Verb Tenses Review worksheet with exercises for practicing verb forms in context.

This worksheet is designed to review verb tenses. The task involves completing sentences with the verbs provided in brackets, using the correct verb tense. Below, I will solve a few of the problems as examples and explain the reasoning behind each solution.

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Example Solutions and Explanations

#### 1. I ______ (never be) to Africa, but I want to go one day.
- Solution: I have never been to Africa.
- Explanation: The sentence indicates an action that has not happened yet but may happen in the future. This calls for the present perfect tense: "have + past participle." Here, "been" is the past participle of "be."

#### 2. Look over there. I think that woman in black ______ (film) us.
- Solution: is filming
- Explanation: The context suggests that the action is happening right now. Therefore, we use the present continuous tense: "is/am/are + present participle." Here, "filming" is the present participle of "film."

#### 3. Yesterday, at the end of the City tour, the bus ______ (bring) us back to the hotel.
- Solution: brought
- Explanation: The sentence is set in the past ("yesterday"), so we use the simple past tense. "Brought" is the past tense of "bring."

#### 4. Sam ______ (try) to get into the football team next term but I don't think they ______ (accept) him.
- Solution: is trying / will accept
- Explanation:
- For the first part, "Sam is trying" uses the present continuous tense because it describes an ongoing effort.
- For the second part, "they will accept" uses the future tense because it refers to something that might happen next term.

#### 5. This busker will become famous after he ______ (release) his album.
- Solution: releases
- Explanation: In conditional or future clauses introduced by "after," the present simple tense is used to describe a future event. So, "releases" is the correct form.

#### 6. OK. I ______ (shut down) the computer since nobody ______ (use) it.
- Solution: have shut down / has used
- Explanation:
- "Have shut down" uses the present perfect tense because the action started in the past and continues up to the present.
- "Has used" also uses the present perfect tense to indicate that nobody has used the computer recently.

#### 7. Until we took Andrew to Wong's restaurant, he ______ (never eat) Chinese food.
- Solution: had never eaten
- Explanation: The sentence describes an action that happened before another past event ("took"). This requires the past perfect tense: "had + past participle." Here, "eaten" is the past participle of "eat."

#### 8. The kettle ______ (boil) right now so I ______ (make) the tea.
- Solution: is boiling / can make
- Explanation:
- "Is boiling" uses the present continuous tense because the kettle is boiling right now.
- "Can make" uses the modal verb "can" to express ability in the present.

#### 9. He ______ (fly) to Paris in two days' time.
- Solution: will fly
- Explanation: The phrase "in two days' time" indicates a future action, so we use the simple future tense: "will + base form."

#### 10. I ______ (finish) my book report tomorrow morning and then later, meet my friends for lunch.
- Solution: will finish
- Explanation: The sentence describes a future action, so we use the simple future tense: "will + base form."

#### 11. Mary ______ (photograph) everyone while we ______ (perform) at the talent show last week.
- Solution: was photographing / were performing
- Explanation:
- "Was photographing" uses the past continuous tense because it describes an ongoing action in the past.
- "Were performing" also uses the past continuous tense for the same reason.

#### 12. I'm not sure what I want for dinner. Oh, I know! I ______ (have) some pizza and milk.
- Solution: will have
- Explanation: The sentence expresses a decision made in the present about a future action, so we use the simple future tense: "will + base form."

#### 13. She had already eaten three pieces of cake so she ______ (not want) more.
- Solution: didn't want
- Explanation: The sentence is in the past, and the action "didn't want" occurred after she had already eaten the cake. Therefore, we use the simple past tense: "did not + base form."

#### 14. Where were you? I ______ (wait) for you for an hour and a half!
- Solution: was waiting
- Explanation: The sentence describes an ongoing action in the past, so we use the past continuous tense: "was/were + present participle."

#### 15. By the year 2030, they ______ (invent) a device for doing homework.
- Solution: will have invented
- Explanation: The phrase "by the year 2030" indicates a future point in time, so we use the future perfect tense: "will have + past participle."

#### 16. Rick was exhausted because he ______ (work) all day.
- Solution: had worked
- Explanation: The sentence describes an action that happened before Rick became exhausted. This requires the past perfect tense: "had + past participle."

#### 17. This milk ______ (smell) sour. Let's open a new bottle.
- Solution: smells
- Explanation: The sentence describes a current state or observation, so we use the present simple tense: "smells."

#### 18. My English teacher ______ (not believe) in luck but in effort.
- Solution: doesn't believe
- Explanation: The sentence is in the present, expressing a general belief. We use the present simple tense with "does not + base form."

#### 19. How long ______ (he / sleep)?
- Solution: has he slept
- Explanation: The question asks about the duration of an action that started in the past and may still be continuing. This requires the present perfect tense: "has/have + past participle."

#### 20. Look at that man! He ______ (drive) so carelessly that his car ______ (crash).
- Solution: is driving / crashed
- Explanation:
- "Is driving" uses the present continuous tense because the action is happening right now.
- "Crashed" uses the simple past tense because the crash is a completed action in the past.

