ENGLISH TENSES EXERCISES

Put the verbs in brackets into their correct tense

1. I (think) …………. I can do the homework all by myself.

2. He (go) …………. on a business trip tomorrow.
3. My grandfather never (be) …………. on an airplane, and he has no intention of ever doing so.
4. Who you (see) …………. on your way to school yesterday?
5. I hope Jane (invite) …………. me to her party.
6. Carol often (play) …………. tennis with her father.
7. It (rain) …………. all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.
8. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) ………….
9. You (hear) …………. anything from Tom since Christmas?
10. I (visit) … my uncle’s home regularly when I (be) …………. a child.
11. Take your umbrella with you. It (rain) …………..
12. You look really great! You (work) …………. out at the fitness center recently?
13. Ernest Hemingway (write) …………. a lot of novels
14. Now Ron (phone) …………. Jill again. It (be) …………. the third time he (phone) …………. her
this evening.
15. This room (smell) …………. terrible.
16. New York (be) …………. one of the largest cities of the world.
17. I (meet) …………. him twice already. He seems to be a nice person.
18. What do you call people who work in libraries? – They (call) …………. librarians.
19. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) …………. up tomorrow
morning, the sun (shine) …………..
20. She is very hungry. She (not eat) …………. anything today.
21. We needed some money, so we (sell) …………. our car.
22. 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.
23. I (see) …………. many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the
monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
24. Tomorrow I’m going to leave for home. When I (arrive) …………. at the airport, Mary (wait)
…………. for me.
25. London (change) …………. a lot since we first (come) …………. to live here.
Put the verbs in brackets into their correct tense

It (HAPPEN) …………. last August at the airport. A few weeks before, a group of us (DECIDE)
…………. to go to Greece together for a holiday. We (WAIT) in the queue at passport control
when suddenly I (REALIZE) …………. that I (FORGET) …………. my passport.
It (BE) …………. quite a shock. I (HURRY) …………. to a phone and (RING) …………. my parents.
They (WORK) in the garden, but luckily my mother (HEAR) …………. the phone. They (FIND)
…………. the passport and immediately (DRIVE) …………. to the airport with it.
I (MEET) …………. them at the information desk. We (HAVE) …………. no time to talk but
I (SAY) …………. goodbye to them earlier that morning. I (RUN) …………. all the way to the
plane. I was just in time. When I (GET) …………. there, the passengers (SIT) …………. in their
seats ready for take-off. When they (SEE) …………. me, everybody (START) …………. clapping.

Put the verbs in brackets into their correct tense

Dear Julie!
As you know I (ARRIVE) …………. in Paris a week ago, but there was a problem with my
luggage. Unfortunately, it had been sent to Lisbon instead of Paris. Yesterday, someone (CALL)
…………. me from the airport to go and there and pick them up. That's why I (NOT BE) ………….
at home when you (PHONE) ………….. At the time I (TRY) …………. to find my suitcases among
those which had arrived from Portugal. It (TAKE) me the whole afternoon to do that. Well, I'm
sure you want to know what's going on now in Paris.
The family who I (STAY) …………. with at the moment are very nice. They treat me exactly like
one of them. They (ALREADY INTRODUCE) …………. me to all of their friends. I share a
room with the daughter of their family, who is about my age. Every morning her mother
(WAKE) …………. us up with a cup of tea. Herbie, Jane's father, is also a nice guy. He lets Jane
and me do everything we want. He even (ALLOW) …………. us to take his car when we want to
go somewhere.
Tomorrow will be my first day at language school and I am really looking forward to it. They told
me to be there at 9 o'clock. I (TAKE) …………. a placement test in the morning. I expect
they (ANNOUNCE) …………. the results by the end of the day. As soon as I learn how I did, I
will give you a call. Well, that's all for now. Please write soon. I would really like to know what
(GO) …………. on a home.
Love, Claire.