Tenses of verbs

Exercise 1, Put the verbs in brackets into the correct present tense (simple present and present continuous) 1, Mrs. Jones: My daughter never (write) ____________ to me so I never (know) ____________ what she (do) ____________. Your son (write) ____________ to you, Mrs. Smith? Mrs. Smith: Yes, I (hear) ____________ from him every week. He (seem) ____________ to like writing letters. 2, These apples (cost) ____________ 40p a bag. You (think) ____________ that is expensive? It (depend) on the size of the bag. 3, I (see) ____________ my solicitor tomorrow (l have arranged this); I (change) ____________ my will. You always (change) ____________ your will. Why you (not leave) ____________it alone? 4, You (look) ____________very thoughtful. What you (think) ____________ about? I (think) ____________ about my retirement. But you're only 25. You only just (start) ____________ your career. I (know) ____________; but I (read) ____________ an article which (say) ____________ that a sensible man (start) ____________ thinking about retirement at 25. 5, My next door neighbor always (knock) ____________on my door and (ask) ____________ me to lend her l0p pieces. What she (do) ____________with them? She (put) ____________them in her gas meter. I really (not mind) ____________ lending her a few 10p pieces but what (annoy) ____________ me is that she (know) ____________ how many she (need) ____________each week but never (take) ____________ the trouble to bring the right number home. 6, What she (do) ____________ if she (run out) ____________ of them when you are away? Oh, she (borrow) ____________ from her other neighbour, Mr White; but this (take) ____________ longer because he always (want) ____________ her to stay and chat and

she (find) ____________ it quite hard to get away from him. 7, How much she (owe) ____________ you now? I (not know) ____________; I (not keep) ____________ an account. Anyway she (leave) _________ next week; she (get) __________married. I (try) ___________ to think of a suitable wedding present. 8, Why you (not offer) ____________to cancel her debt? That (sound) ____________ rather a mean sort of present. Anyway she probably (not realize) ____________ that she (owe) ____________ me money. 9, My brother (say) ____________ that people who (owe) ____________ him money always (seem) ____________ to forget about it, but people he (owe) ____________ money to always (remember) ____________ exactly. 10, I (not think) ____________ your brother (enjoy) ____________ the party. He (keep) ____________looking at his watch. Oh, I'm sure he (enjoy) ____________ it. He always (enjoy) ____________ your parties. But I (know) ____________ he (want) ____________ to be home early tonight because he (expect) ____________ an important telephone call.

Exercise 2, Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous. 1, I (walk) ____________ along Piccadilly when I (realize) ____________ that a man with a ginger beard, whom I had seen three times already that afternoon, (follow) ____________ me. 2, To make quite sure, I (walk) ____________ on quickly, (turn) ____________ right, then left and (stop) ____________suddenly at a shop window. 3, In a few minutes the man with the beard (appear) ____________ and (stop) ____________ at another shop window. 4, I (go) ____________ on. 5, Whenever I (stop)

____________ he (stop) ____________, and whenever I (look) ____________ round he (be) ____________ still there. 6, He (look) ____________ a very respectable type and (wear) ____________ very conventional clothes and I (wonder) ____________ if he was a policeman or a private detective. 7, I (decide) ____________ to try and shake him off. 8, A 74 bus (stand) ____________ at the bus stop just beside me. 9, Then the conductor (come) ____________ downstairs and (ring) ____________ the bell; just as the bus (move) ____________ off, I (jump) ____________ on it. 10, The man with the beard

