TENSES EXERCISES

I. QKĐ/ HTHT
1. They just (decide) to buy a new house.
2. "Gone with the Wind" is the most interesting film we ( see) recently.
3. - You (see) Nam last Sunday.?
- Oh, no I (not see) him for many days now.
4. - Since when you(learn) E?
- I (learn) it since I ( be) a girl of twelve.
5. - You ever (be) to HCM city?
- No, I (not be) there yet. But my parents (be) there twice this year.
6. They (do) nothing since they (get) up.
7. My brother (join) the army when he ( be) 18. He (serve) in the army for 3 years and then
(go) to universiy.
8. - How long you (live) in this town?
-I (live) in this town for ten years.
9. My sister (finish) school in 1997 and (be) a student at the National University since then.
10. My parents (go) out. They will be back soon.

II. HTĐ/ TLĐ

1.He (learn) French when he (have) time.
2.They (not go) on working until the rain (stop).
3.I (not do) it until they (tell) me to.
4.They (come) to see their grandparents before they (leave) for New York
5.She (learn) one more foreign language when she (go) to university.
6.They (not go) home until it (stop) raining.
7.Where you (be) at this time tomorrow? - I (be) at the meeting.
8.Nobody (know) what he (do) to earn his living after he (finish) school.
9.When we (meet) again? - We (meet) again when I ( return) home from Australia.
10.He (be) busy at the moment. But he (come) to give you a helping hand as soon as he
(finish) his work.

III. HTĐ/ HTTD/ QKĐ/ QKTD

1.We often (drink) coffee in the morning. But yesterday morning we (drink) tea.
2.On my way home I often (meet) many children who (go) to school.
3.The sun (rise) in the East and (set) in the West.
4.When they (finish) their work? They (finish) it two hours ago.
5.What she still (do) when her mother (go) to bed last night? - She still (write) an essay on the
hames.
6.What you (do) now? - We (repair) our house. We (hope) everything (be) nice.
7.He often ( buy) presents for his daughter on her birthday.Yesterday (be) her 15th
birthday. He (buy) her a big doll.
8. He (begin) to learn foreign languages when he (be) quite young.
9.People (know) that Columbus (discover) America nearly 500 years ago.
10.They all (believe) that he just (come) back from London last week.
IV. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER

1. At nine o'clock yesterday morning we ________________ for the bus.

A. wait B. waiting C. was waiting D. were waiting
2. At this time tomorrow ____________ over the Atlantic.
A. we flying B. we 'll be flying C. we 'll fly D. we to fly
3. Don't worry. I ___________ be here to help you.
A. not B. will C. willn't D. won't
4. - Let' s go! What 's taking you so long?"
- I'll be there as soon as I ______________ my keys."
A. found B. will find C. find D. am finding
5. My friend _______ the answer to the question.
A. is know B. know C. knowing D. knows
6. "When is Mr. Nam planning to retire?"
"Soon, I think. He ___________ here for a long time. He 'll probably retire either next year or
the year after that."
A. has worked B. had been working C. has been working D. is working
7. While I __________________ TV last night, a mouse ran across the floor.
A. watch B. watched C. was watching D. am watching
8. "Is it true that spaghetti didn't originate in Italy?"
"Yes. The Chinese ____________________ spaghetti dishes for a long time before Marco
Polo brought it back to Italy."
A. have been making B. have made C. had been making D. made
9. After Jessica ___________ her degree, she intends to work in her father 's company.
A. will finish B. will have finished C. finishes D. is finishing
10. By the time I go to bed tonight, I __________ my work for the day.
A. will finish B. have finished C. will have finished D. finish

V. Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or the past continuous tense.

1. I lit the fire at 6.00 and it (bum) brightly when Tom came in at 7.00.
2. When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor (write) on the overhead
projector.
3. I (make) a cake when the light went out. I had to
finish it in the dark.
4. I didn't want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave).
5. Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time for a few words.
6. He (watch) TV when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he (turn) down the so
und and (go) to
answer it.
7. He was very polite. Whenever his wife entered the room he (stand) up.
8. The admiral (play) bowls when he received news of the invasion. He (insist) on finishing
the game.
9. My dog (walk) along quietly when Mr. Pitt's Pekinese attacked him.
10. When I arrived she (have) lunch. She apologized for starting without me but said that she
always (lunch) at12.30.
11. He always (wear) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he walked to the office.
12. I (share) a flat with him when we were students. He always (complain) about my
untidiness.
13. He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction.
14. He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the
window and (throw) out a bucket of water.
15.I just (open) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand.
16. The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps. He immediately (put) out his torch
and (crawl) under the bed.
17. When I (look) for my passport I (find) this old photograph.
18. You looked very busy when I (see) you last night. What you (do)?
19. The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their father's step. They immediately (hide) the
cards and (take) out their lesson books.
20. He (clean) his gun when it accidentally (go) off and (kill) him.

