Muốn phân biệt chắc chắn thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn, không có cách nào hiệu quả hơn là luyện tập thường xuyên. Khi làm nhiều dạng bài từ cơ bản đến nâng cao, bạn sẽ dần hình thành phản xạ tự nhiên và nhận ra ngay nên dùng thì nào trong từng ngữ cảnh. Cùng khám phá bộ bài tập quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn kèm đáp án chi tiết do IELTS The Tutors tổng hợp ngay dưới đây nhé!
Tóm tắt lý thuyết thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn
Trước khi đi vào phần bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn, hãy cùng IELTS The Tutors ôn lại kiến thức cơ bản của 2 thì này thông qua bảng phân biệt thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn kèm cách dùng chi tiết dưới đây:
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Tiêu chí |
Quá khứ đơn |
Quá khứ tiếp diễn |
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Khái niệm |
Nhấn mạnh sự việc đã xảy ra và kết thúc trong quá khứ, xem hành động như một điểm đã kết thúc trên dòng thời gian, không còn kéo dài hay liên quan đến hiện tại. Trong cấu trúc kết hợp, quá khứ đơn thường là các hành động ngắn, dứt khoát hoặc xảy ra bất ngờ. |
Nhấn mạnh quá trình và diễn biến của hành động trong quá khứ, xem hành động như một khoảng thời gian đang diễn ra, thường xảy ra dở dang tại một thời điểm xác định mà chưa xét đến việc đã kết thúc hay chưa. Trong cấu trúc kết hợp, quá khứ tiếp diễn thường là các hành động kéo dài, có tính chất duy trì. |
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Cách dùng |
– Diễn tả hành động đã kết thúc trong quá khứ – Diễn tả chuỗi hành động liên tiếp – Diễn tả thói quen trong quá khứ và hiện tại đã không còn. – Diễn tả hành động bất ngờ xen vào một hành động khác trong quá khứ. – Dùng trong kể chuyện (storytelling). – Dùng trong câu điều kiện loại 2, câu ước. |
– Diễn tả hành động đang xảy ra tại một thời điểm xác định trong quá khứ. – Diễn tả hai hành động xảy ra song song. – Miêu tả một hành động đang diễn ra trong quá khứ, bị hành động khác xen vào. – Nhấn mạnh tính tạm thời của hành động. – Diễn tả hành động lặp lại gây khó chịu (với “always”). |
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Công thức khẳng định |
Với động từ thường: S + V2/ed Với động từ to be: S + was/were + N/Adj |
S + was/were + V-ing |
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Công thức phủ định |
Với động từ thường: S + did not (didn't) + V Với động từ to be: S + was/were not |
S + was/were not + V-ing |
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Câu hỏi Yes/No |
Với động từ thường: Did + S + V…? Với động từ to be: Was/Were + S…? |
Was/Were + S + V-ing? |
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Câu hỏi Wh- |
Với động từ thường: Wh- + did + S + V…? Với động từ to be: Wh- was/were + S…? |
Wh- was/were + S + V-ing? |
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Dấu hiệu nhận biết |
– Yesterday (hôm qua) – Last week/ month/ year… (tuần/ tháng/ năm trước) – Ago (cách đây…) – In + năm trong quá khứ – Suddenly (đột nhiên) – Then (sau đó) – When (khi đó) |
– At + giờ + thời gian quá khứ – At this time + thời gian quá khứ (vào thời điểm này…) – All day/ all night/ all morning… (suốt cả ngày/ đêm/ sáng…) – Throughout the day/night (Suốt cả ngày/đêm) – In the past (trong quá khứ) – As / Just as (ngay khi) – While (trong khi) |
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Ví dụ |
– I met her yesterday. (Tôi đã gặp cô ấy ngày hôm qua.) – The train left five minutes ago. (Chuyến tàu đã rời đi 5 phút trước.) – Suddenly, the lights went out. (Đột nhiên, đèn bị tắt.) – I was watching TV when the power went out. (Tôi đang xem TV thì mất điện.) |
– I was reading at 8 PM. (Tôi đã đọc sách lúc 8 giờ tối.) – At this time last week, we were lying on the beach. (Vào giờ này tuần trước, chúng tôi đang nằm trên bãi biển.) – It was raining all last night. (Trời đã mưa suốt cả đêm qua.) – While I was cooking, my sister was washing the dishes. (Trong lúc tôi đang nấu ăn thì em gái tôi đang rửa bát.) |
Để ôn tập kiến thức tổng quan về 12 thì, đừng quên tham khảo bài viết: Tổng hợp bài tập các thì trong tiếng Anh từ cơ bản đến nâng cao nhé!
