MIXED TENSES

1. Complete using mixed tenses

1. Let’s go out. It .............. (not rain) now.

2. I usually .............. (enjoy) parties but I .............. (not enjoy) this one very much.
3. He was very thirsty. He .............. (drink) the water very quickly.
4. Tom burnt his hand while he .............. (cook).
5. Jane .............. (wait) for me when I .............. (arrive).
6.I .............. (meet) Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. They .............. (go) to Berlin and I ..............
(go) to Madrid. We .............. (have) a chat while we .............. (wait) for our flights.
7. You look tired. .............. (you/work) hard?
8. I’ve decided to repaint this room”. “Oh, have you? What colour .............. (you/paint) it?
9. I .............. (read) the book you lent me, so you can have it now.
10. I .............. (read) the book you lent me but I .............. (not finish) it.
11. What .............. (you/think) of my English? .............. (you/think) I .............. (improve)?
12. They .............. (go) out one hour ago, but they .............. (just/come) back.
13. “What .............. (you/do) next Saturday evening?”. “I .............. (go) to the cinema.
14. “Ann is in hospital”. “I didn’t know. I .............. (visit) her.
15. “Has he decided what to do when he leave school?”. “Oh, yes, everything is planned. He ..............
(have) a holiday for a few weeks and then he .............. (do) a computer programming course.
16. When I was young, I .............. (want) to be a bus driver.
17. Hurry up! Everybody .............. (wait) for you.
18. When Karen arrived, we .............. (have) dinner.
19. I knew Sarah was very busy, so I .............. (not disturb) her.
20. While I ..............(work) in the garden, I hurt my back.
21. My hands are very dirty. I .............. (repair) the car.
22. I saw Tom yesterday, but I .............. (not see) him today.
23. I’ve bought Mary a present. Do you think she .............. (like) it?
24. Ann isn’t free on Saturday. She .............. (work) till late.
25. The train .............. (never/be) late. It .............. (always/leave) on time.
26. “Is your father at home?”. “No, he .............. (go) out”. “When exactly .............. (he/go) out?”.
27. I hope the bus comes soon. I .............. (wait) for hours.
28. “Can we meet tomorrow afternoon?”. “Not in the afternoon. I .............. (work)”.
29. Phone me after 8 o’clock. We .............. (finish) dinner by then.
30. George .............. (not/be) very well last week.
31. My grandfather .............. (die) 30 years ago. I .............. (not meet) him.
32. I .............. (see) Susan in town yesterday but she .............. (not see) me. She .............. (look) the other
way.

2. Complete with mixed tenses

1. While I (buy) ____________________ the stamps somebody (call) ________________ my name.

2. 'What time (Kevin come) _____________________?' 'An hour ago.'
3. I (not go) __________________ to the cinema last night. I (be) _________________ too tired.
4. Carol invited us to the party but we (not go) _______________________. We (have) _______________
other things to do.
5. I (see) _____________________ Bridget at the museum when I was going to the restaurant but she
(not see) _______________________me.
6. She (speak) _________________ English but she (not speak) ________________________ French.
7. Jeff (be) ______________________ from London. He (live) _______________________ there all his life.
8. My favourite country is Canada. I (be) ____________________ there four times.
9. 'Where are you going on holiday?' 'I don't know. We (not decide) ____________________ yet.'
10. Who (invent) ___________________ the washing machine?
11. 'Where's Jill?' 'She (have) ________________________lunch at the moment.'
12. (Terry work) ______________________ ? No, he is on holiday.
13. Somebody (steal)______________________ my sunglasses at the swimming pool last week.
14. (she wear) _______________________ the nice jacket when you (meet)
______________________her?
15. Where (be) ________________________ you yesterday?
16. My grandfather (fly, never) ______________________ in an airplane, and he has no intention of
ever doing so.
17. They _____________________________________ your lessons. (not like)
18. Watch this runner. He _______________________________ (win).
19. She _____________________________ you are an old fool. (think)
20. Bob __________________________ three letters since breakfast. (write)
21. She _____________________________ me an answer when I asked her. (not give)
22. Our landlady ___________________________ us a cup of tea last night. (give)
23. I _________________________ any dressmaking since I left school (not do)
24. Mr Bellows _____________________ from the USA. (just arrive)

3. Complete with mixed tenses

1. This time tomorrow some of the people in this room ____________ (travel) to their home countries.
3. Every day, even when it's raining heavily, Henry _________ (go) for an early morning run before eating
breakfast.
4. At the moment, I___________ (do) an exercise in order to review the English verb tenses that I have
learned.
5. Before people landed on the Moon in 1969, some people ____________ (believe) that the moon was
made of cheese.
6. I'm sorry I can't come to your party tomorrow night. I ____________ (have) dinner with Cristina and
Samara.
7. At six o'clock this morning most of us were asleep in bed. But Tony ____________ (study) for today's
grammar.
8. When Elisabetta ____________ (arrive) for her morning lesson, the teacher was collecting the homework
from the other students.

