Tenses Exercises
Tenses Exercises
Name __________________
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses
Verb Tenses Tutorial
Simple Present / Present Continuous
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ___________her kids to football practice.
2. Usually, I (work) _____________as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)
_______________French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) _____________.
4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) _____________.
5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always) _________________.
6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) _______________because everybody (talk)
________________so loudly.
7. Justin (write, currently) _____________a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope
he can find a good publisher when he is finished.
8. A: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
B: Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) __________________to a movie tonight with some
friends.
9. The business cards (be, normally ) ________________printed by a company in New
York. Their prices (be) ______________inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is
quite good.
10. This delicious chocolate (be) ________________made by a small chocolatier in
Zurich, Switzerland.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Simple Present / Present Continuous
November 12, 1997
Today (be) ___________the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am
exhausted and my legs (shake) ___________; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My
feet (kill, really) _____________me and my toes (bleed) ____________, but I (want, still)
_____________to continue.
Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be)
______________so different, and I (try) ___________to adapt to the new way of life here. I
(learn) _____________a little bit of the language to make communication easier;
unfortunately, I (learn, not) ______________foreign languages quickly. Although I
(understand, not) ________________much yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually)
_____________.
I (travel, currently) _______________with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England.
He (be) _____________a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always)
_______________ahead of me and (complain) ______________that I am too slow. I (do)
_______________my best to keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am.
Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am getting old.
Right now, Liam (sit) ________________with the owner of the inn. They (discuss)
__________________the differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not)
______________the real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just)
________________him Tam. Tam (speak) ____________English very well and he (try)
____________to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say) ___________a
new word, Liam (try) ________________to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also)
______________to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost
and have to ask for directions.
Focus on Verbs
Simple Past / Present Perfect
Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change)
_____________a great deal. The first computers (be) _____________simple machines
designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) _______________much memory and they (be,
not) _______________very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and
customers often (pay) _______________thousands of dollars for machines which actually
(do) _____________very little. Most computers (be) _________________separate,
individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.
Times (change) _______________. Computers (become) _______________powerful
machines with very practical applications. Programmers (create) _____________a large
selection of useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to
bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's games (become)
________________faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get,
also) _______________on the Internet and (begin) ______________communicating with
other computer users around the world. We (start) _______________to create international
communities online. In short, the simple, individual machines of the past (evolve)
_________________into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.
Mr. Harris: In my spare time, I hike in the mountains outside of town, volunteer at the Sierra
Club and play tennis. In fact, I (compete) ______________in a tennis tournament this
weekend.
Mr. Smith: Really, how long (you, play) ____________tennis ?
Mr. Harris: I (play) ______________since high school. I love the sport.
Mr. Smith: Great! We like dedication here at Hollings Life. You mentioned you volunteer at
the Sierra Club. I (work, currently) ______________with them on the sea turtle project. We
(try) _______________to create a wildlife sanctuary near the bay.
Mr. Harris: Do you know Frank Harris? He's my brother. He (work, presently)
_______________on the same project.
Mr. Smith: I know Frank quite well. Any brother of Frank's would be a welcome addition to
Hollings Life. Just one more thing, we (look) _______________for somebody who is fluent
in Spanish; many of our clients are from Mexico.
Mr. Harris: No problem. I (study) ____________Spanish since elementary school.
Mr. Smith: Sounds like you are the perfect candidate.
1. It is already 9:30 pm and I (wait) _____________here for over an hour. If John does not
get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave.
2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait)
______________for over an hour. I almost left without him.
3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) ____________for that import
company for more than ten years and he (work) ______________in almost every
department. Nobody knew the company like he did.
4. I (see) _____________many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of
the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
5. Sarah (climb) ______________the Matterhorn, (sail) _____________around the world,
and (go) ______________on safari in Kenya. She is such an adventurous person.
6. Sarah (climb) _______________the Matterhorn, (sail) ______________around the world
and (go) _________________on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She
(experience) _______________more by that age than most people do in their entire lives.
7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she
(cry) _______________
.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Tony: Yeah, people (take) ______________Star Wars movies seriously. In fact, this
particular showing has been sold out for over a week. We (wait, just) _____________in line
to get a good seat in the theater.
