Past Simple

Respuesta correcta: D) arrived

• A) arrivesWrong. "Arrives" is the third person singular of the present simple, not the past simple.
• B) arrivingWrong. "Arriving" is the -ing form used in continuous tenses, not the past simple.
• C) was arrivedWrong. "Was arrived" is not used in English; the passive would be "was arrived at", but the active past simple is simply "arrived".
• D) arrivedCorrect. The past simple of "to arrive" for he or she is "arrived", formed by adding -ed to the base form.

Respuesta correcta: A) went

• A) wentCorrect. The sentence talks about a finished action in the past, and "go" is irregular, so its past simple is "went".
• B) goWrong. "Go" is the base form, which cannot follow the past auxiliary "did" or stand alone for a past action.
• C) goneWrong. "Gone" is the past participle used after "have" or "has", not the past simple.
• D) goingWrong. "Going" is the -ing form and needs "was" or "were" before it.

Respuesta correcta: B) "Buyed" must be "bought", because "buy" is an irregular verb

• A) "Buyed" is correct because all verbs add -edWrong. Only regular verbs take -ed; irregular ones change form and "buy" is one of them.
• B) "Buyed" must be "bought", because "buy" is an irregular verbCorrect. "Buy" is irregular, so its past simple is "bought" and not "buyed".
• C) The word "yesterday" must be removedWrong. "Yesterday" is a correct marker of past time and is exactly what the sentence needs.
• D) "Buyed" should be "buys" because the subject is "I"Wrong. "Buys" belongs to the third person singular present simple, which does not match the past time marker.

Respuesta correcta: B) After the auxiliary "did", the main verb must be in its base form

• A) "Didn't" should be "doesn't"Wrong. "Doesn't" is present simple; the sentence has the past time marker "last night", so "didn't" is right.
• B) After the auxiliary "did", the main verb must be in its base formCorrect. "Didn't" already carries the past tense, so the verb after it stays in the base form: "didn't go".
• C) "Went" should be "gone"Wrong. "Gone" needs "have" or "has" before it and does not follow "did".
• D) Nothing is wrong; the sentence is correctWrong. Using a past form after "did" is a double marking of the tense and is incorrect in standard English.

Respuesta correcta: C) then

• A) yetWrong. "Yet" is mainly used in questions and negatives, and it does not mark the next step of a past sequence.
• B) sinceWrong. "Since" marks a starting point in time, not the order of events in a past narrative.
• C) thenCorrect. "Then" introduces the next step in a sequence of past events and keeps the narration in the past simple.
• D) whileWrong. "While" introduces a contrast or a simultaneous action, not a successive step.

Respuesta correcta: C) studied and cried

• A) studyed and cryedWrong. English does not keep the y when adding -ed after a consonant; the y must change to i.
• B) studied and cryedWrong. The rule applies to both verbs, so the second form must also be "cried" with i.
• C) studied and criedCorrect. With a consonant plus y the y changes to i before -ed, giving "studied" and "cried".
• D) studiyed and criyedWrong. No extra syllable is inserted; only the letter y changes to i before the -ed ending.

Respuesta correcta: D) We visited the beach and we swam in the ocean

• A) We visit the beach and we swam in the oceanWrong. "Visit" is present simple, so the tense is inconsistent with the past time marker.
• B) We visited the beach and we swim in the oceanWrong. "Swim" is present simple and does not match the past action being narrated.
• C) We will visit the beach and we swam in the oceanWrong. "Will" points to the future, and the holiday this sentence refers to is already over.
• D) We visited the beach and we swam in the oceanCorrect. Both "visited" and "swam" are past simple forms, so the whole sentence is in the past.

Respuesta correcta: C) "Was send" is wrong; the past passive needs "were sent"

• A) "Was send" is correct because the subject is singularWrong. The singular subject is right for "was", but the participle "send" is not a past participle.
• B) "Wrote" should be "written"Wrong. "Written" is the participle and would need "has" or "had" before it.
• C) "Was send" is wrong; the past passive needs "were sent"Correct. In the past passive the auxiliary is "were" for plural subjects, and the participle is "sent".
• D) There is no error in the sentenceWrong. "Was send" mixes the auxiliary "was" with a base form instead of a participle.

Respuesta correcta: D) The past simple refers to a finished action at a definite past time; the present perfect links a past action to the present

• A) Both tenses refer to unfinished actions in the pastWrong. The past simple always presents the action as finished and located in the past.
• B) The present perfect cannot be used with words of timeWrong. The present perfect is frequently used with time expressions like "today", "this week" or "already".
• C) The past simple is only used with the verb "to be"Wrong. The past simple covers regular and irregular action verbs as well as "to be".
• D) The past simple refers to a finished action at a definite past time; the present perfect links a past action to the presentCorrect. A specific past time such as "yesterday" goes with the past simple, while "already" or "this year" go with the present perfect.

Respuesta correcta: A) She didn't go to school because she was sick

• A) She didn't go to school because she was sickCorrect. After "didn't" the verb returns to its base form "go".
• B) She didn't went to school because she was sickWrong. "Went" is the past form and cannot follow the negative auxiliary "didn't".
• C) She not didn't go to school because she was sickWrong. After "did" the negative must be formed with "not", and "didn't" already includes that negation.
• D) She doesn't went to school because she was sickWrong. "Doesn't" is present simple and cannot be combined with the past form "went".

