Basics of narrative tense consistency. 45 questions on maintaining past tense in stories and spotting tense shifts.
What this test covers
- Maintaining Simple Past in Narrative
- Identifying Incorrect Tense Shifts
- Simple Past vs Present Simple in Stories
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1Yesterday, I ___ to the store to buy some bread.
Answer: B. went
We use 'went' because 'yesterday' shows the action is finished. 'Go' and 'am going' are for the present.
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Q2She ___ her homework before she watched TV.
Answer: B. finished
The second part of the sentence uses 'watched' (past). To match this, we use 'finished.' The word 'finishes' is for the present.
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Q3They ___ very happy after they won the game.
Answer: A. were
The word 'won' is in the past. To match it, we use 'were.' 'Are' is for the present, which doesn't fit a past story.
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Q4He ___ his keys on the table and left the house.
Answer: D. put
The word 'left' is in the past. To keep the story consistent, we use 'put,' which is the past form of 'put.' 'Puts' is for the present.
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Q5We ___ a great movie at the cinema last night.
Answer: B. saw
'Last night' tells us the action is over. We use 'saw' because it is the past form of 'see.'
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Q6The dog ___ in the garden all afternoon yesterday.
Answer: C. played
The time marker 'yesterday' tells us this is a completed past action. 'Played' is the correct simple past form. The present perfect 'has played' cannot be used with a specific past time marker like 'yesterday'. 'Is playing' is present continuous, and 'is played' is a passive form.
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Q7I ___ my friend for lunch yesterday.
Answer: C. met
'Yesterday' signals a past event. 'Met' is the past form of 'meet.' Words like 'meet' or 'am meeting' are for things happening now or in the future.
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Q8She ___ a letter to her grandmother last week.
Answer: B. wrote
'Last week' means the action is finished. We use the past form 'wrote.' 'Writes' is used for habits or the present.
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Q9He ___ his car to work this morning.
Answer: B. drove
'This morning' (which is now over) tells us to use the past form 'drove.' 'Drives' is for the present.
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Q10They ___ the football match on TV yesterday.
Answer: B. watched
'Yesterday' shows the action happened in the past. We add '-ed' to 'watch' to make it 'watched.'
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Q11We ___ to the music for an hour last night.
Answer: B. listened
The time 'last night' tells us the action is in the past. 'Listened' is the correct form.
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Q12He ___ the door when he left the room.
Answer: B. locked
The word 'left' is in the past. To keep the sentence consistent, we use 'locked' (past) rather than 'lock' (present).
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Q13They ___ very tired after the long walk.
Answer: B. were
This sentence describes a state in the past. 'Were' is the past form of 'are' and matches the plural subject 'they.' 'Is' is singular and present, 'be' is not a finite verb form, and 'have been' is a present perfect form not suited to a simple past narrative.
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Q14I ___ my book in the library yesterday.
Answer: D. lost
'Yesterday' tells us the action is finished. 'Lost' is the past form of 'lose.'
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Q15She ___ to the park after school.
Answer: D. walked
To describe a finished action, we use the past form 'walked.' 'Is walking' is present continuous, 'is walked' is a passive construction that does not fit here, and 'has walked' is a present perfect form.
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Q16Choose the correct version: Yesterday, I went to the store and buy some milk.
Answer: C. Yesterday, I went to the store and bought some milk.
When you have two actions in one past story, both should be in the past. 'Went' and 'bought' are both past forms. 'Buy' is present tense, so it doesn't match 'went.'
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Q17Choose the correct version: She walked into the room and sits on the chair.
Answer: C. She walked into the room and sat on the chair.
'Walked' is in the past, so the next action must also be in the past. 'Sat' is the past form of 'sit.' 'Sits' is present tense.
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Q18Choose the correct version: We ate dinner and watch a movie together.
Answer: B. We ate dinner and watched a movie together.
'Ate' is a past word. To match it, we use 'watched.' In other options, 'watch' or 'eat' are present tense.
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Q19Choose the correct version: He finished his work and go home early.
Answer: C. He finished his work and went home early.
Since he 'finished' (past), he also 'went' (past). 'Go' and 'goes' are for the present, so they don't fit here.
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Q20Choose the correct version: They played soccer and wins the game.
Answer: B. They played soccer and won the game.
Both actions happened in the past. 'Played' and 'won' are both past forms. 'Wins' is present tense.
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Q21Choose the correct version: I called my friend and tell her the news.
Answer: D. I called my friend and told her the news.
'Called' is in the past. To keep the story in the same time, we use 'told.' 'Tell' is present tense and doesn't match 'called.'
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Q22Choose the correct version: She studied hard and passes the test.
Answer: A. She studied hard and passed the test.
