Past tenses exercises+Present Perfect tenses

Fill in each blank by putting the verb in (brackets) into the correct past tense.

 

1 I ………………………………………(see) my first baseball game when I ……………………………………(live) in New York.

2 How many pints of beer ……………………………………(he/drink) before he ………………………………….(leave) the pub?

3 It ………………………………………………..(rain) so we ………………………………….(decide) to stay at home all afternoon.

4 By the time I ……………………………………………..(leave) university I ……………………………….(be) to France fifteen times.

5 What ………………………………………………..(you/do) at the time the murder was committed?

6 When we ……………………(get) home we saw that someone ………………………..(break) in to steal the DVD recorder.

7 He ………………………………..(send) to prison four times before he …………………………………..(decide) that it would be better to go straight.

8 I didn't realise I ……………………(lose) my credit cards until I ………………………..(try) to pay for dinner at the restaurant.

9 I …………………………………(write) an email to my sister when she ………………………….(ring) me.

10 She was so upset by the news that she ……………………………(drop) her tea and………………………………(start) crying.

 

Fill in each blank by putting the verb in (brackets) into the correct past tense 

 

1.Why are you out of breath? (EXERCISE)     Because I………………for the last hour.                                    

 

2. Your light was on when I walked past last night. (CHAT)  Yes, I …………..online to my cousin in Australia.

 

3. You’ve really improved on the flute. (PRACTISE)    Well, I hope so because I ………. a lot lately.                         

 

4. You’re not jealous of my other friends, are you? (SEE)                 No, but you ……….. quite a lot of them recently.

 

5. I didn’t wake you up, did I?            (SLEEP)          No, I …………..

 

6. Did you quit your job in the end? (THINK)  I …………… of doing so for a long time, but then I decided not to.

 

7. Why is your street such a mess? (DIG)      Oh, the council …………. up the roads, but they should finish this weekend.

 

Complete the second sentence, using the word in brackets, so that s has similar meaning to the first sentence 

1. I started working at 8 and I was still working at 6 in the evening, when you called. (BEEN)

When you called  …………… ten hours.

 

2. We often went to the seaside with our grandparents as children. (USED)

Our grandparents ………………….. to the seaside as children.

 

3. It’s about 7 years since Laura started to learn Russian. (LEARNING)     Laura  …………………….  7 years.

 

4. Being with the older children soon stopped being frightening when I went to secondary school. (USED)

I …………………………………. the older children when I went to secondary school

 

5. Every night for the past week I have had the same dream. ( HAVING)   I  ……………….. for a week now.

 

6. I always disliked karate lessons but now I’m starting to enjoy them. (USED)

I  ……………………………. Karate lessons, but now I’m staring to.

 

For each sentence, choose the correct tense of the verb.

1. I …………………………………….. (take) a shower when you called.

a) was taking b) took c) was taken

2. My brother ………………………………. (have) never been to Europe until he went there last year.

a) has b) had c) hadn't

3. Diane ………………………………… (feel) very sick but she decided to go out anyway.

a) was feeling b) has been feeling c) has felt

4. He ………………………………………………………… (call) her all night.

a) has called b) call c) was calling

5. I …………………………………. (want) to go swimming but the water was too cold.

a) have wanted b) wanted c) am want

6. I …………………………………………(be) able to sleep well for a week now.

a) didn't was b) was not c) haven't been

7. When I first saw her, she ………………………………………….. (stand) on the balcony.

a) was standing b) has stood c) has been standing

8. Really? You moved to a new apartment? How long …………………………………………. (live) there?

a) have you been living b) did you live c) did you living

9. Every time I see that movie, it ………………………………………… (make) me cry.

a) has made b) made c) makes

10. I …………………………………………. (stop) smoking three years ago.

a) have stopped b) have been stopping c) stopped

 

 

For each sentence, choose the correct tense of the verb.

