EXERCISES ON TENSES

Exercise 1. Simple present or present continuous.

1. I (have) ……………..coffee for breakfast every morning.
2. My brother (work) ……………..in a shoes store this summer.
3. The student (look up) …………….. that new word right now.
4. It (rain) ……………..very much in the summer. It (rain) ……………..right now.
5. We seldom (eat) …………….. before 6.30.
6. Be quiet! The baby (sleep) ……………..
7. Look! The man (run) …………….. after the train. He (want) ……………..to catch the train.
8. I (need) ……………..some money for my text book.
9. Excuse me, I (have) ……………..to help a customer.
10. John (like) ……………..to go to the museum.
11. Mother (cook) ………food in the kitchen at present. She always (cook) in the morning.
12. She messes up the kitchen. – She always (mess up) is always messing up the kitchen.
13. Listen! I (hear ) am hearing someone knocking at the front door.
14. I (see) ……………..that you (wear) ……………..your clothes.
15. I (do) ___ an exercise on the present tense at this moment and I (think) ___ that I (know) how to use it
now.
16. She sometimes (buy) buys vegetables at this market.
17. Look! It is snowing (snow). We are going to have a white Christmas
18. They usually travel (usually/travel) to the mountains, but this summer they are travelling (travel) to the
beach.
19. Bob watches (watch) the news on TV every morning.
20. I have to go now. It is getting (get) dark.
21. Online courses require (require) self-discipline.
22. They are having (have) a great time at today's party.
23. Who is he waiting for (he/wait for?) I guess for his mother.
24. How often do you eat out (you/eat out)? Not very often. Once a month.
25. You look (look) sad. What's the matter?
26. Would you like some chocolate? No, thanks. I hate (hate) chocolate.
27. Don't go. Bob still needs (need) to talk to you.
28. Who does (do) the dishes every day in your house? My sister.
29. Why do you believe (you/believe/) him? He is telling (tell) you the truth.
30. You are late again. You always is always making (always/ make) us disappointed.
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer
1/ Look! Junko ________ into the water.
A. jumps B. is jumping
2/ I ________ lunch in the cafeteria every day.
A. have B. am having
3/ I ________ to Toronto next Thursday. Do you want to come?
A. go B. am going
4/ Don't give Jan any cheese. She ________ it!
A. hates B. is hating
5/ You won't find Jerry at home right now. He ________ in the library.
A. studies B. is studying
6/ Once a week, I ________ to an art class at the college.
A. go B. am going
7/ I ________ you're crazy!
A. think B. am thinking
8/ Salmon is rich -- he ________ a Mercedes.
A. drives B. is driving
9/ It ________ quite hard -- perhaps we shouldn't go out tonight.
A. snows B. is snowing
10/ Marie-Claude isn't a Canadian. I ________ she comes from France.
A. believe B. am believing

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Exercise 1. The present perfect continuous tense.
1. Kevin is studying. He began studying three hours ago.
He …………………………………………for three hours.
2. I’m learning Spanish. I started learning Spanish in December.
I ……………………………………………….since December.
3. An is looking for a job. She began looking for a job six months ago.
An ………………………………………………..for six months.
4. Mary is working in London. She started working there on 18 January.
……………………………………………………….since 18 January.
5. George smokes. He started smoking five years ago.
…………………………………………………………… for five years.
Exercise 2. Present perfect or present perfect continuous.
1. I (try) …………… to learn English for years, but I (not succeed) ……………..yet.
2. I (wait) ……………..for two hours, but she (not, come) yet.
3. She (read) ……………..all the works of Dickens. How many you (read) ……….
4. I (wait) ……………..here for my girl friend Joanna for nearly half an hour.
Do you think she (forget) ……………..to come?
5. Jack (go) ……………..to Paris for a holiday. – I never (be) ……………..there.
6. That book (lie) ………..on the table for weeks. You (not read) ………..it yet.
7. He (not, be) ……here since Christmas, I (wonder) …..where she (live) …..since then.
8. Mary (rest) …………….. in the garden all day because she (be) …………..ill.
9. She (work) ………..so hard this week that she (not have) ……..time to go to the movies.
10. We (live) ……..here for the last six months, and just (decide) ………. to move.
Exercise 3. Make sentences with present perfect or present perfect continuous..
1. My uncle / work / the Beer factory since 1972.
…………………………………………………………………………………
2. He / talking / the teacher / one hour.
…………………………………………………………………………………
3. They / already / see / royal tombs / Hue.
…………………………………………………………………………………
4. It/ rain / since nine o’clock.
…………………………………………………………………………………
5. He / just / leave / his village.
…………………………………………………………………………………
6. They / swim / the river /two hours.
Exercise 4. Present tenses.
1. I (be) ………..sorry. I (forget) ………..that fellow’s name already.
2. Jack (look) ………..no trouble with my English lesson up to now.
3. Michael (work) ……….. thirty hours a week.
4. At present, that author (write) ……….. a historical novel.
5. How long you (learn) ………..English?
6.The weather generally (get) ………..quiet hot in July and August.
7. Fred’s brother just (graduate) ……….. from Oxford University.
8. That brown briefcase (belong) ………..to Dr. Rice.

