Verb Tenses

 night? 
16. Who (you wait)…………………….. for when I arrived? 
17. What (happen)…………………….. after that? 
18. When I was young I (want)…………………….. to be a pilot. 
19. I waved at him, but he (look not)…………………….. . 
20. She (sit)…………………….. on the chair and watching TV. 
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple (do) or Present Continuous (is doing). 
Example: She is a smoker but she (smoke not) _____ much. (key = does not smoke) 
1. Why (you look)…………………….. at me like that? 
2. We usually go skiing every year, but this year we (not 
go)…………………….. anywhere. 
3. The earth (go)…………………….. round the sun. 
4. She told me her address, but I (not remember)…………………….. it. 
5. She (prefer)…………………….. tea to coffee. 
6. Paul (not like)…………………….. maths. 
7. Normally I get up at 8, but this week I (get up)…………………….. at 7. 
8. My sister Sonia (live)…………………….. in London. 
9. My brother usually (go)…………………….. to work by train. 
10. Lucy is not in London at the moment. She (stay)…………………….. in Paris. 
11. Let’s go jogging. It (not rain)…………………….. at the moment. 
12. I (learn)…………………….. Spanish. My friend is teaching me. 
13. How is your father? Is he still ill? No, he (get better)…………………….. . 
14. Do not put the scissors away I (use)…………………….. them. 
15. Can you hear those girls? What (they talk)…………………….. about? 
16. Can you cook? No but I (learn)…………………….. . 
17. Are you thirsty? (you want)…………………….. something to drink? 
18. Ann (look for)…………………….. a new job. 
19. ’What (your parents do)…………………….. ?’ ‘They are teachers.’ 
20. (you need)…………………….. a ticket to see your mother play at the theatre? 
Put the verbs in the brackets into the correct tense using the Future Simple (will) or Present 
Simple (do). 
Example: When I (finish) _____ the book I’ll lend it to you. (key = finish) 
1. When Tom (go)…………………….. I’ll give you my phone number. 
2. By the time he (get)…………………….. back from the business trip I’ll have left. 
3. He (not let)…………………….. you out until you have finished your work. 
4. My mother will be furious when she (see)…………………….. what you have done. 
5. You (be)…………………….. angry with me if you open that box. 
6. You (not know)…………………….. how good player I am until you have tried to 
play with me. 
7. I (phone)…………………….. you when I get back from school. 
8. When you (be)…………………….. in New York, you must come to visit us. 
9. I’m going to learn a lot while I (be)…………………….. on holiday. 
10. When I see Kate I (invite)…………………….. her to the party. 
11. If we (not hurry)…………………….. , we will arrive late. 
12. I (come)…………………….. as soon as I finish my work. 
13. When I go shopping I (buy)…………………….. some drink. 
14. If I see him I (give)…………………….. him a lift. 
15. If I eat a lot, I (be)…………………….. sick. 
16. If she (need)…………………….. a radio, I’ll lend her mine. 
17. If you (not like)…………………….. this ice cream I’ll buy you another one. 
18. If he (not know)…………………….. what to do he’ll ask his mum. 
19. If I (work)…………………….. hard today, can I go out earlier tomorrow? 
20. If I (not like)…………………….. this house, will you still buy it? 
Put the verbs into the Past Simple tense. 
1. When I realised he did not like what I was saying I rather 
(shut)…………………….. up. 
2. When he was terribly sick he (throw)…………………….. up. 
3. When he started really getting on my nerves I (send)…………………….. him away. 
4. We were (hold)…………………….. up by the traffic. 
5. We (set)…………………….. out early to arrive there before lunch. 
6. We (get)…………………….. off the bus after two hours of travelling. 
7. The tree (grow)…………………….. quicker than we expected. 
8. I went into the hall and (hang)…………………….. up my coat on the coat hanger. 
9. I wanted to stop quarrelling so I (give)…………………….. up. 
10. I took up gardening when we (move)…………………….. into the countryside. 
11. I always (forget)…………………….. something. Once I left my umbrella behind. 
12. I (think)…………………….. everything over again but I could not remember all the 
important details. 
13. I (stand)…………………….. up quickly and said goodbye. 
14. I (say)…………………….. to him everything about the case. 
15. I (ring)…………………….. him up before the police arrived. 
16. I (kneel)…………………….. down at her knees and asked her to marry me. 
17. I (keep)…………………….. away from him. I knew how vicious he was. 
18. He (spring)…………………….. quickly into action. 
19. At first I could not put up with him but then I really (grow)…………………….. fond of 
him. 
20. At first I could not decide but then I firmly (make)…………………….. up my mind. 
Put the word in brackets into the Past Simple or Present Perfect. (did vs. have done) 
Example: I (not see) her since breakfast. (key = have not seen) 
1. Tom (just come)…………………….. . Do you want to talk to him? 
2. This is the first time I (drive)…………………….. a BMW. 
3. She (just finish)…………………….. her homework. She can go out with friends. 
4. My father (translate)…………………….. two pages yesterday. 
5. My brother (see)…………………….. him last week at Jane’s birthday party. 
6. Mr. Jones (go)…………………….. to Australia. He is not in this country. 
7. Last summer I (swim)…………………….. in the Red Sea. 
8. I (remember)…………………….. to close the door. 
9. I (read)…………………….. twenty novels last year. 
10. I (never write)…………………….. any poem. 
11. How many lessons (you have)…………………….. today? 
12. He (understand)…………………….. everything at school. 
13. He (live)…………………….. here since 1989. I believe he will die here. 
14. He (know)…………………….. all these words a year ago. 
15. (you watch)…………………….. TV last night? 
