Senior 5 - English tenses and exercises
Tense
Signal
words
Use
Form
something
happens
repeatedly
every day
sometimes
always
Simple
Present
or
Present
Simple
often
usually
seldom
never
first ...
then
how often
something
happens
Examples
affirmative
Examples
negative
Examples
interrogative
I work.
I don't
work.
Do I work?
He works.
He
doesn't
work.
Does he
work?
I go.
I don't
go.
Do I go?
He goes.
He
doesn't
go.
Does he go?
I'm
working.
I'm not
working.
Am I
working?
He's
working.
He isn't
working.
Is he
working?
I'm not
going.
Am I going?
He's going.
He isn't
going.
Is he going?
I worked.
I didn't
work.
Did I work?
He didn't
work.
Did he work?
I didn't
go.
Did I go?
He didn't
go.
Did he go?
one action
follows
another
things in
general
with the
following
verbs (to
love, to hate,
to think, etc.)
infinitive
he/she/it +
-s
future
meaning:
timetables,
programmes
now
Present
Progressive
or
Present
Continuous
Simple
Past
or
Past
Simple
at the
moment
Look!
Listen!
last ...
... ago
in 1990
yesterday
something is
happening at
the same
time of
speaking or
around it
future
meaning:
when you
have already
decided and
arranged to
do it (a fixed
plan, date)
action took
place in the
past, mostly
connected
with an
expression of
time (no
connection to
the present)
to be
I'm going.
(am/are/is)
+ infinitive
+ -ing
regular:
infinitive +
-ed irregular: He worked.
2nd column
of table of
I went.
irregular
verbs
He went.
Past
Progressive
or
Past
Continuous
while
an action
happened in
the middle of
another
action
I was
working.
I wasn't
working.
He was
working.
He wasn't Was he
working. working?
was/were +
someone was
infinitive +
doing sth. at
-ing
a certain time
(in the past) you do not
know whether
it was finished
or not
I was
going.
I wasn't
going.
He was
going.
He wasn't Was he
going.
going?
I have
worked.
I haven't
worked.
Have I
worked?
He has
worked.
He hasn't
worked.
Has he
worked?
I have
gone.
I haven't
gone.
Have I gone?
He hasn't
gone.
Has he gone?
I have
been
working.
I haven't
been
working.
Have I been
working?
He has
been
working.
He hasn't
been
working.
Has he been
working?
I have
been
going.
I haven't
been
going.
Have I been
going?
He has
been
going.
He hasn't
been
going.
Has he been
going?
I had
worked.
I hadn't
worked.
Had I
worked?
He hadn't
worked.
Had he
worked?
I hadn't
gone.
Had I gone?
just
yet
never
Simple
Present
Perfect
or
Present
Perfect
ever
already
you say that
sth. has
happened or
is finished in
the past and
it has a
connection to
the present
have/has +
past
participle*
*(infinitive
+ -ed) or
so far,
(3rd column
action started of table of
up to now,
He has
in the past
irregular
gone.
and continues verbs)
since
up to the
present
for
Was I
working?
Was I going?
recently
Present
Perfect
Progressive
or
Present
Perfect
Continuous
Simple
Past
Perfect
or
Past
Perfect
(Simple)
all day
the whole
day
how long
since
for
already
just
never
action began
in the past
and has just
stopped
how long the
action has
been
happening
have/has +
been +
infinitive +
-ing
emphasis:
length of time
of an action
mostly when
two actions in
a story are
related to
each other:
the action
which had
already
happened is
put into Past
had + past
participle*
He had
worked.
*(infinitive
+ -ed) or
(3rd column
of table of
I had gone.
irregular
verbs)
Perfect, the
other action
into Simple
Past
the past of
the Present
Perfect
Past
Perfect
Progressive
or
Past
Perfect
Continuous
how long
since
for
how long
something
had been
happening
before
something
else
happened
had + been
+ infinitive
+ ing
predictions
about the
future (you
think that sth.
will happen)
will future
you decide to
do sth.
spontaneously will +
at the time of infinitive
speaking, you
haven't made
a decision
before
He had
gone.
He hadn't
gone.
Had he gone?
I had been
working.
I hadn't
been
working.
Had I been
working?
He had
been
working.
He hadn't
been
working.
Had he been
working?
I had been
going.
I hadn't
been
going.
Had I been
going?
He had
been
going.
He hadn't
been
going.
Had he been
going?
I'll work.
I won't
work.
Will I work?
He'll work.
He won't
work.
Will he work?
I'll go.
I won't
go.
Will I go?
He'll go.
He won't
go.
Will he go?
I'm going
to work.
I'm not
going to
work.
Am I going to
work?
He's not
going to
work.
Is he going
to work?
I'm not
going to
go.
Am I going to
go?
He's going
to go.
He's not
going to
go.
Is he going
to go?
I'll be
working.
I won't be Will I be
working. working?
He'll be
working.
He won't
be
working.
main clause in
type I of the if
clauses
going to future
when you
have already
decided to do
sth. in the
future
what you
think what
will happen
Future
Progressive
or
Future
He's going
be
to work.
(am/are/is)
+ going to
+ infinitive I'm going
to go.
An action will
be in progress will + be +
at a certain
infinitive +
time in the
ing
future. This
Will he be
working?
Continuous
Simple
Future
Perfect
or
Future
Perfect
Simple
action has
begun before
the certain
time.
I'll be
going.
I won't be Will I be
going.
going?
Something
happens
because it
normally
happens.
He'll be
going.
He won't
be going.
Will he be
going?
I'll have
worked.
I won't
have
worked.
Will I have
worked?
He'll have
worked.
He won't
have
worked.
Will he have
worked?
I won't
have
gone.
Will I have
gone?
He won't
have
gone.
Will he have
gone?
sth. will
already have
happened
before a
certain time
in the future
will + have
+ past
participle*
*(infinitive
+ -ed) or
(3rd column I'll have
gone.
of table of
irregular
verbs)
He'll have
gone.
Put in the verbs in brackets in the correct tenses.
Example: The sun ______________ now. (to shine)
Answer: The sun is shining now.
1) We
2) I
want) (to be)
TV when it started to rain. (to watch)
to visit you yesterday, but you
3) Look! It
, so we can't
4) There are a lot of clouds! It
5) The sun
not at home. (to
to the beach. (to rain) (to go)
soon. (to rain)
in the East. (to rise)
6) Since 2003 they
their son every year. (to visit)
7) While the doctor
(to examine) (to wait)
Mr Jones, his son
8) I
for my girlfriend for two hours. (to wait)
outside this morning.
9) After Larry
the film on TV, he decided to buy the book. (to see)
10) Wait a minute, I
this box for you. (to carry)
1. Although the police ______ every precaution, the robber
managed to escape.
(A) take
(B) takes
(C) has taken
(D) had taken
2. Maria ______ an appointment to see the doctor. It is at 10.00 am. tomorrow.
(A) make
(B) makes
(C) made
(D) has made
3. They ______ when they are ready.
(A) come
(B) came
(C) will come
(D) have come
4. It ______ every afternoon for the past week. The weather
forecast predicts rain for next week too.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
is raining
was raining
has been raining
had been raining
5. I ______ the door before I realized that the keys were inside the house.
(A) lock
(B) locked
(C) has locked
(D) had locked
6. When Sally ______ her first pay, she bought presents for her parents.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
receive
received
has received
had received
Choose the correct form of the verb in any aspect of the future tense.
