Exercises A2 : The imperfect tense in English (answers)

These exercises will help you practise the three main structures for expressing past habits and ongoing actions in English: used to, was/were + -ing, and would. Read each item carefully and choose or write the correct form.

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Exercice 1 — Fill in the Blanks: Past Habits and Ongoing Actions

Complete each sentence with the correct form: used to, was/were + -ing, or would. Write the full sentence in your answer.

1. When I was a child, I ___ (walk) to school every day with my brother.
2. She ___ (read) a book when the phone rang.
3. Every summer, my grandparents ___ (take) us to the beach.
4. They ___ (not / live) in this city — they moved here five years ago.

Correction

1. When I was a child, I used to walk to school every day with my brother.
2. She was reading a book when the phone rang.
3. Every summer, my grandparents would take us to the beach.
4. They didn't use to live in this city — they moved here five years ago.

Exercice 2 — Sentence Transformation: Expressing the Past

Rewrite each sentence using the structure indicated in brackets. Keep the same meaning and write a complete sentence.

1. He played football every weekend when he was young. [used to]
2. At 7 p.m. yesterday, the children ate dinner. [was/were + -ing]
3. In the past, my father cooked a big meal every Sunday. [would]
4. I didn't drink coffee before. Now I drink it every morning. [used to]

Correction

1. He used to play football every weekend when he was young.
2. At 7 p.m. yesterday, the children were eating dinner.
3. In the past, my father would cook a big meal every Sunday.
4. I didn't use to drink coffee, but now I drink it every morning.

Exercice 3 — Error Correction: Spot the Mistake

Each sentence contains one grammatical error related to used to, was/were + -ing, or would. Identify the mistake and rewrite the full correct sentence.

1. My sister use to hate vegetables when she was little.
2. We was watching a film when the lights went out.
3. He would used to visit his aunt every Christmas.
4. I were playing tennis at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

Correction

1. My sister used to hate vegetables when she was little.
2. We were watching a film when the lights went out.
3. He would visit his aunt every Christmas.
4. I was playing tennis at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.