PRESENT TENSE EXERCISE

Supply a suitable present tense of the given verb:

1. She (go) to school every day.
2. We now (learn) English.
3. The sun always (shine) in Egypt.
4. Bad students never (work) hard.
5. It (rain) in winter. It (rain) now.
6. I (wake up) at seven and (have) breakfast at half past.
7. He generally (sing) in English but today he (sing) in French.
8. The teacher (point) at the blackboard when he (want) to explain something.
10. Mother (cook) some food in the kitchen at present; she always (cook) in the
mornings.
11. The sun (rise) in the east; now it (set) and night (fall).
12. That man in the white hat who (walk) past the window (live) next door.
13. Architects (make) the plans of buildings.
14. I (wear) a coat because the sun (not shine).
15. I always (meet) you on the corner of this street.
16. The baby (cry) because it is hungry now.
17. I (spend) this weekend in Eastbourne. I (go) there nearly every week.
18. 'Where are you?' 'I (sit) in the kitchen.' 'What you (do) there?' 'I (help) my
mother."
19. 'Why you (wash) those clothes this morning?" 'Because the sun (shine); I never
(wash) clothes when there are clouds in the sky."
20. 'Where you (go) now?' 'I (go) to the theatre.' 'I (go) tonight also, but I (not go)
very often.' 'I (go) every week, but tonight I (go) for the second time in three
days.'

Supply a suitable present tense:

1. Ships (travel) from Southampton to New York in four or five days.
2. John (travel) to England tomorrow.
3. On my way to work I generally (meet) many children who (go) to school.
4. Look, a man (run) after the bus. He (want) to catch it.
5. It (be) very cold now. You (think) it (freeze)?
6. The sun (warm) the air and (give) us light.
7. 'What you (read) when you are on holiday? I (read) detective stories. Now I
(read) The Shut Door by Ivor Lock."
8. 'You (hear) anything? 'I (listen) hard but I can't hear anything."
9. 'I (see) that you (wear) your best clothes. You (go) to a party?' 'No, I (go) to a
wedding.' 'And who is the unhappy man who (throw) away his freedom? You
must tell him I (feel) sorry for him.' 'He (speak) to you now!'
10. You (speak) French?' 'I only (use) a foreign language when I (travel) abroad.'
11. My children (work) very hard. John (study) for an examination now.
12. Joan (swim) very well, but she (not dive).
13. What music you (play) next?' 'Sheila (sing) a song by Schubert; she (sing) it very
well.'
14. Wood (float) on water, but iron (not float).
15. 'You (understand) the present tense now?' 'I (do) an exercise on it at this
moment and I (think) that I (know) how to use it now.'

Complete the following sentences with the given alternatives:

1. I haven't seen you. Christmas/three days.
2. We've been here. an hour and a half/January.
3. She hasn't spoken to me. more than two years/last week.
4. They have lived in this street. 1919/the last ten years/a long time.
5. I haven't had time to do it. I was ill/last Monday.
6. We haven't bought any new ones. a week/ages/then.
7. There hasn't been a famine here. centuries/the Middle Ages.
8. I haven't eaten any meat. over a year/I was a boy.
9. Nobody has written to me. many weeks/my birthday.
10. You've asked the same question every day. the beginning of the year/the last
fortnight.
11. You haven't sent me any money. last Saturday/fifteen days.
12. She has worn the same old dress. at least a month/the beginning of the
month.
13. I haven't spoken Spanish. 1925/ten years.
14. I haven't ridden a bicycle. longer than I can remember/my childhood.
15. It hasn't rained here. more than a month/March.

Read the following, putting the verbs into the PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
form:
1. I (live) here since 1928.
2. The cat (sit) in front of the fire since tea-time.
3. I (look) at this picture for five minutes, but I can't see you in it.
4. I'm afraid you (look) at the wrong one.
5. I know you (talk) about grammar for the last half- hour, but I'm afraid I (not
listen).
6. You (wait) long for me?
7. Yes! I (stand) here in the rain for half an hour.
8. He (learn) English for three years, but he can't even read a newspaper yet.
10. What you (do) while I have been out? We (sit) here writing our homework, but
it's not quite finished yet.
11. He (work) in the Post Office for twenty years.
12. Lunch is not quite ready yet, although I (cook) all the morning.
13. She ought to stop work; she has a headache because she (read) too long.
14. They are tired because they (work) in the garden since nine o'clock.
15. Look! that light (burn) all night.

