Fill-in-the-blank grammar practice focusing on past tenses.
Practice exercise with fill-in-the-blank sentences using simple past tense or past continuous tense, featuring dialogue and narrative contexts.
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: CBSE Class 6 English Tenses Worksheet
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: CBSE Class 6 English Tenses Worksheet
To solve this problem, we need to fill in the blanks using the simple past tense or the past continuous tense, depending on the context of each sentence. Let's go through each sentence step by step:
---
- Context: The question is asking about an action that happened at a specific point in time (when the accident occurred).
- Tense: Simple past tense.
- Answer: "were doing"
Completed sentence:
A: What were you doing when the accident occurred?
---
- Context: The first part describes an event that happened before the second part. The second part describes the immediate action taken after finding the wallet.
- Tenses:
- "find" → Simple past tense
- "go" → Simple past tense
- "turn" → Simple past tense
Completed sentence:
After I found the wallet full of money, I went immediately and turned it in.
---
- Context: The doctor made a statement about Rajiv's condition.
- Tenses:
- "say" → Simple past tense
- "be" → Past subjunctive (used in reported speech)
- "need" → Past subjunctive (used in reported speech)
Completed sentence:
The doctor said that Rajiv was too sick to go to work and that he needed to stay at home for a couple of days.
---
- Context: The arrival and the absence are described as separate events.
- Tenses:
- "arrive" → Simple past tense
- "be, not" → Simple past tense
- "work, in the garden" → Past continuous tense (describes an ongoing action at the time of arrival)
Completed sentence:
I arrived at her house a little before 9:00 am, but she was not there. She was working in the garden.
---
- Context: The sentence describes what Seema was doing at a specific time in the past (yesterday).
- Tense: Past continuous tense.
Completed sentence:
Seema is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she was also watching television. That’s all she ever does!
---
- Context: The conversation involves actions that happened at specific points in the past.
- Tenses:
- "call" → Simple past tense
- "be, not" → Simple past tense
- "be" → Simple past tense
- "study" → Past continuous tense (ongoing action)
Completed sentence:
A: I called you last night after dinner, but you were not there. Where were you?
B: I was there in the study room. I was studying for my English test.
---
- Context: This sentence describes multiple ongoing actions happening simultaneously when the boss walked in.
- Tenses:
- "walk" → Simple past tense
- "talk" → Past continuous tense
- "work, busily" → Past continuous tense
- "discuss, quietly" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
When the boss walked into the busy office, the secretary was talking on the phone with a customer, several clerks were working busily at their desks, and two managers were discussing quietly the methods to improve customer service.
---
- Context: The action of watching TV was ongoing when the electricity went out.
- Tense: Past continuous tense.
Completed sentence:
I was watching a mystery on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.
---
- Context: The knocking and listening are described as simultaneous actions.
- Tenses:
- "knock" → Past continuous tense
- "listen, not" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
Someone was knocking in the room when Rajan told me what happened, but she didn’t hear anything because she was not listening.
---
- Context: The calling is a completed action, while thinking is an ongoing action at the time of the call.
- Tenses:
- "call" → Simple past tense
- "think, just" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
It’s strange that you called because I was just thinking about you.
---
- Context: The Titanic was crossing the Atlantic when it struck an iceberg.
- Tenses:
- "cross" → Past continuous tense
- "strike" → Simple past tense
Completed sentence:
The Titanic was crossing the Atlantic when it struck an iceberg.
---
- Context: The merchants were engaged in bargaining and trying to sell when the speaker entered the bazaar.
- Tenses:
- "bargain, busily" → Past continuous tense
- "try" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants were bargaining busily and trying to sell.
---
1. were doing
2. found, went, turned
3. said, was, needed
4. arrived, was not, was working in the garden
5. was also watching
6. called, were not, was, was studying
7. walked, was talking, were working busily, were discussing quietly
8. was watching
9. was knocking, was not listening
10. called, was just thinking
11. was crossing, struck
12. were bargaining busily, trying
Boxed Final Answer:
\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
1. & \text{were doing} \\
2. & \text{found, went, turned} \\
3. & \text{said, was, needed} \\
4. & \text{arrived, was not, was working in the garden} \\
5. & \text{was also watching} \\
6. & \text{called, were not, was, was studying} \\
7. & \text{walked, was talking, were working busily, were discussing quietly} \\
8. & \text{was watching} \\
9. & \text{was knocking, was not listening} \\
10. & \text{called, was just thinking} \\
11. & \text{was crossing, struck} \\
12. & \text{were bargaining busily, trying}
\end{aligned}
}
---
1. A: What (you do) when the accident occurred?
- Context: The question is asking about an action that happened at a specific point in time (when the accident occurred).
- Tense: Simple past tense.
- Answer: "were doing"
Completed sentence:
A: What were you doing when the accident occurred?
