Test Your Grammar Skills About Past Continuous Tense!

Reviewed by Elizabeth Paskert
Elizabeth Paskert, MEd (Curriculum and Teaching) |
K-5 English Expert
Review Board Member
Elizabeth Paskert, an experienced educator with a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Bowling Green State University, brings 10 years of teaching experience in upper elementary with a focus on Reading and Writing instruction. With strong interpersonal and computer skills, her enthusiasm and dedication to the field drive her to continue expanding her knowledge and expertise to excel in her career.
, MEd (Curriculum and Teaching)
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Test Your Grammar Skills About Past Continuous Tense! - Quiz

Are you good at English grammar tenses? Today, with this quiz, you'll get the chance to test your grammar skills about past continuous tenses. Tenses are formed by using certain forms of verbs, particularly in their conjugation patterns which include past, present, and future. Try out this simple and well-researched MCQ format-based quiz on past continuous tense and see how easily you complete the sentences. Wishing you good luck on it!


Questions and Answers
  • 1. 

    She was walking down the street when she __________. 

    • A.

      Tripped

    • B.

      She was tripping

    • C.

      Trip

    • D.

      Tripping

    Correct Answer
    A. Tripped
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "tripped". This is the past tense form of the verb "trip", which means to stumble or fall. In this sentence, it suggests that while she was walking down the street, she stumbled or fell.

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  • 2. 

    The old lady was watching TV while the cat _______. 

    • A.

      Slept on her lap

    • B.

      Was sleeping on her lap

    • C.

      Slept under the table. 

    • D.

      Had slept. 

    Correct Answer
    B. Was sleeping on her lap
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "was sleeping on her lap" because it is in the past continuous tense and matches the ongoing action of the old lady watching TV. This suggests that the cat was sleeping on her lap at the same time.

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  • 3. 

    Was ________. 

    • A.

      Mary doing her homework when I called?

    • B.

      John and Philip watching TV?

    • C.

      John watched the movie? 

    • D.

      Angela screamed? 

    Correct Answer
    A. Mary doing her homework when I called?
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "Was Mary doing her homework when I called?" This question is asking about Mary's activity of doing her homework at the time when the speaker called her. The question is formed using the past continuous tense to inquire about an ongoing action in the past.

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  • 4. 

    She ___________. 

    • A.

      Weren't very young when they married

    • B.

      Wasn't old enough to drive

    • C.

      Weren't good at singing

    • D.

       don’t know how to sing.

    Correct Answer
    B. Wasn't old enough to drive
    Explanation
    The sentence is discussing a female subject who was not old enough to drive. The use of "wasn't" is appropriate for a singular subject (she), and "old enough to drive" implies that the person in question did not meet the minimum age requirement for operating a vehicle. The other options have issues with subject-verb agreement or do not match the context provided in the sentence

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  • 5. 

    They __________. 

    • A.

      Weren't belong

    • B.

      Weren't working when the fire broke out

    • C.

      Doesn't work out. 

    • D.

      Bring here. 

    Correct Answer
    B. Weren't working when the fire broke out
    Explanation
    The past continuous tense is formed with "was/were" + the present participle (verb ending in -ing). Option b) correctly uses this structure to describe an action in progress in the past ("weren't working") when another event occurred ("the fire broke out"). The other options have incorrect verb forms or don't make sense in the context of the past continuous tense.

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  • 6. 

    Luis was playing on the computer when _________. 

    • A.

      He was hearing a noise

    • B.

      He heard the explosion

    • C.

      Eric dance

    • D.

      His mother was sleeping

    Correct Answer
    B. He heard the explosion
    Explanation
    The past simple tense is commonly used to express actions or events that occurred at a specific point in the past and are now finished. In this case, the use of "heard" indicates that Luis perceived the sound of the explosion during his time playing on the computer. 

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  • 7. 

    The audience was applauding until he __________. 

    • A.

      Fall off the stage

    • B.

      Fell of the stage

    • C.

      Falled off the stage

    • D.

      None of the above

    Correct Answer
    B. Fell of the stage
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "fell off the stage." This answer is correct because it accurately uses the past tense form of the verb "fall" to describe the action of someone dropping or descending from the stage. The other options, "fall off the stage," "flew off the stage," and "none of the above," do not accurately convey the action that caused the audience to stop applauding.

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  • 8. 

    The moment I got off the train _________. 

    • A.

      It was starting snow

    • B.

      It started to snow

    • C.

      It snowed

    • D.

      It was snowing 

    Correct Answer
    B. It started to snow
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "it started to snow" because the phrase "got off the train" indicates a specific moment in the past. The use of "started" indicates the beginning of an action, and "to snow" indicates the action of snowfall. Therefore, the correct phrase would be "it started to snow" to convey that the snowfall began at the moment the person got off the train.

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  • 9. 

    When I came home _______. 

    • A.

      The baby was cried

    • B.

      The baby was crying

    • C.

      The baby had cried

    • D.

      The baby cry

    Correct Answer
    B. The baby was crying
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "the baby was crying" because the use of the past continuous tense ("was crying") indicates an ongoing action in the past. This suggests that when the person came home, the baby was already in the process of crying.

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  • 10. 

    Were _________. 

    • A.

      They doing their homework?

    • B.

      I disturbing you?

    • C.

      Us come in? 

    • D.

      I okay?  

    Correct Answer
    A. They doing their homework?
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "they doing their homework?" because the question is asking about the action of a group of people (they) and what they were doing (their homework). The other options are not grammatically correct or do not make sense in the given context.

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Elizabeth Paskert |MEd (Curriculum and Teaching) |
K-5 English Expert
Elizabeth Paskert, an experienced educator with a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Bowling Green State University, brings 10 years of teaching experience in upper elementary with a focus on Reading and Writing instruction. With strong interpersonal and computer skills, her enthusiasm and dedication to the field drive her to continue expanding her knowledge and expertise to excel in her career.

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  • Current Version
  • Nov 11, 2024
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team

    Expert Reviewed by
    Elizabeth Paskert
  • May 15, 2008
    Quiz Created by
    Conchacuevas

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