Perfect Tenses worksheet for grammar practice.
A worksheet titled "Perfect Tenses" with instructions and exercises for practicing present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses, including example sentences and fill-in-the-blank questions.
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Step-by-step solution for: Perfect Tenses (Verbs): Grammar Practice Page | Printable Skills ...
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Perfect Tenses (Verbs): Grammar Practice Page | Printable Skills ...
Let’s go through each sentence one by one and pick the correct verb tense based on what the sentence is trying to say.
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1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
→ “Had waited” = past perfect → used when something happened before another past event. But here, there’s no other past event mentioned. She just waited — simple past is better.
✔ Correct: My mother waited another appointment for a long time.
*(Simple past – because it’s a completed action in the past with no connection to another past event.)*
Wait — actually, let’s read again: “had waited another appointment” — that doesn’t sound right. Maybe it’s supposed to be “had waited *for* another appointment”? Even then, unless there’s a second past event (like “before she got help”), we don’t need past perfect.
But looking at the context of the worksheet — it’s testing whether you know when to use present perfect vs. past perfect vs. simple past.
Actually, re-reading: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — This sounds like it might be meant to show an action completed before now? No — “had waited” is past perfect, which needs two past events.
I think this is a trick. Let’s look at the example from the top:
> Present Perfect Tense: describes actions begun in past and completed or continuing to present.
> Example: My family has rented a new apartment.
> Past Perfect Tense: describes actions begun in past and completed at some earlier point in past.
> Example: My family had looked at plans for houses.
So for #1: If it says “had waited”, but there’s no other past event, it should probably be present perfect if it’s still relevant now — but “waited another appointment” is odd phrasing.
Wait — maybe it’s a typo? Perhaps it’s “My mother had waited *for* another appointment...” — still, without a second past event, past perfect isn’t needed.
Looking at the answer choices given in the blanks later — for #7, 8, 9, 10 they give options like “(past perfect)” etc. So for #1–6, we have to choose based on meaning.
Let me try again:
1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
This is likely meant to be corrected to present perfect if the waiting affects the present — but “another appointment” suggests it’s over. Actually, I think the intended correction is to simple past, because “had waited” is wrong without a second past event.
But let’s check standard usage:
If someone says “I had waited for hours,” it implies “before something else happened.” Since nothing else is mentioned, it should be “I waited” (simple past) or “I have waited” (if still waiting or recently stopped).
Given the worksheet’s examples, I think #1 is meant to be changed to simple past.
BUT — wait! Look at sentence #4: “Until last week, I had shared a room with my two sisters.” — that uses past perfect correctly because “until last week” sets a past endpoint, and sharing happened before that.
Similarly, #1: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — if “another appointment” means she was waiting for it, and now it’s over, but no second event — still not past perfect.
I think there’s a mistake in the sentence. Perhaps it’s “My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time” — meaning she’s still waiting or just stopped.
But the original says “had waited”. Given the context of the worksheet, I believe the correct fix is to change it to present perfect if the effect is current, or simple past if it’s fully in the past.
Looking ahead to the pattern — sentences 2,3,5,6 seem to be present perfect (has/have + past participle), while 1 and 4 are past perfect.
Sentence 4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — that’s correct past perfect because “until last week” is a past time marker, and sharing ended before now.
Sentence 1: “My mother had waited...” — no such marker. So probably should be simple past: “My mother waited...”
But let’s see what the worksheet expects. In many textbooks, if there’s no clear “before another past event”, past perfect is incorrect.
I’ll go with simple past for #1.
Actually — let’s look at sentence 2: “She has been completed five weeks about making more room.” — that’s grammatically wrong. “Has been completed” is passive, but “she” didn’t complete herself. Should be “She has completed” — active voice, present perfect.
Similarly, #3: “My parents have discussed this problem a lot.” — that’s fine, present perfect.
#4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — correct past perfect.
#5: “My brother has used this dining room as a bedroom.” — present perfect, okay.
#6: “If we manage to get through this, we will have copied pretty well.” — future perfect? But “will have copied” is future perfect, which is for actions completed before a future time. Here, “if we manage... we will have copied” — that could work, but “copied pretty well” is odd. Probably meant “we will have done pretty well” or “we will have managed”.
But the instruction is to write “present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect” to show the verb’s tense — so for #6, “will have copied” is future perfect, which matches.
Now back to #1: “My mother had waited...” — since no other past event, it should be simple past. But the worksheet might expect us to recognize that “had waited” is incorrectly used and change it to present perfect if the waiting is recent or affects now.
I think I’m overcomplicating. Let’s use the definitions from the top:
- Present Perfect: started in past, continues to present or just finished.
- Past Perfect: started and finished before another past event.
- Future Perfect: will be finished before a future time.
For #1: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — if “another appointment” is in the past, and she’s done waiting, but no second event, then it should be simple past. However, in many contexts, if the result is important now, present perfect is used.
But “had waited” is past perfect, which requires two past events. Since there’s only one, it’s wrong. So correct to simple past.
But the worksheet doesn’t ask for simple past — it asks to identify which perfect tense is intended or correct.
Perhaps for #1, it’s meant to be past perfect if we assume there’s an implied second event, like “before she got help”. But it’s not stated.
Looking at sentence 4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — “until last week” provides the past endpoint, so past perfect is correct.
For #1, no such endpoint, so likely present perfect if the waiting is recent.
I found a better way: let’s look at the verbs and see what makes sense.
1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
“Had waited” — past perfect. To make it correct, either add a second past event or change to present perfect/simple past.
Since the worksheet is about perfect tenses, and #4 uses past perfect correctly with “until last week”, for #1, without such a phrase, it should be present perfect: “My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time.” — implying she’s still waiting or just stopped.
I think that’s it. So for #1, change “had” to “has” — present perfect.
Similarly, #2: “She has been completed” — should be “She has completed” — present perfect.
#3: “have discussed” — already present perfect, good.
#4: “had shared” — with “until last week”, past perfect, good.
#5: “has used” — present perfect, good.
#6: “will have copied” — future perfect, good.
So for #1, it should be present perfect.
Let’s confirm with the example: “My family has rented a new apartment.” — present perfect for recent action with present relevance.
“My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time.” — same idea.
Yes.
So:
1. present perfect (change "had" to "has")
2. present perfect (change "has been completed" to "has completed")
3. present perfect (already correct)
4. past perfect (correct as is)
5. present perfect (correct as is)
6. future perfect (correct as is)
Now for 7-10, fill in the blank with the correct form.
7. Dad _______ in quiet agreement. (not present perfect)
→ “not present perfect” means use simple past or past perfect. Since no other event, simple past: agreed
8. Mom _______ for rest as well as more space. (an opposite perfect)
→ “opposite perfect” — probably means not present perfect, so perhaps past perfect or future perfect. But “for rest” suggests a reason, so likely simple past or present perfect. “Opposite perfect” is vague. Perhaps it means use a different perfect tense. Looking at context, maybe past perfect: had wished or something. But let’s see.
The phrase is “Mom _______ for rest as well as more space.” — likely “wished” or “has wished”. “An opposite perfect” — perhaps it means use past perfect instead of present perfect. But why?
Maybe “opposite” refers to the type of perfect. I think it’s poorly worded. Perhaps it means use simple past.
Another idea: in some contexts, “opposite perfect” might mean future perfect, but that doesn’t fit.
Let’s look at the sentence: “Mom _______ for rest as well as more space.” — probably “wanted” or “has wanted”. Since it’s a general desire, present perfect could work, but the instruction says “an opposite perfect”, so perhaps past perfect: had wanted
But without context, it’s hard.
Perhaps “opposite” means not the same as previous. Previous was present perfect, so use past perfect.
I’ll go with had wanted for past perfect.
9. Chris _______ for a month of his own. (not past perfect)
→ so use present perfect or future perfect. “For a month” suggests duration up to now, so present perfect: has saved or has worked — but the verb is missing. The blank is for the verb phrase.
The sentence is “Chris _______ for a month of his own.” — likely “has saved money” or something, but we need to infer the verb. Probably “has prepared” or “has planned”. But the most logical is “has saved” or “has worked”.
Since it’s “for a month”, present perfect continuous might be better, but the worksheet focuses on perfect tenses, so present perfect: has saved
But to match the structure, perhaps “has been saving” — but that’s not listed.
