BASICS OF TENSES

EXERCISES
1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in
the brackets:
(1) He __________ along the road when suddenly he ________ an old
man. (walk, meet)

(2) I praised him for what he __________ for the poor. (do)

(3) Please give me your pen. I _________ mine at home. (forget)

(4) The hungry child ___________ for ten minutes. (cry)

(5) He __________ there and ran away. (not stop)

(6) When I was at school, I _________ part in cultural activities.

(take)

(7) You cannot go out till you __________ your homework.

(complete)

(8) There is going to be a bus strike. Everone _________ for

autorickshaws and rickshaws next week. (look)
9. When I reached the house I ........... .... that thieves
............... into it. (find , break)

10. My mother ................ food when she ............... a noise.

(cook, hear)

11. He is a very rude person . I ................him. (not help)

12. When you reach there, he................a book. (read)

13. If you walk fast, you................the train.(catch)

14. The accident................ at 6 0' clock this evening'. (occur)

15. Everybody................good children. (admire)

16. He ............... for two hours. (talk)

17. He generally................to school by a bus but today he

.............. by a car· (go)

18. I................a car next year. (buy)

19. You cannot meet Mr Saxena . He................ out. (just go)

20. I................my friend since Friday. (not meet)

6. Complete the following paragraph by (a) (i) he has heard
choosing the correct options given (ii) they have heard
below: (iii) he had heard
(iv) he has been hearing
In Tigers For Dinner, Tall Tales by
Jim Corbett's Khansama, Ruskin (b) (i) wants to linger to
Bond recounts the stories that (a) (ii) wanted lingering to
................. . Bond 's condition of the (iii) linger on
tale is simple and picturesque, but (iv) linger with
his language and style make us ( b)
................. every word and every line, (c) (i) takes us over
bringing a smile to our face. Bond's (ii) take us above
immitable style (c) ................. hill (iii) take them on
and dale, into dark forests and (iv) taking us over
wooden bungalows.
7. Fill in the blanks by choosing the (a) (1) enjoyed (2) was enjoying
correct option given below: (3) had enjoyed (4) enjoys
(a) ................. the beauty of nature not (b) (1) will find (2) finds
through right but through touch . She (3) has found (4) found
(b) ................. hundreds of things
(c) (1) had judged (2) judged
through mere touch . She (c) .................
(3) would judge (4) was judging
the smoothness of the skin of a silver
(d) (1) passing (2) passed
birth by (d) ................. her loving hands
(3) pass (4) passes
on it. She (e) ................. the same thing
and felt the rough and shaggy bark of a (e) (1) do (2) does

pine. She desired that men with sight (3) did (4) will do
and hearing power must (f)................. (f) (1) have made (2) will make
full use of these powers. (3) made (4) make
1. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect or the present perfect
continuous tense form of the verb given in the brackets.
(1) Our school football team _______________ only two matches so
far. (won)
(2) Have we not reached our destination yet? We ____________ for
hours. (walk).
(3) I ____________ my homework since morning; now I need a break. (do)

(4) I ___________ something burning. (smell)

(5) The students _____________ (prepare) for the Teacher's Day party
since morning. They ___________ yet. (not, finish)
(6) Don't worry, the guests ___________ yet. (not, arrive)

(7) Sneha __________ (play) with my Barbie all day. Now she _________

(give) it to her little sister.

(8) How many times ___________ (you, take) part in this

competition?

(9) Mother ___________ (cook). Let's go and eat.

(10) My brother ____________ (buy) a new Harley Davidson.

• Using the situations given below, make sentences in the
present perfect tense.
1. Maya is in the Principal's room. An hour has gone by.
2. Smitha lived in Chennai as a child. She lives in London
now.
3. Neha can't find her binoculars. She doesn't know where
they are. Since she last used them on her last birthday.
4. Reena and her brother moved to England in 2000. They
still live there.