Tổng hợp bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs (Past Simple or Past Continuous)
1. I ___________ (scroll) through TikTok when my phone suddenly ___________ (power) off.
2. While the students ___________ (take) the final exam, the fire alarm ___________ (go) off.
3. Liam ___________ (not/hear) the doorbell because he ___________ (listen) to music with his headphones on.
4. What ___________ (you/do) at 9 p.m. last night when the Earth ___________ (start) to shake?
5. As we ___________ (walk) through the old forest, we ___________ (find) a hidden waterfall.
6. My sister ___________ (try) to bake a cake while I ___________ (clean) the living room.
7. Yesterday, it ___________ (be) a gloomy day. It ___________ (rain) heavily and the wind ___________ (blow).
8. The influencer ___________ (take) a selfie when a monkey ___________ (grab) her sunglasses.
9. I ___________ (see) a car accident while I ___________ (wait) for the bus this morning.
10. Last night, the hacker ___________ (try) to break into the system when the security software ___________ (block) him.
Exercise 2: Choose the correct alternative (When/While)
1. I was recording a video ___________ my cat jumped onto the table.
2. ___________ my brother was playing games, I was doing my research.
3. The Wi-Fi connection dropped ___________ we were having an online meeting.
4. ___________ I opened the window, I saw a beautiful rainbow.
5. My laptop crashed ___________ I was saving my important document.
6. The delivery man arrived ___________ I was taking a shower.
7. ___________ the sun was setting, we finally reached the top of the mountain.
8. I was just about to leave ___________ my boss called me for a quick task.
9. Everyone was cheering ___________ the player scored the winning goal.
10. ___________ I was checking my emails, I found an invitation to your party.
Exercise 3: Error Correction (Find and correct the mistake in each sentence)
1. I was seeing a famous singer while I was shopping at the mall yesterday.
2. When the teacher came in, the students played loudly in the classroom.
3. While my dad drove to work, he listened to an interesting podcast.
4. At this time last Sunday, we had a great time at the beach.
5. They didn't used their laptops when the power went out.
6. She was broken her vase while she was cleaning the house.
7. What did you doing when I called you three times last night?
8. While my mother was cooking, my father was read a newspaper.
9. I walked home when I suddenly saw a strange object in the sky.
10. At 10 p.m. last night, all the lights were go out.
Exercise 4: Reading Cloze (Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word)
Dear Mark,
I’m writing to tell you about my crazy weekend! Yesterday morning, I (1) ________ walking in the park when I found a lost wallet. While I (2) ________ looking for an ID card inside, a man ran towards me. (3) ________ I was talking to him, I realized he was a famous YouTuber! He (4) ________ so happy that I found his wallet that he invited me for coffee. We (5) ________ talking for an hour about his videos. It was the best day ever!
Best,
Lucy
Exercise 5: Complete the Dialogue
Alex: Hey, I (1) ________ (call) you five times last night. Why (2) ________ (you/not/pick) up?
Bella: Oh, sorry! My phone (3) ________ (be) in the other room. I (4) ________ (practice) the guitar while my brother (5) ________ (study) for his IELTS exam.
Alex: I see. I (6) ________ (want) to ask if you (7) ________ (see) the new movie trailer last night.
Bella: No, I (8) ________ (not/watch) TV at all. I (9) ________ (feel) a bit tired, so I (10) ________ (go) to bed early.
Exercise 6: Sentence Transformation (Rewrite the sentences using the prompts)
1. I / work / on my laptop / when / the screen / turn / blue.
2. While / they / travel / in Japan / they / visit / many ancient temples.
3. What / you / wear / when / I / see / you / at the party?
4. It / start / to snow / as / we / leave / the cinema.
5. My friends / chat / online / while / I / sleep.
6. The waiter / drop / the tray / while / he / serve / the guests.
7. When / the postman / come / I / have / breakfast / in the kitchen.
8. While / the children / play / in the yard / their father / wash / the car.
9. I / not / hear / the phone / because / I / listen / to a podcast.
10. My phone / ring / just as / I / take / a photo / of the sunset.
Exercise 7: Sentence Synthesis using Subordinating Conjunctions
Combine the following pairs of sentences into a single complex sentence using ‘When' or ‘While'. Ensure the verbs are conjugated in either the Past Simple or Past Continuous to reflect the nature of the actions (interruption or simultaneous events).
1. I was checking my bank account. I noticed a suspicious transaction.
2. The students were taking notes. The professor was giving a lecture.
3. My laptop battery died. I was participating in an online workshop.
4. We were sitting at the cafe. It started to hail.
5. I was driving through the tunnel. My GPS lost the signal.
6. The fire alarm rang. Most of the staff were having lunch in the canteen.
7. I was jogging in the park. I tripped over a thick tree root.
8. My brother was playing a loud video game. I was trying to focus on my IELTS writing task.
9. The lights flickered and went out. She was uploading a large file to the cloud.
10. The CEO made an important announcement. We were discussing the new marketing strategy.
Exercise 8: Multiple Choice – Grammatical Precision
Select the most appropriate option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence accurately.
