The Simple Past and Past Perfect tenses play a crucial part in English grammar. Simple Past indicates an action that occurred and was completed at a distinct point in the past. It often includes words like ‘yesterday’, ‘last night’, ‘a year ago’, etc. In contrast, Past Perfect is all about sequencing of actions in the past. It usually implies that an action took place and was completed before another action occurred.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct Simple Past form of the verb given in brackets.
1. She *lived* (live) in Japan for a year.
2. Last night, we *watched* (watch) a horror movie.
3. The students *submitted* (submit) their assignments on time.
4. I *went* (go) to the store to buy some groceries.
5. They *delayed* (delay) their vacation due to heavy rain.
6. My mother *cooked* (cook) a delicious meal for dinner.
7. She *forgot* (forget) to lock the doors before she left.
8. The kids *played* (play) hide and seek in the park.
9. The dog *chased* (chase) its tail.
10. Stacey *passed* (pass) the driving test yesterday.
11. The team *won* (win) the championship last year.
12. I *finished* (finish) the work by 5 o’clock.
13. The mechanic *fixed* (fix) my car in the morning.
14. I *called* (call) him but he didn’t answer.
15. The bird *flew* (fly) away before I could take a picture.
2. Last night, we *watched* (watch) a horror movie.
3. The students *submitted* (submit) their assignments on time.
4. I *went* (go) to the store to buy some groceries.
5. They *delayed* (delay) their vacation due to heavy rain.
6. My mother *cooked* (cook) a delicious meal for dinner.
7. She *forgot* (forget) to lock the doors before she left.
8. The kids *played* (play) hide and seek in the park.
9. The dog *chased* (chase) its tail.
10. Stacey *passed* (pass) the driving test yesterday.
11. The team *won* (win) the championship last year.
12. I *finished* (finish) the work by 5 o’clock.
13. The mechanic *fixed* (fix) my car in the morning.
14. I *called* (call) him but he didn’t answer.
15. The bird *flew* (fly) away before I could take a picture.
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct Past Perfect form of the verb given in brackets.
1. I had already *eaten* (eat) by the time he arrived.
2. She felt better after she had *taken* (take) her medicine.
3. They had *loved*(love) their time at the beach.
4. The professor had *explained* (explain) the concept before the students asked.
5. I had *written* (write) three pages of my essay by midnight.
6. Alice had *left* (leave) when you called.
7. The dog had *caught* (catch) the frisbee in no time.
8. We had *finished* (finish) all the food before the guests arrived.
9. The room had *changed* (change) a lot since I last visited.
10. She had *read* (read) the whole book by the end of the day.
11. He had *worked* (work) here before he got the promotion.
12. The baker had *baked* (bake) all the bread by morning.
13. I couldn’t find my car key because I *lost* (lose) it.
14. They had *boarded* (board) the plane by the time we reached.
15. The garden had *bloomed* (bloom) with flowers by spring.
2. She felt better after she had *taken* (take) her medicine.
3. They had *loved*(love) their time at the beach.
4. The professor had *explained* (explain) the concept before the students asked.
5. I had *written* (write) three pages of my essay by midnight.
6. Alice had *left* (leave) when you called.
7. The dog had *caught* (catch) the frisbee in no time.
8. We had *finished* (finish) all the food before the guests arrived.
9. The room had *changed* (change) a lot since I last visited.
10. She had *read* (read) the whole book by the end of the day.
11. He had *worked* (work) here before he got the promotion.
12. The baker had *baked* (bake) all the bread by morning.
13. I couldn’t find my car key because I *lost* (lose) it.
14. They had *boarded* (board) the plane by the time we reached.
15. The garden had *bloomed* (bloom) with flowers by spring.
