English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Future time / present tenses in time clauses / prepositions of time and place exercise

A. If a word or phrase in bold is correct, put a tick (✓). If it is incorrect, rewrite it correctly on the line, including all possibilities.

1   The universe is going to continue to expand for billions of years.   ……………………..

2   Look out! You will hit the car in front!   ……………………..

3   I’m going to do the washing-up tonight, if you like.   ……………………..

4   Do you think that, in the future, people will live to be hundreds of years old?   ……………………..

5   Will I carry some of those bags for you, or can you manage?   ……………………..

6   I know! I’m going to have a barbecue on my birthday!   ……………………..

7   Are you going to just hold this door open for me for a minute? Thanks a lot!   ……………………..

8   We’ve decided we will try that new restaurant after the play tomorrow night.   ……………………..

9   We’re going to fly to Jamaica in the summer.   ……………………..

10   Shall we invite Tony and Tim round tonight?   ……………………..

11   Are we going to invite Tony and Tim round tonight?   ……………………..

12   Will you go to Jason’s party next Saturday?   ……………………..

B. Circle the correct word or phrase. If both options are correct, circle both.

1   We aren’t / We’re not going to miss the train, are we?

2   I think I’m going to do / I’m doing really badly in the English test tomorrow.

3   Josh is going to sing / is singing a song in the school talent contest next week.

4   I’m going to buy / buying a big yacht if I can when I’m older.

5   Sports Day is going to be / being held on the last day of term.

6   Does / Will the concert on Thursday last more than two hours?

7   Are they going to broadcast / Will they broadcast the music awards live tomorrow night?

8   Do they broadcast / Are they broadcasting the music awards live tomorrow night?

9   According to the timetable, the train for Oxford leaves / is leaving at 10.15.

10   Does the restaurant open / Is the restaurant opening next Sunday?

C. Write a word or short phrase in each gap.

At the end of this month, I’ll (1) ……………………… working on my physics project for about six weeks, but I’ve still got a lot to do before I hand it in. I’ll (2) ……………………… spending the whole day in the physics lab next Saturday doing experiments, and in fact, I (3) ……………………… playing football the weekend after either because I’ve got to go back to the lab then, too. I guess I’ll (4) ……………………… doing lots of similar projects when I’m at university, so it’s good practice. Thinking about it, when I leave university in about four years, I will (5) ……………………… studying physics for over thirteen years, so I should be quite good at it by then!

D. Complete using the future perfect simple or future perfect continuous of the verbs in brackets.

1   I …………………………. (cook) dinner by the time you get home.

2   In a few minutes, I …………………………. (wait) here for Craig for over two hours. Where can he be?

3   We’ll be halfway through the sponsored swim in one hour so we …………………………. (swim) for forty-eight hours non-stop by then.

4   They …………………………. (not / finish) painting the house by the time we get back from holiday.

5   If she’s still on the phone at eight o’clock, …………………………. (Jan / talk) to Melissa for over two hours.

6   At six o’clock this evening, we …………………………. (not / climb) for five hours but for seven hours!

7   This time next month, you …………………………. (probably / pass) your driving test!

8   …………………………. (you / do) all your homework by bedtime?

9   Tomorrow …………………………. (Elaine / work) on the project for ten days.

10   We …………………………. (probably / not / leave) by the time you get home.

E. Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.

1   We’ll get home and then we’ll have something to eat.   got

     We’ll have something to eat …………………………………………… home.

2   I’ll finish marking the exams and then I’ll tell you your results.   soon

     I’ll tell you your results …………………………………………… marking the exams.

3   You’ll be travelling across the Sahara next week so remember to wear lots of sunscreen!   while

     Remember to wear lots of sunscreen …………………………………………… across the Sahara next week!

4   They’ll show Titan at the cinema and then they’ll release the DVD.   before

      They won’t release the DVD …………………………………………… at the cinema.

5   My science exam starts at ten tomorrow morning.   taking

     At ten past ten tomorrow …………………………………………… my science exam.