Lars: When did you buy your tickets?
Tony: I (buy) ____________them last week by phone. I (know) ____________tickets would
be hard to get because I (hear) ______________on the news that a group of people in Los
Angeles (wait) ______________in line for almost a month to buy some.
Lars: I don't believe that!
Tony: It's true. They (camp) ______________out in front of Mann's Chinese Theater in Los
Angeles for about a month because they (want) _____________to be the first people to see
the movie.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Will / Be Going to
1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?
B: I (write) _____________a letter to my friends back home in Texas.
2. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I (get) ____________you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.
3. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I (turn) _____________it up so you can hear it.
4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We (visit) _____________Paris,
Nice and Grenoble.
5. Sarah (come) ______________to the party. Oliver (be) ____________there as well.
6. A: It is so hot in here!
B: I (turn) _____________the air conditioning on.
7. I think he (be) _______________the next President of the United States.
8. After I graduate, I (attend) ____________medical school and become a doctor. I have
wanted to be a doctor all my life.
9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is simply too
small for four people.
B: That man at the service counter (help) ____________you.
10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk) ______________down to the beach and go
swimming.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Will / Be Going to
1. Mark: What are you doing with those scissors?
Beth: I (cut) ______________that picture of the ocean out of the travel magazine.
Mark: What (you, do) ____________with it?
Beth: I (paint) ____________a water color of the ocean for my art class, and I thought I
could use this photograph as a model.
2.
Mark: (You, do) ________________me a favor Sam?
Sam: Sure, what do you want me to do?
Mark: I (change) ______________the broken light bulb in the lamp above the dining room
table. I need someone to hold the ladder for me while I am up there.
Sam: No problem, I (hold) ____________it for you.
3.
Gina: Where are you going?
Ted: I (go) _____________to the store to pick up some groceries.
Gina: What (you, get) _____________?
Ted: I (buy) ____________some milk, some bread, and some coffee.
4.
John: Wow, it's freezing out there.
Jane: I (make) ______________some coffee to warm us up. Do you want a piece of pie as
well?
John: Coffee sounds great! But I (have) ________________dinner with some friends later,
so I'd better skip the pie.
Jane: I (go) ____________to dinner tonight too, but I'm having a piece of pie anyway.
5.
Frank: I heard you're taking a Spanish class at the community college.
Tom: Yeah, I (go) _____________to Guatemala next spring and I thought knowing a little
Spanish would make the trip easier.
Frank: I (visit) ______________my brother in Marseilles next year. Maybe I should take a
French class.
Tom: I have a course catalog in the other room. I (go) ____________get it, and we can see
whether or not they're offering a French course next semester.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Will / Be Going to
1.
Michael: Do you think the Republicans or the Democrats (win) ___________the next
election?
Jane: I think the Republicans (win) ______________the next election.
John: No way! The Democrats (win) ________________.
2.
Susan: We (go) ______________camping this weekend. Would you like to come along?
Sam: That sounds great, but I don't have a sleeping bag.
Susan: No problem. I (lend) _____________you one. My family has tons of camping gear.
3.
Barbara: I (buy) _____________a new car this weekend, but I'm a little worried because I
don't really know much about cars. I'm afraid the salesman (try) _____________to take
advantage of me when he sees how little I know.
Dave: I used to work for a mechanic in high school and I know a lot about cars. I (go)
_____________with you to make sure you are not cheated.
4.
Gina: Fred and I (visit) _____________Santa Fe next summer. Have you ever been there?
Margaret: My family lives in Santa Fe! I (give) ____________you my parents' phone
number. When you get to Santa Fe, just call them and they (give) ____________you a little
tour of the town. They can show you some of the sights that most tourists never see.
5.
Pam: Can you see my future in the crystal ball? What (happen) ___________next year?
Fortune Teller: You (meet) ____________a man from the East Coast, perhaps New York or
maybe Boston. You (marry) ________________that mystery man.
Pam: Forget the man! I want to know if I (get) ________________a new job.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Simple Present / Simple Future
1. Today after I (get) ____________out of class, I (go) ____________to a movie with some
friends.
