Table of Contents

The Simple Present Tense 1

EXERCISE 11
A. Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets. 1
B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the words in
the brackets. 1
C. Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets. 1
D. Answer the following questions with the help of word or words in the brackets. 2
The Present Continuous Tense 3
EXERCISE 23
A. Answer the following questions with the help of the word or words in the brackets. 3
B. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present continuous tense of the verbs
in the brackets. 3
The Simple Present and Present Continuous Tenses 4
EXERCISE 34
A. Fill in the blanks with the simple present and the present continuous tenses of the verbs in the
brackets. 4
B. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple present and the present
continuous tenses of the verbs in the brackets. 4
The Simple Past Tense 5
EXERCISE 45
A. Fill in the blank spaces  with the past tense of the verbs given. 5
B. Fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the brackets. 6
C. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the brackets.
7
D. Fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the brackets. 7
E. Answer the following questions using the word or words given in the brackets. 8
F. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple past and the past continuous
tenses of the verbs in the brackets. 8
The Past Continuous Tense 9
EXERCISE 59
A. Fill in the blanks with 'was' or 'were'. 9
B. Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 9
C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in
the brackets. 10
The Simple Past and Past Continuous Tenses 10
EXERCISE 610
 A. Fill in the blanks with the past tense and the past continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets.
10
B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple past and the past continuous
tenses of the verbs in the brackets. 11
The Present Continuous Tense and Past Continuous Tense 11
EXERCISE 711
A. Fill in the blanks with the present continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 11
B. Fill in the blanks with the simple present and the present continuous tenses of the verbs in the
brackets. 12
C. Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 12
The Present Perfect Tense 13
EXERCISE 813
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets. 13
B. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets. 13
C. Fill in the blanks with  the past tense or the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets.
14
D. Fill in the blanks with  the correct form of verbs in the brackets. 14
E. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets. 15
F. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the
brackets. 15
G. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets. 16
H. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense or the present perfect tense of the verbs in the
brackets. 16
I. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the
brackets. 17
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense 17
EXERCISE 917
A. Underline the present perfect continuous tense in the following sentences. 17
B. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 18
C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the
verbs in the brackets. 18
D. Underline the present perfect continuous tense in the following sentences. 18
E. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 19
F. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the
verbs in the brackets. 19
The Simple Future Tense 20
EXERCISE 10 20
A. Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs in the simple future tense. 20
 B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple future tense of the verbs in the
brackets. 20
Prepositions 21
EXERCISE 11 21
A. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences. 21
B. Fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions. 21
C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 22
D. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences. 22
E. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 23
F. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions.
23
G. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences. 24
H. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 24
I. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 25
Prepositions - 'at', 'on' and 'in' with reference to time 25
EXERCISE 12 26
A. Fill in the blanks with 'at', 'on' or 'in'. 26
B. Answer the following questions using 'at', 'on' or 'in' and the word/words given in the brackets.
26
C. Read the following dialogue. Then fill in the blanks with 'on', 'at' or 'in'. 27
Prepositions of place 27
EXERCISE 13 27
A. Fill in the blanks with 'on', 'in', 'under', 'between', 'behind', 'to', 'from' or 'at'. 27
B. Answer the following questions using suitable prepositions and word/words given in the brackets.
28
C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 28
Prepositions of time 29
EXERCISE 14 29
A. Fill in the blanks with 'on', 'in', 'at', 'from', 'to', 'for' or 'since'. 29
B. Answer the following questions using 'at', 'on', 'in', 'from', 'to', 'for' or 'since' and the word/words
given in the brackets. 30
C. Read the following passage. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. 30
Prepositions - indicating movement or direction 31
EXERCISE 15 31
A. Underline the correct prepositions. 31
B. Fill in the blanks with 'across', 'along', 'to', 'through' or 'into'. 32
C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'along', 'across', 'into', 'to' or
'through'. 32
Either...or and Neither...nor 32
EXERCISE 16 33
A. Fill in the blanks with 'either ... or' or 'neither ... nor'. 33
B. Join the sentences using 'either ... or' or 'neither ... nor'. 33
C. Read the following dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'either ... or' or 'neither ... nor'.
34
Passive Voice 35
EXERCISE 17 35
A. Fill in the blanks with the passive form of the verbs in the brackets. 35
B. Rewrite these sentences by changing them into the passive voice. Leave out the words in bold.
36
C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the passive form of the verbs in
the brackets. 36
Reported Speech 37
EXERCISE 18 37
A. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Change the pronouns where necessary. 37
B. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Make all necessary changes. 38
C. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Make all necessary changes. 38
Conjunctions 39
EXERCISE 19 39
B. Join the following sentences using suitable conjunctions. 40
C. Read the following dialogue. Then fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. 40
D. Underline the correct words in the brackets. 41
E. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. 41
F. Join the following sentences using the conjunctions given in the brackets. 42
G. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. 42
Adjectival Clauses 43
EXERCISE 20 43
A. Fill in the blanks with 'who' , 'whose', 'whom' or 'which'. 43
B. Fill in the blanks with adjectival clauses with the help of word/ words given in the brackets.
43
C. Join the following pairs of sentence using 'who', 'whom', 'whose', or 'which' to replace the words
in bold. 44
D. Join the following pairs of sentences using 'who', 'which', 'whom' or 'whose'. Leave out the words
in bold. 44
E. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'who', 'which', 'whom' or 'whose'. 45
Adverb Clauses 45
EXERCISE 21 46
 A. Join each pair of sentences with the words given in the brackets. 46
B. Complete the sentences with suitable adverb clauses provided in the box. 46
C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable adverb clauses
provided in the box. 48
Test 1  (40 Marks) 49
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 49
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 49
C. Underline the correct verbs in the brackets. ( 1 mark each) 49
D. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 50
Test 2   (40 Marks) 51
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 51
B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in the brackets.
(1 mark each) 51
C. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 51
D. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 52
E. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. (1 mark each) 52
Test 3  (40 Marks) 53
A. Rewrite the following sentences into the Passive Voice. Leave out the words in bold. (2 marks each)
53
B. Rewrite the following in reported speech. (2 marks each) 53
C. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 53
D. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 54
E. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. (1 mark each) 54
Test 4  (40 Marks) 54
A. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in the brackets.
(1 mark each) 54
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each) 54
C. Rewrite the following sentences into the Passive Voice. (2 marks each) 55
D. Rewrite the following into reported speech. (2 marks each) 55
The Simple Present Tense
The Simple present tense

The present simple is used to talk about:

• a fact that is always true
• a current situation
• a habitual action 
***Don’t forget to adjust the subject and verb. ***
Examples
a. My cousin has brown eyes. ( a fact that is always true)
b. I live in a flat near the city Centre. ( a current situation)
c. I sometimes stay up till midnight. ( a habitual action)

EXERCISE 1 

A. Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 You _____ (look) tired. Do you want to have a rest?
2 Mother _____ (go) to the market every morning.
3 I _____ (be) happy that you can come.
4 The singers _____ (sing) very sweetly.
5 Shumei _____ (talk) too much.
6 _____ (Do) she wake up early in the morning?
7 Mr Lu _____ (work) from nine to five every day.
8 Does the dog _____ (bite) strangers?

B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the
words in the brackets.
Mrs. Li (1)_____ (own) a large coffeeshop. There are some footstools in the
shop. The stalls (2)_____ (sell) roti-prata, chicken rice and satay. Mrs Li (3)_____
(make) sure that the tables, chairs and floor (4)_____ (be) always kept clean. The
workers who (5)_____ (work) here are neat and polite. They (6)_____ (serve) the
customers well. As such, many people (7)_____ (come) to this coffeeshop.
What is the secret behind Mrs Li's success? She (8)_____ (treat) her workers
well and her workers (9)_____ (treat) the customers well. The customers, therefore,
(10)_____ (like) to come to Mrs Li's coffeeshop.
C. Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 The baby _____ (cry) loudly whenever it is hungry.
2 I _____ (be) glad that you _____ (has) come.
3 Milan always _____ (finish) her work on time.
4 Cocks _____ (crow); an ape _____ (gibber).
5 The teacher _____ (believe) in all he _____ (say).
6 The naughty boy always _____ (tease) his baby brother.
7 My father _____ (leave) home at 6 o'clock every morning.
8 Nobody _____ (like)Henry. He always _____ (cause) a lot of
trouble.
9 We often _____ (visit) our grandparents who _____ (live) in Brazil.
10 "_____ your mother _____ (go) to market every morning?" "Yes,
she _____." (do)
11 Neither Jane nor Mary _____ (enjoy) the show.
12 Our servant _____ (come) from the Philippines.
13 The workers _____ (know) how to repair the machines.
14 My sister _____ (be) very hardworking. She _____ (study) every
night.
15 One of the girls _____(sing) very well.

D. Answer the following questions with the help of word or words in the brackets.
Eg - What does a florist sell? (flowers)
A florist sells flowers.

1 What music does Henry like to listen to? (classical)

2 How often does Mrs Wang go to the supermarket? (twice a week)
3 Where do the men park their cars? (behind the building) 
4 Where does the Tan family live? (in the kampong)
5 Where do they go every day? (church)
6 What does Devi like to do? (sew dresses)
7 How often does Mr Li clean his shoes? (every day)
 8 What does Ahmad do every morning? (read the newspaper)
9 What does a cobbler do? (mend shoes)
10 Where do the children deposit their money? (in the bank)
11 How much does Ali get a day? ( a dollar)

The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense

The present continuous is used to talk about:

• an activity that is happening now
• a temporary activity 
• a planned future arrangement.

Examples
a. Treasa can’t answer the phone; she is having a bath. ( an activity that is happening
now)
b. I am living  with friends until I find a place of my own. ( a temporary activity )
c. We are meeting at 1:00 p.m. outside the restaurant. (  a planned future arrangement)

EXERCISE 2 

A. Answer the following questions with the help of the word or words in the brackets. 
1 Eg - What is the hunter doing? (aim/gun/tiger)
The hunter is aiming his gun at the tiger.

1 What are the children doing? (colour/pictures)

2 What is Miss Li doing? (correct/books)
3 What is Jane doing? (fill/flask/water)
4 What are the workers doing? (build/bridge/river)
5 What are you doing? (write/letter/pen friend)
6 What is the servant doing? (polish/floor/wax)
 7 What are those people doing? (watch/roadside show)

B. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present continuous tense of
the verbs in the brackets.
( Mr Lin rings the door bell. Mary comes out. As she does not know Mr Lin, she does not
open the door).
Mary :  Who (1)_____ you _____ (look) for?
Mr Lin :  I (2)_____(look) for Mrs. Lu Sulan. May I know whether she (3)_____ (live)
here?
Mary :  She's my mother. May I know who you are and why you (4)_____ (look) for
her?
Mr Lin :  I am just a delivery man. I (5)_____ (work) for the Yummy Cakeshop. I  
(6)_____ (deliver) a box of cakes?
Mary :  Why (7)_____ you _____ (send) my mother a box of cakes?
Mr Lin :  Oh, I'm not the one who (8)_____ (send) your mother the box of cakes. The
sender is Mrs Tan who (9)_____ (live) in the next block. Her daughter   (10)_____
(get) married soon. Do you mind opening the door?
Mary :  I'm sorry I can't open the door because my mother isn't in.
Mr Lin :  In that case, can I pass you the box of cakes through the window?
Mary :  Oh sure! Thank you very much.
Mr Lin :  Thank you and Bye!

The Simple Present and Present Continuous Tenses

EXERCISE 3

A. Fill in the blanks with the simple present and the present continuous tenses of the verbs
in the brackets.
1 My father _____ (read) the newspaper daily. He _____ (read) it
now.
2 The cleaners _____ (sweep) the building now.
3 I always _____ (write) to my pen pal. I _____ (write) to her now.
4 My mother _____ (clean) the floor now. She _____ (clean) it four
times a week. 
5 The students always _____ (listen) to their teachers.
 6 Many _____ (study) now. She always _____ (study) in the evening.
7 We _____ (help) our teachers now. We _____ (help) them every
day.
8 The dog often _____ (bark) and it _____ (bark) now.
9 I _____ (visit) my grandmother frequently and I _____ (visit) her
now.
10 The cock _____ (crow) every morning. It _____ (crow) now.

B. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple present and the
present continuous tenses of the verbs in the brackets.
Ali : Hassan, I have never seen that man before. Who (1)_____ (be) he and
  what (2) _____ he _____(do) here?
Hassan: I (3) _____ (not know). But I (4)_____ (think) he (5)_____ (look) for
  something. He may have lost something.
Ali : But he (6)_____ (look) suspicious to me. Probably he is a robber and he
(7)_____ (study) the area closely. Look! He (8)_____ (come) towards us. I
(9)_____ (think) we better run.
Hassan: Wait, Ali. Let's see what he (10) _____ (want) from us.
Man : Hello, boys, I (11) _____ (be) sorry to bother you but I've lost my way. Is
this place Jurong East?
Ali and Hassan : Yes, sir. Which block (12) _____ you _____(look) for?
Man : I (13) _____ (look) for Block 222. I (14)_____(seem) not to be able to find
the block.
Hassan : Oh, the block (15)_____(be) further down the road. You can't see it
  from here.
Man : No wonder I couldn't find it. Thanks for your help.
Ali and Hassan : You're welcome.

The Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense

The simple past is used to describe:

• a completed action in the past ( the time is usually mentioned or
implied)
• actions that happened one after the other in the past.
 • past habits or repeated actions in the past ( often used with
adverbs of frequency)

Examples
a. My sister passed the matriculation examination in 2014. ( a completed action in the
past)
b. I had my lunch and then took a walk for about ten minutes. ( actions that happened
one after the other in the past)
c. She usually borrowed two or three books from the library every week when she was
at the university. ( past habits or repeated actions in the past)

EXERCISE 4

A. Fill in the blank spaces with the past tense of the verbs given.
1 wake           
2 drop
3 keep
4 make
5 go
6 read
7 carry
8 write
9 bring
10 teach
11 bite
12 catch
13 drive
14 freeze
15 know
16 shut
17 buy
 18 think
19 add
20 put

B. Fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 My father _____ (visit) US last year.
2 My uncle _____ (move) to a new house last week.
3 Mary and Helen _____ (be) at the concert last night.
4 I _____ (hear) the bad news yesterday.
5 The hawkers _____(not sell) vegetables yesterday.
6 He _____ (be) a good student when he was in school.
7 The singers _____ (arrive) by air last night.
8 _____ he _____(paint) the picture?
9 They _____ (take) many photographs when they were in China last
year.
10 We _____ (feel) tired after a long walk. 
11 The mean children _____ (laugh) at the poor beggar.
12 Yesterday, the teacher _____ (give) us a lesson on how to behave
ourselves.
13 Mr Chen _____ (fly) to England last night.
14 He _____ (ring) the bell when he _____ (reach) the house last
night.
15 The dentist _____ (show) us how to brush our teeth just now.

C. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the
brackets.
Mrs Lu :  Mary, (1)_____ anyone _____ (look) for me when I was out?
Mary :  Yes, a man (2)_____ (come) by just now. He (3)_____ (say) he was from the
Yummy Cakeshop. As you weren't in, he (4)_____ (leave) a box of cakes  behind.
Mrs Lu :  A box of cakes! Whose could it be?
Mary : The man (5)_____ (tell) me that the cakes were from Mrs Tan who lives in the
  next block.
Mrs Lu : Oh, yes! I remember now. I (6)_____ (hear) that Mrs Tan's daughter is getting
married soon. (7)_____ you _____ (open) the door to that man, Mary?
Mary : No, I didn't. I (8)_____ (apologize) to him and (9)_____ (explain) that I couldn't
open the door because my mother wasn't in. I also (10)_____ (thank) him for delivering
the cakes.

D. Fill in the blanks with the past tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 We _____ (meet) them at the cinema last Monday.
2 David and Henry _____ (be) absent yesterday.
3 The clumsy boy _____ (knock) down a vase just now.
4 Mrs Lan _____ (take) her son to school this morning.
5 I _____ (buy) a dress yesterday.
6 Siti _____ (answer) the question.
7 The shop-owner _____ (sound) the alarm.
8 Mother _____ (shut) the windows before going to bed last night.
9 The police _____ (catch) the man yesterday but they _____(let)
him off this morning because they had no evidence against him.
10 My hands and feet _____ (shake) when I _____ (walk) up the stage
just now.
11 Mr and Mrs Dai _____ (leave) for Japan yesterday.
12 Aidah _____ (wake) up late this morning.
13 The boys _____ (do) their work carelessly.
14 The bus _____ (reach) the depot at two yesterday.
15 _____ David _____ (receive) a letter yesterday?

E. Answer the following questions using the word or words given in the brackets.
Eg - How did you go to school this morning? (walk)
I walked to school this morning.

1 What happened to the man while he was working? ( fall off the
building)
2 When did the burglar break into my neighbor’s house? (last night)
3 When did they go swimming? (Yesterday afternoon)
 4 What did the miser do just now? (count his money)
5 Whom did you speak to just now? (the teacher)
6 What happened to the lazy boy in the end? (fail)
7 What did the defeated soldier do? ( shoot himself)
8 Where did the passer-by carry the injured motorist? ( to his car)
9 What did Meilan do all yesterday afternoon? ( accompany her
grandmother)
10 What did the spoilt girl do in her anger? ( throw the dress at her
parents)
11 Why did Mingming's mother cane him? ( for telling lies)

F. Read the dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple past and the past
continuous tenses of the verbs in the brackets.
One night, Mr Muthu (1)_____ (wake) up because he (2)_____ (hear) the baby
coughing. He was shocked to find the room full of smoke. An oil-lamp (3)_____ (lie) on
the floor, and the curtains (4)_____ (burn)! Quickly he (5)_____ (wake) his wife. "Fire!"
While Mr Muthu (6)_____(shout) for help, his wife (7)_____(pick) up the baby and
running out of the house.
Mr Muthu (8)_____(try) to pull down the curtains when he (9)_____(burn) his
hands. When the flames (11)_____(know) it was impossible for him to put out the fire.
So he (12)_____(snatch) up a few things and (13)_____(run) out of the house. All the
neighbors (14)_____(come) to help. While they (15)_____(pour) buckets of water on the
house, a young man (16)_____(cycle) to a telephone booth to call the Fire Brigade.

The Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense 

The past continuous is used:

• to describe an action in progress at a specific moment in the past.
• to convey the idea that the action in the past continuous started
before the action in the simple past and probably continued after it.
• to describe parallel actions in the past
***Verbs such as feel, find, hear, see, smell, sound and taste are not used in the
progressive when they refer to the action of the senses.***

Examples
a. At seven o’clock last night I was watching TV. (an action in progress at a specific
moment in the past)
b. When I arrived, Ko Ko was talking on the phone. (the action in the past continuous
started before the action in the simple past)
c. Were you listening while he was talking? (Parallel actions in the past)

EXERCISE 5

A. Fill in the blanks with 'was' or 'were'.

1 We _____ watching television when the lights went out.
2 The students _____ quarrelling when the teacher walked in.
3 What _____ you doing all yesterday afternoon?
4 Mary _____ helping her mother in the kitchen just now.
5 I _____ studying when I heard a noise
6 While the teacher _____ writing on the blackboard, the pupils
_____ copying down the notes.
7 It _____ raining heavily this morning.
8 When the phone rang, she _____ having her dinner. 
9 The servant _____ cleaning the room just now.
10 At this time yesterday, the surgeon _____ performing an operation
on the sick man.

B. Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 The dentist _____ (pull) out Mary's bad tooth just now.
2 While Mother _____ (cook) dinner, her apron caught fire.
3 The children _____ (read) quietly when their parents returned.
4 My brother and I _____ (do) our homework when our uncle came.
5 I _____ (eat) my lunch when something unusual happened.
6 The baby _____ (cry) when its mother was in the kitchen.
7 The sun _____ (shine) when we woke up.
8 Our neighbors _____ (sleep) when the burglar broke in.
9 Mrs Wu was shocked to find that her diamond ring _____ (miss).
 10 "Who _____ (talk) so loudly in class just now?" asked the teacher.

C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the
verbs in the brackets.
One morning, as I (1)_____ (walk) to school, I saw an old man. He
(2)_____ (sit) by the side of the road and he (3)_____ (cry). I asked him what was
wrong with him. He did not answer but continued to cry. So I asked him where he
(4)_____ (stay). He told me that he didn't know where he (5)_____ (stay). I didn't
understand him so I asked him how I could contact his relatives. Then he told me that
his only son had abandoned him.
"We (6)_____ (move) to a new house this morning," said the old man
sadly. "On our way, my son stopped the car and told me to step out. He then drove
away."
Upon hearing this, I (7)_____ (feel) very angry. I brought the old man to
the nearest police station and reported the incident. Then, realizing that I was very late,
I ran to school. As I (8)_____ (run), I (9)_____ (think) about the old man and his sad
story.
When I reached my class, our teacher (10)_____ (give) the class a lesson
on 'Remember Our Elders'. When my teacher asked my why I was late, I told him the
whole story. He then said that my story provided the best example for his lesson.

