Review of Verb Tenses

REVIEW OF TENSES
EXERCISE 1. Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses.
1. A: (you, have) Do you have any plans for vacation?
B: Yes, I do. I (plan) am planning to go to Toronto.
A: (you, be, ever) there before?
B: Yes, I have. I (be) ......... in Toronto two months ago. My brother (be) ......... there, so I (go) ......... there
often.
2. A: Where's Jessica?
B: She (study) ......... at the library.
A: When (she, ger) back home?
B: In an hour or so. Probably around five o'clock.
A: How long (she, study) ......... at the library?
B: Since two o'clock this afternoon.
A: (she, study) ......... at the library every day?
B: Not every day, but often.
3. A: Shhh. Irene (talk) ......... on the phone long-distance.
B: Who (she, talk) to?
A: Her brother. They (talk) ......... for almost an hour. I think her brother is in some kind of trouble.
B: That's too bad. I hope it's nothing serious.
4. A: (you, know) .......... Mr. Anderson's new address?
B: Not off the top of my head. But I (have) .........it at home in my computer. When I (get) ......... home this
evening, I (call) ......... and (give) ......... you his address.
A: Thanks. Or you could e-mail it to me.
B: Okay. I (do) .........that.
5. A: Where's Juan? He (be) absent from class for the last three
days. (anyone, see) ......... him lately?
B: I have. I (see) .........him yesterday. He has a bad cold, so he (be) .........
home in bed since the weekend. He (be, probably) .........back in class tomorrow.
6. A: How long (you, wear) glasses?
B: Since I (be) ......... ten years old.
A: (you, be) .........near-sighted or far-sighted?

B: Near-sighted.
7. A: Let's go to a restaurant tonight.
B: Okay. Where should we go?
A: (you, like) .........Thai food?
B: I don't know. I (eat, never ) .........any. What's it like?
A: It's delicious, but it can be pretty hot!
B: That's okay. I (love) .........really hot food.
A: There (be) a Thai restaurant downtown. I (go) .........there a couple of times. The food is excellent.
B: Sounds good. I (be, m) .........to a Thai restaurant, so it (be) .........a new experience for me. After we
(get) .........there, can you explain the menu to me?
A: Sure. And if I can't, our waiter or waitress can.
8. A: (you, smoke) .........?
B: Yes, I do.
A: How long (you, smoke) .........?
B: Well, let me see. I (smoke) .........since I (be) .........seventeen. So I (smoke) .........for almost four years.
A: Why (you, start) .........?
B: Because I (be) .........a dumb, stupid kid.
A: (you, want) .........to quit?
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B: Yes. I (plan) .........to quit very soon. In fact, I (decide) to quit on my next birthday. My twenty-first birthday
is two weeks from now. On that day, I (intend) .........to smoke my last cigarette.
A: That's terrific! You (feel) .........much better after you (stop) .........smoking.
B: (you, smoke, ever) .........?
A: No, I haven't. I (smoke, never) .........a cigarette in my Me. When I (be) .........ten years old, I
(smoke) .........one of my uncle's cigars. My sister and I (steal) .........a couple of his cigars and (go) .........behind
the garage to smoke them. Both of us (get) .........sick. I (have, not) .........anything to smoke since then.
B: That's smart.
EXERCISE 2. Most of the errors are in verb usage, but some are miscellaneous (e.g. capitalization, word
order, spelling, agreement, etc.). Find and correct them.
1. I have been studied English for eight years, but I still have a lot to learn. ( studying)

