Tenses Exercise
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb form.
1. I ………………………………….. here since morning.
am waiting
waited
have been waiting
We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action or situation that started
in the past and has continued up to the present.
2. I ……………………………… him yesterday.
met
have met
had met
We use the simple past to talk about finished events in the past.
3. Samuel …………………………… from Australia last week.
returned
has returned
had returned
We use the simple past to talk about finished events in the past.
4. See that you …………………………….. any damage.
do not cause
did not cause
will not cause
The simple present is used in imperative sentences like these.
5. She will come if you …………………………… her.
invite
will invite
invited
In the first conditional, we use a simple present tense in the if-clause and will + infinitive in
the main clause.
6. I …………………………… to France recently.
went
have gone
had gone
The simple past is the most common tense for talking about past events.
7. The jail warden discovered that the prisoner ……………………………
escaped
would escape
had escaped
We use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
8. I ……………………………… in this city for ten years now.
have lived
live
am living
We use the present perfect to talk about an action or situation that started in the past and
has continued up to the present.
9. The train …………………………… before we reached the station.
left
had left
have left
We use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
10. My dad ………………………….. for a walk in the morning.
go
goes
went
has gone
We use the simple present to talk about our habits and routines.
11. When I visited him he …………………………. bed-ridden for two months.
is
was
has been
had been
12. He ………………………….. school at twelve.
left
had left
has left
We use the simple past to say that something happened at a particular point of time in the
past.
PLAY AGAIN !
Answers
1. I have been waiting here since morning.
2. I met him yesterday.
3. Samuel returned from Australia last week.
4. See that you do not cause any damage.
5. She will come if you invite her.
6. I went to France recently.
7. The jail warden discovered that the prisoner had escaped.
8. I have lived in this city for ten years now.
9. The train had left before we reached the station.
10. My dad goes for a walk in the morning.
11. When I visited him he had been bed-ridden for two months.
12. He left school at twelve.