2) English Tenses.
1. Open the brackets and put the verbs into the proper tense, either the Present Continuous
or the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
1. Don't come in. He … (take) an exam. He … (take) his exam for half an hour already. 2. Where
are the children? – They … (play) volleyball. They … (play) volleyball since two o'clock.
3. They still … (discuss) the article? But they … (do) it since twelve o'clock! 4. Nick … (come)
round to see us tonight. 5. The prices … (go up). They … (rise) since l991. 6. What a strong
wind … (blow)! It (blow) since yesterday. 7. Do you see what the child … (do) with your hat?
Take it from him. 8. The construction workers … (build) the new bridge for months. 9. We …
(know) each other since childhood. 10. She … (wait) for the train, but it seems to be delayed.
11. The dog … (bark) for hours, and it's driving me crazy. 12. The company … (develop) a new
product.
2. Choose the right tenses (Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous,
Past Simple).
1. It (is / was / has been) snowing since I (have got up / got up).
2. Things (have been / were) difficult since Carol (has lost / lost) her job.
3. Since Jake (has taken up / took up) the trumpet, nobody (has / has had / had) any peace.
4. He (has been / was) quite different since he (has got / got) married.
5. Since she (has gone / went) to live in France we (haven't heard / didn't hear) anything from
her.
6. He (has been / was) strange ever since he (has had / had) the accident.
7. They (go / went / have gone / have been going) to the gym every day this week.
8. I (am working / worked / have worked / have been working) on this project since morning.
9. She (is reading / has read / has been reading / read) three books this month.
10. We (are living / lived / have lived / have been living) in this city for five years.
11. He (is practicing / practiced / has practiced / has been practicing) the piano for two hours.
12. They (are watching / watched / have watched / have been watching) that TV series for a long
time.
13. I (am not feeling / didn't feel / haven't felt / haven't been feeling) well lately.
14. The train (arrived / has arrived / has been arriving / arrives) at 9 o'clock this morning.
15. How long (are you waiting / did you wait / have you waited / have you been waiting) for the
bus?
16. She (is working / worked / has worked / has been working) as a teacher for five years.
17. They (are learning / learned / have learned / have been learning) French for six months.
18. We (are not going / didn't go / haven't gone / haven't been going) to the party last night.
19. My sister (is traveling / traveled / has traveled / has been traveling) around Europe for a
month.
20. The children (are playing / played / have played / have been playing) in the park all afternoon.
3. Open the brackets and put the verbs into the proper tense (Present Simple, Present
Continuous, Present Perfect Continuous or the Present Perfect Simple).
1. He (goes / is going) to the gym every morning before work.
2. We (have been studying / studied) English for two years now.
3. Sarah (has been working / worked) as a teacher for five years before she started her own
business.
4. Look! It (snows / is snowing) outside. It rarely snows in this city.
5. The concert (starts / is starting) at 8 p.m. tomorrow. Don't be late!
6. I (have visited / visited) Paris last summer and it was an incredible experience.
7. She usually (takes / is taking) a walk in the park after dinner.
8. They (have been living / lived) in this house since they got married.
9. I (am writing / have written) a letter to my grandmother at the moment.
10. He (has been playing / played) the piano for hours, and he's getting better every day.
11. The train (arrived / is arriving) at the station in a few minutes.
12. She (reads / is reading) a book by her favorite author these days.
13. Last night, they (watched / were watching) a movie when the power went out.
14. We (have been waiting / waited) for the bus for over half an hour now.
15. Tom (has been working / works) on his project for the past month.
16. The company (has expanded / is expanding) its operations to new international markets.
17. He (has been working / worked) diligently on his novel for the past six months.
18. The scientists (have made / are making) groundbreaking discoveries in the field of medical
research.
19. The students (have been preparing / prepared) extensively for their upcoming exams.
20. We (have explored / are exploring) various strategies to improve customer satisfaction.
21. She (has attended / is attending) a conference on sustainable development.
22. The team (has won / is winning) consecutive championships for the past three years.
23. He (has gained / is gaining) valuable insights through his extensive research.
24. They (have renovated / are renovating) their house to create a more modern living space.
25. I (have taken / am taking) up a new hobby – photography.
26. The government (has implemented / is implementing) new policies to promote economic
growth.
27. The project (has been delayed / is being delayed) due to unforeseen circumstances.
28. She (has volunteered / is volunteering) at a local charity organization to help the less
fortunate.
29. We (have discussed / are discussing) the possibility of launching a new product line.
4. Underline the correct tense in the following sentences.
1. I’m writing in the connection with the advertisement which appeared / has appeared on 3
December.
