hadn’t been waiting
2 When Jack ………… the next morning, the bean plant had grown in the night
a get up b gets up c got up
3 Esther put on the music very loud and everyone ………… .
a jump b jumped c had jumped
4 When my mum came home, I still ………… up.
a not tidied b tidy
c hadn’t tidied
5 I had been looking for my mobile phone all morning when I ………… it ring!
a hear b heard c had heard
Answers
1 c 2 c 3 b 4 c 5 b
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