16. (you send)…………………….. the letter yet? 
17. (you ever hear)…………………….. this kind of music? 
18. (you be)…………………….. to my office yet? 
19. (on an airplane:)…………………….. I (never flew)…………………….. anywhere 
before. 
20. (John ever visit)…………………….. Indonesia? 
Put the words in brackets into the Past Continuous or Past Simple tense. (was doing vs. did) 
Example: I was watching TV when the phone (ring) _____. It was John. (key = rang) 
1. When she first (meet)…………………….. him he was studying law. 
2. What (be)…………………….. the flight like? 
3. We (swim)…………………….. in the river when it started to rain. 
4. We (not be)…………………….. on holiday last week. 
5. The weather (be)…………………….. bad so we did not go out. 
6. She (drink)…………………….. two glasses of mineral water. 
7. My father (be)…………………….. angry because I’d failed my exams. 
8. My brother (go)…………………….. to the theatre three times last month. 
9. Jane (not be)…………………….. at home yesterday evening. 
10. I (watch)…………………….. TV when the phone rang. 
11. I (see)…………………….. Lucy in the morning. 
12. I (not have)…………………….. time to see my parents last week. 
13. I (lose)…………………….. my glasses on the way home. 
14. I (have)…………………….. a shower when my sister arrived. 
15. I (finish)…………………….. my work at 7 yesterday. 
16. I (find)…………………….. my camera this morning. 
17. I (cook)…………………….. while Carol was doing the washing up. 
18. Her parents (dance)…………………….. at the ball when the burglar broke into their 
house. 
19. At 5 o’clock I (do)…………………….. my homework. 
20. (be it)…………………….. difficult to find a new job? 
Put the words in brackets into the Past simple or Present perfect. (did vs. have done) 
Example: (you see) _____ Jane last night? (key = Did you see) 
1. ’Where is your umbrella?’ 
‘I don’t know I (lose)…………………….. it.’ 
2. I felt very sad so I (go)…………………….. to my friend’s party. 
3. Mary (be)…………………….. in America last year. 
4. I’m looking for Ann, (you see)…………………….. her? 
5. I spent a lot of time in America, but I (forget)…………………….. many English 
words. 
6. I wanted to call my mum yesterday, but I (forget)…………………….. . 
7. I (feel)…………………….. sick in the morning, but now I am much better. 
8. I’m still reading the same book. I (not finish)…………………….. it yet. 
9. Where is my mobile phone? It (disappear)…………………….. . 
10. Your shoes look very clean. (you clean)…………………….. them? 
11. I (live)…………………….. in London for 10 years. 
12. I (never meet)…………………….. my grandmother. She lives abroad. 
13. My grandmother (die)…………………….. in the second world war. 
14. ’Do you know Lucy’s husband?’ 
‘ I (meet)…………………….. him just once.’ 
15. I (borrow)…………………….. money from my uncle last week. 
16. This is the first time I (be)…………………….. to this country. 
17. I (never eat)…………………….. caviar. 
18. She (just have)…………………….. lunch so she is not hungry. 
19. ’(fly you ever)…………………….. first class?’ 
‘Yes, many times.’ 
20. She wasn’t at school yesterday. She (be)…………………….. at home. 
Put the words in brackets into the Past Simple, Past Continuous or Present Perfect. (did, was 
doing, have done) 
Example: The flowers are wet. Ann (water) _____ them. (key = has watered) 
1. Her shoes are very clean, she (clean)…………………….. them. 
2. Where’s my wallet? It was on the table. Somebody (take)…………………….. it. 
3. Why (you not go)…………………….. to the party last night? 
4. (you see)…………………….. your brother recently? 
5. After finishing his work he (decide)…………………….. to go out. 
6. We (not want)…………………….. to bother them, so we stopped asking them 
stupid questions. 
7. Jim is on a business trip. He (go)…………………….. to France. 
8. What (be)…………………….. the flight like yesterday? 
9. He is a good actor. Lucy (see)…………………….. all his films. She is going to 
watch his latest film next week 
10. I (have)…………………….. a proper dinner for weeks. 
11. What day (be)…………………….. it yesterday? 
12. We (know)…………………….. each other for a long time. 
13. Last Saturday when it started raining some children (play)…………………….. in the 
park. 
14. Everyone (drink)…………………….. beer at John’s party last night. 
15. I think I (get)…………………….. the flu. I must go to bed. 
16. What (happen)…………………….. last week at your parent’s? 
17. He (can’t)…………………….. drive a car when he was five. 
18. He put the money into his briefcase and (leave)…………………….. . 
19. Yesterday at 7.30 I (have)…………………….. breakfast. 
20. This is the first time I (eat)…………………….. caviar.