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Tenses Exercises
A- Use Present Simple or Present Continuous
1. What is he doing? He _________________ at his desk. (sit)
2. My brother ________________ in a bank ( work)
2. Listen, someone _____________ at the door. (knock)
3. On my way home I usually ______________ to drink a cup of coffee. (stop)
4. Architects _______________ plans of the buildings. (make)
5. Look at Betty: she _____________the piano. (play)
6. At this moment I _______________ my pupils’ exercises. (correct)
7. Where are you? I _________________ my lessons in the study. (prepare)
9. That’s Chris. He _____________ near the table. (stand)
10. We often ____________ tea for breakfast. (take)
11. William ______________ to our workshop on Mondays. (come)
12. Let’s wait a moment still. Tom ____________ soon. (come)
13. I must run home, mother ____________ for me. (wait)
16. It _________ at the moment. (not/snow)
19. What are you doing here? I ___________for my book. (look)
20. It_______________ in autumn. (rain)
21. Look, a man ____________ across the street. (run)
22.”What’s the matter? Why ________________(cry/you)?”
B- Use simple Past or Present Perfect:
- ……………….Helen ever ……………………. (try) sushi?
- ………………… you ……………………….. (go) to the wedding last night?
- I ……………….. never …………………………(be) to Paris.
- This year I ………………….………… (travel) to Athens 3 times so far.
- Paul and Judith …………………………………(be) married since 1998.
- …………… you ………………………….(finish) your homework yet?
- Last night aunt Betty …………………………..(come) by. She ………………………(tell) us that this summer they are going to Hawaii.
- I ……………………………….(visit) many different countries so far. Last summer I ………………………..(go) to Italy and 3 years ago I ………………………… (be) in Spain. I ……………………………………(not/visit) Germany yet.
- When ………………you …………………………(come) to Greece?
- I……………………(come) in 2007.
- …………………..you ……………………(watch) the film E.T. yesterday?
- They…………………… already ………………………..(leave) the train station.
- How long ………………….. you ………………………..(know) Jonathan?
- I …………………………. (meet) him in 2009, so I ……………………………(know) him for 3 years.
- What …………………………….(happen) to Lucy last night?
- …………….. you ……………………… (read) “Harry Potter” when you were on holidays?
C- Use simple Past or Past Continuous:
1. When the war ___________ out we _____________ in Warsaw. (break / live)
2. It______________ to rain when we _______________. (begin / start)
3. While I _______________ to the concert somebody _____________at the door. (listen / knock)
4. When they ___________ in that house she _____________very ill. (live / be)
5. We just ________for Mary when John ______________. (wait / come)
6. They ______________ wine every day when they ___________in France. (drink / be)
7. She______________ very quickly when the accident_____________. (drive / happened)
8. We ___________ dinner when he ____________. (have / arrive)
9. They _____________ tennis when we ___________ there. (play / get)
10. She _______________ a pink summer frock when I _____________her yesterday. (wear / meet)
11. The telephone___________while I _____________ my bath. (ring / have)
15. At half past nine she still_____________________her homework. (do)
D- Use simple Past or Past Perfect:
Example: Nobody believed me when I (say) ……………..that I (see) ……………………………..a UFO.
Nobody believed me when I said that I had seen a UFO.
1. It (be)………..very cold when he (get to)……….Moscow because winter (already, arrive)…………………….
2. My car (not, start)………………… this morning because I (leave)……………………….the lights on.
3. If he (work)…………………………….steadily he would have passed the exam.
4. After the detectives (check)……………… the windows for fingerprints, they (search)………………. the house.
5. He (not, realize) …………………. his mistake until after he (post)…………………………………………. the letter.
6. The captain of the ship (he) ……………among the sailors who (abandon) ………….the ship just before it (go)…………to the bottom of the sea.
7. I (take) …………………………………….. the decision after I (speak) ………………………………………… to John.
8. They (he) …………….. on the road for a mere five minutes when they (have) ………………… …a puncture.
9. The car (scarcely, stop) ……………… when a policeman (appear) ………………
10. He (give)….. …………..me a painting which his grandfather (leave)… ………………………….him.
11. After the accident it was quite some time before they (know)…. …………………………………….what (happen)
12. After Jack and Mary (go out)………………………………………… with each other for six years, they (break up) …………..
13. When she heard she (accept) ………….. by Oxford University, she (jump) ……………up and down with joy.
14. He (work)…………. as a mechanic for four years before they (let) ………….him drive one of the racing cars.
15. He (say)………………………………… that he (not, see) ……………………………………… his mother for years.
16. After he (eat) ……………. so much at Christmas dinner, he (suffer)……………. from indigestion.
E- Mixed Tenses :
1. While I______________ (to come) to school this morning, I_____________ (meet)my uncle.
2. As soon as we____________ (to finish) our essays yesterday, we _____________(to give) them to the teacher.
3. “Oh, look It___________(to rain) again.”
4. I’ve lost my pen. I wish I ______________ (can) remember where I put it.
5. It’s my birthday next week. I ____________(to be) eighteen.
6. We _____________(not / to see) our aunt since 1982.
7. If he had looked where he was going, he ________________(not / to crash) into the wall.
8. The lesson _______________(already / to begin) when I arrived.
9. I wish my parents ______________(to let) me go to the picnic next week.
10. This is the most difficult exercise that I __________________(ever / to do).
11. If you come to the cinema with me tomorrow, I____________(to buy) you an ice-cream.
12. The man was lying on the ground. A car________________ (to knock) him down a few seconds before.
13. Her father said that he_____________(not / to be) back until the following week.
14. He_______________(to die) if the if the ambulance hadn’t arrived quickly.
15.We were very tired when we arrived as we____________ (to walk) since seven o’clock.
16.He doesn’t know how to swim. He wishes he _____________(to learn) when he was a child.
17. She __________(to wake) up an hour ago.
18. It was the first time that I_____________(to eat) Italian food.
19. I’ll give this letter to the manager when he____________ (to get) here.
20. It’s time they _____________(to answer) my letter
