English / Grammar / Tenses 1

English  Language  -­‐  Grammar  

 
Exercise  on  Tenses  1  
   

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 English / Grammar / Tenses 1

 
Exercise  on  Tenses  -­‐  1  
The  New  Vulcan  

I  (1)  _______________________________________________  (talk)  to  extraterrestrials  that  live  on  the  

planet  Vulcan  since  1970.    They  (2)  ________________________________  (be)  friendly  and  very  

intelligent   creatures.     In   1999,   I   (3)__________________________________   (buy)   my   first  

computer,   and   we   (4)   __________________________________________________   (send)   emails   to   each  

other  regularly  since  then.  

In   the   past   few   years,   they   have   been   telling   me   about   their   planet.     They   say   it  

(5)_____________________________________________(get)   hotter   and   hotter   since   1998   because  

their  sun  is  dying.    Their  oceans  (6)_____________________________________________________(lose)  

water   very   quickly   and   soon   there   will   not   be   enough   left.     They   will   not   be   able   to  

survive  on  Vulcan  for  much  longer.  

Over   the   years,   I   (7)   _____________________________________________(tell)   them   a   lot   about   our  

planet,   Earth,   and   they   (8)_____________________________________________________________(always  

listen)   with   interest.     However,   since   their   sun   started   dying,   they   (9)  

_____________________________________________________________(ask)   me   about   the   other   planets  

near   Earth.     They   say   that   we   are   lucky   to   have   a   sun   that   is   so   young.     When   I   (10)  

_____________________________________(tell)  them  about  Mars,  they  were  very  excited.  

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 English / Grammar / Tenses 1

Earlier   this   year,   they   told   me   that   they  

(11)________________________________________________________(building)   a   spacecraft.     They   are  

planning   to   move   to   Mars   because   they   (12)__________________________________________(think)  

it   is   the   perfect   planet   for   them.     They   (13)________________________________________(find)   a  

way  to  channel  the  underground  water  on  Mars  into  oceans  just  like  those  we  have  on  

Earth.  

They  (14)_______________________________________________(get)  ready  to  leave  for  Mars  when  I  

(15)___________________________________________(call)   them   last   week,   so   they   should   be  

arriving  there  in  about  two  years.    I  hope  they  will  visit  us  as  our  new  neighbours.  

   

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 English / Grammar / Tenses 1

Answer  keys:  
Exercise  on  Tenses  –  1  

1. have  been  talking  

2. are  
3. bought  
4. have  been  sending  
5. have  been  getting  
6. have  been  losing  
7. have  been  telling  
8. have  always  been  listening  
9. have  been  asking  
10. told/  was  telling  
11. were  building  
12. think  
13. have  found  
14. were  getting  
15. called  

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