Past Continuous Tense Quiz!
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Andres _____ something into her mobile phone when Luis appeared.
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Was typping
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Was typeing
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Typing
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Was typing
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This 'Past Continuous Tense Quiz' assesses understanding of the past continuous tense in English grammar. It includes questions on identifying and forming sentences in the past continuous tense, enhancing learners' ability to describe actions ongoing in the past.
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- 2.
Some friends _____ yesterday evening.
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Were playing
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Weren´t plaing
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Was playing
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Were playying
Correct Answer
A. Were playingExplanation
The correct answer is "were playing" because the subject "friends" is plural, so the verb should also be in the plural form "were." Additionally, the word "playing" is the correct verb form to match with the subject "friends" in the past continuous tense.Rate this question:
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- 3.
The past continuous tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing at a specific moment in the past.
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True
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False
Correct Answer
A. TrueExplanation
The past continuous tense describes actions or events that were in progress at a particular time in the past. It is formed using "was/were" followed by the verb's present participle (e.g., "was running" or "were studying"). This tense provides context by indicating that the action was ongoing when another action occurred.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Peter ________ (drink) soda in his dinner.
Correct Answer
was drinkingExplanation
The correct answer is "was drinking" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "drink" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous form to indicate an ongoing action in the past. Therefore, "was drinking" is the appropriate choice to complete the sentence.Rate this question:
- 5.
Paula ________ (come) home from school when she saw an accident.
Correct Answer
was comingExplanation
The correct answer is "was coming" because the sentence is describing an action that was happening in the past. "Was coming" is the past continuous tense of the verb "come" and indicates that Paula was in the process of coming home from school when she saw the accident.Rate this question:
- 6.
Andrew ________ (insert) a photo into his document when the teacher stopped the class.
Correct Answer
was insertingExplanation
The correct answer is "was inserting" because the sentence is in the past tense and is describing an action that was happening at a specific point in the past. "Was inserting" is the correct past continuous tense form of the verb "to insert" to match the subject "Andrew."Rate this question:
- 7.
Daniela _____ herself on Facebook.
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Entertain
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Entertaining
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Has entertaining
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Was entertaining
Correct Answer
A. Was entertainingExplanation
The verb tense in this sentence should be in the past continuous form to convey that Daniela was engaged in an action in the past. In this case, the action of "entertaining herself on Facebook" was ongoing or in progress at a specific point in the past. Therefore, "was entertaining" is the appropriate verb form to use in this context.Rate this question:
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- 8.
He ________ (open) the box when he cut his finger.
Correct Answer
was openingExplanation
The correct answer is "was opening". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the action of opening the box was ongoing at the time when he cut his finger. The past continuous tense "was opening" is used to describe an action that was happening in the past at a specific moment.Rate this question:
- 9.
Choose the sentence that correctly uses the past continuous tense.
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She was watching TV when the phone rang.
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They eat dinner at eight o'clock last night.
Correct Answer
A. She was watching TV when the phone rang.Explanation
The past continuous tense describes actions or events in progress at a specific time in the past. It is formed using "was" or "were" with the "-ing" form of the verb. For example, "She was watching TV when the phone rang" illustrates an ongoing action interrupted by another event.Rate this question:
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- 10.
_____ a bunch of roses when you opened the door?
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Was your husband holdding
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Was your husband helding
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Was your husband holding
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Was your husband heldding
Correct Answer
A. Was your husband holdingExplanation
The correct answer is "Was your husband holding." This is the correct form of the verb "hold" in the past continuous tense. It is used to describe an action that was happening at a specific point in the past. In this case, it suggests that the husband was in the act of holding a bunch of roses when the door was opened.Rate this question:
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- 11.
Were Lina and Maria working at home?
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Correct
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Incorrect
Correct Answer
A. CorrectExplanation
The given answer "correct" suggests that Lina and Maria were indeed working at home. This implies that both individuals were engaged in some form of work or tasks within the confines of their home environment.Rate this question:
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- 12.
All the citizens ________ (try) to pay their taxes.
Correct Answer
were tryingExplanation
The correct answer is "were trying" because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to a continuous action in the past. "Were trying" is the past continuous tense form of the verb "try" and accurately describes the action of citizens attempting to pay their taxes.Rate this question:
- 13.
Joe and Sam ________ (use) the wrong program in IT yesterday.
Correct Answer
were usingExplanation
The correct answer is "were using" because it is the past continuous tense of the verb "use". This tense is used to describe an ongoing action that was happening in the past. In this case, Joe and Sam were actively using the wrong program in IT yesterday.Rate this question:
- 14.
We ____________ in the garden.
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Were not runing
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Were resting
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Are jumping
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Were cring in the garden
Correct Answer
A. Were restingExplanation
The correct answer is "were resting". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "resting" agrees with the subject "we".Rate this question:
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- 15.
You _______________ with my sister.
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Was dating
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Were singing
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Were not studing
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Was not watching TV
Correct Answer
A. Were singingExplanation
The correct answer is "were singing". This is because the sentence is in the past continuous tense, which is used to describe an ongoing action in the past. The verb "singing" is in the past continuous form, and it is correctly paired with the subject "you".Rate this question:
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- 16.
I ________ ( not make ) my dinner at 8 o’clock last night.
Correct Answer
was not making , Was not making, wasn't makingExplanation
The correct answer is "was not making" because the sentence is in the past tense and the negative form of the verb "make" is "was not making." This indicates that the action of making dinner did not happen at 8 o'clock last night.Rate this question:
- 17.
The kids _____ bags full of stuff through the airport.
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Wasn't dragging
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Weren't draging
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Not dragging
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Weren't dragging
Correct Answer
A. Weren't draggingExplanation
The correct answer is "weren't dragging." This is because the subject of the sentence is "kids," which is plural, so the verb should also be plural. "Weren't" is the plural form of "wasn't" and is the correct verb choice to agree with the subject. "Dragging" is the correct verb form in this sentence to show that the kids were pulling or carrying bags through the airport.Rate this question:
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- 18.
In 1999 most people ________ (not live) in Dublin.
Correct Answer
were not livingExplanation
In 1999, the majority of people in Dublin were not living there. This suggests that there was a significant number of individuals who resided elsewhere during that time.Rate this question:
- 19.
Peter ____________ a lot of noise.
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Was not doing
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Was shouting
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Was screaming
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Was not speaking
Correct Answer
A. Was not doingExplanation
The correct answer is "was not doing" because the sentence states that Peter was making a lot of noise, which implies that he was doing something to create that noise. However, the answer "was not doing" indicates that Peter was not engaged in any specific activity that was causing the noise. Therefore, this answer is the most appropriate to describe the situation.Rate this question:
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- 20.
Select the correct ones.
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Rowing
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Danceing
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Trying
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Speaking
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Swimming
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Lieing
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Loving
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Working
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Listenning
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Running
Correct Answer(s)
A. Rowing
A. Trying
A. Speaking
A. Swimming
A. Loving
A. Working
A. RunningExplanation
The correct forms of the words are "rowing," "trying," "speaking," "swimming," "loving," "working," and "running." These verbs follow the standard rules for forming the present participle, typically by adding "-ing" to the base verb. Incorrect forms like "danceing" (should be "dancing"), "lieing" (should be "lying"), and "listenning" (should be "listening") result from misunderstandings of spelling changes, such as dropping the "e" or doubling consonants where appropriate.Rate this question:
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Current Version
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Sep 01, 2024Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team -
Jul 09, 2020Quiz Created by
Celica