The instruction is to use the verb tense indicated, so for “not past perfect”, use present perfect: has saved
10. We _______ twice by the end of the month. (one more perfect)
→ “by the end of the month” is a future time, so future perfect: will have moved or will have visited — but the verb is missing. Likely “will have moved” since it’s about moving house.
The sentence is “We _______ twice by the end of the month.” — probably “will have moved” or “will have packed”. But “twice” suggests an action done two times, so “will have moved” doesn’t make sense with “twice”. Perhaps “will have visited” or “will have cleaned”.
In context of the story, they are moving, so perhaps “will have packed” or “will have sorted”.
But the most reasonable is “will have moved” — but “moved twice” could mean relocated two times.
Yes, possible. So will have moved
Now to summarize:
For 1-6, identify the tense:
1. present perfect (change "had" to "has")
2. present perfect (change "has been completed" to "has completed")
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
For 7-10, fill in:
7. agreed (simple past, since not present perfect)
8. had wanted (past perfect, as "opposite perfect" — assuming opposite of present perfect)
9. has saved (present perfect, since not past perfect)
10. will have moved (future perfect, as "one more perfect" — and "by the end of the month" indicates future perfect)
But for 8, "an opposite perfect" — if present perfect is common, opposite might be past perfect. Yes.
For 9, "not past perfect" — so present perfect or future perfect. "For a month" suggests present perfect.
For 10, "one more perfect" — and "by the end of the month" is classic future perfect trigger.
Also, for 7, "in quiet agreement" — likely "nodded" or "agreed", simple past.
So final answers:
1. present perfect
2. present perfect
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
7. agreed
8. had wanted
9. has saved
10. will have moved
But let's double-check 2: "She has been completed five weeks about making more room." — this is awkward. "Has been completed" is passive, but "she" is the subject, so it should be active: "She has completed" — and "five weeks about making" is wrong; probably "for five weeks on making" or something. But for tense, it's present perfect once corrected.
Similarly, 1: "had waited" to "has waited".
I think that's as good as it gets.
Final Answer:
1. present perfect
2. present perfect
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
7. agreed
8. had wanted
9. has saved
10. will have moved
---
1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
→ “Had waited” = past perfect → used when something happened before another past event. But here, there’s no other past event mentioned. She just waited — simple past is better.
✔ Correct: My mother waited another appointment for a long time.
*(Simple past – because it’s a completed action in the past with no connection to another past event.)*
Wait — actually, let’s read again: “had waited another appointment” — that doesn’t sound right. Maybe it’s supposed to be “had waited *for* another appointment”? Even then, unless there’s a second past event (like “before she got help”), we don’t need past perfect.
But looking at the context of the worksheet — it’s testing whether you know when to use present perfect vs. past perfect vs. simple past.
Actually, re-reading: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — This sounds like it might be meant to show an action completed before now? No — “had waited” is past perfect, which needs two past events.
I think this is a trick. Let’s look at the example from the top:
> Present Perfect Tense: describes actions begun in past and completed or continuing to present.
> Example: My family has rented a new apartment.
> Past Perfect Tense: describes actions begun in past and completed at some earlier point in past.
> Example: My family had looked at plans for houses.
So for #1: If it says “had waited”, but there’s no other past event, it should probably be present perfect if it’s still relevant now — but “waited another appointment” is odd phrasing.
Wait — maybe it’s a typo? Perhaps it’s “My mother had waited *for* another appointment...” — still, without a second past event, past perfect isn’t needed.
Looking at the answer choices given in the blanks later — for #7, 8, 9, 10 they give options like “(past perfect)” etc. So for #1–6, we have to choose based on meaning.
Let me try again:
1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
This is likely meant to be corrected to present perfect if the waiting affects the present — but “another appointment” suggests it’s over. Actually, I think the intended correction is to simple past, because “had waited” is wrong without a second past event.
But let’s check standard usage:
If someone says “I had waited for hours,” it implies “before something else happened.” Since nothing else is mentioned, it should be “I waited” (simple past) or “I have waited” (if still waiting or recently stopped).
Given the worksheet’s examples, I think #1 is meant to be changed to simple past.
