TENSES
TENSES
B: Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or present simple.
1. I _______________ (not/belong) to this particu1ar government committee.
2. Hurry! The bus _______________ (come). I _______________ (not/want) to miss it.
3. Gregory is a vegetarian. He _______________ (not/eat) meat.
4. I _______________ (1ook) for the manager. I can't find him anywhere.
5. We are successful because we _______________ (take) the time to ta1k to our customers.
6. John _______________ (deal) with all the enquiries about sales.
7. At the moment we _______________ (make) a training video for Siemens.
8. _______________ (you/know) what Mr Briceson _______________ (do)? He is not in his
office.
9. I _______________ (apply) for a job in the sales department, but I don't know if I will be
successful.
It _______________ (depend) on whether or not they have any vacancies.
10. Unemployment _______________ (fa1l) and is now down to 5.6%.
11. Jane is doing some research in the library. She needs it for a book she ____________ (write).
12. While Anna is away on holidays, Matt _______________ (work) in her office.
13. He ____________ (teach) French and German at University and _________ (learn) Greek.
14. There _____________ (be)two flights to Honduras this afternoon. The British Airways flight
_______________ (1eave) at 13:00 and _______________ (arrive) at 22:00.
15. Inflation _______________ (rise) at a rate of 2% per annum.
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C: Put the verb in brackets into the present simple or the present continuous.
1. She a1ways _______________ (remember) my birthday.
2. Mr Brown _______________ (work) in a supermarket.
3. I _______________ (work) in this factory until I find a better job.
4. Look! It _______________ (snow).
5. Can you hear those girls? What _______________ (they/ta1k) about?
6. _______________ (you/know) Helen?
7. We _______________ (never/go) to work by tube. It is too busy.
8. When I'm in Paris I _______________ (usually/stay) in the Hotel du Pont, but this time I
_______________ (stay) in the more expensive Hotel Notre Dame.
9. Ruth _______________ (be) a vegetarian. She _______________ (not/eat) meat or fish.
10. My father _____________ (be) an engineer, but he ____________ (not/work) right now.
11. _______________ (you/believe) in ghosts?
12. My parents ____________ (live) in Sydney. Where ______________ (your parents/1ive)?
13. We _______________ (own) two cars, an estate car and a sports car.
14. Can you drive? No, but I _______________ (learn) at the moment.
15. Look! That woman _______________ (try) to steal that man's wallet.
16. The River Nile _______________ (f1ow) into the Mediterranean.
17. _______________ (you/like) Bon Jovi?
18. I _______________ (get) thirsty. Let's get something to drink.
19. Those f1owers _______________ (smell) lovely. What are they?
20. Jane _______________ (repair) her bike. She ___________ (know) exactly what to do.
D. Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use the present simple or present
continuous.
1. Jeremy ................................. (fix) his motorbike at the moment, but I ..........................
(not/understand) why it ................................. (take) so long.
2. The lift usually ........................... (come) quickly, but it .............................. (not/work) today.
3. Officer, this car ................................. (not/belong) to me. Why .............................. (you/give)
me a parking ticket?
4. Your parcel ................................. (wait) for you at the post office, because it ..................
(weigh) a lot. ............................... (you/know) what it ......................... (contain)?
5. I ........................... (look) at the photo but I ........................... (not/see) you.
6. We ........................... (wait) quietly in the room at the moment. We ........................... (want) to
surprise Matthew.
7. I ........................ (not/think) that he .................... (go) to the party tonight; I’ll call and ask him.
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Past Simple and Past Continuous
A: Put one of these verbs in each sentence. Use the past simple:
eat / bring / write / buy / see / meet
1. The party was fantastic. Every guest _______________ something to eat and a bottle of wine.
2. I had an extravagant weekend. I _______________ some clothes and a plant.
3. Three weeks ago, Tracy _______________ her ex-husband in Mallorca. What a coincidence!
4. When I lived in Italy, we always _______________ lamb at Easter.
5. Shakespeare _______________ a lot of plays.
C: Put the verb in the correct form: past simple or past continuous.
1. I _______________ (dream) when the alarm clock _______________ (go off).
2. They _______________ (wait) for me when I _______________ (arrive).
3. The phone _______________ (ring) while I _______________ (have) a shower.
4. We _______________ (not/go out) last Sunday because it _______________ (rain).
5. I _______________ (see) Kim at the party. She _______________ (wear) a new dress.
6. I _______________ (break) a bowl this morning. When I _______________ (wash) the dishes
it just _______________ (slip) out of my hand onto the floor!
7. When he _______________ (carry) the table, he ___________ (feel) a sharp pain in his back.
8. Sarah _______________ (go) down the stairs when the lights _______________ (go out).
9. We _____________ (watch) TV when someone ___________ (come) to the door and
_______________ (knock) very loudly.
10. What _______________ (you/do) at this time yesterday? Oh, I ____________ (prepare) the
dinner.
11. I _______________ (fall) asleep while I _______________ (watch) television.
12. At 12:45 yesterday, Mr. Jones _______________ (see) a client in his office.
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D. Complete the sentences with the PAST SIMPLE or PAST CONTINUOUS form of the
verbs in brackets.
1. We .............................. (see) an accident when we ................................ (drive) home.
2. The boys .................................... (not/play) football when we ................................ (see) them.
3. I .............................. (listen) to music when you ................................... (call)
4. She ....................... (talk) to her friend when the teacher ............................. (tell) her to be quiet.
5. Everyone .................................. (dance) when we ............................ (arrive) at the party.
6. We .............................. (see) him on TV and ................................. (phone) his dad to tell him.
7. What .................................... (you/do) when the window ................................ (break)?
8. What ................................................ (you/do) at 7 o’clock this morning?
9. Tom ............................ (not/do) homework when I ................................................ (phone). He
............................................. (walk) his dog.
10. While Jenny and I ............................... (dance), everyone .............................. (look) at us.
B. Put the verb in the most suitable form, present perfect simple or continuous.
1. You look tired. _______________ (you/study) hard?
2. Mr Brown is new here, isn't he? How 1ong _______________ (he/work) for the company?
3. I _______________ (lose) my wallet. Have you seen it anywhere?
4. I _______________ (read) the magazine you lent me, but I _______________ (not/finish) yet.
5. _______________ (you/hear) the bad news? Simon _______________ (break) his leg!
6. How many articles _______________ (you/write)?
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7. What _______________ (you/do)? I _______________ (wait) for you for an hour!
8. Bob and his friends _______________ (play) golf since this morning.
9. I _______________ (know) Louise for ten years.
10. Mr Brown _______________ (mark) the exams all morning, but he ____________ (not/read)
them all.
D. Complete with the verbs in brackets. Use the present perfect simple or past simple.
1. We ........................... (not/be) to the cinema lately.
2. The last bus ........................... (already / leave).
3. My parents ........................... (live) in Seville for many years before moving to Malaga.
4. She ........................... (not/phone) me when she said she would
5. ........................... (you/ever/speak) to him?
6. A: ........................... (you/see) Sue recently?
B: She ........................... (go) on holiday to Turkey last week.
A: Really? Sue ........................... (not/be) on holiday for ages.
B: I ........................... (hear) from her last week.
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Past Perfect
A: Complete the sentences using the past simple or the past perfect.
1. When the teacher came in, everybody ______________ (stand up).
2. I arrived two hours late because my car ______________ (break down).
3. I was really tired last night. I ______________ (have) a hard day.
4. Sam felt ill, so he ______________ (go) to bed.
5. When we ______________ (write) the letter, we went to the post office.
C. Complete the sentences using the past perfect or past simple of the verb in brackets
1. She ........................... (move) to Australia before she ........................... (write) her first novel.
2. When they ........................... (get) home, she ........................... (already/cook) dinner.
3. The disco ...................................... (not/finish) when we ........................... (leave).
4. I ........................... (go) to see Alex after I ........................... (send) him a letter.
5. After I ........................... (read) the book , I ........................... (see) the film.
6. When you ........................... (tell) me, I ........................... (already/hear) the news.
7. She ........................... (not/get) a good mark in the test because she ........................... (not/study).
8. After he ........................... (give) his presentation, he ........................... (feel) calmer. He
........................... (be) very nervous about it beforehand and was glad it was over.
9. We ........................... (just/come) out of the cinema when it ........................... (begin) to pour.
We ........................... (not bring) umbrellas, so we ........................... (get) soaking wet.
10. I ........................... (never / saw) a 3-D film before seeing Avatar, and until then, I
........................... (not/realise) what an amazing experience 3-D is.
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Future Tenses
A: Put the verb in brackets into the present continuous or the present simple.
1. I ______________ (meet) Jane tonight.
2. The train to London ______________ (leave) at midday.
3. What time ______________ (the film / begin) this evening?
4. What ______________ (you / do) next weekend?
5. We ______________ (have) a party on Saturday. Do you want to come?
6. When ______________ (the concert / start)? It .______________ (start) at 7 p.m..
C. Complete the sentences with the correct form of will or be going to.
1. A: Oh, the phone is ringing. B: I ........................... (answer) it.
2. I ........................... (work) during the Christmas holidays.
3. A: I don’t understand this exercise at all! B: Don’t worry, I ........................... (help) you.
4. Look out for that car! Don’t drive so fast or we ........................... (crash)!
5. My father has promised that he ........................... (take) me out for dinner if I pass my exam.
6. My older brother ........................... (study) at university next year.
7. Sam........................... (be) a famous actor one day.
8. Do you think they ........................... (call) us before they go?
9. I ........................... (babysit) for Sue tonight.
10. Don’t worry! I ........................... (lend) you my bike till you buy your own.
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Comparatives and superlatives
A: Put in the comparative of the adjectives and adverbs in brackets, and than.
1. Going by bus is ____________ going by train. (cheap)
2. I was ____________ after the holiday than I was before it. (tired)
3. It took me ____________ to get here ____________ expected. (long)
4. Can you please speak ____________? (slow)
5. Sharon is a lot ____________ than she was as a child. (friendly)
6. I am unable to walk much ____________ (far).
7. Your room looks a lot ____________ since you tidied it up. (good)
8. My ____________ brother has been working for Lufthansa for 4 years now. (old)
9. At the moment, finding a job is ____________ than making new friends. (important)
10. My sister is a lot ____________ me. (old)
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Modal Verbs
A: Choose the correct form of the verbs: can, could and (be) able to.
1. I really enjoyed staying with my aunt when I was a child because she always told me I could /
was able to watch TV after 10 o'clock.
2. I couldn't have found / haven't been able to find my filofax for days now.
3. As soon as she arrived I could/was able to see from her face that she was depressed.
4. Why did I have to listen to you? I could have been/can be at home now instead of here.
5. You should have taken a taxi or you could phone/could have phoned me for a lift.
6. This refrigerator was $567 but I could / was able to get a discount because it was slightly
damaged.
7. I have no idea where my sister is. She could/can be in the North Pole for all I know.
8. It is difficult to understand how miners work under such conditions. I can't / couldn't.
9. She was able to be/could have been a star but she became a nurse instead.
10. I could/can drive but I can't ride a bike.
B: Choose the correct form of the verb: must/have to/mustn't/ needn't/don't have to.
1. You _____________ pay a month’s rent in advance. The landlord always insists on it.
2. You _____________ complete and return the completed form before Friday, 10th March.
3. In Britain, motorcyclists _____________ wear crash helmets.
4. You _____________ drink alcohol while taking these tablets.
5. You _____________ have a licence to have children.
6. You _____________ put out the rubbish. I can do that later.
7. Mr Brown _____________ work late in the office since he changed his job.
8. Mary has a weight problem. She knows she _____________ give up fried food if she wants to
lose weight.
9. During the Antarctic expedition the explorers _____________ melt the snow to get drinking
water.
10. You _____________ all remember to lock the door when you leave.
Articles
A: Which is correct (A) or (B)?
1. Mrs Johnston goes to (a) church (b) the Church every day of the week.
2. Jenny does a lot of business in (a) Far East (b) the Far East.
3. (a) Computer games (b) The Computer games are one of the things of the modern world not
liked by all.
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4. I like eating (a) spaghetti (b) the spaghetti.
5. She spent most of her life travelling in (a) Europe (b) the Europe and (a) Middle East (b) the
Middle East.
6. In Ireland children go to (a) school (b) the school from nine o’clock until four o'clock every
day.
7. There’s been a terrible accident. Call (a) police (b) the police.
8. There are millions of stars in (a) space (b ) the space.
9. I would love to live near (a) sea (b) the sea.
10. Do you know how to play (a) guitar (b) the guitar.
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Countable and uncountable nouns and some/any
A: Put in much/many, (a) little, (a)few, a lot of, plenty of where necessary.
1. There has been __________ rain recently.
2. You've got to hurry up. There's __________ time to waste.
3. I am enjoying my time here. I have __________ friends and we get together regularly.
4. There weren't that __________ people at the party that I knew.
5. There is no rush. We have __________ time.
6. He has so __________ money, he doesn't know what to do with it.
7. I last saw Jeremy __________ years ago.
8. Nowadays __________ people have servants in their houses.
9. I have __________ friends that I can trust but not many.
10. It has cost us __________ money to furnish this house.
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TENSES MIXED
A. Complete these sentences using the CORRECT TENSE. Be careful, ALL THE TENSES
ARE MIXED UP!!!
1. Excuse me. What time ........................... (the bus for Liverpool/leave)? It ...........................
(leave) in half an hour
2. When we ........................... (find) the cat, it ........................... (play) under the bed
3. Why are you buying flour and eggs? Because I ........................... (make) a cake
4. How long ago ........................... (John/cut) his finger? About 5 minutes ago, but he
........................... (not/cry)
5. When Paul got up, his mother ........................... (cook) breakfast
6. J.F. Kennedy ........................... (die) in Dallas in 1963
7. Sue ........................... (go) to private lessons twice a week, but this week she ...........................
(stay) at home because she’s ill
8. Susan ........................... (phone) last Tuesday. We ........................... (not/know) anything about
her since then
9. The weather forecast says there ........................... (be) clouds tomorrow
10. George ........................... (fall) off the ladder while he ........................... (paint) the ceiling
11. Tom ........................... (never/study) Maths and he ........................... (not/know) anything
about it.
12.Scientists ........................... (not/know) how to treat that fatal disease
13. The waiter ........................... (already/bring) the meat by the time Peter sat down to eat
14. Peter’s father ........................... (read) his children a tale every night
15. This time next week I ........................... (sunbathe) on a beautiful beach
16. The police ........................... (just/catch) the prisoner
17. Mary ........................... (fly) to Spain next Sunday. She has the plane tickets
18. What ........................... (you/do) when your son ........................... (fail) English?
19. I don’t think we should go. It’s already 9 o’clock. By the time we get to the cinema, the film
........................... (not/start). I think they ........................... (still/show) adverts when we arrive.
Come on. Let’s go!
20. The actor ........................... (star) in many films before he ........................... (receive) an
Academy Award.
21.When I ........................... (get) home last night, I saw that I ........................... (forget) to lock
the door!!
22. Are you cold? I ........................... (turn) on the heater.
23. I think I ........................... (have) a big breakfast today, so I ........................... (not/feel) hungry
during the history lesson.
24. Neil Armstrong ........................... (become) the first man to walk on the moon.
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B. Fill in the correct form of the verb – ALL TENSES.
1. I _______________ a great film yesterday. (see)
2. _____________________ a new car? (you ever buy)
3. I _______________ him last Monday. (meet)
4. The band _______________ while I _______________
5. She _______________ the new car in 2005. (buy)
6. Her mother _____________________ in Victoria for the past five years. (live)
7. _______________________ to get married? (you plan)
8. I _____________________ so much fun since I was a kid. (have)
9. When I got up I _____________ out of the window and ________________ that it
___________. (look, see, rain)
10. Janet _________________ for Smith and Brothers before she came to work for us. (work)
11. I _____________________ three movies so far this week. (see)
12. How long _____________________ for me? (you wait)
13. I _____________________ over Loch Ness last week. - _____________________ the Loch
Ness monster? (fly, you see)
14. I’m afraid I’m not hungry. I _____________________. (already eat)
15. Peter _____________________ football in the afternoon when he got the call. (play)
16. “What _____________________ between 9 and 12 yesterday morning?”. (you do)
17. He kept looking at her, wondering where he _____________________ her before. (see)
18. Travelling _____________________ much easier in the past hundred years. (become)
19. I _____________________ cake. That’s why my hands are full of flour. (bake)
20. When I first came to this house it _____________________ quite a noisy area. (be)
21. He twisted his ankle while he _____________________. (ski)
22. _____________________ the doors before you leave the house? (you ever lock)
23. My best friend and I _____________________ each other for 15 years. (know)
24. He never _____________________ in the evening, only on Sundays. (work)
25. Herbert’s father _____________________ his son’s birthday (never forget)
26. I _____________________ my report because I had a problem with my computer. (finish)
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