UNIT 1: TENSES

A. Use the correct form of verbs in brackets.

1. In all the world, there (be) __________ only 14 mountains that (reach)
__________above 8,000 meters.
2. He sometimes (come) __________ to see his parents.
3. When I (come) __________, she (leave) __________for Dalat ten
minutes ago.
4. My grandfather never (fly) __________ in an airplane, and he has no
intention of ever doing so.
5. We just (decide) __________ that we (undertake) the job.
6. He told me that he (take) __________ a trip to California the following
week.
7. I knew that this road (be) __________ too narrow.
8. Right now I (attend) __________ class. Yesterday at this time I
(attend) __________class.
9. Tomorrow I‟m going to leave for home. When I (arrive) __________at
the airport, Mary (wait) for me.
10. Margaret was born in 1950. By the year 2005, she (live)
__________on this earth for 55 years .
11. The traffic was very heavy. By the time I (get) __________to Mary‟s
party, everyone already (arrive) __________
12. I will graduate in June. I (see) you in July. By the time I (see)
__________ you , I (graduate) __________.
13. I (visit) __________ my uncle‟s home many times when I (be)
__________ a child.
14. That book (lie) __________ on the table for week. You (not read)
__________ it yet ?
15. David (wash) __________ his hands. He just (repair) __________ the
TV set.
16. You (be) __________here before? Yes, I (spend) __________ my
holidays here last year.

2
17. We never (meet) __________ him. We don‟t know what he (look)
__________ like.
18. The car (be) __________ ready for him by the time he (come)
__________tomorrow.
19. On arriving at home I (find) __________that she just (leave)
__________a few minutes before.
20. When we (arrive) __________ in London tonight, it probably (rain)
__________.
21. It (rain) __________ hard. We can‟t do anything until it (stop)
__________
22. Last night we (watch) __________TV when the power (fail)
__________.
23. That evening we (stay) __________up to talk about the town where he
(live) __________for some years.
24. I (sit) __________down for a rest while the shoes (repair)
__________.
25. Half way to the office Paul (turn) __________round and (go)
__________back home because he (forget) to turn the gas off.
26. London (change) a lot since we first (come) __________ to live here.
27. While we (talk) __________on the phone the children (start)
__________fighting and (break) __________a window
28. He used to talk to us for hours about all the interesting things he (do)
__________ in his life.
29. You know she (stand) __________looking at that picture for the last
twenty minutes.
30. I (spend) __________ a lot of time travelling since I (get)
__________this new job.
31. When I (be) __________ at school we all (study) __________Latin.
32. When I (meet) __________ him , he (work) __________as a waiter for
a year or so.
33. After he (finish) __________ breakfast he (sit) __________down to
write some letters.
34. She (have) __________a hard life, but she‟s always smiling.

3
35. I think Jim (be) __________ out of town.

B. Choose the best answer among A, B, C, or D.

1. When I last saw him, he _____ in London.

A. has lived B. is living C. was living D. has been living

2. We _______ Dorothy since last Saturday.

A. don‟t see B. haven‟t seen C. didn‟t see D. hadn‟t seen

3. The train ______ half an hour ago.

A. has been leaving B. left

C. has left D. had left

4. Jack ______ the door.

A. has just painted B. paint

C. will have painted D. painting

5. My sister ________ for you since yesterday.

A. is looking B. was looking C. has been looking D.

looked

6. I ______ Texas State University now.

A. am attending B. attend C. was attendingD. attended

7. He has been selling motorbikes ________.

A. ten years ago B. since ten years

C. for ten years ago D. for ten years

4
8. Christopher Columbus _______ American more than 500 years ago.

