WORKSHEET 20

SUBJECT : Tense Review (Present Simple / Present Continuous / Simple Past)

A) Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets in the PRESENT CONTINUOUS or
PRESENT SIMPLE:

1. Please be quiet. I ………………………………… (try) to read the paper.

2. This is a very quiet town. Where ……………………………………. (people / go) in the
evenings?
3. John ……………………………. (drink) milk every night, but now he …………………...
(drink) tea.
4. What ………………………………………. (you / do) with all that paper and glue?
5. I …………………………………….. (not / use) the computer at the moment so you can
use it.
6. ………………………………………………………. (Karen and John / ever / write) to
you?

B) PRESENT CONTINUOUS or PRESENT SIMPLE in context. Put in the right form of

the verb in brackets:

Laura : Hello, George! What ……………………………………… (you / do) these days?

George : Hi, Laura. I ……………………………….. (learn) French and Spanish at college.
What about you?
Laura : Me? Oh, I ……………………………… (work) at a Travel Agency until August.
George : ………………………………………. (you / like) it?
Laura : Yes, I do. I …………………………… (work) in the shop most mornings, and
three afternoons a week the manager ………………….. (tell) me about the travel
business. I …………………… (work) quite long hours. I ……………………….
(not / get) home until six, but I ………………………. (prefer) that to not having
enough to do.
George : Yes, I …………………………… (work) hard too at the [Link] ………………
(become) more and more difficult to get a job using languages. They …………….
(ask) for higher and higher exam grades all the time.
Laura : You can do it, George. You ……………… (be) clever.
George : Thanks. Laura.

C) Put the verbs in brackets into PRESENT CONTINUOUS or PRESENT SIMPLE:

It …. is ….. winter and the snow ………………………….. (fall). It usually …………………

(snow) in January here. Betty and James …………………………………… (play) in the garden.
They …………………………………… (build) a snowman and they ……………………………
(throw) snowballs. They …………………………… (like) the snow very much! Their mother
and father ………………………………… (not / like) it. They always …………………………..
(stay) in the house when it is cold. Mother usually ………………………….. (watch) TV and
Father …………………………… (listen) to the radio or ………………………… (read) a book.
At the moment they ……………………………….. (sit) in the living-room. Mother ……………
……………………. (write) a letter and Father …………………………………… (read) a book.
D) Complete the dialogue using the verbs in brackets in the correct form:

A: Why … don’t you finish …. (you / not / finish) your homework and come and watch TV?
B: Because I ………………………………………… (not / understand) it. It is too difficult.
A: Why …………………………………………... (you / not / ask) your teacher to explain it?
B: Because I ………………………………………. (not / like) him.
A: And why ………………………………………………. (you / not / like) him?
B: Well, he ……………………………………………….. (always / shout) at me.
A: Why ………………………………………………. (he / shout) at you?
B: Well, I ………………………………………….. (not / work) in class and I ……………...
…………………………………. (not / do) my homework.
A: Well, no wonder he …………………………………… (shout) at you. Give me your book
now. We’ll try and do it together.

E) Put the words in brackets in the correct place in the sentences:

1. I …. always….. keep ……………. my room tidy. (always)

2. Do you ……………………. go ………………….. on holiday in winter? (sometimes)
3. ………………………. he ………………………… helps with the housework. (never)
4. She ……………………. plays ………………………….. cards. (rarely)
5. Does she ……………………….. visit ………………………. his friends? (often)
6. They ………………………… don’t …………………………… eat sweets. (often)
7. We …………………………. eat …………………………… a lot of vegetables. (usually)
8. You ……………………… must …………………………. tell lies. (never)
9. She …………………… can …………………… answer the teacher’s questions. (always)

F) Put the verbs in brackets into PRESENT SIMPLE or PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

Caller: Good morning. …Is…… (be) Mr. Green there?

