"Practice in the English Tenses"

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or the Past Continuous.

1. Yesterday the sun (shine) when I (cycle) to school.

2. When I (come) home it (get) dark.

3. (He carry) a briefcase when you (see) him?

4. Tom (still read) when the phone (ring).

5. When I (look) for my needle-work the lights (go) out.

6. I (not know) he (prefer) tea to coffee.

7. He (practice) the violin, so he (not hear) me come in.

8. We (have) dinner when John (arrive).

9. Mary (know) that her husband (love) fishing.

10. She (still live) at the seaside when her parents (die).

11. Lucy (dance), but when she (see) me she (stop).

12. The phone (ring) just as I (dress).

13. As a child I (always go) to the seaside in July.

14. The bride (wear) a white dress (carry) a bouquet of lilies.

15. I (see) the teacher while I (go) to school.

16. The bridegroom (tremble) and (look) pale.

17. The First World War (begin) in 1914.

18. (It - still - rain) when you (come) in?

19. Where (you - buy) this book? - I (buy) it in London.

20. She (be) so angry that she (not say) a word all day.

21. She (fall) and (break) her leg while skating.

22. I (wake) at seven, (get) out of bed, (wash), (shave), (dress), (go) downstairs, (put) my overcoat on, (hurry)

to the bus stop and (catch) the bus to the station.

23. The sun (just - set) when we (reach) home.

24. He (walk) into the bar and (order) a gin and tonic.

25. Lucy (clean) the windows while Nancy (do) the washing up.

Exercise 2. Open the brackets using the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Continuous.

1. Why are your hands dirty? — Because I (work) in the garden.

2. His breath smells. He (drink) again.

3. (you drink) anything? - Yes, I... I (drink) two brandies.

4. I (knock) at his door three times today, he can’t be at home.

5. For God’s sake, open the door, I (stand) here for a quarter of an hour.

6. I (try) to phone him five times.

7. I (try) to phone him for the last half hour.

8. My feet are killing me! I (walk) five miles.

9. I (walk) all afternoon.

10. (you - finally - clean) the cars? — No, I...not, although I (work) all day.

11. She (not - feel) too well lately, ... she?

12. What are those people looking at? What (happen)?

13. First there was a lot of laughter, then shouting and now singing. What (happen)?

14. I (wait) here for an hour? What (you - do)?

15. Someone (eat) my chocolates. There are only six left.

16. Someone (eat) all my chocolates. The box is empty.

17. (You - finish) the newspaper yet? You (read) it for over an hour.

18. (You - decide) where to go? We (think) about it for the past week.

19. I’m afraid Mr Simpson (just leave) the office.

20. How annoying! I (try) to contact him all afternoon.

Exercise 3. Choose the Present Perfect Tense or the Past Simple Tense.

1. (You - ever - have) an accident? — Yes, I (break) my leg two years ago.

2. Is he still unemployed? — Yes, he (be) out of work for several months now.

3. How long (you - stay) in France? — I (stay) there till last January.

4. He (just - return) from abroad.

5. (He - ever - be) late for work?

6. (You - ever - be) up in an airplane?

7. When (you - hear) the news? — Your son (tell) me yesterday.

8. I (finally - finish) my work.

9. She (be) lame since, she (have) an accident three years ago.

10. (You - phone) her yet? - Yes, I ... I (phone) her an hour ago.

11. A terrible thing (happen) to me yesterday. I (not - hear) the alarm clock, so I (get) up at 8.15 instead of 7.15. I (be) one hour late, so I (hurry) down, but I (slip) and (fall) down the stairs. I (sprain) my ankle and (hurt) my head.

12. (You -ever - meet) Brian? - Yes, Sarah (introduce) me to him last week.

13. How (you - spend) the day? - I (go) shopping this morning, (work) in the garden this afternoon this afternoon and I (just - finish) cooking supper.

14. When exactly (the accident - happen)?

15. (You - see) the newspaper today? - Manchester United (sack) their manager.

Exercise 4. Choose the Present Perfect Tense or the Past Simple Tense.