(miss) ____________ the bus but (get) ____________ into another 74, which (follow) ____________ the first. 11, Both buses (crawl) ____________ very slowly along Knightsbridge. 12, Every time the buses (pull) ____________ up at a stop, the man (look) ____________ out anxiously to see if I (get) ____________ off. 13, Finally, at some traffic lights, he (change) ____________ buses and (get) ____________ into mine. 14, At Gloucester Road Underground, I (leave) ____________ the bus and (buy) ____________ a ticket at a ticket machine. 15, As I (stand) ____________ on the platform waiting for a Circle Line train, my pursuer (come) ____________ down the stairs. 16, He (carry) ____________ a newspaper and when we (get) ____________into the same compartment, he (sit) ____________ in one corner reading it, and I (read) ____________ the advertisement. 17, He (look) ____________ over the top of the newspaper at every station to see if I(get) ____________ out. 18, I (become) ____________rather tired of being shadowed like this, so finally I (go) ____________ and (sit) ____________beside the man and (ask) ____________ him why he (follow) ____________ me. 19, At first he (say) ____________ he (not follow) ____________ me at all but when I (threaten) ____________ to knock him down, he (admit) ____________ that he was. 20, Then he (tell) ____________ me he (be) ____________ a writer of detective stories and (try) ____________ to see if it was difficult to follow someone unseen. 21, I (tell) ____________ him he hadn't been unseen because I had noticed him in Piccadilly and I (advise) ____________ him to shave off his ginger beard if he (not want) ____________ his victim to know he (be) ____________ followed.

Exercise 3. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: present perfect or simple past. (In some cases the present perfect continuous is also possible.) 1, Paul: I (play) ___________ football since I was five years old. Tom: You (play) ___________ since you (come) ___________ to England? Paul: Oh yes. I (play) ___________ quite a lot. I (join) ___________ a club the day after I (arrive) ___________. 2, Tom: You (play) ___________ any matches? Paul: We (play) ___________ about ten. We have two more to play. We (have) ___________ a very good season, we (win) ___________ all our matches so far, though

we (not really deserve) ___________ to win the last one. 3, Tom: I (play) ___________ football when I (be) ___________ at school but when I (leave) ___________ school I (drop) ___________ it and (take) ___________ up golf. 4, Ann: Hello, Jack! I (not see) ___________ you for ages! Where you (be) ___________? Jack: I (be) ___________ in Switzerland. I (mean) ___________ to send you a postcard but I (not have) ___________ your address with me. Ann: Never mind. You (have) ___________ a good time in Switzerland? How long you (be) ___________ there? Jack: I (be) ___________ there for a month. I only just (get) ___________ back. Yes, I (enjoy) ___________ it thoroughly. I (ski) ___________ all day and (dance) ___________ all night. 5, Ann: I (ski) ___________ when I (be) ___________ at the University, but I (break) ___________ a leg five years ago and since then I (not do) ___________ any. 6, When I first (come) ___________ to this house, it (be) ___________ a very quiet area. But since then a new housing estate (be) ___________ built and it (become) ___________ very noisy. 7, My son (not start) ___________ work yet. He's still at the High School. How long he (be) ___________ at school? He (be) ___________ at the High School for six years; before that he (spend) ___________ five years at the Primary School in Windmill Street. 8, I just (hear) ___________ that Peter is in Australia. Oh, you (not know) ___________? He (fly) ___________ out at the beginning of the month. You (hear) ___________ from him? Does he like the life? Yes, I (get) ___________ a letter last week. He (tell) ____________ me about his job. But he (not say) ___________ whether he (like) ___________ the life or not. Perhaps it's too soon to say. He only (be) ___________ there three weeks. 9, I (not know) ___________ you (be) ___________ left-handed. I'm not left-handed; but my oil-heater (explode) ___________ yesterday and I (burn) ___________ my right hand, so I have to use my left. 10, This bicycle (be) ___________ in our family for fourteen years. My father (use)

___________ it for the first five years, my brother (ride) ___________ it for the next five, and I (have) ___________ it for the last four.

Exercise 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: present perfect simple or present perfect continuous. 1, Peter: You (telephone) ___________ for ages. You not nearly (finish) ___________? Jack: I (not get) ____Havent gotten_______ through yet. I (try) _I have been trying__________ to get our Paris office but the line (be) ___________ engaged all morning. 2, Ann (fail) ___________ her driving test three times because she's so bad at reversing. But she (practise) ___________ reversing for the last week and I think she (get) ___________ a bit better at it. .