Respuesta correcta: A) A completed point in time by which the action was finished

• A) A completed point in time by which the action was finishedCorrect. "By" plus a past time marks the end of a period up to which the action had already happened.
• B) A repeated habit in the pastWrong. A repeated past habit would need "used to" or "every year", not "by".
• C) An action that is still happening nowWrong. The action is presented as finished, since the twenty factories had already been opened.
• D) A future event planned for 2010Wrong. Everything in the passage is in the past; "by 2010" looks back, not forward.

Respuesta correcta: B) I checked the order, I packed the boxes and I called the client

• A) I check the order, I pack the boxes and I called the clientWrong. "Check" and "pack" are present simple, so the sequence mixes tenses.
• B) I checked the order, I packed the boxes and I called the clientCorrect. All three verbs take the past simple, which is what a sequence of completed actions requires.
• C) I am checking the order, I packed the boxes and I call the clientWrong. The present continuous and the present simple do not belong in a report of completed actions.
• D) I have checked the order, I pack the boxes and I called the clientWrong. "Have checked" links to the present, while the rest of the sentence narrates the past.

Respuesta correcta: C) bought

• A) buyedWrong. Adding -ed is only for regular verbs; "buy" does not follow that pattern.
• B) buyWrong. The base form also fails, since a finished past action needs a past form and not the infinitive.
• C) boughtCorrect. "Buy" is irregular and its past simple is "bought".
• D) buyingWrong. "Buying" needs "was" or "were" before it and belongs to the continuous forms.

Respuesta correcta: D) To report events that happened and are finished at a definite time

• A) To show that the hurricane is still happeningWrong. The past simple presents the action as finished, not as ongoing.
• B) To compare the two events in durationWrong. Comparing duration would need comparative forms such as "longer" or "for two hours".
• C) To express doubt about the eventsWrong. Doubt is expressed with modals or hedging, not by the choice of tense.
• D) To report events that happened and are finished at a definite timeCorrect. A news report about completed events uses the past simple to locate them in a closed past period.

Respuesta correcta: B) The film tells the story of a family that moved to the coast and faced many problems

• A) The film is telling the story of a family that is moving to the coastWrong. The present continuous would suggest the story is happening now, which is not the case.
• B) The film tells the story of a family that moved to the coast and faced many problemsCorrect. The past simple is the standard tense for narrating the events of a completed story.
• C) The film has been telling the story of a family that moved to the coastWrong. The present perfect would link the story to the present, but a finished plot is normally narrated in the past.
• D) The film tells the story of a family that will move to the coastWrong. "Will" refers to the future, but the plot of a film has already been narrated.

Respuesta correcta: B) A definite past time such as "yesterday" requires the past simple, not the present perfect

• A) The present perfect is never used with "yesterday"Wrong. The point is not that "yesterday" is forbidden, but that stating a finished past time forces the past simple.
• B) A definite past time such as "yesterday" requires the past simple, not the present perfectCorrect. When the past time is stated, English uses the past simple and not the present perfect.
• C) "Have" should be "has" because the subject is "he"Wrong. The subject does agree with "has", but the real problem is the use of the present perfect.
• D) The sentence is correct and only the spelling is wrongWrong. This is a grammar pattern problem, not an orthography problem.

Respuesta correcta: C) They were late for the exam

• A) They was late for the examWrong. "Was" is the singular past form and does not agree with the plural subject "they".
• B) They are late for the examWrong. "Are" is present simple, but the exam has already taken place.
• C) They were late for the examCorrect. The subject "they" is plural, so the past simple of "to be" is "were".
• D) They will be late for the examWrong. "Will" points to the future, but the exam has already taken place.

Respuesta correcta: A) They all point to a finished moment in the past, so they go with the past simple

• A) They all point to a finished moment in the past, so they go with the past simpleCorrect. A finished past time reference requires the past simple, not the present perfect.
• B) They all point to a moment that is still happeningWrong. Every expression on the list refers to a time that has already ended.
• C) They can all be used with the present perfectWrong. A finished past time rules out the present perfect.
• D) They all refer to future eventsWrong. None of these expressions points forward in time.

Respuesta correcta: A) We visited the market yesterday, so we can go again next Saturday

• A) We visited the market yesterday, so we can go again next SaturdayCorrect. The first clause reports a finished past action and the second uses "can" for the future possibility.
• B) We visited the market yesterday, so we can go yesterdayWrong. "Yesterday" cannot be repeated as a future time; the second action needs a future expression.
• C) We visit the market yesterday, so we can go again next SaturdayWrong. "Visit" is present simple, but "yesterday" requires a past form.
• D) We visited the market yesterday, so we went again next SaturdayWrong. "Went again" is past, but "next Saturday" is still in the future from the speaker's point of view.

Respuesta correcta: D) send

• A) workWrong. "Work" is regular and takes -ed, giving "worked".
• B) playWrong. "Play" is regular and takes -ed, giving "played".
• C) openWrong. "Open" is regular and takes -ed, giving "opened".
• D) sendCorrect. "Send" ends in -d already, and its past simple is the single-syllable form "sent".