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Narrative Tenses – Worksheet 1

B2 Upper-intermediate WorksheetEnglish

This worksheet practises the four narrative tenses: past simple, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous. B2 learners work on form, meaning and use, including negatives, questions and time linkers such as when, while and by the time. The exercises move from controlled gap-fills to error correction, rewriting and sentence building.

items
38
Time
35 min
PDF
5 pages
Answer key
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Exercise 1: Complete the sentences

Put the verb in brackets into the correct narrative tense: past simple, past continuous, past perfect or past perfect continuous.

Example: When we got to the stadium, the match ___ (already/start). → had already started

  1. When I arrived at the station, the train (already/leave).

  2. While Marta (cook) dinner, the lights suddenly went out.

  3. Tom was exhausted because he (run) for over an hour.

  4. I didn't recognise Leo at first because he (grow) a beard.

  5. How long (you/wait) when the bus finally came?

  6. The phone rang, so I (answer) it.

  7. We (not/eat) anything all day, so we were starving by the evening.

  8. What (you/do) when the fire alarm went off?

Exercise 2: Choose the right word

Complete each sentence with one word from the box. There are two extra words you do not need.

Word box whenwhilebybeenhadneverdidn'twereduringever

  1. Kofi was walking home he saw a strange light in the sky.

  2. Someone stole my bag I was sleeping on the train.

  3. We had finished all the preparations the time the guests arrived.

  4. How long had you living in Madrid before you moved to Lisbon?

  5. you ever travelled abroad before that trip to Japan?

  6. I had seen snow before I moved to Canada.

  7. We have time to say goodbye because the taxi was waiting.

  8. you sleeping when I called you last night?

Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences

Rewrite each sentence as instructed in brackets. Keep the same tense unless the instruction tells you to change it.

Example: He was reading the news. (negative) → He wasn't reading the news.

  1. She had locked the door before she left. (negative)

  2. They were watching TV when the storm started. (question)

  3. He had been working there for ten years. (question with How long)

  4. The streets were flooded. It had rained for hours. (one sentence with because; use the past perfect continuous)

  5. I lost my keys, so I couldn't get into the house. (one sentence with because; use the past perfect)

  6. Everyone left the party. Then Jamal arrived. (one sentence with When; use the past perfect)

  7. Mia was crying because she had lost her phone. (question with Why)

  8. We were expecting so many people. (negative)

Exercise 4: Find and correct the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the corrected sentence.

Example: I was seeing a great film last night. → I saw a great film last night.

  1. When I got home, my parents already had dinner.

  2. I was knowing the answer, but I was too shy to say it.

  3. We were having a picnic when it was starting to rain.

  4. Did you saw the accident yesterday?

  5. She had been worked at the bank for years before she retired.

  6. They didn't went to the concert because they had lost the tickets.

  7. Had you been finish the report when the boss asked for it?

  8. By the time the firefighters arrived, the fire has destroyed the building.

Exercise 5: Put the words in order

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences and questions.

Example: was / she / when / I / arrived / sleeping → She was sleeping when I arrived.

  1. had / she / before / never / flown / that / day

  2. you / what / when / doing / were / I / phoned

  3. been / long / how / waiting / had / they / when / the / doors / opened

  4. wasn't / because / he / listening / he / missed / the / instructions

  5. the / had / film / already / started / we / when / arrived

  6. hadn't / she / why / told / anyone

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About this test

B2 narrative tenses worksheet: past simple, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous, with negatives, questions and answers.

Topics covered

Past simplePast continuousPast perfectPast perfect continuousTime linkers in storiesNegatives and questions

Notes for teachers

Start with a short timeline on the board to show which action happened first, which was in progress and which interrupted it. Then let students do Exercises 1 and 2 in pairs. Typical mistakes are using the past simple instead of the past perfect for the earlier action, using stative verbs such as know in the continuous, and putting a past form after did or didn't. As a follow-up, ask students to write a short story beginning 'By the time I got home, ...' that uses all four tenses.

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