ACE Your Grammar! Test For Tenses
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They ____ the same dress (have)
About This Quiz
In grammar, tense is a category that expresses time reference. Tenses are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, particularly in their conjugation patterns. The main tenses found in many languages include the past, present, and future.
To Ace your Grammar! Here is a Test for Tenses
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- 2.
Just _____ me a moment, please (give)
Explanation
The verb "give" is the correct answer because it completes the sentence and fits grammatically. The phrase "Just give me a moment, please" is a polite request for someone to wait momentarily.Rate this question:
- 3.
Please ____ the door (close)
Explanation
The word "close" is the correct answer because it is the appropriate verb to use in this context. The sentence is asking for an action to be performed on the door, and "close" is the verb that describes this action.Rate this question:
- 4.
I ____ to the US in 1990 (come)
Explanation
The correct answer is "came". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and requires the past form of the verb "come".Rate this question:
- 5.
It's sunny today. Let's ___. (go out)
Explanation
The given correct answer is "go out" because the statement "It's sunny today" suggests that the weather is good, which makes it suitable for going outside. Therefore, the logical action to take in this situation would be to go out and enjoy the sunny weather.Rate this question:
- 6.
Heather ____ the bedroom last weekend before the party (clean)
Explanation
The correct answer is "cleaned" because it is the past tense form of the verb "clean". The sentence is describing an action that Heather performed in the past, specifically last weekend before the party. Therefore, "cleaned" is the appropriate verb tense to use in this context.Rate this question:
- 7.
I was mowing the lawn when you ____ (call)
Explanation
The correct answer is "called" because it is the past tense form of the verb "call". In the sentence, the speaker is describing an action that was happening in the past (mowing the lawn) when another action (the phone call) occurred. Therefore, the past tense "called" is the appropriate choice to indicate that the phone call happened in the past while the speaker was mowing the lawn.Rate this question:
- 8.
We ________ coffee every morning (drink)
Explanation
The given sentence is in the present tense and is talking about a habitual action. The subject "we" is performing the action of drinking coffee every morning. Therefore, the correct verb form to use is "drink."Rate this question:
- 9.
James _______ at the party last Friday (be/excited)
Explanation
The correct answer is "was excited" because it is in the past tense and matches the subject "James". The verb "was" is the past tense of "be" and is used to indicate a state or condition in the past. The adjective "excited" describes James' state at the party, indicating that he felt excited during that time.Rate this question:
- 10.
Walter ______ his car last Tuesday (wash)
Explanation
The sentence is in the past tense, and the subject "Walter" is singular. Therefore, the correct form of the verb "wash" in the past tense is "washed."Rate this question:
- 11.
_____ so much food? (why/you/buy)
Explanation
The given correct answer is "Why did you buy?" This is the correct answer because it follows the correct word order for forming a question in English. In interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb (did) comes before the subject (you), and the main verb (buy) follows. Additionally, the question word "why" is used to inquire about the reason for buying so much food.Rate this question:
- 12.
Shall we _______ for a walk next week? (go out)
Explanation
The correct answer is "go out" because the phrase "go out" is used to indicate going outside or leaving a particular place. In the given question, the speaker is asking if the person wants to go for a walk next week. Therefore, "go out" is the appropriate phrase to use in this context.Rate this question:
- 13.
The book was interesting, but the movie ____ (be/not)
Explanation
The given correct answer "was not" completes the sentence by expressing that the movie was not interesting, contrasting with the interesting book. This suggests that the movie did not captivate or engage the person in the same way the book did.Rate this question:
- 14.
She ______ work at 10 am (start)
Explanation
The correct answer is "starts" because it is the correct form of the verb "start" in the third person singular present tense. In this sentence, the subject "she" is performing the action of starting work, and when a subject is singular and in the third person, the verb form should end in "-s". Therefore, "starts" is the appropriate choice.Rate this question:
- 15.
The sun ____ in the east (rise)
Explanation
The correct answer is "rises" because it is the present tense form of the verb "rise" and it agrees with the subject "sun". In English, we use the present tense to describe actions that are habitual or true in general, and it is a known fact that the sun rises in the east every day.Rate this question:
- 16.
She _____ a yard (have)
Explanation
The correct answer is "has". In this sentence, the subject "she" is singular, and the verb "has" agrees with the singular subject. The word "has" is the third person singular form of the verb "have", which is used to show possession or ownership. Therefore, "has" is the correct verb to use in this sentence to indicate that "she" possesses or owns a yard.Rate this question:
- 17.
_____ fun, Anne (have)
Explanation
The word "have" is the correct answer because it is the correct form of the verb to match with the subject "Anne". In this sentence, "have" is used to indicate that Anne is currently experiencing or possessing fun.Rate this question:
- 18.
