Exercise 2. Choose the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Perfect).

1. The wind (blow) ___ away the leaves that we (collect) ___.

2. She (throw) ____away the letter that she (write) ____.

3. They (show) ___me the pictures, they (take) ____during their holidays.

4. In the evening, the children (tell) ____ their daddy what they (see) ___at the zoo.

5. The boy (be) ____ very sorry for what he (do) _____.

6. My friend (eat) _____ up all the biscuit we (bake) ___.

7. The teacher (correct) _____ the tests we (write) _____.

8. I (give) ____ them some of the candies I (buy) ____.

9. My sister (see/not) __ the note that I (lay) ___ on the kitchen table for her.

10. We (want) ___ to watch a film that we (see/not) ____ before.

11. When Simon (go) ____ out to play, he (do) _____ his homework.

12. Jenny (come) ____ home, (sit) ____ down and (read) ___ a good book

13. Before that day in winter, the African boy (see) ____ snow in his life.

14. She (give) ____ me the book that she (read) _____.

15. We (visit) __ the museum that our friend (tell) __ us about a month before.

16. When he (wake up) ___, his mother (already/prepare) ____ breakfast.

17. We (go) ____ to London because the Queen (invite) ___ us for tea.

18. He (hear) ___ the news, (go) ___ to the telephone and (call) __ a friend.

19. When she (start) ____ to learn English, she (already/learn) ___ French.

20. Jane (already/type) ____ ten pages when her computer (crash) ____.

21. By the time he (arrive) _____ at the pub, they (run) ____ out of beer.

22. Before that day we (never / think) _____ of going to Japan.

23. I (know) _____ him for a long time before I (meet) ____ his family.

24. They (not/know) ___ where to meet because nobody (tell) ___ them.

25. It (be) ____cloudy for days before it finally (begin) ____ to rain.

Exercise 3. Put the verbs in brackets into the gaps in the correct tense Past Perfect or Simple Past.

Example: Pat (to live) in London before he (to move) to Rome.

Answer: Pat had lived in London before he moved to Rome.

1. After Fred (to spend) his holiday in Italy he (to want) to learn Italian.

2. Jill (to phone) Dad at work before she (to leave) for her trip.

3. Susan (to turn on) the radio after she (to wash) the dishes.

4. When she (to arrive) the match already (to start).

5. After the man (to come) home he (to feed) the cat.

6. Before he (to sing) a song he (to play) the guitar.

7. She (to watch) a video after the children (to go) to bed.

8. After Eric (to make) breakfast he (to phone) his friend.

9. I (to be) very tired because I (to study) too much.

10. They (to ride) their bikes before they (to meet) their friends.

11. We had already eaten when John (come) home.

12. Last year Juan (pass) all his exams.

13. When I (get) to the airport I discovered I had forgotten my passport.

14. I went to the library, then I (buy) some milk and went home.

15. I opened my handbag to find that I (forget) my credit card.

16. When we (arrive) at the station, the train had already left.

17. We got home to find that someone (break) into the house.

18. I opened the fridge to find that someone (eat) all my chocolate.

19. I had known my husband for three years when we (get) married.

20. Julie was very pleased to see that John (clean) the kitchen.

21. It (rain) all summer, so the grass was completely dead.

22. When he (arrive) at the party, Julie had just left.

23. After arriving home, I realised I (buy) any milk.

24. The laundry was wet - it (rain) while I was out.

25. William felt ill last night because he (eat) too many cakes.

26. Keiko (meet) William last September.

27. First I tidied the flat, then I (sit) down and had a cup of coffee.

28. John (play) the piano when he was a child, but he doesn't play now.

29. When I opened the curtains the sun was shining and the ground was white. It (snow) during the night.

Exercise 4. Write the sentences, putting one verb in each sentence into the Past Simple, and the other verb into the Past Perfect.

1. When the police (arrive), the car (go). – When the police arrived, the car had gone.

2. When I (get) to the shop, it (close).

3. They (eat) everything by the time I (arrive) at the party.

4. When we (leave) the beach, the rain (already start).

5. I (try) telephoning her several times but she (leave the country).

6. When I (find) my purse, someone (take) the money out of it.

7. The car (go) when I (look) into the street.

8. All the garages (close) by the time we (cross) the border.

9. (You already leave) when the trouble (start)?

10. The post (not arrive) when I (leave) the house this morning.

Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or Past Perfect Simple.

James sat (sit) outside the office waiting for the interview. He ___ (feel) so nervous that he ___ (not know) what to do with himself. The person who ___ (go in) before him ___ (be) in there for nearly an hour. Not like James. He ___ (feel) sure that she ___ (already get) the job. The problem ___ (be) that he ___ (want) this job so much. It ___ (mean) everything to him. He ___ (think) about it such a lot before the day of the interview. He ___ (imagine) himself performing brilliantly at the interview and being offered the job immediately. But now here he ___ (be) feeling terrible. He ___ (cannot remember) all those things he ___ (plan) to say. At the moment, he ___ (almost decide) to get up and leave. But no - he ___ (have to do) this. He ___ (spend) so much time thinking about that he ___ (cannot give up) like that. His hands ___ (be) hot and sticky and his mouth ___ (feel) dry. Finally the door of the office ___ (open). The woman who ___ (go in) an hour earlier __ (come out) looking very pleased with herself. She ___ (smile) sympathetically at James. At that moment James ___ (hate) her. The managing director then ___ (appear) at the office door. ‘Would you like to come in now, Mr Davis? I’m sorry to have kept you waiting’. James ___ (suddenly wish) that he ___ (go) home after all.