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Past simple and Past continuous exercises with answers PDF

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Past simple and Past continuous exercises with answers (2/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

Exercise 

Complete the following sentences with past simple or past continuous:

1. While Charles (watch)   soccer on TV, Wendy (listen)   to the radio.

2. When I (walk)   down Queen Street, I (discover)   a wonderful store.

3. The angry little boy (throw)   her toy onto the floor and(stamp)   her foot.

4. I (receive)   your email while I (sit)   in the hospital waiting room.

5. When Tina (be)   little, she (hate)   the smell of broccoli.

ANSWERS

  1. While Charles was watching soccer on TV, Wendy was listening to the radio.
  2. When I was walking down Queen Street, I discovered a wonderful store.
  3. The angry little boy threw her toy onto the floor and stamped her foot.
  4. I received your email while I was sitting in the hospital waiting room.
  5. When Tina was little, she hated the smell of broccoli.

Past simple and Past continuous exercises with answers

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Past simple and Past continuous exercises with answers (1/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

You can see exercise 2 here.

Exercise

Choose the right tense (past simple or past continuous):

1. While Tom  video games, his wife  a book in the lounge.

2. He  a number.

3. While I  around the USA, I  many interesting places.

ANSWERS

  1. While Tom was playing video games, his wife was reading a book in the lounge.
  2. He stood up, went to the phone and dialled a number.
  3. While I was travelling around the USA, I visited many interesting places.

Present perfect simple and continuous exercises with answers

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Present perfect simple and continuous exercises with answers (2/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

Complete the following sentences with present perfect simple or continuous tense:

1. I (study)   all day, but I am afraid I (learn/not)   much.

2. Tom (eat)   two hamburgers today.

3. The boy’s clothes are dirty because he (play)   in the mud.

4. I (arrive/just)   at the station.

5. We are exhausted because we (do)   exercise all afternoon.

6. Simon feels a bit unsteady because he (cycle/not)   for five years.

7. How long (you/work)   for this office?

8. The kids (finish/not)   their lunch yet.

9. kevin (watch)   the film six times.

ANSWERS

  1. I have been studying all day, but I am afraid I have not learnt much.
  2. Tom has eaten two hamburgers today.
  3. The boy’s clothes are dirty because he has been playing in the mud.
  4. I have just arrived at the station.
  5. We are exhausted because we have been doing exercise all afternoon.
  6. Simon feels a bit unsteady because he has not cycled for five years.
  7. How long have you been working for this office?
  8. The kids have not finished their lunch yet.
  9. Kevin has watched the film six times.

Present perfect simple and continuous exercises pdf

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Present perfect simple and continuous exercises with answers pdf (1/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

You can access to exercise 2 here.

Exercise 

Choose the right tense (present perfect simple or continuous tense): 

1. Tina  for two hours.

2. Wendy  five emails.

3. I  on this project for less than an hour.

4. I still  all the files.

5. Tom is very tired because he  for two days.

ANSWERS

  1. Tina has been reading for two hours.
  2. Wendy has written five emails.
  3. I have been working on this project for less than an hour.
  4. I still have not prepared all the files.
  5. Tom is very tired because he has not slept for two days.

Present simple or Present continuous? (2/2)

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Present simple or Present continuous

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

Exercise

Complete the following sentences with present simple or present continuous tense: 

  1. Wendy sometimes  mangas. (to read)
  2. We never  TV in the morning. (to watch)
  3. Listen! Sam  in the bathroom. (to sing)
  4. My brother usually   in the kitchen. (to help)
  5. My mum  breakfast now. (to make)
  6. They often   the kitchen. (to clean)
  7. Look! The girls  home. (to come)
  8. Every day his father   for a walk. (to go)
  9. I  with my sister at the moment. (to chat)
  10. Mice  cheese. (to eat)

ANSWERS

  1. Wendy sometimes reads mangas.
  2. We never watch TV in the morning.
  3. Listen! Sam is singing in the bathroom.
  4. My brother usually helps in the kitchen.
  5. My mum is making breakfast now.
  6. They often clean the kitchen.
  7. Look! The girls are coming home.
  8. Every day his father goes for a walk.
  9. I am chatting with my sister at the moment.
  10. Mice eat cheese.

 

Present simple or Present perfect continuous

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Present simple or Present perfect continuous: exercise 1/2

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

To see exercise 2, click here.

