Open the brackets and use the verbs in the necessary tense form. Let me tell you what 1_____ (happen) once when my dear Uncle Podger 2_____ (decide) to hang a picture on the wall. He 3_____ (tell) us not to worry and just watch him do it. He 4_____ (say) he 5_____ (do) it by himself. Well, he 6______ (come up) to the picture which 7_____ (wait) to be put up in the dining room and 8 _____ (take) it. But suddenly it 9_____ (fall down) and the glass 10______ (break) into pieces and he 11______ (cut) his finger. He 12______ (start) looking for his handkerchief but couldn’t find it because he 13_____ (put) it in his coat and none of us 14______ (know) where his coat 15______ (be). “Six of you!” Uncle Podger 16______ (exclaim), “and you cannot find the coat that I 17 _____ (put down) only five minutes ago!” But then he 18______ (get up) from his chair and 19_____ (find) that he 20______ (sit) on his coat the whole time. “Oh, you can stop your search. I 21______ (find) it myself!” Then after he 22______ (spend) an hour on tying up his finger Uncle Podger 23_____ (wonder) where the hammer 24______ (disappear) to. And while everybody 25______ (try) to get the hammer, he 26______ (stand) on the chair saying: “Well, I 27______ (want) to know if you 28______ (keep) me here all evening!” Finally we 29______ (find) the hammer, but we 30______ (notice) that the nail which he 31_____ (prepare) was lost. And, of course, Uncle Podger 32_____ (not keep) silent while he 33_____ (wait) for another nail to be brought. When the picture at last was put on the wall, everybody 34______ (look) tired, all except Uncle Podger. Aunt Maria 35______ (remark) that if Uncle Podger 36______ (want) to do a job like that again, she 37_____ (go) and spend a week with her mother until it 38_____ (be) over. “Oh, you women, you 39_____ always (make) a fuss over everything,” Uncle Podger 40______ (answer).
Answers & Comments
1. happened
2. decided
3. told
4. said
5. would to
6. came up
7. was waiting
8. took
9. fell down
10. broke
11. cut
12. started
13. had put
14. knew
15. was
16. exclaimed
17. put down
18. got up
19. found
20. had been sitting
21. have found
22. spent
23. wondered
24. disappeared
25. was trying
26. was standing
27. want
28. are going to keep
29. found
30. noticed
31. had prepared
32. didn't keep
33. was waiting
34. looked
35. remarked
36. wanted
37. would go
38. was
39. make
40. would answer