4. Complete using MIXED TENSES

1. The telephone rang, but I ______________ (watch) something interesting on TV so I didn't answer it.
2. What _____________ (do/you) tonight? Anything special?
3. Give me a ring when you _____________ (get) home.
4. This is the best pizza I ____________ (ever/try). I must get the recipe.
5. This time next week most of us _____________ (study) in the same classroom with the same teacher and
probably still the same old grammar.

5. Complete with the correct tenses

1. Sally …………………………… (eat) dinner last night when someone

…………………..(knock) on the door.
2. The children ………………………… (play) the piano and ……………………… (sing) a
song at the moment.
3. What ………………………………………… (you / learn) since you …………………….
(come) here? How many friends ………………………………………. (you / make)? I hope
you ……………………………………... (already / meet) a lot of interesting people.
4. I ………………………………….. (just / have) lunch, but I ……………………………… (not /
have) lunch yesterday.
5. Who …………………………………. (write) the play “Hamlet”?
6. My mother ………………………………………. (always / cook) in the morning.
7. What …………………………………………… (you / usually / do) at weekends?
8. I don’t know Carol’s husband. I ………………………………………. (never / meet) him.
9. It ………………………………… (rain) a lot last week, but it …………………………… (not /
rain) much so far this week.
10. My roommate’s parents …………………………………. (call) him last night while we
…………………………………….. (watch) TV.
11. The lesson …………………………… (start) at 9 o’clock every morning.
12. Mr. Clark …………………………… (work) in a bank for 15 years. Then he gave it up.
13. I began to study at seven last night. Fred …………………………… (come) at seventhirty.
I ……………………………… (study) when Fred ……………………….. (come).
14. Tom ………………………………………… (like / ride) a horse in his free time.
15. Adam is in his room now. He …………………………………. (write) a letter to his penfriend.
16. My mother called me around five. My husband came home a little after five. When
he……………………………….. (come) home, I ………………………………….. (talk) to
my mother on the phone.
17. Yesterday afternoon I ………………………… (go) to visit the Parker family. When I
…………………….. (get) there, Mrs. Parker ………………….. (be)
in the yard. She ………………………………… (plant) flowers in her garden. Mr. Parker
……………………….. (be) in the garage. He ……………………………….. (work) on their
car. He …………………………….. (change) the oil.
18. Why ……………………………………… (Jim / not want) to play tennis last Friday?
19. The car looks clean. ……………………….. you ……………………….. (wash) it?
20. Last night my roommate and I ……………………….. (have) some free time, so we
………………………….. (go) to a show.
21. How many letters ……………………………………….. (you / write) since the beginning
of the month?
22. When we were on vacation, the weather ……………………………… (be) terrible.
24. I don’t know where Ammy is. ………………………………………….(you / see) her?
25. Jane ………………………………………… (give) a party today because it
………………………… (be) her birthday.
26. When I ……………………………. (get) home last night, I ……………………….. (be) very
tired and I …………………………… (go) straight to bed.
27. Yesterday Tom and Janice ……………………… (go) to the zoo around one.
They………………………… (see) many kinds of animals. They stayed at the zoo for two
hours. While they …………………………… (walk) home, it …………….…….. (begin)to rain,
so they …………………………….. (stop) at a small café and ……………………(have) a
cup of coffee
28. He …………………………………….. (always / write) him a letter.
29. I ………………………………………. (lose) my dictionary. I can’t find it anywhere.
30. When ………………………………………………. (he / give up) smoking?
31. Jane …………………………………….. (buy) her car two weeks ago.

6. Complete with mixed tenses

I _____________ (start) looking for a new flat 2 weeks ago, but I still ________________ (find) anything suitable.
I _____________________ (live) with my parents these days.

We __________________ (see) Mike yesterday, but Ann ______________________ (not want) to meet him so we
__________________ (cross) the street.

Mrs Blake __________________ (not arrange) the flowers yet, but she __________________ (do) it before she
__________________ (go) home.

You must be hungry. Let me just put this away and I __________________ (make) you some sandwiches.

Let’s meet at the station. The train ___________________ (leave) at 7 p.m.

You __________________ (eat) the whole pie! You _________________ (be) sick.

She won’t be able to come in the afternoon. She ________________ (see) her lawyer at 4 o’clock.

Don’t expect us to come at 6 o’clock. We _______________________ (still, play) tennis.

They __________________ (date) for 5 years before he finally ___________________ (propose) to her.

Look at this mess! You _________________ (always, leave) your clothes all over the room!