Study

Past abilities and obligations

  •   0%
  •  0     0     0

      Back   Restart
  • The girls had behaved so badly that they ..... go to the party in the end.
    couldn't
  • They ___________ bring the drink and popcorn into the cinema last time. It was forbidden.
    couldn't
  • We ____________________wait for the bus yesterday evening.
    had to
  • You _________ wait for me until 10am because I was a little busy.
    had to
  • The doctor said Sheila ..... quit smoking if she wanted to take part in the marathon.
    had to
  • Before washing machines were invented people ..... do the laundry by hand.
    had to
  • We ..... get to the meeting on time yesterday because the train was delayed by one hour.
    couldn't
  • We ________ use the password to log in Facebook yesterday.
    had to
  • When I was in hospital I ..... get out of bed on my own, so I had to ask the nurses for help.
    couldn't
  • The fridge was full so I ..... do the shopping.
    didn't have to
  • Mary's grandfather _________ play chess and he was the best!
    could
  • Luckily I ..... wait long for an X-ray.
    didn't have to
  • Mum said I ..... bring my friends over, but I ..... clean the house first.
    could / had to
  • Peter _________ play tennis last Monday: he had broken his arm!
    couldn't
  • It was raining cats and dogs, so I ..... take an umbrella.
    had to
  • I ..... stay in hospital long, only a couple of days.
    didn't have to
  • Before the invention of refrigeration, people ..... keep fresh food for very long before it went bad.
    couldn't
  • Morty ____________________practice swordplay. Mr. Gilderoy was his trainer.
    had to
  • Yesterday Malcolm and Betty ____________________help Uncle Godfrey to tidy up.
    had to
  • You___________wear a helmet when you rode a motorbike.
    had to
  • Back then there was no electricity and people ..... use electricity and oil lamps.
    had to
  • They ..... go to the cinema last night because they ..... take care of their baby.
    couldn't / had to
  • My girlfriend ..... take me to the hospital in her car because calling an ambulance was too expensive.
    had to
  • The doctor said I ..... walk until my ankle healed.
    couldn't
  • Yesterday, Peter _________ do that exercise alone. So, he called me for help.
    coudn't
  • In 1950, people _________ use mobile phones.
    could
  • I ..... take tablets for a long time to treat my infection.
    had to
  • We ..... have visitors in the afternoon as long as they left before 9 p.m.
    could
  • You_________finish homework the next day because it was too late.
    didn't have to
  • Yesterday, Mary was not busy with her work, so she _______ join the meeting.
    could
  • My little sister said I ..... help her with her homework because she ..... do it on her own.
    didn't have to / could
  • Last Sunday, we _________ take any photos in the museum: it was forbidden.
    couldn't
  • It snowed all weekend, I'm glad I ..... go out!
    didn't have to
  • Students _______ register by last week. If not, they had no class to study.
    had to
  • You _________ arrive on time.
    had to
  • He ..... wash the car after the week they spent at the beach.
    had to
  • Her grandmother was bilingual: She _______ speak both English and French.
    could
  • I ______pass my exam easily last term.
    could
  • When he was young, he ..... swim very well. He won medals and championships!
    could
  • Our parents ..... use computers to do their homework, so they ..... go to the library.
    couldn't / had to
  • Last week Tom ____________________go to the dentist. He had a toothache.
    had to
  • The children ____________________walk to school this morning. There was no bus.
    had to
  • When Ann was a teenager, she _________ watch a horror film: it was too frightening for her!
    couldn't
    • Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.