All English 4U

ALL ENGLISH 4U · B1 GRAMMAR PRACTICE

100% Original Practice Test
UNIT 2 · B1 Grammar · Original Practice

Unit 2: Past Simple, Past Continuous & used to“I did / I was doing / I used to” – 57 interactive questions

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Checked correct answers
All 57 answers are correct. Write a new sentence of your own to practise each pattern.
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100% Original Practice Test · The Riverside Lantern Walk
Study the quick notes below, then work through exercises A–F for this unit. Use Check answers for an exercise, or Submit & Grade for all 57 questions. Read an explanation for every answer. Created by All English 4U.

📖 Grammar Reference – Past Simple, Past Continuous & used to

Study the notes, then work through the exercises for this unit.

Read the time relationship first.Use the past simple for a completed past event, the past continuous for an action in progress then, and used to for an earlier habit or state that has changed.

How to Form It

Compare the three patterns and notice what each one tells you.

COMPLETED PAST EVENTS

Past simple

An event began and finished in the past.

Nia found the route map by the noticeboard.The finding is a completed event.
Positive
subject + past formThe marshal checked the entrance.
Negative
subject + did not / didn’t + base verbThe wind didn’t move the heavy sign.
Question
Did + subject + base verb?Did Omar fix the lantern stand?

Remember: after did or didn’t, use the base verb: Did Nia find, not Did Nia found.

A PAST ACTION IN PROGRESS

Past continuous

An action was happening around a point or period in the past.

Nia was checking the route signs at six.At six, she was in the middle of the check.
Positive
subject + was / were + verb-ingThe volunteers were carrying the lanterns.
Negative
subject + was not / wasn’t; were not / weren’t + verb-ingOmar wasn’t using the wet path.
Question
Was / Were + subject + verb-ing?Were the families waiting at the hall?

Remember: keep both parts: was/were + the -ing form. Use was with I/he/she/it and were with you/we/they.

PAST HABITS AND STATES THAT CHANGED

used to

Use used to for something that was true or happened regularly before, but is no longer true or regular.

Families used to follow the road; now they use the riverside path.The old habit changed when the marked walkway opened.
Positive
subject + used to + base verbThe group used to meet at the station.
Negative
subject + did not / didn’t use to + base verbWe didn’t use to carry LED lanterns.
Question
Did + subject + use to + base verb?Did you use to walk by the river?

Remember: after did/didn’t, write use to, without -d: Did they use to meet here?

Past simple of be: use was/were, was not/were not and Was/Were + subject?. For example: The path was dry. The steps were not slippery. Was the entrance clear? Do not add did to these forms.

Past-form reminderscarry → carriedstop → stoppedtake → tookput → puthang → hung

Clue Words & Patterns

Use the surrounding events to see whether an action finished, continued or described an old routine.

Finished event

yesterdaylast Saturdayat seventhen

The marshal opened the gate at seven.

The opening is presented as a completed event.

Action in progress then

at sixwhilewhenall evening

The band was playing when guests arrived.

The music was underway at the time of their arrival.

Same event, different view

COMPLETED EVENT

Ben carried the map to the entrance.

The sentence presents the trip as complete.
IN PROGRESS AT A PAST TIME

Ben was carrying the map when the families arrived.

The arrival happened during his trip.
OLD REGULAR ROUTINE

We used to meet by the boat landing.

That was the group’s earlier routine.
ONE COMPLETED MEETING

We met by the boat landing last Friday.

This refers to one finished occasion.
When and while are clues, not automatic tense rules.

While often introduces an action in progress, but the other action may also be continuous or completed depending on the meaning. When can introduce a short event or a longer situation. Ask what was happening and what happened next.

Watch Out & Common Mistakes

Check the helper verb, the verb form and whether the habit still continues now.

Using a past form after did

WrongDid Omar fixed the bicycle?

BetterDid Omar fix the bicycle?

Did marks the past. Keep the main verb in its base form.
Leaving out was or were

WrongThe volunteers checking the lights.

BetterThe volunteers were checking the lights.

Past continuous needs was or were before the -ing form.
Using was with a plural subject

WrongThe families was waiting at the gate.

BetterThe families were waiting at the gate.

Families is plural, so use were.
Adding -d after did

WrongDid the group used to meet here?

BetterDid the group use to meet here?

After did, use use to + base verb.
Using used to for one finished event

WrongI used to find the lost map last night.

BetterI found the lost map last night.

Last night points to one completed event, not an old repeated habit.
Forgetting the change to now

WrongWe used to walk the riverside path every week now.

BetterWe walk the riverside path every week.

Use used to when the earlier habit or state has changed. If it continues, describe the present routine.

Quick check: explain your choice

Choose an answer before opening the explanation.

1. At 6:30, the team checked / was checking the route markers; their check was still underway.Check explanation

was checking presents the check as in progress at that past time. If the sentence said the team finished its check at 6:30, checked could describe a completed event.

2. The wind blew / was blowing while the lantern labels moved. Which form presents the wind as ongoing background?Check explanation

was blowing explicitly presents the continuing wind as background. Blew is also grammatical, but presents a different view of the event. The word while is a clue; the meaning and relationship between events decide the form.

3. Did Mina used to / use to paint the route signs?Check explanation

use to is correct after did. The question asks about an earlier repeated activity.

Before you start Exercise AAsk: Is this a completed event, an action in progress then, or an earlier habit that changed? Then check the subject and verb form.

Check your whole test

Submit to grade your whole test, OR use 👁 Show Answer per part / per question.

Review your learning

For each correction, identify a completed event, an action in progress or a past habit that has changed. Check did + base verb, was/were + -ing, and used to + base verb.

Show Answer displays a model and explanation while leaving your response unchanged. After editing an answer, check again. Write a short account of a community event using all three patterns.