A. discovered B. has discovered

C. had discovered D. had been discovering

9. He fell down when he ______ towards the church.

A. run B. runs C. was running D. had run

10. We _______ there when our father died.

A. still lived B. lived still

C. was still lived D. were still living

11. They ______ table tennis when their father comes back home.

A. will play B. will be playing

C. play D. would play

12. By Christmas, I _______ for Mr. Smith for six years.

A. shall have been working B. shall work

C. have been working D. shall be working

13. I _______ in the room right now.

A. am being B. was being C. have been being D. am

14. I ______ to New York three times this year.

A. have been B. was C. were D. had been

15. I‟ll come and see you before I _______ for the States.

A. leave B. will leave C. have left D. shall leave

16. The little girl asked what _______ to her friend.

5
A. has happened B. happened

C. had happened D. would have been happened

17. John ______ a book when I saw him.

A. is reading B. read C. was reading D. reading

18. He said he _______ return later.

A. will B. would C. can D. would be

19. Jack ________ the door.

A. has just opened B. open

C. will have opened D. opening

20. I have been waiting for you ______ .

A. since early morning B. since 9a.m

C. for two hours D. All are correct

21. Almost everyone _______ for home by the time we arrived.

A. leave B. left C. leaves D. had left

22. By the age of 25, he ______ two famous novels.

A. wrote B. writes C. has written D. had written

23. While her husband was in the army, Mary ______ to him twice a
week.

A. was reading B. wrote C. was written D. had written

24. I couldn‟t cut the grass because the lawn mower ______ a few days
previously.

6
A. broke down B. has been broken

C. had broken down D. breaks down

24. I have never played badminton before. This is the first time I _____ to
play.

A. try B. tried C. have tried D. am trying

25. Since _______, I have heard nothing from him.

A. he had left B. he left C. he has left D. he was left

26. After I _______ lunch, I looked for my bag.

A. had B. had had C. have has D. have had

27. By the end of next year, George _______ English for two years.

A. will have learned B. will learn

C. has learned D. would learn

28. The man got out of the car, ________ round to the back and opened
the book.

A. walking B. walked C. walks D. walk

29. Henry _______ into the restaurant when the writer was having dinner.

A. was going B. went C. has gone D. did go

30. He will take the dog out for a walk as soon as he ______ dinner.

A. finish B. finishes C. will finish D. finishing

31. I shall be glad when he _______.

A. had gone B. did go C. went D. has gone

7
32 Ask her to come and see me when she _______ her work.

A. finish B. has finished C. finished D. finishing

33. Turn off the gas. Don‟t you see the kettle ________ ?

A. boil B. boils C. is boiling D. boiled

34. Tom and Mary ______ for Vietnam tomorrow.

A. leave B. are leaving C. leaving D. are left

35. He always ________ for a walk in the evening.

A. go B. is going C. goes D. going

36. Her brother ______ in Canada at present.

A. working B. works C. is working D. work

37. I ______ to the same barber since last year.

A. am going B. have been goingC. go D. had gone

38. Her father ______ when she was a small girl.

A. dies B. died C. has died D. had died

39. Last week, my professor promised that he ________ today.

A. would come B. will come C. comes D. coming

40. Pasteur ______ in the 19th century.

A. was living B. lived C. had lived D. has lived

C. Choose the underlined part in each sentence (A, B,C, or D ) that

needs correcting.

1. After Mrs. Wang had returned to her house from work, she

8
 A B C

was cooking dinner.

2. Jimmy threw the ball high in the air, and Betty catching it when it

A B C D

came down.

3. Linda has worn her new yellow dress only once since she buys it.

A B C D

4. Last week Mark told me that he got very bored with his present job

A B

and is looking for a new one.

C D

5. Having fed the dog, he was sat down to his own meal.

A B C D

6. When I turned on my computer, I was shocked to find some junk mail,

A B

and I just delete it all.

C D

7. They are going to have to leave soon and so do we.

A B C D

8. The boss laughed when the secretary has told him that she really
9
 A B

needed a pay rise.

C D

9. The telephone rang several times and then stop before I could

A B C D

answer it.

10. Debbie, whose father is an excellent tennis player, has been playing

A B C

tennis since ten years.

11. I have seen lots of interesting places when I went on holiday last

A B C D

summer.

12. When my cat heard a noise in the bushes, she stopped moving and

A B

listen intently.

C D

13. I think it‟s time you must change your way of living.

A B C D

14. Roger felt the outside of his pocket to make sure his wallet is still

A B C D
10
there.