BUT — wait! Look at sentence #4: “Until last week, I had shared a room with my two sisters.” — that uses past perfect correctly because “until last week” sets a past endpoint, and sharing happened before that.
Similarly, #1: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — if “another appointment” means she was waiting for it, and now it’s over, but no second event — still not past perfect.
I think there’s a mistake in the sentence. Perhaps it’s “My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time” — meaning she’s still waiting or just stopped.
But the original says “had waited”. Given the context of the worksheet, I believe the correct fix is to change it to present perfect if the effect is current, or simple past if it’s fully in the past.
Looking ahead to the pattern — sentences 2,3,5,6 seem to be present perfect (has/have + past participle), while 1 and 4 are past perfect.
Sentence 4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — that’s correct past perfect because “until last week” is a past time marker, and sharing ended before now.
Sentence 1: “My mother had waited...” — no such marker. So probably should be simple past: “My mother waited...”
But let’s see what the worksheet expects. In many textbooks, if there’s no clear “before another past event”, past perfect is incorrect.
I’ll go with simple past for #1.
Actually — let’s look at sentence 2: “She has been completed five weeks about making more room.” — that’s grammatically wrong. “Has been completed” is passive, but “she” didn’t complete herself. Should be “She has completed” — active voice, present perfect.
Similarly, #3: “My parents have discussed this problem a lot.” — that’s fine, present perfect.
#4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — correct past perfect.
#5: “My brother has used this dining room as a bedroom.” — present perfect, okay.
#6: “If we manage to get through this, we will have copied pretty well.” — future perfect? But “will have copied” is future perfect, which is for actions completed before a future time. Here, “if we manage... we will have copied” — that could work, but “copied pretty well” is odd. Probably meant “we will have done pretty well” or “we will have managed”.
But the instruction is to write “present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect” to show the verb’s tense — so for #6, “will have copied” is future perfect, which matches.
Now back to #1: “My mother had waited...” — since no other past event, it should be simple past. But the worksheet might expect us to recognize that “had waited” is incorrectly used and change it to present perfect if the waiting is recent or affects now.
I think I’m overcomplicating. Let’s use the definitions from the top:
- Present Perfect: started in past, continues to present or just finished.
- Past Perfect: started and finished before another past event.
- Future Perfect: will be finished before a future time.
For #1: “My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.” — if “another appointment” is in the past, and she’s done waiting, but no second event, then it should be simple past. However, in many contexts, if the result is important now, present perfect is used.
But “had waited” is past perfect, which requires two past events. Since there’s only one, it’s wrong. So correct to simple past.
But the worksheet doesn’t ask for simple past — it asks to identify which perfect tense is intended or correct.
Perhaps for #1, it’s meant to be past perfect if we assume there’s an implied second event, like “before she got help”. But it’s not stated.
Looking at sentence 4: “Until last week, I had shared...” — “until last week” provides the past endpoint, so past perfect is correct.
For #1, no such endpoint, so likely present perfect if the waiting is recent.
I found a better way: let’s look at the verbs and see what makes sense.
1. My mother had waited another appointment for a long time.
“Had waited” — past perfect. To make it correct, either add a second past event or change to present perfect/simple past.
Since the worksheet is about perfect tenses, and #4 uses past perfect correctly with “until last week”, for #1, without such a phrase, it should be present perfect: “My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time.” — implying she’s still waiting or just stopped.
I think that’s it. So for #1, change “had” to “has” — present perfect.
Similarly, #2: “She has been completed” — should be “She has completed” — present perfect.
#3: “have discussed” — already present perfect, good.
#4: “had shared” — with “until last week”, past perfect, good.
#5: “has used” — present perfect, good.
#6: “will have copied” — future perfect, good.
So for #1, it should be present perfect.
Let’s confirm with the example: “My family has rented a new apartment.” — present perfect for recent action with present relevance.
“My mother has waited for another appointment for a long time.” — same idea.
Yes.
So:
1. present perfect (change "had" to "has")
2. present perfect (change "has been completed" to "has completed")
3. present perfect (already correct)
4. past perfect (correct as is)
5. present perfect (correct as is)
6. future perfect (correct as is)
Now for 7-10, fill in the blank with the correct form.
