VERB TENSE REVIEW

1.Read the text and make necessary changes to the verbs. The tenses used in the text and
sentences are Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect Simple, Past Simple, Past
Continuous and Past Perfect.

We ________________(be) at a party today. Today Nick __________________(have) a

birthday. Many guests ______________________(already/come) to his party.
Everybody ________________(be) happy. Lisa ______________________(dance) with Mark.
Tina ______________________(hold) some drinks and ice-cream. Barbara and
Tina __________________(talk) about the party. They __________________(like) the party.
They _________________(buy) beautiful dresses for the party yesterday and now
they _________________(discuss) the prices for the clothes.
Michael ___________________(stand) at the table. He ____________________(not/eat)
anything yet and he _____________(be) hungry. He _______________ (get) up three hours
ago and he ________________ (not/have) time for lunch yet. He ______________(go) to bed
very late yesterday. So it ________________(be) difficult for him to get up in the morning.
Nicks parents _______________ (go) to visit their friends. They ___________________(not
come) back yet.

Yesterday all the family ________________(be) very busy. They __________________(do)

many things for Nicks party. Nicks mother ______________________(cook) many tasty
things. Nick also ___________________(help) her. Nicks father ____________________(not
cook) anything because he _________________(be) very busy at work. Nicks sister
Patricia ______________(bake) a nice cake and Nicks brother ________________(clean) the
house.

So today Nick and his friends ________________(celebrate) his birthday. Many happy returns
of the day, Nick!

2. Complete the sentences with the appropriate tense.

1. After I (find)__________________________ the wallet full of money, I (go,

immediately) __________________________ to the police.
2. Today (be) __________________________ the second day of my trek around Mount
Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake) __________________________; I just
 hope I am able to complete my trek. My feet (kill) __________________________ me
and my toes (bleed) are bleeding, but I (want, still) __________________________ to
continue.
3. Last week, I (run) __________________________ into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see
not) __________________________ each other in years, and both of us (change)
__________________________ a great deal. I (enjoy) __________________________
talking to her so much that I (ask) __________________________ her out on a date.
4. When I (walk) __________________________ into the busy office, the secretary (talk)
__________________________ on the phone with a costumer, several clerks (work,
busily) __________________________ at their desks, and two managers (discuss,
quietly) __________________________ methods to improve customer service.
5. In the last hundred years, travelling (become) __________________________ much
easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, (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 NY to LA in a matter of hours.
6. Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980s,
technology change) __________________________ a great deal. The first computers
(be) __________________________ simple machines designed for basic tasks.
They (not / have) much memory and they (not / be) ______________________very
powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often paid (to
pay) thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do)
__________________________ very little. Most computers (be)
__________________________ separate, individual machines used mostly as
expensive typewriters or for playing games.
7. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily)
__________________________ and (try) __________________________ to sell tourist
who (hunt) __________________________ for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)
__________________________ their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way
home. A couple of men (argue__________________________ over the price of a
leather belt. I (walk____________________over to a man who (sell)
__________________________ fruit and I (buy) ______________________a banana.