1. I’d love to ________ in the 19th century.
o live
o have lived
o lived
o have been lived
‘I’d love’ … = the desire is in the present
‘… to have lived’ = the context is in the past
This is a perfect infinitive, which is used to add a past meaning to an infinitive.
2. Take a sandwich with you ________ you get hungry later.
o when
o if
o so as not to
o in case
‘In case’ = you do something to be prepared, because you aren’t sure what will
happen. In this situation, you don’t know if you will get hungry or not. But you take a
sandwich anyway, just to be prepared.
3. She ________ have short hair, but now it’s long.
o used to
o use to
o before
o didn't
‘Used to’ = something was true in the past, but it isn’t true anymore.
4. I’ll send it to you ________ I get the money.
o in case
o unless
o until
o as soon as
As soon as = when (although ‘as soon as’ is stronger)
5. Do you think it’s ________ rain tomorrow?
o will
o going to
o going
o to
‘Going to’ and ‘will’ can both be used to make predictions, but in this sentence, we
already have ‘it’s’, which means we can’t use ‘will’. Otherwise, you could say ‘Do you
think it will rain tomorrow?’ with no difference in meaning. Revise the different ways to
talk about the future in this free lesson.
6. By next month I ________ all my exams, and I can relax!
o will finish
o will have finished
o will be finishing
o will have been finishing
The future perfect (‘will have’ + past participle) is used to show that something will be
complete by a certain time in the future. It’s often used together with ‘by’: ‘By Friday,
we’ll have done everything.’
7. I was ________ exhausted by the end of the day.
o completely
o very
o extremely
o incredibly
‘Exhausted’ has a strong meaning, so we can only use certain adverbs. In the same
way, you can’t say “I was completely tired”, because ‘completely’ can only be used
with adjectives which have a strong meaning.
8. I ________ been hit by a car, but luckily I just managed to get out of the way.
o could have
o can have
o must have
o should have
‘I could have…’ = there was a possibility, but in the end it didn’t happen.
9. I wish he ________ so rude to people when we go out.
o hadn't been
o won't be
o wouldn't be
o didn't be
We use this form to talk about other people’s behaviour which we find annoying or
unpleasant: ‘wish’ + person + ‘would’ + verb.
In this case, he is often rude, and I find it annoying or unpleasant, so I want him to
change.
10. It was the first time he ________ anything so spicy.
o was eating
o has eaten
o had been eating
o had eaten
We use the past perfect because we have two points of time in the past:
(1) It was the first time
(2) he had eaten anything so spicy
Action (2) refers to all of his life before the moment of (1), so we use the past perfect
to indicate the sequence in time.
Learn more about the past perfect in this free lesson.
11. She ________ in a small house near the park.
o living
o lives
o stays
o live
This is a statement of fact, so we use the present simple. The 3rd person form in the
present simple ends with -s. The verb ‘stays’ is a temporary situation (e.g. in a hotel)
and we would need to use the present continuous (‘she is staying’). Learn about the
differences between present simple and present continuous in this free lesson.
12. Where ________ he work?
o do
o does
o is
o don't
Present simple questions are made with ‘do’ or ‘does’. With ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘it’, the
form is ‘does’.
13. I ________ to Germany last year.
o went
o go
o goed
o gone
Last year was in the past. We use the past simple for completed actions in the past.
‘Go’ is an irregular verb, and the past simple form is ‘went’.
14. This house is ________, but also ________.
o bigger … expensiver
o more big … expensiver
o bigger … more expensive
o more big … more expensive
For shorter words, add -er to make a comparative: ‘big’ –> ‘bigger’ / ‘tall’ –> ‘taller’
For longer words, use ‘more’: ‘expensive’ –> ‘more expensive’ / ‘beautiful’ –> ‘more
beautiful’
15. I spend too much time ________. I’d like ________ more time for myself and
my family.
o working … having
o to work … having
o working … to have
o to work … to have
This question is about when we use the -ing form and when the infinitive, with two
verbs in a row:
‘spend time’ + -ing form
‘would like’ + infinitive with ‘to’
16. _______ spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get
used to ________ in another country.
o Have … live
o To have … living
o Having … live
o Having … living
‘Having spent…’ = ‘Because I spent…’
‘Get used to’ + -ing = ‘adapt to a new situation’
17. She’s wearing a ________ dress.
o black long beautiful
o long beautiful black
o long black beautiful
o beautiful long black
Adjectives of opinion (like ‘beautiful’) go before adjectives of fact (like ‘long’ and
‘black’). If you have several adjectives, they need to go in a certain order. Find out
more in this free lesson about adjective order.
18. I’ve already called her four times ________.
o before
o again
o yesterday
o today
‘I’ve called…’ = present perfect. We use the present perfect to talk about unfinished
time periods. So, we can’t say ‘I’ve called…yesterday’ (because yesterday is finished)
‘Today’ is unfinished, so it’s the only possible answer.
19. I don’t know where she is. I suppose she ________ got stuck in traffic.
o must have
o should have
o might have
o can have
‘She might have…’ = ‘It’s possible that she has…’
20. If he ________ one minute later, he ________ the train.
o would arrive … would miss
o had arrived … would have missed
o arrived … would have missed
o would have arrived … would have missed
We use this form to talk about an imaginary situation in the past: ‘If’ + ‘had arrived’
(past perfect) –> ‘would have’ + past participle. In this case, he didn’t arrive late, so
he caught the train. In grammar and coursebooks, this type of sentence is called a 3rd
conditional. Practise them in this free lesson.
