Test Yourselves

Using the words in the parentheses , complete the text below with the appropriate tenses

1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ________ her kids to football practice.

2. Usually, I (work)________ as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)________ French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.

3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) ________ .

4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) ____________ .

5. I hate living in Seattle because it ________(rain, always) .

6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) ________ because everybody (talk) _________ so loudly.

7. Justin(write, currently) ________ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when he is finished.

8. Jim: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
Denise: Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) ________ to a movie tonight with some friends.

9. The business cards (be, normally) ________ printed by a company in New York. Their prices (be) _____ inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is quite good.

10. This delicious chocolate (be) ________ made by a small factory in Zürich, Switzerland.





Simple Present / Present Continuous
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses.


Today (be)______the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake)______ ; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My feet (kill, really) ______ me and my toes (bleed) ______ , but I (want, still)______ to continue.

Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) _____ so different, and I (try)______ to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn) ______ a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn, not) ______ foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) ______ much yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually) ______ .

I (travel, currently)_________ with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England. He (be) ______ a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always) _________ ahead of me and (complain) _________ that I am too slow. I (do) ______ my best to keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am getting old.

Right now, Liam (sit) ______ with the owner of the inn. They (discuss) ______ the differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) ______ the real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just) _________ him Tam. Tam (speak) ______ English very well and he (try) ______ to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say)______ a new word, Liam (try) ______ to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also) _________ to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost and have to ask for directions.






Verb Tense Exercise 3
Simple Past / Past Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses.

1. A: What (you, do)_________when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) ______ to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find) ______ the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately) _________ to the police and (turn) it in.

3. The doctor (say) _____ that Tom (be) _____ too sick to go to work and that he (need) _______ to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian (arrive) _________ at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she (be, not) _________ there. She (study, at the library) _________ for her final examination in French.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also) _________ television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I (call) _______ you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) _______ there. Where were you?
B: I (work) _______ out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk) _________ into the busy office, the secretary (talk) _______ on the phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily) _______ at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly) _________ methods to improve customer service.
8. I (watch) _______ a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.

9. Sharon (be) ______ in the room when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything because she (listen, not) _____.

10. It's strange that you (call) _______ because I (think, just) _______ about you.

11. The Titanic (cross) _______ the Atlantic when it (strike) _______ an iceberg.

12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) _______ and (try) ______ to sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt)_______ for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead) _______ their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue) ______ over the price of a leather belt. I (walk) _______ over to a man who (sell) ______ fruit and (buy) _______ a banana.

13. The firemen (rescue) _______ the old woman who (be) _____ trapped on the third floor of the burning building.

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)_________ her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she (expect, actually) _________ me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live) _______ in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) ______ there when the Berlin Wall came down.
Check





Verb Tense Exercise 4
Simple Past / Past Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses.

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call)_______. She said she (call)_______ me on her cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she (wait) _______ for class, but she said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) _______ to me. I couldn't believe she (make) _______ a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.