Verb Tense
Verb Tense
Verb Tense
Куприна Р. Н. 1
Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 3
Simple Past / Past Continuous
1. A: What (you, do)..................when the accident occurred?
B: I (try).......................to change a light bulb that had burnt out.
2. After I (find) ....... the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately)..........to the police and (turn)
................it in.
3. The doctor (say) ............... that Tom (be)..................too sick to go to work and that he (need)
..................to stay at home for a couple of days.
4. Sebastian (arrive)...................................at Susan's house a little before 9:00 pm, but she (be, not)
................................. there. She (study, at the library).................for her final examination in French.
5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also)
....................television. That's all she ever does!
6. A: I (call) ............ you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)............there. Where were you?
B: I (work).................out at the fitness center.
7. When I (walk) ................ into the busy office, the secretary (talk)...................on the phone with a
customer, several clerks (work, busily)...............at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly)
..............methods to improve customer service.
8. I (watch)...............a mystery movie on T.V. when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to
find out how the movie ends.
9. Sharon (be) .................. in the room when John (tell)..............me what had happened, but she didn't
hear anything because she (listen, not) .................
10. It's strange that you (call) ................. because I (think, just).............................about you.
11. The Titanic (cross) ....................... the Atlantic when it (strike)..........................an iceberg.
12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) ............... and (try).............to
sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt).................for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)
....................their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue)
..................over the price of a leather belt. I (walk) .................... over to a man who (sell) .................
fruit and (buy)......................a banana.
13. The firemen (rescue) .......... the old woman who (be)........trapped on the third floor of the burning
building.
14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)........................her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she
(expect, actually).......................me to do them for her.
15. Samantha (live) .................. in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)...............there
when the Berlin wall came down.
2.
Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 4
Simple Past / Past Continuous
Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call) ............. She said she (call)..........me on her
cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she (wait).............for class, but she
said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk).........to me. I couldn't be-
lieve she (make)...........a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.
She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep, actually)................in
class. Some of the students (talk)................about their plans for the weekend and the student next to
her (draw) ................ a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell)....................me she was not satisfied
with the class, I (mention) .............. that my biology professor was quite good and (sugest)..............
that she switch to my class. While we were talking, I (hear)................her professor yell, "Miss, are
you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the line went dead. I (hang)...............up the phone and went to
the kitchen to make dinner. As I (cut)............vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be)
............. Angela, but this time she (not sit ).........in class.
Куприна Р. Н. 2
Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 5
Simple Past / Present Perfect
1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars"?
B: I don't know. I (see, never)...................................that movie.
2. Sam (arrive)...................................in San Diego a week ago.
3. My best friend and I (know).......each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once a week.
4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write)...................ten very creative short stories in the last year.
One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.
5. I (have, not) ................................. this much fun since I (be)...................a kid.
6. Things (change) ................. a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start)..............working here
three years ago, the company (have, only) ................ six employees. Since then, we (expand)...........to
include more than 2000 full-time workers.
7. I (tell) ................ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander)........................off
into the forest and (be)........................bitten by a snake.
8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) ........... the bus this morning. You (be)................late to
work too many times. You are fired!
9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never)................the
ocean. He should come with us to Miami.
10. How sad! George (dream)................of going to California before died, but he didn't make it. He
(see, never)...............the ocean.
11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become)....................much easier and very comfortable. In the
19th century, it (take)........two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip
(be) ........very rough and often dangerous. Things (change).............a great deal in the last hundred and
fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
12. Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change)......... since the last time I (see)................you. You
(grow).................at least a foot!
13. This tree (be)....... planted by the settlers who (found)............our city over four hundred years ago.
14. This mountain (be, never)...................................climbed by anyone. Several mountaineers (try)
................................. to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever)..................The climb is extremely
difficult and many people (die)..................trying to reach the summit.
15. I (visit, never) ................. Africa, but I (travel)...................to South America several times. The
last time I (go)............... to South America, I (visit) ................... Brazil and Peru. I (spend).............two
weeks in the Amazon, (hike) ....... for a week near Machu Picchu, and (fly)........over the Nazca Lines.
Куприна Р. Н. 3
Verb Tense Tutorial Exercise 7
Present Perfect / Present Perfect Continuous
1. Robin: I think the waiter (forget) ................. us. We (wait)........here for over half an hour and no-
body (take)..........our order yet.
Michele: I think you're right. He (walk).......by us at least twenty times. He probably thinks we (order,
already) .........
Robin: Look at that couple over there, they (be, only).......here for five or ten minutes and they already
have their food.
Michele: He must realize we (order, not) .... yet! We (sit)......here for over half an hour staring at him.
