Practice Exercise of Tenses 1

My roommates said they test ………… him twice so far for years.. I study ………… for five straight hours.. I study ………… for five straight hours.. Anna listen ………… to loud rock when her friends

Practice Exercise of Tenses 1

I Put the verbs into the Present perfect or Present perfect continuous.

1 Look! Somebody (break) ………… that window

2 I (read) ………… the book that you gave me but I (not/finish) ………… it yet

3 “Sorry I’m late” That’s all right I (not/wait) ………… long

4 Hello! I (clean) ………… the window So far I (clean) ………… five of them and there are two more to do

5 There is a strange smell in here (you/cook) ………… something ?

6 My brother is an actor He (appear) ………… in several times

7 Jimmy is a tennis champion He (play) ………… tennis since he was eleven years old Now he (win) ………… the national championship for the fourth time

8 I am sorry I (not/come) ………… to class lately

9 So far we (not/ notice) ………… anything unusual

10 I (read) ………… the book you lent me In fact, I stayed up until 3 a.m last night to finish it

11 The professor (explain) ………… this math five times and the students still can’t understand it

12 Where have you been? I (wait) ………… for two hours I already finished lunch

13 Lately, some big companies (test) ………… employees for drugs My roommates said they (test) ………… him twice so far for years

14 I’m really sorry I’m late (you/wait) ………… long ? I got stuck in traffic

15 My sister (live) ………… in Ohio, Wisconsin Recently, her family (live) ………… in Dublin, Ireland

II Put the verbs into the Past simple or Past perfect.

1 I (be) ………… sorry that I (not/be) ………… nicer to him

2 Nobody (come) ………… to the meeting because the secretary (forget) ………… to tell the staff about it

3 I (see) ………… her before somewhere – I (know) …………

4 Because he (not/check) ………… the oil for so long, the car (break) …………

5 She couldn’t find the book that I (lend) ………… her

6 All the people we (invite) ………… turned up

7 It was the film that I (never/hear) ………… of

8 When she (come) …………, we all (know) ………… where she (be) …………

9 They (never/find) ………… where he (hide) ………… the money

10 The lesson (already/start) ………… when I (arrive) …………

11 By the time we (get) ………… to the hotel, Susan (book) ………… out

12 When I (phone) ………… Helen last night, she was washing her hair and she (finish) ………… when I finally got to her house

III Rewrite the sentences without changing their meaning.

1 Mary started learning English five years ago

Mary has

2 I can’t seem to stop sneezing lately

I have

3 This has been my home for thirty years

I have

4 They bought my car in 1985 and they are still driving it

They have

IV Use the Present perfect continuous or Past perfect continuous.

1 It is midnight I (study) ………… for five straight hours No wonder I’m getting tired

2 It was midnight I (study) ………… for five straight hours No wonder I was getting tired

3 Jack suddenly realized that the teacher was asking him a question He couldn’t answer because he (daydream) ………… for the last ten minutes

4 Wake up! You (sleep) ………… long enough It’s time to get up

5 At least two hundreds people were waiting in the line to buy the ticket to the game Some of them (stand) ………… in line for more than four hours We decided not to try to get tickets for ourselves

6 Anna (listen) ………… to loud rock when her friends arrived but turned it off so all of them could study together When they finished, she turned it back on and they (dance) ………… and (sing) ………… for two hours now

7 We (wait) ………… for Nancy for the last two hours but she hasn’t arrived

8 We (wait) ………… for Nancy for over three hours before she finally arrived yesterday

9 Tom had a hard time finding a job He (try) ………… to get a new job for six months before he finally found a position at a local community college Now he has a two-year contract He (teach) ………… there for only a few weeks but he likes his new hob very much

10 The marathon runner (run) ………… for almost two hours when she collapsed to the pavement She received immediate medical attention

V Use the Past simple, Past perfect or Past perfect continuous.

1 He used to talk to us about all the interesting things he (do) ………… in his life

2 When I (meet) ………… him at work, he (work) ………… as a waiter for a year or so

3 It wasn’t surprised that she (start) ………… getting toothache She (not/go) ………… to the dentist for two years

4 Halfway to the office Paul (turn) ………… round and (go) ………… back home because he (forget) ………… to turn the gas off

5 It was only much later I (find) ………… out that during all the time I (write) ………… to my pen friend, my mother (open) ………… and reading the replies!

6 I felt tired I (run) ………… for four hours

7 Reports are coming in that a train (crash) ………… near Birmingham According to eyewitnesses, it (hit) ………… a concrete block which somebody (put) ………… on the line

8 After he (finish) ………… his breakfast, he (sit) ………… down to write some letters

9 It (rain) ………… solidly since our arrival

10 Peter offered me another drink but I decided I (drink) ………… enough

11 By the time we got to the hotel, he (leave) …………

12 I knew I (do) ………… well in my exams even before I (receive) ………… the official results

VI Rewrite the sentences by using the given words.

1 Susan booked out before we got to the hotel (by the time)

2 He has just gone out (ago)

3 Now 2005, I have been learning English since 1994 (for)

4 Tony hasn’t been to Paris before (first)

5 Eating Chinese food is new to me (before)

VII Use the Past simple or the Present perfect.

1 Jill (buy) ………… a new car two weeks ago

2 His hair is very short He (have) ………… a haircut

3 Last night I (arrive) ………… home at half past twelve

4 (you/visit) ………… many museums when you were in Paris?

5 My bicycle isn’t here any more Somebody (take) ………… it

6 When (you/give) ………… up smoking?

7 I (not/eat) ………… anything yesterday because I (not/feel) ………… hungry

8 Why (Jim/want) ………… to play tennis last Friday?

9 The car looks very clean (you/wash) ………… it?

10 Mr Clark (work) ………… in a bank for fifteen years Then he gave it up

11 Molly lives in Bublin She (live) ………… there all her life

12 Bob and Alice are married They (be) ………… married for 20 years

13 When we were on holiday, the weather (be) ………… awful

14 The weather (be) ………… very nice recently, don’t you think?

15 My grandfather (die) ………… 30 years ago I (never/meet) ………… him

16 I wonder if Mary (reach) ………… home yet? She (leave) ………… too late to catch the bus

17 We (not/hear) ………… from Harry since he (leave) ………… home

18 London (change) ………… a lot since we first (come) ………… to live here

19 How many times (you/see) ………… this film? This is the first time I (see) ………… it

20 (you/finish) ………… with the bedroom yet ?

VIII Choose the correct answer.

1 I ………… you were here

A don’t know B not know C didn’t know D wasn’t know

2 ………… a noise just then?

A Have you heard B Were you hearing C Did you hear D Are you hearing it

3 My brother ………… the Youth League since 1995

A joined B has taken part C is in D has been in

4 I’m sure I ………… her four years ago

5 He found his book this morning but now he ………… his pen

6 The foreign guests ………… here almost a week

A have arrived B have been C have reached D have got

7 It five years since he ………… to study English

A was/began B is/has begun C will be/begins D is/began

8 “Who’s that pretty girl Tom dancing with?” – I don’t know I ………… her before

A never have seen B had never seen C was never seeing D have never seen

IX Rewrite the sentences without changing their meaning.

1 The last time I saw Dick was in 1985

I haven’t

2 It’s a long time since I last went to a football match

I haven’t

3 This is my second visit to Hungary

This is my second time

4 I haven’t seen him since I was a student

I last

5 I haven’t been to Bristol for three years

The last time

6 This is my second visit to England

This is the second time

7 It’s over twenty years since we got married

I have

8 We haven’t been swimming for ages

It’s ages

9 Mary started learning French five hours ago

Mary has

10 I am on the tenth page of the letter I am writing

So far

11 The last time I was in Prague was in 1986

I haven’t been

12 She hasn’t written to us since last year

The last time she

X Use the Future progressive or Present simple.

1 Right now I am attending class Yesterday at this time, I was attending class Tomorrow at this time, I (attend) ………… class

2 Tomorrow I’m going to leave for home When I (arrive) ………… at the airport, my whole family (wait) ………… for me

3 When I (get) ………… up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) …………, the birds (sing) …………, and my roommate (still/lie) ………… in

my bed fast asleep

4 A: When do you leave for Florida?

B: Tomorrow Just think Two days from now I (lie) ………… on the beach in the sun

A: Sounds great! I (think) ………… about you

5 A: How can I get in touch with you while you’re out of town

B: I (stay) ………… at the Pilgrim Hotel You can reach me there

6 Next year at this time, I (do) ………… exactly what I am doing now I (attend) ………… school and (study) hard next year

7 Look at those dark clouds When class (be) ………… over, it (probably/rain) …………

8 A: Are you going to be in town next Saturday?

B: No I (visit) ………… my aunt in Chicago