CLASS – Nov 10 English Seminar LL.

B + LAW ENTRANCE 2024

Dishan Senarathne ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Attorney-At-Law bx.%Sis NdIdj
LL.M.Cardiff.Uk
(SLIM) MORNING SESSION

Verb forms for fill in the blanks Exercises – Active Voice

Steps for Fill-in-the-blanks with verb forms
1. Identify that the sentence needs a verb.
2. Determine whether the verb is Active Voice or Passive Voice.
3. Identify the form of the relevant verb.
Active Voice: Simple, Continues, Perfect, Perfect Continues
Passive Voice: Simple, Continues, Perfect
4. Identify the time of the relevant verb.
5. Determine whether the verb in question is singular or plural.

1. Identify that the sentence needs a verb

• A complete sentence usually has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (the action or
state of the subject).
• Ask: What is the subject doing? If there’s no action or state-of-being word describing the subject, a verb
is needed.

• Example: The cat on the roof.

o This phrase lacks a verb, so it’s unclear what the cat is doing. Adding a verb clarifies: The cat is sitting
on the roof.

Exercise 1
• For each sentence below, select which part of speech is needed to complete the sentence.
(10 marks)
1. The dog is under the tree, ………………. (wait) for its owner.
(1) verb (2) preposition (3) article (4) present participle

2. My friends ___ excited about the upcoming concert.

(1) preposition (2) verb (3) article (4) adverb

3. The students in the classroom are very during the lesson.

(1) adjective (2) preposition (3) article (4) verb

4. The car was parked the house all day.

(1) adverb (2) preposition (3) verb (4) conjunction

5. She has done a great job with presentation.

(1) verb (2) preposition (3) article (4) adjective
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2. Determine whether the verb is Active Voice or Passive Voice.

To identify whether a sentence or phrase is in the active or passive voice, you can look at the structure and the
way the action is expressed. Here’s a breakdown to help:

1. Active Voice
• Structure:
Subject (Doer) + Verb + Object

• In the active voice, the subject performs the action.

• Example:
Volunteers from the community decorate the tree.

o Here, "Volunteers" is the subject actively doing the decorating.

2. Passive Voice

• Structure:

Object + Form of "to be" + Past Participle (Verb) + (by + Doer)

• In the passive voice, the action is performed on the subject.
• Example:
The tree is decorated by volunteers.
o Here, "the tree" is the subject, but it’s receiving the action of being decorated. The focus is on the tree
rather than on who is doing the action.

Identifying Clues:
• Look for a form of "to be" (is, was, were, are, etc.) + past participle of the verb (covered,
placed, invited, etc.). This is usually an indicator of the passive voice.
• Ask who or what is performing the action. In the active voice, the subject actively performs
the action. In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon.
•
Exercise 2
• For below passage, select whether the verb is in Active Voice or Passive Voice. (10 marks)

The city’s main square (1) _________ (cover) with decorations every winter. Beautiful lights (2) ______
___ (hang) along the streets, and a large tree (3) _________ (place) in the center. Volunteers from the
community (4) _________ (decorate) the tree themselves, adding ornaments and lights. People (5)
_________ (start) this tradition many years ago, and each year more people (6) _________ (invite) to
participate. On opening night, local musicians (7) _________ (perform) in the square, and visitors (8)
_________ (greet) warmly by the mayor. Children (9) _________ (give) small gifts and enjoy hot
chocolate as everyone (10) _________ (celebrate) the beginning of the festive season together.

