REVIEW OF BASIC VERB TENSES I

Exercise 2
Choose the correct form of the words.

I. The Simple Present And The Present Progressive

SIMPLE PRESENT
a. Water boils at 100 degree
Celsius.
b. Excuse me, do you speak
Chinese?
c. Mutiara goes jogging every
Saturday.
d. Randy sometimes studies in
the library.
e. What do you usuallydo at the
weekend?
f. Bill and Pam usually work six
days a week on their ranch.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
a. The water is boiling.
Could you turn it off, please?
b. Listen to those people. What
language are they speaking?
c. Where is Mutiara? Shes
swimming at the pool.
d. Randy is studying in the other
room now.
e. What are you doing here?
f. Bill and Pam usually have
many things to do on their
ranch, but this summer they
arent doing much work.

Exercise 1
Telling about yourself. Use the following cues with verbs in the simple
present tense to introduce to your class. Be sure to add any other
information you would like to share with the class.
My name
I (nationality)
I from
I (business, math, etc.)
I (in a dormitory, with my family, etc.)
I (married, single)
I classes (every day, twice a week, etc.)
I usually to school (by bus, by bicycle, etc.)

Dear Karen,
(1) Im having / I have a great time here in England. My university term (2) isnt
starting /doesnt start until the autumn, so (3) Im taking / I take the opportunity to
improve my English. (4) Im staying / I stay with some English friends who (5) are
owning / own a farm. On weekly (6) Im catching / catch a bus into Torquay to go to
language classes. (7) Im making / make good progress, I think. My friends (8)
say / are saying my pronunciation is much better than when I arrived, and (9) Im
understanding / understand almost everything now. At weekends (10) Im helping /
help on the farm. At the moment (11) theyre harvesting / they harvest the corn and
(12) theyre needing / they need all the help they can get. Its quite hard work, but
(13) Im liking / I like it. And (14) Im developing / I develop some strong muscles!.
(15) Do you come / are you coming to visit me at Christmas? (16) Im
spending / I spend the winter holiday here at the farm. My friends (17) are wanting /
want to meet you and theres plenty of space. But you must bring your warmest
clothes. (18) Its getting / it gets very cold here in the winter.
Let me know as soon as (19) youre deciding / you decide. And tell me what
(20) youre doing /you do these days. Do you miss me?
Love,
Paul
Exercise 3
Complete the following passage with simple present or present continuous
forms of the verbs in parentheses.
Nowadays, fewer and fewer single families own (own) large houses. Large
older houses _________ (be) too expensive now, and todays smaller families
_______________ (not/need) so much space. As a result, many people today
__________ (buy) condominiums or duplexes, or they ___________ (stay) in
rented apartments longer instead of buying homes. Others ____________ (try)
creative alternatives. For example, two young families, the Johnsons and the
Lords, ________________ (purchase) a large home and ____________ (share)
the cost. Single people also ___________ (get) together with friends or relatives to

buy houses. They ____________ (see) the advantages of owning a home, but they
___________ (need) several incomes to pay the mortgage.
Exercise 4
Complete this with simple present or present continuous forms of the verbs
in parentheses.
While most people buy (buy) their fresh vegetables in a supermarket, we
___________ (prefer) to grow our own. My wife and I _______________ (not/like)
the taste of most store-bought vegetables. That small garden plot behind the
garage ____________ (belong) to our neighbor, but he ___________ (not/use) it
this summer. So, we ________ (grow) our vegetables there this year. Today, my
wife ____________ (plant) tomatoes and beans. To her, nothing _______ (taste)
better than vine-ripened tomatoes. She really _____________ (dislike) the toughskinned, tasteless tomatoes from the grocery store. This year, we ______________
(grow) quite a crop --five different varieties of tomatoes.
Exercise 5
In pairs, make statements and responses in the simple present tense using
the following cues.
Examples:I / have / a professor for history class.
A teaching assistant.
Dani:
Bela:

I have a professor for history class. Do you have a

professor too?
No. I dont. I have a teaching assistant.

My brother / study here

A technical school
Bela:
Dani:

My brother studies here. Does your brother study here

too?
No, he doesnt. He studies at a technical school.

1. My family / live in an apartment

An apartment
2. I / study English every Monday.
On Thursday.
3. My roommate / come from Bandung
Padang.
4. My roommate and I / always study at the library

5.

In our dormitory
My neighbors / play the stereo all night
Go to bed early

Non-Progressive Verbs
The following verbs are not normally used in continuous tense:
admire
appear
cost
hate
look
suppose
contain
know
prefer
believe
realize
appreciate be
feel
have
love
A
*want, understand, seem
a. That girl is thirsty. She
wants a glass of water.
b. I dont understand what you
mean.
c. The students seem to
understand.
*be
a. The boy is a good student.
b. You are a fool.
*have
a.She
has
a
wonderful
personality.
b. I have a car.

depend

a.The boy is being good today.

b. You are being foolish.
a.Sheis having a private lesson
tomorrow.
b.The students are having a
difficulty with the homework.