7. Dad _______ in quiet agreement. (not present perfect)
→ “not present perfect” means use simple past or past perfect. Since no other event, simple past: agreed
8. Mom _______ for rest as well as more space. (an opposite perfect)
→ “opposite perfect” — probably means not present perfect, so perhaps past perfect or future perfect. But “for rest” suggests a reason, so likely simple past or present perfect. “Opposite perfect” is vague. Perhaps it means use a different perfect tense. Looking at context, maybe past perfect: had wished or something. But let’s see.
The phrase is “Mom _______ for rest as well as more space.” — likely “wished” or “has wished”. “An opposite perfect” — perhaps it means use past perfect instead of present perfect. But why?
Maybe “opposite” refers to the type of perfect. I think it’s poorly worded. Perhaps it means use simple past.
Another idea: in some contexts, “opposite perfect” might mean future perfect, but that doesn’t fit.
Let’s look at the sentence: “Mom _______ for rest as well as more space.” — probably “wanted” or “has wanted”. Since it’s a general desire, present perfect could work, but the instruction says “an opposite perfect”, so perhaps past perfect: had wanted
But without context, it’s hard.
Perhaps “opposite” means not the same as previous. Previous was present perfect, so use past perfect.
I’ll go with had wanted for past perfect.
9. Chris _______ for a month of his own. (not past perfect)
→ so use present perfect or future perfect. “For a month” suggests duration up to now, so present perfect: has saved or has worked — but the verb is missing. The blank is for the verb phrase.
The sentence is “Chris _______ for a month of his own.” — likely “has saved money” or something, but we need to infer the verb. Probably “has prepared” or “has planned”. But the most logical is “has saved” or “has worked”.
Since it’s “for a month”, present perfect continuous might be better, but the worksheet focuses on perfect tenses, so present perfect: has saved
But to match the structure, perhaps “has been saving” — but that’s not listed.
The instruction is to use the verb tense indicated, so for “not past perfect”, use present perfect: has saved
10. We _______ twice by the end of the month. (one more perfect)
→ “by the end of the month” is a future time, so future perfect: will have moved or will have visited — but the verb is missing. Likely “will have moved” since it’s about moving house.
The sentence is “We _______ twice by the end of the month.” — probably “will have moved” or “will have packed”. But “twice” suggests an action done two times, so “will have moved” doesn’t make sense with “twice”. Perhaps “will have visited” or “will have cleaned”.
In context of the story, they are moving, so perhaps “will have packed” or “will have sorted”.
But the most reasonable is “will have moved” — but “moved twice” could mean relocated two times.
Yes, possible. So will have moved
Now to summarize:
For 1-6, identify the tense:
1. present perfect (change "had" to "has")
2. present perfect (change "has been completed" to "has completed")
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
For 7-10, fill in:
7. agreed (simple past, since not present perfect)
8. had wanted (past perfect, as "opposite perfect" — assuming opposite of present perfect)
9. has saved (present perfect, since not past perfect)
10. will have moved (future perfect, as "one more perfect" — and "by the end of the month" indicates future perfect)
But for 8, "an opposite perfect" — if present perfect is common, opposite might be past perfect. Yes.
For 9, "not past perfect" — so present perfect or future perfect. "For a month" suggests present perfect.
For 10, "one more perfect" — and "by the end of the month" is classic future perfect trigger.
Also, for 7, "in quiet agreement" — likely "nodded" or "agreed", simple past.
So final answers:
1. present perfect
2. present perfect
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
7. agreed
8. had wanted
9. has saved
10. will have moved
But let's double-check 2: "She has been completed five weeks about making more room." — this is awkward. "Has been completed" is passive, but "she" is the subject, so it should be active: "She has completed" — and "five weeks about making" is wrong; probably "for five weeks on making" or something. But for tense, it's present perfect once corrected.
Similarly, 1: "had waited" to "has waited".
I think that's as good as it gets.
Final Answer:
1. present perfect
2. present perfect
3. present perfect
4. past perfect
5. present perfect
6. future perfect
7. agreed
8. had wanted
9. has saved
10. will have moved
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of perfect verb tense worksheet 5th grade.
