Test on present tenses

1. Their car is as good as new though they ..... it for a number of years.

Have have been having are having have had

2. Susan is a fashion designer. Now, she ..... at a new set of clothes to be shown at a fashion show in April.

Works is working has been working has worked

3. David is quite an athlete. He wants to be strong and healthy that’s why he ..... every morning.

is jogging has jogged jogs has been jogging

4. My cousin Jake has got a lot of books, most of which he ..... .

doesn’t read hasn’t been reading hasn’t read isn’t reading

5. Linda’s apartment looks nice and tidy because she ..... it every two years.

Redecorates is redecorating has redecorated has been redecorating

6. Jack Strom has been a postman all his life; he ..... mail to homes and offices to the people of the town.

is delivering has delivered has been delivering delivers

7. I think you ..... very silly. Don't get out of bed. You’ll only make your temperature go up again.

Are are being were have been

8. Nora, you look awfully tired. What ..... all day?

do you do are you doing have you been doing have you done

9. Sara, my next door neighbour, has a car, but she ..... it very often.

doesn’t use isn’t using hasn’t used hasn’t been using

10. As far as I know Mike ..... Italian for quite some time, but he still doesn’t understand very much.

is learning has been learning has learnt learns

11. About 85 percent of American students ..... public schools, which are supported by state and local taxes.

Attend are attending have attended have been attending

12. The Alisons have got three cars, two of which they never ..... .

are using use have used have not use been using

13. I ..... Mario for some time since he left Milan a few years ago.

haven’t seen don’t see didn't see aren’t seeing

14. Zeta has sent me two letters; neither of which ..... .

has arrived have arrived arrive is arriving

The past perfect tense

To form the Past Perfect Tense we use had with the past participle form of the verb. Most past participles end in -ed (painted, arrived, visited, etc.). Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be memorized. (told, said, spoken, eaten, etc.)

We use Past Perfect Tense:

• to say that something had already happened before another action or specific time in the past (often with adverbs like already, until, already... by, before, after,just; if either before or after is used Past Simple may be used instead Past Perfect)

Example: When Linda arrived her husband had left.

• the action which occurs previously in time is expressed in the past perfect tense, and the action which occurs later is expressed in the past tense

Example: After I had cooked (cooked) the dinner I watched TV.

• in reported speech after verbs like told,asked, said, wanted, wondered, explained

Example: Your parents wanted to know what you had doneyesterday.

• to show regret about the past

Example: I wish we had stayed at another hotel.

• in third conditional, also called conditional type 3 (if + past perfect in the 'if' clause,perfect conditional in the main clause). This is a structure we use to talk about unreal conditions in the past.

Example: If the children had been good their mother would have taken them to the zoo.

• with conjunctions like no sooner ... thanor hardly/barely ... when

Example: Hardly had he finished working, when his girlfriend arrived.

• a state that started in the past, and continued up to some time in the past

Example: He had worked there for two years before he got fired.

Exercise 1: Put the verbs into the correct form (Past Perfect simple).

A. My little brother ate all of the cake that I _____________________ (make).

B. The waitress brought a dish that we _____________________ (not / order) .

C. Last night I couldn't get in because I _____________________ (forget) my keys.

D. When we arrived at the station, the train _____________________ (go).

E. They didn't have any money because they _____________________ (pay) all the bills.

F. We had a big party because we _____________________ (pass) all our exams.

G. I got to the cinema at 6.30 but fortunately the film ____________________ (not start) .

H. I was exhausted because I _____________________ (study) too much.

Exercise 2: Put the Past Simple or the Past Perfect.

1. When their mum _______________ (come) home last night, the children

_______________ (eat) their dinner.

2. Yesterday I _______________ (see) a woman who _______________ (be) at school

with my grandfather. Isn't it strange?

3. It started to rain and I _______________ (remember) that I _______________ (forget)

to close my bedroom window.

4. I _______________ (find) a book that I ______ never _______________ (read)

5. We _______________ (try) to change the plane tickets but it was too late they ______

already ___________ (edit) the boarding pass.

6. I _______________ (think) I _______________ (met) this girl before.

Exercise 3:Fill the gaps with the verb in brackets using the Past Perfect.

1. By the time we got to the cinema the film _________________ (start), so we missed

the first five minutes.

2. When I rang the bell there was no answer. The neighbour told me that they

__________________ (go) about half an hour ago.

3. I saw New York for the first time last night. I __________________ (not see) it before.

4. There was so much to see in London. I ___________________ (plan) to see a lot of

things but there wasn't enough time. I'll have to come back.

5. If she _______________________ (take) my advice, it wouldn't have happened.

6. We wouldn't have had an argument, if they _______________ (not mention) politics.

7. If you _______________ (not park) there, you wouldn't have got a parking fine.

8. John told me he _______________ (buy) a new car.

9. When we arrived in Ireland, the airline company _______________ (lose) our luggage,

so we had to wait two days to get it back. Fortunately they delivered it to the hotel.

Exercise 4:Circle the correct answers:

1. I didn't recognise / hadn't recognised Sue, because she cut / had cut her hair.

2. I arrived / had arrived at the shop at 6.45, but it already closed / had already closed.

3. David didn't play / hadn't played the match because he hurt / had hurt his leg.

4. When I looked / had looked everywhere for my car keys, I started / had started to panic.

5. When he had finished / finished his dinner he sat down / had sat down to watch TV.

6. It was / had been a film I didn't see / hadn't seen before.

Exercise 5. Choose the correct verb form from the list below to complete the following sentences. Put the verbs in the past perfect tense.

write leave make start forget fly escape close give ring eat change go see

Exercise 6. Complete the sentences below using the past perfect in the negative and the words provided.

Exercise 7. Match the first part of the sentence on the left with the correct ending on the right.