Fill in the blanks with correct forms of verbs:
1. Michael _______________ (leave) home at 8:00 this morning and
_______________ (arrive) at school at 8: 20am. He _______________
(greet) his teachers at the school gate. At present, he _______________
(line) up to get into his classroom and some of his classmates
_______________ (push) one another in the queue. In ten minutes,
Michael _______________ (have) his first lesson.
2. One day, Kent and Paul _______________ (meet) each other at the
gym. Since they had not seen each other for a long time, they
_______________ (talk) to each other for a while.
Kent: How long _______________ you _______________(be) a police
officer?
Paul: I _______________ (start) working in the police force in 2012 so it
_______________ (be) seven years. Before entering the police training
school, I _______________ (have) a part-time job in a fast-food
restaurant. I used to _______________ (serve) food to customers. It
_______________ (be) quite an interesting experience though.
Kent: I _______________ (think) you _______________ (want) to
_______________ (become) an athlete. You _______________ (be) the
champion in many running races in our secondary school. Back then, you
_______________ (will not/hang) out with us while Sports Days
_______________ (come).
Paul: Well, those _______________ (be) the old days. Everyone
_______________ (have) to make a living and _______________ (plan)
for your future, especially when you _______________ (live) in Hong
Kong. The cost of living keeps _______________ (go) up and everything
_______________ (get) more expensive.
3. Paula: Dad, can we _______________ (get) some ice-cream
tomorrow?
Dad: I _______________ (be) afraid you can’t. Even if you ask mom, she
_______________ (not/allow) you to eat ice-cream in winter. Last year,
you _______________ (have) too much ice-cream and you
_______________ (get) sick very often.
Paula: I _______________ (not/eat) ice-cream for a long time. I hope
summer _______________ (come) soon. I really love _______________
(eat) lychee ice-cream.
Dad: Let’s _______________ (eat) hotpot instead. Both you and your
mom enjoy _______________ (have) hotpot for dinner.
4. Liz: Would you like _______________ (join) our barbecue party this
coming Saturday? It _______________ (be) fun.
Joyce: I’d _______________ (love) to but I _______________ (travel) to
the United States on that day. My mom _______________ (book) our
flight tickets already.
5. Sally _______________ (study) after she _______________ (finish)
her homework every day. She _______________ (play) badminton with
her friends every Wednesday. However, she _______________ (not/be)
very good at playing at it. Right now, she _______________ (try) her
best to learn everything she can to measure up with her friends.
6. Would you mind _______________ (fix) the air-conditioner? It
_______________ (not/work).
7. How long _______________ Maggie _______________ (live) in
Australia? She _______________ (leave) Hong Kong in 2009. She and her
family _______________ (live) there for 10 years.
8. Hurry up! Our movie _______________ (begin)at 7:05pm.
9. Mom: _______________ you _______________ (tidy) your bedroom
and _______________ (pack) your school bag before you
_______________ (go) to bed last night?
Lucas: Yes, I _______________ (do). I _______________ (put) everything
back to the places where they _______________ (belong).
Mom: Look at your room! Everything _______________ (be) still in a
mess! Your shoes _______________ (be) on your bed and your chinchilla
_______________ (eat) your worksheets! You should always
_______________ (keep) your bedroom clean. How many times
_______________ your dad _______________ (tell) you about the
importance of hygiene?
Lucas: Sorry, mom. But I _______________ (do) the washing up and
_______________ (throw) away the trash already. Can you
_______________ (forgive) me and _______________ (give) me a
chance?
10. Two years ago, Sara _______________ (be) a lazy girl. She
_______________ (not/work) hard at school or at home. She
_______________ (not/pay) attention to any teachers during lessons.
She even _______________ (send) messages to her friends under her
desk. This year, Sara _______________ (be) a diligent girl. She
_______________ (finish) her homework once she gets back home. She
_______________ (not/watch) TV for a long time. Sometimes she even
_______________ (wash) all the dishes in the kitchen. She is so different
now.
11. _______________ (be) there any amusement parks 50 years ago?
No, there _______________ (be) any amusement parks 50 years ago.
12. Sandy forgot _______________ (bring) her textbook and notebook
when she _______________ (go) to Miss Chan’s lesson. She
_______________ (promise) Miss Chan that she would pack all the
things she needed one day before the lesson.
1. left; arrived; greeted; is lining; are pushing; will have
Use Past Simple for completed actions this morning.
Use Present Continuous for actions happening "at present."
Use Future Simple for "in ten minutes."
2. met; talked; have... been; started; has been; had; serve; was; thought; wanted;
become; were; wouldn't hang; were coming; were; has; plans; live; going; is getting
Use Past Simple for the story background.
Use Present Perfect (have been) for "How long" regarding a current state.
Past Perfect (had) shows a job held before training.
Used to + infinitive for past habits.
Present Continuous (is getting) for changing trends.
3. get; am; won't allow; had; got; haven't eaten; comes; eating; eat; having
Will/Won't for future predictions.
Past Simple for "last year."
Present Perfect (haven't eaten) for a period of time leading up to now.
The hope rule, eg. I hope it rains tomorrow.
Gerunds (-ing) follow verbs like *enjoy/love*.
4. to join; will be; love; am traveling; has booked
Would-like rule + to
Present Continuous (am traveling) is often used for fixed future arrangements.
Present Perfect (has booked) indicates an action completed recently with a present
result.
5. studies; finishes; plays; isn't; is trying
Use Present Simple for daily routines/habits.
Use Present Continuous for what she is doing "right now."
Section 6
6. fixing; isn't working
"Mind" is followed by a Gerund (-ing).
Use Present Continuous for a current state of the machine.
7. has... lived; left; have lived
Present Perfect for duration (10 years).
Past Simple for a specific point in time (2009).
8. begins / is beginning
Use Present Simple for fixed schedules (movie times).
9. Did... tidy; pack; went; did; put; belong; is; are; is eating; keep; has... told; have
done; thrown; forgive; give
Past Simple for "last night."
Present Simple for things that are true now (the mess).
Present Perfect (has told) for repeated actions in an unspecified time.
10. was; didn't work; didn't pay; sent; is; finishes; doesn't watch; washes
Contrast between Past Simple (two years ago) and Present Simple (this year/habits).
11. Were; weren't
Past Simple of 'to be' for "50 years ago."
12. to bring; went; promised; would pack
"Forgot" takes an infinitive.
Use Future-in-the-past (would) for a promise made in the past.