VI. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER

1. The children were frightened because it ........................... dark.
A. was getting B. is getting C. got D. gets
2. It ............................... heavily when he ................................. up.
A. snowed / wakes B. was snowing / woke
C. has snowed / woke D. was snowing / has woken
3. She was too far away, so she ............................ you.
A. mustn’t see B. hasn’t seen C. couldn’t have seen D. hadn’t seen
4. I’ve lost my gloves. I ........................... it somewhere.
A. must drop B. must have dropped
C. must be dropping D. must have been dropping
5. I ..................... a new house last year, but I .......................... my old hou
se yet, so at
the moment I have two houses.
A. buy / didn’t sell B. bought / didn’t sell
C. bought / haven’t sold D. have bought / haven’t sold
6. I hope they ............................ this road by the time we come back next summer.
A. will have repaired B. have repaired
C. repair D. repaired
7. He ............................. us up when he arrives in England.
A. ring B. rings C. will ring D. rung
8. I ........................ here till he comes back.
A. wait B. waited C. have waited D. will wait
9. His eyes hurt because he ...................... for 8 hours.
A. been reading B. have been reading
C. had been reading D. was reading
10. After I ............................... Lunch, I looked for my bag.
A. had B. had had C. have had D. has had
11. By the end of next year, George ......................... English for 2 years.
A. will have learned B. will learn
C. has learned D. would learn
12. Henry .......................... into the restaurant when the writer was having dinner.
A. was going B. went C. has gone D. did go
13. He will take the dogs out for a walk as soon as he ................................. dinner.
A. finsh B. finishes C. will finish D. shall have finished
14. Ask her to come and see me when she .............................. her work.
A. finish B. has finished C. finished D. finishing
15. Oil ......................... if you pour it into water.
A. floated B. floats C. will be floated D. float
16. When he returned home, he found the door ................................. .
A. unlocking B. unlocked C. to be unlocked D. have unlocked
17. Almost everyone ...................................... for home by the time we arrived.
A. has left B. left C. leaves D. had left.
18. By the age of 25, he ........................ two famous novels.
A. wrote B. writes C. has written D. had written
19. When he .............................. all his newspapers, he will go home.
A. has sold B. sold C. sell D. sells
20. When I arrived at the party, Martha ............................... home already.
A. went B. has gone C. had gone D. would go
21. How long ............................. you to travel to school every day?
A. does it take B. has it taken
C. it takes D. is it taking
22. She ......................... music all day. Now she feels tired.
A. has been playing B. is playing
C. played D. plays
23. At first she .......................... out with him because she thought he was weird, but then she
changed her mind.
A. didn’t wanted to B. wanted not to
C. wasn’t wanting to D. didn’t want to
24. “Hello, Alice? This is Jeff. How are you?
- “Jeff? I................... about you when the phone rang.”
A. was just thinking B. just thought
C. have been thinking D. have just been thinking
25. What ................... about the new tax law?
A. are you thinking B. do you think
C. have you thought D. have you been thinking
26.
“When is Mr. Brown planning to retire?”
-“
He............. here for a long time”
A. worked B. had been working
C. has been working D. is working
27. Next week when there ............. a full moon, the ocean tides will be higher.
A. is being B. is C. will be D. will have been
28. While I ............. last night, Tom telephoned me.
A. watch B. watched C. was watching D. am watching
29. Tom was disappointed that most of the guests............when he .........at the party.
A. left/had arrived B. left/ arrived
C. had left/had arrived D. had left/ arrived
30. My brother ........... while he ......... his bicycle and hurt himself.
A. fell/ was riding B. was falling /rode
C. had fallen/rode D. had fallen/was riding
31. Now he............ a book about English. I don’t think he will finish it.
A. writes B. has written C. wrote D. is writing
32. What ........... you............. tomorrow morning?
A. do/do B. are/do C. are/going do D. are/going to do
33. I.............. as soon as you come back.
A. went B. shall go C. have gone D. am going
34. He found his book this morning, but now he...............his pen.
A. loses B. lost C. has lost D. had lost
35. I.................... you were here.
A. don’t know B. not know C. didn’t know D. wasn’t know
36. You may leave the classroom when you ................ writing.
A. will finish B. are finishing
C. have finished D. had finished
37. I’m sure I................. her four years ago.
A. have seen B. saw C. had seen D. will see
38. ................ a noise just then?
A. Have you heard B. Were you hearing
C. Did you hear D. Are you hearing
39. The foreign guests ....................... here almost a week.
A. have arrived B. have been
C. have reached D. have got
40. She .............her lessons from seven to nine last
night.
A. did B. had done C. was doing D. has been doing

VII. REWRITE
1. I have not been to an Indian restaurant for ages.
It is ages........................................................................................................
2. How long have Helen and Robert been married?
When ..........................................................................................................
3. When you phoned me, it was my lunchtime.
When .........................................................................................................
4. I have not had a Chinese meal for 4 years.
The last time ..................................................................................................
5. David went home before we arrived.
When .........................................................................................................
6. I have only recently started wearing glasses.
I did not.......................................................................................................
7. Jack left the office before I arrived there.
When ..........................................................................................................
8. During my dinner, the phone rang.
While ...............................................................
........................................
9. I have not been to the cinema for 2 months.
I last ...........................................................................................................
10. This is my first visit to Japan.
This is the first time..........................................................................................