Name___________________________________________ Date_____________________

Verb Tense Review

In the blanks supply appropriate forms of the verbs given in the parentheses.

EXAMPLES: a. (be) They have been in Chicago for twenty years.

b.
c. (see) I saw a wonderful movie last night.
b. (go) We didn’t go anywhere special on our last vacation.

1.- (take) Fortunately, that problem ___________________ care of yesterday.

2.- (listen) Sh! Someone ________________ to our conversation.

3.- (fix) I’m not wearing my watch because it __________________________.

4.- (happen) Nothing much _________________ when I got to the meeting.

5.- (be) My parents ________________ in Los Angeles two weeks from today.

6.- (make) I _________________ two mistakes in the last quiz.

7.- (sleep) I was tired yesterday because I _______________ well the night before.

8.- (do) Nothing _________________ about the problem until tomorrow.

9.- (be) This ______________ an easy quiz so far.

10.- (take) Unfortunately, just as we got to the airport, their plane ____________ off.

11.- (go) They _________________ to the movies only once in a while.

12.- (send) They ________________ any Christmas cards last year.

13.- (get) I ________________ up at 7:30 every morning.

14.- (fix) When I got to the garage, my car ____________ yet.

15.- (give) When I got to class late yesterday morning, a quiz _______________.

16.- (reveal) I promise that I ________________ this secret to anyone.

17.- (make) I was angry that I ____________ such a foolish mistake.

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 Verb Tense Review Continued Page 2

18.- (leave) I think Bob _________________ for Paris at this very moment.

19.- (graduate) Our daughter _______________ from the university yet.

20.- (live) Mary _________________ with her family, is she?

21.- (win) Unfortunately, our team _____________ any games last year.

22.- (quit) He ________________ his job a couple of weeks ago.

23.- (live) He ________________ by himself since his recent divorce.

24.- (do) We _________________ twenty-four sentences so far.

25.- (baptize) He ___________________ when he was three days old.

26.- (go) She _________________ to the doctor once a year for a physical examination.

27.- (land) I predict that by the year 2000, man _____________ on Mars.

28.- (eat) Please don’t call around 6:00 tomorrow evening because we _____________.

29.- (come) This quiz _____________________ to an end.

2
 GRAMMAR/STRUCTURE PROGRAM

I.- PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

1. - Verb Tense Review
2. - Duration of an Event
3. - Duration with Present Perfect Tense
4. - Contractions, Neg. Form, and Always/Never
5. - Negative Verb Phrases
6. - Time Clauses with Since/Interrogative Sentences
7. - Length of an Event
8. - Events at an Indefinite Time in the Past
9. - Yes-No Questions with Ever and Always
10.- Just in Verb Phrases
11.- Finally in Verb Phrases
12.- Recently in Verb Phrases
13.- Clause of Reason with Because
14.- Already/Yet
15.- Already in Verb Phrases
16.- Neg. Verb Phrases and Yet
17.- Still/Yet
18.- Yes-No Questions with Yet and Already
19.- Repeated Events in the Past
20.- Irregular Past Participles
21.- Present Perfect Continuous Tense
22.- Yes-No & Information Questions
23.- Situation and Reason
24.- Simple Past vs. Present Perfect Tense
25.- Review
- Simple Present
- Simple Past
- Tag Questions
- Too, Either, And & But
- So and Neither
26.- Contrasting Present, Past, Future, and Present Perfect Tenses
27.- Preposition Review
28.- Have and Got
29.- Using Have Got to show Possession
30.- Reviewing Information Words as Subjects
31.- How Come
32.- Be Going to + Base Form in Past Tense

3
 II.- PAST PERFECT TENSE
1.- Events preceding Events in Past Time
2.- Contrasting the Past Continuous Tense with Past Perfect Tense
3.- Verb Phrases with Just
4.- Verb Phrases with Already
5.- Negative Verb Phrases and Yet
6.- Verb Phrases with Never
7.- Clauses of Reason with Because
8.- Yes-No Information Questions
9.- Past Perfect Tense in Main Clauses
10.- Past Perfect Continuous Tense
11.- Simple Past Tense vs. Past Perfect Tense
12.- Reviewing Too, Either, And, & But
13.- Reviewing So and Neither
14.- Reviewing Prepositions

III.- MODAL AUXILIARES

1.- Modal Auxiliaries Review
2.- Modal Auxiliaries & Related Idioms
3.- Present Continuous Forms with Modals
4.- Should and Ought to
5.- Past Forms of Should and Ought to
6.- Should in Neg. Verb Phrases
7.- Questions with Should
8.- Past Forms of May and Might
9.- Slight Probability and Conjecture with May/Might
10.- Past Forms with Could
11.- Slight Probability and Conjecture with Could
12.- Impossibility with Could Not
13.- Asking Questions with Could
14.- Past Forms with Must
15.- Strong Possibility with Must
16.- Past Continuous Forms with Modals
a.- Should/Ought to
b.- May/Might
c.- Must
d.- Could
17.- Reviewing Past Forms of Modals
18.- Used to + Base Form
19.- Past Custom with Used to + Base Form
20.- Used to + Base Form in Main Clauses
21.- Would Like
22.- Would Like + Infinitive
23.- Would Rather + Base Form
24.- Had Better + Base Form
25.- Have Got to + Base Form

4
 IV.- ADVERBIAL CLAUSES
1.-Subordinate Clauses
2.- Reviewing Time Clauses
3.- Reviewing Clauses of Reason with Because
4.- Clauses of Reason with Since
5.- Result Clauses
6.- So + Adjective (+ Prepositional Phrase) + That
7.- So + Adverb (+ Prepositional Phrase) + That
8.- Purpose Clauses with So That
9.- So (That) Introducing Purpose Clauses
10.- Expressing Purpose with In Order + Infinitive
11.- In Order + Infinitive Phrase
12.- For Phrases vs. Infinitive Phrases
13.- Result Clauses with Such That
14.- Such + A (An) + Adjective + Singular Countable Noun + That
15.- Such + Adjective + Plural Countable Noun (+ Prep. Phrase) + That
16.- Such + Adjective + Uncountable Noun (+ Prepositional Phrase) + That
17.- Such That in Clauses of Reason Introduced by Because
18.- But Clauses of Unexpected Result
19.- Still in But Clauses of Unexpected Result
20.- Still or Anyway/Anyhow in But Clauses of Unexpected Result
21.- Clauses of Concession
22.- Main Clauses of Unexpected Result
23.- Clauses of Concession with Even Though
24.- Clauses of Concession with Even Though/Though/Although
25.- Despite and Despite the Fact (That)
26.- Adverbial That Clauses after Adjectives of Feeling and Emotion
27.- Adverbial That Clauses
28.- Future-Possible Real Conditions
29.- Other Forms in Future-Possible Real Conditions
30.- Present Continuous Tense in If and Result Clauses
31.- Imperative Mood in Result Changes
32.- Reviewing If and Result Clauses
33.- Modals and Idioms in Conditional and Result Clauses
34.- Modals, Idioms, and Questions in future-Possible Real Conditions
35.- Present-Unreal Conditions
36.- Other Forms in Present-Unreal Conditions
37.- Mixed Forms in Present-Unreal Conditions
38.- Past-Unreal Conditions
39.- Present-Unreal Conditions
40.- Other Forms in Past-Unreal Conditions
41.- Could and Might
42.- Could Have in If Clauses
43.- Questions with Past-Unreal Conditions
44.- Past-Unreal Conditions
45.- Reviewing Future-Possible and Unreal Conditions
46.- Present Result Clauses Following Past-Unreal If Clauses

5
47.- Present Result Following Past-Unreal Conditions in If Clauses
48.- Unless
49.- Unless Clauses in Future-Possible Real Conditions
50.- Present-Unreal and Past-Unreal Conditions in Unless Clauses
51.- Generalizations with Real Conditions
52.- Past Custom with Would + Base Form

V.- NOUN CLAUSES

1.- Direct and Indirect Objects
2.- Indirect Objects with To
3.- Indirect Objects without To
4.- No Indirect Objects
5.- Verbs of Mental Activity
6.- Noun Clauses Following Verbs of Mental Activity
7.- Verb Agreement/The Rule of Sequence of Tenses
8.- Direct and Indirect Speech
9.- Following the Rule of Sequence of Times
10.- Near Past vs. Distant Past in Indirect Speech
11.- Indirect Statements about Events in the Distant Past
12.- Noun Clauses Derived from Yes-No Questions
13.- Whether or Not in Indirect Statements
14.- Noun Clauses Derived from Information Questions
15.- Yes-No Questions Containing Noun Clauses
16.- Infinitive Phrases in Indirect Speech
17.- Present Time
18.- Noun Clauses Following Wish for Present Time
19.- Wish in Past Time
20.- Noun Clauses Following Wish for Past Time
21.- Responding to a Situation with Wish
22.- Abridgment of Noun Clauses Following Wish and Hope
23.- Abridgment of Noun Clauses Following Wish
24.- Hope
25.- Wishes with Would
26.- Might Have + Past Participle in That Clauses
27.- Noun Clauses Derived from Requests
28.- That Clauses after Verbs of Urgency
29.- That Clauses after Adjectives of Urgency

VI.- -ING FORMS AND INFINITIVES

1.- Gerunds
2.- Gerunds and Gerund Phrases as Subjects
3.- Gerunds as Objects of Certain Verbs
4.- Gerund Phrases as Objects of Verbs
5.- Gerund or Infinitive
6.- Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions and in Time Phrases
7.- Gerund Phrases as Objects of Prepositions

6
8.- Be Used to and Get Used to
9.- Gerunds and Gerund Phrases Following the Preposition For
10.- Gerunds in Time Phrases
11.- -Ing Forms or Bases Forms Following Certain Verbs
12.- -Ing Forms as Objects of Sense Perception Verbs
13.- Make, Let, and Help
14.- Infinitives Following Information Words
15.- -Ing Participles as Modifiers
16.- Reviewing Prepositions with Gerunds

VII.- ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

1. - Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses
2. - Who and That as Subjects of Essential Adjective Clauses
3. - Who or That
4. - Whose Introducing Essential Adjective Clauses
5. - Essential Adjective Clauses Used in Definitions
6. - Relative Pronouns as Objects of Verbs and Prepositions
7. - Unmarked Essential Adjective Clauses
8. - Relative Adverb Introducing Adjective Clauses
9. - Where Introducing Essential Adjective Clauses
10.- Present Perfect Tense in Essential Adjective Clauses
11.- Nonessential Adjective Clauses
12.- Commas with Nonessential Clauses
13.- Expressing Contrast with Nonessential Clauses

VIII.- PASSIVE VOICE

1. Voice
2. Past Participle in Passive Verb Phrases
3. Affirmative Verb Phrases in the Passive Voice
4. Negative Verb Phrases in the Passive Voice
5. Adverbs in Passive Verb Phrases
6. Present and Past Continuous Tenses
7. Passive Verb Phrases Containing Modal Auxiliaries
8. Present Continuous Tense
9. Past Continuous Tense
10. Modal Auxiliaries and Related Idioms
11. Transforming Active Verb Phrases into Passive Verb Phrases
12. Yes-No and Information Questions
13. Questions
14. Causative Forms and Giving Instructions
15. Causatives with Have + Doer + Base Form
16. Instructions with Get + Past Participle
17. Persuasion with Get + Infinitive
18. Be Supposed to

7
 IX.- FUTURE PERFECT TENSE AND REVIEW
1.- Events Preceding Events in the Future
2.- Future Perfect Tense

8
 A REVIEW OF VERB TENSES
1.- The SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE is used for (a) a generally known fact or condition:
There are 360 degrees in a circle; Water contains no nitrogen; (b) a state of being: They
are in love; The giraffe is the tallest of existing animals; and ( c) a habitual activity or
occurrence: Many animals hibernate every winter; The sun always rises in the east; Leap
year comes every four years.

2.- Though not discussed as such, the simple present tense is sometimes used for future
time: The ship sails at dawn; The sun rises at 6:18 tomorrow morning; The bank opens at
nine o’clock tomorrow morning.

3.- The PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE is used for (a) an event that is occurring at this
moment (now): We are beginning this book; You are looking at this page now; (b) an event
that is taking place temporarily: The patient is taking penicillin; She is living in a hotel for
the time being (temporarily); and ( c) an event in future time: The astronauts are leaving for
the moon tomorrow; The curtain at the theater is rising at 8:30 tomorrow night.

4.- Be going to + a base form is also used for a coming event: We’re going to learn a lot of
new things in this course; He’s going to take another course after this one.

5.- Be going to + be + a present participle is used to emphasize the duration of a future

event: We are going to be studying together for several months; The earth is going to be
revolving around the sun for millions of more years.

6.- The SIMPLE PAST TENSE is used for an event at a definite point of time in the past:
Jesus died on the Cross almost two thousand years ago; Buddha lived from c. 563 to 483
B.C.; Columbus discovered America in 1492.

7.- The PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE is used (a) to emphasize an event at one point in past
time; Everyone was sleeping at the time of the earthquake; Everyone in the theater was
crying at the end of the movie; and (b) to emphasize the duration of an event in past time:
His grandfather was working hard from the beginning to the end of the day; They were
celebrating their victory at the Olympics all night long.

8.- The past continuous tense is most frequently used in complex sentences where the past
continuous time (in a main clause) is interrupted by a definite past action (in a subordinate
clause): They were talking about me when I interrupted their conversation; The sun was
shining when the climbers reached the top of Mt. Everest.

9
 PAGE 2

9.- Besides simple futurity, the FUTURE TENSE is used to express (a) promise: I will
always love you; I will never break this promise; (b) determination: We will never give up
our freedom; We will die for our religion; ( c) inevitability: The twentieth century will come
to an end; Spring will bring new life; and (d) prediction: It will rain tomorrow; Everyone in
the class will speak English well.

10.- The FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE is used (a) to emphasize an event at one point
in future time: I’ll be seeing you at the beginning of the game; Our plane will be taking off
in a few minutes; and (b) to emphasize the duration of an event in future time: He will be
thinking about only his girlfriend until she returns; I will be working all day long.

11.- Like the past continuous tense, the future continuous tense is used in complex sentences
where the future continuous time (in a main clause) is interrupted by a definite future action
(in a subordinate clause): It will probably be raining when we get to the beach; I will be
waiting for you at the airport when your plane comes in.

10
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE I

Focus: Present (Continuous) Tense, Past (Continuous) Tense, Future (Continuous)

Tense, Be going to + a base form, Be going to + be + a Present Participle.

