Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or past
continuous tense, as appropriate.
Here is what my friend Brent told me about an unpleasant experience he had while he was in Asia.
While l (travel)____________________ around Malaysia, one evening I (arrive) ____________________
at a small town where I (decide) ______________ to stop for the night because I (be)
____________________ too tired to go on. I (go) ____________________to the only "hotel" in the town.
It (look) ____________ scruffy and not very inviting but I (have) _______________ no choice. After a
quick meal I (go)____________ straight to bed. I (intend) _________________to read for a while but
after a few minutes I (feel) _________________ so sleepy that I (switch) _________________off the
light. Outside some nocturnal bird (make) _________________ strange noises and somebody (talk)
___________________________ and (listen) _______________________to the radio in the room next to
mine.
Soon I (fall) ______________ asleep. I suddenly (wake) _________________up in a cold sweat l
(tremble) __________________all over. I (know) _________________something (be)
_________________wrong but I couldn't tell what. lt was just a very creepy feeling. The moon still
(shine)_________________. All of a sudden I (hear)_________________a sound. lt was as if something
(make) _________________a scratching noise. lt (stop)_________________. Then it (start)
_________________again. Surely it couldn't be a snake? The man I (talk) _________________ to over
supper had said that sometimes snakes (enter) _________________ the rooms of the hotel. I (order)
_________________ myself to keep calm. While I (try) _________________ to adjust my eyesight to the
moon light I (hear)_________________ the noise again.
Then I (see) _________________ it. My blood (chill) ______________. It was a rat. Not an ordinary rat.
lt was huge, a monster, about 50 cm, with big ears and a long hairless tail. _____I (dream)
___________? No, it wasn't a nightmare.
It (stand) _________________ on its hind legs on my rucksack about a metre from where I (sit)
________________ in my bed. It (look) _________________ at me with red menacing eyes. And it (eat)
_________________ something., It (hold) _________________ it in its front paws. When it had finished
it (remain) _________________ immobile. I (not move) _________________ either, as if we (both wait)
_________________ for some signal. We (stay) _________________ like that for a couple of minutes I
think, but they (seem) _________________ hours to me. Then, without warning, the thing (jump)
_________________ at me. I (scream) _________________. Its body was hard and smelly. I (hit)
_________________ it blindly with my naked hands. The struggle (last) _________________ only a few
seconds then the creature (jump) _________________ on the floor with a heavy thud and (run)
_________________ away. While it (run) _________________, I (grab) _________________ a shoe and I
(throw) _________________it at it. Then I (stand)_________________there, paralyzed with a horror.
Of course I (sleep not) _________________again that night and as soon as the sun (rise)
_________________ I (pick) _________________all my things and (leave) _________________ the place.
was traveling was arriving
was deciding
was went
looked had
went intended
felt switched
made
talked listened
fell woke
trembled knew
was shined heard
made stopped
started talked
entered
ordered tried
heard
saw chilled
dreamed
stood looked
sad
held
ate did not move
remained
boted stayed
seamed
jumped screamed
hit lasted
jumped
ron was runing grabbed
threw stood
slept
rose picked left
Fernando Hinojosa Gonzalez
SHARI ZURISADAI SOTO PÉREZ