2. When you (arrive) ____________in Stockholm, call my friend Gustav. He (show)
________________you around the city and help you get situated.
3. A: Do you know what you want to do after you (graduate) _______________?
B: After I (receive) ______________my Master's from Georgetown University, I (go)
________________to graduate school at UCSD in San Diego. I (plan) __________to
complete a Ph.D. in cognitive science.
4. If it (snow) ____________this weekend, we (go) _____________skiing near Lake Tahoe.
5. Your father (plan) ___________to pick you up after school today at 3:00 o'clock. He
(meet) ____________you across the street near the ice cream shop. If something happens
and he cannot be there, I (pick) ____________you up instead.
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6. If the people of the world (stop, not) ___________cutting down huge stretches of rain
forest, we (experience) ______________huge changes in the environment during the
twenty-first century.
7. If Vera (keep) _____________drinking, she (lose, eventually) _____________her job.
8. I promise you that I (tell, not) _____________your secret to anybody. Even if somebody
(ask) ____________me about what happened that day, I (reveal, not) _____________the
truth to a single person.
9. She (make) ____________some major changes in her life. She (quit) __________her job
and go back to school. After she (finish) ___________studying, she (get) __________a
better paying job and buy a house. She is going to improve her life!
10. Tom (call) _____________when he (arrive) _______________in Madrid. He (stay)
________________with you for two or three days until his new apartment (be)
_______________available.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Simple Present / Simple Future
1.
Michael: After you (leave) _______________work, will you please drop by the grocery store
and pick up some milk and bread.
Marie: No problem, I (pick) _______________up the groceries and be home by 6 o'clock.
Michael: Great. You will probably get home before I (do) ______________.
2.
Ari: By the time we (get) ____________to the movie theater, the tickets are going to be sold
out.
Sarah: Don't worry. I told Jane we might be arriving just before the movie (start)
______________. She (buy) _____________our tickets and meet us in the lobby.
Ari: That place is huge! We (find, never) ______________her in that crowded lobby.
Sarah: Calm down, we (meet) _______________each other near the entrance.
3.
Terry: If the weather (be) _____________good tomorrow, maybe we should go to the beach.
Jennifer: I have a better idea. If it (be) ______________nice out, we'll go to the beach; and
if it (rain) _______________, we'll see a movie.
Terry: I guess we will have to wait until we (get) ____________up in the morning to find out
what we are going to do.
4.
Max: What are you going to do tomorrow after work?
Sean: I (meet) _____________some friends at the cafe across the street. Would you like to
come along?
Max: No thanks! My brother is coming to town and I (pick) ______________him up from the
airport at 7 o'clock.
Sean: We (be, probably) ______________at the cafe until 9 o'clock. Why don't you join us
after you (pick) ______________him up.
Max: Sounds good. We (see) ________________you around 8 o'clock.
5.
Lucy: I (call) ______________you as soon as I arrive in Dublin.
Dwain: If I am not there when you (call) ______________, make sure to leave a message.
Lucy: I will. And please don't forget to water my plants and feed the cat.
Dwain: I promise I (take) ___________________care of everything while you are in Ireland.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Simple Future / Future Continuous
1.
Sandra: Where is Tim going to meet us?
Marcus: He (wait) ________________for us when our train arrives. I am sure he (stand)
_________________on the platform when we pull into the station.
Sandra: And then what?
Marcus: We (pick) _______________Michele up at work and go out to dinner.
2.
Ted: When we get to the party, Jerry (watch) ______________TV, Sam (make)
__________________drinks, Beth (dance) ______________by herself, and Thad
(complain) ________________about his day at work.
Robin: Maybe, this time they won't be doing the same things.
Ted: I am absolutely positive they (do) ______________the same things; they always do the
same things.
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3.
Florence: Oh, look at that mountain of dirty dishes! Who (wash) ________________all of
those?
Jack: I promise I (do) _____________them when I get home from work.
Florence: Thanks.
Jack: When you get home this evening, that mountain will be gone and nice stacks of
sparkling clean dishes (sit) ________________in the cabinets.
4.
Doug: If you need to contact me next week, I (stay) ______________at the Hoffman Hotel.
