Mixed Exercise for the Past Simple
These fill-in the-gap execises contain a mix of positive, negative, and questions using the ‘be’ form of the past simple.
1 . He ________ a dentist before he became a teacher.
was / were
2. That three hour traffic jam _______ enjoyable…
was not / were not
✅ was not
3. _______ Mary in the office this morning?
Was / Were
✅ Was
4. You ________very angry last night. I still don’t understand why…
✅ were
5. The car I bought in 2018 _______ very reliable. It is a shame I don’t have that car anymore.
✅ was
6. _______ he outside when the storm started?
Was / Were
✅ Was
7. We ________ very unhappy until we moved house. Now, we love the house and the neighbourhood we live in.
✅ were
8. Where ___________ she last night?
✅ was
9. _______ Daniel at the conference last Monday morning?
✅ Was
10. They ______ happy with the result of the football match.
was not / were not
✅ were not
11. Why _______ (was/were) Ricardo at the doctor’s surgery? I hope he is ok.
✅ was
12. ____________ they friends before I met you?
Was / Were
✅ Were
13. He _______ in the army, but I feel sure he was in the Navy.
was not / were not
✅ was not
14. They _______ from Portugal because they spoke with a Brazilian accent.
was not / were not
✅ were not
15. ______ you ever in the school football team?
Was / Were
✅ Were
16. I ______ very well yesterday, but now I feel fine.
was not / were not
✅ was not
17. We _______ happy with the service at the restaurant. It was terrible and I left a review on Trip advisor!
was not / were not
✅ were not
18. ______ we in Argentina in 2010 or 2011? I can’t remember…
Was / Were
✅ Were
19. It _______ a good day yesterday. I lost my wallet and then I was late to work…
was not / were not
✅ was not
20. Alan ______ under a lot of pressure at work last week. However, I think his job is easier now.
was / were
✅ was
21. ______ they at the garden party? I didn’t see them there.
Was / Were
✅ Were
22. He _______ an estate agent before he got a job as a salesman.
✅ was
23. We _______ annoyed with our cleaner because she didn’t do a very good job.
was / were
✅ were
24. It ______ a very sunny day on their wedding day. Everyone appreciated the weather.
was / were
✅ was
