Tense shows time. There are mainly three tenses in English – present, past and future. Each of these three tenses is further divided to four tenses.

Present tense: Simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous

Past tense: simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous

Future tense: simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense form of the verb.

Exercise 1

1. She ——————– the railway station before the train came.

a) had reached
b) has reached
c) reached
d) was reached

2. His uncle does not ——————— here.

a) live
b) lives
c) living
d) lived

3. Peter ————————- editing this magazine for twenty five years by next January.

a) will be
b) will have been
c) is
d) would be

4. Peter ——————— two wickets before rain interrupted play.

a) took
b) has taken
c) had taken
d) had took

5. I ———————– him twice before he left for New York.

a) saw
b) have seen
c) had seen
d) seen

6. Edison —————————- newspapers before he became a famous inventor.

a) sold
b) had sold
c) was selling
d) had been selling

7. In my youth I ————————- exercise every day.

a) had taken
b) took
c) was taking
d) had been taking

8. She ——————— for Delhi this evening.

a) is leaving
b) was leaving
c) have been leaving
d) had left

9. Heat ———————- bodies.

a) expanded
b) would expand
c) expands
d) is expanding

10. We ————————— living here since 1990.

a) were
b) are
c) have been
d) had been

11. We ————————- here for ten years now.

a) lived
b) have lived
c) had lived
d) were living

12. Did you ——————- him?

a) seen
b) see
c) saw
d) were seeing

13. Nobody will ever ———————– what happened to her.

a) know
b) knew
c) had known
d) be knowing

14. I could ———————– her if I wanted to.

a) have married
b) marry
c) married
d) be marrying

15. Does she ———————- what she is doing?

a) knows
b) know
c) knew
d) had known

16. When I visited him he ——————— bed-ridden for two months.

a) was
b) has been
c) had been
d) were

17. I ——————– school last year.

a) left
b) had left
c) leaved
d) was leaving

18. There ——————— a famine in Bengal in 1982.

a) was
b) has been
c) were
d) had been

19. Akbar ————————– the Moghul power paramount in India.

a) had made
b) has made
c) made
d) would make

20. John has ———————- home.

a) went
b) go
c) gone
d) going

Answers

1. had reached
2. live
3. will have been
4. had taken
5. had seen
6. sold (= used to sell)
7. took (= used to take)
8. is leaving
9. expands
10. have been
11. have lived
12. see
13. know
14. have married
15. know
16. had been
17. left
18. was
19. made
20. gone

Exercise 2

1. Where have you been all this while? I ………………………….. (study) in the library.

2. You look tired. Yes, I ……………………………. (run)

3. Look! Somebody ………………………. (break) the lock.

4. …………………….. (you ever visit) China?

5. My cat ……………………… (miss) for a few days.

6. Rahul is on vacation. I see. Where ……………………….. (he go)?

7. She is a popular actor. She ……………………….. (appear) in over a hundred films.

8. Sorry. I am late. ………………………. (you wait) for long?

9. I ………………………. my phone. (lose)

10. ……………………. (you finish) that project? No. I ………………………… (still work) on it.

Answers

1. have been studying

2. have been running

3. has broken

4. Have you ever visited

5. has been missing

6. has he gone

7. has appeared

8. Have you been waiting

9. have lost

10. Have you finished, am still working

Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. From our conversation, I …………………… (infer) that she …………………. a large family. (have)

2. He ……………………….. (remember) for his many good deeds.

3. He ………………………. his success to his grandmother. (owe)

4. Your visit last week ……………………… us. (delight)

5. Some people believe that our destiny …………………………. (predetermine)

6. He was so hungry, he ………………………. everything on his plate. (devour)

7. She ………………………. several historical novels a week. (read)

8. He ……………………. (work) as a real estate agent for several years before he ……………………. abroad. (go)

9. He ……………………. (fall) down the stairs and ………………….. (break) his back.

10. I ……………………. (not mind) being alone for a few hours.

Answers

1. inferred, had, 2. is remembered, 3. owes, 4. delighted, 5. is predetermined, 6. devoured, 7. reads, 8. worked, went, 9. fell, broke, 10. don’t mind

Exercise 4

Some verbs are not normally used in the continuous form. Examples are: like, want, need, prefer, understand, mean, believe, remember, fit, contain, consist, seem, belong.

Some verbs have a different meaning when they are used in the continuous form. For example, when think is used in the continuous form, it means consider.