Exercise

Choose the right tense (present simple or present perfect continuous): 

1. Wendy  English for four years.

2. She  Japanese and  every day.

3. Wendy  to a japanese school for two years.

4. The teachers there  their subjects in Japanese twice a week.

ANSWERS

  1. Wendy has been learning English for four years.
  2. She likes Japanese and practises every day.
  3. Wendy has been going to a japanese school for two years.
  4. The teachers there teach their subjects in Japanese twice a week.

Present simple or Present continuous exercise pdf

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Present simple or Present continuous exercise pdf (2/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

EXERCISE

Complete the following sentences with present simple tense or present continuous tense:

1. (he/wear/a hat/often)  , but (he/not/wear/a hat)   today.

2. (we/have/dinner/now)    although (we/not/have/dinner/normally)   at this time.

3. (while/Linda/clean/the house)  , (her kids/play/in the garden)  .

4. I must hurry to the bus stop because (I/meet/Paul)   in an hour and (the bus/leave)   in five minutes.

5. Listen! (you/hear/that noise)  ?

6. I grew up with cats but now (I/have/a dog)  .

 

ANSWERS

  1. He often wears a hat, but he is not wearing a hat today.
  2. We are having dinner now although we do not normally have dinner at this time.
  3. While Linda is cleaning the house, her kids are playing in the garden.
  4. I must hurry to the bus stop because I am meeting Paul in an hour and the bus leaves in five minutes.
  5. Listen! Do you hear that noise?
  6. I grew up with cats but now I have a dog.

Present simple Present continuous exercises pdf

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Present simple or Present continuous? (1/2)

Click here to download this exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.

See exercise 2 here

Exercise

Choisissez le temps qui convient (présent simple ou présent progressif):

1. Thomas  a book at the moment.

2. Wendy  an email to her boyfriend every day.

3. I usually  at eight.

4. Look, the kids  to the park.

5. We  every Wednesday.

ANSWERS

  1. Thomas is reading a book at the moment.
  2. Wendy writes an email to her boyfriend every day.
  3. I usually get up at eight.
  4. Look, the kids are going to the park.
  5. We meet every Wednesday.

Essential english idioms (part 1)

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Essential english idioms (part 1 – A to G)

To download and print this free English phrases list, click here.

Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.



A complete list of the most common English idioms and expressions:

