Tense Exercises
Tense Exercises
Exercise 6. Supply the correct verb forms with Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous
1. He (write) …………… three chapters of his book, but he (work) ………………… on it for over a year now.
2. How many times (you/visit) ………………… Paris? I (hear) ………………… it’s beautiful in the spring.
3. The researchers (conduct) ………………… experiments for months, but they (not/find) ………………… a
solution yet.
4. She (constantly/complain) ………………… about the noise since she (move) ………………… to this
apartment.
5. The river (overflow) ………………… its banks several times this year because of the heavy rains.
6. Why (you/not/answer) ………………… my emails? I (wait) ………………… for your reply all day.
7. They (renovate) ………………… the old theater for over six months, and it still (not/be) …………………
ready.
8. My sister (attend) ………………… every art exhibition in the city lately; she (develop) ………………… a
strong interest in modern art.
9. We (not/have) ………………… any serious disagreements recently, but I (feel) ………………… some
tension between us.
10. The professor (teach) ………………… at this university since 1990, and he (inspire) …………………
countless students during his career.
Exercise 7: Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.
1. She started to live in Hanoi 2 years ago. (for)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
2. He began to study English when he was young. (since)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
3. I have never eaten this kind of food before. (This is)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
4. I have never seen such a beautiful girl before. (She is)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
5. This is the best novel I have ever read. (before)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
6. He hasn’t played the piano for five years. (The last time)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
7. It has been ages since we last talked. (We haven’t)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
8. I started working at this company three months ago. (have)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
9. This is the most exciting movie I have ever watched. (never)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
10. I last saw my uncle when I was in high school. (haven’t)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
11. I have never been to such a luxurious hotel. (This is)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
12. We haven’t gone on a picnic together since last summer. (The last time)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
13. He began learning French in 2015. (since)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
14. The last time I ate sushi was two months ago. (for)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
15. I have never heard such an inspiring speech before. (This is)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
16. She hasn’t gone to the gym since last March. (The last time)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
17. This is the first time I have ridden a horse. (never)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
18. I started learning to play the guitar 6 months ago. (have)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
19. This is the most challenging project I’ve ever worked on. (never)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
20. He hasn’t written to me since the beginning of this year. (The last time)
→ ………………………………………………………………………………
3. After she had washed her hands, she had lunch. (before)
4. Before the boys played football, they had bought a ball. (after)
Exercise 5: Supply the correct verb forms (Past Simple and Past Perfect)
1. Kevin _________ (go) home by the time I arrived.
2. Ethan suddenly realized that he _________ (leave) his laptop on the train.
3. Mum was annoyed because I _________ (not clean) my room.
4. _________ (they / study) English before they went to the USA?
5. We were hungry because we _________ (not eat).
6. My phone didn’t work because I _________ (not charge) it.
7. Why didn’t you want to watch the film? _________ (you / see) it before?
8. Sally was embarrassed because she _________ (forget) her dad’s birthday.
9. The film _________ (start) when we _________ (arrive) at the cinema because we were very late.
10. Mum _________ (find) my homework after I _________ (go) to school.
11. When Sharon _________ (get) to the bus stop, she realised that the bus _________ (leave) a few minutes
earlier.
12. After Dad _________ (come) home from work, we _________ (eat) dinner together.
13. When I _________ (call) my grandma, she _________ (not receive) my letter.
Exercise 6: Supply the correct verb forms with Past Perfect Continuous
1. Hannah and James were very happy when I arrived, they (wait) ………………. for me.
4. That rich man (pay) ………………. for his new apartment in cash.
5. I (have) ………………. dinner by the time my grandparents came into the restaurant.
6. It (rain) ………………. for a month before the storm came last week.
7. Their team (run) ………………. along the road for about 30 minutes before the referee stopped them.
Exercise 7: Supply the correct verb forms with Past Perfect Continuous
1. We were very tired when we arrived home. (we/work/hard all day) ………………………..
2. Two friends came into the house. They had tennis and they were both very tired. (they/play/tennis)
………………………..
3. She was disappointed when she had to cancel her holiday. (she/look/forward to it) ………………..………
4. Nam woke up in the middle of the night. He was frightened and didn’t know where she was. (he/dream)
………………………..
5. When we got home, Lisa was sitting in front of the TC. She had just turned it off. (she/watch/a film)
………………………..
2.She (sleep) ……………………………….. for ten hours when I woke her up.
3.They (live) ……………………………….. in Beijing for three years when he lost his job.
4.By the time we met, he (work) ……………………………….. at that company for six months.
2.They (wait) ……………………………….. at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
4.I (not/walk) ……………………………….. for a long time when the speed walking contest was organized.
6.Frank caught the flu because he (sing) ……………………………….. in the rain for too long.
7.He (drive) ……………………………….. for less than an hour by the time his car ran out of petrol.
8.They were very tired in the evening because they (help) ……………………………….. on the farm all day.
9.I (not/work) ……………………………….. all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
10.They (cycle) ……………………………….. all day so their legs were sore in the evening.
Exercise 10: Supply the correct verb forms with Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous (2,4,5,6)
1. Peter was Sally's best friend. She (know) him all her life.
2. The children were wet because they (play) football in the rain.
3. We were very hungry because we (not / eat).
4. I was delighted when I found my keys. I (look) for them for hours.
5. She was exhausted because she (work) since eight o'clock that morning.
6. Everything was white because it (snow).
7. The passengers were cross because the airline (lose) everyone's bags.
8. I (not / see) Jacob for several years, but I recognised him immediately.