Grammar

Level B2

Part 1 - Past Tenses

Exercises Feed

For questions 1-10, choose the correct answer.

1

Past Tenses

When I got to the cinema, the film .......... already .......... .

had / started

did / start

was / starting

has / started

2

Past Tenses

I .......... my old emails when I .......... an important message from 2019.

have deleted / found

deleted / was finding

was deleting / found

had deleted / have found

3

Past Tenses

By the time the meeting ended, we .......... the main issue but we .......... on a solution yet.

had discussed / hadn't agreed

discussed / didn't agree

have discussed / haven't agreed

were discussing / weren't agreeing

4

Past Tenses

She .......... for the company for six months when she .......... her first big client.

worked / was landing

has been working / landed

had been working / landed

was working / has landed

5

Past Tenses

I .......... to call you, but my phone battery .......... .

have gone / died

had gone / has died

was going / died

went / was dying

6

Past Tenses

They .......... the contract twice before they finally .......... it.

were checking / have signed

had checked / signed

checked / had signed

have checked / signed

7

Past Tenses

While I .......... for the bus, I realised I .......... my wallet at home.

had waited / was leaving

am waiting / had left

waited / left

was waiting / had left

8

Past Tenses

He .......... the presentation all morning, so by lunchtime he .......... completely exhausted.

was preparing / has been

has been preparing / was

had been preparing / was

prepared / had been

9

Past Tenses

As soon as I .......... the door, I .......... that something was wrong.

had opened / have noticed

opened / noticed

open / noticed

was opening / had noticed

10

Past Tenses

We .......... about the merger for weeks before the CEO finally .......... it publicly.

heard / had confirmed

have been hearing / confirmed

had been hearing / confirmed

were hearing / has confirmed

What to do

This part consists of a number of assessments, each of which has only one valid answer.

Select the best answer according to what you read.

There's only one valid answer

There's only a correct answer which you will have to select by clicking on it.

Don't spend unnecessary time

Don't spend time in an assessment you don't know. Wasting time on this activity might cost you points later in the exam because you won’t have enough time to do other tasks well. Get used to being quick!

Grammar is a must

Although these grammar tests are not part of the official Cambridge exams, they are still important as they touch on language elements that you'll come across in all parts of the official exams, such as Reading and Use of English.

Strategy

Read the assessment so you understand what it is about.
Pay attention to the topic on the top-right corner of each assessment.
Check the words before and after each gap and look for grammatical collocations.
Remember that you select a choice by clicking on it.

Instructions

For questions 1-10, choose the correct answer.

Exercise Details

Author

petroni agostina

@petroni-agostina

User Prompt

"Create a grammar exercise focusing on 'Past Tenses'"

Tone: Standard

Level: B2

Created on:

Apr 24, 2026

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