Past Continuous and Past Simple: Multiple Choice

Read the whole sentence, then choose the answer that completes it. For two gaps, the forms follow the same order as the gaps. Your first choice counts.

1. Mina _____ her hair when the hairdryer suddenly _____ working, so she had to finish with a towel.

2. When the waiter brought the bill, Marco _____ it immediately, so we could leave.

3. Sorry I missed your call. When you rang, I _____ on the motorway, so I couldn't answer.

4. When the lights _____ out, we _____ a board game, so we lit some candles and carried on.

5. When we were halfway up the mountain, Ellie _____ her ankle on a rock, so we had to turn back.

6. When Jana _____ home, she _____ her shoes off and then made a cup of tea.

7. We _____ for the bus when a passing car _____ us with dirty water.

8. When Yusuf heard the good news, he _____ his mum straight away, so she was the first to know.

9. When her laptop crashed, Sofia _____ an email to her manager, so she never finished it.

10. When I _____ my finger, I _____ onions for the soup. Tom had to do the rest for me.

11. As soon as the lift _____ at the fifth floor, Mrs Chen _____ out.

12. While Hana was parking the car, she _____ the wall behind her by accident, so the bumper got scratched.

13. Ravi _____ home when he _____ a wallet on the pavement, so he stopped to pick it up.

14. When the doctor called my name, I _____ up and went into her room.

15. When the last guest finally _____, Nikhil _____ the front door and went to bed.

16. When it started to hail, the children _____ football in the park, so they had to stop the game.

17. When the pizza _____, we _____ a film, so we paused it and went to the door.

18. When I was in the shower, my phone _____ off the shelf into the sink, so it got wet.

19. When the oven _____, Daniel _____ a cake for his sister's birthday, so he had to finish it at a neighbour's house.

20. When the meeting ended, Omar _____ his laptop and hurried to the station, so he caught the early train.