After Mark (had lost / had been losing) his job, he decided to move in with his girlfriend.
had lost
He (wrote/was writing) an essay when the lights (went/were going) out.
was writing, went
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
Why (didn't you come/weren't you coming) to my party on Sunday?
didn't you come
We (tried/were trying) to reach him all day yesterday.
were trying
They (moved/were moving) to New York last month.
moved
We didn’t know that Melanie and Joe (had got / had been getting) divorced a few months earlier.
had got
She (came/was coming) into the classroom and (sat/was sitting) at the desk.
came, sat
We (had known / had been knowing) each other before we started college.
had known
Cathy (broke/was breaking) her favourite cup while she (washed/was washing) the dishes.
broke, was washing
The police wanted to know what I (had done / had been doing) between 3 and 5 the previous night.
had been doing
Kate (had/was having) long blond hair when she (was/was being) in high school.
had, was
Students (wrote/were writing) their history exam when the bell (rang/was ringing).
were writing, rang
Shakespeare (wrote/was writing) many plays during his lifetime.
wrote
We (hadn’t realised / hadn’t been realising) how lucky we were to survive the accident.
hadn’t realised
Andrew (had travelled / had been travelling) for three months around Asia before he started his studies last year.
had been travelling
He (sent/was sending) ten emails while he (had/was having) his breakfast.
sent, was having
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
Lisa (had slept / had been sleeping) for only 10 minutes when the telephone woke her up.
had been sleeping
When I (walked/was walking) into the building, I (saw/was seeing) many people at the reception desk.
walked, saw
At two o'clock yesterday, Mike (watched/was watching) his favourite series.
was watching
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
I (didn't wash/wasn't washing) the dishes between two and three o'clock.
wasn't washing
(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
When his friends (visited/were visiting) him, he (revised/was revising) for his biology exam.
visited, was revising
Matt (hadn’t travelled / hadn’t been travelling) by himself before the last holidays.
hadn't travelled
How much money (did you save/were you saving) for your holidays last year?
did you save
(Did you run/Were you running) in the park when you (met/was meeting) your friend?
were you running, met
How long (had she waited / had she been waiting) before the shop manager talked to her?
had she been waiting
When he (came/was coming) back from school, his mum (cooked/was cooking) dinner.
came, was cooking
Mike was upset because he (had failed / had been failing) his driving exam.
had failed
Many people (had died / had been dying) in car accidents before safety belts were invented.
had died
At 6 p.m. yesterday, I (sat/was sitting)on the bus.
was sitting
Michelle (hadn’t read / hadn’t been reading) the set book and failed the literature test.
hadn't read
How long (had you been / had you been being) at home when you noticed that the jewellery was missing?
had you been
We (hadn’t talked / hadn’t been talking) for more than 10 minutes when Ms Jones interrupted us.
hadn't been talking
What time (did your parents wake / were your parents waking) you up in the morning?
did your parents wake
How many candidates (had Mr Grant talked / had Mr Grant been talking) to before he made his decision?
had Mr Grant talked
(Did he finish/Was he finishing) all the exercises during the lesson?
did he finish
The thieves (had stolen / had been stealing) over 20 cars before the police caught them.
had stolen
Ben couldn’t come to the party yesterday because he (had broken / had been breaking) his leg.
had broken
As the baby (slept/was sleeping), his mum (decided/was deciding) to take a shower in the meantime.
was sleeping, decided
When I (saw/was seeing) Max yesterday, he (shopped/was shopping) for clothes in the shopping centre.
saw, was shopping
It (rained/was raining) heavily while we (drove/were driving) to London.
was raining, were driving
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
What (did she do/was she doing) at 8 p.m. yesterday? She (worked/was working) on her homework?
was she doing, was working
Last year, we (visited/were visiting) Barcelona and Paris.
visited
(Did he eat/Was he eating) lunch when the boss (asked/was asking) him to come to the office?
was he eating, asked
Mary (saw/was seeing) a terrible car accident while she (waited/was waiting) for a bus.
saw, was waiting
He (fell/was falling) off a ladder while he (changed/was changing) a light bulb.
fell, was changing
My father retired last year after he (had worked / had been working) for over forty years.
had been working
Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.