Verb tenses

EX1: All of the following sentences should be completed using the Simple Present. You must use the
words in the parentheses to fill in the blanks (EXAMPLE: Tony (help, always) always helps his students
when they have grammar difficulties.)

1. John (be, not) __________ English, he is American. 2. Susan (take, always) ____________ the bus to work. 3. I
(speak, not) ___________ Arabic. But Aziz (speak, well, English) ___________, so he can help me.
4. Mr. Julius (swim, never) __________ in the ocean. He (be, really) ___________ afraid of sharks. 5. Mary (be, not)
____________ a very good student because she (do, not) ___________ her homework.

EX2: Complete the sentences using the Simple Present (EXAMPLE: John (feed, always) always feeds the
neighbors' cat while they are on vacation.)

1. The library (be) __________________ at 1207 Main Street. 2. Susan (ride, often) __________________ the bus to
work. 3. Mrs. Brown, the new teacher from Boston, (teach, usually) _______________ the students. 4. I (study, not)
_________________ at Georgetown University. 5. The earth (circle) _______________ the sun, but it (circles, not)
_______________ the moon. 6. Creative artists (make) ____________ good art. 7. A: What do you call people who work
in libraries? B: I (call) ______________ them librarians. 8. A: Do you usually eat big dinners? B: No, I (eat, not, usually)
______________________ big dinners. Most of the time, (snack, just) _________________ at night. 9. The Zuni Indians
(carve, carefully) ___________________ the most beautiful sculptures. 10. Tim's wife (make, always)
__________________ the most important decisions.
EX3 – Complete the sentences using present simple and present continuous:
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) __________ her kids to football practice. 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. 2. Shhhhh!
Be quiet! John (sleep) __________. 3. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) __________. 4. I hate living in Seattle
because it (rain, always) __________. 5. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) __________ because everybody (talk)
__________ so loudly. 6. Justin (write, currently) __________ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can find a
good publisher when he is finished. 7. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go)
__________ to a movie tonight with some friends. 8. She is in a band and she (record) __________ a CD at the moment.
9. She is an actress and often (appear) __________ on television. 10. At the moment she (have) __________ a rest
because she is tired. 11. Mike is a doctor and he (live) __________ in Manchester. 12. I (start) __________ work at 8.30
every morning. 13. He is a good cook but she (prefer) __________ to eat out. 14. English tests (get) __________ more
and more interesting. 15. I sometimes (ride) __________ my bicycle to school.

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EX4 - Complete these sentences using the correct past simple form of the verbs below. There is one verb
which you do not need to use. play be get say warn think deny wear put have like
1 She ____________ her best dress at her brother’s wedding. 2 The teacher ____________ him that his jacket was not
acceptable. 3 This morning I ____________ out of bed, had breakfast and went to work. 4 The police accused him of
murder but he ____________ the charges. 5 I ____________ my pen on the desk this morning but now I can’t find it. 6
He ____________ in the football match on Saturday and scored three goals. 7 He ____________ a haircut before he went
to the interview. 8 I asked her to marry me but she ____________ ‘no’. 9 Yesterday it ____________ cold but today it’s
warmer. 10 When she was a teenager, she ____________ pop music but she doesn’t anymore.

EX5 - Complete the sentences using past 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 T.V. 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 (tell) 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.

FUTURE TENSE: EX1 Will / Be Going to - Exercise - Write in correct forms of the verbs in brackets:
1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper? B: I (write) __________ a letter to my friends back home. 2. A: I'm
about to fall asleep. I need to wake up! B: I (get) __________ you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up. 3.A: I can't hear
the television! B: I (turn) __________ it up so you can hear it. 4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We
(visit) __________ Paris, Nice and Grenoble. 5.Sarah (come) __________ to the party. Oliver (be) __________ there as
well. 6. A: It is so hot in here! B: I (turn) __________ the air conditioning on. 7. I think he (be) __________ the next
President of the USA. 8. After I graduate, I (attend) __________ medical school and become a doctor. I have wanted to be
a doctor all my life. 9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is simply too small for
four people. B: That man at the service counter (help) __________ you. 10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk)
__________ down to the beach and go swimming.

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EX2 Simple Present/Future - Exercise - Write in correct forms of the verbs in brackets:

1. Today after I (get) __________ out of class, I (go) __________ to a movie with some friends. 2. When you (arrive)
__________ in Stockholm, call my friend Gustav. He (show) __________ you around the city and help you get situated.

3. A: Do you know what you want to do after you (graduate) __________? B: After I (receive) __________ my Master's
from Georgetown University, I (go) __________ to graduate school at UCSD in San Diego. I (plan) __________ to complete
a Ph.D. in cognitive science. 4. If it (snow) __________ this weekend, we (go) __________ skiing near Lake Tahoe. 5. Your
father (plan) __________ to pick you up after school today at 3:00 o'clock. He (meet) __________ you across the street near
the ice cream shop. If something happens and he cannot be there, I (pick) __________ you up instead. 6. If the people
of the world (stop, not) __________ cutting down huge stretches of rain forest, we (experience) __________ huge changes in
the environment during the twenty-first century. 7. If Vera (keep) __________ drinking, she (lose, eventually)
__________ her job. 8. I promise you that I (tell, not) __________ your secret to anybody. Even if somebody (ask)
__________ me about what happened that day, I (reveal, not) __________ the truth to a single person. 9. She (make)
__________ some major changes in her life. She (quit) __________ her job and go back to school. After she (finish)
__________ studying, she (get) __________ a better paying job and buy a house. She is going to improve her life! 10.Tom
(call) __________ when he (arrive) __________ in Madrid. He (stay) __________ with you for two or three days until his
new apartment (be) __________ available.