Bài tập về các thì quá khứ

I. Change the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous
1. They (study) _______ in the library when the fire alarm (go) _________ off.
2. When I (see) _______________ him. He (wear) _______________boots.
3. Charles (start) ________________________ to build the house last week.
4. At that time my wife (cook) ________________________
5. It (snow) _______________ when I (get) ________________ up this morning.
6. Albert Einstein (die) ________________________ in 1955.
7. I (make) ________________________ a cake when the light (go)
_____________out. I (have) ____________________ to finish it in the dark.
8. He always (wear) ________________________ a raincoat and (carry)
________________________an umbrella when he walked to the office.
9. I (share) _______________ a flat with him when we (be) _________ students. He
always (complain) _____________________ about my untidiness.
10. Tom (go) ________________________ to the office twice yesterday.
11. At the end of the week she (phone) __________ me that she (return) ________
12. He was busy packing, for he (leave) ___________________ that night.
13. Yesterday we (listen) ________________________ to an interesting play on radio
while our mother (prepare) ______________________ dinner.
14. Professor John (teach) ____________ English at Harvard for almost 50 years.
15. The wind (blow) _________ very hard when I (go) ________ out this morning.
16. I (go) ________________________ past her house every day.
17. When I (be) ________________a child, I (play) _________________the violin.
18. Mario (work) _____________in a restaurant when I (live) __________ in Paris.
19. I (work) _____________________in a factory during the summer of 1976.
20. He (work) ________________________ hard all his life.
21. What she (do) ____________________when you (arrive)____________there?
22. When he (see) ______________me he (put) ____________the receiver down.
23. I (not drive) _____________very fast when the accident (happen) _________.
24. The 2 man (argue) ________________________ about the plan when I (come)
________________________ into the office.
25. Catherine (wave) __________ at us happily as soon as she (see) ________ us.

26. I (break) _________ a plate last night. I (do) _______________the washing up when
it (slip) ________________________out of my hands.
27. This time last year I (be) ________________________ in Paris.
28. What you (do) ________________________ at this time yesterday?
29. I (see) _________ Carol at the party. She (wear) _____________ a really beautiful
dress.
30. While her husband (be) ________________________ in the army, she
(write) ________________________to her husband once a week.
31. At 8 this morning I (have) _____________________ breakfast.
32. All last week, they (stay) ________________________ with me.
33. We (have, at home) ________________________ our anniversary dinner when my
uncle (call) _______________________congratulate us last night.
34. Who was that girl who (talk) ________________________ to you when I (pass)
________________________ you in the street?
35. He (sleep) ___________soundly when he (be) ________ awakened by a noise. He
(go) ___________downstairs to find out what (happen) ____________.
36. When we (look) ___________________ in on the baby last night, he (sleep)
___________________ .I (think) __________ he (dream) __________________ about
something nice because he (smile) ________________________
37. When Richard (stop) ______________ his car suddenly, the groceries (fall)
_____________out of the bag they (be)_____________ in and (spill) ____________
all over the floor of the car.
38. Ann (not hear) ________________ her parents having an argument last night. She
(listen, in her room) _________________ _______ to music.
39. As soon as the rain (stop)______________ Bill asked me to come over to his house,
but I (not want) ____________to leave the house because I (wait) ___________for a
phone call.
40. Last Monday while we (watch, in our living room) ____________________
an exciting game on T.V, the electricity (go)____________out. So we (go)
____________ outside, (get) _________ into the car, (turn) ____________ on the radio

and (listen) __________________ to the rest of the game. The next day the car battery
(be) ________________________ dead.
41. Yesterday evening Tom (have) _______________ a bath when the phone
(ring)_______________ . He (get) _______________ out of the bath and (answer)
_____________ the phone.
42. They (play) _______________________football at 4 yesterday afternoon
43. This morning at 6.30 it (rain) _______________________ heavily.
44. They (live) ________________________ in Nha Trang for 5 years
45. The moment I (notice) ________________________ the man’s injury, I (call)
________________________ an ambulance.
46. When the man (snap) ________________________ his fingers, the dog
(jump) __________________ up immediately.
47. He (know) ________________________something must be wrong because the dog
(bark) ________________________ furiously.
48. The director didn’t allow the actors to travel by air while they (work)
________________________ on the film.
49. He watched the children for a moment. Some of them (bathe)________ in the sea,
others (look) __________ for shells, others (play) _________ in the sea.
50. When I (arrive) ____________she (have) __________ dinner. She (apologise)
___________for starting without me but (say) ______________ that she always (dine)
___________at 8.
51. When I (come) ___________ in they (sit) _____________ round the fire. Mr. Phi
(do) _____________ a crossword puzzle, Mrs. Phi (knit) ___________ , the others
(read) ____________. Mr. Phi (smile) _____________ at me and (say)
____________ ”come and sit down”
52. Yesterday we had a houseful of children for my son’s sixth birthday party. In the
middle of the party, the phone (ring) ___________________, so I had to leave the
children alone for a moment. When I (come) ________________________back into
the room, most of the children (still play) _______________________together nicely.
But over in the

corner, Bobby (pull) ________________________ Annie’s hair. I quickly (run)
________________________ over and (tell) ____________________ Bobby to stop.
53. When Mr. Black (leave) ________________________ his office at 6p.m. it (rain)
________________________ hard. He (not wear) ______________ a
raincoat or (carry) ________________________ an umbrella, so he (run)
________________________as quickly as he could to the nearest bus stop.
As he (run) ________________________, he (bump) ________________
into an elderly woman and nearly (knock) ________________________
her over. She was very angry and (ask) ________________________ him
why he (not look) ________________________ where he (go)
________________________. He (say) ________________________ he was sorry,
and (start) ________________________ running again. He (get)
________________________to the bus stop as the bus (begin) ___________
to move and (jump) ________________________ on.
II.Translate into English
1. Năm ngoái tôi ở Luân Dôn 9 tháng. Khi đang ở đó tôi đã gặp Tom lần đầu tiên.
2. Tối hôm qua khi nghe tiếng gõ cửa, tôi đi ra đến cửa và mở.
3. Tôi thấy Tom trong công viên. Anh ấy đang ngồi trên bãi cỏ đọc sách
4. Cô ấy đã nói rằng ngày hôm sau cô ấy sẽ rời đất nước này.
5. Tối hôm qua khi tôi rời văn phòng thì vẫn còn mưa lớn.
6. Khi tôi nghe radio thì con tôi đang làm bài tập.
7. Khi chuông reo chúng tôi đang làm kiểm tra.Khi chuông ngừng thì thầy giáo bảo
chúng tôi tiếp tục làm.
8. Khi chúng tôi đến rạp hát có vài người đang ngồi ở chỗ chúng tôi.
9. Khi khách đến thì vợ tôi đi pha trà.
10. Thú bảy tuần rồi tôi đã làm việc cả ngày.
11. Khi nhận thấy tôi đang nhìn thì anh ấy quay đi.
Vào thời điểm xảy ra vụ cướp họ ở cùng với cha mẹ tôi.
12. Khi tôi vừa bước vào phòng tắm thì chuông báo cháy vang lên.
13. 6:30 sáng hôm qua trời mưa lớn.

14. Người đàn ông đó luôn chỏ mũi (poke one’s nose into sth) vào công việc của mọi
người
15. Ngày hôm qua thầy giáo Anh văn cho chúng tôi làm kiểm tra.
16. Xe lửa đi Miami rời ga Grand central lúc 5h.
17. Khi tôi xem T.V thì vợ tôi nói chuyện trên điện thoại
18. Chúng tôi đang ngồi trong bếp thì nghe tiếng nổ đó
19. Bill đang sử dụng phòng làm việc của tôi cho đến khi tôi đi Mỹ về
20. Lúc đó là 6g. xe lửa đang đến gần Luân Đôn
21. Chúng tôi đã ở nhà phần lớn thời gian mùa đông năm ngoái
22. Họ đã kiếm tiền nhanh chóng vào năm đó
23. Hầu như cuối tuần nào họ cũng đi chơi ngoài trời
24. Mike sẽ thi tuần tiếp theo đó
25.
III. Find out one underlined word or phrase that wouldn’t be appropriate
in standard written English.
1. Animals were first dominated for food, and later become a source of skin, fur and
wool. A B C D
2. He was doing a crossword puzzle while he is waiting for the train.
A B C D
3. The children did their homework when their father came back from the office.
A B C D
4. He played the guitar when someone opened the window and threw out a
A bucket of water. B C
D
5. What did you do between 9.00 and 10.00 yesterday? I was cleaning my
A B
house. I always clean my house on Sunday mornings.
C D