* think
a. I think shes a nice girl.
A: You look serious. What are
b.What
do you think will
you thinking?
happen?
B: Oh, Im thinking about my
family.
*see, hear, smell, taste
a.They dont see me.
a. Im seeing him tomorrow.
b.The chocolate cake smells
good.
c.Listen! Can you hear
something.
* Look, feel
a. You look well today.
a. You are looking well today.
b. How do you feel now?
b. How are you feeling now?

1. A: (Mary, have)Does Mary have a bicycle?

B: Yes, she does. She (have)has a ten-speed bike.

(understand, not).the material they (work).. on their class

this week.
4. Look! It (begin).to rain. Unfortunately, I (have, not). my
umbrella with me.
5. Mike (go, not)to school right now because it is summer.
He (attend).college from September to May every year, but in the
summers he (have, usually).a job at the post office. In fact, he
(work).there this summer.

2. A: (It, rain) ..right now?

B: No, it. At least, I (think, not).so.

PAST TIME

Exercise 6
Complete the following dialogues by using the words in parentheses. Also
give short answers to the questions as necessary. Use the simple present or
the present progressive.

3. A: (you, like) ..sour oranges?

B: No, I. I (like)sweet ones.

The Simple Past

Study the following sentences:

4. A: (your friends, write)a lot of letters?

B: Yes, .. I (get).lots of letters all the time.
5. A: (the students, take)..a test in class right now?
B: No, They (do).an exercise.
6. A: (you, know).Tom Adams?
B: No, Ive never met him.

a. We bought a home in the suburbs six years ago.

b. Then we found an apartment in the city.
c. We moved there last year.
d. My mother was very happy because we didnt live in the suburbs anymore.
e. But my brother and I werent happy because we missed our friends.
f. Dick doesnt have a beard anymore. He shaved yesterday morning.

7. A: (your desk, have) ..any drawers?

B: Yes, .. It (have)..six drawers.

Exercise 1
ORAL: Answer the questions. Use simple past.

8. A: (Jean, play) pool every evening?

B: No,. She usually (study)..at the library.
A: (She, be)..a good pool player?
B: Yes, She (play)pool a lot.
A: (you, know) ..how to play pool?
B: Yes, .But I (be, not).very good.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Exercise 7
Use either the simple present or the present progressive of the verbs in
parentheses.

What were some things you did this morning?

What did you do last night?
What did you do in class yesterday?
What did you do after class yesterday?
What did you do two days ago?
What time did the class begin this morning?
What time did you get up this morning?
What time did you leave home this morning?
What did you have for breakfast?
What did you drink this morning?

1. After three days of rain, Im glad that the sun (shine)again.

2. I wrote to my friend last week. She hasnt answered my letter yet. I (wait, still)
for a reply.
3. Barbara (tutor, often)other students in her math class. This
afternoon she (help)..Steve with his math assignment because he

Exercise 2
Use any regular/irregular past verbs that are appropriate to complete the
sentences.

Exercise 4
Complete the dialogues. Use the words
answers to questions where necessary.

01. Linda ___________ in the United States three weeks ago. She ______ at the
airport on September 3rd.
02. The girls and boys ___________ baseball after school yesterday.
03. Kevin ____________ a contract to buy a washer and dryer yesterday. He
__________ his name on the bottom line of the contract.
04. Bob used to have beard, but now he doesnt. He __________ this morning.
05. The students test papers were very good. The teacher, Mrs. Ida, was very
pleased. She _________ when she returned the test papers to her students.
06. I have my books with me. I didnt forget them today. I ________ to bring them
to class.
07. Mrs. Lisa was going crazy because there was a fly in the room. The fly was
buzzing all around the room. Finally, she ________ it with a roller up
newspaper.
08. I ________ the party last night. It was fun. I had a good time.
09. The window was open. Martha _________ it because it was cold outside.
10. The streets were wet this morning because it ________ last night.

1. A: (you, go) Did you go to class yesterday?

B: No, I didnt. I (stay) stayed home because I (feel, not) didnt feel good.
2. A: (you, call).. me last night?
B: Yes, . .But your mother said you (be/not) at
home.
3. A: (Toms plane, arrive) ..on time
Yesterday?
B: Yes, .. It (get in) .. at 6:05 on the dot.

Exercise 3
Complete the passage with the simple past form of the verbs in parentheses.
The American dream is a stereotypical image that grew(grow) from TV.
programs, books, and stories about family life. In the 1950s, it _____________
(become) synonymous with family life. What _______ (be) the dream?
As the first step, families ____________ (buy) or _________ (build) a cozy
little home in the suburbs. This ____________ (often/mean) a long commute to
work. Many husbands ____________ (ride) the train or __________ (drive) two
hours each way, but this _________ (be) part of the dream.
The husband ___________ (wear) the pants in the family: He _________
(make) the decisions because he ________ (go) to work, he ___________ (pay)
the bills, and he ______________ (put) food on the table. (Of course, his wife
actually _____________ (make) the meals!)
The wife _________ (spend) her time at home. She ______ (take) care of the
children, ___________ (keep) house, ________ (do) laundry, __________ (iron),
_________ (sweep) and __________ (scrub) floors, and ________ (run) errands.
Occasionally she _________ (find) time for a hobby.
According to the dream, everyone _________ (be) happy with this
arrangement. This _________ (be) the image that people ______ (hold) of the
perfect family. If the husband or wife ________ (feel) bored or discontented, he or
she ___________ (hide) these feelings.

in parentheses. Give short

4. A: I (study/not) last night

B: So, what (you/do) .. . ?
A: I (go) . to the cinema and (watch) .. a good movie.
5. A: (Shakespeare, write) .Macbeth?
B: Yes, . He also (write).Hamlet.
6. A: Why are you out of breath?
B: I (run) . to class because I was late.
7. A: (Dian, go) . shopping with you yesterday?
B: No, I (be). with Wati.
Exercise 5
Complete the following conversation with the simple past tense of the verbs
in parentheses.
Tom
Juan
Tom
Juan

Tom
Juan

: Mike, guess what? Your sister called (call) an hour ago.

: Really? From Colombia?
: Yes, and she ________ (speak) to me in English. Her
English is very good!
: It should be good. She ________ (study) here, too. At first
, she ________ (plan) to stay for only one summer, and she
just _________ (take) English courses. She ___________
(become) fluent very fast. Then she __________ (apply) to
the University of Texas. They ___________ (accept) her
and she ___________ (begin) studying there that fall.
: She must be very smart. What _______ she ___________
(major) in?
: When we _________ (be) small, she ____________

(tell/always) everyone that she was going to be a scientist.

Well, she __________ (start) in engineering, but she
___________ (change) majors. In the end, she ________
(get) her degree in computer science with honors! We all
________ (feel) very proud of her.
Exercise 6
Complete the following letter with present or past forms of the verbs in
parentheses.
Madison
September 10 th
Dear Mom and Dad,
I miss (miss) all of you and I ________ (hope) everything
________ (be) fine at home.
Let me tell you about my first few days. I ___________
(arrive) in Madison three weeks ago. It _________ (rain) a lot. I
_________ (feel) depressed by the weather, so my first few days
___________ (not/be) very good. I immediately ___________
(notice) a lot of things that __________ (be) new to me. The
students, especially, __________ (seem) so different from students
at home. Many students ___________ (wear) very casual clothing,
and there __________ (be) some students who ____________
(not/take) school very seriously. To give you an idea, last Monday I
__________ (study) in the library. I _________ (try) hard to
concentrate, but several students around me _________ (talk) and
___________ (laugh). I ________ (get) upset. But when I
____________ (ask) them to be quiet, they _________ (be) very
nice about it.
Now I _____________ (realize) that at first I
________ (be) just too nervous about going to school in a new
country. And, I __________ (begin) to enjoy my life here. It
_________ (be) autumn, and the leaves on the trees ___________
(change) color.
Right now some students (play) _____________ football
American footballoutside. Yesterday, my roommate Tom
_________ (ask) me to play with them, and I __________ (score)
two touchdowns! But we __________ (lose) anyway.
This ________ (be) all for now. I ________ (have) to study.
Teachers ___________ (give) a lot of homework here.

Love,
Juan.
Exercise 7
This passage is about Helen Keller. Read it and fill in the blanks with the past
tense form of the verb in parentheses.
Anne Sullivan first __________ (meet) Helen when Helen ________ (be)
seven years old. Sullivan __________ (move) into the Keller house, and for the
next several years, she ___________ (spend) long hours working with Helen
almost every day. At first, Helen _________ (try) to communicate with her tutor by
using gestures and meaningless sounds. When Sullivan couldnt understand
Helen, Helen _____________ (become/often) furious.
Sullivan ___________ (decide) to teach Helen the finger patterns of the
alphabet. During their lessons, Sullivan _________ (put) Helens hand on different
objects such as a chair or a plate. Then, she _________ (spell) the name of the
object in Helens hand. The great breakthrough for Helen __________ (come) one
morning when Anne __________ (hold) Helens hand under some water and
__________ (spell) w-a-t-e-r using the hand signals. Helen later _________ (write)
that at that moment, Somehow the mystery of language ______ (be) revealed to
me. I ___________ (know) that water ________ (be) the wonderful cool something
flowing over my hand.
From then on, a new world __________ (open) to Helen. She _________
(become) fascinated with language and ___________ (work/eagerly) with Sullivan
for long periods of time. Eventually, Keller _______ (go) on to attend Radcliffe
College, where she ____________ (graduate) with honors. Before she ________
(die), she had learned six languages and had written eleven books.
II. The Simple Past and The Past Continuous Tense
Read this passage!
She arose early, before dawn, in order to fix breakfast and to wake her family.
She nudged, prodded, and yelled until everyone was finally out of bed. While
everyone else was showering, shaving, and dressing, she was frying eggs, making
coffee, and preparing sack lunches. One by one, the family members came down
to the kitchen. When each person sat down, she served breakfast. She hustled and
bustled, making sure that everyone was awake to face the day. After everyone had
gone, she began her days work. During the day, she mopped, swept, did dishes,
vacuumed, mended clothes, washed, ironed, scrubbed