Man : No, he …………………………. (not / be) here. He …………………………. (work)
at the moment. He usually …………………………… (work) until 4 p.m.
Caller: What about Mrs. Green? Where ………………………… (be) she?
Man : She ……………………………………. (do) the shopping. She always ………………
(do) the shopping on Thursday afternoons.
Caller: Where ……………………………… (be) the children?
Man : They ………………………………….. (play) [Link] always …………………
(play) football after school.
Caller: How ……………………………………………. (you / know) all this? Who are you?
Man : I ………………………….. (be) the burglar!

G) Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense:

1. He often ……….. brings …………. (bring) me flowers.

2. …………………………………………. (you / meet) Paul yesterday?
3. Father ………………………………………. (work) in the garden now.
4. What …………………………………………. (you / do) at the moment?
5. Mr. Jones ……………………………….. (paint) his house last month.
6. She ……………………………. (go) to school on foot every day.
7. It ……………………….. (be) hot yesterday.
8. The baby ………………………………………… (not / sleep) now.
9. He never ………………………………. (drive) fast.
10. She ……………………………. (leave) Paris in 1987.
 11. She always ……………………………….. (go) to church on Sunday.
12. I ……………………………… (buy) a new bicycle last week.
13. My family ……………………………….. (go) to the theatre yesterday.
14. Tom ……………………………… (live) in London three years ago.
15. My mother …………………………………… (make) some coffee now.
16. Sam …………………………… (go) to the circus yesterday.
17. I …………………………………. (talk) on the telephone at the moment.
18. Sally always ……………………………… (help) her mother in the house.
19. I …………………………… (have) dinner in a restaurant last Friday.
20. Listen! The birds ………………………………………. (sing) in the garden.
21. I often …………………………….. (buy) fruit from the greengrocer’s.
22. My mother …………………………………… (drink) tea now.
23. Look at Tom and Jim! They ……………………………………… (walk) up the hill.
24. That man ……………………………………….. (laugh) at the moment.
25. The cat ………………………………….. (play) with a ball now.
26. We always ……………………………… (wear) warm clothes in winter.
27. He often …………………………….. (eat) a sandwich at lunchtime.

H) Fill in the postcard with the correct form of the verbs.:

Dear Joe,
Hello from Hawaii. ….We’re having …(have) a great time.
The sun ……………………. (shine) and we ………………
(enjoy) every minute of our vacation. Jack ………………...
(sit) on the beach. He ………………………….. (watch) the
children. The water ………….. (be) warm, but I’m lazy. So
I …………………… (sit) on the sand and ………………...
(write) this postcard to you. We ……………………… (get)
very tan. Oh, and Jack ………………………….. (learn) to
surf. Are you surprised? I am.
Wish you were here.
Love, Jane, Jack, Billy and Sue

I) Write sentences using the verbs at the right:

Where is everybody?

1. Harry and Jennifer are outside.

…………………………………………………… * do homework
2. The dog’s outside too.
…………………………………………………… * make dinner
3. Larry’s in the dining room.
…………………………………………………… * talk to a friend
4. Sally’s in the bathroom.
…………………………………………………… * set the table
5. Dad’s in the kitchen.
…………………………………………………… * take a shower
6. Mom’s on the phone.
…………………………………………………… * run after the ball
7. I’m at my desk.
 …………………………………………………… * play baseball

J) Fill in the blanks to complete the movie review. Use the correct tense of the verbs given:

E.T. by JOE BERNES

Last night, I saw a good movie. The title of the movie was E.T. It was an excellent film. To
my surprise. I ….. laughed ….. (laugh), I ……………………… (cry), and I …………………..
(worry) about the little creature from space, and I completely …………………………. (enjoy)
the show.
The story is about an extraterrestrial person named E.T. He ………………………. (land) on
earth in a flying saucer. But his space ship …………………………. (depart) without him. A
little American boy ………………………… (discover) E.T. They …………………….. (play)
together and they ………………………….. (like) each other a lot. But E.T. ……………………
(miss) his home. He ……………………….. (want) to go back. He ………………………. (plan)
his return trip, but then …
Well, go and see this excellent summer film and find out about E.T.