6   Let’s watch the space documentary before we have supper.   watched

     Let’s have supper …………………………………………… the space documentary.

7   I’ll send out all the invitations before lunchtime.   have

     By lunchtime, …………………………………………… all the invitations.

8   Do some revision and then I’ll give you a test.   until

     I won’t give you a test …………………………………………… some revision.

9   When you visit us, we’ll have moved into our new house.   by

     We’ll have moved into our new house …………………………………………… you visit us.

10   We’ll get some more information and then we’ll make a decision.   once

        Let’s make a decision …………………………………………… got some more information.

F. Read the information and write a question for each answer given.

Example:

What time does the coach leave Plymouth?

It leaves at 5.30 am.

1   ……………………………………………….

     He’ll be driving the coach to Penzance.

2   ……………………………………………….

     It’ll arrive at 8.15 am.

3   ……………………………………………….

     It’s going to set sail at 9.15 am.

4   ……………………………………………….

     It will have been sailing for two hours.

5   ……………………………………………….

     They will just have arrived in St Mary’s.

6   ……………………………………………….

     They’ll be walking round the town.

7   ……………………………………………….

     They’ll be having a picnic lunch.

8   ……………………………………………….

     They’ll be leaving the beach at 4 pm.

9   ……………………………………………….

     They’ll have just finished a boat trip around the island.

10   ……………………………………………….

       It’s leaving at 4.30 pm.

11   ……………………………………………….

       They get back at 10.15 pm.

G. Write on, in or at in each gap.

1   I’ll be 100 years old ……………… the year 2095!

2   Sasha’s not going to have a party ……………… her birthday this year.

3   See you ……………… August!

4   See you ……………… Tuesday!

5   See you ……………… eight o’clock!

6   See you ……………… the morning!

7   See you ……………… a couple of hours!

8   It’s difficult to sleep ……………… night ……………… the summer because of the heat.

9   My grandfather left home ……………… the age of fourteen!

10   We got there just ……………… time for the movie.

11   He’s never late, and he’s never early; he always arrives right ……………… time.

12   My birthday’s ……………… April 1st.

H. Each of the words in bold is incorrect. Rewrite them correctly.

1   My Australian cousins are coming in Greece next month!   ………………

2   Turn left on the post office, then go straight on.   ………………

3   There weren’t any chairs, so we had to sit at the floor.   ………………

4   The TV’s on the corner of the room.   ………………

5   There’s a photo of the author at the back cover of the book.   ………………

6   We should arrive at Paris at six in the morning.   ………………

7   Could you go out from the room for a moment, please?   ………………

8   Walk in the station, but turn left a couple of blocks before you get there.   ………………

9   I’ll meet you in the corner of your street.   ………………

10   There should be a broom on the back of the cupboard, somewhere.   ………………

11   They should arrive in the airport in about an hour.   ………………

12   The CD should be next from the CD player.   ………………

I. Write one word in each gap.

Defining the Age

Ages, eras and wars will always be defined (1) ………………… they are over, or at least well after they (2) ………………… started. (3) ………………… the year 1914, for example, no one said: ‘Tomorrow I’m going (4) ………………… go and fight in the First World War.’ Why not? Because it wasn’t generally called the First World War until the Second World War had started. Similarly, no one ever said: ‘Next year (5) ………………… be the start of the Industrial Revolution.’ The era now known as the Industrial Revolution only started being called that once it was well under way.

(6) ………………… the time we are old, we will all (7) ………………… experienced enormous technological advances. We might even (8) ………………… walking round with computer chips implanted in our bodies, or perhaps computer chip technology will have (9) ………………… replaced by even more advanced technology. There’s talk (10) ………………… the moment that human skin itself might make an excellent electronic circuit board. We can all make predictions, but nobody knows for sure. And nobody knows what the era we will live in (11) ………………… the near future will be called by future historians. If we already live in the Computer Age or the Information Age as some people suggest, the present-day era (12) ………………… be referred to by future historians, then who knows what era we’re just (13) ………………… the beginning of right now?