I had a few responses to The English Tenses Exercise Book from readers who would like more material for beginners. My material is usually aimed at intermediate or advanced students, as they are who I most commonly teach, but I would be happy to produce some more beginners’ material, if I’m able! So below is a mixed tenses exercise comparing the simple and continuous tenses in the past and present.
Let me know what you think – if the level is good, and if similar exercises would be helpful! (I am considering the next exercise book.)
Mixed English Tenses Exercise – For Beginners
Put the verb in brackets in the correct simple or continuous tense, using the information provided. Remember: simple tenses are used for timeless actions (present) and complete actions (past) or states/conditions/senses (past or present), while continuous tenses are used for temporary/ongoing actions or to show duration.
For example:
- I __________ the car when she called. (to wash)
- I was washing the car when she called.
- We both __________ cats. (to like)
- My mum __________ outside now. (to wait)
- They __________ when we arrived. (to talk)
- Bob __________ boats for a living. (to build)
- Luna __________ in a café until June. (to work)
- She __________ a cake yesterday. (to eat)
- I __________ to the cinema now. (to go)
- Charlie __________ me chocolate for my birthday. (to give)
- He __________ for lunch last week. (to come)
- I __________ a chair but it is not finished yet. (to make)
- I __________ every morning. (to run)
- Tim and Olive __________ last night. (to dance)
- You __________ on my foot, please move. (to stand)
- They __________ for more tea but he did not hear them. (to ask)
- He __________ when I called earlier. (to cook)
- “Where is Jane?” – “She __________ a letter.” (to write)
- “How are you?” – “I __________ very good.” (to feel)
- “Did you pass your exam?” – “Yes, I __________.” (to pass)
- “What are you reading?” – “I __________ a book about pirates.” (to read)
- “Can I borrow your pen?” – “No, I __________ it.” (to use)
Answers
- We both like
- My mum is waiting outside now.
- They were talking when we arrived.
- Bob builds boats for a living.
- Luna worked in a café until June.
- She ate a cake yesterday.
- I am going to the cinema now.
- Charlie gave me chocolate for my birthday.
- He came for lunch last week.
- I am making a chair but it is not finished yet.
- I run every morning.
- Tim and Olive were dancing last night.
- You are standing on my foot, please move.
- They asked for more tea but he did not hear them.
- He was cooking when I called earlier.
- “Where is Jane?” – “She is writing a letter.”
- “How are you?” – “I feel very good.”
- “Did you pass your exam?” – “Yes, I passed.”
- “What are you reading?” – “I am reading book about pirates.”
- “Can I borrow your pen?” – “No, I am using”
Want more English tenses exercises?
If you found this useful, there are 160 more exercises in the The English Tenses Exercise Book.
Your work had been useful!
Thanks!
Hi Phil. Thanks very much for these. I’ll try them with my pre-intermediate group. For my beginners this would be too difficult.Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Josie
Thanks Josie, I’ll have to try and do an even simpler one!
Thank you Phil. I teach many levels and agree with Josie that these are too complicated for beginners, who first need to get a hand on simple things like recognizing the verb tense and mastering simple present, present continuous, preterit, past continuous present perfect…as entities. One thing they find VERY difficult are the modal verbs, and when to know what auxiliary verb is needed (do, did, have…). Your exercise here is very good for a solid review for pre-intermediate. I appreciate you sharing! Thank you again.
Thank you Alison – I think where I have erred here is in going straight towards what I would consider a later stage review, as you say, without building up to it! I certainly had in mind such exercises as you’re suggesting, but I suppose I have my own learning curve to tackle in terms of making things too complicated too soon.
Thank you, Phil. I have been using your materials for some time now. Thank you for the opportunity . I hope you will continue helping teachers of English around the world. Good luck!
This exercise is great but yes too difficult for beginners.
Maybe your next book can be a book on tenses for beginners including why we use / need each tense – leading up through the stages to your existing book ? Simple illustrations might help the time line ??
Tenses are so difficult when teaching a ‘second language’.
Enjoy 🙂
Thanks Pauline, yes I can see I’ll need to be careful in building up to an exercise like this. Truth be told I didn’t imagine a beginner’s book would be able to bridge all the way to the existing book – but it might go as far as the level suggested in this exercise.
I suppose the other thing to consider there is the necessity of instructions and examples, too!
I think the answers to questions 5 and 8 could be past tense or future tense depending on how you look the time.
The answer to 12 could be past tense or past continuous depending on what you want highlight.
I have had problems answering some questionnaires, the problems come up because the question doesn’t go with a context (it’s not possible) so the mind of the question and that of the answer could be in a different context and can be possible different answers which are frustrating for beginners learners. I hope this be useful when making questionnaires.
Jaime
Thanks Jaime – yes it’s very tricky to get sentences that clearly stick to one tense without more context, that’s why I chose to stick to Past vs Present in this case, as they could easily be confused with Future. Though this is perhaps another flaw with making the exercise too complicated, as it might be even better to simply have single tense drills.
Hello, Phil.
I know I have another commitment with you, I don’t forget but time flies, sorry.
Best regards
Jaime
Hello, Phill/ Thank you so much! This exersise is just the thing for my pupils) They’ve been studing English for the forth year now. The practice isn’t easy but it’s “not beyond their power”))) Thanks a lot, look forward to continuation. Oksana
May be you can advise something like that for Future Tenses? Thanl you)
Thank you Oksana, I’m glad it helped – I do actually have a Future Tenses exercise on here already, if it’s a reasonable level – here.
Otherwise I will be looking at doing some more beginner level exercises soon (if you’re not signed onto the mailing list, please do join it to know where there’s new content!).