Verb Tenses - Exercises

A. Complete this text about S. Paulo, Brazil, using the Simple Present or the Present Continuous

Everyone ____________ (know) what a megacity ___________(look) like. Take S. Paulo for example. S. Paulo _____________ (be) one of the most densely populated cities in the world. A third of its population ___________ (live) in slums, where their standart of living is unbelievably low.

Today safety in S. Paulo ______________ (get) worse and worse and social discontent _____________ (grow) bigger and bigger. Robberies and assaults _____________ (happen) everywhere, everyday.

In an effort to stop violence the government _________ (try) to take stricter safety measures, but things _____________ (not seem) easy to solve.

Adapted from "That's It!" 11º Ano


B. Choose the correct form the verbs in brackets.

1. Many people (think/ are thinking) that the battle for a "better and clean world" is helpless.

2. Environmentalists (are feeling/will feel) totally satisfied when there is no more pollution.

3. People often (left/leave) rubbish behind when they go on a picnic.

4. They (are having/ have) a panel on environmental issues on BBC this evening at 10.

5. I always (am taking/take) public transport to school. This way I try to minimise the human impact on earth.

6. Due to recent disasters, some people all over Europe ( protest/are protesting) against the use of aging oil tankers.

7. My friend Peter (has left/left) for Italy a few days ago.

8. She fell asleep while the train (rolled/was rolling) slowly down the mountain.

9. He always (feel/feels) sick when he smokes a cigarette.

11.If she studies, I’m sure she (is passing/ will pass) her exams.

12. The train (had already left /has already left) when we got to the station.

13. We (see/will see) Mary on Monday.

14. The next train (leaves/will leave) at 7.30

15. They (emigrated/have emigrated) to America in 1965 and (have lived/ live) there since then.

16. Mr Davis (is/ has been) in hospital since he (was/ has been) run over by a bus two weeks ago.

17. The Davies (have just moved/ just moved) into a new flat, you know.

18. Many people (lose/lost) their lives and property in the Great Fire of London.


C. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form.

1. My friends and I usually ............ out to the disco on Saturday nights. (go)

2. My children never ............... their beds when they .......... to school. (make/leave)

3. The Douglas ............... a well-paid job (not have)

4. The English ............ tea about six times a day (drink)

5. The postman ................ twice a day. (not come)

6. George, what .................... this morning? (you/do)

7. Look! He .............. now. (come).

8. She ............. at home this evening (stay).

9. I ........... tickets for the cinema tonight (buy)

10. I hope it ............... nice day next Sunday, (be)

11. What ............., if he doesn't come? (you/will)

12. I ............. there on time. I promise you. (be)

13 ................. to a rock concert? (you/ever/be)

14. Tom's father ................. a musician since he left school. (be)

15. I ................. . for the cinema tickets. (already/pay)

16. ................ the seats yet? ( you/book)

17. Jill .......... in New York for two weeks, but she ......... a musical on Broadway yet. (be/not see)

18. The band .............. the studio (just/left)

19. They ............. to this town three years ago. (move)

20. I ................ my last holidays in Spain . (spend)

21. Last night I .............. asleep while I .................. TV. (fall /watch)

22. The phone ............ while I ................. a bath yesterday. (rang/ have)

23. It .............. to rain as I .............. home, (begin/ walk)

24. When I came home last night, she ............... (already/leave).

25. They ...............all the seats when I got to the box office. (already/sell)

26. What ................., if you saw a ghost in your bed? (you/do)


D. Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets .

1. ________________ you (read/have read) Rachel Carson's Silent Spring? Yes, I __________ (have/did). I __________ (read/have read) it a few months ago.

2. Although Silent Spring was written many years ago people _____________ (didn't cease/haven't ceased) to admire it.

3. Rachel Carson's books ____________ (contribute/have contributed) a lot to rise concern about environmental issues.

4. Rachel Carson ___________ (started/has started) her career as a Marine Biologist.

5. Silent Spring ______________ (was published/has been published) in 1962 and _______________ (has been read/was read) ever since by thousands of people.


E. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tenses.

I usually ____________( watch) TV for about 3 hours a day and right now I _______________ (watch) a documentary about environment. My brother __________________ (not like) documentaries, so I can only ___________ (watch) half of my programme and then we have to change channels so that he _____________ (can) watch half of his favourite programme, cartoons.

I ______________ (not like) cartoons very much. So, when we _________ (change) channels I, most of the times, _________(go) to my bedroom and do my homework.

Today I must write a report about the school trip we ______________ (do) to the Zoo last Wednesday. We ____________ (go) there with some of our teachers and we _____________ (see) lots of strange animals. I ____________ (enjoy) it very much, because I really ____________ (like animals).

____________________ (you/ever/be) to the Zoo? Some people _________ (think) Zoos are a sort of prisons for the animals that are kept there, but I _____________ (disagree) totally with it. All the animals I _____________ (see) there last Wednesday _______________ (seem) to be happy. At least they __________ (feel) protected there.