VERBAL TENSES WITH KEY


Unit 1: Present Tenses
A: Put in the present continuous form of the verb in brackets.
1. Please be quiet. I _______________ (try) to read my book.
2. I _______________ (not/use) the computer at the moment so you can use it.
3. Mary is ill so Sue _______________ (teach) her 1essons today.
4. Excuse me, I _______________ (look) for a hotel. Is there one near here?
5. _______________ (you/wait) for someone?
6. Jack, you are very careless. You _______________ (always/forget) to do your
homework!
7. The cost of living _______________ (rise) very fast. Every year things are more
expensive.
8. What _______________ (you/do)? I _______________ (clean) my shoes.
9. Why _______________ (not/wear) shorts? It's so hot today.
10. The neighbours are so noisy! They _______________ (always/argue) 1oudly.
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.
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.
Unit 2 : 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.
B: A friend has just returned from his holiday. Ask him questions about it using the
past simple.
Example: where/go? Where did you go?
sun/shine Did the sun shine?
1. how /get there?
2. who/go with?
3. where/stay?
4. the weather /good?
5. what/you think of the food?
6. what/do during the day?
7. go out in the evenings?
8. buy any souvenirs?
9. make any new friends?
10. how long/the journey home/take?
C: Put the verb in the past simple.
1. Tom _______________ (not/come) to the office yesterday because he _______________
(be) ill.
2. She _______________ (not/read) the book because she _______________ (not/be)
very interested in that author.
3. The students _______________ (not/finish) their group project because they
_______________ (run out) of time.
4. We _______________ (not/eat) anything for breakfast because we
_______________ (be) in a hurry.
5. Mary _______________ (not/catch) the train to Mexico City because she
_______________ (arrive) at the station too late.
D: 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 Alright _______________ (see) a client in his office.
Unit 3 : Past Perfect
A: Here is the latest news about your friends and family. Complete the sentences using
the present perfect simple.
Example: I/buy/a new car I have bought a new car
1. Mary/move house
2. Fred and Frank/start/a company
3. My parents/go to Greece
4. Sue/get married
5. Granny/celebrate her 80th birthday
B: Read the situations and write sentences in the present perfect simple. Choose one of
the following:
learn buy find break clean grow
1. James can't go to school because his arm is in plaster. He has broken his arm.
2. Fred was nervous about travelling to France. He isn't any more because he knows he can
communicate. He has ……………………………………………………………………..
3. Jane didn't have a dress to wear to the wedding. Now she does ………………………….
4. Our flat was very dusty. It isn't any more. ………………………………………………..
5. Mr Flint was unhappy because he had lost his cat. Now he is happy. ………………….
6. Harry didn't have a beard last month. Now he has a beard.……………………………….
C: You are interviewing a famous person. Ask questions about things he/she has done in
his/her life. Make the questions from the words given.
1. ever/win/an award Have you ever won an award?
2. ever/travel/to Hollywood …………………
3. ever/meet/Bill Clinton …………………
4. ever/write/a novel …………………
5. ever/run/a marathon …………………
6. ever/give/money to charity …………………
D: Complete the sentences using the present perfect simple and today/this week/this
year etc.
1. I watched TV yesterday but I haven 't watched TV today.
2. It rained last week but …………………………………………
3. Last week I spent a lot of money but ………………………….
4. I saw James yesterday but ……………………………………..
5. I received a lot of post last month but …………………………
6. It was warm last spring but ……………………………………
E: Write a sentence using the present perfect continuous. Use the words in brackets.
1. John is sunburnt. He has been sitting in the sun. (sit/in the sun)
2. The ground is wet. (rain)
3. Jack has no money left. (shop)
4. Fred is covered in paint. (paint/the kitchen)
5. Maisy is tired and irritable (drive/for 4 hours)
6. Harry is very hot and dirty (dig/the garden)
F: Complete the sentences using the present perfect continuous and add since or for.
1. Maria _______________ (learn) English __________ two years.
2. I _______________ (write) letters ___________ 8:00.
3. Robert and Jane _______________ (travel) around Europe __________ five weeks.
4. We _______________ (go) to Ireland for our holidays __________ 1968.
5. It _______________ (rain) __________ this morning.
6. Anne _______________ (look) for a new job __________ a long time.
7. Mark _______________ (sell) computers __________ he started his job with Olivetti.
8. We _______________ (wait) for the bus __________ twenty-five minutes.
9. She _______________ (play) piano __________ she was eight.
10. They _______________ (watch) TV __________ hours.
G: Complete the sentences using present perfect simple or continuous.
1. (build) The Browns _______________ a house for some time.
They _______________ all the main walls now.
2. (write) John _______________ his novel since last year.
He _______________ the first three chapters.
3. (paint) The painters _______________ the town hall since February.
They _______________ nearly half of it now.
4. (save) The Cooks _______________ to go on holiday next summer.
They _______________ € 2000 up to now.
5. (watch) I _______________ cartoons on TV.
I _______________ 4 cartoons already.
H: 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)?
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.
I: Put in the correct verb form: present perfect or past simple.
1. How long _______________ (she/study) German?
2. When _______________ (he/begin) to study Business Administration?
3. Who _______________ ( write ) the play Dancing at Lughnasa.
4. _______________ (you/visit) any museums when you were in Sofia.
5. Henry has a perfect school record. He _______________ (not/be) sick this year.
6. Prices _______________ (go) up. Things are much more expensive this week.
7 . What _______________ (happen) to you. I waited all afternoon for you.
8. Marilyn _______________ (have) an accident. She was running for the bus when she
_______________ (fall) down.
9. Mr Arnold _______________ (win) the Exporter of the Year prize twice. His brother
_______________ (win) it four times already.
10. Alfred Hitchcock _______________ (make) lots of films in his long career.
11. I _______________ (just/remember) something.
12. _______________ (you/reply) to Mr Aston's letter yet?
13. Mr Miller _______________ (work) in a travel agency for years. Then he gave it up.
14. Melanie lives in Bucharest. She _______________ (live) there all her life.
15. My uncle died in 1960. I _______________ (never/have) the opportunity to meet him.
Unit 4: Past Perfect
A: Read the situations and write sentences in the past perfect using the words in
brackets.
1. I arrived at the party at 9 p.m. but Jane was already there.
(she / arrive / before / me) She had arrived before me.
2. I invited Jeff to come for lunch but he wasn't hungry.
(he / already / eat / lunch)
3. Jane was late for her exam. All the other students were already there.
(they / start / the exam)
4. Mike got home after midnight. The house was quiet.
(everybody / go / to bed)
5. I rang Fred but he wasn't at home.
(he / already / leave / for work)
B: 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 the past perfect continuous.
1. By the time I got home they ______________ (eat) all the cake.
2. The room was very smoky. I could tell that my brother ______________ (smoke) in
there all afternoon.
3. She retired at fifty-five, but she ______________ (work) hard all her life.
4. James was very irritable. He ______________ (look) for his contact lens for an hour and
he still ______________ (not / find) it!
5. I was furious with Tom when he arrived. I ______________ (wait) for him for hours.
6. Harry was sad to sell his car. He ______________ (have) it for a long time.
7. Mary was covered in white paint. She ______________ (decorate) the kitchen a1l
afternoon.
8. Lucy went into the sitting room. The TV was on. Her brother ______________ (watch) it
and ______________ (forget) to switch it off.
9. Hattie felt terribly sick. She ______________ (eat) too many cream cakes.
10. The journey was incredibly long. We ______________ (travel) for ten hours and we
weren't even half way yet.
D: Complete the sentences using the present perfect or past perfect.
1. The park looked awful after the music festival. People ______________ (leave) litter
everywhere.
2. You ______________ (make) a mistake. I am not the person you are looking for.
3. When we arrived at the cinema, the film ______________ (already/start).
4. It isn't raining now. It ______________ (finally/stop).
5. I am rea1ly not very hungry. I ____________ (just/have) lunch.
6. His apartment was rea1ly dirty. He obviously ______________ (not/clean) it for weeks.
7. At last the Board of Directors were ready to announce their decision. They
______________ (make) up their mind.
8. I am so exhausted. ______________ (really/have) a tough week.
9. The ball hit the back of the net before the goalkeeper ______________ (notice).
10. The CEO didn't speak until he ______________ (hear) a1l the arguments.
Unit 5: Future Tense
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..
7. Harry ______________ (come) to stay tomorrow. He ______________ (catch) the last
bus from York, which ______________ (arrive) here at midnight.
B: Write questions using going to.
Your friend is going on holiday to Spain. You ask:
1. (where / stay?) Where are you going to stay?
2. (what / see?) ………………………………..?
3. (who / go with?) ………………………………..?
4. (how / travel?) ………………………………..?
5. (how much luggage / take?) ………………………………..?
6. (what souvenirs / buy?) ………………………………..?
C: Use going to and the words in brackets to say what is going to happen in these
situations.
1. There are a lot of black clouds in the sky. (rain) It's going to rain.
2. The cat has seen a mouse. (chase)
3. There is a large hole in the bottom of the boat. (sink)
4. It is 7:45 and John is asleep. His train leaves at 7:50. (miss)
5. A car thief is looking around a car park. (steal)
6. A bungee jumper is standing on a high bridge. (jump)
D: Choose the correct form of the verb.
1. I'll meet / I'm meeting Jane in town tonight.
2. Louise can't come. She is taking / will take the car to the garage at 5 p.m.
3. What time does your train leave / will your train leave tomorrow?
4. 'I'm very thirsty.' 'I'll get / I get you something to drink. Coke or tea?'
5. This bus is stopping / stops at every village, so it's very slow!
6. 'Did you buy some butter?' 'Oh, I forgot. I'll get / I'm getting some now.'
7. I think it rains / will rain later today.
8. 'Have you chosen a new car yet?' 'Yes, we are going to buy / we will buy a Ford Focus.'
9. 'Why have you put the TV on?' I'm going to watch / I will watch the news.'
