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ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Answer these questions and find out just how good you are with the use of tenses in English! Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
'She is waiting for us at the restaurant.'
'They spent the night at a roadside inn.'
'I have been trying to piece together this puzzle.'
The words italicised in the above sentences are verbs that denote the tenses of each. A tense is defined in grammar as a "category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the situation takes place." In other words, tenses grammaticise time references.
Fill in the blanks for each sentence in the following pages with the appropriate verb tenses.
Answers are provided upon submission of results on each page and you can draw your own conclusions about your performance!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
By the time John (arrive) ______, I (wait) ______ for more than two hours.
1) arrived, had been waiting
2) arrives, will be waiting
3) arrive, waiting
The correct answer is By the time John arrived, I had been waiting for more than two hours.
By the time John arrived, I had been waiting for more than two hours.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
She (work) ______ for our organisation for more than a decade and (retire) ______ next year.
1) will work, retire
2) worked, retired
3) has been working, will retire
The correct answer is She has been working for our organisation for more than a decade and will retire next year.
She has been working for our organisation for more than a decade and will retire next year.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Kamal keeps (park) ______ her car carelessly and (inconvenience) ______ all the neighbours.
1) parked, inconvenienced
2) parking, inconveniencing
3) parked, inconvenience
The correct answer is Kamal keeps parking her car carelessly and inconveniencing all the neighbours.
Kamal keeps parking her car carelessly and inconveniencing all the neighbours.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
They (say) ______ that they (complete) ______ the project a week from today.
1) said, will complete
2) are saying, completed
3) were saying, completing
The correct answer is They said that they will complete the project a week from today.
They said that they will complete the project a week from today.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
He (try) ______ to cross the street when he (slip) ______ and (fall) ______.
1) will try, slip, falls
2)was trying, slipped, fell
3) tried, slipping, fallen
The correct answer is He was trying to cross the street when he slipped and fell.
He was trying to cross the street when he slipped and fell.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
My mother is a compulsive shopper, so it's not surprising that she (buy) ______ four pairs of shoes yesterday.
1) will buy
2) bought
3) was buying
The correct answer is My mother is a compulsive shopper, so it's not surprising that she bought four pairs of shoes yesterday.
My mother is a compulsive shopper, so it's not surprising that she bought four pairs of shoes yesterday.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
At the age of 28, Raj (leave) ______ the investment banking firm and became a full-time artist.
1) left
2) leaves
3) was leaving
The correct answer is At the age of 28, Raj left the investment banking firm and became a full-time artist.
At the age of 28, Raj left the investment banking firm and became a full-time artist.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Her brother (love) ______ to travel and (plan) ______ to visit Budapest next year.
1) loved, will plan
2) was loving, planned
3) loves, is planning
The correct answer is Her brother loves to travel and is planning to visit Budapest next year.
Her brother loves to travel and is planning to visit Budapest next year.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Diana (embarrass) ______ because she couldn't (dance) ______ too well.
1) will be embarrassed, dance
2) was embarrassed, dance
3) embarrassed, danced
The correct answer is Diana was embarrassed because she couldn't dance too well.
Diana was embarrassed because she couldn't dance too well.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Their attorney (accuse) ______ our client of fraud in court and (manage) ______ to (convince) ______ the jury of his guilt.
1) is accusing, managing, convinced
2) accused, managed, convince
3) accuses, managed, convinces
The correct answer is Their attorney accused our client of fraud in court and managed to convince the jury of his guilt.
Their attorney accused our client of fraud in court and managed to convince the jury of his guilt.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
The children (be, usually) ______ given a week off from school after their examinations.
1) are usually
2) or
3) nor
The correct answer is The children are usually given a week off from school after their examinations.
The children are usually given a week off from school after their examinations.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Mrs Khanna (bring) ______ all of us up to speed on the neighbourhood gossip and (spend) ______ an hour (discuss) ______ various people's marital troubles.
1) brought, spent, discussing
2) brings, was spending, discussed
3) was bringing, will spend, discussing
The correct answer is Mrs Khanna brought all of us up to speed on the neighbourhood gossip and spent an hour discussing various people's marital troubles.
Mrs Khanna brought all of us up to speed on the neighbourhood gossip and spent an hour discussing various people's marital troubles.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Mr Rodricks (live) ______ in that house since he was a child and (refuse) ______ to sell it.
1) was living, will refuse
2) lives, refused
3) has been living, refuses
The correct answer is Mr Rodricks has been living in that house since he was a child and refuses to sell it.
Mr Rodricks has been living in that house since he was a child and refuses to sell it.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
Did you just (say) ______ what I (think) _____ you (say) ______?
1) said, thought, say
2) say, think, said
3) saying, thinking, said
The correct answer is Did you just say what I think you said?
Did you just say what I think you said?
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets:
His daydreaming (interrupt) ______ when the teacher (call) ______ his name.
1) interrupted, calls
2) was interrupted, called
3) interrupts, calls
The correct answer is His daydreaming was interrupted when the teacher called his name.
His daydreaming was interrupted when the teacher called his name.
ENGLISH QUIZ: Test your tenses!
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Are you up to the challenge for more quizzes? Here are a few you MUST try!
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ENGLISH QUIZ: Pick the right preposition!