1 a It was now getting late, and my eyes … trouble focusing on the birds in the disappearing light. B I … trouble with that car the whole of the time I owned it.
2 a As a historian, I’m interested in how people … in the past.
B During that hard winter, people …. by selling what few remaining possessions they had.
3 a She … very good at talking to children in a way that kept them entertained.
B Before the party, the children got very excited and … naughty.
4 a He …. learning Japanese until the class had a new teacher.
B Even when he was young, Jonathan … learning languages.

6.4 Correct the sentences if necessary or put a
1 Whenever I called in on Sam, he talked on the phone.
2 When I lived in Paris, I was spending three hours a day travelling to and from work.
3 Peterson was winning the tournament four times before he retired.
4 We were having to play netball twice a week when I went to school.
5 The weather was so good last summer that we went to the beach most weekends.

1 a. It was now getting late, and my eyes had trouble focusing on the birds in the disappearing light.
Explanation: The phrase "had trouble" indicates a past event or circumstance. In this case, the person's eyes had trouble focusing in the past, as it was getting late and the light was disappearing.

1 b. I had trouble with that car the whole of the time I owned it.
Explanation: The phrase "had trouble" indicates a past event or circumstance. In this case, the person had trouble with their car throughout the entire period of time they owned it.

2 a. As a historian, I'm interested in how people lived in the past.
Explanation: The verb "lived" indicates a past action or state. As a historian, the person is interested in how people conducted their lives in the past.

2 b. During that hard winter, people survived by selling what few remaining possessions they had.
Explanation: The verb "survived" indicates a past action or state. During the hard winter, people managed to stay alive or cope by selling their limited possessions.

3 a. She was very good at talking to children in a way that kept them entertained.
Explanation: The verb phrase "was very good" indicates a past characteristic or ability. In this case, she had the ability to talk to children in an entertaining manner in the past.

3 b. Before the party, the children got very excited and became naughty.
Explanation: The verb "became" indicates a change in state or behavior. Before the party, the children transitioned from being excited to becoming naughty.

4 a. He had been learning Japanese until the class had a new teacher.
Explanation: The phrase "had been learning" indicates a past continuous action or state. He had been continuously learning Japanese until the class had a new teacher.

4 b. Even when he was young, Jonathan enjoyed learning languages.
Explanation: The verb "enjoyed" indicates a past action or state. Even when he was young, Jonathan had the enjoyment or pleasure of learning languages.

6.4 Correct the sentences if necessary or put a "
"

1. Whenever I called in on Sam, he talked on the phone.
This sentence is correct.

2. When I lived in Paris, I spent three hours a day traveling to and from work.
Correction: The verb "spent" should be used in the past tense to match the past action of living in Paris.

3. Peterson won the tournament four times before he retired.
This sentence is correct.

4. We had to play netball twice a week when I went to school.
Correction: The phrase "had to" indicates a past obligation or necessity to play netball. The verb "had to" should be used to match the past action of going to school.

5. The weather was so good last summer that we went to the beach most weekends.
This sentence is correct.