15. When I‟m shopping in the supermarket, I ran into an old friend who I

A B

hadn‟t met for five years.

C D

16. The police arrested the man while he is having dinner in a restaurant.

A B C D

17. Peter and Wendy first met in 2006, and they are married for three

A B C

years now.

18. Some people are believing there is life on other planets.

A B C D

19. Recently, the island of Hawaii had been the subject of

A B

intensive research on the occurrence of earthquakes.

C D

11
20. Every morning, the sun shines in my bedroom window and waking

A B C

me up.

21. The man died as a result of falling asleep while he drives.

A B C D

22. I haven‟t finished the report yet, but by the time you return I

A B C

will certainly complete it.

23. Caroline has worn her new yellow dress only once since she buys it.

A B C
D

24. We‟ll be cycled to Hoa‟s village at this time next Sunday.

A B C D

25. What will you do when your friends won‟t come ?

A B C D

26. Some was knocking at the door when I was doing the washing up.

A B C D

27. My friend didn‟t drink any beer since we came to live here.

A B C D

12
28. We have written to each other when we were in primary school.

A B C D

29. After breakfast, I„m gone to walk to school with my friends.

A B C D

30. Will we go to the pop concert this weekend for a change?

A B C D

D. Choose the correct sentence among A, B, C or D which has the same

meaning as the given one.

