English Verb Exercises: Practice Past, Present, Future Tenses
Complete the sentences with one of the following verbs in the correct form:
come get happen look make start stay try work
1 ‘You are working hard today.’ ‘Yes, I have a lot to do.’
2 I am looking for Christine. Do you know where she is?
3 It is getting dark. Shall I turn on the light?
4 They haven’t got anywhere to live at the moment. They are staying with
friends until they find somewhere.
5 Things are not so good at work. The company is losing money.
6 Have you got an umbrella? It is starting to rain.
7 You are making a lot of noise. Could you be quieter? I am trying
to concentrate.
8 Why are all these people here? What is happening?
Complete the sentences using the following verbs:
Cause(s) connect(s) drink(s) live(s) open(s) speak(s) take(s)
1 Tanya speaks German very well.
2 I don’t often drink coffee.
3 The swimming pool opens at 7:30 every morning.
4 Bad driving causes many accidents.
5 My parents live in a very old house.
6 The Olympic Games take place every four years.
7 The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Put the verb into the correct form:
1 Julie doesn’t drink (not/drink) tea very often.
2 What time do the banks close (the bank/close) here?
3 I’ve got a computer, but I don’t use (not/ use) it much.
4 Where does Martin come (martin/come) from? He is Scottish.
5 What do you do (you/do)? I’m an electrician.
6 It takes (take) me an hour to get to work. How long does it take
(it/take) you?
7 Look at this sentence. What does this word mean (this word/mean)?
8 David isn’t very fit. He doesn’t do (not/do) any sport.
Use the following verbs to complete the sentence. Sometimes you need the negative:
believe eat flow go grow make rise tell translate
1 The earth goes round the sun.
2 Rice doesn’t grow in Britain.
3 The sun rises in the east.
4 Bees make honey.
5 Vegetarians do not eat meat.
6 An atheist doesn’t believe in God.
7 An interpreter translates from one language into another.
8 Liars are people who don’t tell the truth.
9 The River Amazon flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Write am/is/are (present) or was/ were (past)
1 Last year she was 22, so she is 23 now.
2 Today the weather is nice, but yesterday it was very cold.
3 I am hungry. Can I have something to eat?
4 I feel fine this morning, but I was very tired last night.
5 Where were you at 11 o’clock last Friday morning?
6 Don’t buy those shoes. They are very expensive.
7 I like your new jacket. Is it expensive?
8 This time last year I was in Paris.
9 Where are the children? I don’t know. They were here a few minutes ago.
Complete these sentences with the verb in the negative.
1 I saw Barbara, but I didn’t see Jane.
2 They worked on Monday, but they didn’t work on Tuesday.
3 We went to the post office, but we didn’t go to the bank.
4 She had a pen, but she didn’t have any paper.
5 Jack did French at school, but he didn’t do German.
Write questions with did…?
1 I watched TV last night. How about you? Did you watch TV last night?
2 I enjoyed the party. How about you? Did you enjoy the party?
3 I had a good holiday. How about you? Did you have a good holiday?
4 I finished work early. How about you? Did you finish work early?
5 I slept well last night. How about you? Did you sleep well last night?
What did you do yesterday? Write positive or negative sentences
1 (watch TV) I watched TV or I didn’t watch TV
2(get up before 7 o’clock) I got up before 7 o’clock or I didn’t get up before 7 o’clock
3 (have a shower) I had a shower or I didn’t have a shower
4 (buy a magazine) I bought a magazine or I didn’t buy a magazine
5 (eat meat) I ate meat or I didn’t eat meat
6 (go to bed before 10.30) I went to bed or I didn’t go to bed
Write B’s questions. Use:
arrive : cost : go : go to bed late : happen : have a nice time : stay : win
We went to New York last month Where did you stay? With some friends | We came home by taxi How much did it cost? Ten pounds |
I was late for the meeting What time did you arrive? Half past time | I’m tired this morning Did you go to bed late? No, but I didn’t sleep very well |
I played tennis this afternoon Did you win? No, I lost | We went to the beach yesterday Did you have a nice time? Yes, it was great |
I had a nice holiday Good. Where did you go? To the mountains | The window is broken How did it happen? I don’t know |
Write the past simple of these verbs.
1.- get got 4.- pay paid 7.- go went 10.- know knew
2.- see saw 5.- visit visited 8.- think thought 11.- put put
3.- play played 6.- buy bought 9.- copy copied 12.- speak spoke
Read about Lisa’s journey to Madrid. Put the verbs in the correct form.