1. At 10 p.m. last night, I __________ for my IELTS exam.
A. study
B. studied
C. was studying
D. am studying
2. I __________ the office, locked the door, and went home.
A. was leaving
B. left
C. were leaving
D. leaves
3. Just as I __________ the street, I ran into an old friend from high school.
A. cross
B. am crossing
C. was crossing
D. crossed
4. Why __________ you __________ so fast when the police officer stopped you?
A. did/drive
B. was/driving
C. were/driving
D. are/driving
5. While my parents __________ to work, they usually listen to the news.
A. were commuting
B. commuted
C. was commuting
D. commutes
6. I __________ about the problem when suddenly the solution came to me.
A. was thinking
B. thought
C. were thinking
D. think
7. Yesterday, at this time, they __________ a flight to London.
A. board
B. boarded
C. were boarding
D. was boarding
8. While the chef __________ the main course, the waiter dropped a tray of glasses.
A. prepared
B. was preparing
C. prepares
D. is preparing
9. I didn’t answer the phone because I __________ a shower.
A. took
B. was taking
C. had
D. were taking
10. The sun __________ when we arrived at the summit of the mountain.
A. rose
B. was rising
C. rises
D. is rising
Exercise 9: Identifying Ungrammatical Structures
Each group contains three sentences. Identify the sentence (A, B, or C) that is grammatically incorrect regarding the use of the Past Simple or Past Continuous.
1.
A. I was knowing the answer to that question.
B. I knew the answer to that question.
C. I was thinking about the answer when you spoke.
2.
A. While I was cleaning, I found my lost ring.
B. I was cleaning while my brother was sleeping.
C. I was cleaning when my brother was sleeping.
3.
A. The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
B. I was seeing a beautiful bird in the garden yesterday.
C. I saw a beautiful bird while I was walking in the garden.
4.
A. What did you do at 8 p.m. last night?
B. What were you doing at 8 p.m. last night?
C. Did you do anything at 8 p.m. last night?
5.
A. Suddenly, the car was stopping in the middle of the road.
B. Suddenly, the car stopped in the middle of the road.
C. The car was moving slowly when it suddenly stopped.
6.
A. I was believing him until he told me the truth.
B. I believed him until he told me the truth.
C. I was listening to him, but I didn't believe a word.
7.
A. While I was having a bath, the phone rang twice.
B. I had a bath while the phone was ringing.
C. I was having a bath when the phone rang.
8.
A. They were playing football when it started to rain.
B. They played football when it started to rain.
C. It started to rain while they were playing football.
9.
A. I was owning that car for five years before I sold it.
B. I owned that car for five years before I sold it.
C. I was driving that car when the engine failed.
10.
A. When the music started, everyone began to dance.
B. When the music was starting, everyone began to dance.
C. While the music was playing, everyone was dancing.
Exercise 10: Sentence Scramble and Syntax Reconstruction
Rearrange the following words/phrases to form grammatically correct and coherent sentences.
1. his / was / He / just / when / computer / crashed / working / on / report.
2. were / for / the / waiting / we / While / bus / it / heavily / to / rain / started.
3. not / I / hearing / was / the / news / morning / yesterday / at / 7 / o'clock.
4. when / What / you / saw / you / doing / were / the / accident / street / on / the?
5. at / My / friends / last / cinema / were / night / watching / a / movie / 9 / p.m.
6. rang / dinner / we / preparing / were / just / the / when / doorbell / as.
7. while / project / He / was / on / listening / his / to / music / working.
8. came / the / window / I / through / saw / bird / a / when / I / out / looking / was.
9. morning / reading / not / was / news / the / he / 8 / at / yesterday / a.m.
10. while / was / I / my / phone / lost / I / shopping / was / wallet / my / and.
Đáp án bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks
1. was scrolling / powered
2. were taking / went
3. didn't hear / was listening
4. were you doing / started
5. were walking / found
6. was trying / was cleaning
7. was / was raining / was blowing
8. was taking / grabbed
9. saw / was waiting
10. was trying / blocked
Exercise 2: Choose (When/While)
1. when
2. While
3. while
4. When
5. while
6. while (hoặc when đều được, nhưng while nhấn mạnh quá trình đang tắm)
7. While
8. when
9. when
10. While (hoặc When)
Exercise 3: Error Correction
1. was seeing → saw (See là động từ chỉ giác quan, không dùng ở thì tiếp diễn trong ngữ cảnh này).
2. played → were playing (Hành động đang diễn ra khi giáo viên vào).
3. drove → was driving (Hành động kéo dài, làm nền cho việc nghe podcast).