2. I originally studied / have studied mechanical engineering at university and I graduated / have
been graduating with a first-class degree.
3. I now completed / have now completed a postgraduate degree in business and administration.
4. I’ve been trying / I’ve tried to find a permanent job for a considerable time.
5. Indeed, I have already worked / I have already been working for several companies on a
temporary basis.
6. In my first job I was responsible / have been responsible for marketing.
7. I’ve been applying / have applied for several posts this year but I still did not manage / have
not managed to find what I’m looking for.
9. The last job I applied / have applied for required applicants to speak some Japanese.
10. I started learning / have been learning Spanish a few months ago but I did not obtain / have
not obtained a qualification in it yet.
11. I did not apply / have not applied for a job with your company before.
12. I hoped / have hoped that you would consider my application favourably.
13. However, I have been waiting / have waited for a reply for several weeks and I still have not
received / did not receive any answer.
5. Open the brackets using the appropriate tense-form.
1. By the time I … (get) to the station the train … (leave).
2. Patrick's mother (be) very angry when he (come) home late because she (worry) about him all
evening.
3. The children ... (start) a fire. They … (play) with matches.
4. Brenda … (disappear) before I … (have) time to talk to her.
5. Bruce … (go) to hospital because he … (cut) his hand while he … (try) to mend a broken
window.
6. It … (be) more than a month before I … (realize) what … (happen).
7. When Jack … (not / arrive) by 6p.m. I … (know) he … (miss) the bus.
8. When I … (meet) him he … (work) as a plumber for a year or so.
9. We scarcely … (start) eating when there … (be) another scream.
10. We … (look) through the agreement before we … (sign) it.
11. I … (be) very pleased when my son … (find) my watch because we … (look) for it for hours.
12. Nina .... (think) she … (leave) her purse in a locker in the changing room the day before.
13. I … (wake) up and … (look) out of the window. Everything … (be) white. It … (snow) all
night.
14. Not until I … (look) at my watch did I realize how much time … (pass).
15. Karen … (admit) that she … (make) a mistake and … (apologize).
16. Isabel … (send) a postcard to the girl she … (make) friends with while she … (attend) a
language course.
17. They … (run) out of petrol because Paul … (use) the car several times before.
18. When we … (get) to the airport we (hear) that they … (cancel) all the flights.
19. When our teacher … (see) what Tom (do) she … (be) absolutely furious.
20. My old watch … (work) very well for many years before I … (drop) it.
21. I … (run) out of money but luckily I … (be) able to borrow enough to get home.
22. I … (have) to be early the next morning, so I … (excuse) myself and … (leave) the party.
23. He … (keep) his job although the manager … (threaten) to sack him several times.
24. When Mr Gabb … (come) out of the water, he … (find) that somebody … (take) all his
clothes.
25. After the movie … (finish) they … (decide) to get something to eat.
26. Many modern medicines were not invented by western scientists but by tribal people who
… (use) them for generations before Europeans … (arrive).
27. It was not surprising that she … (start) getting a bad toothache. She … (not/go) to the dentist
for two years.
28. Her work … (look) really neat because she … (use) the computer.
29. The chairman's main fault was that he persistently … (interrupt) the speakers before they
(finish).
30. After she … (dress) and (eat) her breakfast, Linda … (rush) off to her office for a meeting
with her accountant.
31. Peter already … (see) that musical before he … (read) the review about it.
32. When I … (go) into the room I could smell cigarette smoke. Obviously somebody … (smoke)
in there.
33. Because Jasper … (make) an appointment with his dentist beforehand he … (hope) he
wouldn't have to wait long, although there … (be) a lot of people in the waiting room when he
… (arrive).
34. By the time Bill … (leave) school, he … (speak) good French and German. When he … (be)
at university he … (learn) Italian and Spanish.
35. Yesterday Jenny … (send) me a very apologetic letter explaining why she … (not/do) what
she … (promise).
36. Ann only … (work) there for a few days when she … (decide) to leave.
37. The bank … (tell) me last week there … (be) no money in my account. I … (spend) it all.
38. The label … (come) off the tin and I didn't know how to cook the meat.
39. When I … (get) back after lunch, Jean … (tell) me that somebody … (phone) when I … (be)
out.
40. They … (get) married in 1990, just a year after they … (fall) in love.
41. While I … (try) to get my car started, a passing car … (stop) and the driver … (offer) to help
me.
