Exercises · Past tenses
Past tenses gap-fill
Type the correct form of the verb in brackets. Contractions (I’ve, she’s) and full forms (I have, she has) are both accepted.
Need a refresher? Review the rules in 4.1 Past simple or past continuous and 4.2 Past simple or past perfect in our Verb Tenses in Business guide.
- Finished events
- Interruptions: ‘when’ and ‘until’
- Going further back
- ‘Already’, ‘never… before’ and ‘when I arrived’
- Mixed review
1. Finished events
The past simple works for anything finished – single, repeated or continuing events. You don’t need the past continuous just because something lasted a long time.
Rules: 4.1 Past simple or past continuous
1I (work) in London for six years before I moved to Prague.
2Last month we (hold) four workshops with the sales team.
3We (spend) the whole of 2024 restructuring the business.
4The conference (be) really useful – I made some great contacts.
5She (lead) the team for three years, and then she left the company.
2. Interruptions: ‘when’ and ‘until’
Was it in progress, or did it interrupt? Past continuous for the event that was interrupted, past simple for the interruption.
Rules: 4.1 Past simple or past continuous
1I (present) the quarterly results when the system crashed.
2We were finalising the deal when the other side (change) their demands.
3Sales (improve) until the price increase came into effect.
4I was driving to the airport when my manager (call) me.
5Sorry, I (speak) to a client when you rang.
3. Going further back
Already talking about the past? Use the past perfect to go further back – but only then.
Rules: 4.2 Past simple or past perfect
1The client was unhappy because we (miss) the deadline.
2When I opened my laptop, I realised that I (leave) the charger at home.
3She got the promotion because she (lead) the expansion into Asia.
4I recognised him at the conference – we (meet) in Singapore a few years earlier.
5Our company (launch) its first product in 2015.
4. ‘Already’, ‘never… before’ and ‘when I arrived’
The three past perfect phrases you will use most in business.
Rules: 4.2 Past simple or past perfect
1I knew how to handle the negotiation because I (already / be) in this situation before.
2I was excited to manage such a big team because I (never / do) it before.
3When I got to the office, the CEO (already / announce) the restructuring.
4The client didn’t need a demo – they (already / see) the product at a trade fair.
5When the investors arrived, we (prepare) everything.
5. Mixed review
All the rules together, in real business situations.
Rules: Lessons 4.1 and 4.2
1We (grow) steadily until a new competitor entered the market.
2Since then we (lose) market share.
3I couldn’t answer the question because I (not / check) the latest figures.
4We (sign) the contract last Friday.
5I (work) on the slides when the client called to cancel the meeting.
Check a section to see your score here.
More practice
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Do you enjoy telling stories about your past achievements? Research shows that this plays a key role in asserting our status in a hierarchy. Find out more in our advanced Business English reading lesson about the status game, based on the best-seller by Will Storr.
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