Available Answers

1. 1.

   Complete these sentences using the past perfect form of the verbs in brackets.

   1. They disconnected my electricity. I had forgotten (forget) to pay the bill.
   2. Maria's room was dirty. She _______________ (not clean) it for days.
   3. Mr Mohan's house was no longer there. The city corporation _______________ (pull) it down.
   4. She no longer had a bike. She _______________ (sell) it off to pay the doctor's bills.
   5. There was a great shortage of water in the area. It _______________ (not rain) there for months.
   6. Sorry, I wasn't at home when you came by. I _______________ (go) to my aunt's.
   7. I did not recognise Leela. She _______________ (put) on a lot of weight.
   8. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, she _______________ (reign) for over sixty years.
2. 2.

   Use the past perfect form of the verbs in the box to complete these sentences.

   leave, speak, complete, receive, finish, swim, learn, take

   1. When I had finished reading my book, I went for a walk.
   2. After they _______________ the marathon, the boys felt tired.
   3. The pilot could not be warned, because he _______________ already _______________ off.
   4. When we arrived at the party, everyone else _______________.
   5. Tina _______________ to read before she started school.
   6. I _______________ the message before she telephoned me.
   7. After the chairman _______________, the band started playing again.
   8. She _______________ into deep water before she realised it.
3. 3.

   Complete this passage by circling the correct past tense form of the verbs.

   She (was had been) a Tamil by birth, but she (lived/ had lived) outside Tamil Nadu most of her life. She (lived/had lived) in Delhi, Agra, Nagpur and Mumbai. Although she (enjoyed/had enjoyed) staying in these cities, she (was never/had never been) free from homesickness. She (missed/had missed) her home state.

4. 4.

   Use one of the verbs in brackets in the simple past and the other in the past perfect tense to complete these sentences.

   1. He found (find), on putting his hand into his pocket, that he had left (leave) his purse at home.
   2. They _______________ (go) for a stroll after they _______________ (eat) their dinner.
   3. When I _______________ (call) at his place, he _______________ (leave) for his office, so I _______________ (miss) seeing him.
   4. A man I once _______________ (know) _______________ (write) a book on Japan. He _______________ (never visit) that country. As a matter of fact, he _______________ (never travel) out of his city.
   5. The principal _______________ (read) his welcome address by the time we _______________ (arrive).
   6. They _______________ (allot) a house to us in 2006. By then, we _______________ (wait) for five years.
   7. When I _______________ (meet) him, I _______________ (think) I _______________ (see) him somewhere before.
5. 5.

   Complete these sentences with the past perfect continuous form of the verbs in brackets.

   1. He had been studying all day. So, he took a break. (study)
   2. We _______________ for nearly three hours, before the bus arrived. (wait)
   3. She _______________ for over an hour on the phone, when her mother asked her to come down for dinner. (talk)
   4. How long _______________ she _______________? (sleep)
   5. Anita _______________ as a teacher in the local school before she decided to travel the world. (work)
   6. Aniruch lost some weight back then, because he _______________. (exercise)
   7. Sania could not take the tests, since she _______________ classes regularly. (not attend)
   8. Which book _______________ she _______________ when you saw her? (read)
6. 6.

   Choose the correct form of the verbs to complete these sentences.

   1. I met him as he was crossing the road.
      1. was crossing
      2. had crossed
      3. had been crossing
   2. I _______________ about it just before you mentioned it.
      1. was thinking
      2. had thought
      3. had been thinking
   3. _______________ she _______________ the sitar for years before she released her first CD?
      1. Did, practise
      2. Was, practising
      3. Had, been practising
   4. John went for a swim after he _______________ lunch.
      1. was having
      2. had had
      3. had been having
   5. We _______________ for a long time, when we realised it was past 7 o'clock.
      1. were playing
      2. had played
      3. had been playing