K) Write the questions. Use WHEN, WHERE, WHO or WHAT:

1. A: We went to California on our vacation.

B: Really? …. Where did you stay…………………… (you / stay)?
A: In a hotel in Santa Monica.

2. A: The children visited the usual tourist attractions.

B: Oh, yeah? …………………………………………….. (they / see)?
A: Oh, they went to Disneyland, the San Diego zoo, and a movie studio.

3. A: My wife played a lot of tennis.

B: ……………………………………………………….. (she / play) with?
A: She played with our oldest son.

4. A: I really enjoyed the trip. We even stayed a few extra days.

B: ……………………………………………………….. (you / plan) to come home?
A: Well, we planned to come home on Monday, but we didn’t get back until Friday.

L) Fill in the blanks to complete the postcard. Use the PAST TENSE form of the verbs
given:

Dear Mom,
I’m having a wonderful time. Last night I ..went … (go)
to the Hollywood Bowl with some friends. We ………….
(take) a special bus and ………….. (get) there easily. A
friend ………… (buy) some wine and we also …………..
(bring) a picnic basket. So we ………… (find) our seats
and …………. (eat) our picnic. Then the concert ………..
(begin). It ……….. (be) excellent. What a night!
Love, Kris
M) Fill in the blanks to complete the letter:

Dear Betty,
Thank you for dinner last night. We .. ate …. (eat)
like Kings and ………….. (have) a wonderful time.
Charles …………. (put) so much effort into the meal.
It ……….. (be) a wonderful way to end our vacation.
Your directions were excellent. Unfortunately, Jim
…………… (take) the wrong street and we …………
(get) lost. We finally …………. (find) the right street
around 3:00 a.m. But we didn’t go home. Instead we
……………. (go) to the beach and ………….. (see)
the sunrise. It was spectacular. We ………….. (get)
back to the hotel around 7:00.
Again, many thanks.
Linda and Jim

N) Complete the sentences. Use the PAST TENSE form of the verbs given:

1. A: Tom and I …………………. (go) to see The Big Thrill yesterday.

B: We …………………… (see) it last weekend. Jackie ………………………… (think)
it was horrible.
A: So did we.

2. A: Look, Uncle Tom …………………. (get) me a violin.

B: Last year he ……………………….. (buy) me a drum.
A: Last Christmas he ……………………….. (bring) me a doll from Japan.
B: Yeah, and you …………………….. (break) it the day after.

3. A: I ……………………. (have) my umbrella at home again and it’s really raining hard.
B: I have the same problem. I ……………………. (lend) one to my boss last week. I
guess she …………………. (keep) it.

4. A: Mom …………………. (have) to pick up Kevin at the train station. She …………….
(take) the dog with her.
B: No, she didn’t. I just …………………. (see) him. He was swimming in the lake.

O) Complete the sentences. Use the words in parentheses. Use SIMPLE PRESENT,
PRESENT CONTINUOUS, or SIMPLE PAST.

1. I ……………………….. (get) up at eight o’clock yesterday morning.

2. Mark …………………………….. (talk) to John on the phone last night.
3. Mark …………………………….. (talk) to John on the phone right now.
4. Mark …………………………….. (talk) to John on the phone every day.
5. Jim and I ……………………. (eat) lunch at the cafeteria two hours ago.
6. We ……………………………. (eat) lunch at the cafeteria every day.
7. I …………………………. (go) to bed early last night.
8. My roommate ………………………….. (study) Spanish last year.
 9. Sue ………………………….. (write) a letter to her parents yesterday.
10. Sue ………………………….. (write) a letter to her parents every week.