The Simple Past and Past Continuous Tenses

EXERCISE 6

A. Fill in the blanks with the past tense and the past continuous tense of the verbs in the
brackets.
1 We _____(eat) when somebody _____(knock) at the door.
2 The Wang family _____(sleep) soundly when the burglar
_____(break) in.
3 While I _____(do) my homework, my sister _____(play) the piano.
4 Mrs Tan _____(shop) when she _____(meet) her old friend.
5 My mother _____(switch) on the lights as it _____(get) dark.
6 As he _____(feel) cold, he _____(sit) near the fire.
7 The boys _____(do) their work when their uncle _____(arrive).
8 We _____(meet) Ali and John when we _____(play) in the field.
 9 The lion _____(yawn) when the hunter _____(take) his aim.
10 Yesterday, I _____(visit) my friend who _____(suffer) from cancer.

B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple past and the past
continuous tenses of the verbs in the brackets.
Siti, Devi and Meilan (1)_____(be) good friends until something (2)_____
(happen) one day. 
That day, Siti and Devi (3)_____(talk) when somebody (4)_____(step) into the
room. The two girls (5)_____(run) round and were shocked to see their friend, Meilan.
Milan (6)_____(stand) just behind them. Siti and Devi could see that Meilan
(7)_____(fume) with anger. They (8)_____(know) that Meilan had heard what they
(9)_____(talk) about. They immediately (10)_____(start) to apologize but Meilan
(11)_____(stop) them by saying that it wasn't necessary. She (12)_____(tell) them that
they (13)_____(say) something about her that weren't true. She further (14)_____(add)
that from then onwards she would no longer consider them as her friends. With that,
she (15)_____(step) out of the room. 
Both Siti and Devi felt very ashamed of themselves for they (16)_____(spread)
rumors about their best friend.

The Present Continuous Tense and Past Continuous Tense

EXERCISE 7

A. Fill in the blanks with the present continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 Siti _____(not feel) well, is she?
2 "_____ you _____(read) the newspaper when I come in?" asked
John.
3 Mr. and Mrs. Tan and their children _____(go) to the circus now.
4 "What _____ you _____(look) for?" asked Mary. "I _____ (look) for
my purse," replied Nancy.
5 We _____ (wave) to our friends at the airport.
6 The bus drivers _____(argue) among themselves.
7 Mr. Gan _____(paint) his house now.
8 The woman _____(carry) the baby while she _____(prepare) the
milk.
9 The gardener _____ (weed) the garden.
10 The class of pupils _____(listen) to the teacher.
B. Fill in the blanks with the simple present and the present continuous tenses of the verbs
in the brackets.
Eg - They _____ every day. They _____ now. (sing)
They sing every day. They are singing now.

1 The waitresses _____ the customers now. They _____ them every
day. (serve)
2 I _____ everyday and I _____ now. ( read)
3 The dog _____ its tail whenever it sees its master. It _____ its tail
now. ( wag)
4 My sister _____ on a trip yearly and she _____ on one now. ( go)
5 The servant _____ out the clothes to dry. She _____ them out
every morning. ( hang)

C. Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 While Mrs Lin _____ (cook), Mr Lin _____(water) the plants.
2 I _____ (quarrel) with my sister when my father came home.
3 The workmen _____ (repair) the road all day yesterday.
4 It _____ just _____ (begin) to rain when we reached home.
5 The servant _____ (sweep) the floor when the doorbell rang.
6 While the teacher _____ (explain), the girls _____. (talk)
7 The cook cut his finger while he _____ (chop) the meat.
8 When we saw Mr Su, he _____(weed) the garden.
9 What _____ you _____ (do) just now?
10 I _____ (cycle) home when it started to rain.

The Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense

The present perfect [ has/have + V-ed/-en ] is used to speak or write about: 

• Completion of an activity 
 • Experience
• Continuity of an activity ( which began sometime in the past but
continues up to the present )

Examples
a. I have done my homework. 
She has had her lunch. ( completion of an activity )
b. I have been to LA twice. 
She has seen him before. ( experience)
c. I have lived in Egypt for more than 50 years.
Olivia has been in that job since 2010. ( continuity of an activity)

 
EXERCISE 8

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets.
1 The boys have _____(eat) the cake.
2 I have _____(finish) my homework.
3 Miss Guo has _____(teach) in this school for two years.
4 Has David _____(leave) his house yet?
5 Mary has _____ (wash) the dishes.
6 They have just _____(wake) up.
7 The fire has _____(destroy) the houses.
8 He has _____(spend) all his money. Now he is dead broke.
9 The naughty boys have just _____(break) the window pane.
10 The women have not _____ (work) for more than a year.

B. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 _____ you _____ (hear) from John after all these months?
2 Meimei _____ just _____(have) a nightmare.
3 Janet _____ (study) French for more than a year.
4 I _____(keep) quiet for more than an hour.
 5 The principal _____ already _____(make) the announcement.
6 I _____ already _____ (write) to my aunt.
7 I _____ (switch) on the fan. It will be cooler now.
8 _____ you _____ (return) the book to the library?
9 My mother _____(change) her mind about going out tonight.
10 John _____(forget) to paste a stamp on the envelope before
posting the letter.

C. Fill in the blanks with the past tense or the present perfect tense of the verbs in the
brackets.
Eg - 1. My father bought a car last month. (buy)
2. They have completed their homework. (complete)

1 The floor is clean now. Miss Chen _____ it. ( just sweep)
2 The boys _____ themselves at the party last night. ( enjoy)
3 Mother _____ the clothes. ( wash)
4 My brother _____ his bicycle yesterday. ( repair)
5 We _____ our breakfast. Now we are ready to go to school. (just
have)
6 I _____ my work yet. ( not finish)
7 The soldiers _____ across the river last night. (swim)
8 Mrs Gan _____ Mary a dress. Mary is wearing it now. (just buy)
9 Wenfu and Wenchong _____ a kite. ( just make)
10 Lily _____ the mirror in her room this morning. (break)
11 The cage is open. The lion _____ ( escape)
12 Let's go now. We _____ for him long enough. (wait)
13 Yesterday, we _____ to the hospital to visit our friend, Ali. ( go)
14 Don't worry! We _____ the problem for you. ( solve)
15 Last night, Mr Li _____ a burglar and _____ him to the police.
( catch, hand)

D. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets.
1 I have accidentally _____ (break) the vase.
 2 John has recently _____ (take) up badminton as a hobby.
3 Has Siti _____ (come) home yet?
4 We have never _____(see) such an unreasonable person before.
5 The mother has just _____(feed) her baby.
6 I have just _____ (boil) the water.
7 She has already _____(bake) the cake.

E. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 I _____ just _____(borrow) three books from Mr Lin.
2 My brother _____ (join) the army.
3 Miss Guo _____ (teach) in this school for ten years.
4 The children _____ just _____ (have) their dinner.
5 _____ you ever _____ (see) a shark?
6 I _____(study) Japanese for quite some time.
7 _____ they _____ (find) the answer to the problem yet?
8 Hassan and I _____ (know) each other for years.

F. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the
verbs in the brackets.
I am a forgetful person. I (1) _____ (lend) Life a book but I (2) _____ (forget) that
she (3) _____ (return) it to me.
Yesterday, when I failed to find my book, I went to Lifen. 
"Lifen, (4) _____ you _____(return) the book I lent you?" I asked.
"Yes, I have," she replied.
"But I cannot find it," I said.
"Probably you (5) _____(misplace) it," she said.
"It cannot be. I (6) _____ (search) everywhere for it," I retorted.
"I'll help you find it," Lifen said.
After searching for some time, Lifen failed to find the book. I began to call her a
liar. Soon a quarrel between us started. At that moment, my younger brother stepped
into the room. In his hand was the book we had been looking for. I began to feel
ashamed of myself.
 "Look! Your brother (7) _____ (take) the book. You (8) _____ wrongly
_____(accuse) me of stealing," said Lifen angrily.
"Oh dear! I (9) _____ (forget) that my brother (10) _____(borrow) the book. I'm
really sorry, Lifen." I began to apologize to Lifen for my bad behavior. Fortunately, Lifen
forgave me.

G. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 Someone _____ (abandon) the baby at the temple steps.
2 The men _____ (return) from a day's work.
3 _____ you ever _____ (see) a real python before?
4 That dog _____(bite) the policeman.
5 All the guests _____(arrive).
6 Ali's father _____ just _____ (leave) for Indonesia.
7 Somebody _____ (contribute) generously to the orphanage.
8 They _____(buy) the tickets for the show.
9 The baby _____ just _____(wake) up.
10 The boy _____ just ____(break) the school rules.
11 _____ you _____(complete) your work?
12 The landlords _____(reduce) the monthly rental of the houses.
13 The policemen _____ (arrest) the thieves.
14 _____ John _____ (obtain) permission to leave the classroom?
15 The heavy rain _____ (flood) the village.

H. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense or the present perfect tense of the verbs in
the brackets.
1 Someone _____ (break) the vase which Mr Chen _____(buy) last
month.
2 The men _____(drive) to work. They _____(not drive) to work
yesterday.
3 The businessman _____ (fail) in his business. He _____ (declare)
bankruptcy this morning.
4 My father _____(go) out. He _____(leave) an hour ago.
5 _____ you _____(see) that show? We _____ (see) it yesterday.
 6 I _____ (lose) my purse. I think I _____ (drop) it in the bus just now.
7 The farmer _____ (purchase) the seeds last week. He _____
already _____ (sow) them.
8 _____ you _____ (hear) about the escaped panther? It _____
(escape) from the zoo last night.
9 What _____ (happen) to Mary? I _____(not see) her for days.
10 I _____ (grow) many orchid plants in my garden. I _____ (give) a
few of them to my uncle last week.

I. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the
verbs in the brackets.
(1) _____ you _____(hear) about the 'yeti'? It (2) _____ been _____(say) that
this terrifying, hairy giant roams across the remote, desolate ranges of Mount Everest.
For years, travelers and scientists (3) _____(try) to discover more about it. Some people
(4) _____ (call) it the 'abominable snowman'. It has many names but the question is
--does it really exist?
It is believed that the yeti (5) _____ been _____ (see) by many men. But so far it.
(6) _____(manage) to avoid direct scientific observation. Travellers to Tibet like Willian
Rockhill and Major Waddel (7) _____ (discover) large footprints in the snow. Some
travellers like Eric Shipton (8) _____ even _____(take) a series of excellent
photographs of the enormous footprints to certify the yeti's existence. But as no yeti (9)
_____ ever been _____(capture), doubts of its existence still remain although every
expedition to the Himalayas (10) _____(bring) back fresh clues of the yeti's existence.