And todays mother? She does everything that mothers used to do and more.
Over one-half of mothers in the United States today maintain their homes while
also managing to hold down eight-hour-per-day, forty-hour-per-week jobs.
Now, answer these questions!
a. What tenses appear in this passage? In which lines do the tenses shift?
Were the actions in the third sentence happening at the same time or one
after the other?
b. Note the use of the construction used to in line 11. From the meaning of
the sentence, can you explain why the author chose this structure?
Study the following examples:
a. Mrs. Elly typed a letter at 9.00. The phone rang at 9.05.
Mrs. Elly was typing a letter when the phoned rang.
b. When the phoned rang, MrsElly was typing a letter.
c. While Mrs Elly was typing a letter, the phoned rang.
d. while
e. when

My husband was watching TV while I was doing

the dishes.
John was talking to the man at the door when his
mother phoned.

or
while
f. when

While John was talking to the man at the door, his

mother phoned.
When I opened the package, I found a surprise!

Exercise 2
Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses. Use the simple past
or the past progressive.
01. Karen _________ (have) an experience with a kind of
misunderstanding when she ___________ (live) in Italy.
02. Karen ___________ (study) Italian in Florence in 1990 and she __________
(go) to the language laboratory every day.
03. One afternoon at around 3:00 p.m., she __________ (go) to the lab and
______________ (sit down) in a booth at the back of the room.
04. She ____________ (look up) and __________ (notice) that her favorite teacher
________________ (teach) the lab class that day.
05. At the end of class, Karen ___________ (wave) goodbye to her teacher and
_____________ (see) that her teacher ____________ (motion) to her to come
to the front of the room.
06. While she ________________ (walk) to the front of the room, she
____________ (notice) a confused look on the teachers face.
07. When she _________ (get) to the front of the room, Karen __________ (say),
Yes?
08. However, the teacher ___________ (say) that she _____________
(wave/simply) goodbye to Karen.
09. Karen ______________ (suddenly/realize) that Italian goodbye
gesture _______________ (look) very similar to the American
come here gesture!
10. Gene_________(eat) dinner when his friend called.
11. While Maria was cleaning the apartment, her husband

Can you tell about the use of while and when?

______(sleep).
Exercise 1
ORALUsing complete sentences, answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

What were you doing three hours ago?

Where were you living five years ago?
What were you doing when you decided to study at this school?
What were you thinking about a moment ago?
What was you friend, who is sitting beside you, doing a few minutes ago?
What were you doing the day before yesterday?
What was your teacher doing at this time yesterday?
What were you studying two days ago?

12. At three o'clock this morning, Eleanor.

(study).

13. When Mark arrived, the Johnsons_______(have) dinner, but they

stopped in order to talk to him.
14. John_________(go) to France last year.
15. When the teacher_________ (enter) the room, the students were
talking.

16. While Joan was writing the report, Henry_______(look) for more
information.
17. We__________(see) this movie last night.
18. At one time, Mr. Roberts________(own) this building.
19. Jose__________ (write) a letter to his family when his pencil

Over 300,000 foreign students are studying in the United States, and
homesickness is often a problem. Having a friend to talk to is sometimes the best
remedy for it.
Tom
Juan
Tom
Juan

__________ (break).
Tom
Exercise 3
Read the following dialogue and try to complete the blanks. Choose the
tense, simple past or past continuous.

Juan

: Hi, Juan! How is it going?

: Well, Okay, No, terrible. I was thinking about home,
and I was getting a little homesick.
: I know what you mean. Im homesick, too.
: You know, a year ago, I _________ (study) at the
university. I ______ (be) really busy. When I ___________
(take) classes, I ________(also/work) for my father on
weekends.
: Why _______________ (you/leave) your country, then?
Didnt you get a degree there?
: When I _________ (win) a scholarship to study here, I
________ (decide) to leave. It ________ (be) a great
opportunity. And, of course, I _________ (want) to have the
experience of studying abroad. I ________ (make) the right
decision, but sometimes it is hard.