Nancy: I (call) ____________you if there are any problems.
Doug: This is the first time I have ever been away from the kids.
Nancy: Don't worry, they (be) ______________fine.
5.
Samantha: Just think, next week at this time, I (lie) _____________on a tropical beach in
Maui drinking Mai Tai's and eating pineapple.
Darren: While you are luxuriating on the beach, I (stress) ______________out over this
marketing project. How are you going to enjoy yourself knowing that I am working so hard.
Samantha: I 'll manage somehow.
Darren: You're terrible. Can't you take me with you?
Samantha: No. But I (send) _______________you a postcard of a beautiful, white-sand
beach.
Darren: Great, that (make) ________________me feel much better.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Simple Present / Simple Future
Present Continuous / Future Continuous
1. Right now I am watching T.V. Tomorrow at this time, I (watch) _____________T.V. as well.
2. Tomorrow after school, I (go) ________________to the beach.
3. I am going on a dream vacation to Tahiti. While you (do) ____________paperwork and
(talk) ____________to annoying customers on the phone, I (lie) __________on a sunny,
tropical beach. Are you jealous?
4. We (hiding) _____________when Tony (arrives) ___________at his surprise party. As
soon as he opens the door, we (jump) ____________out and (scream) ____________,
"Surprise!"
5. We work out at the fitness center everyday after work. If you (come) __________over
while we (work) ______________out, we will not be able to let you into the house. Just to
be safe, we (leave) ____________a key under the welcome mat so you will not have to wait
outside.
6. While you (study) ____________at home, Magda (be) ______________in class.
7. When I (get) _____________to the party, Sally and Doug (dance) ____________, John
(make) ____________drinks, Sue and Frank (discuss) ______________something
controversial, and Mary (complain) _____________about something unimportant. They are
always doing the same things. They are so predictable.
8. When you (get) ______________off the plane, I (wait) _______________for you.
9. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) ___________up tomorrow
morning, the sun (shine) ________________.
10. If you (need) _______________to contact me sometime next week, I (stay)
________________at the Sheraton in San Francisco.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Future Perfect / Future Perfect Continuous
1)
Margaret: Do you think everything will be finished when I get back from the store?
Jerry: Don't worry. By the time you get back, I (pick) _____________up the living room and
(finish) ____________washing the dishes. Everything will be perfect when your parents
arrive.
Margaret: I hope so. They (arrive) ________________around 6 o'clock.
Jerry: Everything (be) _______________spotless by the time they get here.
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2)
Nick: I just have two more courses before I graduate from university. By this time next year, I
(graduate) ______________and I will already be looking for a job.
Stacey: Does that scare you? Are you worried about the future?
Nick: Not really. I (go) ____________to a career counselor and get some advice on how to
find a good job.
Stacey: That's a good idea.
Nick: I am also going to do an internship so that when I leave school, I (complete, not, only)
_______________over 13 business courses, but I (work, also) _______________in the real
world.
3)
Stan: Did you hear that Christine (take) _________________a vacation in South America
this winter?
Fred: I can't believe how often she goes abroad. Where exactly does she want to go?
Stan: She (visit) __________________Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Fred: At this rate, she (visit) _________________every country in the world by the time
she's 50.
4)
Judy: How long have you been in Miami?
Elaine: I have only been here for a couple of weeks.
Judy: How long do you plan on staying?
Elaine: I love Miami, so I (stay) ___________________here for an extended period of time.
When I go back home, I (be) _________________here for more than three months.
Judy: Wow, that's quite a vacation! You (see, definitely) ___________________just about
everything there is to see in Miami by then.
5)
Jane: I can't believe how late we are! By the time we get to the dinner, everyone (finish,
already) __________________eating.
Jack: It's your own fault. You took way too long in the bathroom.
Jane: I couldn't get my hair to look right.
Jack: Who cares? By the time we get there, everyone (left) ________________. Nobody
(see,even) _____________________your hair.
Verb Tense Tutorial
Future Perfect / Future Perfect Continuous
1. By the time we get to Chicago this evening, we (drive) _____________________more
than four hundred miles. We are going to be exhausted.