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense

The present perfect continuous [ has/have + been + V-ing ] is used to speak or write
about:
• something that has been in progress throughout a period
• continuity of an activity ( which happened over a period of time in
the past but continues up to the present) 

Examples 
a. She has been typing all day.
We have been walking around all the morning. That’s why we’re so tired. ( something
that has been in progress throughout a period)
b. Johnathan has been working in Nissan Company since 2010. ( continuity of an
activity)

Notes : Verbs like learn, lie, live, rain, sit, sleep, stand, study, wait, work, etc. naturally
suggest continuity ( as in: I have been working here since 2009)
• We use the present perfect to emphasize the result of an action.
• We use the present perfect continuous to emphasize the duration
of an action.
Eg - I’ve called him three times this morning.
       I’ve been calling him since 9 o’clock.

He has been drawing pictures for years.

I have been reading books since the age of five.
Mr Lin has been saving up his money for five years.
The child has been sleeping since three o'clock this afternoon.

EXERCISE 9

A. Underline the present perfect continuous tense in the following sentences.

1 John has been working with the company for ten years.
2 They have been fishing since eight o'clock this morning.
3 I have been reading for more than five hours.
4 She has been learning the piano since the age of five.
5 Mr Yao has not been feeling well recently.
6 Mr and Mrs Lin have been traveling since they retired a year ago.
7 Has she been looking after her parents lately?
8 Meilan has been playing with her rabbit for hours.
9 My mother has been nagging me since this morning.
10 The laborers have been working since five o'clock this morning.

B. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets.
1 My friend, Muthu, _____ (study) for two years in the States.
2 The boys _____ (sunbathe) since eleven this morning.
 3 My brother _____ (practice) the violin for more than two hours.
4 Mr Chen _____ (teach) us since we were in Primary One.
5 The two neighbors _____ (quarrel) for several year.
6 The voluntary workers _____ (help) the needy since January this
year.
7 _____ you _____ (wait) for me since two o'clock this afternoon.
8 The old man _____ (suffer) from pain for several years.
9 The child star _____ (act) since the age of four.
10 The zoo officials _____ (hunt) for the runaway panther for days.

C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous
tense of the verbs in the brackets.
I (1) _____ (learn) swimming for three years and Mr Gan (2) _____ (coach) me
all these years. Recently, I (3) _____ (train) extremely hard for the coming swimming
competition and Mr Gan (4) _____ (give) me extra lessons. Both of us (5) _____ (work)
very hard for this competition. If I succeed, I would have achieved what I (6) _____
(hope) to achieve all these years.

D. Underline the present perfect continuous tense in the following sentences.

1 That man has been living in Singapore for the past fifteen years.
2 The woman has been washing clothes since this morning.
3 We have been cleaning our house for two weeks.
4 The singers have been performing ever since they came to
Singapore.
5 I have been writing the essay for almost two hours.
6 Ahmad and Ismail have been playing the guitar for the past hour.
7 My grandmother has been telling me the same story for years.
8 Our neighbour's dog has been barking since last night.
9 The girls have been practicing for the concert for a month.
10 John has been watching television since seven o'clock.

E. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs in the brackets. 
1 The river _____(flow) under the bridge for years.
2 The popular film star _____ (answer) fan letters since this morning.
 3 It _____ (rain) all night.
4 They _____ (take) their time in their work.
5 The directors _____ (discuss) urgent business matters for hours.
6 _____ you _____ (live) here for long?
7 The students _____ (waste) a lot of time talking.
8 Mr Su _____ (teach) in the school for years.
9 What _____ Jane _____ (do) since she left school two years ago?
10 I _____ (sleep) for the past hour.

F. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the present perfect continuous
tense of the verbs in the brackets.
David (1)_____ (study) hard ever since he came to Primary Six. His tutor, Mr Lin,
(2)_____ (tutor) him all this while. Both Mr Lin and David's parents (3)_____ (strive)
hard for one goal, that is for David to pass the Primary Six Leaving Examination with
flying colors. David's parents (4)_____ (hope) that their only son would make it to a
prestigious secondary school. David himself, however, (5)_____ (think) of entering an
average secondary school. But his parents and tutor (6)_____ (pressurize) him to
achieve good results. Thus David (7)_____ (suffer) all this months from pressures
applied to him by both his parents and tutor. He (8)_____ (not enjoy) the life of a normal
student. How long can he withstand such pressures and how well will he do in the end?
Well, it's too early to tell.

The Simple Future Tense

The future tense

The future tense [ will + V-inf ] is used to speak or write about:

• what we think or believe will happen
• decision made at the present time

Examples
a. You will fail if you don’t study.
He will tell you when he gets here.
What will happen when it is too hot? ( what we think or believe will happen)
b. The room is stuffy. I will turn on the fan.
I’m hungry. I will make myself a sandwich or two.
I don’t want to see him. So I won’t come to the party tomorrow. ( decision made at the
present time)

EXERCISE 10

A. Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs in the simple future tense.
1 Do hurry or you _____ the bus.
2 I _____ loyal to my country.
3 _____ you _____ a cup of tea?
4 Ali is in hospital. We _____ him tomorrow.
5 _____ I _____ him with his work?
6 Your shoes are dirty. _____ you _____ them?
7 He has insulted me. I swear I _____ never _____ to him again.
8 Peter _____ a letter to his pen pal tonight.
9 What _____ the children _____ if they lose their parents?
10 We _____ never _____ people who spread rumours.

B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the simple future tense of the
verbs in the brackets.
As astronauts have already landed on the moon, a journey to the moon by all
mankind on the earth (1)_____ (not sound) that impossible. One day, ordinary man
(2)_____ (make) the journey to the moon. What an experience that (3)_____ (be)!
It (4)_____ (not be) dangerous. We (5)_____ (have) to lie down when taking off,
of course. The rocket (5)_____ (start) very slowly but then it (7)_____ (accelerate)
rapidly until it reaches its top speed. After that it will be safe to move about inside the
rocket. When we reach the moon, we (8)_____ (wear) special clothes because of the
great heat and cold. Perhaps we (9)_____ (find) people living there and the moon
(10)_____ (not be) as lonely and as lifeless as it is now.

Prepositions 
EXERCISE 11

A. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences.

1 John is afraid (of, on, in) the dog.
 2 Mr Gan wrote some words (in, on, of) the blackboard.
3 I am going (to, in, after) school by bus.
4 The soldiers fought (on, against, in) their enemies.
5 The number '12' comes (before, between, after) the number '11'.
6 I can't see the blackboard because the tall boy sits (behind, in front
of, beside) me.
7 Mother poured the building water (into, on, under) the flask.
8 I can't afford to buy this watch because it costs (below, under,
above) two hundred dollars.
9 Mrs Tan bought a big fish (by, at, for) the market.
10 Raju sits (between, against, beside)

B. Fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions.

1 They met _____ three o'clock sharp yesterday afternoon.
2 Please handle this vase _____ care.
3 The boy is sitting _____ the bench.
4 He is interested _____ stamp collecting.
5 The boat sailed _____ the bridge.
6 The nurse took care _____ the old man.
7 The car crashed _____ a tree.
8 The boy tripped _____ a stone and fell.
9 My pen is different _____ yours.
10 Ali is hiding _____ the door.
11 Guohua is hiding _____ the big tree.
12 The robbers darted _____ of the building when they heard the
police siren.
13 Mr Su tiptoed quietly _____ the room and went to bed.
14 The soldiers swam _____ the river to the opposite bank.
15 The bird flew into the room _____ the window.

C. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
 A hunter sent his dogs (1) _____ a bear and they quickly chased it (2) _____ of
the bushes. Although the bear was a big one, it was full (3) _____ energy. It ran round
the farm twice, followed (4) _____ the dogs. At one point, the dogs almost caught the
bear but it jumped (5) _____ a fence, rushed (6) _____ a field and managed to escape
(7) _____ the moment. Then it came (8) _____ a place where a bridge carried the
railway line (9) _____ a stream. Instead of jumping (10) _____ the water,  the bear
rushed wildly across the bridge and (11) _____ the railway line which led (12) _____ the
nearest town.

D. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences.

1 My sister is weak (in, about, on) her mathematics.
2 We saw a giant bird flying (under, across, over) the house.
3 That brave man is not afraid (off, for, of) death.
4 Traveling (on, by, in) car is certainly more convenient than traveling
(on, by, in) a bus.
5 Don't whisper (on, in, to) yourself. We can't hear you.
6 The police ran (after, by, through) the robbers who ran (through,
across, under) the field.
7 The children are fighting (among, with, against) themselves again.
8 The tunnel is too small. Don't crawl (under, in, through) it.
9 Mingzhong has a habit of standing with his back (in, against, under)
the wall.
10 Mr and Mrs Lin were worried (after, in, about) their children's safety.

E. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

1 Is this the watch you are looking _____?
2 There's a crowd _____ there. What are the people looking _____?
3 I don't know what Mary is thinking _____ but she seems to be
worried _____ something.
4 David came to look for you the day _____ yesterday.
5 I saw a man sitting _____ the tree just now.
6 People who are successful never do their work _____ haste.
7 Miss Chen is fond _____ music.
8 My uncle is coming to New York _____ plane.
 9 They went for a show _____ a hard day's work.
10 There's somebody hiding _____ the door.
11 The post office is two kilometers _____ my house.
12 Lifen poured some boiling water _____ the flask.
13 If the watch costs _____ fifty dollars, I won't buy it.
14 The boy sitting _____ John and Alice is Ali.
15 Please call _____ me whenever you are free.

F. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the suitable
prepositions.
In the past, animals in the zoos are kept (1) _____ cages. Visitors are not
allowed to touch or go (2) _____ them. Today, however, zoos are different. The
animals, except the very dangerous ones, are allowed to loiter (3) _____ freely (4)
_____ large, open spaces. Low walls and ditches sometimes full (5) _____ water, are
used to prevent them (6) _____ escaping. Thus the animals are happier and the visitors
can see them better.
The Singapore Zoological Garden (7) _____ Seletar is a good example (8) _____
a modern zoo. The orang utan enclosure, for example, has been described as the best
in the world. During the daytime, the orang utans are enclosed only (9) _____ a low
wall, and visitors can shake hands (10) _____ them if they wish to.

