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Past Tense Verb Quiz: Fill in the Blanks

Test Your Skills with This Verbs in Parentheses Exercise

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for free past tense quiz with verbs in parentheses on dark blue background

This past tense quiz helps you practice filling in verbs in parentheses and use the right form with confidence. Play quick sentence rounds to spot mistakes and build speed for class, tutoring, or self-study. When you finish, keep going with more past tense practice or review every form in the all‑tenses review .

Yesterday, I (go) __ to the store.
went
going
goed
gone
The verb go is irregular, and its simple past form is went. Goed is a common error but incorrect, while gone is a past participle and going is the present participle. Use went for a completed action in the past. See more at .
She (eat) __ breakfast at 7 am.
eats
eated
ate
eaten
The correct simple past form of eat is ate. Eaten is the past participle used with auxiliary verbs, eated is incorrect, and eats is the present tense. We use ate to describe a completed action in the past. For more, visit .
We (watch) __ a movie last night.
watched
watchied
watching
was watching
The simple past form of the regular verb watch is watched, formed by adding -ed. Watchied is not a valid form. Was watching indicates past continuous, and watching is a present participle. For regular verb rules, see .
They (finish) __ their homework before dinner.
finish
finished
finishing
had finish
As a regular verb, finish forms its past simple by adding -ed: finished. Finish is present tense, finishing is a gerund or present participle, and had finish is incorrect. Use finished to show the action was completed. More details at .
He (drive) __ to work in heavy traffic.
driving
drove
drived
driven
Drive is an irregular verb whose simple past form is drove. Drived is incorrect, driven is the past participle, and driving is present participle. We use drove to express a completed action in the past. Learn more at .
I (choose) __ the blue shirt for the party.
chose
choosed
chosen
choosing
Choose in the simple past is chose. Choosed does not exist, chosen is the past participle, and choosing is the present participle. Use chose for past actions without auxiliary verbs. For further explanation, see .
You (begin) __ the project on time, didnt you?
begin
beginned
begun
began
The correct simple past of begin is began. Begun is the past participle and requires an auxiliary verb, while beginned is incorrect. Begin is the present tense. For more on verb forms, visit .
The cake (rise) __ perfectly in the oven.
rose
rised
risen
rising
Rise has an irregular simple past form rose. Risen is the past participle, rised is incorrect, and rising is the present participle. We use rose to describe the completed upward movement. See details at .
By the time we arrived, the guests (leave) __.
left
had left
leave
leaving
When one past action precedes another, we use the past perfect. Had left indicates the guests departed before we arrived. Left alone would not clarify the sequence, and the others are incorrect forms. For past perfect usage, see .
She (take) __ piano lessons for five years before college.
taken
took
had taken
takes
The phrase before college establishes that her piano lessons occurred earlier than another past event, so we use past perfect: had taken. Took could work but doesnt emphasize the sequence. Taken is a past participle without an auxiliary. See .
He (write) __ three novels by the age of thirty.
writes
written
wrote
had written
Past perfect had written shows that writing three novels was completed before the age milestone. Wrote is past simple and doesnt stress the sequence, while written lacks an auxiliary. For deeper insight, visit .
The vase (break) __ when it fell off the shelf.
was broken
broken
had broken
broke
Break in simple past is broke, which describes the action that occurred at the same time it fell. Broken is a past participle, had broken is past perfect implying a different sequence, and was broken is passive voice. More at .
Had they (see) __ that movie before the sequel came out?
had seen
seen
see
saw
In past perfect questions with auxiliary had, we use the past participle seen. Saw is simple past and doesnt fit after had, had seen duplicates the auxiliary, and see is present tense. For past perfect structure, see .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Apply correct past tense forms -

    Use our fill-in-the-blank verb quiz to practice converting regular and irregular verbs to the past tense accurately.

  2. Identify irregular verb patterns -

    Recognize and recall past tense forms of verbs in parentheses, distinguishing irregular variations from standard rules.

  3. Analyze verb usage in context -

    Evaluate sentence structures to choose the most appropriate past tense, reinforcing your understanding of English grammar quiz dynamics.

  4. Evaluate common tense errors -

    Spot and correct typical mistakes in past tense usage, enhancing your ability to self-edit and improve accuracy.

  5. Boost confidence in your grammar skills -

    Build fluency and track your progress with interactive verb tense tests that make practicing engaging and effective.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Regular vs. Irregular Verbs -

    Regular verbs form the past tense by adding -ed (e.g., walk → walked), while irregular verbs follow unique patterns (e.g., go → went, sing → sang). Mastering irregular sets often involves memorization and practice drills. Grouping common irregulars by pattern or frequency (e.g., ring, ring → rang) can speed recall.

  2. Spelling Rules for -ed Endings -

    When a verb ends with a silent -e, drop the -e and add -ed (e.g., like → liked); if it ends consonant-vowel-consonant and is one syllable, double the final consonant (e.g., stop → stopped). Verbs ending in -c take -ked (e.g., mimic → mimicked). These orthographic patterns are covered in detail at the BBC Skillswise guide.

  3. Verbs Ending in -y -

    For verbs ending in a consonant + y, change y to i before adding -ed (e.g., study → studied), but if a vowel precedes y, simply add -ed (e.g., play → played). This rule helps avoid spelling errors and is outlined by the University of Oxford. Consistent practice with word lists helps cement the pattern.

  4. Using 'Did' in Questions vs. Statements -

    In questions and negatives, English uses the auxiliary "did" instead of changing the main verb (e.g., "Did you go?" vs. "You went."). Remember to use the base form after "did" (e.g., "did eat," not "did ate"). This distinction is key for clear verb tense usage, as detailed by Purdue OWL.

  5. Context Clues & Time Expressions -

    Time markers like yesterday, last week, or two days ago signal past tense and guide verb choice (e.g., "Yesterday I ate sushi"). Identifying these clues boosts accuracy under time pressure. The British Council recommends highlighting such phrases before deciding on the verb form.

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