1.

Present Tense Simple and Continuous

Dear Mum,
I ____________________________ (JUST WRITE) to tell you how much I ______________________
(APPRECIATE) the money you have sent me, and to tell you how I __________________________ (GET)
on in my first term at university. In fact, I _______________________________ (REALLY ENJOY)
myself. I ____________________________ (STUDY) quite hard as well, but at the moment I
_______________________________ (SPEND) a lot of time making new friends. I
____________________________ (STILL STAY) with my friend Jill and I _________________________
(LOOK) for some place to live on my own. Only a small number of first year students
__________________________ (LIVE) in college here and I ___________________________ (SEEM) to
be spending a lot of time travelling.
I _______________________________ (ATTEND) lectures every morning, and most afternoons I
_______________________ (STUDY) in the library. In fact, I _______________________________
(WRITE) this letter right now instead of an essay on Shakespeare.
I think I’ll buy some new clothes with the money you’ve sent me. Everything
___________________________ (COST) a lot here, and I _______________________________ (SAVE)
to buy a coat for the winter months. It ___________________ (GET) really cold here in the evenings.
I now _______________________________ (KNOW) some other students and we
__________________________ (HAVE) quite a good time. I _____________________________________
(ALSO LEARN) to drive. University students _________________ (GET) a refund if they take their tests
here. I _______________________________ (LOOK) forward to coming home next month. See you soon.
Kate

2. Present Perfect Simple and Continuous

1. The earth __________________ here for billions of years (be).
2. We ________________________ cards for the last few hours (play).
3. We ________________________ problems with our new car recently (have)
4. ____________________________ on anything interesting lately?(you work)
5. Cuba ________________________ a socialist country since 1959 (be)
6. I ________________________ care of my neighbour’s cats while they are away (take)
7. I ________________________ my car for three years (have).
8. ________________________________ an important fight? (the boxer , ever, win)
9. John and Mary ________________________ with each other since the day they got married (quarrel).
10. It ________________________ hard since last night (rain).
11. I’m tired because I ________________________ well lately. (not feel)
12. _________________________________ your problems? (your parents, always, understand)
13. The patient ________________________ penicillin for several days now (take)
14. A big earthquake ________________________ San Francisco since 1906. (not hit)
15. They ______________________ in San Francisco since they arrived in the USA 20 years ago. (live)
16. He got ill five weeks ago and ________________________ yet. (not recover)
17. Everyone in the Middle East ________________________ about the situation for decades (worry).
18. We ________________________ very cold weather this year (have)
19. Where ________________________ the money? (you, hide)
20. At last, my favourite team ________________________ against its most important rival (win)
21. I ________________________ for 6 years. (marry)
22. Dad ________________________ a number of jobs in the last few years (have).
23. The bank is still closed. It ________________________ yet. (not open)
24. Our daughter ___________________________ lipstick since she was 16 (wear).
25. She is angry because her boyfriend ________________________ up yet and she
________________________ for half an hour. (not show, wait).
26. I’m still waiting for an answer. They ________________________ up their minds yet. (not make)
27. How many times ________________________ the cat today? (Kim feed)
28. The kids ________________________ on my nerves. They ________________________ too much
noise (get, make).
 29. My company ________________________ a lot of money in the last few years. They
________________________ hard on an important project. (make, work).
30. They ________________________ our new refrigerator yet, but they will any day now. (not deliver)