G. Underline the correct prepositions in the following sentences.

1 The police sent their dogs (in, after, on) the thief.
2 What did you do (during, in, on) the holidays?
3 Mother bought ten kilograms (in, on, of) rice this morning. She also
bought a comb (in, of, on) bananas.
4 What are the girls arguing (of, about, in)? They seem to be angry
(on, in, over) something.
5 Many people were killed (on, of, during) the terrible war.
6 Singapore is one (of, in, on) the islands (on, in, beside) South-east
Asia.
7 The doctor advised him to eat plenty (with, of, across) fruits and
vegetables.
8 I toured England (in, on, during) my holidays last year.
9 A flock (in, of, under) birds just flew (under, on, over) the buildings.
 10 The coffee-shop famous (in, on, for) its coffee is (about, of, near)
three kilometers (under, from, on) my house. 

H. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

1 "What have you done _____ my absence?" the teacher asked her
class.
2 "There is plenty _____ food around. Please help yourselves," the
hostess said _____ her guests.
3 I really don't know what to do _____ the long December holidays.
4 John sits _____ my left while Ali sits _____ my right. I therefore sit
_____ John and Ali.
5 When you make a promise, make sure you stick _____ it. Never go
back _____ your word.
6 The two countries have fought _____ each other for years.
7 John is the cleverest _____ all of us.
8 Mary is looking _____ in the dictionary for the meaning of words.
9 The students are forbidden to run _____ the corridor.
10 I can't agree _____ you on this subject.
11 My father is resting _____ a tree.
12 We often play football _____ the holidays.
13 There is plenty _____ warm water in the flask.
14 "Alice, you must not quarrel _____ your sister _____ a small
matter," said Mr Chen.
15 The accused was found guilty _____ murder and was sentenced
_____ death.

I. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
A look (1) _____ the early map (2) _____ the mouth (3) _____ the Singapore
River reveals a wealth (4) _____ historical information. The river was a pirate hideout
(5) _____ the days before Stamford Raffles landed. Skulls unearthed (6) _____ its
banks are signs (7) _____ pirate activity. (8) _____ the river's mouth was a Malay
village and further upstream a floating settlement of Orang Laut or sea gypsies.
Once the British declared Singapore a free port, trading activities thrived. Ships
called, then immigrant workers arrived. Ships carrying merchandise anchored (9) _____
the harbor while sampans ferried the goods (10) _____ the vessels (11) _____ the river
banks. The sheltered banks provided a loading and unloading place in the absence of
wharfs (12) _____ the sea front. Soon, godowns multiplied (13) _____ the banks of the
river.
In the 1860s, the Suez Canal was opened and steamships came into being. The
lighterage facilities (14) _____ the Singapore River were of little use to the steamships,
which required wharfs (15) _____ faster cargo handling (16) _____ their short stay. A
larger volume (17) _____ cargo then went (18) _____ the docks (19) _____ Tanjong
Pagar. But soon the wharfs there could not cope (20) _____ the expanding business,
and activity (21) _____ the Singapore River picked (22) _____ once again.

Prepositions - 'at', 'on' and 'in' with reference to time

(1) The meeting will be held at three o'clock this afternoon.
(2) I have an English class on Tuesday.
(3) My mother wakes up early in the morning.

EXERCISE 12

A. Fill in the blanks with 'at', 'on' or 'in'.

1 We don't go to school _____ Sundays.
2 We must always be punctual means we must always be _____
time.
3 I shall be seeing Hassan _____ six this evening.
4 Mr Tan usually comes home late _____ night.
5 The actor is arriving _____ Thursday.
6 We have a long holiday _____ December.
7 That lazy boy usually wakes up late _____ the morning.
8 We won't wait for you if you're not ready _____ ten minutes.
9 We arrived at the station _____ noon.
10 Ali's father is leaving Nepal _____ the end of the year.

B. Answer the following questions using 'at', 'on' or 'in' and the word/words given in the
brackets. 
Eg - When is your computer course starting? (Monday)
My computer course is starting on Monday.
 1 When was Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles? (1819)
2 When do you celebrate your National Day every year? ( the ninth of
August)
3 When did he ask you to meet him? (noon)
4 When did the Second World War come to an end? (1945)
5 When is the show starting? (nine tonight)
6 When is the market almost crowded with people? (Sundays)
7 When will he be free? ( an hour's time)
8 When will they arrive? (midnight)
9 When is your birthday? ( the first of May)

C. Read the following dialogue. Then fill in the blanks with 'on', 'at' or 'in'.
Ali : Hassan, where are you going to so early (1) _____ the morning?
Hassan : I'm going to school.
Ali : (2) _____ a Saturday?
Hassan : Yes Ali. I have my ECA (3) _____ Saturdays. What about you?
Ali : No, my ECA falls (4) _____ a school day. Do you enjoy going to school on
Saturdays?
Hassan : I hate it. I've to wake up early (5) the morning (6) _____ six o'clock and
prepare for school. I prefer to wake up (7) _____ a later hour.
Ali : Hassan, there's a football match tonight (8) _____ seven o'clock. Do you want
to come along?
Hassan : Where will it be held?
Ali : It will be held at the National Stadium.
Hassan : I'll come with you. I wouldn't want to miss it.
Ali : Okay, I'll wait for you (9) _____ six this evening. Please be (10) _____ time. I
don't want to be late.
Hassan : Don't worry, I'll be there. See you then. Bye!
Ali : Bye! 

Prepositions of place 
       in        on        under        behind        between       from       at
  
EXERCISE 13

A. Fill in the blanks with 'on', 'in', 'under', 'between', 'behind', 'to', 'from' or 'at'.
1 The fish is swimming _____ the water.
2 When we say that somebody is sunbathing, we mean that he is
lying _____ the sun.
3 Michael was hiding  _____ the door when we entered the room. He
wanted to give us a fright.
4 My sister is living _____ France now.
5 The couple is going _____ New Zealand for their honeymoon.
6 When you make a sardine sandwich, you place some sardine
_____ two slices of bread.
7 Meiling lives _____ 111-L, Clementi West.
8 Kowloon is _____ Hong Kong.
9 The Universal Post Office is situated _____ the corner of Universal
Road.
10 Mr Tan, his children and grandchildren live _____ the same roof.

B. Answer the following questions using suitable prepositions and word/words given in the
brackets.
Eg - Where were you born? (Germany)
I was born in Germany.

1 Where is your father going tomorrow? ( France)

2 Where was Mr Aidan last night? ( a business function)
3 Where is Bangkok? (Thailand)
4 Where is John living? (Blk 500, Ang Mo Kio, #02-23)
5 Where does rubber grow well? (Malaysia)
6 Where did the man fall from? ( the roof)
7 Where was Ali hiding? ( a tree)
8 Where did the police find the stolen jewel? ( the carpet)
 9 Where is the school situated? (5 Princess Avenue)
10 Where did the archer aim his arrow? ( the target)

C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
I was take (1) _____ the Field Security Force headquarters (2) _____ Balmoral
Road, where I was kept in custody. That evening a Chinese boy told me to follow him. I
followed (3) _____ him and he brought me (4) _____ the dining room. Major Isaac, the
Officer Commanding Field Security, smiled and directed my attention (5) _____ the
table where two places had been laid for dinner. Most of the food came (6) _____ tins
but it was tasty enough.
During the meal I asked the major when I would be returned (7) _____ Changi.
He told me there was no hurry. He said so many petitions on my behalf had been
received, some (8) _____ the highest sources, that my case was being considered.
Meanwhile, I could stay (9) _____ Field Security. I said I would like to do that and asked
if I could have some clothes and books sent (10) _____ Jurong and he said he would
arrange for this. I requested that my wife be informed that I was safe.

Prepositions of time
        on         in           at         from          to         for         since

EXERCISE 14

A. Fill in the blanks with 'on', 'in', 'at', 'from', 'to', 'for' or 'since'.
1 The match will start _____ four o'clock this afternoon.
2 He is attending class _____ Sundays.
3 My birthday is _____ the month of May.
4 They were to meet _____ Wednesday _____ three o'clock in the
afternoon.
5 The meeting ended _____ seven o'clock _____ the night.
6 The baby slept _____ three o'clock _____ five o'clock _____ the
afternoon.
7 Mary has been absent from school _____ three days.
8 National Day in Singapore is _____ the 9th of August.
9 We shall be meeting Rama _____ six this evening.
10 Meiling has been practicing the piano _____ this morning.
 11 How is your sister? I have not seen her _____ a long time.
12 The principal is giving a speech _____ ten minutes' time.
13 The boys have been playing football _____ two hours.
14 Mr Zhong died _____ the age of sixty. He had been suffering from
cancer _____ two years.
15 Janet has been working _____ she left school two years ago.

B. Answer the following questions using 'at', 'on', 'in', 'from', 'to', 'for' or 'since' and the
word/words given in the brackets.
Eg - When will the meeting be held? ( nine o'clock tomorrow morning)
The meeting will be held at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.

1 When is Labour Day? ( the first of May)

2 When did you meet John? ( a party last December)
3 When have the girls been skipping? ( two hours)
4 When does she usually work? ( nine to five)
5 When did Alicia start to collect stamps? ( the age of six)
6 When did the Second World War come to an end? ( 1945)
7 When did Mr Sun withdraw his money? ( the last moment)
8 When did they finish the test? ( half an hour)
9 When will the actor arrive? ( midnight)
10 When can the artist complete his painting? ( an hour's time)

C. Read the following passage. Then fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
(1) _____ the 14th of May (2) _____ the year 1976, a milkmaid entered Edward
Jenner's office. She had a bad case of cowpox.
As Jenner examined the girl's condition, the voice of the now dead John Hunter,
one of the greatest scientific investigators of all times under whom Jenner had studied,
was in his ears. "Don't think! Try!" He had been thinking (3) _____ fourteen years.
Surely it was time to try!
His thought were interrupted by the sounds of shouts and laughter. He looked out
of the window. The caretaker's children were playing in the garden outside his office.
James, the eldest, was a healthy-looking boy of eight. Jenner watched the child (4)
_____ a moment, then went to the door and called, "James! Will you step in here (5)
_____ a few minutes, please?"
 (6) _____ that time onwards, one of the most significant events in history was
accomplished by the milkmaid, the boy and the country doctor. Jenner took some
cowpox germs and scratched them into the arm of the boy, James. This was the first
vaccination.
James developed a mild case of cowpox. Then (7) _____ the first of July, Jenner
inoculated him with infectious matter from a smallpox victim. As expected, nothing
happened to James. Thus Jenner discovered a vaccination to prevent smallpox and (8)
_____ then there is no part of the world that has not taken up vaccination.