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate simple or continuous tense form.

1. I am tired. I ……………….. to sit down somewhere. (want / am wanting)

2. I ……………… your situation. (understand)

3. The girl ………………. happy. (look)

4. He ………………. to be in trouble. (seem)

5. I ……………… (think) she ………………. (lie)

6. What …………….. you ………………. of these developments? (think)

7. I ……………….. (think) of going abroad.

8. She ……………….. (think) of quitting her job.

9. This T shirt ……………… (smell). You should dry it in the sun.

10. …………. you ……………. the bird in this picture? (See)

11. …………… you ……………. in God? (believe)

12. You ……………… very happy today. (not look)

13. He …………………………. to a hill tribe. (belong)

14. This book …………………………. of 12 chapters. (consist)

Answers

1. want, 2. understand, 3. looks, 4. seems, 5. think, is lying, 6. do think, 7. am thinking, 8. is thinking, 9. smells, 10. Do you see, 11. Do you believe, 12. don’t look, 13. belongs, 14. consists

Exercise 5

1. New techniques …………………………. (are helping / were helping / helps) scientists to predict how, when, and where major hurricanes ……………………… (will / would / could) occur. 

2. Even when scientists ……………………… (can / may / will) figure out where a storm is headed, winds can change at the last minute, ………………………. (carries / carrying / carry) the storm in a new direction.

3. Scientists ……………………………. (predict / predicts / predicted) hurricanes with the help of computer simulations, or models, and knowledge of the past.

4. Scientists ………………………. (are collecting / have been collecting / collect) data about storms for decades.

5. They ………………………… (noticed / have noticed / notice) patterns that suggest what it ……………………….. (is taking / takes / took) for a strong storm to form in the first place.

6. Storms ………………………… (are developing / develop / developed) over tropical waters in different parts of the world.

7. For a hurricane to get ………………………… (organize / organized / organizing), ‘conditions have to be just right’.

8. First, the ocean water ………………………….. (needs / is needing / need) to be warm enough so that the winds can take up evaporated water which rises into the air.

9. As it rises, the vapor …………………………. (cool / cools / cooled) and turns back into liquid. This process ………………………  (release / releases / releasing) heat and it drives the formation of a hurricane.

10. If wind speeds inside the swirling mass ………………………… (reach / reached / have reached) 40 miles per hour, the system ………………………….. (classified / is classified / is classifying) as a ‘tropical storm’, and it gets a name.

Answers

1. are helping, will occur

2. can, carrying

3. predict

4. have been collecting

5. have noticed, takes

6. develop

7. organized

8. needs

9. cools, releases

10. reach, is classified

Worksheet 6

Test your understanding of tenses with this grammar exercise. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. The patient ————— last night.

a) die
b) died
c) dead
d) was dying

2. We —————– them two weeks ago.

a) had visited
b) visited
c) would visit
d) visit

3. The sun ——————- when we went out.

a) shone
b) was shining
c) shines
d) would shine

4. I saw him ——————- the money.

a) stole
b) stolen
c) steal
d) had stolen

5. Yesterday I ————— a new watch as my old one ————- stolen.

a) buy, is
b) bought, had been
c) bought, was
d) bought, have been

6. He thanked me for what I —————

a) did
b) had done
c) would do
d) do

7. I ——————– here for the last two years.

a) had lived
b) am living
c) lived
d) have been living

8. They —————- a house in Delhi two years ago.

a) had bought
b) bought
c) buy
d) would buy

9. I usually —————– the newspaper in the evening.

a) am reading
b) read
c) will
d) would read

10. Ever since I ————– my home in 2001, I ————— living here.

a) left, was
b) leave, have been
c) leaving, have been
d) left, have been

11. The patient ————– before the doctor ————-

a) had died, arrived
b) died, arrived
c) dead, arrived
d) would die, arrived

12. She usually —————– white dresses.

a) wear
b) wears
c) was wearing
d) would wear

13. He —————- just decided that he —————– undertake the job.

a) had, would
b) has, would
c) would, had
d) had, could

14. I —————- never forget what you just ————— me.

a) will, told
b) would, told
c) had, told
d) will, tell

15. I —————— to her and she —————- at once.

a) wrote, came
b) would write, will come
c) write, comes
d) have written, came

16. When we —————– the station, the train ————- already left.

a) would reach, had
b) reached, had
c) reach, had
d) reach, would

17. The tomatoes —————- picked when they were ripe.

a) are
b) were
c) were being
d) are being

18. The national anthem —————- after the function got over.

a) is sung
b) was sung
c) would sing
d) had sung

19. The criminals ——————– arrested

a) is
b) have been
c) were been
d) had been

20. Many people ——————- in the riots.

a) was killed
b) is killed
c) were killed
d) have killed

21. He —————- the distance in a record time.

a) ran
b) had run
c) was running
d) had ran

22. After the visitor —————– she went into the kitchen.

a) went
b) gone
c) had gone
d) have gone

23. Are the wild animals ——————- by the hunter?

a) hunted
b) were hunted
c) being hunted
d) were being hunted

24. Nobody —————– cheated by her.

a) were
b) has
c) had
d) has been

25. Our country shall not —————– betrayed by us.

a) have been
b) had been
c) have
d) had

Answers

1. died
2. visited
3. was shining
4. steal
5. bought, had been
6. had done
7. have been living
8. bought
9. read
10. left, have been
11. had died, arrived
12. wears
13. had, would
14. will, told
15. wrote, came
16. reached, had
17. were
18. was sung
19. have been
20. were killed
21. ran
22. had gone
23. being hunted
24. has been
25. have been

Worksheet 7

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

Extreme weather conditions ………………1……………… (are feeling / are being felt / have felt / have been felt) across the world. Floods ……………2………. (ravage / are ravaging / have ravaged / were ravaging) major cities while earthquakes …………3………….. (level / are leveling / have been leveling) several others. The earth, as we know it, ……………4…………. (have become / has become / became / had became) a menacing place to live in.

Disasters are either natural or manmade. While cyclones, floods and earthquakes are natural disasters, fires, riots and armed conflicts …………5………… (belong /belongs / are belonging / have belonged) to the man-made category. The distinction between them is often insignificant, as they both mean the same – peril. Most disasters cannot ……………6………. (prevent / be prevented / be preventing), but their effect in terms of loss of life and property can ………………7……… (mitigate / be mitigated / be mitigating), and this is what disaster management is all about. Disaster management professionals ……………8…………… (deal / are dealing / deals / have dealt) with reconstruction and rehabilitation, health and psychological issues.

Answers

1. are being felt, 2. ravage, 3. level, 4. has become, 5. belong, 6. cannot be prevented, 7. can be mitigated, 8. deal

Worksheet 8

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

Evil robots that …………….1……………… (refuse / are refusing / refuses) to die, no matter how fiercely people fight back, is one of the scariest science fiction scenarios. But now, fiction …………….2…………… (edged / has edged / has been edging) into fact. For the first time, researchers ……………..3…………… (are creating / have created / have been creating) a robotic machine that can take a beating and keep on trucking. Developed by scientists from Cornell University and the University of Vermont , the new robot ……………4…………….. (looks / is looking / look) like a spider with four legs. This gizmo can adapt to damage more easily than ordinary robots do.

Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when ………………5…………… (damaging / damaged / damages). That’s because its internal computer simply …………….6…………… (do not know / doesn’t know / didn’t know) how to operate the machine after its shape has changed. To get around this problem, the spidery robot’s developers ……………..7………….. (equip / equipped / are equipping) their invention with eight motors and two sensors that read how the machine is tilting. The motors and sensors all ……………..8………….. (are providing / provide / provides) electrical signals to the machine’s software.

Answers

1. refuse, 2. has edged, 3. have created, 4. looks, 5. damaged, 6. doesn’t know, 7. equipped, 8. provide

Worksheet 9

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. 2007 ………………………….. the beginning of the International Polar Year.

a) marks

b) marked

c) has marked

d) had marked

2. In recent years, the Polar Regions ……………………….. to change drastically as a result of global warming.

a) begin

b) began

c) have begun

d) has begun

3. Microsoft’s coffee-table computer, Surface, ………………………… to touch and to special bar codes attached to everyday objects.

a) is responding

b) respond

c) responds

d) has responded

4. Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank ……………………………. women with affordable and easy access to credit.

a) provides

b) provide

c) are providing

d) had provided

5. The President of India ………………………….. by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of the Parliament and the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies.

a) is electing

b) is elected

c) elected

d) is being elected

6. Researchers ……………………….. through studies that internet searching and text messaging make brains more adept at filtering information and making snap decisions.

a) are finding

b) have found

c) have been found

d) find

7. The internet can create addicts whose only friends are virtual and who ……………………….. from high rates of attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome.

