1 Which tenses can be used to:

1 set the scene of the story

2 describe the story's main events

3 clarify that one event happened before another

4 go back from the past and describe earlier activities


2 Read the story and fill in the gaps with the most appropriate form of the verbs in brackets.

I had spent (spend) a year off in France and ____________ (look for) a partner there for months but
I ____________ (not find) anybody I could relate to, or who also liked me. Anyway, that all
____________ (change) the day I ____________ (leave) France. I ____________ (wake up) early and
____________ (take) the six-hour train journey to the airport. So far, so good. I got to the
airport fine, no problem. But then chaos ____________ (strike). When checking in at the airport I
found out that my flight was full and I was on standby. They told me that I ____________ (do) the
online check-in wrong or something. I ____________ (travel) a long time already, was really tired
and that was the last thing I needed. Anyway, I ____________ (wait) patiently at the gate, hoping
to get my place, when the pilot of the plane ____________ (arrive), looked at me and asked the
stewards what ____________ (happen). Can you believe he intervened and got a seat for me in the
cockpit? Well, that's how we met. Incredible, isn't it? Funny thing is, he's not French, and I
____________ (not go back) to France since.




Key:

1

1 past continuous

2 past simple

3 past perfect

4 past perfect continuous

2

Had been looking, hadn't found, changed, left, woke, took, struck, had done, had been travelling,
waited, arrived, had happened, haven't gone/been back