Don't worry, I _____ (be/careful)
Explanation
The given correct answer "will be careful" is a future tense construction indicating that the speaker intends to exercise caution in the future. The modal verb "will" expresses a voluntary action or intention, while the verb phrase "be careful" conveys the act of being cautious. Therefore, the speaker is assuring someone that they will exercise caution and not to worry.Rate this question:
- 19.
It ______ a lot outside (be/rain)
Explanation
The correct answer is "is raining" because the sentence is in the present tense and describes the current weather condition. The verb "is" is used with the subject "it" to indicate that the action of raining is happening right now.Rate this question:
- 20.
I ____ swimming yesterday (go)
Explanation
The correct answer is "went" because it is the past tense form of the verb "go". Since the sentence is in the past tense and the subject is "I", we use the past tense form "went" to indicate that the action of swimming happened in the past.Rate this question:
- 21.
I always _____ she would be successful (know)
Explanation
The correct answer is "knew" because it is the past tense form of the verb "know". The sentence is expressing a belief or certainty about the subject's success in the past.Rate this question:
- 22.
Paolo had gone to work when I _______ on his door (knock)
Explanation
The correct answer is "knocked" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "knock" needs to be in the past tense as well to maintain grammatical consistency.Rate this question:
- 23.
_____ to the party? (you/be/come)
Explanation
The given correct answer is "Are you coming". This is the correct answer because the question is asking about the action of coming to the party, and the appropriate response to this question would be to confirm whether the person is indeed coming or not.Rate this question:
- 24.
It's cold now. Let's ______. (not/go out)
Explanation
The given correct answer is "not go out" because the phrase "It's cold now" suggests that the weather is not suitable for going outside. Therefore, the logical decision would be to stay indoors and not go out.Rate this question:
- 25.
I _____ Alex recently. Where is she? (not/see)
Explanation
The sentence is in the present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and has a connection to the present. The phrase "have not seen" is the correct form of the verb "to see" in the present perfect tense for the subject "I". This suggests that the speaker has not seen Alex recently and is wondering about her current whereabouts.Rate this question:
- 26.
She had already read the play by the time she ______ to see it (go)
Explanation
The sentence is in past perfect tense, indicating that the action of reading the play occurred before the action of going to see it. Therefore, the correct verb form to complete the sentence is "went," which is the past tense of "go."Rate this question:
- 27.
I used to live in London until we ____ to Sydney (move)
Explanation
The correct answer is "moved". In the sentence, the speaker is talking about their past residence in London and their relocation to Sydney. The verb "move" needs to be conjugated in the past tense to match the past time frame of the sentence. Therefore, "moved" is the correct past tense form of "move" to complete the sentence.Rate this question:
- 28.
We ______ England is cold until we moved here (not/use to/think)
Explanation
The correct answer is "did not use to think." This is because the sentence is referring to a past belief or perception about England being cold. The phrase "did not use to think" indicates that in the past, the speaker did not have the belief that England was cold. This implies that their perception has changed since moving there.Rate this question:
- 29.
_____ in an office? (you/work)
Explanation
The given correct answer "Do you work" is the correct question form of the sentence. The question is asking about someone's work status in an office. The phrase "Do you" is used to form questions in the present tense, and "work" is the verb that indicates the action of working. Therefore, "Do you work" is the appropriate question to inquire about someone's work in an office.Rate this question:
- 30.
When I lost my camera, we _______ in the sea (swim)
Explanation
The correct answer is "were swimming" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "swim" needs to be conjugated in the past continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action at a specific point in the past. The use of "were" indicates the past continuous tense and "swimming" is the correct form of the verb in this tense.Rate this question:
- 31.
Sam ___ two pizzas (eat)
Explanation
The correct answer is "ate" because it is the past tense form of the verb "eat" and agrees with the subject "Sam."Rate this question:
- 32.
The traffic _____ bad so we were late to school (be)
Explanation
The correct answer is "was" because the sentence is in the past tense and requires the past tense form of the verb "be" to agree with the subject "traffic." In this case, "was" is the correct past tense form of "be" to indicate that the traffic was bad in the past.Rate this question:
- 33.
_____ a book on the beach? (you/read)
Explanation
The correct answer is "Did you read." In this question, the verb "read" is in the past tense and is asking about a completed action. The subject "you" is singular, so the correct form of the verb is "did" instead of "do." The question is asking if the person read a book on the beach in the past.Rate this question:
- 34.
She _____ the street (cross)
Explanation
The correct answer is "crosses" because it agrees with the subject "she" in the present tense. When using the verb "cross" in the third person singular (he, she, it), we add an -es to the base form of the verb. Therefore, "crosses" is the correct form to use in this sentence.Rate this question:
- 35.