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9. Robert (wait) ………..for you since noon.
10. Yes, I (remember) ……….. that fellow’s name now.
Exercise 5. Simple past or present perfect.
1. We (study) ……….. a very hard lesson the day before yesterday.
2. We (study) ………..almost every lesson in this book so far.
3. We (watch, never) ……….. that television program.
4. We (watch) ………..an interesting program on television last night.
5. My wife and I (travel) ………..by air many times.
6. My wife and I (travel) ……….. to Mexico by air last Summer.
7. I (read) ……….. that novel by Hemingway several times before.
8. I (read) ……….. that novel again during my last vacation.
9. I (have) ……….. a little trouble with my car last week.
10. However, I (have) ……….. no trouble with my car since then.
Exercise 6. Simple past or past continuous.
1. He (work) ……….. all day yesterday.
2. When I (arrive) ……….. at his house he still (sleep) ………..
3. As we (cross) ……….. the street, the policeman (shout) ………..at us.
4. The light (go) ……….. out when we (have) ……….. dinner.
5. The children (do) …… their homework when their father (come) ……..back from the office.
6. Bill (have) ……….. breakfast when I (stop) ……….. at this house this morning.
7. While I (walk) ……….. about the park, I (see) ……….. Mr. Jone.
8. When I (go) ……….. out the sun (shine) ………..
9. Just as I (leave) ……….. for home, a student (stop) ……….. me in the hall.
10. When the students (hear) ……….. the bell, they (get) ……….. up and (leave) ………..
Exercise 7. Make sentences with Past continuous and simple past.
1. We / discuss/ many things when / headmaster / come/ in.
2 . When/ teacher / come in/ , Lam / clean / blackboard.
3. Dick / listen / classical music / when / friend / arrive.
4. They / work / garden / when / rain.
5. When / telephone / ring / I / read / novel.
6. When her father / enter / room / Lan / clean / floor.
7. We / watch / television / when our father /call / us up.
8. It / raining / when we / get / school.
9. Tom / talk / another boy when I / see / him this morning.
10. When the bell / ring / I / have / lunch.
11. While Bob / clean / windows/ Peter / wash / dishes.
12. while / we / read / novel/she / listen / radio.

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Exercise 8. Simple past or past perfect.
1. They (go) ……….. after they (finish) ……….. their work.
2. He (do) ……….. nothing before he (see) ……….. me.
3. He (thank) ……….. me for what I (do) ………..
4. I (be) ……….. sorry that I (hurt) ……….. him.
5. After they (go) ……….. they (sit) ……….. down and (rest) ………..
6. My friend (not see) ……….. me for many years when I (meet) ……….. him last week.
7. In England he (remember) ……….. all he (learn) ………..
8. They (tell) ……….. him they (not meet ) ……….. him before.
9. He (ask) ……….. why we (come) ……….. so early.
10. She (say) ……….. that she already (see) ……….. Dr. Rice.
Exercise 9. Past tenses.
1. When the phone (ring) ……….. I (have) a bath.
2. You (wear) ……….. your new hat when I (meet) ……….. you yesterday.
3. When it (rain) ……….. she (carry ) ……….. an umbrella.
4. While you (play) ……….. the piano, I (write) ……….. a letter.
5. The house (be) ……….. much smaller than he (think) ……….. at first.
6. Before you (mention) ……….. him, I (never hear) ……….. of that author.
7. When he (go) ……….. to see them last night, they (play) ……….. cards. They (say) ……….. , they
(play ) ……….. since six o’clock.
8. My friend (sing) ……….. when I (come) ……….. into the room.
9. The little girl (ask) ……….. what (happen) ……….. to her ice-cream.
10. He (eat) ……….. dinner when I (go) ……….. to see him.
Exercise 10. The simple present tense, the simple future tense, the present perfect tense or the future perfect tense.
1. I’ll wait until he (write)………… his next novel.
2. When you (come) ………… back, he (already buy) ………… a new house.
3. Don’t come until I (finish) ………… lunch.
4. I hope it (stop) ………… raining by five o’clock this afternoon.
5. The river ………… (not begin) to swell until some rain ………… (fall).
6. When I………… (be ) in Egypt for ten years, I………… (write) a book.
7. By next month, I………… (leave) for India.
8. He………… (finish) this work before you ………… (leave).
9. The meeting ………… (finish) by the time we ………… (get) there.
10. Before you ………… (go) to see them, they ………… (leave) the country.
11. My father (retire) …………for ten years.
12. In two years’ time, I………… (live) for twenty five years.
13. My sister ………… (come) in two minutes.
14. By the time you come here, we (finish) ………… dinner.