10. 'Frank, I can't go out because I haven't got any money.' 'Don't worry. I lend you / I'll
lend you some.'
11. Shall / Will I carry that for you?
Answer Key
Unit 1: Present Tenses
A l. 'm trying
2. 'm not using
3. 's teaching
4. 'm looking
5. Are you waiting
6. 're always forgetting
7. 's rising
8. are you doing       'm cleaning
9. aren't you wearing
10. 're always arguing
B 1. do not belong
2. is coming       do not want
3. doesn't eat
4. am looking
5. take
6. deals
7. are making
8. Do you know         is doing
9. am applying          depends
10. is falling
11. is writing
12. is working
13. teaches           is learning
14. are leaves        arrives
15. is rising
C 1. remembers
2. works
3. 'm working
4. 's snowing
5. are they talking
6. Do you know
7. never go
8. usually stay            'm staying
9. 's doesn't eat
10. 's isn't working
11. Do you believe
12. live                 do your parents live
13. own
14. 'm learning
15. 's trying
16. flows
17. Do you like
18. 'm getting -
19. smell
20. 's repairing knows
Unit 2: Past Simple and Continuous
A 1. brought
2. bought
3. met
4. ate
5. wrote
B 1. How did you get there?
2. Who did you go with?
3. Where did you stay?
4. Was the weather good?
5. What did you think of the food?
6. What did you do during the day?
7. Did you go out in the evenings
8. Did you buy any souvenirs?
9. Did you make any new friends?
10. How long did the journey home take?
C 1. didn't come was
2. didn't read wasn't
3. didn't finish ran out
4. didn't eat were
5. didn't catch arrived
D 1. was dreaming went off
2. were waiting arrived
3. rang was having
4. didn't go was raining
5. saw was wearing
6. broke was washing slipped
7. was carrying felt
8. was going went out
9. were watching came knocked
10. were you doing was preparing
11. fell was watching
12. was seeing
Unit 3: Present Perfect
A l. Mary has moved house.
2. Fred and Frank have started a company.
3. My parents have gone to Greece.
4. Sue has got married.
5. Granny has celebrated her 80th birthday.
B 2. He has learnt French.
3. She has bought a dress.
4. I have cleaned it.
5. He has found his cat.
6. He has grown a beard.
C 2. Have you ever travelled to Hollywood?
3. Have you ever met Bill Clinton?
4. Have you ever written a novel?
5. Have you ever run a marathon?
6. Have you ever given money to charity?
D 2. it hasn't rained this week.
3. I haven't spent any money this week.
4. I haven't seen him today.
5. I haven't received any post this month.
6. it hasn't been warm this spring.
E 2. It has been raining.
3. Jack has been shopping.
4. Fred has been painting the kitchen.
5. Maisy has been driving for 4 hours.
6. Harry has been digging the garden.
F 1. has been learning for
2. have been writing since
3. have been travelling for
4. have been going since
5. has been raining since
6. has been looking for
7. has been selling since
8. have been waiting for
9. has been playing since
10. have been watching for
G 1. have been building have built
2. has been writing has written
3. have been painting have painted
4. have been saving have saved
5. have been watching have watched
H 1. Have you been studying        6. have you written
2. has he been working         7. have you been doing; 've been waiting
3. 've lost 8. have been playing
4. 've been reading haven’t finished 9. 've known
5. Have you heard 's broken. 10. has been marking hasn’t read
I 1. has she studied/has she been studying       2. did he begin
3. wrote
4. Did you visit    5. hasn’t been      6. have gone
7. happened   8. has had;  fell 9. has won; has won
10. made 11. have just remembered 12. Have you replied
13. worked   14. has lived     15. never had
Unit 4: Past Perfect
A 2. He had already eaten lunch.
3. They had already started the exam.
4. Everybody had gone to bed.
5. He had already left for work.
B 1. stood up
2. had broken down
3. had had
4. went
5. had written
C 1. had eaten
2. had been smoking
3. had worked
4. had been looking       hadn't found
5. had been waiting
6. had had
7. had been decorating
8. had been watching   had forgotten
9. had eaten
10. had been travelling
D 1. had left
2. have made
3. had already started
4. has finally stopped
5. have just had
6. had not cleaned
7. had made
8. have really had
9. had noticed
10. had heard
Unit 5: Future Tenses
A l. 'm meeting
2. leaves
3. does the film begin
4. are you doing
5. 're having
6. does the concert start starts
7. 's coming 's catching arrives
B 2. What are you going to see?
3. Who are you going to go with?
4. How are you going to travel?
5. How much luggage are you going to take?
6. What souvenirs are you going to buy?
C 2. The cat is going to chase the mouse
3. The boat is going to sink
4. John is going to miss his train.
5. The thief is going to steal a car.
6. He is going to jump.
D The correct form is:
1. I'm meeting
2. is taking
3. does your train leave
4. I'll get
5. stops
6. I'll get
7. will rain
8. are going to buy
9. I'm going to watch
10. I'll lend
11. Shall

Comentarios