Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word or phrase.

Once upon a time there ……………………. (lives / lived / were living) a donkey and a dog. They belonged ……………………. (of / to / for) a merchant. One morning, the merchant ……………………….. (took / were taking / had taken) them to the market. It was a very long journey.

At noon, the merchant ……………………….. (ate / eaten / eats) the little food he had brought along. He ……………………… (unloaded / were unloading / unloads) the donkey, and sat down under a tree for taking a nap. There ………………………. (was / were) plenty of tender grass along the sides of the path. The donkey …………………… (began / begin / begun) to eat it. The dog was hungry too, ………………….. (but / though / since) there was nothing for him to eat.

“There ……………………. (is / are) some loaves among the load you …………………… (are / were / was) carrying,” said the dog to the donkey. “Let’s take one and share it between ourselves.”

Solution

Once upon a time there lived a donkey and a dog. They belonged to a merchant. One morning, the merchant took them to the market. It was a very long journey.

At noon, the merchant ate the little food he had brought along. He unloaded the donkey, and sat down under a tree for taking a nap. There was plenty of tender grass along the sides of the path. The donkey began to eat it. The dog was hungry too, but there was nothing for him to eat.

“There are some loaves among the load you were carrying,” said the dog to the donkey. “Let’s take one and share it between ourselves.”