Last Tuesday Lisa flew from London to Madrid. She got up at 6 o’clock in the morning and had a cup of coffee. At 6:30 she left home and drove to the airport. When she got there, she parked the car, walked to the airport building, and checked in. Then she had breakfast at a café and waited for her flight. The plane departed on time and arrived in Madrid two hours later. Finally, she took a taxi from the airport to her hotel in the centre of Madrid.
Write sentences about what you did yesterday.
1.- I went to the theatre. 5.- I spoke to my girlfriend.
2.- I went to the cinema. 6.- I studied class perforation.
3.- I slept in my home. 7.- I drank water.
4.- I played guitar. 8.- I went to my house.
Sentences in the future with the verb have
I will have breakfast at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning.
She will have a bath early tomorrow.
He will have a nice dream tomorrow.
I will have a conversation with my father next Saturday.
I will have a game of tennis next Friday.
He will have a beer tomorrow night.
They will have lunch at 1:30 tomorrow.
We will have dinner at 7:30 tomorrow night.
My father will have a shave tomorrow.
My mother will have tea tomorrow.
This is in case a text to answer appears…:
Who was Ian Fleming? Ian Fleming was a writer, also he became famous as the creator of the spy, James Bond.
When was he born? Ian Fleming was born on 25th May, 1905.
Did he work as a journalist? Yes, he worked as a journalist.
Why did he become famous for? He became famous because he was the creator of the spy, James Bond.
Which was his first successful book? His first successful book was Casino Royale.
How many books did he write? He wrote eighteen books.
Who played the part of James Bond in the films? The actors Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan have played the part of James Bond.
Complete the sentences using the following verbs.
Clean die enjoy finish happen open work rain start stay want do
Anna’s grandfather died when he was 90 years old.
We enjoyed our holiday last year. We stayed at a very nice place.
It’s a nice day today, but yesterday it rained all day.
The accident happened last Sunday afternoon.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor.
The film was very long. It started at 7:15 and finished at 10 o’clock.
It was hot in the room, so I opened the window.
I cleaned my teeth three times yesterday.
We did a lot of work yesterday.
Write sentences about the past (yesterday / last week etc.)
Our friends often come to see us. They came last Friday.
Tom always has a shower in the morning. This morning he took a shower.
I eat an orange every day. Yesterday I ate an orange.
We often go to the cinema at weekends. Last Sunday we went to the cinema.
I usually buy two newspapers every day. Yesterday I bought two newspapers.
Kate meets her friends every evening. She met her friends yesterday evening.
Rachel often loses her keys. She lost her keys last week.
James always goes to work by car. Yesterday he went to work by car.
Put the verb in the correct form – positive, negative or question.
Why weren’t you at the meeting yesterday? I didn’t know about it. (know)
I cut my hand this morning. How did you do that? (do)
Did you phone Chris this morning? No I didn’t have time. (have)
It was very warm in the room, so I opened a window. (open)
We were tired, so we didn’t stay long at the party. (stay)
Did it rain yesterday? No, it was a nice day. (rain)
Tim bought some new clothes yesterday – two shirts, a jacket and a pullover (buy)
We went to the cinema, but the film wasn’t very good. We didn’t enjoy it. (enjoy)
Write was/were or wasn’t/ weren’t
We were hungry after the journey, but we weren’t tired.
When I was a child, I was afraid of dogs.
Why were you late this morning?
We weren’t happy with the hotel. Our room was very small and it wasn’t clean.
Mark wasn’t at work last week because he was ill. He’s better now.
Yesterday was a public holiday, so the banks were closed. They are open today.
Were Kate and Bill at the party? Kate was there, but Bill wasn’t.
Where are my keys? I don’t know. They were on the table, but they’re not there now.
You weren’t at home last night. Where were you?
Write questions from these words + was/were. Put the words in the right order.
1 (LATE / YOU / THIS MORNING / WHY?)——————– The traffic was bad.
Why were you late this morning?
2 (DIFFICULT / YOUR EXAM?)——————————— No, it was easy.
Was your exam difficult?
3 (LAST WEEK / WHERE / SUE AND CHRIS?)—————— They were on holiday.
Where were Sue and Chris last week?
4 (YOUR NEW CAMERA / HOW MUCH?)———————— Sixty pounds.
How much was your new camera?
5 (ANGRY / YOU / YESTERDAY / WHY?)———————— Because you were late.
Why were you angry yesterday?
6 (NICE / THE WEATHER / LAST WEEK)———————— Yes, it was beautiful.
Was the weather nice last week?