Prepositions - indicating movement or direction

(1) Do not run across the road.
(2) The runners are running along the tracks.
(3) The boy swam towards the shore.
(4) The soldiers crawled through the tunnel.
(5) The cat fell into the monsoon drain.

EXERCISE 15

A. Underline the correct prepositions.

1 The girl was looking (in, into, on) the mirror.
2 They were running (along, on, in) the bank of the river.
3 The clumsy girl was constantly bumping (on, about, into) things.
4 Part of my route to school runs (of, in, along) the main road.
5 The man walked (on, into, up) the house.
6 Please walk (above, across, below) the overhead bridge.
7 John walked slowly (at, towards, into) the door, and then went out.
8 You can only reach the building (in, through, from) the front gate.
9 The dreamy girl walked right (on, of, into) an open drain.
10 They kicked the ball so hard that it flew right (on, up, into) the room
(through, by, on) the window.

B. Fill in the blanks with 'across', 'along', 'to', 'through' or 'into'.

1 School is over and the students are putting the books _____ their
bags.
 2 Do you know the way _____ the nearest post-office?
3 The boys swam _____ the river.
4 Running _____ the corridor is strictly forbidden.
5 They are building a road _____ that garden.
6 My aunt returned _____ Malaysia by train.
7 My mother boiled some water and poured it _____ the flask.
8 Look! That girl is diving _____ the swimming pool.
9 The burglar entered the house _____ the window.
10 The boy looked _____ the well and saw his own reflection.

C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'along', 'across', 'into',
'to' or 'through'.
One afternoon as we were walking (1) _____ a busy road, we saw an old
man trying to walk (2) _____ the road (3) _____ the opposite side. Probably he
wasn't aware of the traffic rules. When the 'red man' was on, he tried to cross the
road but instead walked right (4) _____ the path of an oncoming taxi. Fortunately, the
taxi driver stopped his car on time. But the poor old man received a good telling off
from the angry driver. We decided to help the old man, so we walked (5) _____ him. 
We offered him our hand and helped him (6) _____ the road. He looked grateful and
thanked us. Then we parted company and we saw him disappear (7) _____ the thick
crowd of people.

Either...or and Neither...nor

Either … or and Neither … nor

The correlative conjunction, ‘either … or’ has a positive meaning and is used to offer a
choice between two things.

Examples
a. You can either meet me at home or at the office.
b. Either mum or dad will come to pick you up this afternoon.

The correlative conjunction, ‘neither … nor’ has a negative meaning and is used to
negate both parts of a statement. It means not one and not the other.

Examples
a. Neither the blue blouse nor the red one is available in size 4.
b. I will neither call you nor send you a message after midnight.

(1) You have a choice. You can have either coffee or tea.
(2) I want neither coffee nor tea because I don't like both.

EXERCISE 16

A. Fill in the blanks with 'either ... or' or 'neither ... nor'.
1 You can have _____ this blouse _____ that one but you can't have
both.
2 Jane is _____ late _____ early. She has arrived on the dot.
3 The hawker is allowed to sell _____ 'laksa' _____ 'fried noodles'.
He can't sell both.
4 That man is deaf and dumb. He can _____ hear _____ talk.
5 You may have _____ coffee _____ tea. They are the only hot
drinks sold here.
6 You can borrow _____ this book _____ that one but you can't take
both.
7 She must have kept her money _____ in the drawer _____ under
her pillow.
8 _____ Mr Chen _____ Mr Wei attended the meeting yesterday
because they were both sick.
9 _____ you _____ Alice must have borrowed it.
10 She can wear _____ this dress _____ that one because they are
too small for her.

B. Join the sentences using 'either ... or' or 'neither ... nor'.
Eg - I don't like durians. I don't like mangoes.
I like neither durians nor mangoes.

1 He wants to be a businessman. He wants to be a lawyer.

2 Suli was not absent from school yesterday. Meilan was not absent
from school yesterday.
 3 She can have the pen. She can have the pencil.
4 You have not been to Switzerland. I have not been to Switzerland.
5 Jane cannot sing well. Jane cannot dance well.
6 Wenfu visited his aunt in June. Wenfu visited his aunt in July.
7 Ravi does not have a car. Sam does not have a car.
8 You may put the table in this room. You may put the table in that
room.
9 Siti cannot cook. Siti cannot sew.
10 The boy wants to buy a toy train. The boy wants to buy a toy
aeroplane.

C. Read the following dialogue carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'either ... or' or
'neither ... nor'.
Waiter : Good morning, sir. What would you like for breakfast?
Mr Brown : Tell me what I may have and then I'll tell you what I want.
Waiter : You may have (1) _____ a cup of tea _____ a cup of coffee.
Mr Brown : I like (2) _____ tea _____ coffee. I would like a glass of orange juice
instead. 
Waiter : You may have (3) _____ toast _____ porridge for your breakfast.
Mr Brown : I would like some toast and eggs.
Waiter : You may have (4) _____ butter _____ jam for your toast.
Mr Brown : I would like both.
Waiter : You may have (5) _____ hard boiled _____ soft boiled eggs.
Mr Brown : I like (6) _____ hard boiled _____ soft boiled eggs. I prefer fried eggs
with (7) _____ salt _____ pepper on them.
Waiter : But, sir, your eggs would be tasteless.
Mr Brown : I will (8) _____ have my eggs fried without salt and pepper _____ have no
eggs at all. 
Waiter : Yes, sir. Your order will be ready in five minutes.

Passive Voice 
Simple Present : The table is made of wood.
                             The plants are watered every morning.
Simple Past       : The vase was broken  yesterday.
                              The thieves were caught  this morning.
Future                :  The grass  will be cut soon.
                              Prizes will be given to winners.
Present Perfect :  A picture has been painted.
                              The mice have been killed.

EXERCISE 17

A. Fill in the blanks with the passive form of the verbs in the brackets.
1 The floor _____ by the servant. ( has swept)
2 Sometimes the fingers _____ for striking. ( use)
3 The murderer _____ by the police yesterday. ( arrest)
4 Dinner _____ by Mother every day. ( prepare)
5 The tiger _____ by the hunter. ( has shot)
6 The work _____ by him in a week's time. ( will finish)
7 Nowadays, bowls, dishes and many other household goods _____
of plastic. ( make)
8 A letter _____ to Blair tomorrow. ( will write)
9 The sweets _____ among the boys. ( has shared)
10 A warning _____ out yesterday. ( send)

B. Rewrite these sentences by changing them into the passive voice. Leave out the words in
bold.

Eg - (1) We have taken the books.

             The books have been taken.
        (2) Mary feeds the dog everyday.
             The dog is fed by Mary every day.
        (3) They  will divide the country into districts.
             The country will be divided into districts.
 1 The man tore the letter.
2 I have sold the car.
3 People will soon forget the incident.
4 The police have arrested the thieves.
5 She decorates the house.
6 Mr Xin grows orchids in his garden.
7 They have kept us waiting for hours.
8 They kicked the ball into the goal.
9 I have just posted the letter.
10 They will settle the bill next week.

C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the passive form of the
verbs in the brackets.
Tricks (1) _____ (perform) by a magician only when he is sure that what he
needs (2) _____ (has prepare). Let's take a look at the orange and apple trick.
Before this trick (3) _____ (perform), the peel from an orange (4) _____ (has
remove) by the magician himself. Then the peel (5) _____ ( will place) over an apple.
After this (6) _____ (has do), the 'orange' (7) _____ (will show) to the audience who will
believe that it is a real orange.
The audience (8) _____ (will tell) by the magician that he has discovered how to
change an orange into an apple using magic. After placing a cloth over the 'orange', he
will wave his magic stick over it. Then the cloth (9) _____ (will pick) up after making
sure that he is holding the orange peel.
After the cloth, with the orange peel inside it, (10) _____ (has take) away, there is
an apple on the plate. The audience (11) _____ (lead) to think that the orange (12)
_____ ( has change) into an apple.

Reported Speech 
Reported Speech 

• Reported speech is an act of reporting something that was said.

• No quotation marks are used. Study the changes in the verb forms
in the following examples.
 • The present tense is retained when the reported sentence deals
with a general truth: eg- She said that the Earth is round.
• When changing the direct speech to the reported speech, the
following expressions in column A are changed as follows:
Column A Column B
here there
now then
this that
these those
today that day
tonight that night
yesterday the day before / the previous day
ago before
tomorrow the next day / the following day
next month / year the following month / year

Active Voice and Passive voice 

Active Voice Passive Voice

SIMPLE PRESENT Simple Present tense am, is, are + V-ed/-en
SIMPLE PAST Simple Past tense was, were + V-en/-en
PRESENT PERFECT has, have + V-ed/en has, have + been + V-ed/-
en
SIMPLE FUTURE will + V-inf will + be + V-ed/-en

I) WITH NO CHANGE IN TENSE

 (1) John says, "I like to eat mangoes."

      John says he likes to eat mangoes.
 (2) I say, " I have invited Serena to my party."
       I say that I have invited Serena to my party.
II) WITH CHANGE OF TENSE
(1) The children said, "We have done our work."
      The children said that they had done their work.
 (2) He said, "I am reading a book."
       He said that he was reading a book.

EXERCISE 18

A. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Change the pronouns where necessary.
1 He tells me, "My father will buy me a present on my birthday."
2 Mr Lin tells his children, "I shall take you to the circus tomorrow.
3 Meilan says, "My mother cooks dinner every night."
4 The policeman tells the boys, "You must behave yourselves."
5 The fishermen say, "We shall go out to sea tomorrow."
6 Jane says, "I know the answer."
7 Miss Tan says, "I have a lot of work to do."
8 Siti and Aminah say, "We are preparing for the party tomorrow."

B. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Make all necessary changes.
1 The boy told his father, "I have done the work all by myself."
2 Alice said, "I shall visit my grandmother tomorrow."
3 John remarked, "I know that man."
4 The workmen remarked, "We are cutting down the trees."
5 The old man said, "I am dying."
6 The men said, "We have finished our work."
7 The sick woman said, "I want a glass of water."
8 Jack said, "I am happy because I have passed my examination."

C. Rewrite the following into reported speech. Make all necessary changes.
1 They say, "We are going fishing tomorrow."
2 The butler told his master, "All the guests have already arrived and dinner
is going to be served."
 3 The girls said, "Our parents are taking us to the zoo on Sunday."
4 Mary says, "I don't know whether they will come."
5 The boy said, "I have written a letter."
6 The teacher said, "Ali, you have done well."
7 The manager said, "I have made my decision."
8 Janet says, "David is fond of making up stories."
9 They said, "We have weeded the garden."
10 The soldiers swore, "We will fight to the very last man."

