I. When the North and South finally ____________(lay) down their arms in 1865 at the end of the American Civil war they _________________(fight) for over four years and the South, which _______________(win) several battles but _____________(lose) the war, _______________(be) economically exhausted. It _______________(be) a tragedy that Abraham Lincoln, who ____________(lead) the North to victory and _______________(be) now ready to be generous to the South, ____________________(not/survive) to make the peace. Five days after General Lee _______________(surrender) at Appomatox, Lincoln _____________(be) assassinated.

II. Jim was not looking forward to the exam. He ________________(study) for the past two months, and still ___________________(not/feel) sure that he ______________(know) even half of what he should know. He _______________ (question) his teachers repeatedly about the material that _______________(appear) on past exams, but still __________________(not/be) convinced that anything he _________________(learn) __________________(be) relevant to this year's exam; he __________________(revise) all night long, and _________________(feel) exhausted. In fact, he ________________(be) so tired that he _________________(fall) asleep in the middle of writing the exam, and _________________(wake up) only just in time to finish it.

III. In the last few years there __________________(be) a marked change in our attitude towards environmental issues. It ________________(start) with scientists revealing that a hole _________________ (begin) to develop in the ozone layer above the Arctic Circle; when people ________________(start) to notice changes in the climate, it ________________ (become) obvious that there _________________(be) a serious threat. Those of us who __________________(ever/use) an aerosol spray will presumably think twice before using one again. And what ________________(happen) to all that nuclear waste we have produced? Presumably most of it ___________________(be/dump) into the sea, but the number of protesting voices ___________________(increase) steadily year by year.

IV. If it hadn't been for Louis, Joan ____________________(never/survive) her trip to Paris last month. She __________________(not/meet) him before, but she _____________ ( be) certainly glad that she had by the end of her stay. The first thing that ___________________(happen) was that the hotel where she _______________(plan) to stay _________________(never/receive) her booking, so they had no room for her. Then, as she _________________(try) to get a taxi to take her to another hotel, someone on a motorbike ________________(snatch) her bag with all her tickets and credit cards in it. As her French _______________(be) quite rusty, she __________________(not/know) how to explain what _______________(happen).

It was then that Louis _________________(approach) her and ________________(introduce) himself.

V. Put the verbs in brackets into appropriate past tense.

1. He ___________________ (walk) to the front of the stage, _________________(take) a bow and __________________(wave) to the audience.

2. We ____________________(not/enjoy) the play so we ________________(leave) early.

3. While the patients ___________________(wait) in the surgery, the doctor ________________(deal) with a complicated case.

4. I'm starving - I _____________________(have) breakfast over five hours ago.

5. In June 1979 they _____________________(still/build) this shopping centre.

6. They ________________(walk) to the water's edge, _______________(wade) in and ________________(swim) to the other side.

7. While the soldiers ___________________(advance), they did not realise that the enemy ___________________(plan) a surprise attack.

8. She ____________________(set) out for an appointment when the lights ________________(go off).

9. By the time the police ____________________(locate) the stolen car, the thieves _______________________(already/escape) to France.

10. Her clothes were wet because she ____________________ (walk) in the rain.

VI. Finish the following sentences without changing the meaning of the sentences printed before them.

1. It's weeks since I last went to the countryside.

I haven't _________________________________________ .

2. Our school had never held a Christmas party before.

It was ______________________________________________ .

3. They began building the tunnel eigtheen months ago.

They have _________________________________________

4. When was the planet Pluto discovered?

How _____________________________________________ ?

5. He had never felt so embarrassed before.

It was ____________________________________.

6. They raided the fridge as soon as their mother had left.

They didn't __________________________________________.

7. I had never met such an immature person.

She was the _____________________________________________.

8. France hasn't won a gold medal in this sport for a long time.

It's ___________________________________________________ .

9. I started studying law two years ago.

I have ________________________________.

10. How long ago did you realise the truth?

How long is ________________________________ .

11. The doctor didn't start the operation until the anaesthetic had taken effect.

The doctor waited __________________________________________________ .

12. He realised his mistake when it was too late.

He didn't ____________________________________________ .

13. It's the most ridiculous suggestion I've ever heard!

I've ________________________________________________ .

14. When did you last see Paul?

When was ______________________________ ?

15. After he had finished his homework, he went for a walk.

Having _________________________________________________ .

VII. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word or phrase practising various tenses.

1. By the end of next year she ____________________________ London for three years.

2. Since I came to work, you ______________________________ nothing but complain.

3. As soon as they _________________________________stolen, they called the police.

4. We drove very slowly because snow _________________________________heavily.

5. The author's new book _________________________________________next month.

6. We didn't realise we'd forgotten the tickets until ___________________to the airport.

7. By December 15^th we _______________________________in Greece for two months.

8. She ________________________________since 6 o'clock and still hasn't finished her homework.

9. Don't put too much in that bag or ___________________________________ .

10. Don't phone Mark now - it's late and he _________________________ bed.