Exercises B1 : practice Recounting a past experience (answers)

These exercises will help you practise the key skills from the lesson: choosing the right past tenses, using time expressions accurately, and expressing feelings when recounting a past experience.

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Exercice 1 — Fill in the gaps: past tenses

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use the past simple or past continuous as appropriate.

1. I ___ (walk) to the station when I suddenly ___ (realise) I had forgotten my ticket.
2. While she ___ (wait) for the bus, it ___ (start) to rain heavily.
3. We ___ (just / finish) dinner when the lights ___ (go) out.
4. He ___ (feel) really nervous because he ___ (never / speak) in public before.

Correction

1. I was walking to the station when I suddenly realised I had forgotten my ticket.
2. While she was waiting for the bus, it started to rain heavily.
3. We had just finished dinner when the lights went out.
4. He felt really nervous because he had never spoken in public before.

Exercice 2 — Spot and correct the mistakes

Each sentence contains one error related to tense use, time expressions, or expressing feelings. Rewrite the full sentence correctly.

1. At first, I was think it was going to be a boring trip.
2. By the time we arrived, the concert already started.
3. I remember that I felt very exciting when I heard the news.
4. While I waited for my results, I was feeling more and more nerve.

Correction

1. At first, I thought it was going to be a boring trip.
2. By the time we arrived, the concert had already started.
3. I remember that I felt very excited when I heard the news.
4. While I was waiting for my results, I was feeling more and more nervous.

Exercice 3 — Rewrite using the given time expression

Rewrite each sentence using the time expression provided in brackets. You may need to change the tense or sentence structure. Write the full sentence.

1. I arrived at the café. Then she called me. [By the time]
2. He was reading a book. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. [While]
3. We got on the train. After that, we realised we were going the wrong way. [After]
4. She felt nervous. Then she stepped onto the stage. [Before]

Correction

1. By the time she called me, I had already arrived at the café.
2. While he was reading a book, someone knocked on the door.
3. After we had got on the train, we realised we were going the wrong way.
4. Before she stepped onto the stage, she had felt very nervous.