B1business

Past Simple vs Past Continuous - Business English

Type your answer in each blank and press Enter to check it, or use Check answers below. A cue in (brackets) is the word to put in the right form.

  1. I (prepare) the presentation when my laptop suddenly crashed.
  2. The CEO (enter) the room while we were discussing the budget.
  3. We (negotiate) the terms of the contract all afternoon yesterday.
  4. She (receive) an urgent email during the board meeting.
  5. They (work) on the merger when the news broke.
  6. Mr. Tanaka (call) me while I was driving to the office.
  7. The marketing team (develop) a new strategy last month.
  8. What (you/do) when the fire alarm went off?
  9. He (send) the quarterly report just before the deadline.
  10. The technicians (fix) the server when the power went out.
  11. I (not/attend) the seminar because I had too much work.
  12. While the manager (speak), several clients interrupted him.
  13. We (meet) our sales targets for the third time in a row.
  14. She (write) a formal complaint when her assistant walked in.
  15. The stock prices (drop) suddenly during the afternoon session.
  16. They (not/listen) when the supervisor explained the new policy.
  17. I (see) a mistake in the spreadsheet yesterday morning.
  18. The employees (wait) for the announcement when the lights flickered.
  19. He (finish) the project two days ahead of schedule.
  20. While I (review) the files, I found a significant error.
  21. The client (not/agree) to the proposed price increase.
  22. We (discuss) the logistics when the client arrived.
  23. Sarah (organize) the annual conference last year.
  24. It (rain) heavily when the delegates arrived at the airport.
  25. The IT department (update) the software at midnight.