a) are suffering

b) suffer

c) suffers

d) have suffered

8. Scientists have created what they claim is the world’s first artificial heart that …………………….. exactly like the real one.

a) is beating

b) beat

c) beats

d) has been beating

9. When Brazilian scientists ………………….. aggressive African bees to Brazil in 1956 they only wanted to breed a better honeybee.

a) bring

b) had brought

c) brought

d) were bringing

10. The experiment failed and some of the African bees escaped and ……………………. with local species.

a) breed

b) have bred

c) bred

d) had bred

11. After the explosion in the core of the reactor, Chernobyl and nearby towns ……………………

a) were evacuated

b) have evacuated

c) had evacuated

d) was evacuated

Answers

1. marked; 2. have begun; 3. responds; 4. provides; 5. is elected; 6. have found; 7. suffer; 8. beats; 9. brought; 10. bred; 11. Were evacuated

Worksheet 10

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. So far, killer bees or the Africanized honey bees ……………………. more than 1000 people.

a) killed

b) are killing

c) have killed

d) had killed

2. During the International Polar Year, which lasted until March 2009, thousands of researchers from more than 60 countries …………………….. more than 200 projects and expeditions to both poles.

a) have conducted

b) has conducted

c) conducted

d) conduct

3. Temperatures in polar regions ………………………. faster than anywhere else on Earth.

a) rise

b) have risen

c) are rising

d) rose

4. Technically speaking, Africanized honeybees are no more venomous than regular honeybees, but they …………………. agitated much more easily and stay angry longer.

a) become

b) became

c) are becoming

d) had become

5. The Formosan subterranean termite, a Chinese native, flies, …………………… in vast clouds, and munches through concrete, bricks, or mortar in an attempt to reach wood.

a) swarm

b) swarms

c) swarmed

d) are swarming

6. The tsetse fly that ………………… sleeping sickness is the most dangerous among flies.

a) cause

b) causes

c) is causing

d) caused

7. An explosion in the graphite core of the nuclear reactor released radioactive material that …………………… over parts of the Soviet Union, eastern Europe, Scandinavia , and later western Europe.

a) spread

b) spreads

c) was spreading

d) has spread

8. Nuclear power is generally harmless, but there ………………….. instances when security measures failed either due to negligence or through accident.

a) are

b) have been

c) have

d) had been

9. On April 25, 1986, engineers conducted an unauthorized test which …………………… an uncontrolled chain reaction in the core of the reactor.

a) initiated

b) initiates

c) has initiated

d) was initiating

10. On April 26, an explosion ripped the containment building apart, …………………… radioactive material into the atmosphere.

a) expelling

b) expels

c) has expelled

d) expelled

11. After the explosion in the Chernobyl nuclear reactors, the Soviet authorities refused to admit that an accident ……………………

a) occurred

b) has occurred

c) had occurred

d) was occurred

12. Barack Obama …………………………… in as the 44th President of United States on January 20, 2009.

a) was sworn

b) sworn

c) had sworn

d) has sworn

Answers

1. have killed; 2. conducted; 3. are rising; 4. become; 5. swarms; 6. causes; 7. spread; 8. have been; 9. initiated; 10. expelling; 11. had occurred; 12. was sworn

Worksheet 11

This is an intermediate level ESL exercise that tests your ability to use tenses correctly. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. Climbing stairs …………………….. me to feel dizzy. (cause / causes / are causing)

2. The carpet ………………….. over the years. (has faded / fades / is fading)

3. My grandfather still …………………….. the full possession of his faculties. (enjoys / enjoyed / has enjoyed)

4. The stroke …………………….. him of his faculty of speech. (deprives / deprived / is depriving)

5. The lake water ………………… (pass / passes / is passing) through a filter before it ………………….. to our homes. (pipes / piped / is piped)

6. Has that vacancy ………………………? (filled / being filled / been filled)

7. What could have been a nasty situation ……………………….. with great finesse. (handled / was handled / was handling)

8. The hourglass ………………….. fine sand. (contains / is contained / has contained)

9. Don’t be peevish when I ……………………. you to do something. (ask / asked / will ask)

10. The messenger ……………………. in the lobby while the butler delivered the letter. (waits / waited / has waited)

Answers

1. causes, 2. has faded, 3. enjoys, 4. deprived, 5. passes, is piped, 6. been filled, 7. was handled, 8. contains, 9. ask, 10. waited