Focus on Grammar/Pre-Intermediate

Grammar Check: Present Tenses (1)

Choose the best answer.
1. How many languages ..John speak?
A. do
B. does
C. did
D. will
2. Hurry up! The train I dont want to miss it.
A. comes
B. is coming
C. came
D. has come
3. Angelina Jolie is a famous actress. She in several films.
A. appears
B. is appearing
C.. appeared
D. has appeared
4. My parents were born in Manchester and .anywhere else.
A. have never lived B. has never lived
C. have lived never D. dont live
5. What time the next train leave?
A. does
B. will
C. shall
D. did
6. Monica ..with her sister at the moment until she finds a flat.
A. stays
B. is staying
C. will stay
D. has stayed
7. For several years his ambition ..to be a pilot.
A. is
B. has been
C. was
D. had been
8. Robert ..tomorrow morning on the 10.30 train.
A. arrived
B. arrives
C. is arriving
D. is going to arrive
9. Look! The bus
A. left
B. has left
C. leaves
D. is leaving
10. How long ..at this school?
A. have you been teaching
C. have you teached
B. have you taught
D. are you teaching
11. Ask her to come and see me when she .her work.
A. finish
B. has finished
C. finished
D. finishing
12. Oil .if you pour it on water.
A. floated
B. floats
C. will be floated
D. float
13. I my key. Can you help me look for it?
A. lose
B. lost
C. had lost
D. have lost
14. The river very fast today, much faster than usual.
A. flows
B. is flowing
C. has flown
D. flowed
15. The phone constantly since Jack won the first prize this morning.
A. has been ringing B. rang
C. had rung
D. had been ringing
16. In the last two decades, space exploration ..great contributions to weather forecasting.
A. is making
B. has made
C. made
D. makes
17. It ..all day. I wonder when it will stop.
A. is snowing
B. has snowed
C. has been snowing D. snows
18. I .them three times, but I still .a reply.
A. have written/ havent received
C. have been writing/ havent received
B. am writing/ dont receive
D. write/ dont receive
19. The telephone four times in the last hour, and each time it for my office mate.
A. has been ringing/ has been
C. has rang/ has been
B. has rung/ has been
D. has rung/ is
20. The telephone for almost a minute. Why .. someone answer it?
A. has rung/ doesnt
C. has been ringing/ dont
B. has been ringing/ doesnt
D. has rung/ hasnt
21. This the first time he, as well as his friend, ..tennis.
A. is/ have played
C. is/ has played
B. has been/ have played
D. has been/ has played
22. How many pages .?
A. have you been reading
C. are you reading
B. do you read
D. have you read

Focus on Grammar/Pre-Intermediate

Grammar Check: Past Tenses (1)

Choose the best answer
1. The man got out of the car, .round to the back and opened the boot.
A. walking
B. walked
C. walks
D. walk
2. Henry ..into the restaurant when the writer was having dinner.
A. was going
B. went
C. has gone
D. did go
3. By the age of 25, he two famous novels.
A. wrote
B. writes
C. has written
D. had written
4. While her husband was in the army, Janet .to him twice a week.
A. was writing
B. wrote
C. had written
D. writes
5. I couldnt cut the grass because the machine a few days previously.
A. broke down
B. has broken down C. breaks down
D. had broken down
6. We .English this time last week.
A. learned
B. were learning
C. was learning
D. had learned
7. Mike .an hour ago.
A. phoned
B. was phoning
C. had phoned
D. has phoned
8. Almost everyone ..for home by the time we arrived.
A. leave
B. left
C. leaves
D. had left
9. Henry for a bank for 10 years when he finally gave up the job.
A. has worked
B. has been working C. had worked
D. had been working
10. Lat night Tina ..in bed when she suddenly heard a scream.
A. read
B. was reading
C. had read
D. had read
11. I saw Maggie at the party. She a red dress.
A. wears
B. wore
C. was wearing
D. has worn
12. We were good friends. We .each other for years.
A. knew
B. have known
C. had known
D. had been knowning
13. When the doctor arrived, the patient was sitting on the chair outside his office. He
..for 10 minutes.
A. was waiting
B. had waited
C. had been waiting
D. has been waiting
14. It only takes me about 20 minutes to get to work now that the new road is open. It nearly
an hour.
A. is used to take
B. used to take
C. got used to taking
D. used taking
15. The orchestra .for about ten minutes when the audience suddenly
.shouting.
A. had been playing/ started
C. had been playing/ had been started
B. had played/ started
D. were playing/ started
16. A. I got a package in the mail. When I it, I a surprise.
A. opened/ found
C. was opening/ was fining
B. was opening/ found
D. open/ find
17. When I got home, my wife was watching TV, and my sister ..to the radio; Nobody
to each other.
A. was listening/ was talking
C. listened/ was talking
B. listened/ talked
D. was listening/ talked
18. In 1980, my parents ..to the United States from China. They ..outside
of China and were excited by the challenge of relocating in a foreign country.
A. had emigrated/ had never traveled
C. emigrated/ never traveled
B. emigrated/ had never traveled
D. emigrated/ hadnt never traveled
19. It was raining hard, but by the time the class ..over, the rain .
A. was/ stopped
C. was/ had been stopping
B. had been/ stopped
D. was/ had stopped
20. Are you taking Chemistry 101 this semester?
- No, I.. it. I ..it last semester.
A. have taken already/ took
C. had already taken/ took
B. have already taken/ took
D. have already taken/ have taken