Robin: I don't know if he (notice, even) ............ He (run)..............from table to table taking
orders and serving food.
Michele: That's true, and he (look, not)..................in our direction once.
Куприна Р. Н. 4
Verb Tense Tutorial Exercise 10
Present Continuous / Present Perfect Continuous
Mr. Smith: So tell me a little bit about yourself, Mr. Harris. I would like to find out a little bit more
about your background.
Mr. Harris: I (work).....................in the insurance industry for over ten years. I worked for Met Life
for six years and World Insurance for four and a half. During that time, I heard many good things
about Hollings Life Insurance and that's why I (apply)...................for the new sales position.
Mr. Smith: Tell me a little about your hobbies and interests.
Mr. Harris: In my spare time, I hike in the mountains outside of town, volunteer at the Sierra Club
and play tennis. In fact, I (compete).............in a tennis tournament this weekend.
Mr. Smith: Really, how long (you, play)......................tennis ?
Mr. Harris: I (play)............................since high school. I love the sport.
Mr. Smith: Great! We like dedication here at Hollings Life. You mentioned you volunteer at the
Si- erra Club. I (work, currently).............................with them on the sea turtle project. We (try)
…........to create a wildlife sanctuary near the bay.
Mr. Harris: Do you know Frank Harris? He's my brother. He (work, presently) .................................
on the same project.
Mr. Smith: I know Frank quite well. Any brother of Frank's would be a welcome addition to Hollings
Life. Just one more thing, we (look)...........for somebody who is fluent in Spanish; many of our clients
are from Mexico.
Mr. Harris: No problem. I (study).............Spanish since elementary school.
Mr. Smith: Sounds like you are the perfect candidate.
Verb Tense Tutorial Exercise 11
Simple Past / Past Perfect
I can't believe I (get) ..................that apartment. I (submit)..................my application last week, but I
didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I (show)...............up to take a look around,
there were at least twenty other people who (arrive)....................before me. Most of them (fill, al-
ready)...................out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still ap-
ply, so I did. I (try)..................to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They
(want)......................me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I
(have) ................. some problems with him and I knew he wouldn't recommend me. I (end)..............up
listing my father as a reference. It was total luck that he (decide)...................to give me the apartment.
It turns out that the landlord and my father (go)..................to high school together. He decided that I
could have the apartment before he (look)..............at my credit report. I really lucked out!
1. When I (arrive) ........................ home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare)......................a
beautiful candle-lit dinner.
2. Since I began acting, I (perform)...................................in two plays, a television commercial and a
TV drama. However, I (speak, never even).................publicly before I came to Hollywood in 1985.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting (begin, already)...................................without me. My
boss (be) ................................. furious with me and I (be)...................................fired.
4. When I (turn) ................................. the radio on yesterday, I (hear)...................................a song that
was popular when I was in high school. I (hear, not).............he song in years, and it (bring)
.............back some great memories.
5. Last week, I (run) ............................ into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see, not) ............................
each other in years, and both of us (change) .......................... a great deal. I (enjoy) ...........................
talking to her so much that I (ask).............her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for
dinner.
6. When Jack (enter) ................................. the room, I (recognize, not)...................................him be-
Куприна Р. Н. 5
cause he (lose) ...............so much weight and (grow)...............a beard. He looked totally different!
7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however,
their culture (disappear, virtually)..........................by the time Europeans first (arrive)
..................................in the New World.
8. I (visit) ................................. so many beautiful places since I (come).........................to Utah. Be-
fore moving here, I (hear, never).................of Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches or Canyonlands.
Куприна Р. Н. 7
9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is simply too small
for four people.
B: That man at the service counter (help)................you.
10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk).................down to the beach and go swimming.
Verb Tense Tutorial Exercise 19
Will / Be Going to
1. Mark: What are you doing with those scissors?
Beth: I (cut)...................................that picture of the ocean out of the travel magazine.
Mark: What (you, do).....................with it?
Beth: I (paint)......................a water color of the ocean for my art class, and I thought I could use this
photograph as a model.
2. Mark: (You, do).........................me a favor Sam?
Sam: Sure, what do you want me to do?
Mark: I (change)........................the broken light bulb in the lamp above the dining room table. I need
someone to hold the ladder for me while I am up there.
Sam: No problem, I (hold)...................it for you.
3. Gina: Where are you going?
Ted: I (go)......................to the store to pick up some groceries.
Gina: What (you, get)..................?
Ted: I (buy)......................some milk, some bread, and some coffee.
4. John: Wow, it's freezing out there.
Jane: I (make).........................some coffee to warm us up. Do you want a piece of pie as well?
John: Coffee sounds great! But I (have)........dinner with some friends later, so I'd better skip the pie.
