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Present and past tenses
Present and past tenses
40 The present perfect and the simple past
PEG 175-7, 182-9
29 The actors (arrive) yesterday and (start) rehearsals early this
morning. 30 It (be) very cold this year. I wonder when it is going to get warmer. 31
Cervantes (write) Don Quixote. 32 We (miss) the bus. Now we'll have to walk. 33 He
(break) his leg in a skiing accident last year. 34 Mr Pound is the bank manager. He (be)
here for five years. 35 Mr Count (work) as a cashier for twenty-five years. Then he (retire)
and (go) to live in the country. 36 You (be) here before?
Yes, I (spend) my holidays here last year. You (have) a good time? No, it never (stop)
raining.
41 The present perfect and the simple past
PEG 175-7, 182-9
Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or the simple past tense. In some
sentences the present perfect continuous (PEG 190)
is also possible. 1 This is my house. ~
How long you (live) here?
I (live) here since 1970. 2 He (live) in London for two years and then (go) to Edinburgh. 3
You (wear) your hair long when you were at school? -
Yes, my mother (insist) on it. 4 But when I (leave) school I (cut) my hair and (wear) it
short ever
since. 5 Shakespeare (write) a lot of plays. 6 My brother (write) several plays. He just
(finish) his second tragedy. 7 I (fly) over Loch Ness last week.”
You (see) the Loch Ness monster? 8 I (not see) him for three years. I wonder where he
is. 9 He (not smoke) for two weeks. He is trying to give it up. 10 Chopin
(compose) some of his music in Majorca. 11 When he arrive)?
He (arrive) at 2.00. 12 You (lock) the door before you left the house? 13 I (read) his
books when I was at school. I (enjoy) them very much. 14 I can't go out because I (not finish)
my work. 15 I never (drink) whisky.
Well, have some now. 16 I (write) the letter but I can't find a stamp. 17 The clock is slow.
-
It isn't slow, it (stop). 18 Here are your shoes; I just (clean) them. 19 I (leave) home at
8.00 and (get) here at twelve. 20 I (do) this sort of work when I (be) an apprentice. 21
He just (go) out. 22 He (go) out ten minutes ago. 23 You (have) breakfast yet?
Yes, I (have) it at 8.00. 24 I (meet) him last June. 25 You (see) the moon last night? 26 The
concert (begin) at 2.30 and (last) for two hours. Everyone
(enjoy) it very much. 27 The play just (begin). You are a little late. 28 The newspaper
(come)?
Yes, Ann is reading it.
Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or simple past tense. Fill the spaces
by repeating the auxiliary used in the preceding verb.
You (see) Mary on Monday? Yes, I ... Did you see Mary on Monday? Yes. I did.
1 Where is Tom?
I (not see) him today, but he (tell) Mary that he'd be in for dinner. 2 I (buy) this in Bond
Street. – How much you (pay) for it? -
I (pay) £100. 3 Where you (find) this knife?
I (find) it in the garden. -
Why you (not leave) it there? 4 I (lose) my black gloves. You (see) them anywhere?
No, I'm afraid I .... When you last (wear) them? I (wear) them at the theatre last night.
-
Perhaps you (leave) them at the theatre. 5 Do you know that lady who just (leave) the
shop? -
Yes, that is Miss Thrift. Is she a customer of yours? - Not exactly. She (be) in here
several times but she never (buy)
anything. 6 He (leave) the house at 8.00.
Where he (go)? - 1 (not see) where he (go).
Von
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