11. Sue is in her room right now. She …………………………. (sit) at her desk. She
…………………………………. (write) a letter to her boyfriend.
12. Marianne ……………………… (do) her homework last night.
13. Yesterday I ………………………. (see) Dick at the library.
14. I ……………………… (have) a dream last night.I ……………………….. (dream)
about my friends. I …………………………. (sleep) for eight hours.
15. Alice ……………………… (smoke) a cigarette after class yesterday.
16. My wife ………………………….. (come) home around five every day.
17. Yesterday she …………………………… (come) home at 5:15.
18. Our teacher ………………………………… (stand) in the middle of the room right now.
19. Uor teacher …………………………….. (stand) in the front of the room yesterday.
20. John usually ………………………. (sit) in the back of the room, but yesterday he
………………………… (sit) in the front row. Today he ………………. (be) absent.
He ………………….. (be) absent two days ago too.

P) Complete the sentences. Use the words in parentheses. Use SIMPLE PRESENT,
PRESENT CONTINUOUS, or SIMPLE PAST.

1. I ………………………………..(go / not) to a movie last night. I …………………. (stay)

home.
2. Fred ……………………………. (come / not) to class every day.
3. Sue ……………………………… (read) a book right now. She …………………………..
(watch / not) TV.
4. I ………………………………… (finish / not) my homework last night. I ……………….
(go) to bed early.
5. Jane ………………………………. (stand / not) up right now. She ……………………….
(sit) down.
6. It ………………………………. (rain / not) right now. The rain ……………………(stop)
a few minutes ago.
7. The weather ………………… (be / not) cold today, but it ……………… (be) cold
yesterday.
8. Mary and I …………………………. (go / not) shopping yesterday. We ……………. (go)
shopping last Monday.
9. I ……………….. (go) to a movie last night, but I ………………………… (enjot / not) it.
10. I ……………………. (write) a letter to my girlfriend yesterday, but I ……………………
……………….. (write / not) a letter to her last week.
11. My husband ……………………………. (come / not) home for dinner last night. he
……………………………… (stay) at his office.
12. The children …………………….. (go) to bed a half an hour ago. They ………………….
(sleep) now.
13. We ………………… (be) late for the movie last night. The movie ……………………….
(start) at 7:00, but we ……………………………………….. (arrive / not) until 7:15.
14. He …………………………………….. (dance) with Mary now.
15. She usually …………………………. (take) the bus to school.
16. Her husband never ………………………………. (remember) her birthday.
17. We …………………………………….. (watch) a film on televisison at the moment.
 B1 All Tenses T050

Fill in the correct form of the verb given.

1. After Maria __________________ her studies, she plans to work in her father's firm (FINISH).

2. By the time I go to bed I _____________________ the work for the day. (COMPLETE)

3. When Jane saw the snake at her feet she __________________. (SCREAM)

4. I __________________ to the library four times this month, but I __________________ a single
book. (BE, NOT BORROW)

5. While I __________________ in class yesterday I got the hiccups. (SIT)

6. Before I started the car, all passengers __________________ their seatbelts. (FASTEN)

7. After they __________________ the race they started to celebrate. (WIN)

8. A small stone struck the window while we __________________ down the road. (DRIVE)

9. I ____________________ all the questions since the officers started their interrogation.
(ANSWER)

10. My grandfather ____________________ in such an airplane before. (NEVER FLY)

11. Jane isn’t here yet. I ______________________ for her since noon but she __________________.
(WAIT, NOT COME)

12. At the moment we __________________ an extreme heat wave. The temperatures

______________________ up for over a week. (HAVE, GO)

13. At 3 o’clock yesterday, Jessica __________________ in bed. She __________________ a book

when suddenly the wind __________________ to blow. (LIE, READ, BEGIN)

14. The weather __________________ terrible lately. (BE)

15. Next week there __________________ a full moon. (BE)

16. The phone _______________________ constantly since Jack announced that he was running
for mayor. (RING)

17. On July 20th 1969 Neil Armstrong __________________ his foot on the moon . Nobody
__________________ that before. (SET, EVER DO)

18. My high school _____________________ the championship before. It’s about time they did.
(NEVER WIN)

19. May I speak to the doctor? - I’m sorry. He __________________ a patient at the moment.
(SEE)

20. Normally people __________________ around about 20 to 30 times every night. (TURN)

[Link]
 B1 All Tenses T054

Fill in the correct form of the verb given.