Jane: I (go).........................to dinner tonight too, but I'm having a piece of pie anyway.
5. Frank: I heard you're taking a Spanish class at the community college.
Tom: Yeah, I (go)...............to Guatemala next spring and I thought knowing a little Spanish would
make the trip easier.
Frank: I (visit)...................my brother in Marseilles next year. Maybe I should take a French class.
Tom: I have a course catalog in the other room. I (go).........................get it, and we can see whether or
not they're offering a French course next semester.
Куприна Р. Н. 8
Simple Present / Simple Future
1. Today after I (get).... out of class, I (go)...............to a movie with some friends.
2. When you (arrive) ............. in Stockholm, call my friend Gustav. He (show)..........you around the
city and help you get situated.
3. A: Do you know what you want to do after you (graduate)..............?
B: After I (receive) ................... my Master's from Georgetown University, I (go)...................to gradu-
ate school at UCSD in San Diego. I (plan)...........to complete a Ph.D. in cognitive science.
4. If it (snow) ............... this weekend, we (go).....................skiing near Lake Tahoe.
5. Your father (plan) .............. to pick you up after school today at 3:00 o'clock. He (meet).................
you across the street near the ice cream shop. If something happens and he cannot be there, I
(pick)..............you up instead.
6. If the people of the world (stop, not)................cutting down huge stretches of rain forest, we (ex-
perience)................huge changes in the environment during the twenty-first century.
7. If Vera (keep) ............. drinking, she (lose, eventually)......................her job.
8. I promise you that I (tell, not).......................your secret to anybody. Even if somebody
(ask)............. me about what happened that day, I (reveal, not).........the truth to a single person.
9. She (make) ................... some major changes in her life. She (quit)...........................her job and go
back to school. After she (finish) .................. studying, she (get).............a better paying job and buy a
house. She is going to improve her life!
10. Tom (call) ................... when he (arrive) ............. in Madrid. He (stay)............with you for two or
three days until his new apartment (be)................available.
Куприна Р. Н. 10
Nick: Not really. I (go).................to a career counselor and get some advice on how to find a good job.
Stacey: That's a good idea.
Nick: I am also going to do an internship so that when I leave school, I (complete, not, only) ...............
over 13 business courses, but I (work, also)..............the real world.
3. Stan: Did you hear that Christine (take)..................a vacation in South America this winter?
Fred: I can't believe how often she goes abroad. Where exactly does she want to go?
Stan: She (visit)...............Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Fred: At this rate, she (visit).................every country in the world by the time she's 50.
4. Judy: How long have you been in Miami?
Elaine: I have only been here for a couple of weeks.
Judy: How long do you plan on staying?
Elaine: I love Miami, so I (stay)...............here for an extended period of time. When I go back home, I
(be)............here for more than three months.
Judy: Wow, that's quite a vacation! You (see, definitely)...............just about everything there is to see
in Miami by then.
5. Jane: I can't believe how late we are! By the time we get to the dinner, everyone (finish)........eating.
Jack: It's your own fault. You took way too long in the bathroom.
Jane: I couldn't get my hair to look right.
Jack: Who cares? By the time we get there, everyone (left).........Nobody (see,ever).........your hair.
Verb Tense Tutorial Exercise 26
Future Perfect / Future Perfect Continuous
1. By the time we get to Chicago this evening, we (drive).............more than four hundred miles. We are
going to be exhausted.
2. When Sarah goes on vacation next month, she (study)..............German for over two years. She
should be able to communicate fairly well while she is in Austria.
3. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit)..............the Grand Canyon and San Francisco by the
time I leave the United States.
4. By the time you finish studying the verb tense tutorial, you (master)......all twelve tenses including
their passive forms.
5. Drive faster! If you don't hurry up, she (have).................the baby by the time we get to the hospital.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return
to Australia, I (study) .............. for nine months and I (be)..........in England for exactly one year.
7. Margie just called and said she would be here at 8:00 o'clock. By the time she gets here, we
(wait)..................for her for two hours.
8. Frank just changed jobs again. If he keeps this up, he (change).....................jobs at least four or five
times by the end of the year.
9. Come over to my house around 9 o'clock. By then, I (complete)..................my history essay and we
can go see a movie.
10. In June, my grandmother and grandfather (be)....................married for fifty years.
Куприна Р. Н. 11
Oliver: Really? How long is that going to take?
Anne: By the time I finally finish studying, I (be)....................a student for over 13 years.
3. Max: Sarah has been in the kitchen all day long.
Jake: It doesn't sound like she's having a very good Thanksgiving.
Max: She (cook)...................for over seven hours by the time everyone arrives for dinner this after-
noon. Hopefully, she (finish).................everything by then.
Jake: Maybe we should help her out.
4. Mike: It's 6:00, and I have been working on my essay for over three hours.
Sid: Do you think you (finish)....................by 10:00. There's a party at Donna's tonight.
Mike: I (complete, probably) .................... the essay by 10:00, but I (work)....................on it for more
than seven hours and I don't think I am going to feel like going to a party.
5. Fred: By the time they finish their trip across Yosemite National Park, they (hike)...............for more
than six days.
Ginger: And they (be, not) in a bed or (have)..............a shower in almost a week!
Fred: When we pick them up, they (eat)...........camping food for days, and I am sure they will be
starving.
Ginger: I think we had better plan on taking them directly to a restaurant.
Куприна Р. Н. 13
to Australia, I (study) .............. for nine months and I (be)..............England for exactly one year.
7. Sam (arrive)......................in San Diego a week ago.
8. Samantha (live) .................. in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)..................there
when the Berlin wall came down.
9. If Vera (keep) .................... drinking, she (lose, eventually)....................her job.
10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their
culture (disappear, virtually) ............ by the time Europeans first (arrive)...............in the New World.
11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) ...................
12. It (rain)...................all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.
13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) ................ the bus this morning. You (be)..................late to
work too many times. You are fired!
14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake)...................up tomorrow morning,
the sun (shine) ................
15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit)...................the Grand Canyon and San Francisco
by the time I leave the United States.
16. I (see)..................many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monu-
ments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
17. In the last hundred years, traveling (become)..................much easier and very comfortable. In the
19th century, it (take)...................two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The
trip (be) .............very rough and often dangerous. Things (change).....................a great deal in the last
hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
18. Joseph's English (improve, really) ............, isn't it? He (watch)...............American television pro-
grams and (study)................his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will
be totally fluent.
19. When I (arrive) ........ home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare).........a beautiful candle-lit
dinner.
20. If you (need) ...............contact me sometime next week, I (stay)..............at the Sheraton in San
Francisco.
Verb Tense Final Test Exercise 30
Cumulative Verb Tense Review
1. When Carol (call) ............. last night, I (watch).................my favorite show on television.
2. I (work)...............for this company for more than thirty years, and I intend to stay here until I retire!
3. Sharon (love) ...............to travel. She (go)..............abroad almost every summer. Next year, she
plans to go to Peru.
4. Thomas is an author. He (write) ........... mystery novels and travel memoirs. He (write).............since
he was twenty-eight. Altogether, he (write)............seven novels, three collections of short stories.
5. We were late because we had some car problems. By the time we (get)...............to the train station,
Susan (wait)................for us for more than two hours.
6. Sam (try) .............. to change a light bulb when he (slip) .............. and (fell) ...........
7. Everyday I (wake) ............... up at 6 o'clock, (eat)................breakfast at 7 o'clock and (leave)
............. for work at 8 o'clock. However, this morning I (get) .............. up at 6:30, (skip).............break-
fast and (leave) ............for work late because I (forget)...................to set my alarm.
8. Right now, Jim (read) ................... the newspaper and Kathy (make).................dinner. Last night at
this time, they (do) ............the same thing. She (cook) .............. and he (read)................the newspaper.
Tomorrow at this time, they (do, also) .............. the same thing. She (prepare)...............dinner and he
(read)..............They are very predictable people!
9. By this time next summer, you (complete) ................your studies and (find).................a job. I, on
the other hand, (accomplish, not) .....anything. I (study, still) ......and you (work).......in some new job.
10. The students (be, usually) ....taught by Mrs. Monty. However, this week they (be).......taught by
Mr. Tanzer.
11. Jane talks on the phone.
Bob has been talking on the phone for an hour.
Mary is talking on the phone.
Who is not necessarily on the phone now? ..................
Куприна Р. Н. 14
12. I'm going to make dinner for
Frank. I'm making dinner for Judy.
I'll make dinner for Mary.
I make dinner for Ted.
I will be making dinner for Tony.
Who are you offering to make dinner for? ................
13. Jane left when Tim arrived.
Bob left when Tim had arrived.
Tim arrived when Mary was leaving.
John had left when Tim arrived.
After Tim arrived, Frank left.
Who did not run into Tim? .................................
14. Jane is talking in class.
Bob always talks in class.
Mary is always talking in class.
Whose action bothers you? .................................
15. Jane never left Jamestown.
Bob has never left Jamestown.
Who is still alive? .................................
Present Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
Continuous
I had been studying English for
I have been studying Eng- I will have been studying English
five years before I moved to the
lish for five years. for over two hours by the time you
U.S.
arrive.
Куприна Р. Н. 15
Куприна Р. Н. 16