---
2. After I (find) the wallet full of money, I (go) immediately (turn) it in.
- Context: The first part describes an event that happened before the second part. The second part describes the immediate action taken after finding the wallet.
- Tenses:
- "find" → Simple past tense
- "go" → Simple past tense
- "turn" → Simple past tense
Completed sentence:
After I found the wallet full of money, I went immediately and turned it in.
---
3. The doctor (say) that Rajiv (be) too sick to go to work and that he (need) to stay at home for a couple of days.
- Context: The doctor made a statement about Rajiv's condition.
- Tenses:
- "say" → Simple past tense
- "be" → Past subjunctive (used in reported speech)
- "need" → Past subjunctive (used in reported speech)
Completed sentence:
The doctor said that Rajiv was too sick to go to work and that he needed to stay at home for a couple of days.
---
4. I (arrive) at her house a little before 9:00 am, but she (be, not) there. She (work, in the garden).
- Context: The arrival and the absence are described as separate events.
- Tenses:
- "arrive" → Simple past tense
- "be, not" → Simple past tense
- "work, in the garden" → Past continuous tense (describes an ongoing action at the time of arrival)
Completed sentence:
I arrived at her house a little before 9:00 am, but she was not there. She was working in the garden.
---
5. Seema is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also) television. That’s all she ever does!
- Context: The sentence describes what Seema was doing at a specific time in the past (yesterday).
- Tense: Past continuous tense.
Completed sentence:
Seema is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she was also watching television. That’s all she ever does!
---
6. A: I (call) you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) there. Where were you? B: I (be) there in the study room. I (study) for my English test.
- Context: The conversation involves actions that happened at specific points in the past.
- Tenses:
- "call" → Simple past tense
- "be, not" → Simple past tense
- "be" → Simple past tense
- "study" → Past continuous tense (ongoing action)
Completed sentence:
A: I called you last night after dinner, but you were not there. Where were you?
B: I was there in the study room. I was studying for my English test.
---
7. When the boss (walk) into the busy office, the secretary (talk) on the phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily) at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly) the methods to improve customer service.
- Context: This sentence describes multiple ongoing actions happening simultaneously when the boss walked in.
- Tenses:
- "walk" → Simple past tense
- "talk" → Past continuous tense
- "work, busily" → Past continuous tense
- "discuss, quietly" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
When the boss walked into the busy office, the secretary was talking on the phone with a customer, several clerks were working busily at their desks, and two managers were discussing quietly the methods to improve customer service.
---
8. I (watch) a mystery on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.
- Context: The action of watching TV was ongoing when the electricity went out.
- Tense: Past continuous tense.
Completed sentence:
I was watching a mystery on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.
---
9. Someone (knock) in the room when Rajan told me what happened, but she didn’t hear anything because she (listen, not).
- Context: The knocking and listening are described as simultaneous actions.
- Tenses:
- "knock" → Past continuous tense
- "listen, not" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
Someone was knocking in the room when Rajan told me what happened, but she didn’t hear anything because she was not listening.
---
10. It’s strange that you (call) because I (think, just) about you.
- Context: The calling is a completed action, while thinking is an ongoing action at the time of the call.
- Tenses:
- "call" → Simple past tense
- "think, just" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
It’s strange that you called because I was just thinking about you.
---
11. The Titanic (cross) the Atlantic when it (strike) an iceberg.
- Context: The Titanic was crossing the Atlantic when it struck an iceberg.
- Tenses:
- "cross" → Past continuous tense
- "strike" → Simple past tense
Completed sentence:
The Titanic was crossing the Atlantic when it struck an iceberg.
---
12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) and (try) to sell.
- Context: The merchants were engaged in bargaining and trying to sell when the speaker entered the bazaar.
- Tenses:
- "bargain, busily" → Past continuous tense
- "try" → Past continuous tense
Completed sentence:
When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants were bargaining busily and trying to sell.
---
Final Answer:
1. were doing
2. found, went, turned
3. said, was, needed
4. arrived, was not, was working in the garden
5. was also watching
6. called, were not, was, was studying
7. walked, was talking, were working busily, were discussing quietly
8. was watching
9. was knocking, was not listening
10. called, was just thinking
11. was crossing, struck
12. were bargaining busily, trying
Boxed Final Answer:
\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
1. & \text{were doing} \\
2. & \text{found, went, turned} \\
3. & \text{said, was, needed} \\
4. & \text{arrived, was not, was working in the garden} \\
5. & \text{was also watching} \\
6. & \text{called, were not, was, was studying} \\
7. & \text{walked, was talking, were working busily, were discussing quietly} \\
8. & \text{was watching} \\
9. & \text{was knocking, was not listening} \\
10. & \text{called, was just thinking} \\
11. & \text{was crossing, struck} \\
12. & \text{were bargaining busily, trying}
\end{aligned}
}
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of tenses worksheet.