3, Tom: I often (wonder) ___________ why Bill left the country so suddenly. Peter: Actually, I just (find) ___________ out. 4, He (play) ___________ the bagpipes since six o'clock this morning. He only just (stop) ___________ . 5, Why you (not bring) ___________ me the letters for signature? You (not type) ___________ them yet? 6, Tom (looking up absent-mindedly as Mary Comes in): You ___________? Mary (crossly): Don't be ridiculous! It (rain) ___________ all day! 7, A pair of robins (build) ___________ a nest in the porch since last week. I (watch) ___________ them from my window since they began. 8, The police (not find) ___________ the murderer yet, but the dead man's brother (be) ___________ in the station all day. The police say that he (help) ___________ them with their enquiries. 9, They (pull) ___________ down most of the houses in this street but they (not touch) ___________ the old shop at the corner yet. 10, Tom is convinced that there is gold in these hills but we (search) ___________ for six months and (not see) ___________ any sign of it. (sunbathe)

Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense. The simple past and the past perfect, simple and continuous. 1, He (give) _____Gave_______ me back the book, (thank) ___thanked_________ me for lending it to him and (say) ____said________ that he (enjoy) ___had enjoyed_________ it very much; but I (know) ___knew_________ that he (not read) _____hadnt read_______ it because most of the pages (be) ____were________ still uncut. 2, When he (see) ____had seen________ his wife off at the station, he (return) _______returned_____ home as he (not have) ______didnt have______ to be at the airport till 9.30. 3, He (not have) ______didnt have______ to pack, for his wife already (do) ________had already done____ that for him and his case (be) _____was_______ ready in the hall. 4, He (not have) didnt have to check the doors and windows either, for his wife always (do) ____ did ________ that before she (leave) _ left___________ the house. 5, All he (have) ___had_________ to do (be) ____was ________ to decide whether or not to take his overcoat with him. In the end he (decide) ___ decided _________ not to. 6, At 8.30 he (pick) ____picked up________ up his case, (go) ____went________ out of the house and (slam) ____slammed________ the door behind him. 7, Then he (feel) ____felt________ in his pockets for the key, for his wife (remind) _______had reminded_____ him to double-lock the front door. 8, When he (search) ___had searched_________ all his pockets and (find)

________had found____ no key, he (remember) ___remembered_________ where it (be) ____was________. 9, He (leave) _____had left_______ it in his overcoat pocket.

Exercise 6. Put the verbs in brackets into one of the above forms, using the present continuous and be going to. 1, Where you (go) ____________ for your holidays?-I (go) ____________ to Norway. What you (do) ____________ there? - I (fish) ____________. 2, Where you (go) ____________ this evening?

I (not go) ____________ anywhere. I (stay) ____________ at home. I (write) ____________ some letters. 3, Take an umbrella; it (rain) ____________. 4, How long you (stay) ____________ in this country? (Have you decided to stay?) Another month. I (go) ____________ home at the end of the month. What you (do) ____________ then? I (try) ____________ to get a job. 5, I (dye) ____________ these curtains. You (do) ____________ it yourself, or (have) ____________ it done? I (have) ____________ it done. Who should I take them to? 6, I've seen the film, now I (read) ____________ the book. I've just got a copy from the library. (I haven't started the book yet.) 7, You (do) ____________ anything next weekend? Yes, my nephews (come) ____________ and I (show) ____________ them round London. You (take) ____________ them to the theatre? (Have you booked seats?) No, they're too young for that. I (take) ____________ them to the zoo. 8, We (start) ____________ early tomorrow. We (go) ____________ to Ben Nevis. You (climb) ____________ Ben Nevis? Not me. Tom (climb) ____________ it. I (sit) ____________ at the bottom and (do) ____________ some sketching. 9, Uncle: I hear you (go) ____________ to the regatta tomorrow. You (sail)

____________ in it? Niece: No, but we (take) ____________ our cameras. We (try) ____________ to photograph the winning yachts. 10, You (not ask) ____________ your boss to give you a fire in your office? It isn't worthwhile. I (leave) ____________ at the end of the week. Really? And what you (do) ____________ then? You (have) ____________ a holiday? No, I (start) ____________ another job the following Monday.