21. Winters here ________ be really cold sometimes, so make sure you bring
warm clothes!
o might
o could
o can
o may
‘Can’ is used here because we are talking about a general possibility. ‘Could’. ‘may’
and ‘might’ are used for specific possibilities, at one moment in time. In addition,
‘could’ refers to general possibility in the past, e.g. “When I was a child, winters here
could be really cold sometimes.”
22. Let’s go to the cinema.
Great idea! What film ________ we watch?
o do
o will
o shall
o are we going to
We use ‘shall’ for offers and suggestions when we ask a question. It’s only used in
questions with ‘I’ and ‘we’ – not ‘you’, ‘they’ or ‘he’/’she’/’it’.
23. I ________ like getting up early.
o not
o don't
o doesn't
o am not
The sentence ‘I like getting up early’ is present simple. So, the negative is: ‘I don’t
like…’
24. If I had more time, I ________ do more exercise.
o 'm going to
o would
o will
o want to
We use this form to talk about a situation which is imaginary or unreal: ‘if’ + past
simple –> ‘would’ + infinitive. In this case, the situation is unreal because I don’t have
time, so I can’t do more exercise.
25. He ________ ever works as ________ as he should.
o hard … hardly
o hard … hard
o hardly … hard
o hardly … hardly
‘Hardly’ = ‘almost not’, so ‘hardly ever’ = ‘almost never’
‘Work hard’ = ‘work a lot’, ‘work well’, etc.
‘Hard’ and ‘hardly’ are both adverbs, but with very different meanings. Don’t confuse
them!
26. He drives quite ________, but his brother drives really ________.
o slowly … fast
o slow … fast
o slow … fastly
o slowly … fastly
We want to say how he drives, so we need to use adverbs:
‘slow’ –> adverb = ‘slowly’
‘fast’ –> adverb = ‘fast’ (it’s irregular)
27. Could you tell me ________?
o the bus stop is where
o where the bus stop is
o is where the bus stop
o where is the bus stop
This is an indirect question, so after ‘Could you tell me…’ we don’t change the word
order in the rest of the sentence.
28. But they ________be away – I saw them this morning!
o don't have to
o shouldn't
o mustn't
o can't
‘They can’t be’ = ‘I’m sure they aren’t’
In this case, ‘can’t’ is the negative form of ‘must’ for making deductions. Find out
more in this free lesson.
29. That wasn’t a good idea – you ________ thought about it more carefully.
o should have
o ought have
o must have
o have to
‘You should have…’ = you made a mistake/you did something wrong. Learn more
about using modal verbs to refer to the past in this free lesson.
30. Where ________ they from?
o are
o am
o is
o isn't
This is a question with the verb ‘be’ in the present simple.
31. That smells good! What ________.
o are you cook?
o do you cook?
o do you cooking?
o are you cooking?
We use the present continuous (‘be’ + -ing) to talk about something which is
happening now.
32. I drink coffee ________.
o twice in day
o two times for a day
o twice a day
o two times day
‘Two times’ is not wrong, but native speakers usually say ‘twice’. We use ‘a’ in phrases
like this: ‘once an hour’, ‘twice a month’, ‘three times a week’, etc.
33. Whose bag is this?
It’s ________.
o my
o mine
o the mine
o of me
‘It’s my bag.’ = ‘It’s mine.’
You can’t say ‘It’s mine bag.’
34. I wouldn’t say that to him if I ________ you.
o were
o was
o am
o would be
This situation is imaginary: I am imagining being in your position. To describe an
imaginary situation, we use the past simple after ‘if’.
In most of these hypothetical sentences, we can say ‘if I was’ or ‘if I were’. For
example: ‘If I was rich and famous…’ or ‘If I were rich and famous…’. However, in this
particular case, it’s a set phrase: ‘If I were you…’.
35. I’m busy on Friday, so I ________ come.
o not can
o am not
o don't
o can't
‘I don’t come’ would mean regularly, many times, so it doesn’t fit here, because we’re
talking about one time (this Friday). We use ‘can’ + ‘not’ = ‘can’t’/’cannot’ (‘can’t’ is
more common in spoken English).
36. How long have they ________ there?
o waited
o been waiting
o been waited
o waiting
We use the present perfect (‘have’…) to show that something started in the past and
continues until now. We make it continuous (…’been’ + -ing) to show that the length
of the action is important. There’s more about the present perfect simple and
continuous tenses in this free lesson.
37. The film ________ by Quentin Tarantino.
o did directed
o was direct
o was directed
o directed
This is the passive voice, which is used to change the emphasis of a sentence. Here,
we use the passive because we want to emphasise the film, not the director. Find out
how to use the passive – and when not to! – in this free lesson.
38. How did this ________ broken?
o be
o get
o was
o become
‘Get’ in this sentence has the meaning of ‘become’ but native speakers never use
‘become’ in this way. There are many similar phrases with ‘get’: get broken, get
married, get wet, etc.
39. Put ________ bag on ________ table, then give me ________ apple and
________ bar of chocolate.
o the … the … a … a
o a … a … the … the
o a … the … an … the
o the … the … an … a
1) ‘The bag’ because I think you know which bag I’m talking about.
2) ‘The table’ for the same reason – probably there’s only one table in the room where
we are.
3) ‘An apple’ because I want one apple, but I don’t care which apple you give me.
Probably, this means there are several apples which both people can see.
4) ‘A bar of chocolate’ is similar to 3.
If you find articles confusing, you’re not alone. Watch this free lesson which covers
articles at five levels from elementary to advanced.
40. She’s from ________, so she speaks ________.
o Spanish … Spanish
o Spain … Spainese
o Spanish … Spain
o Spain … Spanish
Spain is the country and ‘Spanish’ is the adjective for the people or the language.