Focus on Grammar/Pre-Intermediate

Grammar Check: Future Time

Choose the best answer
1. Wait for me, I ..ready on a moment.
A. will be
B. will have been
C. am
D. would be
2. They . cut back the training budget next year.
A. will probably B. probably will
C. are probably going to
D. X
3. - Why are you filling that bucket with water?
- I with my sister wash the car.
A. is going to
B. will
C. am going to
D. are going to
4. - I dont know how to use this photocopier.
- Its easy. I ..you.
A. will show
B. am going show
C. will be showing
D. am showing
5. A: - Hello. Can I speak to Jim, please? B: - Hold on. I .. if hes available.
A. am checking
B. will check
C. will be checking
D. check
6. The sales representative is phoning to tell John that he cant attend the meeting tomorrow as he
together with two colleagues I ............. for Tokyo at 4 this afternoon.
A. are leaving
B. is leaving C. will be leaving
d. will leave
George has decided what to do when he leaves school. He a computer programming course.
A. will take
B. is going to take
C. would take
D. will be taking
7. Tomorrow Im leaving for Florida. Two days from now I .on the beach in the sun.
A. will lie
B. will be lying
C. is lying
D. lie
8. Next year at this time I .exactly what I am doing now.
A. will do
B. am doing
C. will be doing
D. have done
9. Lisa is on holiday and she is spending her money very quickly. If she continues like this, she
.all her money before the end of her holiday.
A. will spend
B. will be spending C. is spending
D. will have spent
10. If you need to contact me, I at the Lion Hotel until Friday.
A. will stay
B. will be staying
C. will have stayed
D. would stay
11. Last week, my professor told that he today.
A. will come
B. will be coming
C. would come
D. would have come
12. Before the Prime Minister leaves New York he .several talks.
A. will have had
B. would have
C. will be having
D. has
13. As soon as he .. a certificate in English, he will apply for a job in a bank.
A. would get
B. will get
C. got
D. gets
14. Go ahead and leave on your vacation. Dont worry about this work. By the time you get back,
we..care of everything.
A. have taken
B. will have taken
C. will have been taking
D. have been taking
16. if you have ten days off school?
A. What do you do?
C. What you will do
B. What will you do
D. What do you will
17. Im getting tired of sitting in the car. Do you realize that by the time we arrive in Phoenix, we
.for twenty straight hours?
A. will be traveling
C. will have traveled
B. will have been traveling
C. will travel
18. By the time Professor Jones retires next year, he for 45 years.
A. will be teaching
C. will have been teaching
B. will have taught
D. Both B and C
19. Peter is going to leave in half an hour. He . all of his work before he ..
A. will finish/ will leave
C. will finish/ leaves
B. finishes/ leaves
D. finishes/ will leave
20. By the end of next year, George English for 2 years.
A. will have learned
C. will learn
B. has learned
D. would learn

Focus on Grammar/Pre-Intermediate