3. Past Simple or Present Perfect Simple

1. The weather _________________ (be) awful in the past few days.
2. We _________________ (wash) the dishes. They’re clean now.
3. _____________________________ (your course, start) yet?
4. Emma _________________ (pack) her suitcase last night.
5. They ________________ (close) the factory. – Really? When ____________________ (that happen)?
6. Shall we play tennis? We _________________ (not play) since we were children.
7. The airplane _________________ (land). The pilot is just getting out.
8. Prices _________________ (go) up. Everything is more expensive this year.
9. I’m tired. We _________________ (walk) 10 miles.
10. The Queen _________________ (arrive) in an RAF helicopter last night.
11. How long ______________________ (Vicky, have) that camera? – For about a month.
12. We ______________________ (just come) back from our holidays.
13. Your parcel _________________ (arrive). The postman _______________ (bring) it two hours ago.
14. He _________________ (be) at his computer for two hours.
15. We _________________ (live) there for ten years but we _________________ (be) in Birmingham
for the last two.
16. We _________________ (not have) a party for ages.
17. My sister’s car is only a year old but she ___________________________ (already crash) it.
18. Dinosaurs _________________ (roam) the earth millions of years ago.
19. It _____________________ (not rain) yet today.
20. __________________________ (you see) last week’s magazine? - It must be here somewhere.

4. Past Tense – Simple or Continuous.

1. George ________________ off the ladder while he ________________ the ceiling. (fall, paint)
2. Last night I ________________ in bed when I suddenly ________________ a scream. (read, hear)
3. ________________ TV when I ________________ you? (you watch, phone)
4. Ann ________________ for me when I ________________ . (wait, arrive)
5. Maisie ________________ up the kitchen when John ______________ her to marry him. (clean, ask)
6. The house ________________ £ 150,000 in 2003. (cost)
7. The fire _______________________ at six in the morning. (still burn)
8. My brother ________________ a new job a week ago (get).
9. Columbus ________________ America over 500 years ago (discover)
10. She ____________ not interested in the book because she ________________ it (be ,not understand)
11. ________________ at school yesterday? (you be)
12. We ________________ in a house near the sea last summer (live)
13. She ________________ the piano very well when she ________________ young (play, be)
14. She ________________ the office very early last night (leave).
15. I ________________ a friend while I ________________ the shopping (meet, do)
16. I ________________ for my things when I ________________ someone call my name (pay, hear)
17. I ________________ around and ________________ Judy. (turn, see)
18. She ________________ a bright yellow dress when I ________________ her last (wear, see)
19. We ________________ to have a cup of tea. (decide)
20. While the waiter ________________ up the pieces of glass he ______________ his finger (pick, cut)
21. Then we ________________ the cafe and ________________ good bye (leave, say)
22. I ________ the fire at six and it ___________ brightly when Tom came in at seven. (light, still burn)
23. My dog _______________ along quietly when Mary’s Pekinese _____________ him. (walk, attack)
24. When I ________________ she ________________ lunch. She said she always ________________
lunch at 12:30. (arrive, have, have)
25. What ________________ of his last book? –I ________________ it a lot (you think, like)
26. He suddenly ________________ that he ________________ in the wrong direction. (realize, travel)
 27. He ________________ guitar when someone ________________ the window and
________________ out a bucket of water. (play, open, throw)
28. He ________________ us to go out in the boat yesterday because a strong wind ________________
(not allow, blow)
29. The next day, as they _______________ that the police ______________ for them, they
____________ the coats in the woods and _____________ off in different directions. (know, look, hide, go)
30. When I ________________ home they ________________ around a fire. Jack ________________ a
crossword puzzle, Judy ________________ and the others ________________. Mother ________________
at me and said: “Come and sit down” (come, sit, do, knit, read, smile)

5. Past Tense Simple and Continuous

Herbie loves trains! He first __________________ (SEE) a train when he was five years old and he
__________________ (BE) absolutely fascinated. He __________________ (GO) to a different train station
every week and __________________ (WRITE) down the engine number of every train he sees. He
_____________________ (DO) this since he was seven. By the time he left school he
_____________________ (COLLECT) over 5000 different engine numbers from all over the world.
At one time, while he __________________ (STAND) at a station he _____________ (SEE) something
very strange. He __________________ (WAIT) for a train for an hour when he suddenly
__________________ (SEE) an old steam locomotive coming down the tracks. It __________________
(NOT STOP) at the station and when it __________________ (PASS) Herbie saw that all the passengers
__________________ (WEAR) old-fashioned clothes.
He told the station manager about this, but the manager said that no steam locomotive
___________________ (PASS) through the station for years, and that the last one __________________
(CRASH), killing everyone on board.

6. PAST or PAST PERFECT (Simple and progressive)

1. When I ___________________ (WALK) through Bologna I ___________________ (THINK) about
the wonderful times I ___________________ (SPEND) there as a student.
2. They ___________________ (ALREADY LEAVE) the village before the sun
___________________ (RISE).
3. As soon as she ___________________ (FINISH) cleaning the floors she ___________________
(START) gardening.
4. After I ___________________ (POST) the letter I ___________________ (REALISE) I
___________________ (WRITE) the wrong address.
5. We ___________________ (DRIVE) for two hours when we saw the hotel.
6. It was the first time that he ___________________ (INVITE) me for lunch.
7. John ___________________ (ASK) me if I ___________________ (BE) away on holiday.
8. When I ___________________ (GET) home last night my family ___________________
(ALREADY GO) to bed.
9. We ___________________ (BE) worried about John because we ___________________ (CALL)
several times but he never answered.
10. When I ___________________ (ARRIVE) home I ___________________ (SEE) that someone
___________________ (BREAK) into my house.
11. She ___________________ (MEET) James on the street yesterday and he ___________________
(TELL) her that he ___________________ (BE) ill for the past two weeks.
12. I ___________________ (LOOK) out of the window last night because I ___________________
(HEAR) some noises.
13. I ___________________ (INVITE) Susan to the party but she couldn’t come because she
___________________ (ALREADY MAKE) other plans.
14. They ___________________ (WATCH) TV when the earthquake occurred.
15. When room service arrived, we ___________________ (ALREADY WAIT) for nearly half an hour
 All tenses
1. All tenses
1. They ___________________ in Chicago for 20 years (be).
2. I ___________________ a wonderful film in the cinema last night. (see)
3. The sun ___________________ at 6:38 yesterday morning (rise)
4. The sun ___________________ when the climber reached Mount Everest. (shine)
6. Unfortunately, just as we got to the airport their plane ___________________ off (take).
7. They ___________________ to the movies only once in a while (go)
8. I was tired yesterday because I ___________________ well the night before (not sleep).
9. Sh! Someone ___________________ to our conversation (listen)!
10. When I left the house this morning, it ___________________ (already rain)
11. I think Bob ___________________ for London this very moment.(leave)
13. I ___________________ up at 7 every morning but this morning I ___________________ long and
I ___________________ up until 8. (get, sleep, not get)
14. I ________________________ my watch because it is being fixed (not wear).
15. This ___________________ an easy quiz so far (be).
16. They ___________________ in an apartment right now because they can’t find a cheap house. (live)
17. Everyone ___________________ when the earthquake hit the small town. (sleep)
18. He _________________________ by herself since her divorce (live)
19. I was angry that I ___________________ such a stupid mistake (make).
21. He ___________________ his job a couple of years ago. (quit)
22. Our daughter __________________________ from the university yet (gradate).
23. They ___________________ any Christmas cards last year (not send)
24. She ___________________ to a doctor once a year for an examination (go)
25. They ___________________ about me when I interrupted their conversation. (talk)
26. Nothing much ______________________ when I got to the meeting (happen).
27. My parents ___________________ in New York two weeks from today (be).
28. I ___________________ two mistakes in the last quiz. (make)
29. Unfortunately, our team ___________________ any games last year. (not win)