Carrie has been training her dog, Jack, for competition for the past six months. Carrie
is Jack’s “handler,” and together they are a team. If Jack is ready, Carrie (take)_______
______ (1) him to a rally in a nearby city this coming September. Carrie imagines the
upcoming rally. She has many questions about it. She decides to ask one of her friends,
Jessica, about it. “What _______ (2) I (do) ______ ________ (3) at the rally, exactly?”
she asks. “You (compete) _______ _____ ________ (4) against other teams as they
complete a course of challenging exercises,” Jessica tells her. “The exercises at the
rally (involve) _______ _______ _____ _______ (5) giving commands, jumping,
pivoting, spiraling, side stepping, and dropping. Each exercise (be) ____ _______
________ (6) numbered. As they are doing the exercises together, the handlers (talk)
_______ _____ ________ (7) to their dogs.”
“Before beginning the course,” Jessica continues, “Each team (receive)
______________ 8) 200 points. Each time a team makes a mistake, a point is deducted
by the judge. At the end of the course, the handlers (probably, praise) _______
________ _______ (9) their dogs and give them food as rewards. The teams (do)
_______ _______ _______ (10) their best together, and therefore will deserve a rest.
By the time the dogs finish eating, the judge (tally) _______ _______ _________ (11)
each team’s final score.”
“The dogs at the rally will not only be purebred. Lots of mixed-breed dogs (surely,
participate) ______ _______ _____ ________ (12) in the rally, too. There is no age
limit for the dogs, either, and it has been decided that all future rallies (include) _____
_______ _____ _______ (13) a division for handlers ages 8 to 18. This way, kids can
get more involved.”
Carrie is 19 years old, and Jack is 10. He is a Labrador mix. If they go to the rally, they
(enter) _______ ________ (14) the Level 1 competition, because it (be) _______ ____
(15) their first rally. Rallies also include Levels 2 and 3. 3 is the highest level.
Carrie has a plan. She says that she (decide) ______ _______ _____ ________ (16) by
July 4th whether Jack is ready to compete. By then, she (train) _______ _______
_______ ________ (17) him for eight months. She hopes they (win) ______ ______
(18) a blue ribbon!
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or past perfect)
1. When he (wake up)
, his mother (already /prepare)
breakfast
2. We (go)
to London because our friends (invite)
3. He (hear)
the news, (go)
(call)
us
to the telephone and
a friend.
4. When she (start)
learning English she (already /learn)
French.
5. Jane (already / type)
three pages when her computer (crash)
.
6. By the time the doctor (arrive)
at the house the patient ( die)
.
7. Before that day we (never / think)
8. I (know)
family.
of traveling to Japan.
him a long time before I (meet)
9. They (not / know)
his
where to meet because nobody (tell)
them.
10. It (be)
cloudy for days before it (begin)
to rain.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect).
1. I (just / finish)
2. Mary (already / write)
3. Tom (move)
4. My friend (be)
5. I (not / be)
my homework.
five letters.
to his home town in 1994.
in Canada two years ago.
to Canada so far.
6. But I (already / travel)
to London a couple of times.
7. Last week, Mary and Paul (go)
to the cinema.
8. I can't take any pictures because I (not /buy)
9. (they / spend)
a new film yet.
their holidays in Paris last summer?
10. (you / ever / see )
a whale?
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).
1. The receptionist (welcome)
the guests and (ask)
them to fill in the form
2. The car (break)
home.
down and we (have)
3. The boys (swim)
to walk
while the girls (sunbath)
4. My father (come)
in, (look)
.
and (tell)
me to tidy up my room.
5. While one group (prepare)
dinner the others (collect)
wood for the campfire.
6. While the parents (have)
breakfast the children (run)
about.
7. Martha (turn)
off the light and (go)
to bed.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple future or future perfect)
1. Tomorrow I think I (start)
2. I (finish)
my new project.
it by the end of this month.
3. The teacher (probably/assign)
Monday.
4. He (correct)
a test to his students next
it by the end of next week.
5. My friend (certainly/get)
a good mark.
6. By 9 o'clock, we (finish)
our homework.
7. They (leave)
8. I think I (start)
the classroom by the end of the hour.
my trip tomorrow