TENSE EXERCISES

I. Supply the correct verb form

1. Be quiet! The baby (sleep) __________.
2. We seldom (eat) __________ before 6:30.
3. Look! The man (run) __________ the train. He (want) __________ to catch it.
4. The sun (set) __________ in the West.
5. It (be) __________ often hot in summer.
6. I (do) __________ an exercise at the moment and I (think) __________ that I (know)
__________ how to use it now.
7. It (rain) __________ much in summer. It (rain) __________ now.
8. Daisy (cook) __________ some food in the kitchen at present. She always (cook)
__________ in the morning.
9. I (see) __________ her last year.
10.What (do) __________ you __________ yesterday?
11.You (watch) __________ TV last night?
12.She (be) __________ born in 1980.
13.They (pay) __________ a visit to us last summer.
14.He (start) __________ learning English when he (be) __________ a child.
15.She (spend) __________ five days painting her house two weeks ago.
16.Listen! Someone (knock) __________ at the door.
17.Up to present, we (write) __________ almost every lesson in the book.
18.That house (belong) __________ to Mr. Green.
19.Rivers usually (flow) __________ to the sea.
20.I (move) __________ to Ho Chi Minh city 3 years ago to learn English.
21.When I (arrive) __________ at his house yesterday, he (sleep) __________.
22.The light (go out) __________ when we (have) __________ dinner.
23.Bill (have) __________ breakfast when I (stop) __________ at this house this morning.
24.As we (cross) __________ the street, we (see) __________ an accident.
25.Tom (see) __________ a serious accident while he (stand) __________ at the bus stop.
26.While my father (read) __________ the newspaper, I (learn) __________ my lesson and
my sister (do) __________ her homework.
27.The children (play) __________ football when their mother (come) __________ back
home.
28.The bell (ring) __________ while Tom (take) __________ a bath.

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29.I (be) __________ tired yesterday because I (work) __________ all day.
30.While I (walk) __________ along the street this morning, I (see) __________ an old
friend.
31.How long you (study) __________ English? For 5 years.
32.I (wait) __________ for two hours, but she (not come) __________ yet.
33.They (live) __________ in Ho Chi Minh City since 1975.
34.She (read) __________ all the books written by Dickens. How many books she (read)
__________?
35.He (not, be) __________ here since Christmas, I wonder where he (live) __________
since then.
36.Jack (go) __________ to Paris for a holiday. He never (be) __________ there.
37.You (sleep) __________ so far? I (ring) __________ the bell for the last twenty minutes.
38.He (write) __________ a novel for two years, but he (not/ finish) __________ yet.
39.Mary (lose) __________ her hat and she (look) __________ for it until now.
40.I (see) __________ that film several times because I like it.
41.How many times you (see) __________ him since he (go) __________ to Edinburgh?
42.We (be) __________ from France. We (be) __________ there for 20 years.
43.I (see) __________ her before.
44.Mr. Green (teach) __________ English in this school since he (graduate) __________
from the university in 1986.
45.They (go) __________ home after they (finish) __________ their work.
46.She said that she (already, see) __________ Dr. Rice.
47.When we came to the stadium, the match (already, begin) __________.
48.They told me they (not, eat) __________ such kind of food before.
49.Last night, after he (go) __________, we (sit) __________ down and (rest)
____________.
50.After taking a bath, he often (go) __________ to bed.
51.It was the first time I (ever, see) __________ such a beautiful girl.
52.What you (do) __________ at 6p.m yesterday?
53.Every night, before Alice (go) __________ to sleep, she (call) __________ her family.
54.He (teach) __________ in this school before he (leave) __________ for England.
55.When John and I got to the theatre, the movie (already, start) __________.
56.We will go out when the rain (stop) __________.
57.I (stay) __________ here until he (answer) __________ me.
58.Wait until I (catch) __________ you.