2. All Tenses
1. I _______________ a great film yesterday. (see)
2. _____________________ a new car? (you ever buy)
3. I _______________ him last Monday. (meet)
4. The band _______________ while I _______________ . (play, write)
5. She _______________ the new car in 2005. (buy)
6. Her mother _____________________ in Victoria for the past five years. (live)
7. They ____________________________ in Germany when we arrived a few days ago. (already be)
8. _______________________ to get married? (you plan)
9. I _____________________ so much fun since I was a kid. (have)
10. When I got up I ____________________ out of the window and ___________________ that it
_____________________ . (look, see, rain)
11. Janet _____________________ for Smith and Brothers before she came to work for us. (work)
12. I _____________________ three movies so far this week. (see)
13. How long _____________________ for me? (you wait)
14. I _________________ over Loch Ness last week. - __________________ the Loch Ness monster?
(fly, you see)
15. I’m afraid I’m not hungry. I _____________________. (already eat)
16. Peter _____________________ football in the afternoon when he got the call. (play)
17. “What _____________________ between 9 and 12 yesterday morning”, the detective said. (you do)
18. He kept looking at her, wondering where he _____________________ her before. (see)
19. The doctor’s waiting room was full of people. Some _____________________ a magazine, a woman
_____________________ and a child _____________________ with a doll. Suddenly the door
_____________________ and a nurse _____________________ out. (read, knit, play, open, come)
20. Travelling _______________ much easier and more comfortable in the past hundred years. (become)
 21. I _____________________ cake. That’s why my hands are full of flour. (bake)
22. When I first came to this house it _____________________ quite a noisy area. (be)
23. He twisted his ankle while he _____________________. (ski)
24. _____________________ the doors before you leave the house? (you ever lock)
25. My best friend and I _____________________ each other for 15 years. (know)
26. Jack usually _____________________ but he _____________________ when his father comes.
(smoke, not smoke)
27. _____________________ breakfast yet? – Yes I had it together with Sue at 7. (you have)
28. I _____________________ this kind of work when I was a small boy. (do)
29. He _____________________ the paper when his wife came home. (read)
30. He _____________________ for an hour now. I’ll be finished soon. (speak)
31. How long _____________________ John and Maria? - We met the couple over thirteen years ago.
(you know)
32. He _____________________ in Oxford for two years and when his mother died he moved to
London. (live)
33. After Harry _____________________ his work he _____________________ Jude from the office.
(finish, call)
34. You _____________________ your homework for two hours. Haven’t you finished yet? (do)
35. He always _____________________ to the supermarket alone, but today he
_____________________ his son with him. (go, take)
36. He never _____________________ in the evening, only on Sundays. (work)
37. I _____________________ to South America but I have been to New York several times. (never, be)
38. _____________________ Jean? – No, she probably went to her friend’s place. (anyone, see)
39. I _____________________ to the bank yesterday but when I got there it was closed. (go)
40. She _____________________ in school all day. (be)
41. Lee _____________________ late every day since Tuesday. (be)
42. Herbert’s father _____________________ his son’s birthday (never forget)
43. I _____________________ my report because I had a problem with my computer. (not finish)

3. – All tenses
1. My family have ___________________ (buy) some land in southern France recently. They
___________________ (build) a summer house there at the moment.
2. Andy and Mary ___________________ (go) to a concert tomorrow night. They
____________________________ (look forward to) it the whole week.
3. Jonathon ___________________ (watch) the news on TV every day and it ___________________
(help) him with his English.
5. When he ___________________ (found) Microsoft, Bill Gates was only 20 years old. He
___________________________ (already write) his first computer programme six years earlier.
6. An accident ___________________ (happen) near my house last night. A car _______________ (hit)
a young man. He ___________________ (ride) his bike when someone in front of him suddenly
__________________ (open) a car door. Many people ___________________ (see) the accident. The police
___________________ (interrogate) them last night.
8. I ______________________ (not sleep) at all last night. Someone ___________________ (listen) to
music all night.
9. I ___________________ (see) a film a week ago, but I _______________________ (not enjoy) it
very much because I _______________________ (already read) the book.
10. The judge sentenced the man to eight years in prison because he __________________ (rob) a bank.
11. They ________________________ (stand) in the queue for over an hour when the manager
___________________ (tell) them that there were no more tickets.
12. Alan ___________________ (be) in the car accident yesterday. The other driver
___________________ (lose) control of his car because he ___________________ (fall) asleep.
13. She ___________________ (not see) her father since he ___________________ (start) to work in
Marseille two years ago.
14. I ___________________ (sleep) when the fire broke out.
 16. I ________________________ (just see) the film “The Da Vinci Code”. – ___________________
(you see) it too? – No, I ___________________ (not have) but I ___________________ (read) the book.
19. While he ___________________ (wait) for the bus there ___________________ (be) a robbery at
the bank. After the robbers ___________________ (go) away the police ___________________ (come) but
they ___________________ (not can) to catch them.
20. I ___________________ (use) to ski when I was at the university but I ___________________
(break) a leg five years ago and since then I ___________________ (not ski) any more.