Conjunctions 
            and             or            because             if
            but              so            before                after

EXERCISE 19

A. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions.

1 I was late _____ I missed the bus.
2 We shan't wait for you _____ you are late.
3 John is intelligent _____ lazy.
4 He felt tired, _____ he took a rest.
5 The girls are talking _____ eating at the same time.
6 Hand in your books _____ the teacher comes in. He will be angry if
they are not on his table.
7 Should I serve him apples _____ oranges?
8 You will succeed _____ you work hard.
9 Ali was sad _____ he could not go out.
10 You must always think carefully _____ you speak.
11 He didn't come _____ I didn't invite him.
12 You must not leave _____ I come. You must wait for me.
 13 The teacher marked the papers _____ returned them to the pupils.
14 _____ we don't give that man some food, he will die of starvation.
15 Mary was free, _____ she helped her mother with the housework.
16 I waited for him _____ he did not turn up.
17 David arrived at ten o'clock in the morning. Richard arrived thirty
minutes later. Richard arrived _____ David.
18 Is that Alice _____ Alicia? I can't distinguish the twins.

B. Join the following sentences using suitable conjunctions.

Eg - I was thirsty. I drank a glass of water.
I was thirsty, so I drank a glass of water.

1 Megan is a quiet girl. Megan is a timid girl.

2 Mr Tan is old. Mr Tan is healthy.
3 Your teeth will decay. You don't take care of them.
4 The boys played football. They had finished their homework.
5 I can't speak French. I have not studied the language before.
6 Do you want your tuition session on Monday? Do you want it on
Tuesday?
7 David tried his best. He did not succeed.
8 John likes swimming. Mary likes swimming.
9 Switch off the lights. You leave the room.
10 That man is deaf. That man is dumb. He has a good job.

C. Read the following dialogue. Then fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions.
The doorbell rang (1) _____ Ali opened the door. It was Kassim. 
Ali : Oh, it's you, Kassim. Come in, please.
Kassim : I came (2) _____ I heard that you were ill. How are you now?
Ali : Actually it was only a small matter. I ate some dirty food at a hawker's stall,
(3) _____ I had food poisoning. Thanks for your concern. Sorry, Kassim, I've forgotten
to get you a drink. Would you like a hot drink (4) _____ a cold one?
Kassim : Don't bother (5) _____ you aren't feeling well.
Ali : It's all right. I'm okay now. What would you like?
Kassim : I would like a cup of Milo then. Ali, can you tell me what actually happened?
Ali : Sure. Last Wednesday night, I felt hungry, (6) _____ I went to the hawkers'
centre for a plate of 'meh rebus'. I was feeling well (7) _____ I ate the food but (8)
_____ eating the food, I had a stomachache. It became so bad that I had to see a
doctor. I vowed never to eat from that stall again.
Kassim : Well, Ali, it's time for me to leave now. Take care of yourself (9) _____ see
you in school soon.
Ali : Goodbye, Kassim, (10) _____ thanks for coming.

D. Underline the correct words in the brackets.

1 You have to make a choice. You can borrow (either, neither,) this
book (or,  nor) that one.
2 (Or, If, So) you litter the place, you will be fined.
3 I like ( either, neither, prefer) coffee (or, nor, to) tea. I dislike both.
4 They hurried ( and, or, but) they missed the bus.
5 Put on an apron (and, but, or) you will dirty your new dress.
6 Your teeth will decay (if, and, but) you don't take care of them.
7 You have to cook the meat (after, before) you eat it.
8 Have you invited Mr (and, but) Mrs Emily?

E. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions.

1 We watched television _____ we had finished our work.
2 You will improve _____ you work harder.
3 We missed the bus, _____ we had to wait for the next one.
4 Mr Tan is rich _____ unhappy.
5 I like _____ classical _____ pop music. I have no interest in music
at all.
6 Do you like this blue shirt _____ that yellow one?
7 _____ Ali _____ John was absent from school yesterday. They
were both present.
8 You can have _____ fried rice _____ fried noodles, _____ you can't
have both.

F. Join the following sentences using the conjunctions given in the brackets.
 1 Do you want coffee? Do you want tea? (or)
2 The king is not coming. The queen is not coming. ( neither ... nor)
3 She can have the pen. She can have the pencil. She cannot have
both. ( either...or, but)
4 The lady bought some sweets. She gave them to the children.
(and)
5 He visited me yesterday. He did not tell me the news. (but)
6 The girls want to play. They have finished their work. ( after)
7 The pavement was slippery. I walked carefully. ( so)
8 It is difficult to contact him. He is neither here nor there. (because)
9 It was raining. We decided to continue with the game. ( although)
10 You want to use the blunt knife. You must sharpen it. ( if)

G. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions.
The preservation of food is one of man's oldest problems.(1) _____ most of the
methods of preserving food were discovered by repeated experiments, some of the
older methods were stumbled upon quite by the accident. People found out by trial and
error, for example, that fruit would last longer (2) _____ it was boiled with sugar and
made into jam, (3) _____ they did not know why. They also knew that meat would last
longer (4) _____ it was dried or smoked (5) _____ the reason was again not clear. For a
long time nobody understood why food went bad.
Food does not decay by itself. Its decay is caused by the action of small living
things called micro-organisms which are present in the air. The older methods of
smoking (6) _____ drying reduced the number of micro-organisms (7) _____ stopped
them from acting. (8) _____ these methods almost always changed the food itself (9)
_____ that it often looked (10) _____ tasted different. One way of destroying the micro-
organisms completely is cooking. (11) _____ even cooked food can go bad (12) _____
other types of micro-organisms will grow (13) _____ the cooked food is exposed to air.
The invention of modern refrigeration has made it possible for freezing to be used as a
standard method of food preservation. By this method, the change in the taste (14)
_____ appearance of the food is usually very slight (15) _____ even unnoticeable.

Adjectival Clauses 
(1) The soldier who was injured was sent to the hospital.
(2) We attended a course which was very useful.
(3) This is Mrs Tan whose husband is a doctor.
(4) We met the girl whom you told us about.

EXERCISE 20

A. Fill in the blanks with 'who' , 'whose', 'whom' or 'which'.

1 The contestant _____ came in last did not qualify for the finals.
2 That is the man _____ I saw the other day.
3 This is Miss Lin _____ is a teacher.
4 That is the boy _____ dog bit the postman yesterday.
5 The lift, _____ is out of order, is under repair.
6 The manager _____ you came to see is on leave.
7 People _____ are proficient at languages are required by the
company. 
8 This china set _____ is very expensive is fragile.
9 The woman _____ husband passed away was too sad to attend the
burial.
10 Students _____ are members of the class should co-operate with
one another.

B. Fill in the blanks with adjectival clauses with the help of word/ words given in the
brackets. 
Eg - The woman _____ (behind the tree) is my mom.
The woman who is behind the tree is my mom. 

1 This is Alice _____ (student).

2 That is the boy _____ (books were stolen).
3 I am studying in a school _____ (near my house).
4 The teacher _____ ( you talked about) is Mr Su.
5 Have you read the notice _____ ? ( was very important)
6 That man _____ (engineer) is Mr Johnson.
7 That boy _____ (parents have died) is an orphan.
8 The two girls _____ (you saw in the park) are Mr and Mrs Wu's
daughters.
 9 The boy _____ (dog was lost) was very unhappy.
10 Students _____ (work hard) often succeed.

C. Join the following pairs of sentence using 'who', 'whom', 'whose', or 'which' to replace
the words in bold.
Eg - I know Mrs Lin. Her child was lost.
I know Mrs Lin whose child was lost.
1 We hate the killers. They are cruel.
2 Here are the letters. I have just received them.
3 We met the soldiers. Their leader had been killed.
4 That is the singer. We like him very much.
5 I saw the dress. You had described it.
6 Mr Song is a teacher. We truly admire him.
7 This is Mr Muthu. His wallet was stolen yesterday.
8 Jane has an aunt. She lives in New Zealand.
9 This is the nest. The birds have built it.
10 These are cobblers. They mend shoes for a living.

D. Join the following pairs of sentences using 'who', 'which', 'whom' or 'whose'. Leave out
the words in bold. 
Eg - The man is here. He sent you a letter just now.
The man who sent you a letter just now is here.

1 Mrs Tan is my neighbor. She is a seamstress.

2 The medicine was bitter. The doctor had prescribed it for me.
3 Jane is my classmate. Her father is a teacher.
4 The parade passed by here just now. It was organized by the
National Defense Force.
5 Suli will be awarded a prize. She comes out first in the class.
6 The man is my uncle. You talked to him just now.
7 John is very sad. His dog is missing.
8 The woman is a nurse. You talked to her yesterday.
 9 The boys are looked after by their aunt. Their father has passed
away. 

E. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with 'who', 'which', 'whom' or
'whose'.
The van (1) _____ was moving along a bumpy road suddenly screeched to a
halt. The kidnappers (2) _____ removed our blindfolds ordered us out of the van. I
looked around to see where we were. The place (3) _____ looked strange and
unfamiliar was surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. Partly blinded by the trees and
bushes was a wooden hut (4) _____ was surrounded by barbed wire.
Suddenly, the door of the hut was opened. The woman (5) _____ opened it
peered out. She looked first at the van and then at the men (6) _____ she recognized.
She quickly hurried to open the gate (7) _____ was locked. One of the kidnappers then
pushed us along the path (8) _____ was covered with dry leaves. I thought of a way of
escaping but my hands were fastened securely.

Adverb Clauses
(1) I have put it where I can find it again. (PLACE)
(2) You may go home when you have finished your work. (TIME)
(3) He acted as though he owned the house. (MANNER)
(4) I brought a book along so that I could have something to read. (PURPOSE)
(5) I did it because I wanted to. (REASON)
(6) The fire was so destructive that the whole village was destroyed. (RESULT)

EXERCISE 21

A. Join each pair of sentences with the words given in the brackets.
1 It is rude to talk. Your mouth is full. ( when)
2 I was punished. I behave badly. ( because)
3 He drew his sword. He might defend himself. ( so that)
4 He rode. He was a cowboy. ( as though)
5 David worked hard. He passed the examination with flying colours.
( so..that)
6 The dog hid the bone. It could find it. ( where)
7 I have known Joe. He was a little boy. ( since)
 8 He arrived. Night had fallen. ( after)
9 They are. They had been starved for days. ( as though)
10 Mr Ismail is a friendly man. Everybody likes him. ( such...that)

B. Complete the sentences with suitable adverb clauses provided in the box.
until she told us.
as his master told him.
so that they could buy the house.
where you live.
as though we were his own children.
so that they could borrow some books.
that no one dares to visit him.
while the teacher is teaching.
as if he had been a child.
because he has to support a large family.
until the teacher comes
that he could not speak
so that I would not forget it
that the principal stepped into the class
because the chairman could not come.