1. When Tom (come) back from America we (drive) to the airport to meet him.

2. Oh! Look what you (just - do)! You (break) my record.

3. I (not - smoke) any cigarettes yesterday. I (not - smoke) a cigarette for three weeks now.

4. I (not - see) any good films recently, except for me I (see) about a month ago.

5. I (fly) over Loch Ness last week. - (You see) the Loch Ness monster?

6. We (miss) the bus. Now we’ll have to walk.

7. How long that horrible monument (be) there? - It (be) there six months. Lots of people (write) to the Town Council asking them to take it away but so far nothing (be) done.

8. Hannibal (bring) elephants across the Alps. — Why (he do) that? – He (want) to use them in battle.

9. This is Mr Minus, who teaches me mathematics, but he (not - have) time to teach me much. I only (be) in his class for a week.

10. I (not - know) that you (be) here. You (be) here long? — Yes, I (be) here two months. - (You - be) to the cathedral? - Yes, I (go) there last Sunday.

11. I (not see) your aunt recently. — No. She (not be) out of her house since she (buy) her colour TV.

12. That house (be) empty for a year. But they just (take) down the “For Sale” sign, so-I suppose someone (buy) it.

13. You (see) today’s paper? — No, anything interesting (happen)? - Yes, two convicted murderers (escape) from the prison down the road.

14. Mary (feed) the cat? — Yes she (feed) him before lunch. - What she (give) him? — She (give) him some fish.

15. How long you (be) out of work? — I’m not out of work now. I just (start) a new job. - How you (find) the job? - I (answer) an advertisement in the paper.

Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the Simple Past, the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect

Continuous.

1. Mr Johnson (teach) in our school for 25 years now.

2. He (be) in prison since last October.

3. I (never - see) her so angry.

4. I (meet) him only yesterday.

5. They (go) out five minutes ago.

6. Tom (write) letters the whole morning.

7. Mother (lose) her white gloves. (You - see) them anywhere?

8. Who (write) Hamlet?

9. (You - hear) anything of him lately?

10. She (write) me two letters this week.

Exercise 6. Choose the Past Simple Tense, the Past Perfect Tense or the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. After I (get) your message I (leave) as soon as I (can).

2. The roads (be) still wet because it (rain) all morning.

3. After I (be) on the road for about half an hour I (see) a warning sign.

4. By the time I (reach) Oxford it (start) raining again and the roads (be) very slippery. I can tell you I (be - not) very glad to drive in that weather.

5. When I (recover) from the shock I (see) what (really - happen).

6. He (say) he (often - see) something similar.

7. Last night I (have) dinner in a Greek restaurant. It (be) delicious. I (never be) to a Greek restaurant before.

8. They (live) in the country for ten years when they (have to) move to London.

9. It (be - not) the first time he (apply) for a job. As a matter of fact he (apply) for a job for more than a year.

10. She (not - sign) the contract till she (meet) the Managing Director himself.

Exercise 7. Choose the Past Simple Tense, the Past Perfect Tense or the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

A. 1. I (arrive) in England in the middle of July. 2. I (be told) that England (be) shrouded in fog all year round, so I (be) quite surprised to find that it was merely raining. 3. I (ask) another passenger, an Englishman, about the fog and he (say) that there (not be) any since the previous February. 4. If I (want) fog, he said, I (come) at quite the wrong time. 5. However, he (tell) me that I could buy tinned fog at a shop in Shaftsbury Avenue. 6. He (admit) that he never (buy) fog there himself but (assure) me that they (sell) good quality fog and that it (not be) expensive. I suppose he was joking.

B. 1. When the old lady (return) to her flat she (see) at once that burglars (break) in during her absence, because the front door (be) open and everything in the flat (be) upside down. 2.The burglars themselves (be) no longer there, but they probably only just (leave) because a cigarette was still burning on an ornamental table. 3. Probably they (hear) the lift coming up and (run) down the fire escape. 4.They (help) themselves to her whisky too but there (be) a little left, so she (pour) herself out a drink. 5. She (wonder) if they (find) her jewellery and rather (hope) that they had. 6.The jewellery (be) given her by her husband, who (die) some years before. 7. Since his death she (not have) the heart to wear it yet she (not like) to sell it.

C. 1. I (look) out before I (go) to bed and (see) a man standing on the opposite pavement watching the house. 2.When I (get up) the following morning he (be) still there, and I (wonder) whether he (stay) there all night or if he (go) away and (come) back.