Unit 17

THE PAST SIMPLE is used to talk about completed actions at a particular point in the past, often with dates
or times and word like yesterday, last and ago:
• Kurt went to Canada in 1991.
• I didn’t see you yesterday. Where were you?

THE PRESENT PERFECT is used to talk about:

a. Recent actions or events when no fixed time is given (e.g. news report), often with words like
just, Recently, and lately:
• A volcano has erupted in Japan.
• I’ve just seen your mother in the street.
b. Actions which have a result in the present:
• What’s wrong? Have you lost your keys?
c. Actions in a period of time which is not yet finished, and experiences in someone’s life so far, often
with Yet, so far, ever, for and since:
• I haven’t had any letters this week. (compare: I had five letters last week.)
• She’s visited New York five times. (in her life so far)
• Have you ever been to Greece?

THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS is used to talk about actions which started in the past and are
still Happening, or which have recently stopped but have a result in the present:
• I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes.
• Your eyes are red. You haven’t been crying, Have you?

1. Complete the sentences, using the past simple, past continuous and the present perfect continuous,
and the words in brackets. Remember – many verbs have irregular forms:
a. Rafael ________________________________ shopping for me yesterday. (go)
b. Sandra ____________________________ her brother $2000 so far. (lend)
c. The policeman ___________________________ ten minutes ago. (drive away)
d. The biscuit factory ____________________________ last year. (close down)
e. She’s very red. I think she _______________________ in the sun. (lie)
f. Richard __________________________ his driving test. (just/pass)
g. Karen ________________________ Italian for three years now and is still studying. (study) h. The
headmaster ______________________________ to the school in 1985. (come) i. Jack
______________________________ to get a job for six months, but is still unemployed. (try) j. The
teacher _____________________________ him to be quiet. (already/tell) k. Tim
___________________________ many photos yet. (not/take)
l. Oh no! I _________________________ my purse at home. (leave)
m. They __________________________ in love with each other at first sight. (fall) n. I don’t
want a bath, thanks. I ___________________________ a shower. (just/have) o. I’m sorry, I
___________________________ your name. What did you say it was? (forget)

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2. Write full sentences using the information given.
EXAMPLE: he/ go / to the class last week? Did he go to the class last week?
a. When / you / last go / to Spain?
b. You / ever speak / to a film star?
c. You / spend / a lot of money last month?
d. I / not say / anything up to now.
e. Laura / not have / a holiday so far this year.
f. You / see / any good films lately?
g. You / ever / be / to Japan?
h. Helmut / write / to you yet?
i. The boys / finish / their homework yesterday? 10) Rolf / not buy / the leather jacket last week.

3. Complete the sentences with for or since.

Remember – since refers to a fixed point in time; for refers to a period of time and can be used with
different tenses.

a. I haven’t seen him ___________________________ ages.

b. Maria hasn’t played tennis _____________________ last summer.
c. Bob and I have been friends ______________________ years.
d. _____________________ his birthday, Peter has been behaving rather strangely.
e. Mr. Brown worked in New York _______________________ ten weeks.
f. They waited outside the cinema ______________________ half an hour.
g. Peter has been in this country _______________________ January 27th 1990.
h. We lived in Paris ______________________ a long time before moving to Brussels.
i. I’ve been waiting for the doctor _________________________ 4.30.
j. I’m sorry I haven’t written ____________________ so long.

4. Complete the passage, using the correct tense of the verbs in brackets.
Good evening. This is the nine o’clock news. At least three people 1) __________________ (die) in a
serious accident on a narrow road in the north -west Highlands. A minibus carrying eight businessmen 2)
_________________________ (crash) into a tourist coach just after 11 o’clock this morning. There 3)
________________________ (be) thick fog at the time. A local farmer 4) _______________________ (see)
the crash and 5) _________________________ (alert) the emergency services, who 6)
___________________(rush) to the scene. They 7) _____________________(work) there for the last two
hours and they 8) ______________________ (just/manage) to free the last survivor. A helicopter 9)
_________________________ (already/take) the most seriously injured to hospital in Glasgow. The police
10) ____________________________ (not/release) any names yet.
In the Crown Court a judge 11) _______________________ (sentence) a doctor to two years in prison for
causing the death of a patient. Dr. Rita Daniels 12) _______________________ (tell) the court two days ago
that she 13) ________________________ (stop) her treatment of 79 – year – old Norman Smith because he
was suffering from an incurable blood disease and she 14) _________________________ (want) to save
him from any more pain. They jury 15) ___________________________ (find) her guilty unlawful killing,
but Dr. Daniels’ lawyer 16) ___________________________ (ask) for her to be set free. However, when
the trial came to an end yesterday, the judge 17) __________________________ (decide) she must be
punished, and 18) _______________________________ (send) her to prison.