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 Direction Clues:
(1) The city’s main square (cover) (2) Beautiful lights (hang)
(3) large tree (place) (4) Volunteers (decorate)
(5) People (start) (6) People (invite)
(7) musicians (perform) (8) visitors (greet)
(9) Children (give) (10) everyone (celebrate)

3. Identify the form of the relevant verb – Active Tense

Deciding which active voice form to use — Simple, Continuous, Perfect, or Perfect Continuous—depends
on the time frame, duration, and aspect of the action you want to express. Here’s how to decide:

I. Simple Tense
• Use: For regular, habitual actions or facts.
• Example: She reads books every day. (simple, habitual action)

II. Continuous Tense (Progressive)

• Use: To emphasize that an action is in progress at a specific time.
• Time/Aspect: Ongoing or temporary actions happening right now or in the future.
• Structure: [Subject] + [am/is/are/was/were] + [verb-ing].
• Example: She is reading a book right now. (action happening at this moment)

III. Perfect Tense

• Use: To describe actions that have been completed or have effects in the present.
• Time/Aspect: Emphasizes the completion of the action, often in relation to the present or past.
• Structure: [Subject] + [have/has/had] + [past participle].
• Example: She has finished her homework. (completed in the past with present relevance)

IV. Perfect Continuous Tense

• Use: To emphasize the duration or ongoing nature of an action that started in the past and is still
continuing or has just finished.
• Time/Aspect: Focuses on the duration of an action and whether it’s still ongoing or just recently
completed.
• Structure: [Subject] + [have/has/had] + [been] + [verb-ing].
• Example: She has been reading for two hours. (action started in the past and is still ongoing)

Tenses Usage
Simple regular, habitual actions or facts.
Continues ongoing or temporary actions in progress at a specific time.
Perfect actions that have been completed or have effects in the present
Ongoing actions with an emphasis on their duration or ongoing action that
Perfect Continues started in the past
and is still continuing or has just finished.
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4. Identify the time of the relevant verb.
To identify the tense of a verb and determine its time (present, past, or future), you can follow these tips:
Look for Key Time Indicators
Certain words or phrases often signal specific tenses. For example:

Present Tense:
• Now (e.g., She is working now.)
• Today (e.g., He works today.)
• Currently (e.g., They are studying currently.)
• At the moment (e.g., I am eating at the moment.)
• Every day/week/month/year (e.g., She runs every day.)
• Always (e.g., He always forgets his keys.)
• Usually (e.g., They usually go for a walk.)
• Often (e.g., We often eat out.)
• Seldom (e.g., He seldom speaks in meetings.)
• Sometimes (e.g., He sometimes speaks in meetings.)
• Never (e.g., She never misses her workout.)
• Rarely (e.g., They rarely go for a walk.)
• On Mondays/Tuesdays (e.g., They go to the gym on Mondays.)
• In the mornings/evenings (e.g., I exercise in the evenings.)
• Frequently (e.g., We frequently travel for work.)
Time Expressions for Simple Present:
o Each (e.g., Each morning, she gets up early.)
o Whenever (e.g., Whenever I visit, we go for a walk.)
o As a rule (e.g., As a rule, I don't eat late.)

Time Expressions for Present Perfect:

o For (e.g. I have lived here for 5 years.)
o Over (e.g. Over the past few weeks, she has been preparing the soil.)
Time Expressions for Present Perfect Continuous:
o For (e.g. She has been studying for 3 hours.)
o Since (e.g. I have been working here since 2013.)
o Over (e.g. Over the past few weeks, she has been preparing the soil.)
Past Tense:
• Yesterday (e.g., I saw him yesterday.)
• Last (e.g., She called me last night.)
• Ago (e.g., They left two hours ago.)
• In 1990 (e.g., They moved in 1990.)
• Last week/month/year (e.g., We met last year.)
• Earlier (e.g., I finished it earlier.)
• Previously (e.g., They had met previously.)
• In the past (e.g., In the past, they lived in New York.)
• Once (e.g., Once, I went to Paris.)
• At that time (e.g., At that time, she was studying in London.)
• Before (e.g., I had already eaten before you arrived.)
• Just (e.g., I just finished it.)
• Recently (e.g., I finished it recently.)
• Lately (e.g., I finished it lately.)
• Already (e.g., I already finished it.)
• End (e.g., I finished it at end of the week.)
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Time Expressions for Past Continuous:
o At that moment (e.g., At that moment, I was sleeping.)
o While (e.g., She was reading while I was cooking.)
o At 3 PM/last night (e.g., At 3 PM, they were meeting.)