Reminder: Be going to and the future tense are essentially interchangeable.

1.- (rain) When I left the house this morning, it ___________________________________.

2.- (have) I didn’t take a vacation because I ____________________________ any money.

3.- (win) Who _____________________________________________ in the next election?

4.- (rise) The sun _____________________________________ at 6:38 yesterday morning.

5.- (live) They ___________________________ in an apartment temporarily because they

can’t find an inexpensive house.

6.- (eat) I _______________________________________Italian food only once in a while.

7.- (ring) The bell __________________________________________ and the class began.

8.- (blow) A hard wind _______________________ while we were climbing the mountain.

9.- (understand) He __________________________________ anything at the last meeting.

10.- (enter) Who __________________________________ the university next September?

11.- (talk) When I came into the room, everyone __________________________ about me.

12.- (give) How often does your teacher ___________________________ the class a quiz?

13.- (go) We ________________________________ anywhere in particular next weekend.

14.- (fight) We _________________________________ our enemy until our last man falls.

15.- (talk) My secretary __________________________________ on the phone right now.

16.- (begin) The movie _________________________________________________ soon.

17.- (take) When he goes on a business trip, he usually ______________________ his wife.

18.- (set) The sun never ____________________________________________ in the east.

11
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE I PAGE 2

19.- (set) The sun ____________________________________ at 5:48 tomorrow

afternoon.

20.- (enter) The patient ________________________ operating room at this very moment.

21.- (fall) Our little girl ____________________________ down and hurt herself seriously.

22.- (take) Who ______________________________________ care of your children now?

23.- (speak) I __________________________________ to anyone on the phone last night.

24.- (make) I ______________________________ a few mistakes on the last examination.

25.- (shine) When I get up tomorrow morning, the sun _____________________________.

26.- (be) The assassination of President Kennedy ________________ a shock to the world.

27.- (be) We _______________________________________ at the beginning of this book.

28.- (live) Few people ______________________________________ in the Sahara Desert.

29.- (fall) Listen! Some rain ________________________________________ on the roof.

30.- (fall) The leaves usually _____________________________ from the trees in October.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE II

12
Focus: Present (Continuous) Tense, Past (Continuous) Tense, Future (Continuous)
Tense, Be going to + a base form, Be going to + be + a Present Participle.

Reminder: Be going to and the future tense are essentially interchangeable.

1.- (graduate) He ___________________________________ from the university next June.

2.- (get) Everyone in my office usually ____________________________ to work by 9:30.

3.- (be) People ____________________________________________ sometimes difficult.

4.- (find) She won’t quit her present job until she ________________________ a new one.

5.- (blow) We didn’t go sailing in our boat because the wind ________________________.

6.- (keep) He ____________________________________ a car because it’s too expensive.

7.- (take) A very important meeting ____________________ place at the White House a
couple of days ago.

8.- (go) We _____________________ to a nice beach tomorrow because the weather isn’t
going to be nice.

9.- (think) A selfish person always _____________________________ about only himself.

10.- (be) Everyone at the last meeting _______________________ surprised by the

president’s decision to resign.

11.- (be) There ______________________ no one in the house when I got home last night.

12.- (be) The party ___________________ a success because there weren’t enough people.

13.- (enter) Everyone will stand up when the King ________________________ the room.

14.- (feel) I didn’t go to work because I _____________________________________ well.

15.- (be) The chicken ________________________________ any good at dinner last night.

16.- (arrive) When the telegram ____________________, please let me know immediately.

17.- (make) During the examination, he was angry at himself because he _______________
a lot of mistakes.

13
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE II PAGE 2

18.- (take) Everyone in my office usually _________________ a coffee break in the middle
of the afternoon.

19.- (be) When I got to work, nobody ______________________________________

there.

20.- (fly) We ___________________________ on air France when we went on our last trip.

21.- (take) He never ________________________________ his car when he goes to work.

22.- (sleep) When I got home, the children ______________________________________.

23.- (be) All of us ________________ a little nervous when we came into this room today.

24.- (do) When the phone rang, I ____________________________ anything in particular.

25.- (come) The world ______________________________________ to an end tomorrow.

26.- (learn) We ___________________________________ a lot of new things in this book.

27.- (be) Good health _____________________________ our most precious possession.

28.- (finish) We _____________________________________________ this exercise now.

29.- (mail) He __________________________ the package in time for his sister’s birthday.

30.- (hike) We ___________________________ up the northwest trail on our last attempt.

THE DURATION OF AN EVENT

14
1.- The PRESENT PERFECT TENSE is used to express the duration of an event that began
at a definite point in past time and has continued to the present and will probably continue
into future time: The earth has existed for millions of years; Elizabeth II has been the
Queen of the United Kingdom since 1952.

2.- To form the present perfect tense, we use the verb have as an auxiliary and a PAST
PARTICIPLE as the main verb of a verb phrase. Have occurs as an -s form in the third
person singular.

Singular Plural

First person I have worked we

Second person you you have worked
Third person he they
she has worked
it

3.- Regular past participles are formed by adding -ed to a base form (simple form) of a verb.
The rules for spelling regular past participles are the same as those for spelling regular past
forms:

(a) When a regular base form ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -i and
add -ed: (bury) They have buried many people since the beginning of the famine;
(carry) I have carried my boss’s responsibilities since he became sick.

(b) When the final -y is preceded by a vowel, no change is made: (stay) He has stayed home
for two weeks; (play) The children have played all day long.

(c ) When a regular base form ends with a single consonant preceded by a single stressed
vowel, the consonant is doubled before adding -ed: (stop) My watch has stopped; (permit)
The police have permitted us to pass through the barricades.

(d) When a regular base form ends in -e, only -d is added: (change) Life in Cuba has
changed since the revolution; (smoke) He has smoked since he was eighteen.

4.- When we express the duration of an event from past to present time, the preposition for
is used in a prepositional phrase when the amount of time is given: He has been here for
three hours; I have lived in this country for seven years. The use of for is optional: He has
been here (for) three hours; I have known her (for) seven years.

5.- A prepositional phrase with since is used when the exact moment, time, day, or year that
the event began is given: They have been here since one o’clock yesterday afternoon;
They have been married since 1973; They have lived in London since 1974.

6.- When one event follows another, the preposition since also occurs: Life in Lebanon has
been different since the civil war; They have been happy since their marriage; His parents
have lived in Hong Kong since the end of the war in Vietnam.

15
7.- Since occurs as a subordinate conjunction when it introduces a past time clause
(subordinate clause) to a sentence: He has made a lot of money since he started work at the
company; They have lived in San Francisco since they arrived in the United States.
Reminder: A time phrase never has a subject or a verb, but a time clause always does.
Compare:

Time Phrase Time Clause

… since the beginning of the party. … since the party began.

… since the end of the war. … since the war ended.

8.- The adverb ago appears with the simple past tense only: His grandfather died many
years ago. However, ago may appear in a time clause or phrase introduced by since when
the verb phrase in the main clause of a sentence is in the present perfect tense: He has been
in the hospital since he got sick five weeks ago (since the beginning of his illness five
weeks ago).
Special Note: The simple present tense is never used for the duration of an event from past
to present time. Compare:

Wrong Correct

I am married for five years. I have been married for five years
She lives here since 1973. She has lived here since 1973.

16
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE III
Focus: The Duration of an Event.

Supply have or has in the first blank and since or for in the second.

1.- The earth _____________ been in existence _________ millions of years.

2.- Cuba ____________ been a socialist country ____________ 1959.

3.- Korea and Germany ___________ been divided nations _________ quite a few years.
(Quite a few means many; the expression may modify countable nouns only: They have had
quite a few problems.)

4.- Latin __________ been a dead language _____________ the decline of Rome.

5.- Bill and his best friend ___________ known each other ___________ many years.

6.- Life in China ___________ been very different ___________ the People’s Revolution.

The people ____________ changed.

7.- Israel __________ been a state _____________ 1948.

8.- Canada and Australia ___________ been a part of the British Commonwealth
_________ quite a few years.

9.- Islam _____________ been the most important religion in the Middle East _________
approximately 1,400 years.

10.- Life __________ been a magnificent puzzle _____________ the beginning of time.

11.- All of the students _________ studied hard __________ the beginning of the course.

The class ___________ been in session ________________ September 1.

12.- Buddhism ___________ been a major religion in the Far East ___________ more than
two thousand years.

13.- The sun ____________ been in the center of our solar system ____________ millions
and millions of years.

14.- My parents ___________ had their house ___________ quite a few years.

17
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE III PAGE 2

15.- Washington D.C., ___________ been the capital of the United States ___________
1800.

16.- I __________ known my best friend ______________ I was six.

17.- The Eiffel Tower _____________ been a famous tourist attraction __________ the
time of its erection for the Paris Exhibition in 1889.

18.- Relations between those two countries ___________ been bad ___________ the end of
the last war.

19.- Christianity ___________ been an important religion _________ almost two thousand
years.

20.- The Red Cross ____________ been an important international organization ________
1864.

21.- The Soviet Union _____________ been a socialist state _____________ 1917.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE IV

18
Focus: Duration with the Present Perfect Tense.

Fill in the first blank with an appropriate verb phrase in the present perfect tense and
supply since or for in the second. Use past participles made out of the base forms in
the following list: be, do, have, know, live, love, speak, work.

1.- I _____________________ my car ____________ three years.

2.- We _____________________ in this classroom _____________ ten o’clock.

3.- S/he _________________________ him/her secretly _____________ many years.

4.- He ___________________ a great deal of money _____________ the day he was born.
(A great deal of means much. The expression modifies only uncountable nouns: There is a
great deal of money in his account.)

5.- My best friend ____________________ in New York, ___________ he was born.

6.- They _________________ a great deal of trouble with their car ______________ the
day they bought it.

7.- The weather ______________________ beautiful _____________ the beginning of the

month. We ____________________ sunshine ______________ almost three weeks.

8.- The President ________________________ in office ______________ some years.

9.- Bill and his father _______________________________ together in the same company

____________ more than ten years.

10.- Everyone _____________________ well _____________ the beginning of the course.

11.- Our little boy _____________________ an infection in his ear _________________ he

went swimming in the lake a couple of weeks ago.

12.- I ___________________ English ________________ only a couple of years.

13.- My next-door neighbor _______________________ very inactive _____________ she

became ill.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE IV PAGE 2

14.- He _________________ a great deal of trouble with his boss ______________ he

started working for the company.

19
15.- Betty Smith, a good friend of mine, ____________________________ a very unhappy

woman ________________ the death of her husband.

16.- My house plants ____________________ much better ___________________ I fed

them with a new kind of organic fertilizer.

17.- I __________________ my best friend __________________ more than fifteen years.

18.- My parents _______________________ their car ______________ 1951. It has

become an antique.

19.- We __________________ in this room _________________ about an hour and a half.

CONTRACTIONS, THE NEGATIVE FORM, AND ALWAYS/NEVER

1.- Contractions of have or has with subject pronouns occur in informal usage: They’ve
been sick for days; She’s lived by herself for years.

20
 Singular Plural

First person I’ve we’ve

Second person you’ve you’ve been
Third person he’s been they’ve
she’s
it’s

2.- It is sometimes difficult for students to determine whether the contraction ‘s is has or is.
Two general rules to follow are: (a) When a past participle (sometimes preceded by an
adverb) follows ‘s, it is the contraction of has; for example, It’s (has) been a beautiful day:
He’s (has) already had his car for three years; She’s (has) spoken French since she was
little. (b) When ‘s is followed by articles, adjectives, and -ing forms, it is the contractions of
is; for example, It’s (is) a beautiful day, He’s (is) homesick; She’s (is) talking about her
vacation.
Reminder: Some past participles occur as adjectives: He’s (is) tired; It’s (is) broken; He’s
(is) drunk.

3.- A negative verb phrase is formed by inserting not between the auxiliary and main verb: I
have not spoken Spanish since I returned to Toronto from Mexico; She has not spoken to
me since we had that argument three weeks ago.

I we
you have not been you have not been
he they
she has not been
it

4.- The contractions haven’t (have not) and hasn’t (has not) occur in informal usage: I
haven’t done anything about my visa problem; My father hasn’t played football for years.

5.- The adverbs always and never are also inserted between the auxiliary and the main verb:
My mother has always driven a Ford car; I have never known a person as nice as you.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE V
Focus: Contractions and Always/Never

21
Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb phrases in the present perfect tense containing
the adverbs always or never. Practice using contractions. Use past participles made out
of the base forms in the following list.

be eat live obey see study work

drink have love respect sing use worry
drive like make run speak want

1.- I __________________________________________ my parents.

2.- Unfortunately, they ____________________ a great deal of trouble with their son.

3.- I __________________________ tropical climate.

4.- He ________________________ a Rolls-Royce.

5.- They _______________________ a lot of money in their business.

6.- It _____________________ cold at the North Pole.

7.- She ____________________ a selfish/generous person.

8.- I ______________________ to take a trip around the world.

9.- John ___________________ to go on a trip through the Sahara.

10.- I ____________________ my mother’s favorite child.

11.- You __________________ respect for yourself.

12.- She __________________ an excellent student.

13.- Ann ___________________ a poor student.

14.- He ____________________ English well.

15.- We ____________________ English during the classes.

16.- They ___________________ each other very much.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE V PAGE 2

17.- Fortunately, she _____________________ good health.

18.- I _____________________ wine with my meals.

19.- We ___________________ Japanese food.

22
20.- They ___________________ about their son.

21.- I _________________ hard drugs. (Hard drugs means any of the addictive drugs such
as heroin, morphine, or opium.)

22.- I ______________________ a woman as beautiful as her.

23.- Jim ____________________ for General Motors.

24.- We _____________________ in Los Angeles.

25.- I _____________________ to go to the dentist a lot.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VI
Focus: Negative Verb Phrases

Fill in the blanks with appropriate negative verb phrases in the present perfect tense.
Use past participles made out of the base forms in the following list.

appear call drink feel have rain send take

be do drive get occur see speak work

23
1.- I _______________________ time to sit down for a second since I got to work.

2.- Grandpa’s health ______________________ good for years.

3.- Grandma _______________________ able to walk well since she fell down and broke

her hip two years ago. It _________________ easy for her.

4.- That actor ____________________ in a movie for quite a few years.

5.- A major earthquake ___________________ in San Francisco since 1906.

6.- It ________________ for more than a month, and the countryside is very dry.

7.- Bill ___________________ since he retired four years ago.

8.- She’s worried because her boyfriend __________________ her for more than a month.

