Practice exercises for mastering verb tenses in English: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, and Past Simple.

Let's solve each sentence by choosing the correct verb tense: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, or Past Simple. I'll explain the reasoning for each.

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1. He usually ________ (go) to work by bus.
✔ goes
👉 "Usually" indicates a habitual action → Present Simple.
Subject is "he" → third person singular → add -s.

2. He ________ (not listen) music after school yesterday.
✔ didn't listen
👉 "Yesterday" = past time → Past Simple.
Negative form: did not (didn't) + base verb.

3. Georgia ________ (wear) her new trousers today.
✔ is wearing
👉 "Today" and context suggest current action → Present Continuous.
She is wearing them *right now*.

4. I feel so agitated. I ________ (drink) too much coffee, I think.
✔ have drunk
👉 The feeling is now, but the action (drinking) happened in the past and affects the present → Present Perfect.

5. The children ________ (run) at the moment.
✔ are running
👉 "At the moment" = happening now → Present Continuous.

6. My students rarely ________ (say) a word in English!
✔ say
👉 "Rarely" = frequency → Present Simple for habits.

7. He ________ (watch) a very scary horror film last night.
✔ watched
👉 "Last night" = past → Past Simple.

8. I ________ (wear) glasses at the moment.
✔ am wearing
👉 "At the moment" = now → Present Continuous.

9. The phone always ________ (ring) when I ________ (take) a shower.
✔ rings / am taking
👉 First blank: "always" → Present Simple ("rings").
Second blank: "when I take a shower" = habitual situation → Present Simple.
But note: "when" can be used with Present Continuous if it's a repeated action. However, here it's more natural as Present Simple:
→ "The phone always rings when I take a shower."
(Alternatively, if emphasizing the ongoing action: "when I am taking", but that’s less common.)

✔ Final answer: rings / take

10. Betty isn’t hungry now because she ________ (have) some chocolate biscuits an hour ago.
✔ had
👉 "An hour ago" = past → Past Simple.

11. Harry sometimes ________ (play) tennis at the club.
✔ plays
👉 "Sometimes" = habit → Present Simple.

12. Mike and his sister ________ (hurry) to work now.
✔ are hurrying
👉 "Now" = current action → Present Continuous.

13. My mum isn’t at home now. She ________ (go) to the supermarket.
✔ has gone
👉 She is not here now; she went there and is still there → Present Perfect (action started in past, continues to present).

14. I ________ (put) too much stuff in here and now I can’t close the door.
✔ have put
👉 The action happened in the past, but its result is now → Present Perfect.

15. Joe ________ (break) his leg three weeks ago.
✔ broke
👉 "Three weeks ago" = past → Past Simple.

16. I usually ________ (wake up) before 7.30.
✔ wake up
👉 "Usually" = habit → Present Simple.

17. You can turn off the radio, I ________ (not listen) to it now.
✔ am not listening
👉 "Now" = current action → Present Continuous negative.

18. I ________ (play) football every Saturday.
✔ play
👉 "Every Saturday" = regular habit → Present Simple.

19. We ________ (have) a lot of fun at your birthday party yesterday.
✔ had
👉 "Yesterday" = past → Past Simple.

20. I ________ (meet) my best friend George in 2005.
✔ met
👉 "In 2005" = past → Past Simple.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. goes
2. didn't listen
3. is wearing
4. have drunk
5. are running
6. say
7. watched
8. am wearing
9. rings / take
10. had
11. plays
12. are hurrying
13. has gone
14. have put
15. broke
16. wake up
17. am not listening
18. play
19. had
20. met

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📌 Summary of Tenses Used:

- Present Simple: Habits, routines, general truths (e.g., 1, 6, 11, 16, 18)
- Present Continuous: Actions happening now (e.g., 3, 5, 8, 12, 17)
- Present Perfect: Past actions with present relevance (e.g., 4, 13, 14)
- Past Simple: Completed actions in the past (e.g., 2, 7, 10, 15, 19, 20)

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