Exercise 1: Choose the best present tense to complete these sentences

1. They ______ (go) to the seaside every year but this year they __________ (go) to
the mountains.

2. I can’t open the door. I ________ (lose) my key.

3. Who _______ (know) what she ____________ (talk) about? She never __________
(make) any sense.

4. Everybody _________ (know) the world’s rainforests ____________ (disappear).

5. My dress is ruined. What __________ (you, do)?

6. ________ you ________ (see) Laura yet? She ____________ (stay) with us this
week while her house ___________ (be) redecorated.

7. More and more people ___________ (become) redundant.

8. I’m sorry, but she ______________ (not, work) today. She _____________ (take) a
day off.

9. The sun ____________ (rise) in the east and __________ (set) in the west.

10. Our math teacher usually ___________ (give) us a lot of homework - but not
today.

11. People ___________ (get) frustrated with the prices going up every day.

12. Look how well he ____________ (play) today. I _______________ (never, see)
him move so fast.

13. This season he ____________ (play) for Liverpool. Who __________ (know)
whether he will stay or not?

14. What ______________ (you, do)? Why _____________ (you, lie) in bed?
___________ (I, not, tell) you to tidy up your room?

15. Tom ____________ (sell) his car. _____ you ______ (know) how much he
________ (want) for it?

16. I can’t stand here in the rain. I _________ (get) wet.

17. Listen! Somebody ____________ (play) my favourite song. I __________ (not,
hear) it for such a long time.

Exercise 2: Choose Present Simple, Present Continuous or Present Perfect

1. Jill _____________________ (water) flowers once a week. Now, she

_____________________ (water) flowers. She _____________________
(already/water) all flowers in the living room.

2. They _____________________ (just/arrive) from San Francisco.

_____________________ (you/ever/be) there? It _____________________ (be) an
amazing place!

3. They _____________________ (always/produce) so much noise! It is impossible

to relax in the evenings!

4. _____________________ (not/you/eat) meat? _____________________ (you/be) a

vegetarian? Actually, I _____________________ (not/eat) meat every day. I
_____________________ (prefer) fish and vegetables.

5. Mum _____________________ (already/bake) a cherry pie. We

_____________________ (taste) it and it is so delicious!

6. Why _____________________ (you/smell) your steak? Has it gone off? (go off:
get worse)

7. He _____________________ (seem) to be a nice person.

8. I _____________________ (understand) what you mean. There is one more

solution, though.

9. You look so sad. What _____________________ (you/think) about?

10. I _____________________ (always/want) to be an artist. But I can’t paint!

11. George _____________________ (act) so naturally. He _____________________

(always/be) famous within actors in our country. _____________________
(you/ever/see) his play?

12. _____________________ (you/ever/be) to Australia?

13. Don’t disturb me, please. I _____________________ (work) on a new project

now.
14. Our annual meetings _____________________ (be/normally) in spring. But this
year we _____________________ (have) them in winter.

15. Do you know that Jill _____________________ (find) a new job?

16. Jack _____________________ (look) really happy after he

_____________________ (pass) his driving test!

17. We _____________________ (paint) the walls in our living room.

18. He _____________________ (arrive) tomorrow. _____________________

(be/everything) ready? The meeting _____________________ (be) in this room.

19. We _____________________ (not/book) a hotel yet. We

_____________________ (look) for it now.

I. Simple Present.

1. They often (have) ________ eggs for breakfast.

2. We usually (play) _________ badminton.

3. She sometimes (wake up) ___________ late.

4. He always (go) ________ to the cinema at weekends.

5. Mary (watch) _________ TV every night.

6. She always (kiss) _____her children before she (go) _____ to bed.

7. My parents (teach) _________ chemistry.

8. She (dance) _________ very well.

9. _________Tom often (arrive) _________ late?

10. _________you always (go) _________ to school in the morning?

11. We (not wake up) _________ early.

12. _________these hens (lay) _________ brown eggs?

13. She (be) _________very nice.

14. _________he (be) _________ tall?

15. _________you (be) _________a teacher?

II. Present continuous & simple present.

1. Be quiet! The baby (sleep) ___________

2. The student (look up) ___________ the new word right now.

3. He (play) ___________ game at the moment

4. At present, that author (write) ___________a historical novel.

5. She (play) ___________ tennis when It (rain) ___________.

6. She sometimes (buy) ___________ vegetables at this market.

7. I (read) ___________book while they (do) ___________ homework

8. I (see) __________ that you (wear) ___________your best clothes.

9. My mother (cook) ___________some food in the kitchen at present.

She always (cook) ___________ in the morning.

10. Sarah often (work) ___________late at the office.

III. Simple Past.

1. She (spend) ____ all her money last week.

2. Mum (never spend) ___________ any money on herself.

3. I (lend) __________ my penknife to someone, but I can't remember

who it was now.

4. John and his father (build) _______ the cabin themselves last year.

5. My parents (sell) ____________ the stereo at a garage sale.

6. ___________You (tell) ___________ anyone about this yesterday?

7. The unidentified plant (bear) ___________ gorgeous flowers.

8. She (tear) ___________ the letter to pieces and threw it in the bin.

9. He often (wear) ___________ glasses for reading.

10.Before God He (swear) ___________ he was innocent

11.Yesterday Clouds (creep) ___________ across the horizon, just

above the line of trees.

12.We both (sleep) ___________ badly that night.

13.She (weep) ___________ for the loss of her mother.

14.Jane (keep) ___________ the engine running.

15.A huge wave (sweep) ___________ over the deck

16.Mum (pay) ___________ for my driving lessons.

17.He (lay) ___________ his hand on my shoulder.

18.He (break) ______ the biscuit in half and handed one piece to me.

19.He (choose) _____ his words carefully as he (speak) _______.

20.Yesterday, I (go)______ to the restaurant with a client.

21.We (drive) ______ around the parking lot for 20 mins to find a

parking space.

22.When we (arrive) ______ at the restaurant, the place (be) _____ full.

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23.The waitress (ask) ______ us if we (have) reservations.

24.I (say), "No, my secretary forgets to make them."

25.The waitress (tell)______ us to come back in two hours.

26.My client and I slowly (walk) ______ back to the car.

27.Then we (see) ______ a small grocery store.

28.We (stop) in the grocery store and (buy) ______ some sandwiches.

29.That (be) ______ better than waiting for two hours.

30.I (not go) ______ to school last Sunday.

31.________She (get) ______ married last year?

32.What _____you (do) _____last night?- I (do) ______ my homewor

33.I (love) ______ him but no more.

34.Yesterday, I (get) _____ up at 6 and (have) ____ breakfast at 6.30.

35.Tom (not shave)………. this morning because he (not have)

…………time

36.Where …………….you (go)……………?

37.I (be)…………… hungry, so I (buy)……………….. something to eat

38.She (not invite)………………… her to the party

39.………..They (be) ……….at work yesterday?

40.We all (leave)…………….. the party at 11 o’clock

41.I (be) ……………..angry because Tom and Ann (be)…………… late

42.What…………… you (do) ……………….at the weekend?

43.They (sell)…………………… their house

44.Professor Kenneth (teach) ……………… another class last year.

45.We (spend) …………………… two weeks in JAPAN.

46.The rain (stop) …………………… in the middle of the afternoon.

47.We (speak) ……………………to our friends last night.

48.I (realize) …………………… my error at once.

49.We (eat) …………………… lunch at the cafeteria with them.

50.He (drive) …………………… his car to work yesterday.

51.Albert Einstein (die) …………………… in 1955.

52.Tom (go) …………………… to the post office twice yesterday.

53.My car (break) …………… down this morning on the way to work.

54.I (see) …………….her last year.

55.What …………….you (do) …………….yesterday?

56.You (watch) …………….TV last night?

57.She (be) …………….born in 1980.

58.We (study) ………..almost every lesson in this book so far.

59.We (watch, never) ……….. that television program.

60.We (watch) ………..an interesting program on television last night.

61.My wife and I (travel) ……….. to Mexico by air last Summer.

62.I (read) ……….. that novel again during my last vacation.

63.I (have) ……….. a little trouble with my car last week.

64.However, I (have) ……….. no trouble with my car since then.

65.He (work) ……….. all day yesterday.

IV.Present Perfect and simple past.

1. I (wait) ________for two hours, but she (not come) ________yet.

2. He (write) ____________ a book since last year.

3. How long ____________you (learn) ____________English?

4. Tom (already finish) ____________his homework.

5. I (read) ____the novel written by Jack London several times before.

6. Mai (never be) ____________ in Hanoi.

7. She (study) _____________ Korean for two years.

1. How many times you (see)………. him since he went to Edinburgh?

2. We are from French. We (be)…………………… there for 20 years.

3. I am sorry. I (forget)…………… that girl’s name already.

4. Mai (lose) ……………….her dictionary.

5. I (wait) ……………………for the manager for two hours.

6. …………….You (ever, see)……………… a lion?

7. . I (work) ……………. very hard for the exam.

8. . I (live) …………….here since 1970.

9. . ………….You (be) to the zoo?

