Verb Tense Practice 1
The following sentence should be completed by putting the verb in parentheses in the
correct verb tense.
1. You look really great! (You, exercise) _______________________ at the fitness center?
2. A: What (you, do) ___________________ when the accident occurred?
B: I (try)___________________ to change a light bulb that had burnt out.
3. I (have)______________________ the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about
buying a new one.
4. If it (snow)____________________ this weekend, we (go)______________________ skiing near
Lake Tahoe.
5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
B: They (call)______________ librarians.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return
to Australia, I (study)________________________ for nine months and I
(be)__________________________ in England for exactly one year.
7. Sam (arrive)___________________ in San Diego a week ago.
8. Samantha (live) ________________________ in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she
(live)_________________________ there when the Berlin wall came down.
9. If Vera (keep)_____________________ drinking, she (lose, eventually)
______________________ her job.
10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their
culture (disappear, virtually) _____________________ by the time Europeans first
(arrive)____________________ in the New World.
11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep)_________________.
12. It (rain)______________________ all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to
the beach.
13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss)____________________ the bus this morning. You
(be)_____________________ late to work too many times. You are fired!
14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake)_______________________ up
tomorrow morning, the sun (shine)_________________________.
15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit)_______________________ the Grand Canyon
and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.
16. I (see)_______________________ many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt.
Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are quite small.
17. In the last hundred years, travelling (become)_______________________ much easier and very
comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) _________________________ two or three months to
cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be)________________________ very rough and
often dangerous. Things (change)_________________________ a great deal in the last hundred and
fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
18. Joseph's English (improve, really) ________________________, isn't it? He
(watch)_____________________ American television programs and
(study)______________________ his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon
The following sentence should be completed by putting the verb in parentheses in the
correct verb tense.
1. You look really great! (You, exercise) _______________________ at the fitness center?
2. A: What (you, do) ___________________ when the accident occurred?
B: I (try)___________________ to change a light bulb that had burnt out.
3. I (have)______________________ the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about
buying a new one.
4. If it (snow)____________________ this weekend, we (go)______________________ skiing near
Lake Tahoe.
5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
B: They (call)______________ librarians.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return
to Australia, I (study)________________________ for nine months and I
(be)__________________________ in England for exactly one year.
7. Sam (arrive)___________________ in San Diego a week ago.
8. Samantha (live) ________________________ in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she
(live)_________________________ there when the Berlin wall came down.
9. If Vera (keep)_____________________ drinking, she (lose, eventually)
______________________ her job.
10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their
culture (disappear, virtually) _____________________ by the time Europeans first
(arrive)____________________ in the New World.
11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep)_________________.
12. It (rain)______________________ all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to
the beach.
13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss)____________________ the bus this morning. You
(be)_____________________ late to work too many times. You are fired!
14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake)_______________________ up
tomorrow morning, the sun (shine)_________________________.
15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit)_______________________ the Grand Canyon
and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.
16. I (see)_______________________ many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt.
Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are quite small.
17. In the last hundred years, travelling (become)_______________________ much easier and very
comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) _________________________ two or three months to
cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be)________________________ very rough and
often dangerous. Things (change)_________________________ a great deal in the last hundred and
fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
18. Joseph's English (improve, really) ________________________, isn't it? He
(watch)_____________________ American television programs and
(study)______________________ his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon
