Let’s compare PAST VERB TENSES in ENGLISH Simple / Progressive / Perfect / Perfect Progressive

Let’s compare PAST VERB TENSES in ENGLISH Simple / Progressive / Perfect / Perfect Progressive

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.

  1. While I ___ (study), the lights went out.
    A) studied
    B) was studying
    C) had studied
  2. She ___ (finish) her homework before the movie started.
    A) had been finishing
    B) was finishing
    C) had finished
  3. I ___ (watch) TV when my friend called me.
    A) watched
    B) was watching
    C) had been watching
  4. Yesterday, I ___ (visit) my grandmother.
    A) visited
    B) was visiting
    C) had visited
  5. We ___ (walk) to the park when it started raining.
    A) walked
    B) were walking
    C) had walked
  6. They ___ (eat) dinner by the time I arrived.
    A) ate
    B) were eating
    C) had eaten
  7. The baby ___ (cry) all night.
    A) cried
    B) was crying
    C) had been crying
  8. I ___ (see) that movie last week.
    A) saw
    B) was seeing
    C) had seen
  9. When you called, I ___ (sleep).
    A) slept
    B) was sleeping
    C) had been sleeping
  10. We ___ (play) soccer for an hour when it started raining.
    A) played
    B) were playing
    C) had been playing
  11. She ___ (finish) her homework before dinner.
    A) finished
    B) was finishing
    C) had been finishing
  12. Last weekend, we ___ (go) to the beach.
    A) went
    B) were going
    C) had gone
  13. They ___ (talk) when the teacher entered the room.
    A) talked
    B) were talking
    C) had talked
  14. I ___ (live) in New York for three years until I moved to LA.
    A) lived
    B) was living
    C) had been living
  15. We ___ (play) basketball when it started to rain.
    A) played
    B) were playing
    C) had played

Answers (Beginner Level)

  1. 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.

  1. After he ___ (finish) his homework, he realized he had forgotten to answer one question.
    A) finished
    B) had been finishing
    C) had finished
  2. By the time the sun ___ (set), we still hadn’t reached the top of the mountain.
    A) set
    B) was setting
    C) had set
  3. While we ___ (drive) to the airport, we got stuck in traffic.
    A) had been driving
    B) were driving
    C) had driven
  4. She ___ (work) for the company for a decade before she became the CEO.
    A) worked
    B) had worked
    C) was working
  5. When I ___ (get) home, I realized I had left my phone at work.
    A) got
    B) was getting
    C) had gotten
  6. The kids ___ (play) in the yard when it started to rain.
    A) played
    B) were playing
    C) had played
  7. He ___ (study) all night for his exam when the power went out.
    A) studied
    B) had studied
    C) had been studying
  8. We ___ (wait) for the bus for over an hour when it finally arrived.
    A) were waiting
    B) waited
    C) had been waiting
  9. By the time the meeting ___ (begin), half of the team had already left the building.
    A) began
    B) was beginning
    C) had begun
  10. After I ___ (read) the email, I immediately replied to it.
    A) had been reading
    B) was reading
    C) had read
  11. When we arrived at the theater, the play ___ (already/start).
    A) had already started
    B) was already starting
    C) started
  12. They ___ (talk) about their future plans when they heard a loud noise from outside.
    A) talked
    B) were talking
    C) had been talking
  13. 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
  14. The company ___ (suffer) losses for years before they finally decided to change their business strategy.
    A) was suffering
    B) suffered
    C) had been suffering
  15. While I ___ (clean) the kitchen, I found an old photograph behind the fridge.
    A) cleaned
    B) was cleaning
    C) had cleaned

Answers (Intermediate Level)

  1. 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.

  1. By the time she ___ (complete) her doctorate, she had already published three research papers.
    A) completed
    B) was completing
    C) had been completing
  2. After the concert ___ (end), we realized we had lost our car keys.
    A) ended
    B) was ending
    C) had ended
  3. They ___ (discuss) their vacation plans for hours before they finally made a decision.
    A) had been discussing
    B) were discussing
    C) discussed
  4. By the time I ___ (finish) my workout, the gym was already closing.
    A) had been finishing
    B) had finished
    C) was finishing
  5. After he ___ (run) the marathon, he collapsed from exhaustion.
    A) had been running
    B) had run
    C) was running
  6. When I ___ (get) to the station, the train had already left.
    A) got
    B) was getting
    C) had gotten
  7. We ___ (travel) for six hours straight when we finally stopped for a break.
    A) were traveling
    B) had been traveling
    C) traveled
  8. By the time the meeting ___ (finish), most of the attendees had already left.
    A) was finishing
    B) had finished
    C) finished
  9. While we ___ (work) on the report, the computer crashed and we lost everything.
    A) worked
    B) had been working
    C) were working
  10. After she ___ (spend) months planning her wedding, she decided to postpone it.
    A) spent
    B) was spending
    C) had spent
  11. They ___ (wait) at the airport for five hours when their flight was finally canceled.
    A) had waited
    B) waited
    C) had been waiting
  12. By the time the doctor ___ (arrive), the patient had already been stabilized.
    A) arrived
    B) had arrived
    C) was arriving
  13. He ___ (practice) for months before he finally mastered the song.
    A) had practiced
    B) had been practicing
    C) practiced
  14. She ___ (not/work) for the company long when she got promoted.
    A) had not been working
    B) had not worked
    C) was not working
  15. 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)

  1. 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

Scroll to Top