VERB TENSES
A Complete these sentences by putting the verb in brackets into the most suitable
form of the present simple or continuous.
1.
‘What _________________ (you/do) this weekend?’ ‘We _________________
(spend) Saturday with friends in the country.’
2.
I _________________ (read) today’s newspaper. I always _________________
(look) at the sports news first.
3.
Holidays _________________ (cost)
_________________ (cost) me a fortune.
4.
‘I _________________ (like) my new job.’ ‘What _________________ (you/like)
about it?’
5.
I _________________ (not understand) what she(say). What language
_________________ (she/speak)?
6.
My father always _________________ (fix) his car at the weekends, but today
he can’t because he _________________ (garden).
7.
When my mother _________________ (watch) TV, she
_________________ (sit) on a hard chair so as not to fall asleep.
8.
‘How often _________________ (you/eat out)?’ ‘Not very often. Only once a
month.’
9.
I _________________ (know) what she _________________ (mean) but I (not
agree) with her.
10. Simon _________________ (not go
_________________ (argue) too much.
a
out)
lot
of
with
money.
Kate
This
trip
always
anymore;
they
B Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or continuous.
1.
James _________________ (not wait) for me when I _________________ (arrive).
2.
When the phone _________________ (ring), my parents and I _________________
(have) lunch.
3.
I _________________ (listen) to my iPod, so I _________________ (not hear) the
fire alarm.
4.
You _________________ (not listen) to me when I _________________ (tell) you to
turn the lights off.
5.
While we _________________ (sleep) last night, someone _________________
(steal) my father’s car.
6.
While we _________________ (have) the picnic, it _________________ (start) to
rain.
7.
When I _________________ (walk) into the office, five clerks _________________
(work) on their computers, the secretary _________________ (talk) on the phone
and two managers _________________ (discuss) new marketing strategies.
8.
The doctor _________________ (say) that Tim _________________ (be) too sick to
work and that he _________________ (need) to stay at home for the whole week.
9.
‘What _________________ (you/do) at about 8.00 yesterday evening?’ ‘I
____________________
(work out) at the fitness centre.’
10. Mary _________________ (arrive) at Sue’s house at about midday, but she
_________________ (not be) there. She _________________ (study) at the school
library.
C
Complete the sentences with the past simple or present perfect.
1.
‘How long _________________ (you/know) each other?’ ‘For a long time. In fact, we
_________________ (grow) up together.’
2.
Some years ago, Amazonia _________________ (have) more rare species than it
has today.
3.
They _________________ (not see) him for ages. I wonder where he is.
4.
I _________________ (read) this book when I _________________ (be) at school.
I _________________ (not enjoy) it very much.
5.
She _________________ (meet) him last summer.
6.
We _________________ (miss) the bus. Now we have to walk.
7.
‘How much _________________ (you/save) since Easter?’ ‘I _________________
(not save) anything.’
8.
Yesterday I _________________ (write) and ________________ (send) ten emails.
9.
We _________________ (just/hear) the most extraordinary news.
10. It _________________ (be) very cold this year. I wonder when it is going to get
warmer.