Narrative Tenses | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!

Andrew (had travelled / had been travelling) for three months around Asia before he started his studies last year.

had been travelling

The thieves (had stolen / had been stealing) over 20 cars before the police caught them.

had stolen

The police wanted to know what I (had done / had been doing) between 3 and 5 the previous night.

had been doing

We (hadn’t talked / hadn’t been talking) for more than 10 minutes when Ms Jones interrupted us.

hadn't been talking

How many candidates (had Mr Grant talked / had Mr Grant been talking) to before he made his decision?

had Mr Grant talked

Michelle (hadn’t read / hadn’t been reading) the set book and failed the literature test.

hadn't read

(Had you read / Had you been reading) Mary’s emails before we entered the room? You closed the laptop so quickly!

had you been reading

Many people (had died / had been dying) in car accidents before safety belts were invented.

had died

Matt (hadn’t travelled / hadn’t been travelling) by himself before the last holidays.

hadn't travelled

How long (had you been / had you been being) at home when you noticed that the jewellery was missing?

had you been

Mike was upset because he (had failed / had been failing) his driving exam.

had failed

Ben couldn’t come to the party yesterday because he (had broken / had been breaking) his leg.

had broken

Lisa (had slept / had been sleeping) for only 10 minutes when the telephone woke her up.

had been sleeping

We didn’t know that Melanie and Joe (had got / had been getting) divorced a few months earlier.

had got

My sister (had tried / had been trying) to lift the heavy box for a few minutes before she finally gave up and asked me for help.

had been trying

After Mark (had lost / had been losing) his job, he decided to move in with his girlfriend.

had lost

My father retired last year after he (had worked / had been working) for over forty years.

had been working

We (hadn’t realised / hadn’t been realising) how lucky we were to survive the accident.

hadn’t realised

How long (had she waited / had she been waiting) before the shop manager talked to her?

had she been waiting

We (had known / had been knowing) each other before we started college.

had known

What time (did your parents wake / were your parents waking) you up in the morning?

did your parents wake

Cathy (broke/was breaking) her favourite cup while she (washed/was washing) the dishes.

broke, was washing

He (fell/was falling) off a ladder while he (changed/was changing) a light bulb.

fell, was changing

At 6 p.m. yesterday, I (sat/was sitting)on the bus.

was sitting

He (wrote/was writing) an essay when the lights (went/were going) out.

was writing, went

Last year, we (visited/were visiting) Barcelona and Paris.

visited

Why (didn't you come/weren't you coming) to my party on Sunday?

didn't you come

I (didn't wash/wasn't washing) the dishes between two and three o'clock.

wasn't washing

At two o'clock yesterday, Mike (watched/was watching) his favourite series.

was watching

(Did you run/Were you running) in the park when you (met/was meeting) your friend?

were you running, met

Tom (didn't have/wasn't having) a job last year. It (took/was taking) him a few months to find a new one.

didn't have, took

How much money (did you save/were you saving) for your holidays last year?

did you save

They (moved/were moving) to New York last month.

moved

Students (wrote/were writing) their history exam when the bell (rang/was ringing).

were writing, rang

She (came/was coming) into the classroom and (sat/was sitting) at the desk.

came, sat

When I (saw/was seeing) Max yesterday, he (shopped/was shopping) for clothes in the shopping centre.

saw, was shopping

When he (came/was coming) back from school, his mum (cooked/was cooking) dinner.

came, was cooking

We (tried/were trying) to reach him all day yesterday.

were trying

(Did he eat/Was he eating) lunch when the boss (asked/was asking) him to come to the office?

was he eating, asked

We (sat/were sitting) in a restaurant when we (heard/were hearing) on the radio about the demonstration in the city centre.

were sitting, heard

When the teacher (entered/was entering) the classroom, the students (didn't work/weren't working) in pairs. They (played/were playing) on their mobile phones.

entered, weren't working, were playing

He (sent/was sending) ten emails while he (had/was having) his breakfast.

sent, was having

Kate (had/was having) long blond hair when she (was/was being) in high school.

had, was

It (rained/was raining) heavily while we (drove/were driving) to London.

was raining, were driving

Mary (saw/was seeing) a terrible car accident while she (waited/was waiting) for a bus.

saw, was waiting

Shakespeare (wrote/was writing) many plays during his lifetime.

wrote

When his friends (visited/were visiting) him, he (revised/was revising) for his biology exam.

visited, was revising

(Did he finish/Was he finishing) all the exercises during the lesson?

did he finish

When I (walked/was walking) into the building, I (saw/was seeing) many people at the reception desk.

walked, saw

As the baby (slept/was sleeping), his mum (decided/was deciding) to take a shower in the meantime.

was sleeping, decided

What (did she do/was she doing) at 8 p.m. yesterday? She (worked/was working) on her homework?

was she doing, was working