4. had → were having (Có mốc thời gian cụ thể: “At this time”).
5. didn't used → didn't use (Sau trợ động từ didn't động từ đưa về nguyên thể).
6. was broken → broke (Lỗi chia bị động nhầm lẫn; cô ấy “đã làm vỡ” – chủ động).
7. did you doing →were you doing (Cấu trúc câu hỏi thì quá khứ tiếp diễn).
8. was read → was reading (Cấu trúc was/were + V-ing).
9. walked → was walking (Hành động đang diễn ra thì thấy vật thể lạ).
10. were go → went (Hành động xảy ra dứt khoát tại mốc 10 p.m).
Exercise 4: Reading Cloze
1. was
2. was
3. While/When
4. was
5. were
Exercise 5: Complete the Dialogue
1. called
2. didn't you pick
3. was
4. was practicing
5. was studying
6. wanted
7. saw
8. wasn't watching
9. felt
10. went
Exercise 6: Sentence Transformation
1. I was working on my laptop when the screen turned blue.
2. While they were traveling in Japan, they visited many ancient temples.
3. What were you wearing when I saw you at the party?
4. It started to snow as we were leaving the cinema.
5. My friends were chatting online while I was sleeping.
6. The waiter dropped the tray while he was serving the guests.
7. When the postman came, I was having breakfast in the kitchen.
8. While the children were playing in the yard, their father was washing the car.
9. I didn't hear the phone because I was listening to a podcast.
10. My phone rang just as I was taking a photo of the sunset.
Exercise 7: Sentence Synthesis
1. While I was checking my bank account, I noticed a suspicious transaction.
2. The students were taking notes while the professor was giving a lecture.
3. My laptop battery died while I was participating in an online workshop.
4. We were sitting at the cafe when it started to hail.
5. I was driving through the tunnel when my GPS lost the signal.
6. The fire alarm rang while most of the staff were having lunch.
7. While I was jogging in the park, I tripped over a thick tree root.
8. My brother was playing a loud video game while I was trying to focus on my writing task.
9. The lights flickered and went out while she was uploading a large file.
10. The CEO made an important announcement while we were discussing the strategy.
Exercise 8: Multiple Choice
1. C (was studying)
2. B (left)
3. C (was crossing)
4. C (were/driving)
5. A (were commuting)
6. A (was thinking)
7. C (were boarding)
8. B (was preparing)
9. B (was taking)
10. B (was rising)
Exercise 9: Identifying Ungrammatical Structures
1. A (Biết – know là trạng thái, không chia tiếp diễn).
2. C (Dùng when để nối 2 hành động song song là không tự nhiên, nên dùng while).
3. B (See – nhìn thấy là giác quan, không chia tiếp diễn).
4. A (Hỏi tại mốc 8 giờ tối qua phải dùng tiếp diễn mới chính xác).
5. A (Suddenly đi với hành động xảy ra nhanh, không dùng tiếp diễn).
6. A (Believe – tin tưởng là trạng thái, không chia tiếp diễn).
7. B (Sai logic: Hành động tắm dài hơn tiếng chuông điện thoại).
8. B (Thiếu tính tiếp diễn của việc chơi bóng đá khi trời bắt đầu mưa).
9. A (Own – sở hữu là trạng thái, không chia tiếp diễn).
10. B (Bắt đầu – start là hành động ngắn, không chia tiếp diễn).
Exercise 10: Sentence Scramble
1. He was just working on his report when his computer crashed.
2. While we were waiting for the bus, it started to rain heavily.
3. I was not hearing (hoặc didn't hear) the news at 7 o'clock yesterday morning.
4. What were you doing when you saw the accident on the street?
5. My friends were watching a movie at the cinema at 9 p.m. last night.
6. The doorbell rang just as we were preparing dinner.
7. He was working on his project while listening to music.
8. I saw a bird when I was looking out through the window.
9. He was not reading the news at 8 a.m. yesterday morning.
10. I lost my wallet while I was shopping and my phone. (Câu này sắp xếp chuẩn: I lost my wallet and my phone while I was shopping.)
Nếu bạn muốn phân biệt rõ ràng giữa hai thì này, cách hiệu quả nhất vẫn là luyện tập thường xuyên. Khi làm nhiều dạng bài tập quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn kèm đáp án, bạn sẽ dần quen với cách dùng trong từng ngữ cảnh và phản xạ nhanh hơn khi gặp bài.
Hãy bắt đầu từ những bài cơ bản, sau đó nâng dần độ khó để củng cố kiến thức một cách chắc chắn. Kiên trì luyện tập mỗi ngày sẽ giúp bạn sử dụng hai thì này tự nhiên hơn, không còn nhầm lẫn khi học hay giao tiếp tiếng Anh. IELTS The Tutors chúc bạn học tốt hơn mỗi ngày!