2. I want to learn English since I am a child.
3. Our class has have three tests since the beggining of the term.
4. I have started the English,classes since three weeks ago and I am learning some English since that time.
5. I have been thinking about how to improve my English ability since I came here, but I still don't fmd a good
way.
6. All of us has learn many thing since we were children.
7. When I was at my sister's house, we had an argument. Since then I didn't talk to her for three days.
8. Since I was very young, I like animals.
9. I have been study english since three and a half month.
10. I like very much the English. Since I was young my father found an American girl to teach my brothers and
me English, but when I move to another city my father hasn't find one for five years. Now I'm living here and
studying in this English programme.
11. I almost die in an automobile accident five year ago. Since that day my life changed completely.
12. In my country, women are soldiers in the army since the 1950s.
13. I meet Abdul in my first English class last June. He was friendly and kind. We are friends since that day.
14. My favorite place in the world is my hometown. I live there for twenty years.
15. My wife and I have been in Italy two weeks ago. We went there to ski.
16. My wife broke her leg while she was skiing in Italy. Now she's home, but she can't walk without help. A lot
of our friends are visiting her since she has broken her leg.
17. 1 was busy every day since I arrived at this city.
18. I haven't to eaten any kind of chinese food for a week. I miss it a lot!
EXERCISE 3. Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses.
Dear Adam,
Hi! Remember me? (Just a joke!) .........I (write, not
1
) have not written to you for at least six months, but that's
not long enough for you to forget me! I think about writing to you often, but I (be, not
2
) .........a good
correspondent for the last few months. You (hear, not

3
) .........from me for such a long time because I (be
4
) .........really busy. For the last few months, I (work
5
) .........full-time at a shoe store and (go
6
) .........to school
at the local community college to study business and computers. When I (write
7
) .........to you six months ago--
last April, I think -- I (go
8
) .........to the university full-time and (study
9
) .........anthropology. A lot of things
(happen
10
) .........since then. At the end of the spring semester last June, my grades (be
11
) .........terrible. As a
result, I (lose
12
) .........my scholarship and my parents' support. I really (mess
13
) .........up when I (get
14
) .........those bad grades. When I (show
15
) .........my grade report to my parents, they (refuse

16
) .........to help
me with my living expenses at school anymore. They (feel
17
) .........that I was wasting my time and their money,
so they (tell
18
) .........me to get a job. So last June I (start
19
) .........working at a shoe store: Imperial Shoes at
Southcenter Mall. I (work
20
) .........there ever since. It (be, not
21
) .........a bad job, but it (be, not
22
) .........wonderful either. Every day, I (fetch
23
) .........shoes from the back room for people to try on, boxes and
boxes of shoes, all day long. I (meet
24
) .........some pretty weird people since I (start
25
) .........this job. A couple
of weeks ago, a middle-aged man (come
26
) .........into the store. He (want
27
) .........to try on some black leather
loafers. I (bring

28
) .........the loafers, and he (put
29
) .........them on. While he (walk
30
) .........around to see if they
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fit okay, he (pull
31
) .........from his pocket a little white mouse with pink eyes and (start
32
) .........talking to it. He
(look
33
) .........right at the mouse and (say
34
) ........., "George, (you, like
35
) .........this pair of shoes?" When the
mouse (twitch
36
) .........its nose, the man (say
37
) ........., "Yes, so do I." Then he (turn
38
) .........to me and (say
39
) ........., "We'll take them." Can you believe that!?
Most of the people I meet are nice-and normal. My favorite customers (be
40

) .........people who (know
41
) .........what they want when they (enter
42
) .........the store. They (come
43
) .........in, (point
44
) .........at one pair
of shoes, politely (tell
45
) .........me their size, (try
46
) .........the shoes on, and then (buy
47
) .........them, just like
that. They (agonize, not
48
) .........for a long time over which pair to buy. I (learn
49
) .........one important thing
from working at the shoe store: I (want, not
50
) .........to sell shoes as a career. I (need
51
) .........a good
education that (prepare
52
) .........me for a job that I can enjoy for the rest of my life. And even though I love
studying anthropology, I (decide

53
) .........that a degree in business and computers will provide the best career
opportunities.
Now I (work
54
) .........part-time at the shoe store and (go
55
) .........to school at the same time. I (want
56
)
.........always to be completely independent and self-reliant, and now I (be
57
) ......... . I (have
58
) .........to pay
every penny of my tuition and living expenses now. Ever since I (lose
59
) .........my scholarship and (make
60
) .........my parents mad, I (be
61
) .........completely on my own. I'm glad to report that my grades at present (be
62
) .........excellent, and right now. I (enjoy / really
63
) .........my work with computers. In the future, I (continue
64
) .........to take courses in anthropology whenever I can fit them into my schedule, and I (study
65
) .........thropology on my own for the rest of my life, but I (pursue

66
) .........a career in business. Maybe there
is some way I can combine anthropology, business, and computers. Who knows?
There. I (tell
67
) .........you everything I can think of that is at all important in my life at the moment. I think I
(grow
69
) .........up a lot during the last six months. I (understand
70
) .........that my education is important.
Losing my scholarship (make
69
) .........my life more difficult, but I (believe
71
) .........that I (take, finally
72
) .........charge of my life. It's a good feeling.
Please write. I'd love to hear from you.
Jessica
ANSWER KEY
EXERCISE 1
1. A: Do you have
B: am planning
A: Have you everbeen
B: was ...lives /is living.. .go
2. B: is studying
A: will she get / is she going to get / is she getting
A: has she been studying
A: Does she study

3. A: is talking
B: is she talking
A: have been talking
4. A: Do you know
B: have...get...will call... (will) give
B: will do
5. A: hasbeen....Has anyone seen
B: saw... has been ..... will probably be / is probably going to be
6. A: have you worn / have you been wearing
B: was
A: Are you
7. A: Do you like
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B: have never eaten
B: love
A: Is.. . have gone
B: have never been … will be / going to be … get
8. A: Do you smoke
A: have you been smoking / have you smoked
B: I have been smoking / have smoked
was … have been smoking / have smoked
A: did you start
B: was
A: Do you want
B: plan / am planning ... have decided … intend / am intending
A: will feel / are going to fed stop / have stopped
B: Have you ever smoked
A: have never smoked was / smoked / stole / went / got / have not had
EXERCISE 2
1. I have been studying English for eight years, but I still have a lot to learn.

2. I have wanted to learn English since I was a child.
3. Our class has had three tests since the beginning of the term.
4. I have started the English classes since three weeks ago, and I have learned some English since that time.
5. ….. but I still haven’t found a good way.
6. All of us have learned many things since we were children.
7. ... Since then I haven’t talked to her. (OR: After that, I didn’t talk to her for three days.)
8. Since I was very young. I have liked animaLs.
9. I have been studying English for three and a half months.
10. I like English very much. When I was young, my father.. . but when I moved to another city, my father
didn’t find one for five years.
11. I almost died in an automobile accident five years ago. Since that day my life has changed completely.
12. In my country, women have been soldiers in the army since the 1950s.
13. I met Abdul in my first English class last June... We have been friends since that day.
14. I lived (OR: have lived) there for twenty years.
15. My wife and I were in Italy two weeks ago.
16. A lot of our friends have visited her since she broke her leg.
17. I have been busy every day since I arrived in this city.
18. I haven’t se eaten any kind of ChInese food for a week.
EXERCISE 3
1. have not written
2. haven’t been 40. are
3. haven’t heard 41. know
4. have been 42. enter
5. have been working 43. come
6. (have been) going 44. point
7. wrote 45. tell
8. was going 46. try
9. (was) studying 47. buy
10. have happened 48. don’t agonize
11. were 49. have learned

12. lost 50. don’t want
13. messed 51. need
14. got 52. will prepare / is going to prepare
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15. showed
16. refused 53. have decided
17. felt 54. am working
18. told 55. (am) going
19. started 56. have always warned
20. have been working 57. am have worked
58. have
21. isn’ / hasn’t been 59. 1ost
22. isn’t/hasn’t been 60. made
23. fetch 61. have been
24. have met 62. are
25. started 63. am really enjoying
26. came 64. will continue / am going to corninue
27. wanted
28. brought 65. will study /am going to study
29. put
30. was walking 66. will pursue / am going to pursue
31. pulled
32. started 67. have told
33. looked 68. have grown
34. said 69. understand
35. do you like 70. made (also posible: has made)
36. twitched 71. believe
37. said 72. an finally taking (OR: have finally taken)
38. turned
39. said

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