Past Simple vs. Present Perfect – English Grammar Exercises for A2
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 Mark: “Sarah, please help! I think I _______ my house keys!”
(a) have lost
(b) lost
(c) have lose
(d) has lost
2 Sarah: “Oh no! When _______ the last time you saw them?”
(a) was
(b) has been
(c) did be
(d) were
3 Mark: “I remember I _______ them on the coffee table at 8:00 AM this morning.”
(a) left
(b) have left
(c) leaved
(d) was leaving
4 Sarah: “_______ the pockets of your jacket yet?”
(a) Have you checked
(b) Did you checked
(c) Do you check
(d) Have you check
5 Mark: “Yes, I _______ that two minutes ago, but they weren’t there.”
(a) did
(b) have done
(c) have did
(d) was doing
6 Sarah: “Maybe you dropped them near the car. _______ to the parking lot?”
(a) Have you been
(b) Have you gone
(c) Did you went
(d) Were you been
7 Mark: “I _______ there twice already, but the light is too dim to see anything.”
(a) have been
(b) went
(c) have gone
(d) am being
8 Sarah: “Don’t panic. I _______ my keys many times before, and they always turn up.”
(a) have misplaced
(b) misplaced
(c) have misplace
(d) was misplacing
9 Mark: “But I _______ outside in the cold for over an hour now!”
(a) have stood
(b) stood
(c) have stand
(d) was standing
10 Sarah: “Wait, I just remembered! The landlord _______ the locks last week, right?”
(a) changed
(b) has changed
(c) change
(d) was changed
11 Mark: “Yes, but that doesn’t help because I _______ the new set of keys yet.”
(a) haven’t used
(b) didn’t use
(c) haven’t use
(d) don’t use
12 Sarah: “_______ the neighbor if he saw anything this afternoon?”
(a) Have you asked
(b) Did you asked
(c) Have you ask
(d) Do you ask
13 Mark: “No, he _______ home since he left for work this morning.”
(a) hasn’t been
(b) wasn’t
(c) hasn’t be
(d) isn’t being
14 Sarah: “Look! I _______ a spare key in my handbag just now!”
(a) have found
(b) found
(c) finded
(d) was found
15 Mark: “Really? That’s great! How long _______ that spare key?”
(a) have you had
(b) did you have
(c) have you have
(d) are you having
16 Sarah: “I _______ it for months, but I completely forgot it was there.”
(a) have kept
(b) kept
(c) have keep
(d) had kept
17 Mark: “This is the first time you _______ my life, Sarah!”
(a) have saved
(b) saved
(c) save
(d) are saving
18 Sarah: “Well, I _______ a similar problem last year when I locked myself out.”
(a) had
(b) have had
(c) have
(d) did had
19 Mark: “I ______ to be more careful, but I always seem to forget things.”
(a) have always tried
(b) always tried
(c) have always try
(d) am always tried
20 Sarah: “Let’s go inside. It _______ a very long evening for both of us.”
(a) has been
(b) was
(c) been
(d) is being
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a) have lost
Explanation: Use Present Perfect to announce a recent event with a present result (he can’t get in now). (b) is too narrative, (c) is a base form error, (d) is a subject-verb agreement error.
2 (a) was
Explanation: Asking about a specific point in the past (“the last time”). (b) is wrong because the time is finished. (c) and (d) are structural errors.
3 (a) left
Explanation: A specific time is mentioned (“at 8:00 AM”). (b) is a common mistake using Present Perfect with specific times. (c) is an irregular verb error. (d) is the wrong aspect.
4 (a) Have you checked
Explanation: Use Present Perfect with “yet” for unfinished time/expectations. (b) is a structural error (did + V2). (c) is Present Simple. (d) is a past participle error.
5 (a) did
Explanation: “Two minutes ago” requires Past Simple. (b) is a meaning trap (Present Perfect cannot be used with “ago”). (c) and (d) are structural errors.
6 (a) Have you been
Explanation: “Been to” refers to a completed visit (going and coming back). (b) “Gone to” would mean he is still at the parking lot. (c) is a structural error.
7 (a) have been
Explanation: “Twice already” indicates experience/repetition up to now. (b) is too specific. (c) is a meaning trap (gone to).
8 (a) have misplaced
Explanation: Describing life experience without a specific time. (b) implies a finished period. (c) and (d) are structural errors.
9 (a) have stood
Explanation: “For over an hour now” indicates an action starting in the past and continuing to the present. (b) is only for finished actions. (c) is a V3 error.
10 (a) changed
Explanation: “Last week” is a finished time marker. (b) is a common mistake (Present Perfect + finished time). (c) and (d) are structural/voice errors.
11 (a) haven’t used
Explanation: “Yet” signifies an action not completed up to the present. (b) is for a specific past point. (c) is a V3 error.
12 (a) Have you asked
Explanation: Checking if an action happened in a period leading up to now. (b) is a structural error. (d) is the wrong tense.
13 (a) hasn’t been
Explanation: “Since” marks the start of a period continuing until now. (b) is a common mistake using Past Simple with “since”. (c) and (d) are structural errors.
14 (a) have found
Explanation: Used to announce news or a very recent discovery with present relevance. (b) is possible but (a) is more natural for “just now” in this context. (c) and (d) are structural errors.
15 (a) have you had
Explanation: “How long” with a state verb (have) requires Present Perfect to show duration until now. (b) is only for finished states. (c) is a V3 error.
16 (a) have kept
Explanation: Duration of a state up to the present moment. (b) would mean she no longer keeps it. (d) is an unnecessary Past Perfect.
17 (a) have saved
Explanation: “This is the first time…” is a structure always followed by Present Perfect. (b), (c), and (d) are tense/usage errors.
18 (a) had
Explanation: “Last year” is a finished time. (b) is a common mistake (Present Perfect + specific year). (d) is a structural error.
19 (a) have always tried
Explanation: “Always” here refers to a habit that started in the past and continues. (b) would mean he stopped trying. (c) is a structural error.
20 (a) has been
Explanation: Summarizing an experience that has just finished or is still relevant to the present feeling. (b) is a narrative past. (d) is incorrect for a summary of the whole evening.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Past Simple (V2): Use for actions that happened at a specific, finished time in the past (e.g., yesterday, 2 years ago, in 2010, when I was a child).
- Present Perfect (Have/Has + V3): Use for actions with no specific time given, or actions that have a result in the present (e.g., “I’ve lost my keys” = I don’t have them now).
- Keywords for Past Simple: ago, yesterday, last week, in [year], when…
- Keywords for Present Perfect: just, already, yet, ever, never, since, for, so far.
- Been vs. Gone: * Have been to: You went and came back (Experience).
- Have gone to: You went and are still there (Location).
- The “How Long” Rule: Use Present Perfect to ask about the duration of a state or action starting in the past and continuing now.