1. She ____ (read) a book when I called her.
a. reads
b. was reading
c. has read
d. read
2. They ____ (play) football at 5 PM yesterday.
a. played
b. were playing
c. are playing
d. have played
3. I ____ (cook) dinner when the doorbell rang.
a. cook
b. cooked
c. was cooking
d. have cooked
4. He ____ (study) for his exam all afternoon.
a. was studying
b. studied
c. studies
d. will study
5. We ____ (watch) TV when she arrived.
a. were watching
b. watched
c. are watching
d. have watched
6. The kids ____ (sleep) when the power went out.
a. sleep
b. were sleeping
c. are sleeping
d. have slept
7. I ____ (walk) to school when I saw my friend.
a. walked
b. was walking
c. am walking
d. have walked
8. The teacher ____ (explain) the lesson while the students ____ (listen).
a. explained, were listening
b. was explaining, listened
c. was explaining, were listening
d. were explaining, listened
9. She ____ (wait) for the bus when it started raining. a. waited
b. waits
c. was waiting
d. has waited
10. We ____ (play) games when the lights went off.
a. were playing
b. played
c. have played
d. play
11. He ____ (write) an email when his boss called him. a. was writing
b. writes
c. wrote
d. has written
12. They ____ (paint) the house when the guests arrived.
a. painted
b. were painting
c. have painted
d. paint
13. The cat ____ (sleep) on the couch when the phone rang.
a. was sleeping
b. sleeps
c. has slept
d. slept
14. I ____ (talk) to my friend when the teacher entered the room.
a. talked
b. was talking
c. have talked
d. talks
15. You ____ (run) in the park when I saw you.
a. ran
b. were running
c. have run
d. run
16. They ____ (have) dinner when the fire alarm went off.
a. had
b. were having
c. have
d. had had
17. I ____ (clean) the house while my brother ____ (sleep).
a. cleaned, slept
b. was cleaning, was sleeping
c. was cleaning, slept
d. cleaned, was sleeping
18. She ____ (sing) a song when I entered the room. a. was singing
b. sings
c. has sung
d. sang
19. We ____ (drive) to the beach when the car broke down.
a. were driving
b. drove
c. have driven
d. drive
20. He ____ (work) on his project all night.
a. was working
b. works
c. worked
d. has worked
21. The baby ____ (cry) when the mother picked her up.
a. cried
b. was crying
c. cries
d. has cried
22. I ____ (look) for my keys when you called.
a. was looking
b. looked
c. have looked
d. look
23. The children ____ (play) in the yard while it ____ (rain).
a. were playing, was raining
b. played, rains
c. play, is raining
d. played, was raining
24. We ____ (eat) breakfast when the power went out. a. were eating
b. eat
c. have eaten
d. ate
25. The dog ____ (bark) when the mailman arrived.
a. was barking
b. barks
c. barked
d. has barked
26. The couple ____ (dance) when the music stopped. a. danced
b. were dancing
c. has danced
d. dances
27. The students ____ (write) their exams when the bell rang.
a. were writing
b. wrote
c. write
d. has written
28. I ____ (shop) for groceries when I saw an old friend.
a. was shopping
b. shop
c. have shopped
d. shopped
29. The chef ____ (prepare) the meal when the guests arrived.
a. was preparing
b. prepared
c. has prepared
d. prepares
30. She ____ (read) a book when her phone rang.
a. was reading
b. read
c. has read
d. reads
Fill in the blanks with the past continuous
1. The children ____ hide and seek in the park. (play)
2. They ____ to the movies. (go)
3. I ___ the book you gave me on my birthday. (read)
4. Winnie _____ her new dress. (stitch)
5. The dogs ____ all night. (bark)
6. Ron ___ his room when he heard the noise. (clean)
7. It ___ darker with each passing moment. (get)
8. The gardener ____ the lawn. (water)
9. The army ___ to Ladakh when the enemy attacked them. (go)
10. My sister ____ a Royal Enfield yesterday. (ride)
11. The students ____ on their assignments. (work)
12. That boy ____ in class. (dance)
13. The kid ____ television all evening. (watch)
14. The girl ____ to rock music. (listen)
15. The birds ____ in the sky. (fly)
