Exercises

Ex. 1. Read a situation and then write a sentence.

Pattern: The two boys came into the house. One had a black eye and the other had a cut lip. (they/fight)

- They had been fighting.

1.Tom was watching television. He was feeling very tired. (he/study/hard all day)

2.When I walked into the room, it was empty. But there was a smell of cigarettes. (somebody/smoke/in the room)

3.When Mary came back from the beach, she looked very red from the sun. (she/lie/in the sun too long)

4.The two boys came into the house. They had a football and they were both very tired. (they/play)

7.When I met him, he was out of breath. (he/run)

Ex. 2 ⃰. Read a situation and then write a sentence.

Pattern: We began playing football. After half an hour was a terrible storm.

- We had been playing for half an hour when there was a terrible storm.

1. The orchestra began playing at the concert. After about ten minutes a man in the audience suddenly began shouting.

- The orchestra … for about ten minutes when …

2. I had arranged to meet Tom in a restaurant. I arrived and began waiting. After 20 minutes I realized that I had come to the wrong restaurant.

- I … when I …

3. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins went to live in the south of France. Six months later Mr. Jenkins died.

- They … when …

Ex. 3. Answer the questions.

1. How long had they been staying at the hotel when they decided to leave it? 2. How long had they been travelling before they stopped for a meal? 3. How long had they been lying in the sun before they moved into the shade? 4. How long had you been doing your homework before you parents came? 5. How long had they been living in the country-house when they made up their minds to move? 6. How long had been travelling abroad before they returned home? 7. How long had you been watching television before you turned it off? 8. How long had Roger been swimming in the sea when his sister asked him to swim ashore? 9. What had they been discussing for a few minutes before they started off? 10. How long had he been working in the garden when he felt tired?

Ex. 4 ⃰. Read a situation and then write a sentence.

Pattern: Jane said she had begun to go in for figure skating years before and she was still going in for it.

- Jane said she had been going in for figure skating for years.

1. We knew he had begun to play football a year before and he was still playing it. 2. They said Roger had begun to prepare for his trip a few days before and he was still preparing for it. 3. Ann’s mother got angry because Ann had begun to watch television an hour and a half before and she was still watching it. 4. They wondered whether it had begun to rain heavily a few minutes before and if it was still raining heavily. 5. She remarked that she had begun to ski several years before and she was still skiing.

Ex. 5. Translate into English.

1.Мы находились (stay) в Москве два дня, когда решили посетить Третьяковскую галерею. 2. Мы знали, что Том играет в теннис уже три года. 3. Погода была ужасная: было холодно и ветрено. Дождь шел уже несколько дней. 4. Когда мы переехали в этот город, наши соседи жили здесь уже около года. 5. В 12 часов мы решили уйти с пляжа, так как лежали на солнце с раннего утра. 6. Том не хотел рассказывать матери, что он делал все это время. 7. Они ехали (drive) полчаса, прежде чем Ник начал говорить. 8. Он сказал, что его друзья охотятся уже 10 дней. 9. Мы разговаривали о том, что мы делали после того, как окончили школу. 10. Никто не знал, что Петр играет на гитаре с тех пор, как ему исполнилось 12 лет.

Ex. 6. Put the verb into the Past Perfect Continuous or the Past Continuous.

1.Tom was leaning against the wall, out of breath. He (run). 2. I tried to catch Tom but I couldn’t. He (run) very fast. 3. Jim was on his hands and knees on the floor. He (look) for his cigarette lighter. 4. We (walk) along the road for about 20 minutes when a car stopped and the driver offered us a lift. 5. When I arrived, everyone was sitting round the table with their mouths full. They (eat). 6. When I arrived, everyone was sitting round the table and talking. Their mouths were empty but their stomachs were full. They (eat). 7. When I arrived, Ann (wait) for me. She was rather annoyed with me because I was late and she (wait) for a very long time.