Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
I.
Coreen:How’s Pam? I 1______(not/see) her in town, Roy.
Roy:Oh, she’s fine. She 2______(be) very busy. The children 3______(be) ill. Last week she 4______(start) an office job only for the summer months. She 5______(work/never) in an office before, so it’s difficult for her. She 6______(be) there for only a week, but she 7______(learn) a lot about office life already.
II.
Harry:I 1______(go) to a new Indian restaurant last night with Mary.
Steve:To that new place in Beaumont Street?
Harry:Yes, 2______(you/be/ever) there?
Steve:No, but Barbara 3______(be/already) there twice. She 4______(love) it. She says she 5______(eat/never) such delicious Indian food. So, what 6______(you/order) ?
Harry:I 7______(have) a prawn curry and Mary 8______(try) a Tandoori chicken. They 9______(be) both fantastic.
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
1.A: ______you ever ______(ride) a motorbike?
B: Yes, I ______.
A: Ah! When _____ you ______it?
B: I ______it last year.
2.A: ______you ever ______(hit) anybody?
B: Yes, I ______.
A: Ah! Who _____ you _____?
B: I _____ a boy in the park.
3.A: ______your friend ever ______(borrow) money from you?
B: Yes, he ______.
A: When ______he ______it?
B: He ______it two days ago.
4.A: ______you ever ______(see) a horror film?
B: Yes, I _____.
A: When _____ you _____ it?
B: I ______it last night.
A: Who ______(be) with you?
B: I _____ with my sister.
5.A: ______you ever ______(meet) a queen?
B: Yes, I ______.
A: When ______you ______her?
B: I _____ her in London.
6.A: ______you ever ______(make) a birthday cake?
B: Yes, I ______.
A: Oh! When _____ you ______it?
B: I ______it on my last birthday.
7.A: ______you ever ______(get) a telegram?
B: Yes, I ______.
A: Who ______(send) it to you?
B: My sister ______it to me.
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
Barbara:I 1______(see/just) Mr. Carrey. He’s angry because you 2______(not/finish) the report on the bank robbery yet.
Carl:But I 3______(explain) the reason this morning. The bank manager 4______(not / give) me all the details yet.
Barbara:I 5______(do/never) a report on a bank robbery before. Is it exciting?
Carl:I 6______(not/write) many. Last year, I only 7______(write) two.
Barbara:8______(be) there only two bank robberies last year?
Carl:No, there 9______(be) more, of course, but Harry usually writes those reports.
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
A:1______(you/ever/visit) Mexico?
B:Yes, I 2______(go) there last year.
A:3______(you/like) it?
B:We 4______(have) a wonderful time.
******************
- A: ______(you/go) on holiday last year?
B: Yes, I ______(go) to Spain. ______(you/ever/be) there?
A: Yes, I ______(go) there last year too.
- A: I ______(sell) my old computer.
B: Really? When ______(you/sell) it?
A: I ______(sell) it last week.
- A: ______(you /ever / be) to Paris?
B:Yes, we ______(spend) a month in Paris two years ago.
- A:______Fred ______(visit) his grandparents in Italy?
B:Yes, he ______(go) to Italy last summer to see them.
- A:______Mum ______(speak) to Jim?
B:Yes, she ______(call) him this morning.
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
A:1______you ______(fly / ever) in a balloon?
B:Yes, I 2______(be) in a balloon several times.
A:When 3______you ______(make) your first flight?
B:Let me see. I first 4______(go up) in a balloon in 2002.
A:5______you ______(enjoy) it?
B:Oh, yes, and I 6______(decide) to do it again as soon as possible.
A:So how many times 7______you ______(do) it now?
B:Oh, I 8______(make) about twenty flights now.
Write the interviewer’s questions, putting the verbs into the Present Perfect or Simple Past.
Chris:This is Chris Bowker. I am talking to the writer Jayne West at her home in the north of Italy. How long 1______you ______(live) in Italy, Jane?
Jayne:About three years now.
Chris: Where 2______you ______(live) before?
Jayne:I 3______(live) in New Zeeland for about ten years.
Chris: Why 4______you ______(go) to New Zeeland?
Jayne:My husband was from there.
Chris: Why 5______you ______(leave)?
Jayne:My husband 6______(die) and I 7______(have) no reason to stay there.
Chris: How many books 8______you ______(write) so far?
Jayne:Oh, about thirty. I think. I am not sure.
Chris:What 9______(be) your first novel?
Jayne:It was Winter Rose.