2. When Sarah goes on vacation next month, she (study) ___________________German
for over two years. She should be able to communicate fairly well while she is in Austria.
3. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit) ____________________the Grand
Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.
4. By the time you finish studying the verb tense tutorial, you (master)
_________________all twelve tenses including their passive forms.
5. Drive faster! If you don't hurry up, she (have) _______________the baby by the time we
get to the hospital.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago.
When I return to Australia, I (study) ______________for nine months and I (be)
________________in England for exactly one year.
7. Margie just called and said she would be here at 8:00 o'clock. By the time she gets here,
we (wait) _________________ for her for two hours.
8. Frank just changed jobs again. If he keeps this up, he (change) _________________jobs
at least four or five times by the end of the year.
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1)
Simona: Margaret is really going to speak Spanish well when she gets back from that
language school in Mexico?
Isabelle: Hopefully! She (take)
classes for more than six months.
Simona: She is going to be able to speak Spanish with some of our Latin American clients.
Isabelle: Good. Two clients from Peru (visit)
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Margaret returns. We need someone to entertain them while they are here.
2)
Jason: I am leaving!
Nurse: If you would please wait, the doctor will be with you in ten minutes. The doctor is
having some problems with a patient.
Jason: The doctor was having problems with that patient an hour ago. If I wait another ten
minutes, I am sure he (have, still)
3)
Frank: What are you going to be doing tomorrow at five?
Debbie: I (paint)
painting my living room walls.
Frank: Still? How long have you been working on your living room.
Debbie: Forever. By the time I finish, I (redecorate)
the living
room for over a week.
Frank: Too bad. I was going to ask go if you wanted to see a movie. What about the day
after tomorrow?
Debbie: Sorry, I (move)
up drapes.
4)
Mr. Jones: What are you going to be doing next year at this time?
Mr. McIntyre: I (work)
for a big law firm in New Orleans.
Mr. Jones: I didn't know you were leaving Baton Rouge.
Mr. McIntyre: I got a great job offer which I just can't refuse. Besides, by the time I move, I
(live)
in Baton Rouge for over twenty years. I think it's about time for
a change.
Verb Tense Practice Test
Cumulative Verb Tense Review
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Top of Form
1. You look really great! (You, exercise)
B: I (try)
3. I (have)
one.
the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new
4. If it (snow)
librarians.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago.
When I return to Australia, I (study)
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7. Sam (arrive)
8. Samantha (live)
in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)
there when the Berlin wall came down.
9. If Vera (keep)
her job.
10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan;
however, their culture (disappear, virtually)
(arrive)
12. It (rain)
beach.
up tomorrow
16. I (see)
many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the
monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
(change)
a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from
New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
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at
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Top of Form
1. When Carol (call)
television.
2. I (work)
here until I retire!
my favorite show on
for this company for more than thirty years, and I intend to stay
3. Sharon (love)
to travel. She (go)
Next year, she plans to go to Peru.
(write)
since he was twenty-eight. Altogether, he (write)
novels, three collections of short stories and a book of poetry.
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5. We were late because we had some car problems. By the time we (get)
train station, Susan (wait)
6. Sam (try)
to the
and (fell)
7. Everyday I (wake)
(leave)
up at 6 o'clock, (eat)
6:30, (skip)
up at
to set my alarm.
dinner.
and he
(read)
dinner and he
in some
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************
11.
Jane talks on the phone.
Bob has been talking on the phone for an hour.
Mary is talking on the phone.
Who is not necessarily on the phone now?
12.
I'm going to make dinner for Frank.
I'm making dinner for Judy.
I'll make dinner for Mary.
I make dinner for Ted.
I will be making dinner for Tony.
Who are you offering to make dinner for?
13.
Jane left when Tim arrived.
Bob left when Tim had arrived.
Tim arrived when Mary was leaving.
John had left when Tim arrived.
After Tim arrived, Frank left.
Who did not run into Tim?
14.
Jane is talking in class.
Bob always talks in class.
Mary is always talking in class.
Whose action bothers you?
15.
Jane never left Jamestown.
Bob has never left Jamestown.
Who is still alive?
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