Past Continuous Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A2
Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.
1 At 9:00 AM yesterday, I ______ to a very important client on the phone.
(a) was talking
(b) talked
(c) was talk
2 When you called my desk at 9 AM, I ______ a meeting in the conference room.
(a) attended
(b) was attending
(c) am attending
3 Sorry I missed you. At exactly 9:00 AM, my team and I ______ the new project.
(a) discussed
(b) was discussing
(c) were discussing
4 I wasn’t at my desk because I ______ some documents for the afternoon presentation.
(a) was printing
(b) printed
(c) was printting
5 At 9 o’clock yesterday morning, she ______ to the office through heavy traffic.
(a) drove
(b) was driveing
(c) was driving
6 The boss wants to know what you ______ at 9:00 AM yesterday.
(a) did you do
(b) were doing
(c) you were doing
7 I ______ a coffee in the break room when the 9 AM meeting started.
(a) was makeing
(b) made
(c) was making
8 At 9 AM, we ______ our emails yet because the internet was down.
(a) weren’t checking
(b) didn’t check
(c) wasn’t checking
9 ______ the monthly sales report at 9:00 AM?
(a) Did you type
(b) Was you typing
(c) Were you typing
10 I apologize for my absence at 9 AM. I ______ an urgent issue with the IT department.
(a) was resolving
(b) resolved
(c) was resolveing
11 At exactly 9:00 AM, the HR manager ______ a new candidate for the marketing team.
(a) interviewed
(b) was interviewing
(c) is interviewing
12 While the CEO was looking for me at 9 AM, I ______ the office supplies in the storage room.
(a) was organizeing
(b) organized
(c) was organizing
13 We didn’t hear the 9 AM announcement because we ______ a noisy software update.
(a) were running
(b) ran
(c) were runing
14 What ______ about at 9 AM when I walked past your desk?
(a) did you think
(b) you were thinking
(c) were you thinking
15 At 9:00 AM, I ______ to access the main server, but I kept getting an error.
(a) was trying
(b) tried
(c) was triing
16 I couldn’t answer your message at 9 AM because I ______ an important contract.
(a) signed
(b) was signing
(c) was signning
17 At 9 o’clock sharp, the technicians ______ the new security cameras in the lobby.
(a) were installing
(b) installed
(c) was installing
18 Unfortunately, I ______ my desk at 9 AM because I had a scheduled doctor’s appointment.
(a) wasn’t sitting at
(b) didn’t sit at
(c) wasn’t sit at
19 Which specific file ______ at 9 AM when the system automatically logged you out?
(a) you were updating
(b) did you update
(c) were you updating
20 I assure you, at 9 AM yesterday, I ______ my time; I was actively doing research for our client.
(a) didn’t waste
(b) wasn’t wasting
(c) weren’t wasting
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “was talking” correctly forms the Past Continuous to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past (9:00 AM).
- Incorrect (b): “talked” is a common mistake. The Past Simple sounds like the entire conversation started and finished exactly at 9:00 AM, losing the “in progress” meaning.
- Incorrect (c): “was talk” is a basic grammar error (missing the -ing suffix).
2 (b)
Explanation: * Correct (b): “was attending” shows the ongoing professional activity when the interruption (the call) happened.
- Incorrect (a): “attended” is a common mistake (Past Simple).
- Incorrect (c): “am attending” is a basic grammar error (Present Continuous used for a past event).
3 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “were discussing” correctly uses the plural auxiliary “were” to match the compound subject “my team and I”.
- Incorrect (a): “discussed” is a common mistake (Past Simple).
- Incorrect (b): “was discussing” is a basic grammar error (using the singular auxiliary “was” for a plural subject).
4 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “was printing” correctly describes the ongoing task that explains the absence.
- Incorrect (b): “printed” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “was printting” is a spelling error (the verb “print” ends with two consonants, so you do not double the ‘t’).
5 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “was driving” correctly drops the silent ‘e’ from “drive” before adding -ing.
- Incorrect (a): “drove” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (b): “was driveing” is a basic spelling error.