Chris:The last time we spoke you were writing a novel about the American Civil War. 10______you ______(finish) that yet?
Jayne:Yes, I 11______(finish) it last year.
Chris:12______you ______(start) a new novel yet?
Jayne:No, not yet. I am taking a break.
Circle the correct form: Present Perfect or Past Simple.
1.A:Have you ever been / Did you ever go rafting?
B:Yes, when I have been / was in Australia.
2.A:I have been / went shopping yesterday.
B:What have you bought / did you buy?
3.A:Have your parents told you off / Did your parents tell you off a lot when you were young?
B:No, they haven’t / didn’t.
4.A:I’m really hungry. It’s seven o o’clock, and I haven’t eaten / didn’t eat anything for lunch.
5.I have had / had a supermarket job on Saturday for three months now. Before I have got / got this job, I have worked / worked in a café.
6.A:I have lost / lost my keys, but I’ve got them back now.
B:Where have you found / did you find them?
A:Well, I eventually have found / found them under my bed.
7.A:I can’t come out this weekend because I’m saving up for my holiday.
B:How much money have you saved / did you save?
8.A:Can you stand up?
B:No, I think I have broken / broke my leg!
A:What has happened / happened?
B:I’ve fallen / fell over while I was kicking the ball.
Fill in the blanks with “simple past tense or present perfect tense”.
Tom:I 1______(watch) Jaws 2 on TV last night. 2______(you/ ever/ see) it?
Jane:Yes. I 3______(buy) the video last week. I 4______(always/ like) shark films. 5______(you/ move) your house yet?
Tom:Of course! I 6______(already/ decorate) the sitting room and bedrooms. My wife and I 7______(be) very busy recently.
Jane:I 8______(see) your wife yesterday. Is she at home now?
Tom:No, she 9______(go) to the shops.
Jane:Well, I 10______(not/ do) my shopping yet, so I’d better go. Goodbye!
****************
Melanie Gibson is interviewing Indira Jones for a job as a guide. Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or the simple past tense.
Melanie:So, Indira, you want to be an adventure guide in the Andes.
Indira:Yes, Ms. Gibson, I 1______(always/love) the Andes.
Melanie:And 2______(you/ever/work) as an adventure guide before?
Indira:Yes, so far I 3______(take) a group of grandmothers on a white-water raft trip in Colorado. And two years ago, I 4______(cross) a 16,000-foot mountain pass in Nepal with a group of teens… in the winter.
Melanie:Impressive, but the Andes are different. 5______(you/study) to be a guide?
Indira:Well, last summer I 6______(take) a course in outdoor survival. They 7______(teach) us about outdoor medical emergencies. But generally, in my life, I 8______(learn) most from hands-on experience.
Melanie:Well, Indira, you sound like the perfect guide for an adventure trip to Machu Pichu.
Read the conversation. Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or the simple past tense.
Mick:1______(you/ever/visit) Europe?
Dave:Yes. I 2______(be) there several times, in fact. Three years ago I 3______(go) to France.
Mick:Really? Where 4______(you/go)?
Dave:I 5______(go) to Paris, of course. And then I 6______(ride) my mountain bike in the Pyrenees. Last year I 7______(ride) my bike in Germany and Switzerland. 8______(you/ever/be) there?
Mick:I 9______(never/be) to Germany, but I 10______(be) to Switzerland.
Dave:When 11______(be) that?
Mick:I 12______(take) an international business course there about eight years ago.
Mrs Davies is the oldest person in our street. She has seen a lot of changes in her life. Read the dialogue below and put the verbs in brackets either in the simple past or present perfect tense.
Kelly:How long 1______(you/live) in Elm Street, Mrs Davies?
Mrs Davies:I 2______(live) here all my life.
Kelly:3______(you/live) in this house all that time?
Mrs Davies:No, but I 4______(be) in this house for fifty years now.
Kelly:Where 5______(you/live) before?
Mrs Davies:I 6______(be born) at number 63.
Kelly:Sixty-three? That’s next door to me.
Mrs Davies:Is it really? That’s nice. Well, I 7______(live) there till I 8______(be) twenty-five. When I 9______(get) married, we 10______(move) into number 20 here.
Kelly:And 11______(you/be) here ever since?
Mrs Davies:Yes, except for a few months in the war. You see, a bomb 12______(fall) on the house next door. So, I 13______(live) at number 63 again for about three months, while they were repairing this one.
Kelly:14______(the street-change) much?