Time Expressions for Past Perfect:

o By (e.g., By the end of the summer, I have completed the project.)

Future Tense:
• Tomorrow (e.g., I will call you tomorrow.)
• Next (e.g., They will travel next year.)
• Soon (e.g., He will finish the report soon.)
• In the future (e.g., In the future, people will live on Mars.)
• Later (e.g., We will go out later.)
• In a week/month/year (e.g., She will start next month.)
• By then (e.g., By then, we will have completed the task.)
• In a few minutes/days (e.g., The bus will arrive in a few minutes.)
• In the near future (e.g., In the near future, technology will advance further.)
• At some point (e.g., At some point, I will return the book.)
• In a while (e.g., In a while, We will go out.)
• Eventually (e.g., technology will advance eventually.)
• Shortly (e.g., We will go out shortly.)

Time Expressions for Future Continuous:

o This time tomorrow/week/month
(e.g., This time next week, I will be traveling.)
o At this time (e.g., At this time tomorrow, we will be meeting.)
o In the evening (e.g., I will be working in the evening.)

Time Expressions for Future Perfect:

o By (e.g., By next year, I will have completed the project.)
o By the time (e.g., By the time you arrive, I will have finished cooking.)

Time Expressions for Future Perfect Continuous:

o For (e.g., In two hours, I will have been working for 10 hours.)
o By this time (e.g., By this time next year, they will have been living here for 5
years.)

Summery for Time Expressions

Past Present Future
Now, Today, Currently, At the Tomorrow, Next, Soon, In the future,
Yesterday, Last, Ago, In 1990,
moment, Every, Always, Usually, Later, In a week/month/year, By then,
Earlier, Previously, In the past,
Often, Seldom, Sometimes, Never, In a few minutes/days, In the near
Once, At that time, Before,
Rarely, On Mondays, In the future, At some point, In a while,
Just, Recently, Lately, Already
mornings/evenings, Frequently Eventually, Shortly

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Summery for Verbs Tense
Past Present Future
wjika jQ l%shd È.gu lrk l%shd wkd.;fha lrkakg
kshñ; l%shd
Simple

w;S;fha hï wjia:djla
oeka ;djld,slj wkd.;fha hï wjia:djla
jk õg lrñka isák
lrñka isák l%shd jk õg lrñka isák l%shd
Continues l%shd

w;S;fha hï oeka l%shdfõ m%;sM,h wkd.;fha hï wjia:jloS

wjia:djloS iïmQ¾K mj;sk l%shd iïmQ¾K ùug kshñ; l%shd
Perfect lr ;snQ l%shd

w;S;fha hï wjia:djl
w;S;fha hï wjia:djla mgka f.k fï jk f;la wkd.;fha hï wjia:djla
jk õg ld,hla ;siafia ^oekq;a& lrñka
Perfect lrñka isák l%shd
jk f;la lrñka isák l%shd
Continues isák l%shd

5. Determine whether the verb in question is singular or plural.

Past Present Future
She worked. She works. She will/shall work.
Simple
They worked. They work. They will/shall work.
I was working. I am working. I will/shall be working.
Continues She was working. She is working. She will/shall be working.
They were working. They are working. They will/shall be working.
She had worked. She has worked. She will have worked.
Perfect
They had worked. They have worked. They will have worked.
Perfect She had been working. She has been working. She will have been working.
Continues They had been working. They have been working. They will have been working.