Both 'studied' and 'passed' are in the past. This keeps the story consistent. Using 'passes' mixes the present with the past.
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Q23Choose the correct version: We visited London and see the museum.
Answer: B. We visited London and saw the museum.
'Visited' is past tense. To match it, we use 'saw.' Words like 'visit' or 'see' are present tense.
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Q24Choose the correct version: He opened the box and find a gift.
Answer: A. He opened the box and found a gift.
'Opened' is in the past, so the second action must also be in the past ('found'). 'Find' or 'finds' are present tense.
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Q25Choose the correct version: They arrived late and miss the bus.
Answer: B. They arrived late and missed the bus.
Because they 'arrived' (past), they 'missed' (past) the bus. Both verbs must be in the past tense to tell a consistent story.
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Q26Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Answer: C. She walked to the shop and bought milk.
In a past story, all actions stay in the past. 'Walked' and 'bought' are both past forms. Using 'is buying' or 'buys' is a mistake because they are present tense.
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Q27Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Answer: B. We played games and ate cake.
To tell a story about the past, both verbs must be in the past form. 'Played' and 'ate' are both past. Using 'eat' or 'play' is present tense.
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Q28Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Answer: D. He finished the race and won.
Both 'finished' and 'won' are past tense. This is the correct way to link two past actions. 'Finishes' is present tense.
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Q29Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Answer: A. They arrived home and slept.
Both 'arrived' and 'slept' are past tense. Using 'sleep' or 'arrive' would mix the present and the past.
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Q30Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Answer: B. I opened the window and looked out.
We use 'opened' and 'looked' together because both actions happened in the past.
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Q31Last year, I lived in Rome. It ___ more beautiful than I had expected.
Answer: C. was
The past perfect 'had expected' in the second part of the sentence confirms we are in a past narrative. 'Was' is the correct past form to match the established past time frame. 'Is' creates a tense clash with 'had expected' and breaks the narrative consistency.
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Q32The story was about a man who ___ in Paris. He was a doctor.
Answer: C. lived
The story starts with 'was' (past), so we continue using the past form 'lived.' 'Lives' and 'is living' are present tense.
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Q33She loved the old book because it ___ a great story.
Answer: A. had
'Loved' is in the past. To match it, we use 'had.' 'Has' is used for the present.
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Q34He went to the library. He ___ that books were important.
Answer: B. knew
'Went' is past tense. To keep the story consistent, we use 'knew' (past) instead of 'knows' (present).
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Q35They visited the museum. They noticed that the floor ___ very slippery.
Answer: B. was
The verb 'noticed' is in the past tense. In standard English, we use the past tense in the reported part of the sentence after a past observation verb: 'the floor was very slippery.' 'Is' is grammatically inconsistent here as it reports a past perception using the present tense.
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Q36Choose the corrected version: Yesterday, she went home and cook dinner.
Answer: C. Yesterday, she went home and cooked dinner.
We need two past tense verbs to match 'yesterday.' 'Went' and 'cooked' are both past forms.
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Q37Choose the corrected version: We played outside and have fun.
Answer: C. We played outside and had fun.
'Played' is in the past, so we use 'had' (the past of 'have') to keep the story consistent.
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Q38Choose the corrected version: He opened the door and see his friend.
Answer: B. He opened the door and saw his friend.
'Opened' is past tense. The second action should also be past tense, so we use 'saw.' 'See' and 'sees' are for the present.
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Q39Choose the corrected version: I studied all day and pass the exam.
Answer: D. I studied all day and passed the exam.
Both 'studied' and 'passed' are in the past tense. This is the correct way to talk about finished actions.
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Q40Choose the corrected version: They walked to school and talk to the teacher.
Answer: B. They walked to school and talked to the teacher.
Since they 'walked' (past), they also 'talked' (past). This keeps the whole sentence in the past time.
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Q41She ___ to the cinema last night.
Answer: C. went
'Last night' tells us the action is finished. 'Went' is the past form of 'go.' 'Goes' is for the present.
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Q42We ___ lunch at 1 PM yesterday.
Answer: B. ate
'Yesterday' shows the action is over. 'Ate' is the past form of 'eat.' 'Eat' and 'are eating' are present tense.
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Q43He ___ his homework an hour ago.
Answer: C. finished
'An hour ago' tells us to use the past tense 'finished.' 'Finishes' is for the present.
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Q44They ___ very happy yesterday.
Answer: D. felt
'Yesterday' means this happened in the past. 'Felt' is the past form of 'feel.' 'Are' is for the present.
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Q45I ___ the door when I left.
Answer: D. closed
The word 'left' is in the past. To match it, we use the past form 'closed.' 'Close' is for the present.
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