1. Last night, when I ___________________ dinner, my mom ___________________. I totally

___________________ about the roast in the oven, and I ___________________ everything.
(MAKE, CALL, FORGET, BURN)

2. Most police officers ___________________ uniforms to work. Only detectives in higher

positions ___________________ their street clothes. (WEAR, WEAR)

3. His family ___________________ to Singapore when he was three, then they

___________________ back again when he started high school. (MOVE, MOVE)

4. Your car is fine now. There was a problem with the gears, but we ___________________ it.
(FIX)

5. After Claire ___________________ for half an hour, she suddenly ___________________ to check
her watch. (RUN, STOP)

6. I ___________________ smoking three years ago. Before that, I ______________________ for

over a decade. (STOP, SMOKE)

7. Look, Mary ___________________ the windows. Nobody ___________________ them for over a
month. (CLEAN, CLEAN))

8. Tina ______________________ her emails for the last two hours. (CHECK)

9. Living in a foreign country was strange at first, but we ___________________ used to it.
(GET)

10. I ___________________ I want any dessert. I ___________________ too much to eat already.
(NOT THINK, HAVE)

11. In our history lesson yesterday my friend and I ___________________ to each other and we
___________________ attention. Suddenly, our history teacher ___________________ right next
to us. (TALK, NOT PAY, STAND).

12. Wendy ___________________ her boyfriend every afternoon. (PHONE)

13. I saw him sitting on the sofa. He ___________________ very tired because he
_______________________ too much. (BE, WORK)

14. John ___________________ our flight this morning, but he ___________________ hotel
arrangements yet. (BOOK, NOT MAKE)

15. I _______________________ the cup finals when you arrived. (WATCH)

16. We normally ___________________ together every second Sunday, but this month everyone
___________________ on holiday, so we ___________________ any meetings. (GET, BE, NOT
HAVE)

[Link]
 B1 Present Tense: Simple and Progressive T042

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the Present Tense.

1. Jeremy usually ______________ to school by bus but today his dad _________________ him.
(GO, DRIVE)
2. How often ____________________ to the park for a picnic? (YOU GO)
3. Northern California _________________ a lot of rain during the wintertime but this
winter it _________________ at all. (GET, NOT RAIN)
4. My sister often _________________ in bed but today she is so tired that she
___________________ anything at all. (READ, NOT READ)
5. Look to your right! Mary _________________ her little sister to school. How sweet!
(BRING)
6. Mom can't help you right now because she _________________ dinner. (PREPARE)
7. The neighbours' boys always _________________ to school late. (COME)
8. My parents never _________________ cigarettes in front of us. (SMOKE)
9. I can't understand him because I _________________ any French. (NOT KNOW)
10. Mary _________________ eating sweets. Every morning she _________________ coffee with
lots of sweets. (LIKE, HAVE)
11. What _______________________? – I think they _________________ to be fed by the tourists.
(THE DUCKS DO, WAIT)
12. It _________________ very hard at the moment. (RAIN)
13. They normally _________________ TV on Sundays but today they _________________ a
nap. (WATCH, TAKE)
14. Dad _____________________ TV when he _________________ home from the office. (NOT
USUALLY WATCH, COME)
15. Every Monday my dad ________________ to work by train because my mom ____________
the car. (GO, NEED)
16. Our teacher often _________________ at us when she's in a bad mood. (SHOUT)
17. I _________________ for a new car which I want to buy as soon as possible. (SAVE)
18. What _____________________ right now? – He _________________ in the river. (TOM DO,
SWIM)

[Link]