Tenses revision C


I. Present Perfect and Past Simple: put the verbs in brackets in their correct form, change the
word order where necessary.

1. Peter (try)________ to read a text message discreetly, but his teacher (see)________ it and
(say)_________, `How many times I (tell)_______ you to switch off your mobiles before coming to the
class?

2. `I just (buy)_________ a copy of “The Elegant Universe”. You (read)_______ it?`

`As it happens it’s the only one of Greene’s books that I (not read)_______. But I
(see)___________    an interview with him talking about it last year.`


3. `You (see)_______ Philip lately? I (ring)________his flat several times last week but
(get)________    no answer.`

`Oh, he (be)______ in America for the last month. He (fly)________ out on the first for a
conference and then (decide)________ to stay for 6 weeks.`

`You (hear)__________ from him?

`Yes, I (get)__________ a letter shortly after he (arrive)__________.`


4. In 2005 scientists (measure) __________ a land temperature of 70.7˚C in the Lut Desert of Iran.
This is the only time scientists (record) _____________ such a temperature.

5. A team of Russian scientists just (complete) __________ a five-year study of the behavioural
patterns of three Siberian wolf packs.

6. Research (demonstrate) ___________ that people can delay the onset of type two diabetes by
losing weight.

7. Steven Hawking (write) __________ many books, exploring profound questions about the universe.

8. Richard Feynman (try)__________ to explain the mysterious forces behind ordinary things.


II. Past tenses; complete the following sentences using the correct form of the past simple of the
verbs

A.      LIE, LAY and LIE (as a regular verb)
1. They the groundwork for future development.
2. The book open on his desk.
3. Yesterday, I mis my keys and I cannot remember where I put them.
4. Hi parents money aside for his education.
5. The student  about the sources of her Bachelor’s work.

B.      FIND ;  FALL ;  FOUND ;  FEEL ;  WOUND ;  WIND  ; COST
1. The number of university students by 30 per cent.
2. A new computer around $1,000.
3. David no guilt at all for what he had done.
4. Charles IV the university in 1348.
5. She was trying to publish her paper, but the string of rejections really her pride.
6. The UK study that 92.4 per cent of university professors are white.
7. We up the meeting with a vote of thanks to the chairman.
8. I never at ease when speaking in public.
9. Their accountants the project at $8.1 million.

III. Complete the sentences below with the right past tense. Some words might need to be reordered.

A.

When I (open)_________the door I (see)_______ a man on his knees. He clearly (listen)_________ to
our conversation and I (wonder)_________how much he (hear)________. When I (ask)________ him what
he (do)________, he (answer)________he (drop)_________a 50p piece and (look)_________ for it. I
(not see)__________any sign of money, but I (find)________a small notebook and a pencil which he
probably (drop)_______when the door (open)_________ suddenly. So he (take)_________ notes of our
conversation! The notes (be)_______ written in a foreign language, so I (turn)_________ to the
stranger and (ask)________ him to translate. But he (pull)________my hat over my eyes and
(run)_________off down the corridor. By the time I (recover)_________from the shock he
(disappear)__________ round the corner. Curiously enough, when I (move)_________my feet I (find)
_________that I (stand)__________ on a 50p piece. Perhaps he (tell)___________the truth after all.


B.

1. Many important scientists, like Faraday, Tyndall or Rutheford (give) __________ public speeches
at the Royal Institution in London.

2. Professor Bernard (know) ___________ immediately that her team (make) _____________ a
significant discovery.

3. The report (conclude) ____________ that no side effects were apparent in the patients who
(receive) _____________ low doses of the new medicine.

4. Researchers (hope) ____________ to complete their study by 2010, but (find) _________ that they
(not have) ______________ sufficient data.

5. The team just (leave) ____________ the lab when the fire (break) ___________ out, so there were
no injuries.

6. James Lott (describe) ___________ the trip as a failure as they (expect) _____________ to
discover at least three new species of insect.

7. The professor (describe) ______________ a graph on the slide when a mobile (ring) ___________.
Somebody (forget) ___________ to switch it off.

8. Petroleum Products finally (admit) __________ that the crude oil (leak) _____________ from their
tanker for more than a week.

9. The researchers (make) ___________ excellent progress when the government (cut) ___________ the
grant.



Sources: adapted from

Online grammar exercises for ESF students at MU

Thomson, A.J. & A.V. Martinet, 1986 A Practical English Grammar. Exercises 1 OUP

Paterson, K. & R. Wedge, 2013 Oxford Grammar for EAP OUP