ANNEE ACADEMIQUE 2025 – 2026

GENERAL ENGLISH - TUTORIALS

PREPA S1

TENSES

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE, SIMPLE PRESENT, PRESENT PERFECT, PRESENT PERFECT

PROGRESSIVE, SIMPLE PAST
Task: Put the verb in the correct form, present progressive or simple present :
1. Are you hungry ? (You / Want) something to eat ?
Are you hungry ? Do you want something to eat ?
2. Don’t put the dictionary away. I ____________ (use) it.
3. Don’t put the dictionary away. I ____________ (need) it.
4. Who is that man ? What ___________ (he / want) ?
5. Who is that man ? Why ______________ (he / look) at us ?
6. Bello says that he is 80 years old ; but nobody ___________ (believe) him.
7. She told me her name ; but I ____________ (not / remember) it now.
8. I _________ (think) of selling my car. Would you be interested in buying it ?
9. I ___________ (think) you should sell your car. You _________ (not / use) it very often.
10. Air ________ (consist) mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
Task: Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them where necessary :
1. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. _________ OK
2. The water boils. Can you turn the cooker off ? _________ is boiling.
3. Look ! That man tries to open the door of your car. _________
4. Can you hear those people ? What do they talk about ? _________
5. The moon goes round the earth in about 27 days. _________
6. I must go now. It gets late. _________
7. I usually go to work by car. _________
8. ‘’Hurry up ! It’s time to leave.’’ ‘’OK. I come.’’ _________
9. Paul is never late. He’s always getting to work on time. _________
10. They don’t get on well. They ‘re always arguing. __________

Task: Complete the sentences with the following verbs in the correct form:
get happen look lose make start stay try work
1. ‘’You (work ) hard now.’’ ‘’Yes, I have a lot to do’’
‘’You are working hard now.’’ ‘’Yes, I have a lot to do.’’
2. I ___________ for Farida. Do you know where she is?
3. It ___________ dark. Shall I turn on the light?
4. They don’t have anywhere to live at the moment. They _ with friends until they find somewhere.
5. Things are not so good at work. The company _________ money.
6. Have you got an umbrella ? It _________ to rain.
7. You _________ a lot of noise. Can you be quieter? I ___________ to concentrate.
8. Why are all these people here ? What _________?

Task: Complete the sentences. Put the verb into the correct form, affirmative or negative :
1. It was warm, so I ______ off my coat. (take) → It was warm, so I took off my coat.
2. The film wasn’t very good. I ______ it very much. (enjoy) → The film wasn’t very good. I
didn’t enjoy it very much.
3. I knew Saratou was very busy, so I ________ her. (disturb)
4. The bed was very uncomfortable. I ________ very well. (sleep)
5. The window was open and a bird _________ into the room. (fly)
6. The hotel wasn’t very expensive. It ________ very much. (cost)
7. I was very tired, so I _________ the party early. (leave)
8. I was in a hurry, so I ______ time to phone you. (have)
9. It was hard carrying the bags. They ______ very heavy. (be)

Task: Complete the sentences using the following verbs :

cause(s) connect(s) drink(s) live(s) open(s) speak(s) take(s)
1. Kadidja ______ Spanish very well.
2. I don’t often _______ coffee.
3. The swimming pool ______ at 7.30 every morning.
4. Bad driving ______ many accidents.
5. My parents ______ in a very small flat.
6. The Olympic Games _____ place every four years.
7. The Panama Canal ________ the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Task: Put the verb into the correct form :

1. Julie ________ (not / drink) tea very often.
2. What time ______ (the banks / close) here ?
3. I’ve got a computer ,but I _______ (not / use) it much.
4. ‘’Where ______ (Martin / come) from ?’’ ‘’He’s Scottish.’’
5. ‘’What _______ (you / do) ? ‘’I’m an electrician.’’
6. It _______ (take) me an hour to get to work. How long ______ (it / take) you ?
7. Look at this sentence. What __________ (this word / mean) ?
8. Tchiwaké isn’t very fit. He _________ (not / do) any sport.

Task: Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form :
buy - catch – cost - fall – hurt - spend – sell – teach – throw - write
1. Mozart ____ more than 600 pieces of music. → Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
2. Question : How did you learn to drive ? Answer : My father ____ me.
3. We couldn’t afford to keep our car, so we ________ it.
4. That boy ____ down the stairs this morning and ______ his leg.
5. Abdel ____ the ball to Kader, who ________ it.
6. Samira __ a lot of money yesterday. She __ a dress which _____§ 100.
Task: Write questions with ‘’HOW LONG’’ and ‘’WHEN’’ :
1. It’s raining. (how long ?) → How long has it been raining ?
(when / start?) → When did it start raining ?
2. Laraba is learning Japanese. (how long / learn ?) → _____________
(when / start ?) → ______________
3. I know Dan Ladi. (how long / you / know ?) → ___________________
(when / you / first / meet ?) → _________________
4. Mariam and Nasser are married. (how long ?) → ________________
(when ?) → _________________

Task: Complete the following sentences using since or for:

1. We've been fishing .... ..two hours.
2. I've been working in this office …… a month.
3. They've been living in France ……2002.
4. He has been in prison ... a year.
5. I've known that ... a long time.
6. That man has been standing there ... six o'clock.
7. She has worn the same hat ... 1975.
8. Things have changed ... I was a girl.
9. The kettle has been boiling ... half an hour.
10. We've been waiting ... half an hour.

Task: Put the verb into the more suitable form, present perfect or present perfect progressive:
1. Somebody _____________ (break) that window.
2. You look tired. ______________ (you / work) hard ?
3. ‘’ ______________________ (you / ever / work) in a factory ?’’ ‘’No, never.’’
4. ‘’Nana is away on holiday.’’ ‘’Is she ? Where ___________ (she / go) ?
5. My brother is an actor. (He / appear) ____________ in several films.
6. ‘’Sorry I’m late. ‘’ ‘’That’s alright. _________________ (I / not / wait) long.
7. ‘’Is it still raining ? ‘’ ‘’No, _____________________ (it / stop).’’
8. ______________ (I / lose) my address book. ____________ (you / see) it ?
9. _____________ (I / read) the book you lent me, but ________ (I / not / finish) it yet. It’s very
interesting.
10. __________ (I / read) the book you lent me, so you can have it back now.

Task: Read the situations and write sentences. Use the following verbs :
arrive - break - fall - go up - grow - improve - lose
1. Abdoul is looking for his key. He can’t find it. He has lost his key.
2. Mary can’t walk and her leg is in plaster. She _____________________
3. Last week the bus fare was 5,000 F. Now it is 6,000 F. The bus fare ______________
4. Maria’s English wasn’t very good. Now it is better. Her English ___________________
5. Malami doesn’t have a beard before. Now he has a beard. He ___________________
6. This morning I was expecting a letter. Now I have it. The letter ___________________
7. The temperature was 20 degrees. Now it is only 12. The ________________________

RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Task: Complete the following sentences using the appropriate relative pronoun: who, whom,
which, whose, or of which
1. The cell phone ___ Mariam bought is very performant.
2. Animals ____ eat grass are not carnivorous.
3. He is the personality ____ picture is on the $ 100 bill.
4. I’ve just met the woman ____ Mummy talked to me about.
5. The table ____ legs were broken yesterday is being repaired now.
6. An architect is a person ____ designs buildings.
7. The house the windows ______ are made of glass belongs to my cousin.

Task: Combine the sets of sentences to make one using the appropriate relative pronoun: who,
whom, which, whose, or of which
1. That film won the first prize of the competition. It was produced by Global Pictures.
The film ____________________________________________ the competition.
2. This little girl is the top of the class. She is sitting under the mango tree.
The little girl __________________________________________ of the class.
3. Those parents are very happy. Their daughter received a special prize from the First Lady.
The parents ____________________________________________ very happy.
4. Penicillin is one of the best antibiotics. It was discovered by Fleming at random.
Penicillin ___________________________________________ best antibiotics.
5. The cell phone is the most expensive I’ve ever seen. Its camera is very performant.
The cell phone _____________________________________I’ve ever seen.

Task: Correct some of the following sentences using who or that:

1. The doctor lives in that flat is the best cardiologist in the country.
2. Have you cashed the money your uncle sent you?
3. What is the best thing has ever happened to you?
4. The women prepared those delicious cakes are professional bakers.
5. The women we hired to prepare the cakes for the party are professional bakers.
6. What have you done with the money you received yesterday?
7. What happened to the computer was in this room?
8. Who’s the best football player you’ve ever known?

Task: Transform the following sentences using a relative pronoun + preposition:

e.g. Latex is the substance rubber is made from.
→ Latex is the substance from which rubber is made.
1. Are these the books you were looking for?
2. We couldn’t go to the wedding we were invited to.
3. I like the people I work with.
4. What’s the name of the hotel you told me about?
5. He didn’t get the job he applied for.
6. Who’s that man I saw you with in the restaurant?
7. Bello is a good person you can rely on.
8. The party we went to last night wasn’t very enjoyable.

Task: Choose the appropriate relative pronoun in each of the following sentences:

1. A load-bearing wall is a wall that / where supports a vertical load as well as its own weight.
2. An architect is someone whose / who draws up plans for buildings and other structures.
3. An unheated building, a cellar or a basement are examples of places which / where are often
damp.
4. Manufacturing takes place in factories when / where finished products are made.
5. Marconi was the scientist who / whom first received signals across the Atlantic.
6. You are invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday which / when details of the project will be
discussed.
7. The company has opened a new workshop where / which engineering parts will be produced.
8. The operations manager, whom / whose office is on the first floor, is dealing with the problem.

COMPARATIVES / SUPERLATIVES
Task: Complete the sentences using the comparative of equality as follows:
1. I am quite tall, but you are taller. I am not __________________
I am not as tall as you.
2. My grade is high, but yours is higher. My grade isn’t _________
3. It’s cold, but it was colder yesterday. It isn’t ________________
4. I still feel quite tired, but I felt a lot more tired yesterday. I don’t ____
5. You spent much money, but I spent more money than you. You didn’t _________
6. There are 1,000 spectators at the stadium today, but there were 2,000 yesterday. There aren’t
________ yesterday.
7. You know a little about electricity, but I know more. You don’t _____.

Task: Put the words in parenthesis in their correct forms to make correct comparative or
superlative sentences:
1. My cell phone is as (expensive) my friend’s. 2. Does he drive so (carefully) Omar?
3. Maradi is far (large) than Tessaoua. 4. She is (intelligent) daughter in the
family.
5. Our school has (many) students as CSP Voltaire. 6. This is (high) building in the city.
7. 17/20 is (good) grade I’ve ever gotten in English. 8. Is it (bad) film you’ve ever watched?
9. This bucket contains (much) water than that can. 10. Niamey is a lot (big) than Paris.
11. This cell phone is very very cheap. It is (expensive) I’ve ever seen.

Task: Complete the sentences making correct comparative sentences using the degree given:
1. Malami’s illness was ______________ we thought at first. (much / serious)
→ Malami’s illness was much more serious than we thought at first.
2. This bag is too small. I need another that is __________ it. (much / big)
3. I am afraid the breakdown is ______________ it seems. (a lot / complicated)
4. It was very hot yesterday. Today it’s ________ (a little / cool)
5. We enjoyed our visit to the museum. It was ___ I expected. (far / interesting)
6. You’re driving too fast. Please, could you drive _______ ? (a bit / slowly)
7. I thought Laraba is younger than me, but, in fact, she’s ____ (slightly / old)

Task: Make correct superlative sentences following the example:

1. Room 27 is a very good room. It is __________ room in the hotel.
It is the best room in the hotel.
2. This restaurant is very cheap. It is ________ in the town.
3. Monday, March 8th was a very happy day. It was ________ in my life.
4. She’s a very intelligent student. She’s _________ of the class.
5. Spring is a very busy time for me. It is _________ of the year.
6. Goga is a very dangerous criminal. He is _________ in the country.
7. It was a very fascinating holiday. It was ___________ I’ve ever spent.

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