42. Penicillin was discovered when Alexander Fleming … (find) some mould growing on a
laboratory dish he … (leave) beside the window.
43. David … (admit) that he (hit) the other car, but … (say) he … (not/damage) it.
44. Jane … (miss) the party because no one … (inform) her about it.
45. It … (turn) out that they … (use) that business for quite a time as a screen for their drugdealing activities.
46. Hardly Harry … (start) working when he … (realize) that he … (need) to go to the library.
47. As Lucy … (walk) home, she … (try) to remember what … (happen).
48. Because Sam and Tony … (do) all the work themselves, they … (be) unwilling to give the
results to John.
49. By the time Liz … (be) eighteen she … (study) English for six years.
50. Hopi Indians … (raise) cotton to make cloth for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in
the American Southwest.
51. We … (fly) for twenty minutes when the pilot … (announce) we … (have) to go back because
of bad weather.
52. By the time the last marathon runner … (cross) the finishing line, nearly everyone … (go)
home.
53. The house … (burn) to the ground by the time the fire brigade … (arrive).
3. Present Simple / Past Simple / Future Simple / Present Continuous / Present Perfect.
Dear Mr.Harrison,
James … (come) back to school on Monday and my husband … (ask) me to explain the
situation to you. James … (recover) just from his grippe, but the doctor … (tell) me yesterday
to keep him home for a few more days to be on the safe side. We hope he … (not / miss) anything
important since the term … (begin).
We would like to ask you to watch over him for a while and not to let him take part in games
or gymnastics for a week until he … (be) well again. James … (be) so keen on games that he …
(try) to play before he … (be) fit enough unless someone … (keep) an eye on him.
We (provide) him with all the clothes on the list except the red athletics vests and the blue
shorts. He already … (grow) out of last year's pair, but we only … (discover) this yesterday and
the local shop … (not / have) any in stock. I … (send) them by post as soon as I … (buy) some.
We … (be) very happy that James … (take) to boarding-school life so well last year and we trust
he … (continue) to be happy this year. We both … (be) very grateful to you for being so helpful
last year and look forward to having another talk with you when we … (come) to the parentteacher meeting next month.
Yours sincerely, K. Williams
4. Present Perfect or Past Simple.
1. The sun ... (not / rise) yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter every minute. 2. I ... (see)
you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 3. I ... (not / read) the newspaper
today. 4. It is very late, and trams ... (stop) running: we must find a taxi to get home. 5. How
many times you ... (be) to St. Petersburg? 6. At last I ... (translate) this article: now I shall have
a little rest. 7. We ... (go) to the country yesterday, but the rain ... (spoil) all the pleasure. 8. My
watch was going in the morning, but now it ... (stop). 9. The lecture ... (not / yet / begin) and the
students are talking in the classroom. 10. She just ... (go) out. 11. She ... (leave) the room a
moment ago. 12. We ... (not / yet / solve) the problem. 13. When it all ... (happen)? 14. The
morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o'clock the weather ... (change) and now the sun is
shining brightly. 15. Show me the dress which you ... (make). 16. Oh, how dark it is! A large
black cloud ... (cover) the sky. I think it will start raining in a few minutes. 17. Oh, close the
window! Look, all my papers ... (fall) on the floor because of the wind. 18. When you (open) the
window? – I ... (open) it ten minutes ago.
5. Open the brackets using the appropriate tense-form. Present Perfect, Present
Continuous, Present Simple or Past Simple.
1. Please give me a pencil, I ... (lose) mine. 2. I (not / meet) Peter since Monday. 3. Nina just ...
(finish) work. 4. Where Sergei (be)? – He .... (go) home. He ... (leave) the room a minute ago.
5. What you (read) now? – I ... (read) "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. 6. They ... (read)
"Ivanhoe" by Walter Scott a month ago. What about you? ... (you / read) "Ivanhoe"? 7. My watch
... (stop). There ... (to be) something wrong with it. 8. You ... (see) Jack today? – Yes, I ... (see)
him at the institute. 9. You ... (hear) the new symphony by M.? – Yes, I ... . – When .... (you /
hear) it? – I ..... (hear) it last Sunday. 10. You ..... (change) so much. Anything ...... (happen)?
11. What ... (you / do) here at such a late hour? ... (you / write) your composition? – No, I ...
(write) it already. I ... (work) at my report. – And when you (write) your composition? – I ...
(finish) it two days ago. 12. I say, Tom, let's have dinner. – No, thank you, I already ... (have)
dinner. 13. What ... (the weather / be) like? ... (It / still / rain)? – No, it ... (stop) raining.