1 Don't
talk______________________________________________.
2 We did not know about it_________________________________.
3 Please carry on with your work ____________________________.
4 The faithful servant did __________________________________.
5 The kind man treated us _________________________________.
6 The grown-up man wept _________________________________.
7 I wrote it down _________________________________________.
8 Mr. and Mrs. Tan saved up _______________________________.
9 The children went to the library ____________________________.
 10 The meeting was cancelled _______________________________.
11 Mr. Zhong works hard ___________________________________.
12 They made so much noise _______________________________.
13 John has such a fierce dog _______________________________.
14 The dying man was so weak ______________________________.
15 I shall live _____________________________________________.

C. Read the following passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with suitable adverb clauses
provided in the box.
that it firmly seizes its food 
so that they can be protected
because it cannot move its tongue up and down
because of the way its neck is formed
when the animal is swimming
until it drowns
where it is warm
that one blow will bring down a man

Crocodiles lay their eggs under leaves or sand (1) ______________ until the
baby crocodiles break their way out of the shells. Crocodiles only live (2)
______________. They are found in warm countries like India, Australia, Africa and
America. The crocodile's powerful tail is used (3) ______________ in the water. It also
serves as an excellent weapon, because it can be swung with deadly accuracy and with
such great speed (4) ______________ or even a big animal at once.
The crocodile is well protected against its enemies by the hard bony plates that
cover most of its body. Nevertheless, the crocodile cannot turn its head from side to
side (5)______________. It has its teeth cleaned by the crocodile bird. For its food this
bird takes the remains left in the crocodile's mouth. This service helps the crocodile
which cannot clean its own teeth (6)______________. The crocodile's teeth are so
terribly pointed (7)______________, which may be a fish, an animal, or a man and then
holds it below water (8)______________.
Test 1  (40 Marks)
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
1 Your letter _____ just _____ (arrive).
2 It was _____ (rain) all yesterday.
3 Kassim _____ (like) to play badminton.
4 I _____ always _____ (want) to become a doctor.
5 Mother _____ (do) the housework every day.
6 Singaporeans _____ (work) hard for a living.
7 The teacher _____ (reprimand) the mischievous boys yesterday.
8 I _____ never _____ (eat) such delicious food in my life.
9 All living things _____ (need) air, water and food to survive.
10 What _____ the girls _____ (do) last night?

B. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1
mark each)
1 Somebody _____ (send) her flowers every day.
2 Most of the friends I know _____ (admire) John.
3 Everyone _____ (seem) to be enjoying the music.
4 Nobody _____ (like) to work overtime.
5 Some of the pupils _____ (live) in Clementi.
6 Most of your plans _____ (work).
7 Everybody _____ (hope) to get rich one day.
8 Somebody _____ (dare) to sit beside our principal, Mrs Wang.
9 One of the boys _____ (knock) down a vase accidentally.
10 _____ (Do) everybody want some more drinks?

C. Underline the correct verbs in the brackets. ( 1 mark each)

1 They (are, were, been) washing clothes yesterday.
 2 She ( takes, took, taken) her morning walk every morning.
3 He has just (write, wrote, written) a letter.
4 Did you (see, saw, seen) John yesterday?
5 Meiling always (thinks, thought) about the past.
6 They (have been living, have lived) in Australia since 1960.
7 The boys (play, will play) football this Saturday afternoon.
8 The teacher (speaks, spoke, spoken) to the class this morning.
9 The sun (rises, rose, risen) in the east and (sets, set) in the west.
10 They (are watching, were watching) television when the telephone
rang.

D. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1 mark
each)
1 The boy _____(study) since this morning.
2 I _____ already _____ (see) the picture.
3 _____ all the members _____ (turn) up for the meeting?
4 His suggestion _____ (sound) very good.
5 _____ your mother _____ (go) to market every morning?
6 Look! The boys _____ (swim) across the river.
7 When Mrs Liu _____ (cook), the telephone rang.
8 Why _____ you _____ (not go) there yesterday?
9 The singer _____(sing) the song again tonight.
10 It _____ (rain) heavily yesterday afternoon.

Test 2   (40 Marks)

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of the verbs in the brackets. (1
mark each)
1 He is a great liar. He _____ (lie) practically every day.
 2 _____ she _____ (know) how to solve the problem?
3 Your grandfather and mine _____ (walk) with the help of canes.
4 The hungry baby _____ (cry) for its milk.
5 John and I _____ (be) good friends.

B. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the
verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
Mr Yao, the owner and manager of the 'Yao Building Company', (1)
_____(employ) about twenty men and owns half a dozen lorries, a crane and many
other kinds of building machinery. His contracts (2) _____ (include) the building of
schools, houses, shops and factories.
One day, he (3) _____(go) to inspect a block of shophouses which his workers
were building. As he was walking under an archway, someone (4) _____(shout), "Look
out!" Looking up, he (5) _____ (see) a wheelbarrow full of bricks and cement tumbling
down upon him. He (6) _____(try) to jump out of the way, but he was not quick enough.
The heavy load (7) _____(fall) on his legs and (8) _____(crush) them. Mr Yao's foreman
(9) _____(rush) over to him while another worker (10) _____(call) an ambulance.

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
1 Kassim _____ (go) to the mosque every Friday.
2 The servant _____ (clean) the room when the telephone rang.
3 _____ she _____ (follow) your instruction yesterday?
4 Mother _____ just _____ (sew) a dress for me.
5 Please _____ (lock) the door before leaving the house.
6 The dog _____ (bite) the postman this morning.
7 Mary _____ (come) with us to the picnic this Sunday.
8 The artist _____ (paint) for three hours.
9 She _____ (return) the books to the library yesterday.
10 He bought a new car after he _____ (sell) his old one.

D. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
1 Father _____ (go) to work every morning.
2 _____ they _____ (see) the picture yet?
3 Look!  The dog _____ (chase) the cat.
 4 _____ they _____ (speak) to you yesterday?
5 David _____ just _____ (leave) the house.
6 I _____ (study) when the light went out.
7 Mother _____ (clean) the house since this morning.
8 I _____ (drink) a glass of orange juice after I had taken my
breakfast.
9 Mr Zhang _____ (buy) that farm soon.
10 _____ we _____ (follow) that suspicious man?

E. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. (1 mark each)

1 Mother told me that I may have _____ the red dress _____ the blue one
even though I like both.
2 _____Mr _____Mrs Tan is free to see you now. Could you come another
day?
3 _____ he doesn't hurry, he will be late.
4 Do you like your coffee creamy _____ black?
5 The babies cry _____ they are hungry.

Test 3  (40 Marks)

A. Rewrite the following sentences into the Passive Voice. Leave out the words in
bold. (2 marks each)
1 The hunters shot the tiger yesterday.
2 The police have caught the thieves.
3 Mr Yang will donate one million dollars to the poor.
4 Peter has read the book twice.
5 The servant rings the school bell six times every day.

B. Rewrite the following in reported speech. (2 marks each)

1 Ali says, "I am going to the mosque this Friday."
 2 John said, "I am worried because I haven't revised my work yet."
3 My mother told me, "Don't be late."
4 Peter says, "I haven't seen Tom for days."
5 My father said, "I shall visit my friend in Malaysia."

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
1 Neither my brother nor my sister _____ (want) to become a
teacher.
2 My sister _____ (play) the piano since this morning.
3 They _____ already _____( do) their homework.
4 _____ she _____ (go) to school every morning?
5 What _____ you _____ (do) when the lights went out last night?
6 _____ John _____ (write) a letter this morning?
7 The couple _____ (leave) for France tomorrow.
8 We were walking to school when we _____(see) the accident.
9 Ali _____ (be) absent for days.
10 The men _____ (complete) their work soon.

D. Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark
each)
1 Each contestant _____ (try) hard to impress the judges.
2 _____ he _____ (want) to go fishing with us?
3 Ali and Hassan often _____ (help) each other.
4 The baby girl _____ (cry) because she is scared.
5 Neither John nor I _____ (be) free to play with you.

E. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions. (1 mark each)

1 The postman rang the doorbell but no one answered because no one was
_____ home.
2 Someone is waiting for you _____ the hall.
3 To be punctual means to come _____ time.
4 Good and considerate pupils take care _____ school property.
 5 We gave some money _____ the beggar.

 Test 4 (40 Marks)

A. Read the passage carefully. Then fill in the blanks with the correct tense of the
verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
The dugong is a strange and somewhat sad creature. It once lived on land but it
(1)_____ (move) back to the sea. It needs air to breathe, (2)_____ (give) birth as land
animals do, and (3)_____ (suckle) its young. And yet it (4)_____ (live) entirely in the
sea.
Long ago when the explorers (5)_____ (drop) anchor in the Pacific, they were
(6)_____ (greet) with the sight of these half-human-half-fish creatures swimming out to
meet them. Some suckled their babies on their breasts as they (7)_____ (swim). When
the sailors (8)_____ (look) down into the water they (9)_____ (think) they saw a bunch
of cooing, frightened women with ugly faces, but with friendly mannerisms. When these
creatures were hauled out of the water, they (10)_____ (cry) out like a woman.

B. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in the brackets. (1 mark each)
1 We _____(revise) our work since this morning.
2 My uncle _____ just _____ (return) from the States.
3 _____ John _____ (like) to swim?
4 My sister and I _____ (visit) our grandmother tomorrow.
5 The thieves _____ (escape) when the police arrived.
6 The men _____(paint) the house at this time tomorrow this
morning.
7 _____ the children _____ (eat) breakfast this morning?
8 While John was watching television, Mary _____ (read) a book.
9 My mother _____ (go) to the market every morning.
10 Look! That boy _____(run) across the road.

C. Rewrite the following sentences into the Passive Voice. (2 marks each)
1 Mr Lin wrote a cheque for a hundred dollars.
2 The new road shortens the distance by half.
3 Susan will find out the truth some day. 
4 The police have arrested the thief.
5 The magician has performed several tricks.
D. Rewrite the following into reported speech. (2 marks each)
1 Meiling said,"I am not afraid of anyone."
2 They say,"We are going to Malaysia next month."
3 The witness said, "That man is the murderer."
4 My mother says, "I am tired today."
5 The boy said, "My parents have promised to celebrate my
birthday."