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 59.Miss Alen (help) __________ you as soon as she (finish) __________ that letter
tomorrow.
60.I (wait) __________ here until you (come) __________ back tomorrow.
61.My mother (come) __________ to stay with us next weekend.
62.Don’t leave until you (see) __________ her.
63.We (start) __________ our plan next Sunday.
64.He (work) __________ on the report at this time tomorrow.
65.I’m sure they (complete) __________ the new road by June.
66.At this time tomorrow, we (drive) __________ through Pennsylvania.
67.Who (look) __________ after the children when you are away?
68. I (give) __________ him your message when I (see) __________ him.
69.The teacher hope we (pass) __________ our exam.
70.Don’t call him at 2:30 p.m. He (interview) __________ job applicants at that time.
71.Our English teacher (explain) __________ that lesson to us tomorrow.
72.When I (see) __________ Mr. Pike tomorrow, I (remind) __________ him of that.
73.What you (do) __________ at 7 pm next Sunday?
74.I (practice) __________ my English lesson then.

MULTIPLE CHOICE
II. Choose the best option to finish each sentence
1. She was thoughtfully looking at him while he__________ a newspaper.
A. read B. was reading
C. has read D. has been reading
2. While I __________ the floor, Mrs. Parker began cooking.
A. swept B. was sweeping
C. has swept D. has been sweeping
3. I __________ a telegram to say that my poor friend is badly ill again.
A. just received B. have just received
C. was just receiving D. just receive
4. I have lost my key again. I __________ things. I lose things too often.
A. always B. am always losing
C. have always lost D. was always losing
6. I __________ Ann at her father’s house twenty years ago and __________ her ever since.
A. met/ have known B. was meeting/ knew

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 C. met knew D. have met/ was working
7. Higher education in the US __________ in 1636 when the first colonists _________ Harvard
College.
A. has begun/ founded B. began/ have founded
C. began/ founded D. was beginning/ have founded
8. When Jack __________ me, I __________ a letter.
A. was phoning/ wrote B. phoned/ has been writing
C. phoned/ was writing D. has phoned/ was writing
9. He __________ here till they _________ something.
A. will stay/ will do B. stay/ will do
C. will stay/ does D. will stay/ do
10. In case the weather __________ good, they __________ fishing.
A. is/ go B. will be/ go
C. will be/ will go D. is/ will go
11. By 8 o’clock they __________ dinner.
A. will have B. will be having
C. will have had D. is having
12. By the end of this week he __________ the translation.
A. will finish B. will have finished
C. will be finishing D. is finishing
13. Before you __________, I __________ all the work.
A. come/ do B. will come / will do
C. will come / do D. come/ will do
14. By the time we __________ to the forest, the rain __________.
A. will get/ will stop B. will get/ will have stopped
C. get/ will stop D. get/ will have stopped
15. I think he __________ the letter by this time.
A. will answer B. will have answered
C. will be answering D. has answered
16. I __________ my report when you entered the hall.
A. made B. have been making
C. was making D. have made
17. They __________ the new words yesterday from three to seven.
A. learnt B. have been learning
C. have learnt D. were learning

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18. She __________ this exercise yesterday at 8 o’clock.
A. wrote B. has written
C. has been writing D. was writing
19. My mother often __________ morning exercises.
A. do B. does
C. doing D. has done
20. She __________ some cakes yesterday at 2 p.m.
A. make B. has been making
C. has made D. was making
21. He __________ me to the party yesterday.
A. invited B. has invited
C. has been invited D. was inviting
22. He __________ a book two days ago.
A. read B. has been reading
C. was reading D. has read
23. Miss Brown’s telephone __________ when she __________.
A. rang/ dressed B. was ringing/ was dressing
C. was ringing/ dresses D. rang/ was dressing
25. When he __________ into the office, the secretary __________ a crosswords puzzle.
A. came/ was doing B. was coming/ was doing
C. was coming/ did D. came/ did
26. Why __________ to me while I __________?
A. did you not listen/ was speaking B. were you not listening/ was speaking
C. were you not listening/ spoke D. did you not listen/ spoke
28. He __________ for her, but she never __________.
A. was waiting/ was coming B. waited / was coming
C. was waiting/ came D. was waiting/ comes
29. While I __________ for him to call up, he __________ a good time in the bar.
A. waited/ was having B. have waited/ was having
C. was waiting/ have had D. was waiting/ was having
30. They __________ this film last week.
A. have seen B. saw
C. have been seeing D. were seeing
31. She __________ the picture when I came.
A. painted B. has painted

