STARTER UNIT Grammar practice
Present simple & continuous, past
simple & continuous
1 Complete the sentences with suitable verbs. Use
the present simple, present continuous, past
simple or past continuous.
What are you doing at the moment?
1 Where …………… you usually …………… on
holiday?
2 This time yesterday, the students
………………………… their exam.
3 I ………………………… quite a lot of Arabic, but I
can’t speak the language very well.
4 Sue ………………………… for a bus at the
moment.
5 Last year, we ………………………… to Barcelona
for the summer.
6 What …………… you …………… when you heard
the noise?
Past simple & past perfect
2 Complete the text with the verbs in the box. Use
the past simple or the past perfect.
be call discover drive find out happen hide
save up search write
Eleven-year-old Holli McCann was sent home from a
school trip after teachers discovered that she
(1) ………………………… several chocolate bars in
her bags, which was against the rules. The teachers
only (2) ………………………… about the chocolate
because they read a letter that Holli
(3) ………………………… to her mother. They then
(4) ………………………… her room and found the
chocolate. The head teacher
(5) ………………………… Holli’s mother to tell her
what (6) ………………………… and asked her to
come and pick her daughter up immediately. Mrs
McCann then (7) ………………………… 250
kilometres to collect her daughter from the Isle of
Wight. Mrs McCann, who (8) …………………………
money for six months to pay for the £300 school trip,
was very angry with the school for reading Holli’s
letter.
2  PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Present perfect & past simple
3 Complete the sentences with your own ideas. Use
the present perfect or the past simple.
Last week, I went for a run along the beach.
1 Yesterday evening, I ............................................. .
2 I have never .......................................................... .
3 I haven’t ............................................ yet this week.
4 I’ve just .................................................................. .
5 I’ve already ............................................................ .
Present perfect simple & continuous
4 Complete the sentences with suitable verbs. Use
the present perfect simple or the present perfect
continuous.
1 Have you ever ………………………… Mandarin?
2 I ………………………… the guitar for three years
now, but I only know a few songs.
3 How long ………………………… a vegetarian?
4 Sorry I’m late – there was lots of traffic.
………………………… for a long time?
5 I ………………………… the book. I finished it last
night.
6 I’m exhausted – I ………………………… the house
for hours and I still haven’t finished.
Future forms
5 Correct six more errors in the dialogue.
are you doing
A: Hey, what do you do tomorrow evening?
B: Not much.
A: Well, I will go to a concert. Do you want to come
with me?
B: Yes, I’d love to! I’m having to cancel my tennis
lesson but I’m sure that wasn’t a problem.
A: Great. Well, the bus left at 6.15 p.m. and I think
we’ll be getting home by midnight.
B: Brilliant! So, this time tomorrow, we’ll watch the
band!
STARTER UNIT Grammar practice
Tenses: question forms
6 Write questions for the answers.
Leanne recommended this restaurant.
Who recommended this restaurant?
1 I saw Jo and Steve yesterday.
.................................................................................
2 I last saw Damion three years ago.
.................................................................................
3 My sister works at the university.
.................................................................................
4 Yes, I’m having a good time in London.
.................................................................................
5 I’m going to do some shopping tomorrow.
.................................................................................
6 I’ve been studying at university for two years.
.................................................................................

2  PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS