A. Circle the correct word or phrase.
1 Rick should know about the meeting because I told / have told him about it yesterday.
2 Did you meet / Have you met last July while you were both backpacking around Europe?
3 I’m resigning because the pressure at work has become / became too much for me.
4 A month ago, I got / have got a letter from Neil, but I haven’t replied.
5 Julie was / has been anxious to speak to you since she heard about your accident.
6 I had / have had no idea you were such a good chess player.
7 If you finished / have finished, put your hand up and I’ll collect your exam paper.
8 There were / have been a number of different reasons for our divorce.
9 It was my birthday last week and my grandad gave / has given me a new laptop.
10 I don’t know who’s responsible because I didn’t work / haven’t worked here long.
11 My brother and I were never allowed / have never been allowed to chew gum when we were young.
12 My parents sent / have sent me to a private school until I was 12.
Answer
1 told 2 Did you meet 3 had become
4 got 5 has been 6 had 7 have finished
8 were 9 gave 10 haven’t worked
11 were never allowed 12 sent
B. Write the verb in brackets in the correct form, past simple or past continuous, in each gap. You may have to use the passive form.
1 When the explosion happened, hundreds of people …………………… (pass) through the airport.
2 When I heard the phone ring, I …………………… (stop) writing to answer it.
3 Amy …………………… (read), so she didn’t see me walking past.
4 I …………………… (have) piano lessons every week from the age of six onwards.
5 We decided to leave the beach because it …………………… (get) dark and we wanted to get home while there was still some light.
6 …………………… Jessica already …………………… (think) of leaving university before she failed her first year exams?
7 Since the hotel had a pool, …………………… you …………………… (swim) every day?
8 The Industrial Revolution …………………… (attract) many people from the country to the city.
9 The Hubble Space Telescope …………………… (put) into orbit around the Earth in 1990.
10 Sorry I couldn’t come on Friday, but I …………………… (work) on my project.
11 By the time we …………………… (arrive), the party was almost over.
12 The national park …………………… (create) to protect local wildlife.
Answer
1 were passing 2 stopped 3 was reading
4 had 5 was getting 6 Was thinking
7 did swim 8 attracted 9 was put
10 was working 11 arrived 12 was created
C. Write a verb from the box in the correct form in each gap.
appear • check • complete • disappear • get • go • kidnap • look • make • mean • open
press • race • rain • remind • see • start • take • travel • wait • wear • work
High-tech trouble
It all (1) ………………… as I made my way home from work. We (2) ………………… on a top secret computer program, and everyone (3) ………………… pretty nervous about finishing on time, so it was good to get away from the office. It (4) ………………… and it seemed like everyone (5) ………………… home at the same time, anxious to avoid getting wet. I (6) ………………… down into the underground station and (7) ………………… for the train when I (8) ………………… her at the end of the platform. She (9) ………………… a red leather jacket that (10) ………………… me of something I’d seen in a film, although I couldn’t remember when. As I watched, she (11) ………………… her handbag and (12) ………………… out what looked like a hand-held computer. She (13) ………………… something on the screen, then (14) ………………… in my direction. Suddenly, my mobile phone (15) ………………… a sound that (16) ………………… I had a text message. Frowning, I (17) ………………… a key and the message (18) ………………… . ‘We (19) ………………… your daughter. We know you (20) ………………… the program. Follow the woman in red.’ I looked up just as she (21) ………………… around the corner. I (22) ………………… after her.
Answer
1 started 2 were/had been working
3 was getting 4 was raining 5 was travelling
6 went 7 was waiting 8 saw 9 was wearing
10 reminded 11 opened 12 took 13 checked
14 looked 15 made 16 meant 17 pressed
18 appeared 19 have kidnapped 20 have completed
21 disappeared/was disappearing 22 raced
D. One verb in each sentence is in the wrong tense. Underline the incorrect word or phrase and write it in the correct tense.
1 I’ve been having a lot of problems with my computer recently and so I got a technician to come and have a look at it, but she has told me that it was because I wasn’t using it properly.
2 It was a few days since I heard from Roger, but he left Russia last Monday and he was planning to arrive in China yesterday, so I called his mum to see if she had heard anything.