4. All tenses
1. What ______________________ (Helen, do) for the last two hours? - She ______________________
(prepare) for next week’s meeting; she ______________________ (dust) the furniture now.
2. His sister ____________ (be) in Australia six times and I __________________ (be) there only twice.
3. We ______________________ (live) in Johannesburg since World War II and so far we
______________________ (never, intend) to leave the country, but the situation ______________________
(recently turn) so bad that we ______________________ (decide) to go back to Austria.
4. We must wake her. She ______________________ (sleep) for 15 hours.
5. I ______________________ (write) a book about Japan. I ______________________ (just, finish).
6. How many customers ______________________ (Sally, call) last week?
7. Some time ago Mr Pale ______________________ (ask) me to lend him some money.
8. Demonstrators ______________________ (block) the road for three hours.
9. When ______________________ (you, switch) on the light today?
11. Who ______________________ (break) my ruler.
12. No, we ______________________ (not be) here before.
13. At present they ______________________ (have) no jobs.
14. Two men ______________________ (chat) in the middle of the road when suddenly a lorry
______________________ (turn) round the bend. The driver ______________________ (stop) in time.
15. The grass _____________ (look) awful. I’m sure you ___________________ (not cut) it since June.

5. My friend, Herbert, has always been fat, but things _________________ (GET) so bad recently that
he decided to go on a diet. He _________________ (BEGIN) his diet a week ago. First of all, he
_________________ (WRITE) out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden. The list included most
of the food he _________________ (LOVE): butter, potato es, rice, beer milk , chocolate, sweets and so on.
Yesterday, I _________________ (PAY) him a visit. I _________________ (RING) the bell and was not
surprised to see Herbert as fat as ever. He _________________ (LEAD) me to his room and hurriedly
_________________ (HIDE) a large parcel under his desk. He was very embarrassed. When I
_________________ (ASK) him what he _________________ (DO) he _________________ (SMILE)
guiltily and then _________________ (PUT) the parcel on the desk. He _________________ (SHOW) me
the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!

6. I come from a very large family and recently my parents ___________________________ (DECIDE)
that they ___________________________ (SPEND) long enough living in an overcrowded house in
Birmingham. “We ___________________________ (MOVE) to the country”, my father
___________________________ (ANNOUNCE) one evening.
So last week we ___________________________ (LOAD) all our belongings into two hired vans, and
for the last few days we ___________________________ (TRY) to organize ourselves in our new home.
Yesterday, for example, my two brothers and I ___________________________ (START) painting the
upstairs rooms. Unfortunately, while I ___________________________ (MIX) the paint, one of my
brothers ___________________________ (OPEN) the door. Nobody ___________________________
(TELL) him that we ___________________________ (BE) in the room. So instead of painting the walls we
___________________________ (SPEND) al morning cleaning paint off the floor.
But worse things ___________________________ (HAPPEN) since then. This morning, when I
_______________________ (WAKE) up, water ___________________________ (DRIP) through the
ceiling next to my bed. We _____________________ (SPENT) the last five hours repairing the roof. It is
not all bad news though. The school in the village nearby ___________________________ (CLOSE) down
two years ago, and my parents ___________________________ (NOT FIND) another school for us yet.