Exercise 3
• Select the correct verb forms of Active Voice tenses for the blanks in the following paragraph.
(10 marks)
Emma loves spending time in her garden. Every morning, she (1) _______ (water) her plants and (2) _______
(check) on their growth. Right now, she (3) _______ (plant) some new flowers along the path. Over the past
few weeks, she (4) _______ (prepare) the soil carefully to ensure it’s ready.
Last summer, Emma (5) _______ (build) a small greenhouse where she grows herbs and vegetables. At that
time, she (6) _______ (learn) about gardening techniques from a local expert. By the end of the summer, she
(7) _______ (create) a beautiful space filled with fresh produce.
Next month, she (8) _______ (add) some fruit trees to the garden. By this time next year, she (9) _______
(harvest) her first crop of apples. By next year, she (10) _______ (work) hard to make her garden a place she
truly enjoys for several years.

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 Direction Clues:
(1) Every morning – Simple Present (2) Every morning - Simple Present
(3) Right now – Present Continuous (4) Over the past few weeks – Present Perfect Continuous
(5) Last summer – Simple Past (6) At that time – Past Continuous
(7) end of the summer – Past Perfect (8) Next month – Simple Future
(9) next year - Future Perfect (10) By next year + For several years – Future Perfect Continuous

Exercise 4
• Select the correct verb forms of Active Voice tenses for the blanks in the following paragraph.
(10 marks)

Liam enjoys cooking in his kitchen. Each weekend, he (1) _______ (experiment) with new recipes and (2)
_______ (try) different techniques. At the moment, he (3) _______ (prepare) a meal for his family. Over the
last few months, he (4) _______ (perfect) his pasta-making skills to impress everyone.

Last winter, Liam (5) _______ (start) a cooking blog where he shares his favorite recipes. During that time,
he (6) _______ (discover) new ingredients and spices from various cultures. By the end of the year, he (7)
_______ (accumulate) dozens of original recipes.

Next summer, he (8) _______ (launch) his own catering service. By then, he (9) _______ (serve) hundreds of
people. By next year, he (10) _______ (dream) of turning his passion into a business for many years.

Direction Clues:
(1) Present Simple (2) Present Simple
(3) Present Continuous (4) Present Perfect Continues
(5) Past Simple (6) Past Continuous
(7) Past Perfect (8) Future Simple
(9) Future Perfect (10) future Perfect Continuous

Exercise 5
• In the following questions, write if the given sentences are grammatically correct or incorrect. if you
write “incorrect”, write the correct sentence too. (10 marks)

1. He has completed the assignment before the deadline.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The children are playing in the park every day after school.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. We will have finished our project by the time the manager arrives.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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4. She learned to drive while she had been living abroad last year.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. If he knew about the changes, he would have prepared better.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. By the time we arrived, the team was already finishing the presentation.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. She is reading a book when the phone rang.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. I have been worked on this project for the last few hours.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. They have completed the task before the deadline.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. If he study harder, he will pass the exam.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 6 - Homework
• Select the correct verb forms of Active Voice tenses for the blanks in the following paragraph.
(10 marks)
Sophia enjoys hiking in the mountains. Every Saturday, she (1) _______ (explore) new trails and (2) _______
(take) photos of the scenery. Right now, she (3) _______ (hike) up a challenging path with her friends. Over
the past few months, she (4) _______ (improve) her stamina by walking longer distances.

Last spring, Sophia (5) _______ (join) a hiking group where she met other outdoor enthusiasts. During that
time, she (6) _______ (learn) how to navigate using a map and compass. By the end of the summer, she (7)
_______ (complete) several difficult hikes.

Next year, she (8) _______ (organize) a hiking expedition in the mountains. By then, she (9) _______
(accomplish) many of her fitness goals. For the last few years, she (10) _______ (set) a goal to conquer the
highest peak in the region.

"What separates the winners from the losers is

how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”
˜mrdð;hka w;ßka ch.%dylhska fjkia jkafka ffojfha tla
tla fmr<shkag mqo.
a ,fhl= m%;spdr olajk wdldrh u; h'˜
- Donald Trump -