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 C. was painting D. have been
32. They __________ the new words yesterday from three till seven.
A. learnt B. were learning
C. have learnt D. have been learning
33. It __________ this week.
A. rained B. has rained
C. was raining D. rains
34. She __________ a bath at seven o’clock last night.
A. was having B. had
C. has had D. has been having
35. She __________ dishes already.
A. was washing B. washed
C. has washed D. has been washing
36. They __________ supper when the telephone rang.
A. had B. have had
C. were having D. have been having
37. I __________ you for ages.
A. didn’t meet B. haven’t met
C. was not meeting D. haven’t been meeting
38. Last summer he __________ to Ha Long Bay.
A. has gone B. was going
C. went D. has been going
39. While she__________, she __________ the doorbell, then voices.
A. was washing up/ heard B. washed up/ has heard
C. has heard/ was hearing D. was washing up/ was hearing
40. “She __________ tea”, let’s go to the dinning room”.
A. was making B. made
C. has made D. has been making
41. The library __________ by the time I __________ there.
A. had closed/ got B. closed/ got
C. closed/ had got D. has closed/ got
42. When my friend __________, I __________ an exercise for an hour.
A. was coming/ had been doing B. came/ was doing
C. was coming/ has been doing D. cam/ had been doing
43. We __________ while he__________.

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 A. read/ was eating B. were reading/ ate
C. read/ ate D. were reading/ was eating
44. When he __________, I __________ in London for a week.
A. arrived/ was living B. was living/ has been living
C. arrived/ has been living D. arrived/ had been living
45. Be quite, please. We __________ at the translation and you __________ a lot of noise.
A. are working/ are making B. work/ are making
C. are working/ make D. work/ make
46. He always __________ for a walk in the morning.
A. go B. is going
C. goes D. going
47. “Where is Jack?”- “He __________ his girlfriend at the station. She __________ at 12
o’clock.”
A. meets/ is coming B. is meeting/ comes
C. meets/ comes D. is meeting/ is coming
48. She __________. Is something wrong?
A. cries B. is crying
C. cry D. crying
49. In the morning I __________ little time, so I __________ a shower in the evening.
A. have/ take B. am having/ am taking
C. have/ am taking D. am having/ take
50. A decade __________ a period of ten years.
A. describes B. is describing
C. describe D. describing
51. Her brother __________ in Canada now.
A. working B. works
C. is working D. work
52. She always __________ but __________ nothing to realize her dreams.
A. dreams/ does B. is dreaming/ does
C. dreams/ is doing D. is dreaming/ is doing
53. He __________ so suspicious to me at the moment. I wonder why.
A. be B. will be
C. was D. is being
54. Hurry up, Jane! We all __________ for you.
A. wait B. are waiting

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 C. waiting D. are waited
55. Don’t bother her. She __________ her French lesson; she always __________ it in the
morning.
A. takes/ is taking B. is taking/ takes
C. takes/ takes D. is taking/ is taking
56. The living standard __________. Every month things __________ more expensive.
A. are changing/ are getting B. are changing
C. change/ are getting D. change/ get
57. Tom and Mary __________ for the Netherlands tomorrow.
A. leave B. are leaving
C. leaving D. are left
58. I have just started English course, now I __________ English grammar.
A. study B. studying
C. am studying D. studied
59. Mercury __________ at 357,23 degrees Centigrade.
A. boils B. is boiling
C. boiling D. boiled
60. It __________ me that they can’t sell their flat.
A. surprises B. is surprising
C. surprising D. surprise