Exercise 11. The simple present tense, the simple future tense or the future continuous tense.
1. I ………… (give) Mr. Brown your letter when I………… (see) him tomorrow.
2. When you ………… (go) into the office, Mr. John ………(sit) at the front desk.

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 3. Our English teacher………… (explain) that lesson to us tomorrow.
4. Mr. and Mrs. White ………… (live) in their new house by next Spring.
5. We ………… (wait) for you when you ………… (get) back tomorrow.
6. When you see Mr. Johnson tomorrow, we ………… (remind) him of that.
7. We ………… (wait) for you right here when you ………… (return) at 5.30.
8. When you………… (come) today, I………… (work) at my desk in room 12.
9. The Browns ………… (travel) through New England at this time tomorrow.
10. He ………… (work) on the report when you ………… (arrive) this afternoon.

Exercise 12. Give the correct tense of the verbs in brackets.

Going to the circus.
That after noon we all ( 1.get) …………ready to go to the circus. We (2.get) …………a 63 bus to take us
to the Elephant and Castle, because the pictures are just next door. There (3.be) …………a great big queue
waiting to go in and we (4.be) ………… at the very back. Soon we (5. get) …………in. The picture (6. already
start) ………… and it was very dark in there. We had to go down some stairs to get our seats but instead of
walking down them we (7. fall) …………down them. Soon we were in our seats. We (8. sit) …………there
watching the film when something (9. hit) ………… me on the head. It was an ice-cream tub. I (10. turn)
…………round to see who it was and a little boy who (11. sit) ………… two rows behind me said; “ I am very
sorry. It was meant to hit you. It was meant to hit the boy in front.”
the little girl and the wolf
One afternoon a big wolf (1. wait) ………… in a dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of
food to her grandmother. Finally the little girl did come along and she (2. carry) …………a basket of food. “ Are
you carrying that basket to your grandmother?” asked the wolf. The little girl said ‘yes’. So the wolf (3. ask)
………… her where her grandmother lived and the little girl (4. tell) …………him and he (5. disappear )
………… into the wood.
When the girl (6. open) …………the door of her grandmother’s house she (7. see) …………that there was
somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on. She (8. approach) ………… no nearer than twenty five feet
from the bed when she (9. see) ………… that it was not her grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap, the
wolf did not look in the least like anybody’s grandmother. So the little girl (10. take) …………an automatic
pistol out of her basket and (11. shoot) ………… the wolf dead.

Exercise 13. Error analysis.

1. I am studying here since last January.

2. By the time I return to my country, I am away from home for more than three years.
3. As soon as I will graduate, I going to my hometown.
4. By the end of the 21st century, scientists will had discovered the cure for the common cold.
5. I want to get married, but I don’t meet the right person yet.
6. I have been seeing that movie three times, and now I am wanting to see it again.
7. Last night I have had dinner with two friends. I knew both of them for a long time.
8. I am not like my job at the restaurant. My brother wants me to change it. I am thinking he is right.
9. So far this week, the teachers are giving us a lot of homework every day.
10. There are fewer than 40 presidents of the United States since it became a country. George Washington
had been the first president. He was become the president in 1789.
11. Mr. Sellers was just getting off the plane when he feels a sharp pain in her chest.

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12. When I got home to my apartment last night, I use my key to open the door as usual. But the door didn’t
open. I trying my key again and again with no luck. So I am knocking no the door for my wife to let me
in. Finally the door opens, but I don’t saw my wife on the other side. I saw a stranger. I had been try to
get into the wrong apartment! I quickly apologizing and am went to my own apartment.
13. By the end of this year, I had done all the exercises in this book.
14. I am liking this program very much.
15. My sister has been waiting for me for two hours when I arrived.