Past Progressive Tense 1

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| By Jadamsneuric
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Jadamsneuric
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| Attempts: 6,679 | Questions: 20
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1. I ________ at my desk in class.        sleep

Explanation

The correct answer is "was sleeping" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "sleep" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous form to match the subject "I". This form indicates that the action of sleeping was ongoing at a specific time in the past.

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Past Progressive Tense 1 - Quiz

Fill in the blank with the past progressive form of the verb in the sentence.

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2. Andrew ________ lunch when I called him.        eat

Explanation

The correct answer is "was eating" because the sentence is in the past continuous tense. It indicates that Andrew was in the middle of eating lunch when the speaker called him. The past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action in the past.

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3. I ________ late last night.        drive

Explanation

The correct answer is "was driving" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "drive" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous tense to match the subject "I". This indicates that the action of driving occurred at a specific point in the past.

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4. I ________ a cup of tea earlier.        drink

Explanation

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 action that was happening in the past.

Submit
5. I ________ the office all afternoon, but no one answered.        call

Explanation

The correct answer is "was calling" because the sentence is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past. The verb "call" needs to be in the past continuous form "was calling" to match the tense of the sentence. This suggests that the speaker made multiple attempts to call the office throughout the afternoon, but received no response.

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6. Professor Jorge ________ this class last year.        teach

Explanation

The correct answer is "was teaching" because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to an action that happened in the past. "Was teaching" is the past continuous tense form of the verb "teach" and indicates that Professor Jorge was actively engaged in teaching the class at a specific point in the past.

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7. Louis ________ a shower earlier this morning.        take

Explanation

The correct answer is "was taking". This is because the sentence is referring to an action that was happening in the past. The past continuous tense "was taking" is used to describe an ongoing action that was happening at a specific point in the past. In this case, Louis was in the process of taking a shower earlier this morning.

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8. James said that he ________ with us.        come

Explanation

James said that he was coming with us. The verb "said" is in the past tense, indicating that the statement was made in the past. Therefore, the verb "come" needs to be in the past continuous tense to match the tense of the reported speech. "Was coming" is the correct past continuous form of the verb "come" in this context.

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9. They ________ the furniture when I came in.        move

Explanation

The correct answer is "were moving." This is because the verb "were" is used to indicate past continuous tense, suggesting that the action of moving the furniture was ongoing at the time when the speaker entered the scene.

Submit
10. She ________ the cashier when I saw her.        pay

Explanation

The correct answer is "was paying". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "pay" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous tense to show an ongoing action in the past.

Submit
11. The music ________ for hours.        play

Explanation

The correct answer is "was playing" because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to an action that was ongoing in the past. "Was playing" is the past continuous tense form of the verb "play," indicating that the music was being played continuously for a period of time in the past.

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12. Last week they said they ________ the meeting to Friday.        move

Explanation

The sentence is in the past tense, and the verb "said" is also in the past tense. Therefore, to maintain consistency in verb tense, the correct answer should also be in the past tense. "Were moving" is the correct past tense form of the verb "move" in this context.

Submit
13. Last semester I ________ physics and chemistry.        take

Explanation

The correct answer is "was taking". The use of the past continuous tense "was taking" indicates that the action of studying physics and chemistry occurred in the past and was ongoing. This suggests that the person was engaged in the process of studying these subjects during the last semester.

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14. We ________ on the phone for two hours last night.        talk

Explanation

The correct answer is "were talking" because the sentence is referring to an action that was happening in the past. The past continuous tense "were talking" indicates that the action of talking was ongoing for a specific duration of time, which in this case was two hours last night.

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15. The rain ________ from the east.         come

Explanation

The correct answer is "was coming" because the sentence is in the past tense and "was coming" is the correct past progressive form of the verb "come".

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16. He said the movie ________ at 10:00.        start

Explanation

The correct answer is "was starting" because the sentence is in the past tense and requires a verb form that indicates an ongoing action in the past. "Was starting" is the past continuous tense form of the verb "start" and accurately conveys the idea that the movie began at 10:00 in the past.

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17. Lucas and Marie ________ to the game when the car broke down.        go

Explanation

Lucas and Marie were in the process of going to the game when their car broke down. The phrase "were going" indicates that they had already made plans and were en route to the game before the unfortunate incident occurred.

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18. The kids ________ a few hours ago.        sleep

Explanation

The correct answer is "were sleeping" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "sleep" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous form to indicate an ongoing action in the past.

Submit
19. Tina said they ________ around 7:00 p.m.        arrive

Explanation

The sentence is in the past tense and the verb "said" indicates that Tina was speaking about something that happened in the past. The word "were" is the past tense of the verb "to be" and is used to indicate an ongoing action in the past. Therefore, the correct answer is "were arriving" because it shows that Tina was talking about their arrival at around 7:00 p.m. in the past.

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20. We ________ in Brazil last year.        travel

Explanation

The sentence is in the past tense and refers to an action that was happening at a specific point in the past. The verb "were traveling" is in the past continuous tense, which is used to describe ongoing actions in the past. Therefore, "were traveling" is the correct answer.

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  • Oct 05, 2011
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I ________ at my desk in class.        sleep
Andrew ________ lunch when I called him.      ...
I ________ late last night.        drive
I ________ a cup of tea earlier.        drink
I ________ the office all afternoon, but no one answered.  ...
Professor Jorge ________ this class last year.      ...
Louis ________ a shower earlier this morning.      ...
James said that he ________ with us.        come
They ________ the furniture when I came in.      ...
She ________ the cashier when I saw her.      ...
The music ________ for hours.        play
Last week they said they ________ the meeting to Friday.    ...
Last semester I ________ physics and chemistry.      ...
We ________ on the phone for two hours last night.    ...
The rain ________ from the east.         come
He said the movie ________ at 10:00.        start
Lucas and Marie ________ to the game when the car broke down.  ...
The kids ________ a few hours ago.        sleep
Tina said they ________ around 7:00 p.m.      ...
We ________ in Brazil last year.        travel
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