Grammar exam guide 3rd Bimester 2012

I. Simple past and Past continuous

Instructions: Circle the correct tense for each sentence.

a)      Mary prepared / was preparing lunch when they came / was coming.

b)      Tom was very unlucky. It rained / was raining every day during his holidays.

c)      Who was that nice girl you talked / were talking to when I walked / was walking by the pub?

d)      Last weekend Susan fell / was falling and broke/ was breaking her leg.

e)      When I entered / was entering the cafeteria Mary had / was having lunch with Peter.

f)       We drove/ were driving to Berlin in Robert´s new car.

g)      The sun shone / was shining brightly when I got up / was getting up this morning.

h)      Ann finally told / was telling us the whole story about Peter. 

II. Past simple

Instructions: Complete the following text using the past tense of the verbs in brackets.

Anna's holiday ____________ (be) great last summer. She _______________ (stay)

in a college in England for two weeks. She ________________ (have) classes in the mornings and in the afternoons she ________________ (do) some sports like swimming or tennis.

In the evenings she often __________________ (go) dancing or  ________________ (watch) films with her new friends.

At weekends they __________________ (drive) to some interesting places. Once they __________________ (visit) Marwell Zoo where they _______________ (see) some beautiful animals. Anna ____________________ (not like) the food at the college but that _____________________ (not be) a problem. She ____________________ (meet) a lot of people and ____________________ (learn) some English. All the students in her class ________________ (be) sorry to go home. They all _________________ (promise) to come back next summer.


III.Complete the text with the comparative or superlative forms (nicer than, the nicest). Don’t forget the “than” when it’s a comparative and the “the” when it’s a superlative. 18 pts.

Italians are normally (relax) ________________ Americans when it comes to food. Slow food is known to be (healthy) ________________. In many American homes it is rare for the whole family to sit down at dinner together. Clubs and commitments force them to have a quick meal rather than a sit-down meal.  When they have the chance to eat at home, it is often the working housewife who prepares meals. Some people say that American wives are (bad) ________________ cooks in the world. They say that Italian wives are (good) ________________ cooks than American ones. Anyway, today, people need food which can be eaten (quick) ________________. This great transformation occurred after World War II. 

Many women wanted to be (independent) ________________  and find work full-time jobs. Therefore, they spent less time at home preparing food. It was necessary to make their life (easy) ________________ at home in the preparation of the family dinner. The TV dinner was invented. Frozen meals were (fast) ________________ solution: They could be put into an oven and prepared within minutes. They were conveniently carried into the living room and consumed alone in front of a TV set. Then, people wanted (fast) ________________  food. From fast dinners at home the next step was 

(quick) ________________: eating on the road. With the development of the highways, America saw the beginning of fast-food chains. McDonald's was the first to open and is still (popular) ________________. Today dozens of fast-food chains can be found along every highway from (small) ________________ to (big) ________________. Fast-food chains are also found in shopping centres in America. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Roy Roger's, Burger King and Wendy's are just a few example. Fast food is (unhealthy) ________________ food there is. However, it is now part of American culture. They offer chicken, donuts, tacos and pizza, all quickly produced in (big) ________________ quantities. These establishments have influenced the health and diet of the American people who are getting (fat) ________________ and ________________. 

IV. Some, any, a, an.

Instructions:Fill in with a, an, some, any.

1.    I need _______________ oil for the salad.

2.    I want _____________ fish and ____________ glass of wine for lunch.

3.    There isn’t _____ milk for the breakfast. But there is _______ cup of coffe.

4.    Do we need ___________ pasta?

5.    She wants _____________ cheese and ham for the sandwich.

6.    Do you have _____________ tomato for the salad?

7.    I want ____________ mango and __________ orange.

8.    He always has ___________ bread and ___________ butter for the breakfast.

9.    There isn’t _____________ cereal in the supermarket.

10.  My friend likes to eat _____________ apple in the morning.