#### 21. The pirates ______ (hide) a chest here in 1654.
- Solution: hid
- Explanation: The sentence is set in the past, so we use the simple past tense. "Hid" is the past tense of "hide."

#### 22. Listen to this awful noise! Where ______ (it / come) from?
- Solution: is it coming
- Explanation: The sentence describes an ongoing action or situation, so we use the present continuous tense: "is/am/are + present participle."

#### 23. The crew ______ (give) instructions to the passengers while the plane ______ (make) an emergency landing.
- Solution: are giving / is making
- Explanation:
- "Are giving" uses the present continuous tense because the crew is currently giving instructions.
- "Is making" also uses the present continuous tense because the plane is currently making an emergency landing.

#### 24. What do you think you ______ (do) a year from now?
- Solution: will be doing
- Explanation: The phrase "a year from now" indicates a future action that may be ongoing. Therefore, we use the future continuous tense: "will be + present participle."

#### 25. By the time the technician ______ (arrive), we had already been trapped in the lift for nearly two hours.
- Solution: arrived
- Explanation: The sentence describes a past event that occurred before another past event ("had already been trapped"). This requires the simple past tense: "arrived."

#### 26. It's great to see you! When ______ (you / get back) from your holiday, James?
- Solution: did you get back
- Explanation: The question asks about a past event, so we use the simple past tense with "did + base form."

#### 27. Meg was on the bus when she ______ (realise) that she ______ (forget) her purse.
- Solution: realised / had forgotten
- Explanation:
- "Realised" uses the simple past tense because it describes a past action.
- "Had forgotten" uses the past perfect tense because it describes an action that happened before Meg realised.

#### 28. By the end of May, Julia ______ (have) her baby.
- Solution: will have had
- Explanation: The phrase "by the end of May" indicates a future point in time, so we use the future perfect tense: "will have + past participle."

#### 29. I ______ (not take) the dog for a walk last night because Bill ______ (already / do) it.
- Solution: didn't take / had already done
- Explanation:
- "Didn't take" uses the simple past tense because the action happened last night.
- "Had already done" uses the past perfect tense because Bill's action happened before mine.

#### 30. Linda and Brad ______ (not speak) since she ______ (see) him kissing another girl.
- Solution: haven't spoken / saw
- Explanation:
- "Haven't spoken" uses the present perfect tense because the lack of communication started in the past and continues up to the present.
- "Saw" uses the simple past tense because it describes a completed action in the past.

#### 31. By the time my parents got home, the snow ______ (stop) yet.
- Solution: hadn't stopped
- Explanation: The sentence describes an action that had not happened before another past event ("got home"). This requires the past perfect tense: "had + past participle."

#### 32. Then, as I ______ (be) really tired, I ______ (fall) asleep while I ______ (read) in bed.
- Solution: was / fell / was reading
- Explanation:
- "Was" uses the past continuous tense to describe a state in the past.
- "Fell" uses the simple past tense to describe a completed action.
- "Was reading" uses the past continuous tense to describe an ongoing action.

#### 33. My mother ______ (fall) ill last week and I ______ (make) all the meals instead of her. She still ______ (not feel) well so she ______ (see) a doctor tomorrow. I hope she ______ (get) better soon.
- Solution: fell / made / doesn't feel / will see / gets
- Explanation:
- "Fell" uses the simple past tense because it describes a completed action in the past.
- "Made" uses the simple past tense because it describes a completed action in the past.
- "Doesn't feel" uses the present simple tense because it describes a current state.
- "Will see" uses the simple future tense because it describes a planned action in the future.
- "Gets" uses the simple present tense in a hope/wish construction.

#### 34. I ______ (be) disappointed because I ______ (expect) the film to be more exciting.
- Solution: am / expected
- Explanation:
- "Am" uses the present simple tense because it describes a current state.
- "Expected" uses the simple past tense because it describes a past expectation.

#### 35. I ______ (spend) this evening in a pub with my friends. Everybody ______ (smoke) and now my hair ______ (smell) of cigarette smoke! I ______ (wash) it as soon as I get home.
- Solution: am spending / is smoking / smells / will wash
- Explanation:
- "Am spending" uses the present continuous tense because the action is happening right now.
- "Is smoking" uses the present continuous tense because people are currently smoking.
- "Smells" uses the present simple tense because it describes a current state.
- "Will wash" uses the simple future tense because it describes a planned action.

#### 36. I ______ (study) hard the whole term so I ______ (pass) the term test. I hope I ______ (enjoy) my holiday! I think I ______ (deserve) it!
- Solution: studied / passed / will enjoy / deserve
- Explanation:
- "Studied" uses the simple past tense because it describes an action that happened in the past.
- "Passed" uses the simple past tense because it describes a completed action in the past.
- "Will enjoy" uses the simple future tense because it describes a planned action.
- "Deserve" uses the present simple tense because it describes a current belief.

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Final Answer

The solutions to the worksheet involve applying the correct verb tense based on the context of each sentence. Each problem requires analyzing the time frame (past, present, future) and the relationship between actions to determine the appropriate tense.

Boxed Final Answer:
\boxed{\text{See detailed solutions above.}}