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Unit 18
PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS
THE PAST CONTINUOUS is used to talk about continuous actions which are interrupted by a past simple
action: • I was having my breakfast when the police arrived.
• The light turned off while we were having dinner.
• What were you doing when that accident happened?
• She was waiting for the bus when a burglar stole her cell-phone.

It is also used for descriptions and to set the scene when telling a story:

• It was raining hard as I walked down the road.

1. Complete the sentences setting the scene for a story.

a. It _________________________ foggier as we drove further into the forest. (get)
b. The sun _________________________ when I woke up. (shine)
c. It ____________________________ so hard that we decided to stay at home. (snow)
d. Alex ____________________________ a newspaper in the library. (read)
e. The birds __________________________ in the early morning sunshine. (sing)

2. Complete the sentences, using the past simple and the past continuous.
a. I _______________________ television when the phone _____________________. (watch/ring)
b. Keith _______________________ a bath when the detective ______________________.
(have/arrive)
c. Alberto ______________________ a leg when he __________________________. (break/ski) d.
Last night Lydia _______________________ to the radio when she _____________________ a
strange noise downstairs. (listen/hear)
e. Jim __________________________ out of the tree while he _____________________ it.
(fall/climb)
f. We ________________________ Kate first aid when the ambulance _____________________.
(give/arrive)
g. While I ___________________________, I _______________________ an old man lying on the
ground. (wait/notice)
h. Rachel _______________________ not to go out, because it _____________________.
(decide/rain)
i. The thief ___________________________ my purse while I ______________________ at the shop
window. (steal/look)
j. The other day Heidi ___________________________ the road when suddenly a car
_________________________ into a lamp –post in front of her. (cross/crash)

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Unit 19
PAST SIMPLE AND PAST PERFECT

THE PAST PERFECT is used to show that a completed action happened before something else in the
past: ∙ I called Jane at 4.40, but she had already left the office.

But if two past actions are close in time, or closely connected, the past perfect is not usually
used: ∙ When he arrived at the hotel, he asked for a room.

THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS is used to show that there had been continuous or repeated action
before something else in the past:

∙ I was very angry when the bus finally came, because I’d been waiting a long time for it.

1. Complete the sentences, using the correct past tense of the verb in brackets. Remember –some
verbs do not take the continuous form.
a. Susana no longer owned a bike. She _____________________________ it. (sell) b. Mary looked
very pale when she arrived for the exam. She ______________________ too hard. (study)
c. The boy’s knee was bleeding when he arrived home. He _________________________ (fall over)
d. I invited Silvia to the party but she couldn’t come. She ________________________ to go
somewhere else. (arrange)
e. Christ bought a loaf of bread and took it home, but Maria __________________________ one.
(already/buy)
f. I was annoyed when someone bought those shoes in the shop window, because I
_________________________ for them. (save up)
g. The guide offered us tickets for a musical, but Elena ________________________ it. (already/see)
h. I knew I recognized the town square. I _______________________ there before. (be)

2. Look at these examples: Before Simon went to the hotel, he bought some books. After he had
bought some books, he went to the hotel. (or: After buying some books). Now complete the
sentences, using the correct past tense in verbs in brackets.

a. After Richard __________________________ work, he _____________________ home (finish/go)

b. By the time the firemen ________________________, the fire ______________________.
(arrive/already/go out)
c. Before she ___________________________ the school, Celia ________________________ goodbye to
all her friends. (leave/say)
d. After _____________________________ his homework, Joe _______________________. (do/go out)
e. When Yuko __________________________ home, she _____________________ her friend at once.
(reach/call)
f. After she _________________________ all the way home, Linda _____________________ quite
exhausted. (run/feel)

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3. Correct the sentences if necessary. Thick any which are already correct.

a. Before Dora had done the shopping, she visited her neighbor. b. When
the program finished, Ali switched the television off. c. After buying the
tickets, the two businessmen caught the train. d. When Guy passed the
exam, his father had been buying him a car. e. It’s a lovely fire, isn’t it?
I’d only put a match to it a few minutes ago. f. We watered the garden
after planting the seeds.
g. I’m rather tired because I had been running to get here on time.