6 (b)
Explanation: * Correct (b): “were doing” is the correct form in an embedded question (“what you were doing”).
- Incorrect (a): “did you do” is a common mistake (asks for a completed action instead of an ongoing one).
- Incorrect (c): “you were doing” is a grammar error in this specific multiple-choice layout because the subject “you” is already in the stem. Adding it again makes it “what you you were doing”.
7 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “was making” drops the ‘e’ from “make”.
- Incorrect (a): “was makeing” is a basic spelling error.
- Incorrect (b): “made” is a common mistake.
8 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “weren’t checking” is the correct negative Past Continuous form for the plural subject “we”.
- Incorrect (b): “didn’t check” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “wasn’t checking” is a basic grammar error (wrong auxiliary for a plural subject).
9 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “Were you typing” is the correct Yes/No question structure for an action in progress.
- Incorrect (a): “Did you type” is a common mistake (Past Simple).
- Incorrect (b): “Was you typing” is a basic grammar error (wrong auxiliary for “you”).
10 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “was resolving” correctly drops the ‘e’ from “resolve”.
- Incorrect (b): “resolved” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “was resolveing” is a spelling error.
11 (b)
Explanation: * Correct (b): “was interviewing” establishes the background action for exactly 9:00 AM.
- Incorrect (a): “interviewed” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “is interviewing” is a basic grammar error (Present Continuous).
12 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “was organizing” drops the ‘e’ from “organize”.
- Incorrect (a): “was organizeing” is a spelling error.
- Incorrect (b): “organized” is a common mistake.
13 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “were running” correctly doubles the consonant ‘n’ for this short CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word.
- Incorrect (b): “ran” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “were runing” is a spelling error.
14 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “were you thinking” uses the correct question word order (auxiliary + subject + V-ing).
- Incorrect (a): “did you think” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (b): “you were thinking” is a basic grammar error (statement word order instead of question inversion).
15 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “was trying” is correct. Verbs ending in ‘y’ keep the ‘y’ when adding -ing.
- Incorrect (b): “tried” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “was triing” is a spelling error.
16 (b)
Explanation: * Correct (b): “was signing” is correct. “Sign” ends in two consonants (g and n), so we do not double the ‘n’.
- Incorrect (a): “signed” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “was signning” is a spelling error.
17 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “were installing” correctly uses the plural auxiliary for “the technicians”.
- Incorrect (b): “installed” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “was installing” is a basic grammar error (singular auxiliary for a plural noun).
18 (a)
Explanation: * Correct (a): “wasn’t sitting at” is the correct negative continuous form to show the state of absence.
- Incorrect (b): “didn’t sit at” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “wasn’t sit at” is a basic grammar error (missing -ing).
19 (c)
Explanation: * Correct (c): “were you updating” correctly inverts the subject and auxiliary for a question.
- Incorrect (a): “you were updating” is a basic grammar error (lacks question inversion).
- Incorrect (b): “did you update” is a common mistake.
20 (b)
Explanation: * Correct (b): “wasn’t wasting” correctly drops the ‘e’ from “waste” and uses the singular auxiliary for “I”.
- Incorrect (a): “didn’t waste” is a common mistake.
- Incorrect (c): “weren’t wasting” is a basic grammar error (plural auxiliary for singular subject “I”).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Exact Time in the Past: We must use the Past Continuous when talking about an action that was already happening and not yet finished at a highly specific time in the past (e.g., at 9:00 AM yesterday, at exactly 2 o’clock).
- Example: “At 9 AM, I was talking to a client.” (The conversation started before 9 AM and continued after it).
- Professional Accountability: In a workplace environment, the Past Continuous is excellent for justifying where you were or proving that you were busy when someone tried to reach you.
- Spelling Rules Check:
- Drop the ‘e’: drive → driving, make → making, resolve → resolving.
- Double the consonant (CVC words): run → running, sit → sitting.
- Do NOT double the consonant if there are two consonants at the end: print → printing, sign → signing.
- Keep the ‘y’: try → trying.