Tenses - Consolidation

Tenses

1. Open the brackets with proper tenses. Put five questions to the text.

   This summer I (travel) a lot and (do) all sorts of things. In June, I (go) hiking. It (be) a real adventure.

   I (learn) how to pitch a tent and make a fire. I also (learn) how to play the guitar and sang many good songs. I (take) a lot of pictures of me and my friends.

   We (go) canoeing and some of us (spend) a lot of time fishing. We were lucky with the weather, so we (sunbathe) and (swim) a lot.

   Of course, there (be) some mishaps. One of my friends (twist) his ankle, another (fall) and (cut) his knee, but all’s well that ends well. We never (give in) and (come) back save and sound.                     

My parents hardly (recognize) me, I (look) so strong and I was proud of myself.

    In July, my parents and I (go) abroad. We (visit) Holland. People there (speak) Dutch, but they also (understand) English. The trip was not very expensive. As we (stay) at guesthouses and (travel) by bus. 

   We (do) some sightseeing and (make) a lot of friends. We (spend) two unforgettable weeks in Holland and were greatly impressed by its breathtaking beauty.

    In August, I (have to) go to my grandmother’s. She (live) in a small village not far from our town. She has got a big garden, so she (need) me to help her with the harvest. My granny (keep) me busy all the time. Together we (pick) fruit and vegetable and (make) jams and pickles. She also (teach) me to pick berries and gather mushrooms.

2. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

I am looking out of my window. I can see some children in the street. The children (play) football. They always (play) football in the street. Now a little boy (kick) the ball. Another boy (run) after him but he cannot catch him. The boy’s mother (look) at them. I (not like) when children play near my windows.

3. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

My friend Robin (die) last year. He (leave) me his records. Robin (spend) a lot of money on records. He (buy) one or two new records every week. He never (go) to the cinema or the theatre. He (stay) at home every evening and (listen) to music. He often (give) records to his friends. Sometimes they (keep) them. He (lose) many records this way.

4. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

I just (receive) a letter from my brother Fred. He is in America. Fred is a programmer. He never (be) in America before. He (live) there for a year already. He is working for a big firm and he already (visit) a lot of towns and (buy) a car.

5. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

1)      What (buy) you yesterday?

2)      He never (send) me anything.

3)      (have) you your dinner yet?

4)      He (fight) in Afghanistan 7 years ago.

5)      We just (win) the match.

6. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense

A Trip to Australia

Linda (receive) a letter from her brother Richard. He is in Australia. He (be) there for six months. Richard is an engineer. He is (work) for a big firm and already (visit) a great number of different places in Australia. He just (buy) an Australian car and (go) to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. Richard never be abroad before, so he (find) this trip very exciting.

7. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

A New Flat

  We just (move) to a new flat. We (work) hard all morning. We (try) to get our new room in order. We (own) over a thousand books and the room is rather small, so we (put) the books on the floor. At the moment, they (cover) every inch of floor space and we have to walk on them to get in or out the room. When Lisa saw all those books on the floor, she said: “This is the prettiest carpet I ever (see)  ....” She gazed at it for some time then added, “You (not need) bookcases at all. You can (sit) here in your space time and (read) the carpet!”

8. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

Ginger Boy

Once upon a time there (to live) an old woman and an old man. They (to have) no children. One day an old woman (to say), “I (to bake) a gingerbread boy tomorrow.” She (to go) to the kitchen and (to put) all the necessary things into the bowl and (to mix) them. After that she (remember) that she (not to put) salt in it. She (to do) it and (to put) it into the oven.

   While the gingerbread boy (to be) in the oven, she (to lie) on the sofa. When the woman (to open) the oven door, the gingerbread boy (to hop) out and (to leave) the house. The woman (to run) after him, but he cried, “Nobody (can) catch me.”

Many animals (to try) to stop him but he (to cry), “I (to stop) if you (to catch) me!”

But when he (to meet) a fox who (to live) a long life, the fox (to eat) him.

9. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

Mark Twain

    Mark Twain (be) fond of travelling. He (do) a lot of travelling. Once he (travel) in France by train. He (go) to visit a small town near Paris. The previous day (be) very hard, Mark Twain (be) very tired and sleepy. He (be) afraid he (miss) that town and (ask) the guard to wake him up before they (get) to the town.

   Soon he (fall) asleep. When he (wake) up the train (be) in Paris. Mark Twain (look) at his watch. It (be) half past nine. He (get) very angry. He (not can) understand why the guard (not to wake) him up.

    He (ask) the guard why he (not wake) him up. The guard (look) at Mark Twain for a moment and then (tell) him that he (do) his best to keep his promise. When the train (approach) the town the guard (wake) up an American who (not want) to get off the train in that small town. The guard was sure that the American was Mark Twain. So he (put) him off the train. He (finish) the story with a sentence: “You may be angry with me, but not so angry as the American whom I (put) off the train instead of you.”

10. A Bicycle

Robin Bailey (worry) all the week. Last Tuesday he (receive) a letter from the local police. In the letter he (ask) to call at the station. Robin wondered why he (want) by the police, but he went to the station yesterday and now he (not worry) any more. At the station, he (tell) by a smiling police officer that his bicycle (find). Five days ago, the police officer told him, the bicycle (pick) up in a small village four hundred miles away. It now (send) to his home by train. Robin (surprise) when he heard the news, because the bicycle (steal) twenty years ago when he was fifteen. 

11. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.

Friendship

At the moment, I (think) … about what real friendship is. There (be) … a very good proverb: “A friend in need is a friend indeed. “  This proverb (express) … perfectly my idea of friendship . I think that a real friend is someone who never (betray) … you. A true friend (be) … always near you when you need him or her. Some of my classmates say that they (not need) … any friends, but I (not believe) … them. As a rule, people (need) … friends and (expect) … help and comfort from each other.

   Very often I (see) … that my classmates have “fair weather” friends and (trust) … them but then they (be let down).... But I think disappointment is the price we (pay) … for our blindness.

   There is another English proverb that says that, “A hedge between (keep)... friendship green.” True friends (be)... always tactful. They (know)...  when to leave you alone. They don’t have to spend all their free time with you since they (have) ... some interests and hobbies which they (not share) ... with you. But there are some things true friends should agree upon. These (be)... such things as outlook on life, attitude towards people , understanding on duty and honour, ability to forgive, to sympathise and most of all to listen and to understand.

   Everyone (dream) ... of having a true and faithful friend but not all of us are lucky enough to find one, since real affection – warmth of heart and ability to sacrifice – is something that (require) ... tolerance and love and can be neither bought nor sold.