Grammar

Level C1

Part 1 - Past Tenses

Exercises Feed

For questions 1-10, choose the correct answer.

1

Past Tenses

By the time the conference call began, the IT team .......... the audio issue.

has already resolved

already resolved

was already resolving

had already resolved

2

Past Tenses

I .......... through the appendix when I noticed a discrepancy in the figures.

had skimmed

was skimming

skimmed

have been skimming

3

Past Tenses

She looked exhausted because she .......... all night to meet the deadline.

worked

had been working

has been working

was working

4

Past Tenses

Hardly .......... the memo when the legal team requested a revision.

we circulated

did we circulate

we had circulated

had we circulated

5

Past Tenses

When I was a junior analyst, I .......... to double-check every assumption before presenting my findings.

would

used to

was used to

had

6

Past Tenses

The spokesperson confirmed that the documents .......... to the press without authorisation.

had been leaked

were leaked

have been leaked

leaked

7

Past Tenses

I .......... if you could possibly send the revised contract by close of business.

am wondering

was wondering

wondered

wonder

8

Past Tenses

They .......... the merger for months, but the talks collapsed after the regulator intervened.

have been negotiating

negotiated

were negotiating

had been negotiating

9

Past Tenses

It was the first time he .......... in front of such a hostile audience.

has spoken

was speaking

had spoken

spoke

10

Past Tenses

She .......... the report twice before she realised a key citation was missing.

read

has read

was reading

had read

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

josé juárez

@jose-juarez

User Prompt

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

Tone: Standard

Level: C1

Created on:

May 12, 2026

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