9.- I ______________________ a really good movie for a long time.

10.- In spite of the inflation, they _________________ many financial problems. They

______________________ any vacations, however.

11.- That student _______________________ any homework since the beginning of the
course.

12.- That unfortunate person __________________ happy since the beginning of the
course.

13.- Life ____________________ easy for him since he lost his job.

14.- The doctor is extremely busy, and she _________________ the chance (opportunity) to
go to bed since early yesterday morning.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VI PAGE 2

15.- I _____________________ the chance to sit down since I got up this morning.

16.- We ___________________ good weather since the beginning of the year.

17.- I ____________________ any alcohol since I started taking penicillin.

18.- Because he is angry at his brother, he ____________________ to him for more than a
year.

24
19.- I _____________________ my native country for two years.

20.- Because of his poor vision (eyesight), my grandfather __________________ a car for
quite a few years.

21.- I _____________________ my parents for quite a long time.

22.- This _______________________ a difficult exercise.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VII

Focus: Time Clauses with Since

The adverb ever may occur as an intensifier of the subordinate conjunction since: he’s been
madly (very much) in love with her ever since he first met her; I’ve felt wonderful ever
since I stopped smoking; She’s been unhappy ever since her husband died.
Note: This pattern is used more informally than formally.

Fill in the blanks with past forms made out of the base forms given in the parentheses.

1.- (inherit) She’s been a difficult person ever since she ______________ a great deal of

25
money. (happen) Her life has changed completely ever since this ____________________.

2.- (take) The patient has felt much better ever since he _______________ the new drug.

(begin) Everyone in his family has felt much better ever since his condition ___________
to improve.

3.- (drop) They’ve been worried about their son ever since he ______________ out of

school. (To drop out of means to quit. The idiom is most often used in reference to quitting
school. a person who drops out f school is called a dropout.)

4.- (move) Dick has been happy ever since he ___________________ to New York.

5.- (win) His father has had a great deal of luck ever since he _______________ a lot of
money in the lottery.

6.- (break) She’s been unhappy ever since he __________________ his promise to her.

7.- (enter) Their daughter has been a very good student ever since she __________ school.

(leave) Her life has been completely different ever since she _____________ home for the
university.

8.- (be) They’ve been in love with each other ever since they _______________ children in
school.

9.- (get) They’ve been very happy ever since they __________________ married.

10.- (introduce) His company has been very successful ever since it ________________ a
new mouse-trap to the market.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VII PAGE 2

11.- (buy) My life has been different ever since I ___________________ a new car.

12.- (meet) We’ve had a lot of fun together ever since we _____________________.

13.- (graduate) Their son has made a lot of money ever since he ______________ from the
university.

14.- (arrive) My life has been very different ever since I ________________ in this country.

26
 INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES (Questions)
1.- Yes-No questions in the present perfect tense are formed by putting the subject of a
sentence after the auxiliary: Have they been happy since their marriage? Has time gone
fast since the beginning of the course?

Singular Plural

First person I we
Second person have you have you gone
Third person he gone they
has she
it

2.- Always and never follow the subject in yes-no questions: Have we always had pollution?
Have you never been in Europe?

27
3.- In negative questions, haven’t or hasn’t precedes the subject: Haven’t you eaten
anything since last night? Hasn’t your father found a job? Why haven’t you been busy at
work?

4.- In formal usage in negative questions, have (has) and not are not contracted, and not
follows the subject: Has she not broken her promise to you? Have I not done the right
thing? Why has the government not done more for the poor?
Reminder: Negative questions are used to show anger, surprise, or irritation.

5.- In yes-no answers, have or has follows the subject of the answer: Have you been back to
your hometown since 1975? Yes, I have; No, I haven’t; Has she always lived here? Yes, she
has; No, she hasn’t.

6.- In tag questions, have or has occurs in the tag endings: You’ve been at this school for
quite a few months, haven’t you? She has never studied English, has she? John hasn’t been
sick, has he?

7.- To ask for the length of an event that began in the past and has continued to the present,
the information words how long occur in information questions with the present perfect
tense. As in yes-no questions, the subject follows have or has: How long have you known
your best friend? The preposition for may precede how long, but its use is optional: (For)
how long has he been a teacher? How many + years, days, etc., also occurs: How many
years have you been married? How many days has the class been in session?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VIII

Focus: The Length of an Event

Pronunciation Note: How long have sounds like how long-of; how long has sounds like
how long-iz (longz). Written contractions of noun subjects and have or has do not occur:
however, children have many sound like children-of; Mary has may sound like Marys.

Supply appropriate past participles in the blanks.

1.- How long has the United States _________________ an independent nation?

2.- How long has pollution ____________________ a serious world problem?

3.- How many days have they _________________ out of town?

4.- For how many years has Cuba _________________ a socialist government?

28
5.- For how many years have you _______________ your best friend?

Now make appropriate information questions with how long and how many. The
following “pretends” will indicate the questions that may be asked.
Examples: Pretend you are talking to a friend about his or her car. How many years
have you had your car?
Pretend you are talking to a little girl. How long have you had your doll?

6.- Pretend you are talking to a little boy or girl.

_________________________________________________________________________
7.- Pretend you are talking to someone about his or her best friend.
_________________________________________________________________________
8.- Pretend you are a doctor talking to a patient.
_________________________________________________________________________
9.- Pretend you are a lawyer talking to a client.
_________________________________________________________________________
10.- Pretend you are talking to a person about religion.
_________________________________________________________________________
11.- Pretend you are talking to another student at school.
_________________________________________________________________________
12.- Pretend you are having a conversation about politics.
_________________________________________________________________________
13.- Pretend you are talking to the President.
_________________________________________________________________________
14.- Pretend you are talking to a scientist about the world in general.
_________________________________________________________________________

GRAMMAR VIII PAGE 2

Now complete the following sentences.

15.- How many years have ___________________________________________________?

16.- How many days has ____________________________________________________?

17.- For how long have _____________________________________________________?

18.- How many weeks has ___________________________________________________?

19.- How long ____________________________________________________________?

20.- For how long

__________________________________________________________?

21.- How many months _____________________________________________________?

29
 EVENTS AT AN INDEFINITE TIME IN THE PAST
1.- Besides expressing the duration of an event form a definite point in the past time to the
present, the present perfect tense may also be used to describe an event at an indefinite time
in the past: I have been in Europe; She has studied French; They’ve finished the job.

2.- Even though these events occurred in past time, they are directly related to events in
present time because they are the cause (reason) for situations that now exist. We call this
relationship the cause and effect (reason and situation) relationship. Compare:

Cause (an event at an indefinite Effect (now)

time in the past)
It’s rained a lot. The streets are all wet.
I’ve eaten lunch. I’m not hungry now.
I’ve spoken to my lawyer. I’m not worried about the problem now.
I’ve been in Europe. I know what it’s like.

3.- The present perfect tense is never used for an event at a definite point of time in the past.
Reminder: The simple past tense is used for an event at a definite point of time in the past.
Compare:

Wrong Correct

30
 I have been there yesterday. I was there yesterday
I have gone two days ago. I went two days ago.
She has done it last night. She did it last night.

Reminder: Adverbs such as yesterday and ago may appear in sentences that contain the
present perfect tense but only in subordinate clauses (or time phrases) like those introduced
by since: She hasn’t felt well since she got up yesterday morning; He has lived in Texas
since he graduated from Cornell University three years ago.

4.- Adverbs of indefinite time like recently, finally, and just are used in verb phrases
containing the present perfect tense. Their usual position is following the auxiliary: The
military has recently overthrown the government; The mail has finally arrived; Her pet
bird has just died.

5.- Just may appear only within a verb phrase, but recently and finally may appear in the
initial or final position as well: Recently, I have made a great deal of money; The children
have come home finally.
Punctuation Reminder: When an adverb occurs in initial position, a comma usually follows
the word: Finally, spring has come.

6.- A good response to a sentence like He has recently finished school is a question How
recent is recently? Recently can mean a week ago, a month ago, perhaps a couple of months
ago, or possible even a year ago. The period of time is very indefinite.

7.- Just is more specific than recently. We do not know exactly when the event has taken
place, but we know that it has happened close to the present time - for example, They have
just arrived (they still have on their coats and are talking about the cold weather). When we
use just, we know that the event has taken place almost right before the moment of
speaking.

8.- Finally means more than just a sense of time; it suggests that we have been anticipating
the event, and we are happy or relieved that it has happened: The war has finally ended, and
everyone in the nation is relieved that the soldiers can now come home.

9.- These adverbs also appear in verb phrases containing the simple past tense. When this
occurs, adverbial expressions of definite time may follow just and finally: He just got
married last week; They finally arrived yesterday; however, definite adverbs of time never
appear with recently: He recently got out of the hospital; His horse recently won an
important race.

10.- When the adverb ever occurs in yes-no questions with the present perfect tense, it
means at any time in this life: Have you ever (at any time in this life) been in China?

31
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE IX
Focus: Yes-No Questions with Ever and Always

Supply have or has in the first blank and an appropriate past participle in the second;
use past participles made out of the base forms in the following list. Practice yes-no
answers.
be cut eat keep ride see take wear
break do fall live ring shake talk
catch drive have play rise swim tell

1.- ___________ you ever _________________ in love?

2.- ___________ your brother always _______________ his homework for the class?

3.- ___________ you ever ____________ a bone (for example, one of your arms)?

4.- ___________ you ever ____________ the President’s hand?

5.- ___________ your neighbor always ____________ a Ford car?

6.- ___________ you ever ____________ in the Pacific Ocean?

7.- ___________ you ever ____________ a French film (movie)?

8.- ___________ the seat of the Catholic Church always ___________ in Rome?

___________ the Pope ever ____________ in the Americas?

32
9.- ___________ you ever _______________ Japanese food?

10.- ___________ Washington, D.C., always ____________ the capital of the United

States? _____________ you ever _____________ there?

11.- _____________ you ever __________ yourself seriously with a knife?

12.- _____________ you ever __________ a bikini (a brief bathing suit)?

13.- _____________ your phone ever __________ while you were in the shower?

14.- _____________ you ever __________ on a horse?

15.- _____________ you ever __________ a serious lie?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE IX PAGE 2

16.- _____________ you ever __________ penicillin?

17.- _____________ your teacher ever __________about Shakespeare?

18.- _____________ your family always __________ in California?

19.- _____________ it always __________ hot at the Equator?

20.- _____________ you ever __________ a Rolls-Royce?

21.- _____________ you ever __________ a shark (a very big fish)?

22.- _____________ you ever __________ in an earthquake/a hurricane?

23.- _____________ you ever __________ a broken heart (disappointment in love)?

24.- _____________ your brother ever __________ on an important team?

Now complete the sentences.

25.- Have you ever _________________________________________________________?

26.- Has your father/ mother/ teacher ever ______________________________________?

27.- Have your children always _______________________________________________?

28.- Has the community always _______________________________________________?

33
29.- Has Richard ever ______________________________________________________?

30.- Have the students always ________________________________________________?

31.- Have the new media always ______________________________________________?

32.- Has it ever

____________________________________________________________?

33.- Has the convention ever _________________________________________________?

34.- Have they ever ________________________________________________________?

35.- Has your garden ever ___________________________________________________?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE X
Focus: Just in Verb Phrases

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + just + a past participle.

1.- (make) I ___________________________ a very foolish mistake.

2.- (spill) Darn it! I _____________________________ bottle of ink.

3.- (inherit) You won’t believe this, but I ______________________ a great deal of money.

(become) I _______________________ a millionaire.

4.- (get) Can you believe it? I ___________________________ a telegram from the

President. (give) My secretary _________________________ to me.

5.- (break) He’s extremely upset. His girlfriend _________________________ her promise

to marry him. (tell) He _________________________ me about it.

6.- (hear) I __________________________ a very funny story about you.

7.- (get) I must tell you about the wonderful news I ____________________ from home.

8.- (lose) How terrible! Several people ___________________ their lives in a fire in a
nearby hotel.

9.- (meet) He ______________________ a new girl, and he wants to tell me about her.

(enter) She ______________________ our school.

34
10.- (find) It’s hard to believe, but I ______________________ a hundred-dollar bill on the

street. (have) I ______________ a stroke of luck. (happen) It ___________________.

11.- (have) His wife ___________________ a baby, and he’s very excited about it. (come)

He _____________________________ back from the hospital.

12.- (hear) Congratulations! We _________________________ the new about your most

recent success. (tell)

Your boss _____________________ us.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE X PAGE 2

13.- (get) Mary and Tom ________________________ married secretly, and all their

friends are surprised. (hear) They _____________________ about it.

Now complete the sentences.

14.- My best friend _________________________________________________________.

15.- The rain ______________________________________________________________.

16.- The sun ______________________________________________________________.

17.- I’m still sleepy because __________________________________________________.

18.- Hurry up! The class _____________________________________________________.

35
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XI
Focus: Finally in Verb Phrases

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + finally + a past participle.

1.- (come) It’s about time! It’s three o’clock in the morning, but our son _______________

________________ home. (It’s about time! means finally!)

2.- (become) It’s hard to believe, but our cat and dog __________________________ good

friends. (stop) They ___________________________ fighting.

3.- (come) At last! The guests ___________________________________; now we can

have cocktails. (begin) The party _________________________.

4.- (become) It’s about time! The weather ________________________ nice after a long

hard winter. (come) Spring _________________________.

5.- (become) After many years of study, their daughter ______________________ a

medical doctor. (graduate) She ________________________________.

6.- (find) Bob ____________________________ an interesting job. (come) His long search

____________________________ to an end.

7.- (improve) We’re very relieved. Our mother’s health ____________________________.

8.- (finish) It took a long time, but I ___________________________________ the project.

9.- (get) At last! I __________________________________ a letter from my parents.

10.- (be) Fortunately, he ____________________________________ able to stop smoking.

36
 (break) He _____________________________________ his dirty habit.

11.- (come) At last! The war ______________________________ to an end.

12.- (decide) At the age of seventy-four, my grandfather _____________________ to retire.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XI PAGE 2

13.- (graduate) It’s about time! All of our children ________________________ from the

university. (realize) We ________________________________________ our dreams.

14.- (get) What a surprise! Tom and Marilyn ______________________________ married.

15.- (become) After more than twenty years, his father _________________________ the

president of the company.

Now complete the sentences.

16.- At last! The movie ______________________________________________________.

17.- It’s about time! The bus _________________________________________________.

18.- Well, the children ______________________________________________________.

