Perfect tenses

1. Choose the correct form of the words in brackets:

a. Bart (went / has gone) to Asturias on holiday last month.

b. How many cokes (did you drink / have you drunk) today?

c. Ben (lives / has lived / lived) in Manchester since 1997.

d. I’m tired because I (painted / have painted / have been painting) my flat. Thank god it’s finished.

e. Paul (just got / has just got / has just been getting) up. He’s having breakfast now.

f. Mike (phoned / has phoned) ten minutes ago. He wants you to phone him.

2. Complete the sentences with the Past Perfect form of these verbs:

a. You went to Sue’s house, but she wasn’t there. (she / go / out)

She had gone out.

b. You went back to your home town after many years. It wasn’t the same as before. (it /change / a lot)

It had changed a lot

c. I invited Rachel to the party, but she couldn’t come. (she / arrange / to do something else)

She had arranged to do something else

d. You went to the cinema last night. You got to the cinema late. (the film / already /begin)

The film had already begun

e. It was nice to see Dan again after such a long time. (I / not / see / him for five years)

I had not seen him for five years

f. I offered Sue something to eat, but she wasn’t hungry. (she / just / have / breakfast)

She had just had breakfast

3. Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done) or past simple (I did):

a. “Was Paul at the party when you arrived?” “No, he had gone (go) home.”

b. I felt very tired when I got home, so I _______went____________ (go) straight to bed.

c. The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody ________had gone___________ (go) to bed.

d. Sorry I’m late. The car _________broke____________ (break) down on my way here.

e. We were driving along the road when we ________saw__________ (see) a car which ________had
broken______________ (break) down, so we __________stopped__________ (stop) to help.
f. John was really glad that he ________had passed__________ (pass) all his exams and would have the
summer free.

g. When her mother started crying, Susie _________said________ (say) she was sorry.

h. Jennifer had her first baby when she was thirty but she __________has been________ (be) married
since she was twenty-four.

4. Write the correct form of the words in brackets. Use the Present Perfect or Past Perfect form of the
verb:

a. Who has taken (take) my roller skates? They aren’t here.

b. They _____have had __________ (have) breakfast before they left their house, so they weren’t hungry
when they arrived.

c. When we got to the cinema, the film ________has started____________ (start)

d. _______Have you seen__________ (you see) Pamela? She’s dancing at Central Square!

e. His exhibition photographs _______had surprised_________ (surprise) me.

f. I hardly recognised May. I _______had not seen________ (not see) her for such a long time.

g. I’d like to visit Jimmy this weekend. He ___________has not been_________ (not be) well recently.

h. Fortunately, we ________had not gone____________ (not go) far when we realised that we
_________had forgotten_____________ (forget) our plane tickets.

5. Complete the sentences with the Present Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous form of the
verbs in brackets:

a. When my parents decided to come home, … (they / travel for a fortnight)

They had been traveling for a fortnight.

b. My hair was wet because…(I / swim)

I had been swimming

c. His eyes hurt him because… (he / sit in front of the computer for hours)

He had been sitting in front of the computer for hours

d. I am tired because … (I / jog for the last thirty minutes)

I have been jogging for the last thirty minutes

e. Vanessa speaks English very well because … (she / study all her life)

She has been studying all her life

f. When I arrived, … (the customer / wait for forty five minutes)

The costumer had been waiting for forty five minutes

g. There is water all around because… (it / rain for the last days)

It has been raining for the last days

6. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Put the verb into the correct form: present perfect (I
have done), present perfect continuous (I have been doing), past perfect (I had done) or past perfect
continuous (I had been doing).

a. Amanda is sitting on the ground. She’s out of breath.

(she / run) She has been running.______________________________________________________

b. Where’s my bag? I left it under this chair.

(somebody / take / it)__Sombody has taken it

c. We were all surprised when Jenny and Andy got married last year.

(they / only / know / each other / a few weeks) ___They have only known each other for a few weeks_

d. It’s still raining. I wish it would stop.

(it / rain / all day) ___It has been raining all day_

e. Suddenly I woke up. I was confused and didn’t know where I was.

(I / dream) ___I had been dreaming__

f. I wasn’t hungry at lunchtime, so I didn’t have anything to eat.

(I / have / a big breakfast) ___I had had a big breakfast___

g. Every year Robert and Tina spend a few days at the same hotel by the sea.

(they / go / there for years) ___They have been going there for years___

7. Complete the following sentences using a present perfect or present perfect continuous tense.

Tip: The present perfect tense is used to denote completion. The present perfect
continuous tense is used to show continuity or progress.

1. It __________has been raining_________________ continuously since morning. (rain)

2. We ___________have visit________________ (visit) them twice, but they ____________have not

visited_______________ (not visit) us yet.

3. I ___________have not met________________ (not meet) him in a long time.

4. The children are hungry. They ____________have been playing_______________ (play) in the garden
for hours.

5. We ____________have known_______________ (know) each other since our school days.

6. ______have_________ you ___________completed________________. the job? (complete)

7. Her health_____________has improved______________ (improve) considerably.

8. He___________has obtained________________ a permit. (obtain)

9. Those who ____________have finished_______________ their work can go home. (finish)

10. This is the fifth time you ____________have asked_______________ (ask) that question.

8. Combine the following sentences by using AFTER / BEFORE:

1. My mother took her umbrella. She went out. ……

My mother took her umbrella before she had gone out…

2. Frank bought a car. He saved money. ……

Frank bought a car after he had saved money ……

3. I washed the dishes. I ate dinner… ……

I washed the dishes after I had eaten dinner ……

4. She washed her hands. She had lunch. ……

She washed her hands before she had had lunch…

5. The boys bought a ball. They played football. …

The boys bought a ball before they had played football…

6. My mother made a cake. The guests came. …

My mother made a cake before the guests had come.

7. He put sugar in his tea. He drank it. …

He put sugar in his tea before he had drunk it……

8. I got up. I had breakfast. …

I got up before I had had breakfast…

9. The children ran away. They broke the window. ……

The children ran away after they had broken the window…

10. I fastened my seat belt. The plane took off. …

I fastened my seatbelt before the plane had taken off…

11. I listened to the song. I downloaded it.

I listened to the song before I had downloaded it…

9. Complete the following sentences:

1. After I had watched that horror film, I

had nightmares for 2 days

2. She finished her homework after

she had have basketball practice

3. When I came home, my sister ……………… already

had gone to bed

4. Before he went out,

he had been watching netflix for 4 hours

5. They had telephoned me before

I had left for the cinema

10. Read the passage and answer the questions:

I had an amusing experience last year. After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on
to the next town. On the way a young man waved to me. I stopped and he asked me for a lift. After he
had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French and he replied in the same language. Except
a few words, I do not know any French at all. Neither of us spoke during the journey. I had nearly
reached the town, when the young man suddenly said, very slowly, “Do you speak English?” As I soon
learned, he was English himself!

1. When did the writer drive on to the next town?

After he had left a small village in south France

2. When did he say good morning to the man in French?

After he had gotten in the car

3. When did the young man say, “Do you speak English?”

Before they had nearly reached the town