ENGLISH IDIOMS (A to G) MEANINGS
A bird’s eye view An unobstructed view from above
A drop in the ocean Something very unimportant, insignificant.
A hot potato Talk about an issue (from the News) that many people talk about and that is usually contested.
A penny for your thoughts Tell me what you’re thinking.
A perfect storm the worst possible situation
A picture is worth 1000 words Better to show than tell
A piece of cake Something very easy to do
A snowball effect A snowball effect
A storm in a teacup A big commotion about a small problem
A taste of your own medicine Ill-treatment rightly received for abusing others.
Actions speak louder than words Actions speak louder than words
Add fuel to the fire Put some oil on the fire
Add insult to injury To aggravate an unfavourable situation
I’m all ears Listen with great attention.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away Apples are good for you!
An early bird Person who is used to getting up early.
As right as rain Perfect
At the bottom of the ladder At the bottom of the scale, at the lowest level
At the drop of a hat As soon as possible…, without hesitation
back in the day at that time
Ball is in your court It is now up to you to talk, to act, to prove yourself…
Barking up the wrong tree Accusing the wrong person
Be a good catch Be someone worth being married or having
Be at each other’s throat two people arguing in anger
Beat around the bush To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
Best of both worlds have all the advantages
Better late than never It is better to do an action late than not to do it.
Bite off more than you can chew Taking on a task that is too big
Bite the bullet Get something over with because it’s inevitable.
Bite your tongue Stop saying something because it would be better not to say it.
Blessing in disguise Something good that is not recognized as such at first.
Blow somebody away Impressing someone
Blow someone’s mind Impressing someone
Bored to death I’m so bored I could die
Bread and butter The basic things you need to survive, such as food and shelter. Also used to describe the job or activity that provides you with the money you need to live. – ‘Fishing is my bread and butter.’
Break a leg Good luck!
Break the ice Untie a tense atmosphere by initiating a group discussion or animation.
Broke Means that you have no more money
Burn bridges Destroy relationships
Butterflies in my stomach Being nervous
By the skin of your teeth Barely, just barely
Call it a day That’s it for today. (at work)
Calm before the storm a lull, a respite before something bad
Can’t judge a book by its cover This proverb means that you cannot know a man by his appearance.
Cat got your tongue? to be silent, to be speechless
Caught between two stools Caught between two alternatives
Comparing apples to oranges Compare two things that cannot be compared
Costs an arm and a leg The cost is very expensive, even too expensive.
Couch potato refers to a person who spends a lot of time sitting on his couch
I couldn’t care less I don’t give a damn about that.
To cry wolf By giving false alarms, the real alarm is no longer heard.
Curiosity killed the cat Put yourself in an unpleasant situation by being curious
Cut corners When something is done wrong to save money.
Cut someone some slack Don’t judge someone severely
Cut to the chase Get to the point
Devil’s Advocate to defend an opinion that the majority thinks is wrong.
Dig in your heels / Stick to your guns Refuse to compromise or change your mind
Do something at the drop of a hat Do something without planning ahead
Don’t beat a dead horse Stop talking about a subject that is already finished.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch Don’t count on anything good until it happens.
Don’t cry over spilt milk Complaining about a loss of the past
Don’t give up the day job You’re not very good at anything. You certainly couldn’t do it professionally.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket you have to be careful and not risk everything on a unique opportunity or project.
Don’t sweat it Don’t worry about it.
Don’t be so quick to judgment. Don’t judge so quickly.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Behave yourself, don’t do anything stupid
Don’t play dumb with me. to pretend to not know or not understand something
Don’t push me. Don’t make me angry.
Down to Earth Realistic
Down to the wire To denote a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute.
Drastic times call for drastic measures When you are extremely desperate, you must take drastic measures.
Draw the line Setting limits
Drive someone up the wall irritate or annoy a lot
Easier said than done Used to describe a relatively difficult action.
Elephant in the room a problem that everyone knows very well but that no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.
Every cloud has a silver lining Sometimes misfortune gives us advantages that we would not have had without it.
Everybody Was Freaking Out. feel extremely surprised, upset, angry, or confused.
Fair Enough All right, certainly, okay.
Far cry from (something) Being far from (e. g. reality)
Feel blue Be depressed or sad
Finding a needle in a haystack Looking for something that we’re very unlikely to find
Fish out of water be out of place
Fit as a fiddle to be very healthy and strong
Fortune favours the bold You have to take risks to succeed.
Get back to me. Come back and see me again.
Get on one’s nerves annoy, exasperate
Get out of hand get out of control
Get Out of Here Go away!
Get out of your comfort zone. doing things that you don’t feel comfortable with doing.
Get over yourself. Reprends-toi en main.
Get real. Sois réaliste.
Get something off your chest Parler de quelque chose qui vous tracasse depuis longtemps
Get to the Point Speak frankly, get to the heart of the matter directly
Get wind of something be informed of something
Get your act together Get control of one’s thoughts and emotions and stop behaving in a foolish or uncontrolled way
Get your head around it Make yourself comfortable.
Get your head in the game. To focus on the task at hand.
Give it to me straight Give it to me directly
Give me a break. Stop bothering me.
Give me five Means slapping palms above each other’s heads as a a greeting, celebration gesture
Give somebody a hard time Cause difficulty, trouble, embarrassment to someone
Give someone a hand Give a momentary help.
Give someone the benefit of the doubt In the absence of clear evidence, refrain from considering someone guilty.
Give someone the cold shoulder Receive a cold welcome
Go ahead Go For It! Do it!
Go For It Go ahead! Do it!
Go bananas Going crazy, hysterical
Go down in flames Sudden and dramatic failure
Go back to the drawing board Start over
Go on a wild goose chase A completely unsuccessful search and a waste of time because the person or thing sought does not exist or is elsewhere
Go the extra mile Make an extra effort
Go with the flow Be relaxed and accept a situation, rather than trying to alter or control it.
Good for Nothing Lazy person
Good For You Can be used in seriousness or sarcastically
Good Luck Hope you will be lucky!
Good Point you’re right
Good things come to those who wait Good things happen to those who know how to wait, who know the value of patience, who know how to be patient
Good Thinking Good point, you’re right
Good to know. It’s a good thing to know
Goose bumps When you are scared the hairs rise up
Got It Understood!
Grab a bite Eat something, a snack for example

©Englishfornoobs.com

Essential english idioms (part 2)

Posted on by in Conversation

Essential english idioms (part 2 – H to J)

To download and print this free English phrases list, click here.

Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.