19.- Their son/daughter _____________________________________________________.

20.- The rain/snow _________________________________________________________.

37
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XII
Focus: Recently in Verb Phrases.

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + recently + a past participle.

1.- (lose) He _____________________ a lot of weight. (see) I ____________________

him, and he looks terrific. (To put on weight means to gain weight.) (Terrific means great.)

2.- (develop) A research team at the hospital _______________________ a new kind of

treatment for cancer. (read) I ______________________________________ about it.

3.- (lose) They ___________________________ their house in a fire, so they’re living in a

hotel for the time being.

4.- (inherit) A friend of mine _______________________________ a great deal of money.

5.- (graduate) Their son __________________________________ from Oxford University.

6.- (develop) a scientist in my company ____________________________________ a new

method for collecting solar energy. (receive) He ______________________________ a

grant (a sum of money) from the Federal government.

7.- (paint) They _______________________________ their house, and it looks wonderful.

8.- (read) I ______________________________________ a wonderful book about animal

life in Africa. (write) The same author __________________________ a book about

insect life.

9.- (receive) She _____________________________________ an important literary prize.

10.- (have) His wife ____________________________ a baby, and he is still bragging

(boasting) about it.

11.- (quit) He’s taking it easy because he __________________________________ his job.

12.- (find) We _____________________________________ a faster way to get up to our

cabin in the mountains. (A cabin in a small house or cottage.)

38
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XII PAGE 2

13.- (buy) We _____________________________________ a cottage beside a lovely lake.

Now complete the sentences.

14.- My mother/father ______________________________________________________.

15.- My sister/brother ______________________________________________________.

16.- The President/Queen ___________________________________________________.

17.- A friend of mine _______________________________________________________.

18.- My boss/ teacher/ roommate _____________________________________________.

39
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE

Focus: Clauses of Reason with Because

We often use the present perfect tense in a clause of reason introduced by the subordinate
conjunction because: She’s extremely sad because she’s just lost a very old friend.
Reminder: A because clause usually occurs in the final position of a sentence (see above
example), but we may also put it in the initial position. When we do this, a comma follows
the clause: Because we haven’t had much rain, all of the flowers in our garden are dying.
Remember that a because clause always tells why: Why is he a success? . . . because he’s
worked long and hard.

Fill in the blanks with have (has) (+ not) + a past participle.

1.- (come) The children are excited because their father _______________________ home.

(have) We’re all hungry because we ________________________________ our dinner.

2.- (find) I’m thrilled because I ___________________________ a wonderful job. (decide)

My present boss is angry because I ____________________________________ to quit.

3.- (score) Everyone is cheering because our team ___________________________a point.

4.- (get) I’m worried because I __________________________ any news from my parents.

(write) Because I __________________________ any letters to them, I haven’t received

any. (hear) Because they _______________________ from me for a long time, they’re

they’re beginning to get worried.

Now complete the sentences with appropriate because clauses.

5.- I’m in a very good/bad mood today _________________________________________.

6.- ________________________________________________, I am very happy/ unhappy.

7.- S/he’s excited __________________________________________________________.

8.- ___________________________________________, my parents are very angry at me.

9.- I am worried about a friend of mine _________________________________________.

40
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XII PAGE 2

10.- He’s a failure _________________________________________________________.

11.- She’s a great success ___________________________________________________.

12.- I’m angry at myself ____________________________________________________.

13.- I’m hungry/ thirsty _____________________________________________________.

14.- S/he speaks English well ________________________________________________.

15.- ______________________________________________________, the team is ready.

ALREADY AND YET

41
1.- When the adverb already occurs in a verb phrase containing the present perfect tense, it
usually suggests recent to fairly recent time in the past: They’ve already gone home (an hour
ago); My birthday has already passed (a couple of weeks ago). However, in some
circumstances already may occur in statements about the distant past: I don’t want to go to
Mexico; I’ve already been there (fifteen years ago).

2.- Like other adverbs (e.g., just, finally, not) already is inserted between the auxiliary and
the main verb: They’ve already had three children, but she wants one more; They’ve
already done their homework, so they can watch TV.

3.- In less formal usage, already occurs in the final position of a sentence: The mailman has
come and gone already; The children have gone to bed already.

4.- The adverb yet usually occurs in the final position of a simple sentence or in the final
position of a main clause in a complex sentence: The rain hasn’t started yet; I haven’t made
a decision yet, but I will soon. Yet is used in negative verb phrases and yes-no questions
only. Note: In more formal usage, and sometimes informal, one could say: Rain hasn’t yet
started; I haven’t yet made a decision.

5.- Yet shows expectation (something that we plan to do) and is closely related to a coming
event in future time: We haven’t reached the top of the mountain yet, but with luck and
determination we will soon; Our child hasn’t begun to speak yet, but he will soon.

6.- Yet occurs in yes-no questions more frequently than the other adverbs of indefinite time:
Have you had lunch yet? Hasn’t your team won a game yet? Besides the usual no answers,
the response No, not yet, may occur in response to a yes-no question.

7.- Abridged (shortened) main clauses containing will, be going to, and hope to often occur
in sentences with yet: We haven’t done anything about the problem yet, but we will (so
something); They haven’t arrived yet, but they’re going to (arrive) soon; I haven’t seen that
movie yet, but I hope to (see it).

8.- This kind of abridgment also occurs with the verbs like and want: Her boyfriend doesn’t
like to dance, but she likes to (dance); I haven’t gone to Japan yet, but I want to (go).

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIII

Focus: Already in Verb Phrases

42
Fill in the blanks with have (has) + already + a past participle.

1.- (eat/leave) The guests ___________________________ and _____________________.

2.- (write/send) I _____________________________ and __________________ the letter.

3.- (have) No, thank you. I don’t care for another drink because I _____________________

four. (get) I ___________________________________ a little drunk.

4.- (go) Jack is still here, but his wife _____________________________________ home.

5.- (see) I don’t want to see that movie because I ________________________________ it.

6.- (rise) Please let’s go home. The sun __________________________ and I’m dead tired

(very tired). (leave) Most of the other guests _____________________________________.

(be) We __________________________________________________________ for hours.

7.- (take) Don’t worry about the problem because I ___________________________ care

of it. (speak) I _______________________________________ to my lawyer about it.

8.- (hear) You don’t have to tell me about the scandal because I ______________________

about it. (be) It ________________________________ in all the newspapers; (cover) even

television _______________________________ it.

9.- (speak) I _______________________________________ to her about the matter, and

I’m not going to speak to her about it again.

10.- (do) Fortunately, I ________________________________ my homework, so I can go

out with you.

11.- (have) Bill hasn’t taken his vacation yet, but his sister ______________________ one.

(come/go) She __________________________ home and _______________ back to work.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIII PAGE 2

12.- (be) I don’t want to go to Rome again on my vacation because I __________________

there five times. I want to go some place new.

43
13.- (blossom) It’s only the middle of March, but the cherry trees in Washington _________

_____________________________.

14.- (get) It’s only the beginning of October, but it ____________________________ cold.

(have) We _______________________________ a few snowfalls.

15.- (set) Let’s go home. The sun ______________________________ and it’s getting late.

(leave) Everyone in the office __________________________________ for home.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIV

Focus: Negative Verb Phrases and Yet

Fill in the blank with have (has) + not + a past participle.

1.- (get) He _______________________________ over his recent divorce yet, but he will.

44
2.- (arrive) The guests __________________________________ yet, but I expect them any
minute. (Any minute means very soon.)

3.- (sit) We ____________________________ down to dinner yet, but we’re going to any
minute now. (Now may be added to any minute.)

4.- (enter) Their son ________________________________ the army yet, but he wants to.

5.- (get) He ____________________________________ over his last love affair yet, but he

eventually will. (find) He ____________________________________ a new girlfriend yet.

6.- (see) I _________________________________________ that movie yet, but I hope to.

7.- (begin) The movie _________________________________ yet, but it will any minute.

8.- (call) I ________________________________ my boss yet, but I will in a few minutes.

9.- (write) I _________________________________ my parents yet, but I will tomorrow.

10.- (go) My headache ______________________________ away yet, but it will because

I’ve taken a few aspirins. (take) They _________________________________ effect yet.

11.- (begin) It _________________________________ to rain yet, but it will any minute.

12.- (get) I _______________________________ any news from the university about my

application yet, but I will any day now.

13.- (do) I ______________________________ anything about the problem yet, but I will.

14.- (choose) We _____________________________ a name for out new baby yet, but we
will by the end of today.

15.- (fall) Our enemies ____________________________________ yet, but they will soon.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIV PAGE 2

16.- (get) They ___________________________ married yet, but they expect to very soon.

17.- (set) The sun _________________________ yet, but it will in a few minutes.

18.- (meet) I ________________________________ her new boyfriend yet, but I expect to

tonight. (introduce) She _________________________________ him to her family yet, but

45
she’s going to soon. (propose) He ___________________________ to her yet, but he
wants

to. (make) She _________________________________ up her mind yet.

19.- (grow) We _______________________ any tomatoes in our garden yet, but we plan to

next summer. (have) We _____________________ time yet.

20.- (deliver) They ______________________ our new refrigerator yet, but they will any
day now.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XV

Focus: Still and Yet

A negative response with yet frequently follows an affirmative statement with still: He’s still
single; he hasn’t found a wife yet.

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + not + a past participle.

1.- (make) Jack and Tina are still angry at each other; they ____________________ up yet.

46
(reconcile) They ___________________ their differences yet, but they will.

2.- (make) The actress is still not ready to go on the stage; she _________________ up yet.
(To make up can also mean to apply cosmetics to one’s face: Little girls often like to make
up with their mothers’ cosmetics.)

3.- (make) I still don’t want to go home; I ____________________ up a good excuse to

give my parents yet. (To makeup [a story/ excuse/ alibi] means to invent - sometimes used
meaning to lie.)

4.- (make) I’m still waiting for my wife; she ______________________ up yet.

5.- (make) I still don’t know where I’m going on my vacation; I _________________ up my
mind yet. (To make up one’s mind means to make a decision.)

6.- (get) His mother is still in the hospital; she _______________________ over her serious

illness. yet. (recover) She _____________________ yet.

7.- (come) We’re still waiting for the bus; it _______________________ yet.

8.- (get) He’s still very unhappy; he _____________________ over the loss of his wife yet.

9.- (finish) The students are still writing; they _________________________ the exam yet.

(reach) They __________________________ the hard part yet.

10.- (hear) He’s still worried about his mother; he _____________________ from her yet.

(get) He ________________________ any news yet.

11.- (eat) I’m still hungry; I ______________________ enough yet.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XV PAGE 2

12.- (make) I’m still waiting for an answer; they _____________________ their minds yet.

(come) They ___________________________ to a decision yet.

13.- (fix) My watch is still broken; they _____________________ it yet.

14.- (come) The leaves are still on the trees; fall _____________________ yet.

15.- (sleep) I’m still tired; I ____________________________ enough yet.

16.- (open) The bank is still closed; it ___________________________ yet.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XVI

Focus: Yes-No Questions with Yet and Already

Make (aloud and/or in writing) appropriate yes-no questions with yet or already. The
“pretends” in the parentheses will indicate the questions that can be asked.

Example: (Pretend it is six o’clock in the evening.)

Have you eaten dinner yet?
(Pretend you are at an office at nine o’clock in the morning.)
Has your boss already gotten to his office?

1.- (Pretend it is one o’clock in the afternoon.)

______________________________________________________________

48
2.- (Pretend it is 11:30 at night.)
______________________________________________________________
3.- (Pretend you are at a train station.)
______________________________________________________________
4.- (Pretend you are at a newsstand.)
______________________________________________________________
5.- (Pretend you are a nurse talking to a doctor.)
______________________________________________________________
6.- (Pretend it is seven o’clock in the morning.)
______________________________________________________________
7.- (Pretend you are at a radio and TV repair shop.)
______________________________________________________________
8.- (Pretend it is in the middle of summer.)
______________________________________________________________
9.- (Pretend you are giving a party.)
______________________________________________________________
10.- (Pretend you are standing at the box office of a theater.)
______________________________________________________________
11.- (Pretend you are talking to the police.)
______________________________________________________________
12.- (Pretend you are talking to a friend about another friend.)
______________________________________________________________
13.- (Pretend it is Christmas Eve.)
______________________________________________________________
14.- (Pretend you are sitting in a classroom.)
______________________________________________________________

REPEATED EVENTS IN THE PAST

1.- A third and frequent use of the present perfect tense is to express events that have taken
place once or more than once in past time: He has been married once, but now he’s
divorced; There have been two world wars in this century; Many countries have become
independent nations since the end of World War II.

2.- When the present perfect tense is used for repeated events in past time, there is the
expectation that the event may occur again in future time: We have gone to Europe three
times (and we expect to go again); There have been many little wars over the past forty
years (and there will probably be more); She’s fallen in love only twice (and she will
probably fall in love again.)

3.- When we express repeated events in past time with the simple past tense, there is no
expectation that the event will be repeated. Compare:

49
The Simple Past Tense The Present Perfect Tense
There were many national revolutions in There have been many national revolutions
Latin America during the nineteenth since the beginning of the twentieth
century. (the nineteenth century is over) century. (the twentieth century hasn’t ended
yet)
I saw two movies last month. (last month is I have seen two movies this month. (this
over) month hasn’t ended yet)

Note: When never is used with the simple past tense, the expectation is reversed. I never
went to Europe implies you will continue not to go; I have never gone to Europe implies
there is still a chance you will go.

4.- The information words how many times or how many + nouns may occur in information
questions when we ask about repeated events in past time: How many revolutions has
Bolivia had? How many times have you been in China? How many times has the earth
revolved around the sun? How many cookies have you eaten today?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XVII

Focus: Repeated Events in the Past

Fill in the blanks with have(has) + a past participle. Supply appropriate words in the
parentheses. Do not use negative forms in this exercise.

1.- (be) Jane ______________________________ married only once.

2.- (live) I ____________________ in (_______________) countries.

3.- (have) My mother ___________________ (___________________) children.

4.- (see) I __________________ (____________________) movies this month.

5.- (go) She _____________ (not) ______________ to the dentist (___________ times)
this year.

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6.- (ring) My telephone ____________________ at least fifty times since I got to work this
morning (At least means the minimum of.)

7.- (have) His father __________________ at least thirty jobs since he started working.

8.- (have) Steve ____________ (___________________) jobs since he started working.

9.- (fall) I _____________ (never) ________________ in love once/twice (___________

times).

10.- (be) He ____________ (never) _______________ in Europe

(___________________).

11.- (be) The President of the United States _____________ (never) ________________ in

Argentina/ France/ England (__________________).

12.- (be) One of the most beautiful women in the world _____________________ married

(______________).

13.- (be) One of the most famous men in the world _______________ in my native country

(________________).

14.- (be) There _______________________ very little rainfall recently.

15.- (send) I _____________________ (________________) letters this month.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XVII PAGE 2

16.- (deliver) Dr. Smith __________________________ around two thousand babies since
he started practicing medicine twenty - seven years ago.

17.- (have) My best friend and I _____________________ many good times together, and
we expect to have more.

18.- (do) We _________________ (_________________) exercises in this program.

19.- (make) Since the beginning of this program, I __________________ (_____________)

new friends.

20.- (see/do) Since I arrived in this country, I ___________________ and

________________________ many interesting things.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XVIII

Focus: Repeated Events in the Past

Supply have or has in the first blank and an appropriate past participle in the second,
using the verbs in the following list.

attend borrow fall fly lend receive see

be break feed go lose ride speak
bet do find have make rob win

1.- How many times ____________ you ________________ in love?

2.- How many times ____________ that fellow _____________ a woman’s heart?

3.-How many times ____________ [supply name] ____________ _____________married?

52
4.- How many times ____________ you _______________ to the doctor this year?

5.- How many countries ____________ you __________________ in?

6.- How many times ____________ you _______________ on Pan American?

7.-How many trips _______________ your father ______________ around the world?

8.- How many jobs _____________ you _____________ since you started working?

9.- How many academic degrees (e.g., B. A., M. A., Ph.D.) ___________________ you

__________? How many schools _____________ you ___________________?

10.- How many exercises _______________ we in this section?

11.- How many houses ________________ the thief ___________________?

12.- How many times ____________ s/he _______________ money?

13.- How many times ____________ you _________________ sugar from your neighbor?

14.- How many times ____________ your friend _____________ money in the lottery?

15.- How many times ____________ you _______________ ice skating?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XVIII PAGE 2

16.- How many times ____________ your sister _____________ money to you?
Note: We borrow from and we lend to.

17.- How many times ____________ you ____________ money on a horse?

18.- How many times ____________ Alice ____________ her earrings?

19.- How many times ____________ the President of the United States ___________ in

your native country? How many times _____________ you _____________ him?

20.- How many dogs, cats, or birds ____________ you _______________ in your lifetime?

21.- How many movies ________________ Janet ______________ this month?

22.- How many times ______________ your boss _________________ to his lawyer about
the problem?

53
23.- How many times ____________ you _______________________ on a horse?

24.- How many times ____________ Kim _________________ the cat today?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIX

Focus: Irregular Past Participles

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + a past participle.

1.- (blow) Darn it! One of our tires ________________ out.

2.- (hide) Where ______________ you ______________ your money?

3.- (bite) ________________ a dog ever ____________ you? (sting) _____________ a bee

ever _________________ you?

4.- (freeze) How many pounds of meat ________________ you ________________?

5.- (forbid) Why _________________ your father _____________ you to go to the party?

6.- (lend) ______________ your bank recently _____________ money to the government?

54
7.- (find) It’s about time! I _____________ my shoes under my bed.

8.- (bet/won) How many times ____________ you ___________ and ____________ money
on a long shot? (A long shot is a bet made at and against great odds, as in a horse race, with
only a slight chance of winning.)

9.- (throw) Why ________________ the baby suddenly ____________ up? Is she sick? (To
throw up means to vomit.)

10.- (grow) ______________ you ever _____________ roses in your garden?

11.- (hold) ______________ your teacher ever _____________ class in the park?

12.- (hang) Where _____________ your father _____________ up his jacket?

13.- (hit) How many homeruns ____________ your favorite player ________________ this

season. (make) How many fouls _____________ he ________________?

14.- (fight) __________ your favorite boxer ever ____________ with the world champion?

15.- (feed) ____________ you always ____________________ your dog that kind of food?

16.- (understand) ______________ your parents always _______________ your problems?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XIX PAGE 2

17.- (beat) At last! My favorite team ______________ finally ______________ its most

important rival. (win) It _______________ finally _________________ a really big game.

(lose) For a change, it _____________ not _______________.

18.- (sing) _______________ your favorite soprano ever ____________ for the
Metropolitan Opera Company in New York?

19.- (grind) _______________ you ____________up the coffee/ meat/ chicken yet? (To
grind up means to grind completely.)

20.- (hurt) His recent actions ____________________ his parents’ feelings.

21.- (begin) Hurry up! The movie _____________ already _______________.

22.- (keep) ___________________ your boyfriend always _______________ his word?

55
 THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

1.- To form the PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE, we use have and been (as a
second auxiliary) and a present participle as a main verb. Have occurs as an -s form in the
third person singular. Not is inserted between have and been in negative verb phrases.

Singular Plural
First person I we
Second person you have (not) been going you have (not) been going
Third person he they
she has (not) been going
it

2.- In yes-no and information questions, a subject follows have: Have you been working on
any interesting projects lately? How long have you been studying English?

3.- The form is used to emphasize the duration of an event that began at a definite point of
time in the past and has continued to the present and possibly into the future: She has been
studying English for several years; It’s been raining hard since last night.

4.- Also, we may use the form for repeated events in the past: We’ve been going to a lot of
interesting places recently; They’ve been going to the theater a lot this month.

56
5.- Sometimes, the form is used to express a temporary situation: They’ve been living (or
are living) in a hotel for the time being; I’ve been using (or am using) John’s typewriter
temporarily.

6.- Just and recently may occur in verb phrases with the present perfect continuous tense:
I’ve just (recently) been talking to the police about the matter; however, never, already,
finally, and how many times never occur with the form.

7.- For expressing the duration of an event, the present perfect tense and its continuous form
are essentially interchangeable; the continuous form only emphasizes the duration: They
have been living (or have lived) in Rome since 1971; I have been smoking (or have smoked)
since I was sixteen; I have been driving (or have driven) for a long time.

8.- As in the present continuous tense, non-action verbs such as be, cost, need, prefer, and
want, etc., do not usually occur in the present perfect continuous tense; however, when we
express a temporary feeling or action, a non-action verb occurs as a main verb in a phrase:
This vacation has been costing a lot (but out vacations have always cost a lot); I’ve been
wanting to tell you the secret ever since I heard about it last week (but I have always
wanted to travel around the world).

PAGE 2

9.- Have does not occur as a main verb in the present perfect continuous tense when it
means possession only (I have had my car for three years). However, the verb occurs
idiomatically with certain nouns: I have been having a lot of luck lately; He’s been having
trouble with his boss; They’ve been having problems with their son; We’ve been having a
good (bad) time on this vacation; We’ve been having a lot of parties recently; We’ve been
having very cold weather this year; She’s been having private English lessons.

10.- The expressions so far, up to now, and until now are used in sentences containing verb
phrases in the present perfect (continuous) tense. They usually occur at the end of a
sentence, but they are sometimes put at the beginning and followed by a comma: We’ve been
enjoying ourselves on this vacation so far; So far, we’ve been having wonderful weather;
Up to now, everything has been great.

11.- Now (meaning so far) is also used with the present perfect (continuous) tense: They’ve
been living in Paris for seven years now (so far); He’s been at the university for three years
now (so far).

SPELLING BEE (CONTEST)

Transform the base forms in the following list into present participles.

EXAMPLES: a: do doing
b: try trying

57
1.- carry 8.- run ______________________________
_____________________________
2.- lie _______________________________ 9.- get ______________________________
3.- begin ____________________________ 10.- cry _____________________________
4.- hit 11.- drip ____________________________
_______________________________
5.- stop _____________________________ 12.- beg _____________________________
6.- die ______________________________ 13.- omit ____________________________
7.- stay _____________________________ 14.- leave ___________________________

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XX

Focus: The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + been + a present participle.

1.- (wear) Our daughter _____________________________ lipstick since she was sixteen.

2.- (rain) It _________________________________________ steadily for three days now.

3.- (take) I __________________________ care of my neighbor’s cats while they’re away.

(feed) I ____________________________________________________ them twice a day.

4.- (have) We ____________________________ a lot of problems with our new car lately.

(burn) It _________________________________________ too much gas.

5.- (worry) Everyone in the world _________________________ about the situation in the

Middle East for years. (happen) A lot of things _______________________ there recently.

6.- (play/win) We _______________________________ cards for the past couple of hours,

58
and everyone except me __________________________________________ money so far.

7.- (fight) Dick and Janet _______________________________ with each other ever since
the day they were married.

8.- (wait) She’s angry because her boyfriend hasn’t shown up yet, and she ______________

______________________ for more than three hours.

9.- (talk) He __________________________ about me behind my back, and I don’t like it.

(spread) He ________________________________________ rumors about me.

10.- (work) We _______________________________ on a lot of interesting projects lately.

Note: We work on projects, but we do work or a job.

11.- (have) We ________________________________ beautiful weather this month so far.

12.- (study) Our daughter _______________________ at the university for three years now.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XX PAGE 2

13.- (get) The children ________________________________ on my nerves. (make) They

____________________________ too much noise. (To get on one’s nerves means to make
one nervous.

Now complete the sentences.

14.- I/ you/ my father ________________________________________________________

15.- My teacher/ doctor ______________________________________________________

16.- S/ he _________________________________________________________________

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXI

Focus: The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Fill in the blanks with have (has) + not + been a present participle.

1.- (feel) I’m tired because I _________________________________________well lately.

2.- (have) We ___________________________________ any problems with our car so far.

3.- (go) She __________________________________ with anyone for a long time. (To go
with someone means to have a romantic relationship with someone: She’s been going with
her boss for some time now.)

4.- (have) Unfortunately, I ___________________________ much luck in the lottery lately.

5.- (go) The weather hasn’t been very nice lately, so we ____________________________
to the beach much.

6.- (make/ try) My company ______________________________ much money for the past

couple of years because it _________________________________________ hard enough.

7.- (get/ study) He ____________________________ good grades on his test for the
course

because he ____________________________ hard enough.

60
8.- (get/ send) I _______________________________________ any letters lately because I

__________________________________________ any. I haven’t had the time.

9.- (go) He _______________________________________ with anyone since he broke up

(ended his relationship) with Janet.

10.- (sleep) I’m tired because I ____________________________________ enough lately.

11.- (take) The patient _____________________________ penicillin for several days now.

(get) However, his condition _________________________________ worse.

12.- (work) I haven’t been able to listen to the weather forecasts because my radio _______

__________________________________. My TV _______________________, either.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXI PAGE 2

13.- (feel) My grandfather __________________________________________ well lately.

14.- (win/ practice) Our team ________________________________ any games for a long

time because it ____________________________ hard enough.

15.- (live) His mother and father _______________________________ together for quite a

few years now. (speak) They _____________________________ to each other for years.

16.- (think) You’re making mistakes because you _____________________________ hard

enough.

17.- (ride) Chris ______________________________ for several days now, and she misses
her home.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXII

Focus: Yes-No and Information Questions

Fill in the blanks with present participles.

1.- (feel) How have you been ____________________ since your operation?

2.- (take) Who has been _____________________ care of your children?

3.- (do) Why haven’t you been __________________ your homework for the class?

(waste) Haven’t you been ___________________ your time?

Pronunciation Note: (a) What have sounds like what-of; (b) How have sounds like how-of;
( c) Who has sounds like hooze; (d) Who have sounds like who-of.
Reminder: Haven’t you sounds like haven’t-chew.

4.- (play) Why hasn’t your team been _________________ more games this season?

5.- (lose) How much money have you been ___________________ on this new project?

(make) Why haven’t you been ________________ yet?

Now supply present or past participles in the blanks.

6.- (do) What has the government been ______________________ about the problem?

7.- (explain) Why hasn’t your lawyer ____________________ the problem to you?

62
8.- (live) Where are you ____________________ for the time being?

Now practice making appropriate questions in response to the following “pretends.”

Use the present perfect (continuous) tense only.
9.- Pretend you are talking to a friend about his or her job.
10.- Pretend you are discussing the weather with somebody.
11.- Pretend you are talking to your teacher about his or her professional career.
12.- Pretend you are talking to a doctor/ lawyer/ teacher/ scientist.
13.- Pretend you are talking to a taxi driver/ secretary/ architect.
14.- Pretend you are talking to a friend about his or her new romance.
15.- Pretend you are talking to a writer/ dancer/ painter/ actor.
16.- Pretend you are a newspaper reporter, and you are talking to a well-known movie star.
17.- Pretend you are talking to yourself about your school/ your job.
18.- Pretend you are talking to your neighbor about a new recipe.
Pronunciation Note: Have I following information words like how long, what, etc., may
sound like of-I.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXIII

Focus: Situation and Reason

Do the exercise aloud, and/ or on a separate piece of paper write appropriate

statements to follow the situations and remarks listed below. Use only the present
perfect tense (or the present perfect continuous tense when appropriate).

Example: He doesn’t speak English very well. He’s never studied it.
I can’t go out with you tonight. I haven’t finished my homework yet.
The garden looks beautiful. It has been raining a lot lately.

1.- I’m hungry/ thirsty/ tired.

2.- Unfortunately, all the plants in the garden are dying.
3.- S/he feels a little foolish.
4.- Everyone in Mary’s family is relieved.
5.- Our neighbors are gong to get a divorce.
6.- All of the flags in the nation are at half mast. (A flag at half mast is a flag halfway up a
flagpole.
7.- My mouth and throat are unusually dry.
8.- S/he’s gong to get the best grade in the course.
9.- Everything in our house is damp. (Damp means wet.)
10.- My apartment is messy and dirty. (Messy means not neat.)
11.- Sh! The curtain is rising. (Pretend you are at the theater.)
12.- We are waiting for the teacher.
13.- Everyone is cheering/ applauding/ booing/ whistling.
14.- There is a long line of people stand at the corner.
15.- No, I’m sorry. I don’t know the temperature outside.
16.- S/he’s very anxious and nervous.
17.- I’m in a wonderful mood, and I must tell you about it.

63
18.- The newspaper says the man will go to prison for life.
19.- I’m beginning to get bored/ worried.
20.- No one is at home next door.
21.- Everyone at school/ work is excited/ worried/ surprised/ angry/ relieved.
22.- S/he’s angry at him/ her.
23.- I’m not going to take a vacation this year.
24.- No thank you, I don’t care for anything else to eat/ drink. (I don’t care for means I
don’t like or I don’t want.)
25.- S/he’s going to enter the university soon.
26.- Everybody is laughing/ crying.
27.- All the trees in the park are blossoming/ dying.
28.- I must go to the bank right away.
29.- Everyone understands the present perfect tense much better now.

64
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXIV

Focus: The Simple Past Tense versus the Present Perfect Tense

Fill in the blanks with verbs in the simple past tense or the present perfect tense.
Example: (teach) He taught English in Hong Kong from 1974 to 1976.
(teach) He has taught at the University of Hawaii since 1976.

1.- (learn) We ___________________________ a lot of new things in the class so far.

2.- (go) They __________________________ to Texas on their vacation last year.

3.- (speak) She _________________________ French since she was a little girl.

4.- (speak) I ___________________________ to my lawyer about the problems a couple of

days ago.
(take) He _________________________ care of it since then.

5.- (get) Everyone __________________________ to work late yesterday morning.

6.- (have) We _______________________ a lot of luck with our car until now.

7.- (have) We ________________________ a good time when we were in Iran.

8.- (be) Her childhood ________________________ a very happy one so far.

9.- (spend) My father _________________________ his childhood on a farm in Kansas.

10.- (begin) Sh! The movie ____________________ . It ____________________ a few

minutes a go.

11.- (ring) The bell _______________________________, and the class is beginning.

12.- (live) They ________________________ in San Francisco since they moved to

California a couple of years ago. They ______________________ in Seattle, WA., before

they made their move.

13.- (be) They ________________________ very happy with their new home ever since.

(visit) I __________________________ them on my last vacation.

65
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXIV PAGE 2

14.- (be) There _________________________ a good musical program on television last

night. There _________________________ quite a few lately.

15.- (accept) At last! My girlfriend _________________________ my proposal.

16.- ( know) Dick and Sally ___________________________ each other ever since they

were in elementary school. I __________________________ both of them.

17.- (have) Our son and daughter-in-law ____________________________ three children.

18.- (break) He _____________________ his leg in a skiing accident last winter.

19.- (win) My favorite team ________________________ three games out of seven so far.

20.- (win) They _________________________ every game last year.

21.- (be) The weather __________________________ very hot lately.

22.- (take) I _______________________ three courses in French so far.

23.- (have) He _____________________ many jobs since he graduated from school.

24.- (be) Last summer _______________________ the hottest summer on record.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXV

Focus: Reviewing Verb Tenses

66
Fill in the blanks with verbs in the simple present tense or the present perfect tense.
Do not use negative forms.

1.- (work) His father _____________________ from nine to five every day.

2.- (work) He _____________________ for the same company since he was eighteen.

3.- (go) Bill _____________________ to the movies once in a while (occasionally).

4.- (be) The weather ____________________ good until now.

5.- (have) A sailor often ____________________ a girlfriend in more than one port.

6.- (win) Our team _______________________ the game, and everyone is cheering.

7.- (go) Sh! The baby _________________________ to sleep.

8.- (take) He ______________________________ a nap every afternoon.

9.- (enjoy) I _______________________ a cocktail from time to time (occasionally).

10.- (be) Grandpa _______________________ asleep for several hours now (so far).

11.- (have) My boss ________________________ three wives.

12.- (meet) I ________________________ that woman at parties from time to time.

Now the present continuous tense may also be appropriate.

13.- (do) I ________________________ my homework for the class already.

14.-(do) She usually ____________________ her homework in the library.

15.- (live) Bob and Gloria _____________________ in a hotel for the time being.

16.- (be) The formula for water ___________________ H2O. There __________________
no change in the formula since it was formulated many years ago.

17.- (work) Bill occasionally ________________ on Sunday. He ________________ today.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXV PAGE 2

Now the past or past continuous tense may also be appropriate.

Example: (do) I did my homework last night.

(do) When you called me last night, I was doing my homework.

67
18.- (go) We ______________________________ to church every Sunday.

19.- (go) They __________________________ to Europe five times in the last three years.

20.- (go) I ___________________________ to work on the bus temporarily.

21.- (rise/ wake) The sun ____________________ just as I _________________ up

yesterday morning.

22.- (meet) I ______________________ a very interesting person at the last meeting.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXVI

Focus: Reviewing the Simple Present Tense

Using the following “pretends” as a guide, make up, on a separate piece of paper,
appropriate information questions in the simple present tense.
Example: Pretend you are talking to your teacher about his or her life.
How often do you teach? What kind of car do you have?
Pretend you are talking to someone about food.
What kind of food do you like? How often do you eat Chinese food?

1.- Pretend you are a newspaper reporter interviewing a famous baseball player, a movie
star, or a world-famous scientist.
2.- Pretend you are talking to a friend about his/ her wife/ husband.
3.- Pretend you are talking to a friend about his/ her daily schedule.
4.- Pretend you are shopping at a department store.
5.- Pretend you are talking to someone about different members of his or her family.
6.- Pretend you are lost and you are asking for directions.
7.- Pretend you are angry at someone.
8.- Pretend you are talking to someone you have just met.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXVII

Focus: Reviewing the Simple Past Tense

Make up appropriate information questions in the simple past tense.

Examples: Pretend you are talking to a friend about yesterday.
What did you do yesterday? Where were you last night?
Pretend you are talking to a friend who is in the hospital.
How did you break you leg?

1.- Pretend you are talking to a friend about his/ her last vacation.
2.- Pretend you are interviewing an important person.
3.- Pretend you are a mother or father, and you are talking about one of your children.
4.- Pretend you are talking about a football/ soccer/ basketball game.
5.- Pretend you are talking to a woman about her former husband.
6.- Pretend you are talking to yourself about your past mistakes.
7.- Pretend you are talking to one of the richest people in the world.
8.- Pretend you are talking to a notorious criminal.
9.- Pretend you are talking to your teacher about his or her professional career. Pretend you
are the teacher.
10.- Pretend you are angry at someone in your class.
11.- Pretend you are talking to the ghost of Napoleon Bonaparte/ William Shakespeare/ Mao
Tse-Tung/ Che Guevara/ Christopher Columbus/ Adolf Hilter/ Romeo/ Martin Luther/ Joan
of Arc.

70
 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXVIII

Focus: Reviewing Tag Questions

Supply appropriate tag endings in the blanks. Reminder: When the statement in a tag
question is positive, the tag ending is negative: She’s gone, hasn’t she? When the statement
is negative, the tag ending is positive: She hasn’t gone, has she? During the exercise,
practice using the down intonation pattern: hasn’t she? 

Example: You’ll never be a millionaire, will you?

They’ve left for the beach, haven’t they?
She has to study hard, doesn’t she?
It’s not cold outside today, is it?

1.- You’ve never been in Hawaii, ____________________________________?

2.- She’s not going to have to take another course, _______________________?

3.- She shouldn’t smoke, ______________________________________?

4.- He’s had many different kinds of jobs, _______________________________?

5.- He’s an engineer for a government agency, ______________________________?

6.- Bob and Mary have to go home now, ___________________________________?

7.- Bill and Henry have gone, _______________________________?

8.- She’s recently been ill, ___________________________________?

9.- There’s something cooking on the stove, ______________________________?

10.- You had a good time at the game, ___________________________________?

11.- It’ll be cold tomorrow, __________________________________?

12.- He’s always lived by himself, _____________________________________?

13.- He’s never on time to work, ______________________________________?

14.- There were a lot of people at the concert, ______________________________?

15.- I’m going to be with you tomorrow night, ______________________________?

Reminder: Am I not? is formal; Aren’t I? is informal.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXVIII PAGE 2

16.- Mary had to cook dinner, ________________________________________?

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17.- John has had several operations this year, __________________________________?

18.- We’ve studied a lot of things so far, ______________________________________?

19.- You weren’t at the last meeting, ______________________________________?

20.- They’ve never had a child, __________________________________?

21.- I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, __________________________________?

22.- You can type well, _______________________________?

23.- I’m not pronouncing your name correctly, _____________________________?

24.- She hasn’t been enjoying herself lately, ____________________________________?

25.- I should do something about the problem at work, ____________________________?

26.- He hurt himself in the accident, ______________________________________?

27.- You couldn’t be cruel to animals, ______________________________________?

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXIX

Focus: Reviewing Too, Either, And and But

Supply appropriate words in the blanks.

Example: You’ll never make a million dollars, and I won’t either.
He can’t speak English, but she can.

1.- I don’t particularly care for travel, but my wife ___________________________.

2.- I should vote for her in the elections, and you ____________________________.

3.- She’ll be at the meeting, and her husband _______________________________.

4.- She cut class, and I _________________________. To cut class means not to attend a
scheduled class at school.)

5.- I’ve never been there, but everyone else in my family _________________________.

6.- Life without love isn’t easy, and life with love _________________________________.

7.- We have a good reason to complain about the problem, but they __________________.

8.- I’ve already sent out my Christmas cards, and he ______________________________.

9.- She’s not been well lately, and her husband ___________________________________.

10.- The city has a lot of pollution, but the country ________________________________.

11.- I speak with a foreign accent, and she ______________________________________.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXX

Focus: Reviewing So and Neither

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Supply appropriate words in the blanks.
Example: I couldn’t kill a defenseless animal, and neither could you.
She has to work on Sundays, and so does her husband.

1.- He doesn’t like to travel, and ____________________ his wife.

2.- I’ve never been late to work, and _____________________ you.

3.- I have to do a lot of homework, and _____________________ everyone else.

4.- A nice house isn’t cheap, and ___________________ a nice apartment.

5.- Their daughter hasn’t graduated yet, and _________________ their son.

6.- I made a few mistakes in the last test, and _____________________ the others.

7.- I must take care of my health, and ________________________ you.

8.- I should stop smoking, and _______________________________ she.

9.- He couldn’t go to the party last night, and _____________________ his wife.

10.- I’m not having lunch today, and _______________________ my boss.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXII

Focus: Reviewing Prepositions

1.- Many people couldn’t believe it when man landed _____________ the moon. Everyone

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______________ the world was thrilled ________________ that moment.

2.- Look ___________ all the birds _______________ the sky.

3.- The best location ___________ a business is ____________ the middle ________ town.

4.- We haven’t been ____________ Europe ______________ 1974.

5.- You’ll find your gloves ______________ the bottom drawer ____________ the desk.

6.- They’ve been living ________________ 495 Park Avenue _________ about ten years.

7.- When I came ________________ the room, no one was here.

8.- His father owns a shop ___________________ Fifth Avenue.

9.- I have just recently read an interesting article _____________ the New York Times. The

article was ___________________ elephants in India.

10.- My mother first met my father ____________________ an elevator.

11.- There are a lot ____________ ships _____________ the bottom _________ the ocean.

12.- We arrived _____________ London __________ the 25th of April and left _________

the first day ____________ May.

13.- He came _____________ the United States __________ 1973. He went back _______

Argentina ________________ May 16, 1975.

14.- They’ve been living _______________ a hotel ______________ the time being.

15.- There was a sudden thunderstorm while they were ___________ their way _________

the top ___________ the mountain.

16.- I ran _____________ an old friend of mine while I was shopping (To run into someone
means to meet someone by accident.)

17.- He hasn’t felt well ever ______________ his operation.

18.- The people ____________________ the apartment ____________ ours are very noisy.

19.- Your name is __________________ the top _______________ this page.

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20.- I never like to sit _________________ the first row _____________ a movie theater.

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 HAVE GOT

1.- The verb phrase have got is used idiomatically in the present perfect tense to show
possession in the same way that we use the verb have: I have got (have) a slight
temperature; She has got (has) eleven children.
Note: The past participle gotten never occurs in this form.

2.- The form is very informal and does not ordinarily occur in formal writing. Because of its
informality, have (has) and subject pronouns most often occur in a contracted form: I’ve got
a secret; She’s got a problem with her daughter.

3.- Negative verb phrases with have got are often heard: I haven’t got time to fool around
at school; He hasn’t got much money in the bank, but he’s a happy man; They haven’t got
a car, but they’re getting one soon.

4.- Yes-No and information questions with have got sometimes occur: Have you got time to
help me with this project? How much money have you got in your pocket? However, the use
of have got in questions is more frequent in British usage; a North American (particularly in
the United States) is more likely to say: Do you have time to help me with this project?
How much money do you have in your pocket?

5.- We cannot show possession with have got in past time; however, we may express
possession with have got for the future: I’ve got a dentist appointment tomorrow; I’ve got
a date for the dance next Saturday night.
Pronunciation Note: Got a sounds like gotta when we are speaking very quickly.
Reminder: Never use the past participle gotten in this form.
Note: Have got to + a base form for expressing necessity is discussed in the unit on modal
auxiliaries.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXIII

Focus: Using Have Got to Show Possession

Fill in the blanks with have (has) (+ not) + got.

Example: We’ve got the desire to speak and write English well.
I haven’t got any money left in my bank account.

1.- ______________ you _______________ the time by any chance?

2.- She ___________________ any time to enjoy herself.

3.- I _____________________ a wonderful idea; let’s get married right away.

4.- He ____________________ any imagination.

5.- We ______________________ enough bread to make sandwiches.

6.- How many brothers and sisters _____________ you _________________?

7.- They ____________________ any money in the bank, and they don’t care. (Don’t care
means don’t mind or it doesn’t make any difference. Do not confuse don’t care with don’t
care for, which means don’t like or don’t want.)

8.- I _______________________ great suggestion; let’s take a break.

9.- _______________________ your sister ___________________ any children?

10.- You _____________________ any children, have you?

11.- We _____________________________ the time to complete the project, but we

_______________________the equipment.

12.- I ___________________ a problem with my lawyer, and he ______________ one with

his. You ________________________ a lawyer, have you?

13.- She ____________________ a British accent, hasn’t she?

14.- I’m very lucky because I ______________________________ any financial worries.

15.- They _______________________ five sons, but they _________________ a daughter.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXIII PAGE 2

16.- S/he is very upset because s/he __________________________ a problem with his/her
husband/wife.

17.- Excuse me, _________________ you __________________ a match?

18.- I ___________________ a secret, and I’m not going to tell anyone.

19.- He ______________________ a lot of good ideas, but he’s lazy.

20.- She ___________________ a very boring job, but she ____________________ the
time to look for a new one.

21.- They ___________________ a brand new (very new) car, but it isn’t working well.

They ____________________ a lemon (a bad product).

22.- We _____________________ time to do another exercise, have we?

23.- How much money _____________ you ____________? _______________ you

__________________ a dime?

24.- _______________ we ______________ to take a little break before we go on to the

next exercise?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXIV

Focus: Reviewing Information Words as Subjects

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Reminder: When an information word(s) is the subject of an information question, the usual
question form does not occur: Who invented the electric light bulb? (but When did Edison
invent it?); What happened to the dog? (but When did the dog go?); How many people
came to the party? (but How many people did you invite?).

Fill in the blanks with appropriate information words.

Example: Who gave you your watch?
What happened to you last night?

1.- _______________________ people went to the concert?

2.- _______________________ people live in your hometown?

3.- _______________________ has happened in the world this week?

4.- _______________________ ‘s got a long tail, is rather small, and likes to eat cheese?

5.- _______________________ animal is the tallest in the world?

6.- _______________________ ate my sandwich?

7.- _______________________ ‘s done it?

8.- _______________________ ‘s happened to my pen? ___________________’s taken it?

9.- _______________________ people live in your house?

10.- ______________________ lives with you?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXV

Focus: How Come

How come means why. It precedes the subject in questions (usually negative) in informal
usage: How come he hasn’t done anything for his family? However, note that with how

80
come the subject precedes the verb, but with why the sentence is in the question form: How
come he is here? Why is he here? How come you didn’t do your work? Why didn’t you do
your work?

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate negative verb phrases.

Example: (take) How come he hasn’t taken care of the problem yet?
(have) How come she doesn’t have any friends?

1.- (come) How come you ________________________________ to school yesterday?

2.- (have) How come you ___________________________ any money in the bank?

3.- (be) How come you ________________________ here tomorrow?

4.- (pay) How come you _____________________ your phone bill last month?

5.- (come) How come the mailman ___________________________ yet? He’s late.

6.- (eat) How come you ____________________________ any dinner last night?

7.- (drive) How come you _________________________ your car to work yesterday?

8.- (go) How come the children ______________________ to school yet?

9.- (take) How come you _______________________ a vacation this coming summer?

(take) How can you ___________________ one last summer?

10.- (send) How come you _____________________ any Christmas cards last year?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXVI

Focus: Be Going to + a Base Form in Past Time

When be going to + a base form is used for an event in past time, it means the event was
planned but did not take place; in other words, it was an unrealized plan: We were going to
take a trip to Europe last summer, but we decided to go to the Orient instead.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb phrases.

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Example: We weren’t going to attend the reception yesterday afternoon, but at the last
moment we finally decided to (attend it).
They were going to get married, but much to everyone’s surprise, they
suddenly decided against it.

1.- Jack ____________________________ married to Patricia, but at the last moment he

married her sister instead.

2.- We __________________________ another exercise, but there wasn’t enough time.

3.- We __________________________ our children with us on our last trip to Vancouver,

but we finally decided to.

4.- I ___________________________ yesterday’s meeting, but I didn’t feel well enough to

get out of bed.

5.- We _______________________ to the conference before it began, but we got lost on

our way to the conference hall.

6.- He _____________________ to the convention in Chicago, but he couldn’t because the

airlines were on strike.

7.- Harriet _______________________ to the prom (a class dance) with Bob, but a the last
moment she decided to go with Bill.

8.- Dick ________________________ a course in French last semester, but he finally

decided to.

9.- We ________________________ a Japanese car, but we changed our minds and bought
a German one instead.

10.- Daniel _______________________ to the University of California at Berkeley, but he

won a scholarship to Harvard.

11.- I ____________________________ to the movies last night, but I changed my mind.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XXXVI PAGE 2

12.- Bill __________________________ computer science, but he went into engineering

instead.

13.- We ___________________________ our vacation in Spain last summer, but we

decided on Italy instead.

14.- Sandra _______________________ a nurse, but she became a medical doctor instead.

15.- I __________________________ anything at the store yesterday, but I did when I

found a pair of nice-looking shoes.

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 THE PAST PERFECT TENSE
EVENTS PRECEDING EVENTS IN PAST TIME

1.- The PAST PERFECT TENSE is used to express an event that occurred be before
another in past time: When the war in Vietnam finally ended, Saigon had fallen to the
Communists (before the war ended).

2.- To form the past perfect tense, had, the past form of have, is used as an auxiliary, and a
past participle occurs as the main verb in the verb phrase: Before I got to the doctor, my
pain had gone away.

Singular Plural
First person I we

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Second person you had gone you had gone
Third person he they
she
it
Note: The auxiliary in third person singular is not an -s form.

3.- In less formal usage, contractions of had and subject pronouns occur: By the end if the
game (when the game ended), he’d made thirty-two baskets; By the end of the tennis
season, she’d won more matches than anyone else on her school team.

I’d we’d
you’d gone you’d gone
he’d they’d
she’d

Pronunciation Note: There is no contracted form for it had; however, in speaking it had
sounds like it-hid.

4.- Negative verb phrases are formed by inserting not between the auxiliary and the main
verb: Before the French Revolution, the aristocrats had not paid any attention tot he
demands of the people, and many of them paid for their mistake with the loss of their
heads.

I we
you had not gone you had not gone
he they
she
it

PAGE 2

5.- Hadn’t, the contraction of had not, occurs in informal usage: He hadn’t prepared for the
final examination, so he got a very low grade.

6.- As in the present tense, such adverbs as already, finally, just and recently appear in verb
phrases containing the past perfect tense; they immediately follow the auxiliary: When Japan
surrendered to the Allies on September 2, 1945, Germany had already surrendered five
months before, When the armistice was signed in 1918, the First World War had finally
come to an end; When our son graduated from high school; the war in Vietnam had just
ended; When I bought my used car; it had recently been painted.

7.- The adverb yet most often appears in its usual position at the end of a clause or sentence
containing a negative verb phrase: When the United States won its independence from Great
Britain, the French Revolution had not taken place yet; At midnight, her son had not come
home yet.

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8.- The past perfect tense is also used to express the duration of an event that preceded
another in past time: When John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on
November 22, 1963, he had been the President for less than three years; When their baby
was born, they had been married for five years.

9.- The form may also be used for repeated events before another single event in past time:
When the American Civil War finally ended, hundreds of thousands of people had lost their
lives; By the time he was forty, he had written many books.

10.- Because the past perfect tense is most often used for an event preceding another in past
time, the form usually occurs in a complex sentence containing a main and subordinate
(when) clause. In such sentences, the simple past tense is used in the when (time) clause, and
the past perfect tense occurs in the main clause. The event in the main clause preceded the
event in the subordinate (when) clause. Compare:

Subordinate Clause Main Clause

When Jesus died on the Cross. he had lived for only thirty-three years.
(before he was crucified)
When Jimmy Carter because the President, there had already been thirty-eight
Presidents.(before he became president)

11.- The past perfect tense sometimes occurs in subordinate clauses introduced by after and
before, but in modern usage, speakers and writers often replace the form with the simple
past tense: After I had spoken (spoke) to you, I got a letter from David; Before the robber
had gone (went) very far, the police caught him.

PAGE 3

12.- The form also occurs in subordinate because clauses to give the reason for a situation
that is expressed in main clause of a complex sentence: Richard Nixon left the Presidential
office in disgrace because he had lied to the American people; Dwight D. Eisenhower
because a national hero because he had led the American forces to victory in the Second
World War.

13.- When the past perfect tense is used in a complex sentence, adverbs of time like
yesterday, last night, and ago must take a different form in order to keep the sentence
logical: (yesterday) When I last saw Alex, he had just taken an important examination the
day before; (last year) I didn’t want to go to Paris because I’d been there the year before;
(this morning) I was very tired the other day because I’d gotten up early that morning;
(two days ago) Jonathon was still excited because he’d just graduated from the university
two days before.

14.- In yes-no and information questions, the subject follows the auxiliary had: Had you
finished the examination yet when the bell rang? How long had you had your car when you
finally decided to sell it? In yes-no answers, had follows the subject: Yes, I had; No, I
hadn’t.

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15.- Negative questions are used to express confirmation, surprise, or irritation: Hadn’t you
locked the door before you left the house? Why hadn’t the government done something
about the problem before it got so serious?
Note: Questions containing the past perfect tense usually occur only in very formal usage. A
speaker is more likely to use the simple past tense in a main clause combined with a
subordinate clause introduced by before: Did (didn’t) you lock the door before you lift the
house? Why didn’t the government do something about the problem before it became so
serious?

GRAMMAR EXERCISE I
Focus: Contrasting the Past Continuous Tense with the Past Perfect Tense

Read each sentence aloud twice, once using the past continuous tense in blank (a) , and once
using the past perfect tense in blank (b) . Reminder: The past continuous tense is used for an event
that was taking place at the same time as another event occurred. The past perfect tense is used for an
event that preceded another event in past tense.
Example: When we got to the theater, the movie (a) was beginning (b) had begun.
When I got to the garage, the mechanic (a) was fixing (b) had fixed my car.

1.- When I got home my mother (a) __________________ (b) _________________ dinner.

2.- When I woke up this morning, the sun (a) __________________ (b) _______________.

3.- When the doctor finally arrived, the patient (a) ____________________ (b) _________
________________________.

4.- When I went home yesterday afternoon, the sun (a) ___________________ (b) _______
_________________________________.

5.- When I got to the station, the train (a) ___________________ (b) _________________.

6.- When I last saw the baby in her crib, she (a) _______________________ (b) ________
_____________________ to sleep.

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7.- When his father got out of the army, the war (a) _____________________ (b) ________
_____________________________.

8.- When we got to the airport, our plane (a) _____________________ (b) _____________
____________ off.

9.- When I got to the party, all of the guests (a) _______________________ (b) _________
______________________________.

10.- When I got back to the dormitory, my roommate (a) _____________________ (b)
___________________________ his homework.

11.- When I called Mary the other night, she (a) ______________________ (b) _________
__________________ to bed.

12.- When I first met their son, he (a) ____________________ (b) ___________________
medical school.

13.- When the bell rang, the teacher (a) ______________________ (b) ________________
into the room.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE II

Focus: Verb Phrases with Just

Fill in the blanks with had + just + a past participle. Practice using contractions of
subject pronouns and had.

EXAMPLE: (rise) When I woke up, the sun had just risen.
(sit) When you called, we’d just sat down to dinner.

1.- (set) When we got to the cocktail party, the sun ________________________________.
2.- (begin) When I arrived at the meeting, it _____________________________________.
3.- (end) When we entered the theater, the movie _________________________________.
4.- (rise) When we got to our seats, the curtain ___________________________________.
5.- (have) Everyone __________________________ dinner when we got to the party.
6.- (end) When he was born, the Second World War _______________________________.
7.- (get) I ___________________ into the shower when I realized I had forgotten the soap.
8.- (ring) When I walked into the classroom, the bell ______________________________.
9.- (finish) I ___________________________ my dinner when a friend called and asked me
to eat out at the best restaurant in town.
10.- (leave) We ________________________ the elevator when the electricity went out.
(get) We __________________________ out in the nick of time (at exactly the right time).
11.- (go) I __________________ to sleep when the phone rang, and it was a wrong number.
12.- (sit) We ________________________ down to dinner when the doorbell rang.
13.- (read) I ________________________ the story in the paper when I suddenly heard it
on the radio.

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14.- (leave) His father ___________________ the doctor’s office when he fell and broke his
leg.
15.- (borrow) He _______________ fifty dollars from me when he asked me for fifty more.
16.- (start) When I arrived in Paris, a transportation strike __________________________.
17.- (get) I ______________________ out of bed when my mother called me for breakfast.
18.- (start) The fire ________________________ when the firemen got there.
19.- (close) The bank ________________________ when I got there.
20.- (leave) When his office called with an emergency, he _____________ for his vacation.
21.- (turn) I __________________ on the radio when the news about the election came on.
22.- (leave) I ___________________________ the house when the rain started.
23.- (send) I _________________________ a letter to my mother when she called me.
24.- (end) The war _________________________________ when we arrived in Saigon.
25.- (get) I ______________________________ into the room when the class began.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE III

Focus: Negative Verb Phrases and Yet

Fill in the blanks with had not (hadn’t) + a past participle.

EXAMPLE: (rise) When I got up the sun hadn’t risen yet.

(speak) When I spoke to her, she hadn’t done anything about the problem yet.

1. (take) When I spoke to my lawyer, he ______________ care of my tax problem yet. (do)

He _________________ anything about my problem with my wife yet, either.

2.- (set) When I left my office, the sun ___________________ yet.

3. (fall) By late September, the leaves _____________________ yet.

4. (die) When the doctor got to the hospital, the patient _________________ yet.

5. (fix) When I got to the TV shop, they ____________________ my TV yet.

6. (be) When World War II started, I ___________________ born yet.

7. (write) When my boss asked my about my report, I _________________ it yet.

8. (begin) When we got to the theater, the movie _________________ yet.

9.- (meet) When my father graduated from high school, he _________________ my mother

88
yet. (finish) My mother _____________________ elementary school yet. (begin) Their life

together _________________ yet.

10.- (discover) In 1490, Columbus ________________________ America yet.

11.- (invent) When my grandfather was young, the Wright brothers __________________
the airplane yet.

12.- (start) When I got to the stadium, the game ______________________ yet.

13.- (become) When Jimmy Carter was fifty, he ____________________ the President yet.

14.- (feed) When I got home, my wife _____________________ the baby yet.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE III PAGE 2

15.- (blossom) In early April, the cherry trees ____________________ yet.

16.- (end) When I was in school, the war in Vietnam __________________ yet.

17.- (have) When I got home, the family ________________ dinner yet.

18.- (have) When I got to work, I ______________ breakfast yet.

19.- (finish) When he was twenty, he _______________ his studies yet.

20.- (get) When I knew Mary in Chicago, she ______________ married yet.

21.- (fix) When I got to the garage, they ______________ my car yet.

22.- (ring) When I got to school, the bell ______________ yet.

23.- (finish) When the bell rang, I _____________ yet.

24.- (go) When you called, I _______________ to sleep yet.

25.- (start) When she was fifteen, she _______________ wearing lipstick yet.

26.- (begin) When he was fifteen, he _______________ to go out with girls yet.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE IV

Focus: Verb Phrases with Never

Supply appropriate verb phrases containing the adverb never. Notice the use of before
in this exercise.

EXAMPLES: a.- When I went to the Metropolitan Opera last night, I had never heard an
opera before.
b.- When I had dinner the other night at Tazuko’s, I’d never eaten Japanese
food before.

1.- When I first came to New York, I ___________________________ on a subway before.

2.- When I went to Central America on my vacation, I ___________________ a banana tree

before.

