1. They were cold because they...

A) walked
B) had walked
C) had been walking
D) was walking

2. I... while granny was washing up.

A) had slept
B) had been sleeping
C) slept
D) was sleeping

3. Tim... the door when he heard some noise outside.

A) hardly closed
B) had been hardly closing
C) was hardly closing
D) had hardly closed

4. They... the computer by Wednesday.

A) had repaired
B) were repairing
C) had been repairing
D) repaired

5. He... the walls when suddenly he fell off the stool.

A) papered
B) was papering
C) had papered
D) had been papering

6. We... in the sun all day yesterday.

A) lay
B) had lain
C) were lying
D) had been lying

7. Sara .... home, ... with her son from 4 till 6, then ... TV the whole evening.

A) came, was playing, watched
B) came, played, watched
C) came, played, was watching
D) had come, played, watched

8. .... the door, when he heard a telephone call.

A) Hardly he closed
B) Had hardly he closed
C) He had closed hardly
D) Hardly had he closed

9. The dolphin ... when the vets arrived. They couldn't help him.

A) died
B) had died
C) was dying
D) had been dying

10. After my cousins..., I went to the garden.

A) had left
B) left
C) had been leaving
D) were leaving

11. Jill... a moment ago but I didn't hear the call.

A) had phoned
B) phoned
C) had been phoning
D) was phoning

12. I wonder if you ... me a glass of water.

A) can give
B) could give
C) will give
D) would give

13. Nobody was in the house. The police... when Mr Franco got home.

A) were already leaving
B) had already left
C) will give
D) had already been leaving

14. She... in 1983 in Tunisia.

A) born
B) was born
C) had been born
D) had born

They were cold because they... in the snow. C) had been walking
- This sentence uses the past perfect continuous tense, emphasizing the duration of their activity before they became cold.
I... while granny was washing up. D) was sleeping
- This shows two simultaneous actions in the past. The past continuous tense is suitable for actions happening at the same time.
Tim... the door when he heard some noise outside. D) had hardly closed
- This uses the past perfect tense to highlight that the completion of closing the door closely preceded hearing the noise.
They... the computer by Wednesday. A) had repaired
- The past perfect tense indicates that the repair was completed before Wednesday.
He... the walls when suddenly he fell off the stool. B) was papering
- The past continuous tense illustrates an ongoing action interrupted by a sudden event.
We... in the sun all day yesterday. C) were lying
- The past continuous tense is used for an action that lasted during a longer period yesterday.
Sara .... home, ... with her son from 4 till 6, then ... TV the whole evening. A) came, was playing, watched
- "came" for the completed action of arriving, "was playing" in past continuous for her activity with her son, and "watched" for a completed action in the evening.
.... the door, when he heard a telephone call. D) Hardly had he closed
- This structure shows a rare inversion used with "hardly" in conjunction with the past perfect tense.
The dolphin ... when the vets arrived. They couldn't help him. B) had died
- The past perfect tense indicates the dolphin's death occurred before the vets arrived.
After my cousins..., I went to the garden. A) had left
- Past perfect tense is used because the cousins’ departure occurred before the action of going to the garden.
Jill... a moment ago but I didn't hear the call. B) phoned
- The simple past is appropriate for actions that happened just a short time ago.
I wonder if you ... me a glass of water. B) could give
- "could give" is a polite request.
Nobody was in the house. The police... when Mr Franco got home. B) had already left
- The past perfect tense indicates that the police had left before the specific time Mr. Franco arrived.
She... in 1983 in Tunisia. B) was born
- "was born" uses the past simple tense to indicate a completed event in the past.