Emily ____ the theme park as much as Zara (not/enjoy)
Explanation
The correct answer is "did not enjoy" because it is stated that Emily did not enjoy the theme park as much as Zara. This means that Zara also did not enjoy the theme park, but Emily's level of enjoyment was even lower than Zara's.Rate this question:
- 36.
He was sunbathing when it _____ to rain (start)
Explanation
The given sentence describes a past event where someone was sunbathing. The verb "started" is the correct answer because it is the past tense form of the verb "to start." This indicates that the action of raining began while the person was sunbathing.Rate this question:
- 37.
_______ work at 4pm? (you/usually/finish)
Explanation
The given question is asking about a habitual action, specifically if the person being addressed typically finishes work at 4pm. The correct answer is "Do you usually finish" because it is grammatically correct and maintains the correct tense and subject-verb agreement. The word "you" is used to address the person being asked, "usually" indicates the frequency of the action, and "finish" is the appropriate verb to use in this context.Rate this question:
- 38.
I can't find my passport. ______ it? (you/see)
Explanation
The correct answer is "Have you seen." This is because the sentence is in the present perfect tense and is asking if the person being addressed has seen the passport. The verb "have" is used to form the question in the present perfect tense, and "you" is the subject of the question. "Seen" is the past participle of the verb "see" and is used to complete the question.Rate this question:
- 39.
Shall I ______? (pick up/you)
Explanation
The correct answer is "pick you up" because the question is asking if the speaker should pick the person up. "Pick up" is a phrasal verb that means to collect someone or something in a vehicle. The pronoun "you" is used to refer to the person being picked up.Rate this question:
- 40.
____ to the gym? (when/he/go)
Explanation
The question is asking for the correct interrogative form of the given sentence. The correct answer is "When did he go?" because it follows the correct word order for an interrogative sentence. In this case, the question is asking about the time or moment when the person went to the gym.Rate this question:
- 41.
Jenny ______ Mount Fuji twice (climb)
Explanation
The correct answer is "has climbed". This is because the sentence is in the present perfect tense, which is used to talk about an action that started in the past and is still relevant in the present. "Has climbed" is the correct form of the verb "climb" in the present perfect tense for the third person singular subject "Jenny".Rate this question:
- 42.
You look frozen. I _______ you some hot soup (make)
Explanation
The correct answer is "will make" because the sentence is in the future tense and indicates a future action. The speaker is offering to make hot soup for the person who looks frozen.Rate this question:
- 43.
She ______ very angry when she finds out. (be)
Explanation
The correct answer is "will be". This is because the sentence is in the future tense and is expressing a future event - when she finds out. The auxiliary verb "will" is used to indicate future tense, and when combined with the base form of the verb "be", it forms the future tense of the verb "be". Therefore, the sentence should be "She will be very angry when she finds out."Rate this question:
- 44.
This apple _____ delicious. I will have another one (look)
Explanation
The correct answer is "looks" because it agrees with the subject "apple" in the singular form. The word "looks" is the correct verb form to use with a singular subject in the present tense.Rate this question:
- 45.
She ______ at the moment (relax)
Explanation
The correct answer is "is relaxing" because the sentence is in the present continuous tense, indicating an action that is happening at the moment of speaking. The verb "relax" is conjugated with the helping verb "is" to show that the subject is currently in the state of relaxation.Rate this question:
- 46.
I played tennis last week but I ____ it yesterday (not/play)
Explanation
The correct answer is "did not play" because the sentence is in the past tense and the word "yesterday" indicates a specific point in the past. The phrase "did not" is used to form the negative past tense of the verb "play". Therefore, the correct form is "did not play" to indicate that the action of playing tennis did not happen on the specific day mentioned.Rate this question:
- 47.
I ____ a photo when a monkey grabbed my camera (take)
Explanation
The given correct answer is "was taking". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and requires a past continuous verb form to indicate an ongoing action in the past. "Was taking" is the correct past continuous form of the verb "take" in the first person singular form.Rate this question:
- 48.
He ________ for the bus for one hour. He is going to be late for work (wait)
Explanation
The correct answer is "has been waiting" because the sentence indicates that he has been waiting for the bus for one hour, suggesting an ongoing action in the past. The use of "has been" in the present perfect continuous tense implies that the waiting started in the past and is still happening at the time of speaking. This explains why he is going to be late for work, as the waiting has caused a delay.Rate this question:
- 49.
There is no juice so I _____ some water instead (have)
Explanation
The correct answer is "will have" because the sentence is in future tense. The word "will" indicates a future action, and "have" is the correct verb form to use in this context. The sentence implies that in the absence of juice, the speaker plans to drink water instead in the future.Rate this question:
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Mar 21, 2023Quiz Edited by
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May 18, 2021Quiz Created by
Catherine Halcomb
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