Exercise 2: past continuous/progressive

(Practise your skills in forming the past continuous)

Past progressive (ing form) – cloze test (difficulty: 3 of 5 – medium)

Fill the gaps with the correct verb form of the past progressive or continuous combined with the information in brackets. Pay attention to the interrogative sentences and their word order. Do not use short or contracted forms for the gaps.

  • Example: “____________ on the phone?” (she, talk) → “Was she talking on the phone?”

You can check your results with the button below after you have finished. If you still need help with the topic, reread the use and formation of the past progressive/continuous as well as the word order in questions. You may also use the hint button, but note that you will lose points for that.

  1. a lot of beer. (they, drink)
  2. to music? (she, listen)
  3. with his brother. (he, play)
  4. A: that scary movie? (she, watch)
    B: No, she wasn’t. yoga. (she, do)
  5. They were not at home. their parents. (they, visit)
  6. Where were Sue and Allen? their new bikes? (they, ride)
  7. when you came home? (your mother, cook)
  8. in the garage. (my dad, work)
  9. on the bench when I saw that rare bird. (I, sit)

Further exercises and explanations related to the ‘Past continuous’

The following exercises and explanations are related to the English tense ‘Past continuous/progressive’ and also test your knowledge: