REVIEW OF TENSES
Exercise 1: Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense (PRESENT SIMPLE or PRESENT CONTINUOUS):
1. I …………………………. (eat) my breakfast in the kitchen every day.
2. These boys often ……………….……… (play) football at weekends.
3. It ……………………... (rain) in the winter.
4. She ………………………………. (go) to school three days a week.
5. My little boy often ……………..………… (watch) cartoon film.
6. She …………………………..(study) English at the moment.
7. My father often …………………………… (play) tennis in the morning.
8. Ann ……………………………… (speak) German very well.
9. Birds (build) …………………….. their nests in the summer and (fly) ……………………. to the south in winter.
10. I’m busy at the moment. I (redecorate) …………………. the visiting room.
11. I always (buy)…………………. lottery tickets but I never (win) ……………………. anything.
12. Violets (bloom) …………………. in Spring.
13. They (prepare)……………….. the Christmas dinner at the moment.
Exercise 2: Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense (PAST SIMPLE or PAST CONTINUOUS):
1. He ……………………….. (live) in London from 1980 to 1985.
2. They ………………………….. (sell) their house several days ago.
3. When…………….… you ………….….. (see) her ?
4. ……. …he ……… (come) to see you last night ? Yes, he came.
5. She ………………….…….. (met) me in the street last Sunday.
6. I ………… ……. (read) a newspaper when I ……………………. (wait) for the bus this morning.
7. I………………………..…….. (study) music when I was at school.
8. They ……………………………….. (sell) their house last year.
9. They ………………………….… (walk) to the corner two days ago.
10. The professor ………………………….… (teach) another class last year.
11. We ………………………….…. (spend) two weeks in Japan in 2000.
12. He ………………………………..….. (meet) his friends some days ago.
13. We ……………………….……. (speak) to our friends last week.
14. He …………………………….… (live) in London last year.
15. When I (arrive) …………….. at his house, he still sleep.
16. She ( water) ………………… the flowers in her garden while her next door neighbour (chat) ….………………
with her over the fence.
17.As we (cross) …………………… the street, we (see) ………………… an accident.
18.The bell (ring) …………………. while Tom(take)………………… a bath.
19.She (hear)…………………. the noise and (get) …………… out of bed when the door (open) ……………………
20.The children (play) ………………….. football when their mother (come) ……………… back.
Exercise 3: Supply the correct verb forms in PRESENT PERFECT or PAST SIMPLE:
1. We (study) ………………. a very hard lesson the day before yesterday.
2. I (read) ………………….. that novel by Hemingway several times before.
3. We ( study) ……………….. almost every lesson in this book so far.
4. My wife and I ( travel) …………………….. to Mexico by air last Summer.
5. I ( have) ……………………. a little trouble with my car last week.
6. How long you ( learn) …………………. English?
7. Tom ( never be) ……………… in Hanoi.
8. The driver of that car (sound) …………………… his horn for the last ten minutes.
9. I (teach) ………………… hundreds of students but I never (meet ) ……………… such a hopeless situation.
10. He (lose) …………………. his job last month and since then he (be) …………………. out of work.
11. Mr Jone (be) ………………….. the principal of our school since last year.
12. We (not live) ……………… in England for two years now.
13. I (never forget) …………………… what you (just tell) ………………….. me.
14. George (work) …………………. at the university so far.
15. When he lived in Manchester, he (work) ……………………. in a bank.
16. I (lose)………………….. my key. Can you help me look for it?
17. My father (not smoke) …………………….. for 5 years.
18. How long Bob and Mary (be) ……………………. married?
19. You (receive) ………………………. any letter from your parents yet?
20.She (win) ……………….. the gold medal in 1986.
Exercise 4: Choose the best answer among A, B, C, or D.
1. When I last saw him, he _____ in London.
A. has lived B. is living C. was living D. has been living
2. We _______ Dorothy since last Saturday.
A. don’t see B. haven’t seen C. didn’t see D. hadn’t seen
3. The train ______ half an hour ago.
A. has been leaving B. left C. has left D. had left
4. Jack ______ the door.
A. has just painted B. paint C. will have painted D. painting
5. My sister ________ for you since yesterday.
A. is looking B. was looking C. has been looking D. looked
6. I ______ Texas State University now.
A. am attending B. attend C. was attending D. attended
7. He has been selling motorbikes ________.
A. ten years ago B. since ten years C. for ten years ago D. for ten years
8. Christopher Columbus _______ American more than 500 years ago.
A. discovered B. has discovered C. had discovered D. had been discovering
9. He fell down when he ______ towards the church.
A. run B. runs C. was running D. had run
10. We _______ there when our father died.
A. still lived B. lived still C. was still lived D. were still living
11. Jack ________ the door.
A. has just opened B. open C. will have opened D. opening
12. I have been waiting for you ______ .
A. since early morning B. since 9a.m C. for two hours D. All are correct
13. I _______ in the room right now.
A. am being B. was being C. have been being D. am
14. I ______ to New York three times this year.
A. have been B. was C. were D. had been
15. I’ll come and see you before I _______ for the States.
A. leave B. will leave C. have left D. shall leave
16. The little girl asked what _______ to her friend.
A. has happened B. happened C. had happened D. would have been happened
17. John ______ a book when I saw him.
A. is reading B. read C. was reading D. reading
18. He said he _______ return later.
A. will B. would C. can D. would be
19. I have never played badminton before. This is the first time I _____ to play.
A. try B. tried C. have tried D. am trying
20. Since _______, I have heard nothing from him.
A. he had left B. he left C. he has left D. he was left
IV. Choose the underlined part in each sentence (A, B,C, or D ) that needs correcting.
1. Debbie, whose father is an excellent tennis player, has been playing tennis since ten years.
A B C D
2. I have seen lots of interesting places when I went on holiday last summer
A B C D
3. When my cat heard a noise in the bushes, she stopped moving and listen intently
A B C D
4. Linda has worn her new yellow dress only once since she buys it.
A B C D
5. Last week Mark told me that he got very bored with his present job and is looking for a new one.
A B C D
6. When I’m shopping in the supermarket, I ran into an old friend who I hadn’t met for five years.
A B C D
7. The police arrested the man while he is having dinner in a restaurant.
A B C D
8. Peter and Wendy first met in 2006, and they are married for three years now.
A B C D
REVIEW OF TENSES
Exercise 1: Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct the verbs that are wrong
1. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius _______
2. The water boils. Can you turn it off? _______
3. Let’s go out. It doesn’t rain now _______
4. Listen to those people. What language do they speak? _______
5. The moon goes round the earth _______
6. I must go now. It gets late _______
7. I usually go to work by car _______
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences, putting the verbs into the past continuous or past simple:
1. When the postman (come) _______, I (have) _______ breakfast
2. My sister (wash) _______ dishes while I (work) _______ in the garden
3. While I (talk) _______ to John, the telephone (ring) _______
4. Mr. Taylor (watch) _______ television while his wife (read) _______ a newspaper
5. When I (leave) _______ the house this morning, It (rain) _______ very hard
6. John (talk) _______ to his friends when I (see) _______ him
7. I (see) _______ a bad accident while I (wait) _______ for you in this corner
8. As we (cross) _______ the street, the policeman (shout) _______ at us
9. That tourist (lose) _______ his camera while he (walk) _______ around the city
10. It (snow) _______ when I (get) _______ up this morning
11. Albert Einstein (die) _______ in 1955
12. Tom (go) _______ to the post office twice yesterday.
13. He (fall) _______ while he (go) _______ down the stairs
14. What _______ she (do) when you (arrive) _______ there? She (write) _______ a letter
15. She (have) _______ her bath while her sister (get) _______ the breakfast ready
16. I (go) _______ to ask you to help me, but you (sleep) _______ so peacefully when I (look) _______ into your
room that I (decide) _______ to do it alone
17. I (look) _______ up at the sky, dark clouds (gather) _______
18. Just as I (write) _______ the letter, the inkpot (fall) _______ over
19. Mr. Nam (cook) _______ dinner when we (arrive) _______
20. What _______ (you/do) when I (telephone) _______ you last night?
Exercise 3: Circle the best option to complete each sentence:
1. She usually _____ two hours a day.
a. work b. is working c. works d. working
2. Don’t make noise. My mother _________ with her friends.
a. is talking b. was talking c. talks d. talked
3. Listen! They _________ about the exhibition. Let’s join them.
a. talk b. talked c. are talking d. have talked
4. Where _____ your sister born?
a. were b. was c. did d. is
5. We _____ have white wine, but we _____ red wine.
a. didn’t/had b. don’t/had c. did/didn’t d. didn’t/have
6. When did you _________ see him?
a. recently b. already c. last d. lately
7. I _________ a bath when the phone rang.
a. was having b. had c. am having d. have
8. I _____ her two week ago.
a. seen b. was seeing c. saw d. have seen
9. I _____ to his house in 1991.
a. moved b. have been moving c. have moved d. was moving
10. He came into the room while they _________ television.
a. have watched b. watched c. were watching d. have been watching
11. I fell asleep when I _____ television
a. am watching b. am being watched c. was watching d. All are correct
12. They _____________ last week.
a. didn’t come b. came not c. don’t come d. did come
13. Where are Geoff and Anne? _____________ in the garden.
a. They’re sitting b. They sitting c. There sitting d. They’re sitting
14. It’s very cold today and _____.
a. It’s snowing b. it snows c. its snowing d. it snowing
15. She goes to the library twice a week. She _____________ read books there.
a. never b. usually c. rarely d. once
16. At nine o’clock yesterday morning, we _____________ for the bus.
a. are waiting b. waited c. were waiting d. was waiting
17. Tom _________ his hand when he was cooking the dinner.
a. burnt b. was burning c. has burnt d. had burnt
18. He _________ me every Sunday, and we often go fishing together.
a. came to see b. comes to see c. will be coming to see d. All answers are correct
19. The phone rang while she _________ dinner.
a. cooks b. was cooking c. is cooking d. has cooked
20. My sister _________ trouble with her motorbike now, so she has to take the bus to work.
a. have b. is having c. was having d. had
21. When my mum got home, _________.
a. the dinner be cooked b. I was cooking dinner c. I am cooking dinner d. the dinner being cooked
22. Emma and Katie usually _________ their grandmother at weekends.
a. have visited b. visits c. visit d. are visiting
23. Peter was reading a book by Mark Twain _________ his friends came.
a. while b. when c. during d. if
24. Look! That boy _________ an elephant over there.
a. fed b. was feeding c. feeds d. is feeding
25. He _________ in London at the moment.
a. studies b. has studied c. is studying d. will study
Exercise 4: Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense (PAST SIMPLE or PAST PERFECT ):
1.He (teach)……………… in this school before he (leave ) ………………… for London.
2.Daisy (agree)………………. with other members in the last meeting.
3.Our teacher (tell)…………. …… us yesterday that he ( visit ) ………… ………… England in 1970.
4.I didn’t recognise Mrs Johnson. She (change) ……………….. a lot.
5.My teacher wasn’t at home when I (arrive). He (just go) ………………….. out.
Exercise 5: Circle the best option to complete each sentence:
1. He felt very sleepy _________ he had eaten too much
a. of b. at c. after d. before
2. When we arrived, the train _________ the station
a. already left b. had already left c. had left already d. has left already
3. I called you at 8:00am, but you _________ out
a. went b. just had gone c. had just gone d. had gone just
4. Lisa _________ me a ride because I _________ the bus
a. gave/had missed b. gave/missed c. had given/missed d. had given/had missed
5. _________ I went to bed, I’d taken a bath and brushed my teeth
a. after b. when c. if d. before
Exercise 6: Join the following pairs of sentences, using the conjunction in brackets
1. I had a bath. I went to bed (after)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. I read the letter. I threw it away (when)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. He passed his driving test. He bought a car. (as soon as)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. I took the book back to the library. I finished reading it (when)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. I didn’t go to bed. I did my homework (until)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. I spent all my money. I went home (when)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. I read the book. I saw the movie (before)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
8. Her children left home. She started writing (after)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. She wrote a letter. Then she went to bed
She _________________________________________________________
10. She went out for a walk. Then she had a serious accident ( Before )
Before _______________________________________________________
11. We read the book then we wrote the assignment ( Before )
Before _____________________________________________________ _
12. She decided to go away. First she faced the matter ( After )
She _________________________________________________________
13. We had dinner, and then we went to the concert.
After …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. Kate took two aspirins, and then she felt a lot of better.
After …………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. Sheila went out for the evening, but first she washed her hair.
Before ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Exercise 6: Supply the correct verb form: Past tenses:
1. They (go) _____________ home after they (finish) _____________ their work.
2. The children (play) _____________ football when their mother (come) _____________ back.
3. She said that she (already, see) _____________ Dr. Rice.
4. When we (come) _____________ to the stadium, the match (already, begin) _____________.
5. He (sit) _____________ in a café when I (see) _____________ him.
6. They told me they (not eat) _____________ such kind of food before.
7. He (ask) _____________ me why he (come) _____________ so early.
8. After they (go) _____________, I (sit) _____________ down and (rest) _____________ .
9. Before she (watch) _____________ TV, she (do) _____________ her homework.
10. After taking a bath, he (go) _____________ to bed.
11. She (win) _____________ the gold medal in 1986.
12. What he (be) _____________ when he (be) _____________ young?
13. Is was the first time I (ever see) _____________ such a beautiful girl.
14. Yesterday John (go) _____________ to the store before he (go) _____________ home.
15. Our teacher (tell) _____________ us yesterday that he (visit) _____________ England in 1970.
16. Tom (see) _____________ a serious accident while he (stand) _____________ at the bus stop.
17. When John and I got to the theatre, the movie (already start) _____________.
18. Before Alice (go) _____________ to sleep, she (call) _____________ her family.
19. When the phone (ring) _____________ , I (have) _____________ dinner.
20. Daisy (agree) _____________ with other members in the last meeting.
21. What you (do) _____________ at 6 p.m yesterday?
22. The little girl asked what (happen) _____________ to her ice-cream.