1. I …………………………………….. (take) a shower when you called.

a) was taking b) took c) was taken

2. My brother ………………………………. (have) never been to Europe until he went there last year.

a) has b) had c) hadn't

3. Diane ………………………………… (feel) very sick but she decided to go out anyway.

a) was feeling b) has been feeling c) has felt

4. He ………………………………………………………… (call) her all night.

a) has called b) call c) was calling

5. I …………………………………. (want) to go swimming but the water was too cold.

a) have wanted b) wanted c) am want

6. I …………………………………………(be) able to sleep well for a week now.

a) didn't was b) was not c) haven't been

7. When I first saw her, she ………………………………………….. (stand) on the balcony.

a) was standing b) has stood c) has been standing

8. Really? You moved to a new apartment? How long …………………………………………. (live) there?

a) have you been living b) did you live c) did you living

9. Every time I see that movie, it ………………………………………… (make) me cry.

a) has made b) made c) makes

10. I …………………………………………. (stop) smoking three years ago.

a) have stopped b) have been stopping c) stopped

 

 

Teacher's Copy

Fill in each blank by putting the verb in (brackets) into the correct past tense.

 

1 I saw my first baseball game when I was living in New York.

2 How many pints of beer had he drunk before he left the pub?

3 It was raining so we decided to stay at home all afternoon.

4 By the time I left university I had been to France fifteen times.

5 What were you doing at the time the murder was committed?

6 When we got home we saw that someone had broken in to steal the DVD recorder.

7 He had been sent to prison four times before he decided that it would be better to go straight.

8 I didn't realise I had lost my credit cards until I tried to pay for dinner at the restaurant.

9 I was writing an email to my sister when she rang me.

10 She was so upset by the news that she dropped her tea and started crying.

 

Fill in each blank by putting the verb in (brackets) into the correct past tense 

 

1. Why are you out of breath? (EXERCISE)    Because I have been exercising for the last hour.

 

2. Your light was on when I walked past last night.  Yes, I was chatting online to my cousin in Australia.

 

3. You’ve really improved on the flute.                       Well, I hope so because I have been practising a lot lately.

 

4. You’re not jealous of my other friends, are you?   No, but you have been seeing quite a lot of them recently.

 

5. I didn’t wake you up, did I?                       No, I wasn’t sleeping

 

6. Did you quit your job in the end?   I had been thinking of doing so for a long time, but then I decided not to.

 

7. Why is your street such a mess?    Oh, the council has been digging. up the roads, but they should finish this weekend.

 

Complete the second sentence, using the word in brackets, so that s has similar meaning to the first sentence 

1. I started working at 8 and I was still working at 6 in the evening, when you called. (BEEN)

When you called I had been working for ten hours.

 

2. We often went to the seaside with our grandparents as children.

Our grandparents used to take us to the seaside as children.

 

3. It’s about 7 years since Laura started to learn Russian. (LEARNING)    Laura has been learning it for  7 years.

 

4. Being with the older children soon stopped being frightening when I went to secondary school. (USED)

I got used to being with the older children when I went to secondary school.

 

5. Every night for the past week I have had the same dream.   I have been having the same dream for a week now.

 

6. I always disliked karate lessons but now I’m starting to enjoy them. I used to dislike Karate lessons, but now I’m staring to.

 

 

For each sentence, choose the correct tense of the verb.

1. I …………………………………….. (take) a shower when you called.

a) was taking b) took c) was taken

2. My brother ………………………………. (have) never been to Europe until he went there last year.

a) has b) had c) hadn't

3. Diane ………………………………… (feel) very sick but she decided to go out anyway.

a) was feeling b) has been feeling c) has felt

4. He ………………………………………………………… (call) her all night.

a) has called b) call c) was calling

5. I …………………………………. (want) to go swimming but the water was too cold.

a) have wanted b) wanted c) am want

6. I …………………………………………(be) able to sleep well for a week now.

a) didn't was b) was not c) haven't been

7. When I first saw her, she ………………………………………….. (stand) on the balcony.

a) was standing b) has stood c) has been standing

8. Really? You moved to a new apartment? How long …………………………………………. (live) there?

a) have you been living b) did you live c) did you living

9. Every time I see that movie, it ………………………………………… (make) me cry.

a) has made b) made c) makes

10. I …………………………………………. (stop) smoking three years ago.

a) have stopped b) have been stopping c) stopped