1. Eight years ago we started writing to each other.

A. We have rarely written to each other for eight years.

B. Eight years is a long time for us to write to each other.

C. We wrote to each other eight years ago.

D. We have been writing to each other for eight years.

2. The boy was so lazy that he couldn‟t stay up late to learn his lessons.

A. The boy was lazy enough not to stay up late to learn his lessons.

B. The boy was too lazy to stay up late to learn his lessons.

C. The boy was lazy enough but he stayed up late to learn his lessons.

D. The boy was lazy enough to stay up late to learn his lessons.

3. My father is tired of seeing any violent films.

A. My father hasn‟t seen a violent film.

B. My father has enjoyed all the violent films he has ever seen.

13
C. My father is worried about missing the next violent film.

D. My father never wants to see another violent film.

4. As soon as he waved his hand, she turned away.

A. He saw her turn away and he waved his hand.

B. No sooner had he waved his hand than she turned away.

C. She turned away because he waved his hand too early.

D. Although she turned away, he waved his hand.

5. John wishes he had remembered to send Mary a Christmas card.

A. John regrets not to send Mary a Christmas card.

B. John regrets forgetting not to send Mary a Christmas card.

C. John regrets not remembering sending Mary a Christmas card.

D. John regrets forgetting to send Mary a Christmas card.

6. My father hasn‟t smoked cigarettes for a month.

A. It‟s a month since my father last smoked cigarettes.

B. It‟s a month ago that my father smoked cigarettes.

C. It‟s a month that my father hasn‟t smoked cigarettes.

D. It‟s a cigarette that my father smoked a month ago.

7. Having finished their work, the workers expected to be paid.

A. The workers expected to be paid because they had finished their work.

B. Having their work finished, the workers expected to be paid.

C. Having expected to be paid, the workers finished their work.

14
D. Having been finished their work, the workers expected to be paid.

8. Mr. Brown bought this car five years ago.

A. Mr. Brown started to buy this car five years ago.

B. It has been five years when Mr. Brown bought this car

C. Mr. Brown has had this car for five years .

D. It is five years ago since Mr. Brown bought this car.

9. I might go camping. My friends have invited me.

A. My friends have invited me to go camping.

B. My friends have invited me go camping.

C. My friends have invited me going camping.

D. My friends have invited me that I might go camping.

10. I haven‟t enjoyed myself so much for years.

A. It‟s years since I enjoyed myself so much.

B. It‟s years since I have enjoyed myself so much.

C. It was years since I had enjoyed myself so much.

D. It has been years since I have enjoyed myself so much.

11. Have you heard the good news?

A. Carol in March had a baby.

B. In March, Carol had a baby.

C. Carol had in March a baby.

D. In March, had Carol a baby.

15
12. Although the driver slammed on his brakes, __________________

A. he was able to avoid hitting the small dog.

B. the small dog was not hit by the car.

C. he could run over the small dog.

D. he couldn‟t avoid hitting the small dog.

13. John used to write home once a week when he was abroad.

A. John doesn‟t now write home once a week any longer.

B. John enjoyed writing home every week when he was abroad.

C. John never forgot to write a weekly letter home when he was abroad.

D. When he was abroad he remembered to write home every week.

14. This is my tenth year working in this bank.

A. By the end of this year , I will work in this bank for ten years.

B. I have worked in this bank for ten years by the end of this year.

C. By the end of this year , I will have worked in this bank for ten years.

D. I had been working in this bank for ten years by the end of this year.

15. The famous actor was last seen in 2000.

A. The famous actor has not been able to see since 2000.

B. No one has seen the famous actor since 2000.

C. The famous actor didn‟t see anyone in 2000.

D. No one saw the famous actor until 2000.

16. I came to live here three months ago.

16
A. It was three months since I lived here.

B. I‟ve been living here for three months.

C. I lived here for three months.

D. I didn‟t live here for three months.

17. She is sitting in a hotel room. Through the window, she sees a fat man.

A. She looks through the window and sees the fat man.

B. She and the fat man are in a hotel room.

C. The fat man wants to open the window and come in.

D. The fat man is looking in through the window.

18. She goes to the shops every Friday.

A. She goes every day to the shop but not on Friday.

B. It‟s not Friday, but she‟s going to the shops.

C. She always goes to the shops on Friday.

D. She never goes to the shops on Friday.

19. Michael took a deep breath and dived into the water.

A. After Michael had taken a deep breath, he dived into the water.

B. Having taken a deep breath, he dived into the water.

C. After Michael took a deep breath, he had dived into the water.

D. A & B are correct.

20. We started working here three years ago.

A. We worked here for three years.

17
B. We have no longer worked here for three years.

C. We have worked here for three years.

D. We will work here in three years.

21. It‟s a long time since we last went to the cinema.

A. We have been to the cinema for a long time.

B. We haven‟t been to the cinema for a long time.

C. We don‟t go to the cinema as we used to.

D. We wish we went to the cinema now.

22. I haven‟t finished this book yet.

A. I‟m still reading this book.

B. I have read this book before.

C. The book I‟m reading hasn‟t finished.

D. I will read this book some day.

23. He used to jog every morning.

A. He enjoys jogging every morning.

B. He never fails to jog every morning.

C. He doesn‟t now jog every morning.

D. He intended to jog every morning.

24. I have never felt happier than I do now.

A. I felt happier before.

B. I feel happy now.

18
C. I have never felt happy.

D. I have always felt happy.

25. He last had his eyes tested ten months ago.

A. He hasn‟t had his eyes tested for ten months .

B. He had not tested his eyes for ten months then.

C. He had tested his eyes ten months before.

D. He didn‟t have any test on his eyes in ten months.

26. Someone knocked on the door during my lunchtime.

A. I had lunch when someone knocked on the door.

B. When I had had lunch, someone knocked on the door.

C. I was having lunch when someone was knocking on the door.

D. I was having lunch when someone knocked on the door.

27. Steve left before my arrival.

A. When I arrived, Steve had already left.

B. Steve left as soon as I arrived.

C. While Steve was leaving I arrived.

D. Steve hadn‟t left until I arrived.

28. I haven‟t been here before.

A. Being here is a pleasant experience.

B. This is the first time I have been here .

C. I have wished to be here for long.

19
D. Before long I will be here.

29. The last time I saw Rose was three years ago.

A. I hasn‟t seen Rose for three years.

B. I haven‟t seen Rose three years ago.

C. I haven‟t seen Rose since three years.

D. I haven‟t seen Rose for three years.

30. When we arrived, the children were playing “Hide and Seek”

A. The children played “Hide and Seek” and then we arrived.

B. While the children were playing “Hide and Seek”, we arrived.

C. We arrived at the same time the children played “Hide and Seek”.

D. We didn‟t arrive until the children played “Hide and Seek”.

20