English teaching department

Unit 20 Pre intermediate II
Progress test
REVIEW OF THE LAST UNITS
1. Complete this story, using the verbs in brackets in their correct form.
Last week I 1) _____________________ (be) at my desk in the classroom as usual. I 2) _____________
(feel) rather tired, and 3) ______________________ (can/not) concentrate on the lesson. I 4) ___________
(look) round and 5) ____________________ (notice) a door behind me. ‘I’ m sure it 6) _______________
(be/not) there before!’ I 7) ______________________ (say) to myself. Very quietly I 8)
_________________________ (get up), 9) ______________________ (open) the door, and 10)
_________________________ (see) a long, dark corridor ahead of me. I 11) ______________________
(start) walking down the corridor. Soon I 12) ______________________ (find) myself in an underground
room. There 13) ______________________ (be) a lot of unpleasant –looking machines, and the people 14)
__________________________ (move) around in white coasts. Suddenly I 15) _____________________
(hear) a scream from another room, and 16) ______________________ (begin) to feel frightened. Just then
a tall, cruel –looking man with white hair 17) ______________________ (come) towards me. ‘I am the
Professor,’ he 18) ____________________ (tell) me. ‘How nice to see you! 19) _______________
(you/come) to help with our little experiment?’ I 20) __________________ (not/like) the Professor, and I
21) _________________________ (not/want) to stay. I 22) ____________________ (try) to run away, but
my legs 23) ___________________ (not/move). He 24) ______________________ (come) closer. ‘Don’t
worry,’ he 25) _________________ (say), smiling. ‘We’re just doing a few tests …’ ‘No!’ I 26)
_________________ (shout). ‘No tests!’ He 27) ____________________ (put) his hand on my arm and 28)
_________________ (repeat), ‘A few tests, tests, tests …’
Just then I 29) _____________________ (wake up). I 30) __________________ (be) back in the
classroom, and someone 31) ____________________ (shake) my arm. I listened to the teacher. ‘Tests this
week and next week,’ she 32) ____________________ (say). ‘That’s better,’ I 33) ___________________
(think).
2. Match the two halves of the sentences. Use each item only once.

a. My mother always laughs 1. flows through Stratford. b. The river Avon 2. buy a
bike?
c. Jamie often forgets 3. understand Russian at all. d. Why don’t you 4. eating cheese and
strawberries. e. Ella’s parents 5. at my father’s jokes.
f. Roger doesn’t 6. people’s names.
g. The students come 7. both live in Bonn.
h. Hilary doesn’t like 8. all kinds of fish.
i. Cats eat 9. hope to stay here?
j. How long do you 10. from Slovakia.

3. Read the text and choose the correct word or phrase (A, B, C or D) for each space.
It all started when Edward had to travel to an important meeting in Birmingham by train. The sun was 1)
____________________ when he got on the train, and he felt sleepy because he 2) __________________
gone to bed late the night before. So he fell asleep as soon as the train 3) ____________________. He woke
up suddenly when the train stopped at the station, and 4) __________________ another passenger, wearing a
business suit, getting off the train WITH EDWARD’S BRIEFCASE! ‘Hey!’ Edward 5)
_________________. ‘Come back!’ That’s 6) _________________!’ The station master heard Edward, and
7) __________________ to the businessman, ‘Excuse me, sir, is that 8) ___________________?’ The man
looked very angry. Just then Edward realized that 9) _________________ briefcase was beside him on the
seat, he 10) _____________ noticed it at first. ‘It’s OK,’ he called, ’11) _____________________ found my
case. I’m so sorry, I 12) _________________a mistake.’ Edward told 13) ________________ to be more
careful in the future, and never 14) __________________ to sleep on the train again.
ABCD

1. Shone shining shine shines 2. Has is had have 3. Started starts starting start 4. Sees
seen seeing saw 5. Shouted shouts shout shouting 6. My me mine my one 7. Says said
saying say 8. Yours you your your one 9. Him whose he’s his 10. Had hadn’t hasn’t
didn’t 11. I’d I’m I’ve I’ll 12. Made making make makes 13. Him himself he herself
14. Goes gone went going