3 Patricia and I were having a really good discussion when Jason suddenly appeared and decided that he wanted to join in, even though he has known absolutely nothing about what we were talking about.
4 I had never been visiting a working prison before, so when the opportunity came up I was really eager to have a look around and I certainly wasn’t disappointed, although we weren’t actually allowed to see the area where the prisoners live.
5 Charlie didn’t know what Callum had said to Imogen, but he could see immediately that she had been crying and he was putting his arm around her to comfort her, which made her feel a little better.
6 Although there was no reason to doubt what Alex said, I was ringing Rick to check and he told me that Alex had been right and the concert really had been cancelled because the lead singer had come down with flu.
7 The year before, I had given Lisa a CD for her birthday, but this particular year I wanted to surprise her, so I went into town and I was looking round the shops when suddenly I had seen an old-fashioned hat, and it was her size, so I immediately bought it.
8 Olivia was cycling to school, as she usually did on those days when her father was working and wasn’t able to drive her, when she was passing an old woman, who was waiting for the lights to change so that she could cross the road.
Answer
1 told 2 is/has been 3 knew
4 had never visited 5 put
6 rang 7 saw 8 passed
E. Write the verb in brackets in the correct form, past continuous or present perfect continuous, in each gap.
1 ‘Why are you out of breath?’
‘Because I ……………………………….. for the last hour.’ (exercise)
2 ‘Your light was on when I walked past last night.’
‘Yes, I ……………………………….. online to my cousin in Australia.’ (chat)
3 ‘You’ve really improved on the flute.’
‘Well, I hope so because I ……………………………….. a lot lately.’ (practise)
4 ‘You’re not jealous of my other friends, are you?’
‘No, but you ……………………………….. quite a lot of them recently.’ (see)
5 ‘I didn’t wake you up, did I?’
‘No, I ……………………………….. .’ (sleep)
6 ‘Did you quit your job in the end?’
‘I ……………………………….. of doing so for a long time, but then I decided not to.’ (think)
7 ‘Why is your street such a mess?’
‘Oh, the council ……………………………….. up the roads, but they should finish this weekend.’ (dig)
Answer
1 have been exercising 2 was chatting
3 have been practising 4 have been seeing
5 wasn’t sleeping 6 was thinking
7 have been digging
F. Write one verb in each sentence in the past simple and the other verb in the past perfect.
1 The ambulance …………………….. (left) by the time the reporters …………………….. (get) to the scene of the accident.
2 Before I …………………….. (meet) Dr Christian, I …………………….. (see) a number of different specialists.
3 It …………………….. (be) only the second time I …………………….. (ever / be) in a helicopter.
4 Up to the moment when Mr O’Donnell …………………….. (say) ‘You’re fired’, I …………………….. (have) no idea why he wanted to see me.
5 When Tonya …………………….. (finished) eating, she …………………….. (ask) the waiter to bring the bill.
6 Luckily, I …………………….. (just / reach) the end of my essay when the teacher …………………….. (tell) us all to put our pens down.
7 We …………………….. (do) everything we had to do by five, so we …………………….. (decide) to go out for a coffee.
8 I …………………….. (want) Mrs Thomas’s young son to touch my ornaments because I …………………….. (just/ clean) them.
9 My mum …………………….. (be) annoyed with me because I …………………….. (forget) to get milk when I was at the shop.
10 I …………………….. (get) Janine a book for her birthday, but she …………………….. (read) it before.
Answer
1 had left got
2 met had seen
3 was had ever been
4 said had had
5 had finished asked
6 had just reached told
7 had done decided
8 didn’t want had just cleaned
9 was had forgotten
10 got had read
G. If a word or phrase in bold is in the correct form, put a tick. If it is incorrect, write the correct form on the line.
The mobile phone
People (1) have been dreaming of having a personal means of communication for a long time. In the late 1960s, the idea (2) had seemed so far in the future that it (3) was included in the science fiction series, Star Trek. Since the 1980s, however, mobiles (4) became a part of everyday life. Although they (5) were initially seen as a status symbol for successful business people, mobile use (6) had spread to include practically everyone in the developed world, old and young alike.
The impact on social life (7) had been enormous. We have got used to the idea of having constantly changing social plans, where a quick phone call is all it takes to rearrange things. Before this was possible, there were many occasions when friends who (8) had arranged to meet completely (9) had missed each other because of a slight misunderstanding. People would often have to make very careful arrangements to be sure of meeting up.
As mobiles (10) have been becoming more popular, so they (11) have become more powerful. The large, unreliable mobile phone of the 1980s (12) has evolved into the small, stylish camera phone of today.
Answer
1 ✓ 2 seemed 3 ✓ 4 have become
5 ✓ 6 has spread 7 has been 8 ✓
9 missed 10 have become 11 ✓ 12 ✓
H. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given.
1 I started working at eight and I was still working at six in the evening, when you called. been
When you called, …………………………. ten hours.
2 We often went to the seaside with our grandparents as children. would
Our grandparents …………………………. to the seaside as children.
3 It’s about seven years now since Laura started to learn Russian. learning
Laura …………………………. seven years.
4 Being with the older children soon stopped being frightening when I went to secondary school. used
Secondary school was frightening, but I …………………………. with the older children.
5 Every night for the past week I have had the same dream. having
I …………………………. for a week now.
6 I always disliked karate lessons but now I’m starting to enjoy them. used
I …………………………. karate lessons, but now I’m starting to.
Answer
1 I had been working for
2 would often take us
3 has been learning Russian for about
4 soon got used to being
5 have been having the same dream
6 never used to enjoy
I. Write one word in each gap.
The pencil
Because the pencil (1) ……………….. become such a fundamental part of our lives, it’s difficult to remember that people (2) ……………….. not been using them forever. Like other products of human ingenuity, pencils had to be invented.
Before the first half of the sixteenth century, people (3) ……………….. to use pens to write with and brushes to paint with. It (4) ……………….. also possible to use a metal stick to make faint marks on paper. However, up to that point no one (5) ……………….. found an easy way to make marks that could be erased. Then, some time before 1565, a large deposit of the chemical, graphite, (6) ……………….. found near Borrowdale in Cumbria, England. The locals (7) ……………….. use this graphite (a kind of soft black rock) to mark sheep. Soon, tales of this unusual soft substance (8) ……………….. spread to artists around the world, who were eager to use it to produce works of art.
Graphite is soft and dirty, and in order to write or draw with it, it (9) ……………….. to have to be covered in something, such as sheepskin or string. People had (10) ……………….. trying to improve the pencil for some time before manufacturers in Italy came up with the idea of enclosing the graphite in a wooden case. The modern pencil was born.
Answer
1 has 2 have 3 used 4 was 5 had
6 was 7 would 8 had 9 used 10 been
J. Choose the correct answer.
1 How long ………………… before Val finally turned up?
A have you been waiting
B are you waiting
C you waited
D had you been waiting
2 You ………………… be so good at backgammon, did you?
A never used to
B got used to
C are used to
D wouldn’t
3 Could you tell me, sir, what you ………………… in the park at three in the morning?
A have done
B have been doing
C were doing
D had done
4 I was angry when you saw me because I ………………… with my sister.
A have been arguing
B argued
C had been arguing
D would argue
5 The Black Pirate ………………… over a million copies already this year.
A had sold
B has sold
C had been selling
D was selling
6 Don’t throw the paper away because I ………………… it yet.
A haven’t read
B hadn’t read
C haven’t been reading
D hadn’t been reading
7 By the time we arrived, the film ………………… .
A has already started
B would already start
C already started
D had already started
8 We had to walk home in the end because Jimmy ………………… his car keys.
A has been losing
B had lost
C was losing
D had been losing
9 It took Edward a long time to ………………… living in Canada.
A be used to
B used to
C get used to
D be used
10 I’d love to have lived in the old days, when people ………………… to market by horse and carriage.
A have been travelling
B would travel
C got used to travelling
D had been travelling
11 I much preferred it when we ………………… to Wales every summer on holiday.
A used to go
B were used to going
C had gone
D have been going
12 Your teacher called me today and said that you ………………… in the playground again.
A had been fighting
B used to fight
C have fought
D would fight
Answer
1 D 2 A 3 C 4 C 5 B 6 A
7 D 8 B 9 C 10 B 11 A 12 A
Related Posts
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – International English
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Informal and spoken English
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Formal and academic English
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Ellipsis and substitution
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Reference techniques
- English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Linking words