Level 3 has four past tenses. First choose the time. Then choose A, B, C, or D. Level 3 uses all four.

	At the story time	Earlier than another past time
A whole action: A (simple) or C (perfect)	Past Simple I opened the door.	Past Perfect I had opened the door.
An activity: B (continuous) or D (perfect continuous)	Past Continuous I was opening boxes.	Past Perfect Continuous I had been opening boxes for an hour.

Look at five sentences. Each one shows a different choice.

This map shows every use in the past tenses. The last column links to the lesson that teaches it.

The use	Example	Tense	Lesson
A finished action in a story	She opened the door and walked in.	Past Simple	24
A past habit or a past state	We lived in Rome for five years.	Past Simple	25, 26
An action in progress when another action happened	I was cooking when the phone rang.	Past Continuous	27
An activity over a period, or the background	It was raining all afternoon.	Past Continuous	28
A gradual change in the past	Prices were rising that year.	Past Continuous	29
A temporary habit, or an annoying habit	He was always losing his keys.	Past Continuous	30, 31
An action before another past action	I had eaten before she arrived.	Past Perfect	47
Done by a past time	By noon, I had finished the report.	Past Perfect	48
A wish or a regret about the past	I wish I had studied more.	Past Perfect	49
The unreal past (third conditional)	If I had known, I would have called.	Past Perfect	50
A long activity before a past event	I had been waiting an hour when he came.	Past Perfect Continuous	51
A habit up to a past event	She had been practicing daily before the injury.	Past Perfect Continuous	52
Result or activity?	had built (done) or had been building (activity)	Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous	53
Reporting what someone said	She said she had finished.	One step back	54

One story can use all four tenses. Each tense has one job.

Use two quick tests when two tenses look possible.

Use the same two tests for the simple and continuous pair.

Some verbs describe a condition, not an action. They do not use -ing in any tense.

With two past actions, the tense shows which came first.

Lesson 47 teaches this contrast in full.

Click the tense that completes the sentence correctly.

• 1
  I the door and walked in. (open)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A finished action in the story. Use the Past Simple.
• 2
  I dinner when the phone rang. (cook)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was in progress at that time. Use the Past Continuous.
• 3
  When she arrived, we the cake already. (eat)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was done before another past time. Use the Past Perfect.
• 4
  At five o’clock, my hands were sore. I boxes since noon. (carry)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A long activity before a past time. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
• 5
  At eight o’clock last night, he TV. (watch)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was in progress at that time. Use the Past Continuous.
• 6
  By Friday, they the whole house. (clean)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was done before another past time. Use the Past Perfect.
• 7
  Yesterday, he to the store and bought milk. (walk)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A finished action in the story. Use the Past Simple.
• 8
  By the time the bus came, she for an hour. (wait)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A long activity before a past time. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.

Type the correct verb form for the verb given.

• 1
  I the key under the mat and opened the door. (find)
• 2
  She a shower when the lights went out. (take)
• 3
  By noon, I all my emails. (send)
• 4
  At midnight, his eyes were red. He since six o’clock. (read)
• 5
  They soccer when it started to rain. (play)
• 6
  We dinner before the guests arrived. (cook)
• 7
  By the time the train came, he for an hour. (wait)
• 8
  Last summer, we to the lake every weekend. (drive)

Each sentence has a mistake in the verb. The wrong form is shown in brackets. Type the correct verb form.

• 1
  I the movie before you called. (wrong: saw)
• 2
  She the news when the phone rang. (wrong: watched)
• 3
  I her for ten years when we met. (wrong: had been knowing)
• 4
  By Friday, they the whole report. (wrong: finished)
• 5
  If I the answer, I would have told you. (wrong: would have known)
• 6
  He five emails by noon. (wrong: had been writing)
• 7
  By the time I arrived, she in the garden for hours. (wrong: worked)
• 8
  She said she tired. (wrong: is)

Type the correct verb form in speaker B’s answer, or in the report.

• 1
  A: Why was she so tired at the party?
  B: She since five a.m. (work)
• 2
  A: What were you doing at nine?
  B: I a movie. (watch)
• 3
  A: Did Tom come to the party?
  B: No. He home before we arrived. (go)
• 4
  A: How did you break your arm?
  B: I off a ladder. (fall)
• 5
  A: Why did you miss the bus?
  B: I my wallet, so I went back. (forget)
• 6
  A: Maria said, “I finished the report.”
  B: So she said she it. (finish)
• 7
  A: Why were the streets wet?
  B: It since midnight. (rain)
• 8
  A: Where were you at six?
  B: I dinner. (cook)

Click the tense that completes speaker B’s answer.

• 1
  A: Why were the kids so muddy?
  B: They in the garden all afternoon. (play)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A long activity before a past time. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
• 2
  A: Did you see the accident?
  B: Yes. I home when it happened. (walk)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was in progress at that time. Use the Past Continuous.
• 3
  A: Was the movie good?
  B: I don’t know. It when I arrived. (already / start)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was done before another past time. Use the Past Perfect.
• 4
  A: How was your trip?
  B: Great! We the city for three days. (visit)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A finished action in the story. Use the Past Simple.
• 5
  A: What did you do after dinner?
  B: I the dishes and went to bed. (wash)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A finished action in the story. Use the Past Simple.
• 6
  A: Why were you so tired at noon?
  B: I since five o’clock. (work)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — A long activity before a past time. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
• 7
  A: Why didn’t you answer the phone?
  B: I a shower. (take)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was in progress at that time. Use the Past Continuous.
• 8
  A: Was Tom surprised at the party?
  B: Nobody him about it before he arrived. (tell)

  Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

  ✓ Correct — The action was done before another past time. Use the Past Perfect.

Read each question. Choose the sentence that matches.

• Story time, finished → Past Simple.
• Story time, in progress → Past Continuous.
• Earlier, finished (number, result) → Past Perfect.
• Earlier, long activity (how long) → Past Perfect Continuous.
• State verbs (know, need, want, like) have no -ing.
• Past Perfect also appears in wishes, if-sentences, and reports.

✓ Mark this lesson complete