10. I’m afraid you (look) …………….aty the wrong one.

11. Why are the police here? What……………. (happen)?

12.Please stay for dinner, Jane (cook) ……………. a lovely meal.

13. He (learn) ………. English for three years, but he can’t even read a

newspaper yet.

14.My teacher (teach) …………..English at this school for six years.

15.Michael (study)………………. English for six month now.

16.Up the the present, George (do) …………good work in this class.
17.Our present boss (work) …………..in this company all of his life.

V. Simple past and Past Perfect.

1. When the police (arrive) _________, the car (go) _____________.

2. They (eat) ____ everything by the time I (arrive) ______at the party

3. When I (find) _____________ my purse, someone (take)

_____________the money out of it.

4. By the time I (get) _______ into my town, the shop (close) _______.

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5. They (go) ________ after they (finish) _____________their work.

6. He (do) __________ nothing before he (see) _____________ me.

7. When they (get) _______ the station, the train (leave) _______.

VII- past continuous

1. This time last year I (live)………….. in Brazil

2. What……………. you (do)…………. at 10 o’clock lastnigt?

3. Tom (cook) ……………the dinner

4. Tom burn his hand when he (cook) ……………the dinner

5. We(read)………….. a book when he arrived

6. What…………. he (do) ……………..when you came?

7. At 9.o’clock yesterday Lan (not watch)………… T.V

8.All the students (read) ……………………the text carefully

9.They (walk) ……………………to the corner.

10.They (study) …………… in the library when the fire alarm went off.
11.It (snow) ……………………when I got up this morning.

12.Helen (wait) ……………………in the lobby, wasn’t she?

13.The wind (blow) ……………very hard when I went out this morning.

14.He fell while he (go) ……………………down the stairs.

15.Where…………. she (be) at 5 o’clock this morning?

VIII- past simple or past continuous:

1. His uncle (teach)…………………. English in our school 5 years ago

2. The old man (fall………….) as he (get)…………….. into the bus

3. They (not go)…………….. to the movies last Sunday

4. When I saw him, he (sit) ………………..asleep in a chair

5. ……………You …………(find)………….. my pen yesterday?

6. It (take)……………. me 5 minutes to walk to school last year

7. The light (go) ………out when we (study)………….. our lesson

8. There (be)……………… a lot of noise at the fair yesterday

9. They (give) ………..me the letter a few minutes ago.

10.What she (do) ………… when you (arrive)……there? She (write) ……… a letter.

11.She (have) ……… her bath while her sister (get) ………… the breakfast ready.

12.The storm (begin) ……… at half past ten while the class (study) …………history.

13.When the students (hear) … the bell, they (get) ……… up and (leave) ……

14.Mr Harvey (ask) ……… me about my plans the next time he (see) …… me.

15.Just as I (leave) ……for home, a student (stop) ……………me in the hall.

16.As I (cross) ……… the street, two cars (race) ……… by me at full speed.
17.Dorothy and I (just leave) … the house when the telephone (ring) ……………

18.The minute I (hear) …… the news, I (send) ……………… him a telegram.

19.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.

20.My mother (arrive) ………… while I (clean) ……………… the kitchen .

21.John (work) ………from morning to night: he (study) ……… to be a doctor.

22.Just as I (write) …………the letter, the inkpot (fall) ……………over.

23.A noise of breaking chairs (suggest) …………that the men (fight) …………

24.He (just close) ………the church door when he (notice) ……………a man still
praying in the corner.

25.The men (fight) …… bravely, but the general (order) …………… them to retreat.

26.As he (come) ……… up his house in the darkness, he (see) ……………that a man
(climb) ………… out of one of the bedroom windows.

27.John (work) ……… hard when suddenly the door (open) …………

28.When we (open) ……the front door we (see) …… someone walking out of the
gate.

29.Lighting (strike) …………the tree that they (shelter) ………under. Of course, they
(have) …a terrible fright, but they (be) ……… very lucky. No harm (come) …………
to them at all.

30.When I (arrive) ………at his house, he still (sleep) ……………….

31.The light (go) …………out while we (have) ……………dinner.

32.Bill (have) ……breakfast when I (stop) …………… at his house this morning.

33.As we (cross) ……………the street, we (see) ………………… an accident.

34.Tom (see) …………… a serious accident while he (stand) …… at the bus stop.
35.While my father (read) …… a newspaper, I (learn) …… my lesson and my sister
(do) ………… her homework.

36.The children (play) …… football when their mother (come) ……back home.

37.The bell (ring) …………while Tom (take) …………… a bath.

38.I (be) ………very tired because I (work) ………… all day yesterday.

39.He (sit) ……………in a cafe when I (see) ………………… him.