Exercise 7. Use the present simple and continuous, the future simple and conditional to put the verbs in the brackets into the correct form.

1, Ann (look) ____________ for a bed-sitter. She (see) ____________ an advertisement in the local paper and (ring) ____________ up Mrs Smith, the owner of the house. Mrs Smith (answer) ____________ the phone. 2, Ann: Good afternoon. I (ring) ____________ about the room you advertised. Mrs Smith: Oh yes. 3, Ann: The advertisement (say) ____________ 'Share bathroom and kitchen'. How many other people (use) ____________ the bathroom and kitchen? 4, Mrs Smith: Only one other-an Italian girl. And she (use) ____________ the kitchen very little. She (eat) ____________ out most of the time. I (not think) ____________ she (like) ____________ cooking. 5, Ann: That (suit) ____________ me all right. I (like) ____________ cooking. But how we (arrange) ____________ about paying for the gas we (use) ____________ in the kitchen? 6, Mrs Smith: The rent (include) ____________ gas for cooking, also hot water and light. But it (not include) ____________ heating. Each room has its own fire and meter. 7, Ann: I (see) ____________. And the room (face) ____________ the front or the back?

Key EX 1. 1. writes/ know/ does/ writes/ hear/ seems 2. costs/ think/ depends 3. am going to see/ change/ why dont you leave it alone? 4. look/ what are you thinking about?/ am thinking/ start/ know/ read/ says/ starts 5. knocks/ askes/ what does she do with them?/ puts/ dont mind/ annoys/ knows/ needs/ takes

6. what does she do/ runs/ borrows/ takes/ wants/ finds 7. how much does she owe? Dont know/ dont keep/ is going to leave/ is going to get/ am trying 8. why dont you offer to___/ sounds/ doesnt realize/ owes 9. says/ owe/ seems/ owes/ remembers 10. dont think/ enjoys/ keeps/ enjoys/ enjoys/ know/ wants/ is expecting.

EX 2: 1. walked/ were realizing/ was following 2. walked/ turned/ stopped 3. appeard/ stopped 4. went 5. were stopping/ was stopping/ were looking/ was 6. looked/ worn/ wondered 7. decided 8. was 9. came/ rang/ moved/ jumped/ missed/ got/ was following. EX 3: 1. have played/ have played/ came/ played/ joined/ had arrived 2. played/ have played/ had/ won/ 3. play/ was/ left/ dropped/ took. 4. havent seen/ where did you be?/ have been/ have been meaning/ didnt have/ did you have___?/ were/ were/ enjoyed/ skied/ danced 5. have skied/ were/ broke/ didnt do 6. came/ was/ was/ became

7. hasnt started/ has been/ has been/ spended 8. have heard/ didnt know/ flyed/ have heard/ got/ told/ didnt say/ likes/ was 9. didnt know/ was/ exploded/ burned 10. has been/ has used/ has roden/ has had EX 6: 1. are you going to go?/ am going to go/ are you going to do/ am 2. Are you going to go/ dont go/ stay/ write 3. is going to rain 4. do you stay?/ am going to go/ do you do?/ am trying 5. am dying/ do/ have/ have 6. am reading 7. are you going to do

EX 7: 1. looks/ sees/ rings/ is answering 2. am ringing 3. says/ use 4. uses/ eats/ dont think/ likes 5. suites/ like/ how does we arrange?/ use 6. includes/ doesnt include 7. see/ faces