A complete list of the most common English idioms and expressions:

ENGLISH IDIOMS (H to J) MEANINGS
Hands off! a warning not to touch or interfere with something.
Hang In There. Don’t give up (during a difficult time)
Hang tight. To await further instructions.
Haste makes waste You’ll make mistakes if you rush into something
Have a big mouth Someone who talks more or says secret things
Have the guts you are brave or have a lot of courage
Have your head in the clouds the person is not paying much attention to what is happening around them
He has bigger fish to fry He has other things to do than what we’re talking about now.
He who laughs last laughs loudest the person who has control of a situation in the end is most successful, even if other people had seemed originally to have an advantage
He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s very kind and gentle
He’s a chip off the old block The son is like the father
He’s not playing with a full deck He’s stupid.
He’s off his rocker He lost his mind.
He’s sitting on the fence He can’t decide what to do.
Hear it on the grapevine hearing rumors about something or someone.
Hear something straight from the horse’s mouth Hear something from the person involved
Hit the books study in depth
Hit the nail on the head Do or say something exactly right
hit the road get in the car, take off
Hit the sack Go to bed
Hold On a Sec Wait a second
Hop In Get in! (in a vehicle)
How does that sound? What do you think of that?
I beg to Differ To politely disagree.
I blew It you made a big mistake.
I can eat a horse I’m very hungry
I can’t Thank You Enough Thanks a LOT!
I can’t get xxx out of my head. I can’t manage to forget someone or something
I can’t keep up. I have too much to do
I can’t put a face to the name. to remember the name of someone who you recognize
I don’t Buy it I don’t believe it.
I don’t know off the top of my head. I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I don’t want to hear it. to not be willing to discuss or consider something
I have a bad/good feeling about this. Think something good/bad will happen
I have a lot on my plate. I have a lot to do.
I have faith in you. I trust you
I have no idea. I don’t know!
I have some money burning a hole in my pocket. Money that someone has just acquired and is eager to spend
I have to get this off my chest I have to relieve myself of what’s on my mind.
I have too much time on my hands. I have too much free time.
I haven’t kept in touch with them. to maintain communications with someone
I haven’t seen you for ages. I haven’t seen you in a long time.
I messed Up I ruined everything.
I missed The Boat On That One. means it is too late to have an opportunity, so you lose the chance to participate.
I owe you To owe someone something
I spoke too soon. means that the person involved spoke before the time was right (and was wrong)
I think I’ll pass. When you don’t want to accept an offer or participate in a game
I want nothing to do with it. To be unrelated or irrelevant to someone or something
I’m Hosed to be out of luck
I’m on my way I’m coming
I’m sick of It you don’t like something anymore.
I’d like to pick your brain. to understand what motivation of the persons actions, what triggers the feeling
I’m feeling under the weather. I don’t feel well.
I’m flattered. I feel important or attractive
I’m losing it. I’m losing my mind.
I’m sorry for the mix up. I’m sorry for the confusion.
I’m starving! I’m really hungry!
I’m washing my hands of this whole situation. I refuse to be involved with them any more or to take responsibility for them.
I’ve lost my touch. I’m no longer able to do or handle something skillfully.
Ignorance is bliss You better not know
In the heat of the moment at a time when you are too angry or excited to think carefully
In the nick of time At the right time
In your dreams unlikely to happen!
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings It’s not over yet.
It can’t Hurt It’s not bad for me, so it must be good
It is a poor workman who blames his tools If you can’t do the job, don’t blame others.
It is always darkest before the dawn Things will get better
It rocks! / rules! It’s awesome, great!
It serves you right you got what you deserved.
It takes one to know one You’re as bad as I am.
It takes two to tango Only one person is not responsible. Both people are involved.
It totally slipped my mind I forgot something that I had to do
It was like pulling teeth. it was extremely difficult to do.
It’s a long story it’s something complicated to explain shortly
It’s a piece of cake It’s easy!
It’s about time / it’s high time It’s past the time when something should have happened
It’s not rocket science It’s not complicated.
It’s raining cats and dogs It’s pouring rain
It’s up to you. It’s your decision
It’s written all over your face Your face expression is giving a message (sad, angry, happy)
It’s a little chilly. It’s a little cold out there.
it’s been a while. It’s been a long a period of time
It’s no big deal. It’s not very important
It’s out of my hands. It’s not my responsibility.
Judge a book by its cover Judging someone or something based solely on appearance
Jump on the bandwagon Follow a trend
Jump to a conclusion to judge a situation quickly and emotionally without having all the facts
Just my luck! I’m not lucky! (you say that when something bad happens to you)

©Englishfornoobs.com