6. Open the brackets using the appropriate tense-form. Present Perfect, Present Simple,
Present Continuous, Past Simple или Past Continuous.
1. They .... (go) to the Hermitage last week. 2. They .... (be) to the Hermitage twice this week.
3. After school yesterday he ... (come) home, ... (have) dinner, ... (read) an article from the latest
magazine and ... (begin) doing his homework. 4. When your friend ... (return) from the south? –
She ... (return) yesterday. – You ... (go) to the station to meet her? – No, I..., I ... (be) too busy.
5. With whom you ... (discuss) this question yesterday? 6. I ... (see) this film this week. I like it
very much. 7. When I ... (to enter) the kitchen, I ... (see) that my mother ... (stand) at the table
and ... (cut) some cabbage. She ... (cook) dinner. 8. As soon as I ... (hear) a cry, I ... (run) out of
the room and ... (see) that a child ... (lie) on the ground and ... (cry). "What ... (happen)? Why
you ... (cry)? You ... (hurt) yourself?" I asked. 9. As soon as I ... (see) him, I ... (understand) that
he ... (work) hard. He ... (write) something and ... (not / notice) anything. 10. When I ... (come)
home yesterday, the children ... (run) and ... (sing) merrily. "We ... (learn) a new song!" they
cried. 11. When the young man ... (enter) the room, she ... (look) at him in surprise. "What you
... (want) to tell me?" she ... (say). "Why you (come)?" 12. It ... (rain) hard when I ... (leave)
home yesterday, so I ... (return), ... (put) on my rain­coat and ... (start) again. 13. Your brother
... (return) from the north? – Yes, he ... (come) a few days ago. 14. You ... (be) to the Crimea?
When you (be) there? – I ... (be) there in 1993. 15. Where ... (be) your brother? – He ... (just /
come) home. He ... (take) a shower in the bathroom now.
7. Open the brackets using the appropriate tense-form. Past Simple, Past Continuous and
Past Perfect.
1. By eight o'clock yesterday I .... (do) my home­work and at eight I .... (play) the piano. 2. By
six o'clock father .... (come) home and at six he ..... (have) dinner. 3. By nine o'clock yesterday
grandmother ..... (wash) the dishes and at nine she .... (watch) TV. 4. When I .... (meet) Tom, he
... (eat) an ice-cream which he ... (buy) at the corner of the street. 5. When I ..... (come) home,
my sister .... (read) a book which she .... (to bring) from the library. 6. When mother .... (come)
home, the children ..... (eat) the soup which she ... (to cook) in the morning. 7. When I ...... (ring)
up Mike, he still ..... (learn) the poem which he ... (begin) learning at school. 8. When I ......
(look) out of the window, the children ..... (play) with a ball which Pete .... (bring) from home.
9. By ten o'clock the children .... (settle) comfortably on the sofa and at ten they (watch) a TV
film. 10. When father .... (come) home, we ..... (cook) the mushrooms which we ...... (gather) in
the wood. 11. When I ..... (see) Ann, she ..... (sort) the flowers which she ... (pick) in the field.
12. When I .... (come) home yesterday, I .... (see) that my little brother ... (break) my pen and ....
(play) with its pieces. 13. When I ... (open) the door of the classroom, I ... (see) that the teacher
already ... (come) and the pupils ... (write) a dictation.
8. Choose the right tenses (Past Simple, Past Continuous и Past Perfect).
1. When I called at his house, they ... (tell) me that he ... (leave) an hour before. 2. When I came
to the station, I ... (not / find) my friend there as I ... (be) five minutes late and the train ... (leave).
3. He ... (want) to visit the place where he ... (live) in his childhood. 4. The telegram ... (come)
some minutes after he ... (leave). 5. She ... (look) very tired as she ... (work) hard. 6. I ... (return)
to the hotel only late at night as I ... (lose) my way in the fog. When I ... (come) up to my room,
I ... (see) Pete who ... (stand) at the door of the room. He ... (wait) for me as he ... (lose) his key
and could not get in. 7. When I ... (wake) up, it ... (be) already ten o'clock. I ... (call) my brother.
Nobody ... (answer). He ... (already / leave). 8. I ... (go) up to the open window. The rain ... (stop)
and the sun ... (shine) brightly. The birds in the garden ... (sing). The morning ... (be) fine.
9. When the rain ... (stop) I (... look) out of the window and ... (see) John who ... (stand) under a
tree waiting for me.
9. Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Твої поради мені ніколи не допомагають. 2. Він заходить у кімнату, відчиняє шафу,
бере книжки і йде. 3. Його зарплата була дуже висока, коли він жив в Англії. 4. Сьогодні
ввечері ми вечеряємо в ресторані. 5. Твій одяг дуже мокрий, надінь мій халат. 6. Вона
сідає на стілець, бере книжку, відкриває її і починає читати. 7. Учора він подарував мені
ваги, вони дуже дорогі. 8. Ми поїдемо в місто, коли погода буде гарною. 9. Я забула, що
мої батьки приїжджають післязавтра. 10. Зміст статті був дуже цікавий. 11. Сонце
заходить на заході. 12. Він робить великі успіхи в англійській мові. 13. Ти поводишся з
нею дуже грубо. 14. Вона ніколи не позичає мені гроші, але вона винна мені 5 доларів.
15. Ці гроші тобі не належать. 16. До теперішнього часу у нього не було проблем із
французькою. 17. Який найгостинніший народ? 18. Останнім часом вони сильно
змінилися. 19. Ти хоч раз купувала сало? 20. Вона ніколи не цікавилася іноземними
мовами. 21. Він завжди захоплювався спортом. 22. Ти вже вирішив свої проблеми? Ні ще.
23. Скільки текстів ти переклала? Поки що я переклала 3 тексти. 24. Минув тиждень,
відколи ми бачилися востаннє. 25. Чому ти не зняла свою мокру спідницю? 26. Раніше ми
ходили в походи щомісяця. 27. Раніше вона водила машину дуже повільно. 28. Раніше він
дуже тихо говорив на уроках. 29. Бувало, він пішки ходив на роботу. 30. Раніше вона часто
сварилася зі своїми колегами.
10. Translate the following sentences into English. Past Simple and Present Perfect.
1. Йому знадобилося вісім хвилин, щоб піднятися сходами. 2. Скільки разів ви були в
Польщі? 3. Раніше вона дуже добре грала на скрипці. 4. Коли востаннє йшов сніг? 5. Я
ніколи не носила джинси, коли жила в Африці. 6. Ви добре поспали в автобусі? 7. Минуло
шість років від часу моєї останньої поїздки до Судану. 8. Скільки разів я казала тобі не
грюкати дверима? 9. Він не бачив її відтоді, як вона поїхала до Чехії. 10. Коли моя тітка
була молода, вона носила спідниці. 11. Минуло десять років, відколи він покинув Данію.
12. Я не носила джинси сто років! 13. Я впізнала його, щойно побачила. 14. Я ніколи не
любила незабудки. 15. Раніше Томас добре грав у теніс. 16. Сніг уже припинився? Так.
Сніг припинився, коли ти була у ванній. 17. Цікаво, як давно вона в лікарні. 18. Ви добре
провели час у зоопарку? Так, ми погуляли там півгодини і поїхали додому. 19. Скільки
разів ти був на Кіпрі? Я була там 2 рази минулого року. 20. Коли востаннє йшов дощ у
Криму? Я не пам'ятаю. Сто років не було дощу. 21. Як давно в тебе ці сережки? Я купила
їх, коли їздила до Швеції. 22. Скільки годин ти прочекав її вчора? Мені не довелося її
чекати вчора. Вона прийшла вчасно. 23. Коли ти пообідала? Ми щойно з'їли картоплю
фрі. 24. Бувало, мій сусід грав на трубі вранці. 25. Останнім часом твій чоловік сильно
змінився? 26. Твої родичі у вітальні відтоді, як ти пішов. 27. Ти хоч раз отримував
варення, яке я тобі посилала? 28. Вона змінила імідж останнім часом.
11. Put the verbs in brackets into their correct forms. Past Simple or Past Perfect.
Last Monday Angie got up (get up) for work as usual and ... (go) to the kitchen to have some
breakfast. But when she ... (open) the fridge, she ... (find) that her flatmate Lucy ... (drink) all
the milk - not a good start to the day! So she ... (have) a quick cup of black coffee, ... (get)
dressed and ... (go) out to the car. There she ... (find) that she ... (forget) to put the cover on the
car the night before and there ... (be) thick frost all over the windscreen. She ... (scrape) it all off
and ... (get) into the car. However, when she ... (turn) the key, nothing ... (happen)! Someone ...
(leave) the headlights on and the battery ... (go) flat. She ... (be) furious as Lucy ... (use) the car
last and it ... (be) her who ... (forget) to switch off the lights. Angie ... (head) for the bus stop to
wait in the freezing cold.