Comparison of the main past verb tenses
1. Past Simple (I studied)
- Use: To talk about a completed action in the past.
- When: You know when the action happened (yesterday, last week, in 1990, etc.).
- Example: I studied for the test yesterday.
2. Past Progressive (I was studying)
- Use: To talk about an action that was happening over a period of time in the past.
- When: This action was interrupted by something else or happened at a specific time.
- Example: I was studying when the phone rang.
3. Past Perfect (I had studied)
- Use: To talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.
- When: You need to show that one action was completed before another past action.
- Example: I had studied before I took the test.
4. Past Perfect Progressive (I had been studying)
- Use: To talk about an action that was happening over a period of time before another past action.
- When: You want to focus on the duration or ongoing nature of the action before something else in the past.
- Example: I had been studying for two hours when my friend called.
Summary:
- Past Simple: Completed action in the past.
- Past Progressive: Ongoing action in the past, sometimes interrupted.
- Past Perfect: Action completed before another past action.
- Past Perfect Progressive: Ongoing action in the past before another action, with focus on time or duration.
Extra Practice
ESL Quiz: Past Simple, Past Progressive, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Progressive
Beginner Level (15 Questions)
Choose the correct verb tense for each sentence.
- While I ___ (study), the lights went out.
A) studied
B) was studying
C) had studied - She ___ (finish) her homework before the movie started.
A) had been finishing
B) was finishing
C) had finished - I ___ (watch) TV when my friend called me.
A) watched
B) was watching
C) had been watching - Yesterday, I ___ (visit) my grandmother.
A) visited
B) was visiting
C) had visited - We ___ (walk) to the park when it started raining.
A) walked
B) were walking
C) had walked - They ___ (eat) dinner by the time I arrived.
A) ate
B) were eating
C) had eaten - The baby ___ (cry) all night.
A) cried
B) was crying
C) had been crying - I ___ (see) that movie last week.
A) saw
B) was seeing
C) had seen - When you called, I ___ (sleep).
A) slept
B) was sleeping
C) had been sleeping - We ___ (play) soccer for an hour when it started raining.
A) played
B) were playing
C) had been playing - She ___ (finish) her homework before dinner.
A) finished
B) was finishing
C) had been finishing - Last weekend, we ___ (go) to the beach.
A) went
B) were going
C) had gone - They ___ (talk) when the teacher entered the room.
A) talked
B) were talking
C) had talked - I ___ (live) in New York for three years until I moved to LA.
A) lived
B) was living
C) had been living - We ___ (play) basketball when it started to rain.
A) played
B) were playing
C) had played
Answers (Beginner Level)
- B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A, 5. B, 6. C, 7. A, 8. A, 9. B, 10. C, 11. A, 12. A, 13. B, 14. C, 15. B
Intermediate Level (15 Questions)
Choose the correct verb tense for each sentence.
- After he ___ (finish) his homework, he realized he had forgotten to answer one question.
A) finished
B) had been finishing
C) had finished - By the time the sun ___ (set), we still hadn’t reached the top of the mountain.
A) set
B) was setting
C) had set - While we ___ (drive) to the airport, we got stuck in traffic.
A) had been driving
B) were driving
C) had driven - She ___ (work) for the company for a decade before she became the CEO.
A) worked
B) had worked
C) was working - When I ___ (get) home, I realized I had left my phone at work.
A) got
B) was getting
C) had gotten - The kids ___ (play) in the yard when it started to rain.
A) played
B) were playing
C) had played - He ___ (study) all night for his exam when the power went out.
A) studied
B) had studied
C) had been studying - We ___ (wait) for the bus for over an hour when it finally arrived.
A) were waiting
B) waited
C) had been waiting - By the time the meeting ___ (begin), half of the team had already left the building.
A) began
B) was beginning
C) had begun - After I ___ (read) the email, I immediately replied to it.
A) had been reading
B) was reading
C) had read - When we arrived at the theater, the play ___ (already/start).
A) had already started
B) was already starting
C) started - They ___ (talk) about their future plans when they heard a loud noise from outside.
A) talked
B) were talking
C) had been talking - After she ___ (live) in New York for ten years, she decided to move to Los Angeles.
A) had been living
B) was living
C) lived - The company ___ (suffer) losses for years before they finally decided to change their business strategy.
A) was suffering
B) suffered
C) had been suffering - While I ___ (clean) the kitchen, I found an old photograph behind the fridge.
A) cleaned
B) was cleaning
C) had cleaned
Answers (Intermediate Level)
- C, 2. A, 3. B, 4. B, 5. A, 6. B, 7. C, 8. C, 9. A, 10. C, 11. A, 12. B, 13. A, 14. C, 15. B
Advanced Level (15 Questions)
Choose the correct verb tense for each sentence.
- By the time she ___ (complete) her doctorate, she had already published three research papers.
A) completed
B) was completing
C) had been completing - After the concert ___ (end), we realized we had lost our car keys.
A) ended
B) was ending
C) had ended - They ___ (discuss) their vacation plans for hours before they finally made a decision.
A) had been discussing
B) were discussing
C) discussed - By the time I ___ (finish) my workout, the gym was already closing.
A) had been finishing
B) had finished
C) was finishing - After he ___ (run) the marathon, he collapsed from exhaustion.
A) had been running
B) had run
C) was running - When I ___ (get) to the station, the train had already left.
A) got
B) was getting
C) had gotten - We ___ (travel) for six hours straight when we finally stopped for a break.
A) were traveling
B) had been traveling
C) traveled - By the time the meeting ___ (finish), most of the attendees had already left.
A) was finishing
B) had finished
C) finished - While we ___ (work) on the report, the computer crashed and we lost everything.
A) worked
B) had been working
C) were working - After she ___ (spend) months planning her wedding, she decided to postpone it.
A) spent
B) was spending
C) had spent - They ___ (wait) at the airport for five hours when their flight was finally canceled.
A) had waited
B) waited
C) had been waiting - By the time the doctor ___ (arrive), the patient had already been stabilized.
A) arrived
B) had arrived
C) was arriving - He ___ (practice) for months before he finally mastered the song.
A) had practiced
B) had been practicing
C) practiced - She ___ (not/work) for the company long when she got promoted.
A) had not been working
B) had not worked
C) was not working - By the time we ___ (find) the restaurant, our reservation had been given to someone else.
A) were finding
B) found
C) had found
Answers (Advanced Level)
- A, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B, 5. B, 6. A, 7. B, 8. C, 9. C, 10. C, 11. C, 12. A, 13. B, 14. A, 15. B