3.- When I went to the wedding on Saturday, I ____________________ champagne before.

4.- When Mary became John’s girlfriend, he ______________________ a girlfriend before.

5.- When I voted in the last election, I ________________________ before.

6.- Before José went out with Alice, he ___________________ out with a North-American
woman before.

7.- When I came to the United States last December, I __________________ here before.

8.- When his father had the heart attack, he _________________ sick a day in his life. (A
day in his life in this sentence means in his whole life.)

9.- When Mary went out with Carlos, she _________________ out with a Latin-American
man before.

10.- When he fell in love with Anne at the age of thirty-eight, he _______________ in love
before.

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11.- When I went to Haiti on my vacation, I _______________ in a tropical climate before.

12.- When I went to Africa on my vacation, I _________________ elephants in the natural

habitat before.

13.- When my grandmother flew to Europe last summer, she _________________ on a

plane before.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE IV PAGE 2

14.- When I met Enrique, I _____________________ a person from Argentina before.

15.- When our son had a physical examination the other day, he ________________ one
before.

16.- When he started school, he ____________________ English before.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE V

Focus: Clauses of Reason with Because

Fill in the blanks with had (+ not) + a past participle.

EXAMPLES: a.- I got wet during the rainstorm because I had forgotten my umbrella.
b.- I was angry at myself because I had put my foot in my mouth. (To put
one’s foot in one’s mouth means to say something that is embarrassing or is
not appropriate for the occasion.

1.- I was very tired because I __________________ well the night before, I couldn’t sleep

because I ____________________ too much coffee.

2.- I didn’t get a good grade because I _________________ hard enough.

3.- They were proud of their son because he ________________ very high honors at the
graduation ceremonies.

4.- She was angry at herself because she ___________________ a foolish mistake.

5.- I felt wonderful because I ___________________ good news from home.

Now complete the sentences.

6.- I wasn’t at home when you called ___________________________________________.

7.- He had a stomach ache ___________________________________________________.

8.- I had a headache ________________________________________________________.

9.- I was furious ___________________________________________________________.

10.- I felt (didn’t feel) well ___________________________________________________.

11.- She was happy _________________________________________________________.

12.- I was angry at my lawyer/secretary _________________________________________.

13.- (supply name) _____________________ was angry at me ______________________.

14.- I was very thirsty/hungry/tired ____________________________________________.

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15.- My parents were proud of me _____________________________________________.

16.- The people of the nation were disappointed __________________________________.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE V PAGE 2

17.- I felt wonderful ________________________________________________________.

18.- The garden was very dry _________________________________________________.

19.- I didn’t have an appetite last night _________________________________________.

20.- I was late to school _____________________________________________________.

21.- I missed my bus ________________________________________________________.

22.- I had a bad sunburn _____________________________________________________.

23.- I couldn’t pay last month’s phone bill _______________________________________.

24.- I was laughing when you saw me out in the hall ______________________________.

25.- I got up very late _______________________________________________________.

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 GRAMMAR EXERCISE VI
Focus: Yes-No and Information Questions
Supply appropriate past participles in the blanks.
EXAMPLES: a.- How long had they known each other before they finally got married?
b.- How much money had the company lost before they finally went out of
business? (To go out of business means to close a business forever.)

1.- How long had the patient _____________ sick before she was cured?

2.- How long had the movie _________________ on when you arrived at the theater?

3.- Had you ever _____________ in Europe before you went last year?

4.- Had the sun already ____________ when you got up this morning?

5.- Hadn’t the children ____________ their dinner before nine o’clock last night?
Reminder: Negative questions have the sense of surprise or irritation.

6.- Why hadn’t the police ____________ the criminal before he stole all that money?

7.- Hadn’t you ever _____________ champagne before the wedding last Saturday? I’m
surprised!

8.- Why hadn’t you ___________ your taxes before you got into all that trouble with the
government?

9.- Why hadn’t the children ___________ their breakfast before they went to school?
Now supply appropriate base forms in the blanks in the following questions
containing the simple past tense. Reminder: Questions containing the past perfect tense
usually occur in only very formal usage.

10.- Did you _______________ your homework before you went to bed?

11.- Whey didn’t the children ____________ their breakfast before they left?

12.- How much money did the company finally _______________ before it went bankrupt?
(We use the expression to go bankrupt to describe a situation when a business is not able to
pay its bills and is forced to go out of business.)

13.- How much money did the city government ___________ before it went broke? (To go
broke means to go bankrupt.)

14.- How long did they not ______________ to each other before they finally made up?

15.- How many courses did you _______________ before you started this one?
GRAMMAR VII

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Focus: The Past Perfect Tense in Main Clauses

On a separate piece of paper, complete the following sentences with appropriate main
clauses containing the past perfect tense.
EXAMPLE: a.- When I got to school, none of the other students had arrived yet.
(Note that an affirmative verb phrase follows none.)
b.- When I woke up this morning, the sun had already risen.
c.- When he told me the gossip about his boss, I had just heard about it from
his boss’s secretary. (Gossip means idle talk about other people or
sensational rumors of a personal nature. The word may also be used as a
verb: Who gossips more, men or women?

1.- When I spoke to my attorney (lawyer) about the problem …

2.- When I arrived at the wedding late… (Use the words bride and groom.)
3.- When the police arrived at the scene of the crime… (Use criminal and escape.)
4.- When I got to the airport/train station/dock…
5.- When I got home very early/late last night…
6.- When I left the house for work this morning…
7.- When I got to work…
8.- When I got to the bank…
9.- When we finally got to our seats in the theater…
10.- When our teacher arrived…
11.- When I got to class…
Note: To get to may mean to arrive at; however, get to is followed by the destination:
We got to the concert late; but arrive (without to) may occur without the destination:
We arrived late.
12.- When I started this course…
13.- When I got up this morning…
14.- When I went to bed last night…
15.- When the train arrived at the station…
16.- When Timothy and Gloria went to Greece on their vacation…
17.- When I had Russian food at the party the other night…
18.- When I went to California on my vacation last year…
19.- When I bought my automobile…
20.- When I went to the exhibition of Indian art at the museum…
21.- When the Queen arrived at the Palace…
22.- When I arrived at the doctor’s office…
23.- When Hassan went out with an American girl from San Francisco…

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

1.- THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE is used to emphasize the duration of an event
preceding another in past time: When we finally arrived in San Francisco, we had been

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driving our car for more than six days; When the book was finally published, the author
had been working on it for around twelve years.

2.- To form the past perfect continuous tense, we use had and been as auxiliaries and a
present participle as the main verb of a verb phrase.

Singular Plural
First Person I We
Second Person You You had been going
Third Person He had been going They
She
It

3.- Negative verb phrases are formed by inserting not between had and been: When the
hurricane suddenly struck the city, people had not been expecting it; When I finally took
my car to the garage, it hadn’t been working well for a couple of months.

I We
You You had not been going
He had not been going They
She
It

4.- In yes-no and information questions, the subject of a sentence follows the auxiliary had.
Had she been looking for a very long time when she finally found a good job? How long
had Columbus and his crew been sailing before they finally landed in the New World?
Note: Adverbs like just, recently, and finally do not occur in verb phrases containing the
past perfect tense.
Special Note: Adverbial expressions of time almost always appear in sentences containing
the past perfect continuous tense: When my guests finally sat down to dinner, I’d been
cooking for three hours; She’d been working for the company for twenty-eight years when
she finally retired.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE VIII

Focus: The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Fill in the blanks with had (hadn’t) + been + a present participle.

EXAMPLES: a.- (protest) When the war in Vietnam finally ended, people all over the
world had been protesting against it for many years.
b.- (get) Everything in our garden was dying because we hadn’t been getting

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 any rain for more than five months.

1.- (go) Fred and Peggy ________________ together for three years before they finally got
married.

2.- (make) He lost his job because he ______________ (causing) trouble at the office. He
was a real troublemaker.

3.- (bother) I had to go to the dentist because a tooth __________________ me for a

month;

(take) I ___________________ care of myself.

4.- (rain) When the monsoon finally ended, it __________________ for more than a month.

5.- (wait) When they finally had their baby boy, they _____________________ for more
than seven years.
Now complete the following sentences orally or on a separate piece of paper.
EXAMPLE: c.- I wasn’t surprised by the Director’s decision to suspend Jim from the
school because he’d been making a great deal of trouble for a long time.

6.- When the rain finally stopped…

7.- When I finally found a good job…
8.- When our daughter finally became a medical doctor…
9.- My eyes were very tired last night because…
10.- My feet were very tired last night because…
11.- John’s father had to go to the doctor because…
12.- The patient wasn’t feeling well because…
13.- When we finally reached the top of Mt. Everest…
14.- When our plane finally landed at JFK (Kennedy Airport in New York)…
15.- When my alarm clock rang…
16.- When my girlfriend/boyfriend finally got to our meeting place…
17.- When they finally got married…
18.- When the surgeon finally finished the operation…
19.- We were tired yesterday morning because our baby…
20.- He was kicked out of (suspended from) school because he…
21.- When the concert finally ended…
22.- When I finished my homework last night…
GRAMMAR EXERCISE IX

Focus: The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Fill in the blanks with verbs in the simple past tense or the past perfect (continuous)
tense. Do not use negative forms.

EXAMPLES: a.- (get) I got to work at 9:30 yesterday morning.

b.- (get) When I got to work, my boss had already gotten there.

1.- (immigrate) He ___________________ to Toronto five years ago.

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2.- (look) When he finally found a good job there, he _________________ for more than a
year.

3.- (have) He was eventually able to find a good job because he ______________________
a good education in his native country.

4.- (be) His first day at work _____________________very exciting.

5.- (see) I ______________________ a very good movie a couple of nights ago.

6.- (see) We didn’t want to watch the late movie on TV last night because we ___________

___________________ it already at the theater.

7.- (take) I ___________________ three aspirins an hour ago.

8.- (take) My headache went away because I ________________________ some aspirins.

9.- (eat) I ______________________ chicken for dinner last night.

10.- (eat) When I got home late last night, everyone in my family _____________________
already.

11.- (do) I __________________________ my homework last night.

12.- (do) I was able to go to the game yesterday because I ________________________

my
homework the night before.

13.- (meet) My mother ___________________________ my father at a Christmas party in

1957. (be) They _______________ very young at the time.

14.- (take) The patient felt better after she __________________________ the medicine.

PAGE 2

15.- (rain) When the storm was finally over, it __________________________ for more

than a week. (be) Everything in the house ______________________ damp.

16.- (look) When I finally found an interesting job, I ________________________ for a

couple of years. (know) They hired me because I ____________________ a lot about their
kind of business.

17.- (forget) It was difficult for her to read the exercises because she __________________

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to bring her glasses with her to school.

18.- (rain) It ______________________ for just a few minutes last night.

19.- (go) When they finally got married, they ________________________ together for
several years.

20.- (rain) Everything in the house was damp because it ____________________________

for more than a month.

21.- (write) I ___________________________ a couple of letters last night.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE X

Focus: Reviewing Too, Either, And, and But

Supply appropriate words in the blanks.

EXAMPLES: a.- When we went to the Orient, my wife had already been there, but I hadn’t.
b.- She didn’t have to go to work yesterday, and I didn’t either.

1.- He has to do a lot of homework, and everyone else _____________________________.

2.- I’ve never made a million dollars, and you ____________________________________.

3.- Mary is very popular at school, but her twin sister ______________________________.

4.- I have to work on Saturdays, but no one else in my family _______________________.

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5.- My roommate isn’t going to go to school tomorrow, and I _______________________.

6.- When they went to Europe, he had never been there, but his wife __________________.

7.- John has to take the bus to work, and his brother _______________________________.

8.- I couldn’t go to the game yesterday, and my sister ______________________________.

9.- I don’t care for Japanese food, and my wife ___________________________________.

10.- This book cost a lot, and that one __________________________________________.

11.- He had to attend an important meeting yesterday, and she _______________________.

12.- I don’t have to be at school tomorrow, but you

________________________________.

13.- She should stop smoking, and I ___________________________________________.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XI

Focus: Reviewing So and Neither

Supply appropriate words in the blanks.

EXAMPLES: a.- Before their wedding, she’d had a blood test, and so had he.
b.- She’d never been to Europe before, and neither had he.

1.- She works for a bank, and ______________________________________ her husband.

2.- My boss is working very hard, and ________________________________________ I.

3.- Tomorrow will not be cold, and __________________________________ the day after.

4.- My roommate got good grades last semester, and _____________________________ I.

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5.- I’d left the party by midnight, and _______________________________ everyone else.

6.- I didn’t enjoy the concert and ___________________________________ everyone else.

7.- You must try to do your best in the test, and _________________________________ I.

8.- I don’t have to get up early tomorrow morning, and __________________________ my

roommate.

9.- She doesn’t have any financial problems, and _______________________________ he.

10.- She’ll do well on the final examination, and ______________________________ you.

11.- It was a wonderful trip; the weather in France was perfect, and ___________________
the food.

GRAMMAR EXERCISE XII

Focus: Reviewing Prepositions

Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions. Do this exercise as a quiz.

At During In Off Since

Up Between For Into On
Through With Down From Of
Out To

EXAMPLES: a.- They’ve been going together for years.

b.- The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

1.- We are now _____________________ the beginning ________________ this exercise.

2.- Their house is next ____________________________________________ a small park.

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3.- ______________ my office, Dick’s desk is ______________ front ____________ mine.

4.- The thief entered the house __________________________________ an unlocked door.

5.- We were tired from walking _____________________________________ the long hill.

6.- It’s difficult to put thread __________________ the eye _________________ a needle.

7.- ___________ exactly ten o’clock, the teacher walked _______________ the classroom.

8.- They arrived ____________________ Mexico City ______________________ June 1.

9.- The boys like to skate _________________________________________ my driveway.

10.- Jack has been going _____________ Grace ___________ they met _________ a party

a couple ______________ months ago. They’re going to get married _____________ June.

They’re going to get married __________________________________ her parents’ home.

11.- _________________ the hurricane, we stayed _____________ our home ___________

some friends ______________________ ours and had a party.

12.- Please keep this information a secret ______________________________ you and me.

13.- Is it difficult to get ____________________________________ Columbia

University?
14.- Some very good friends _____________ mine live _________________ Fifth Avenue.

15.- The Eiffel Tower is ___________________ the center _____________________ Paris.

16.- We keep a lot _________ old things ____________ the basement ________ our house.

17.- The hostages were allowed to walk ______________ the plane __________ nine
o’clock yesterday morning.

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