1. I (not see) you for a long time.

2. You must tell me what you (do) since I last saw you.
3. He (not be) here since Christmas; I wonder where he (live) since then.
4. I (try) to learn English for years, but I (not succeed) yet.
5. We (live) here for the last six months, and just (decide) to move.
6. You already (drink) three cups of tea since I (sit) here.
7. That book (lie) on the table for weeks. You (not read) it yet?
8. I (wait) here for her since seven o'clock and she (not come) yet.
9. He (not have) a holiday for nine years because he (be) too busy.
10. Since you gave me your number I (phone) you four times and (not find) you at
home.
11. You (be) asleep all the morning? I (ring) the bell for the last twenty minutes.
12. She (work) so hard this week that she (not have) time to go to the hairdresser's.
13. He (write) a novel for the last two years, but he (not finish) it yet.
15. Mary (rest) in the garden all day because she (be) ill.

Read the following, putting the verb in the correct form, PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE and CONTINUOUS:
1. John isn't in. He (go) to the pictures again although he (be = go) twice already this
week.
2. They (not speak) to each other since they quarrelled.
3. That grandfather clock (stand) there for as long as I can remember.
4. Cyril (try) to take me out to dinner for the last three weeks.
5. How long you (learn) English?
6. I (wait) here nearly half an hour for Maisie; do you think she (forget) to come?
7. My clothes (hang) in the wardrobe all the time I was away, and now I see the
moths (eat) great holes in them.
9. He (lose) his books. He (look) for them all the afternoon, but they (not turn up)
yet.
10. You ever (see) a live rhinoceros? You just (look) at the picture of one I shot in
Africa last year.
11. Jack (go) to Switzerland for a holiday; I never (be go) there.
12. He only (write) to me once since he went away; I (send) him four letters.
13. She (read) all the works of Dickens and Scott. How many you (read)?
14. I (sit) for my portrait for the last six months, but the artist (not finish) it yet.
15. You must wake her! She (sleep) soundly for ten hours!

Add since or for:

1. He has been selling cars ______ ten years.
2. He has been living here ______ 1934.
3. I've been waiting ______ five o'clock.
4. I've been mending your socks ______ the last two hours.
5. We've been reading this book ______ last January.
6. We've been studying English ______ three months.
7. He has been sleeping ______ seven hours.
8. He has been working ______ seven o'clock this morning.
9. They've been very busy ______ the last week.
10. They've been living here. ______ last week.
11. I haven't worn this dress ______ two years.
12. We have been climbing ______ an hour and a half.
13. She has been teaching in that school ______ 1968.
14. My friend has been ill ______ a long time.
15. It has been raining ______ yesterday morning.
16. I haven't done any work ______ a month.
17. What have you been doing ______ yesterday?
18. That church has been standing here ______ centuries.
19. He hasn't been here ______ three weeks.
20. She hasn't bought any new clothes ______ the beginning of the year.
Put the verb in a suitable tense and add since or for:
1. ______ the last two years clothes (be) very dear.
2. Coal (become) dearer ______ the end of last year.
3. I (write) ten letters ______ breakfast.
4. ______ last year the streets (become) more crowded.
5. 'You (see) Cyril lately?' 'Not ______ three or four days.'
6. You (take) Maisie out to tea recently?' 'Not ______ last Wednesday."
7. I (not see) him ______ more than a week.
8. 'How long you (wait)? "______ half an hour."
9. 'How long that fire (burn)?' ______ last night.'
10. You (wait) long?" "No, not ______ long."
11. That boy (not wash) his face ______ some time.
12. She (not buy) a new hat ______ six months.
13. They (stay) at the same hotel every year ______ five years.
14. They (build) that bridge ______ several months, but they (not finish) it yet.
15. Poor old Henry (not have) a holiday ______ the year before last.
16. I (wait) ______ two hours, but she (not come) yet.
17. She (practise) the piano ______ six o'clock; I hope she'll soon finish.
18. Although Walter (study) at the University ______ five years, he (not get) his
degree yet.
19. I (not have) a good night's sleep ______ last week.
20. He (learn) to drive ______ seven years now, but he still (not pass) his driving test.