Mrs Davies:Ooh yes! The people 15______(become) much richer. They’ve got cars and televisions. You never 16______(see) a car in this street when I 17______(be) a girl.
Kelly:Do you think life is better now?
Mrs Davies:No, not really. It’s nice to have the telly, but people 18______(become) less friendly. They stay in their own houses all the time. When they go out, they go in their own cars. So you never see anyone. My husband and most of my friends have died now. So it’s often very lonely.
Use the prompts to write the questions. Then give your answers.
Example:you / drive / a carHave you ever driven a car?
Yes, I’ve driven a car. / I’ve never driven a car.
- be abroad
______?
______.
- be in hospital
______?
______.
- speak to someone from Scotland
______?
______.
- visit Antalya
______?
______.
- eat goat’s cheese
______?
______.
- win money in a competition
______?
______.
- fail an important exam
______?
______.
- write to the president
______?
______.
Put the verbs in brackets in the past simple or the present perfect.
1.She ______(never/be) to Australia.
2.They ______(stay) in a three-star hotel in Acapulco last September.
3.I ______(live) here for three years.
4.When ______(you/arrive)?
5.I ______(see) her since we were in school.
6.How long ______(you/know) Janet?
7.I ______(move) to Los Angeles last June.
8.She's in the hospital because she ______(just/have) a baby.
9.My father ______(work) hard all of his life. (He is dead.)
10.My father ______(work) hard all of his life. (He is alive.)
11.My parents ______(like) my girlfriend since they met her.
12.My friend works at Microsoft now, but before that, she ______(have) a job with Boeing.
13.Since January, I ______(have) a great job. I feel very lucky.
14.Last night, I ______(have) an interesting dream. Actually, for the last three weeks, I ______(have) interesting dreams.
15.My teacher in my country was British. I ______(study) with her for 1 year. Now my teacher is American. I ______(study) with her since the beginning of the quarter.
16.I ______(live) in London for 8 years, and I don’t want to move.
17.He ______(live) in Oxford for 2 years, and then in 2006 he ______(move) to London.
18.Since I was a child, I ______(like) collecting stamps. When I was child, I ______(collect) coins.
19.Barbara Lively ______(write) a lot of books. She ______(write) the first one 15 years ago.
20.I really expect to get a high TOEFL® Test score. I ______(study) for this exam for 6 months. My friend is also taking the TOEFL® Test. She ______(study) one day last week. Since she was in elementary school, she ______
(like/not) to study.
21.I 1______(move) to Seattle in January. I 2______(live) here for 3 months now. I 3______(live) in Canada from 2005 to 2008. My friend 4______(live) in Seattle since 2000.
22.This vacation, my family is going skiing. For the last three vacations, we
1______(go) skiing together. My mother 2______(be) a great skier when she was younger but now she doesn’t enjoy it so much. My father 3______(be) a great skier for all of his life. His father 4______(be) a champion skier for many years, but he 5______(die) last year. My brother 6______(learn) to ski before he could walk. He 7______(love) skiing all his life.
23.Last week, I 1______(meet) my friend at a restaurant. We 2______(have) many things to talk about. He is married now. He 3______(be) married for 2 years. Since 2002, he 4______(work) for a travel agency. He 5______(travel) around the world two times, and he is going to go again next year. I 6______(meet/never) his wife. He 7______(say) she likes to travel, too.
A:______(try/ever/you) Chinese food?
B:No, never.
A: I ______(be) to Russia.
B:Oh, when ______(you/go) there?
A: We ______(meet) Tim and Mary last year at a party.
B: How long ______(you/know) them?
A:______(see/ever) a horror film?
B:Oh, yes. I ______(see) one at the cinema once.
A:Why are they happy?
B:They ______(just/win) a gold medal.
A:I feel terrible. I ______(have) a sore throat for 4 days.
B:I know what you can do. I have some great medicine.
A:I don’t like medicine. I ______(never/take) medicine for a sore throat.
A:What 1______(do) yesterday evening?
B:First I 2______(go) to my French lesson. When I 3______(finish), I 4______(visit) my grandmother and 5______(give) her some flowers. Then I 6______(stay) at home, but I 7______(not watch) television because I 8______(not like) the program very much.
Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct form: present perfect or simple past
A:Where is your key?
B:I don’t know.______(lose) it.
Mary ______(go) to Australia for a while but she is back again now.
A:Where is Ken?
B:He ______(go) out. He will be back in about an hour.
Look! There is an ambulance over there. There ______(be) an accident.
They are still building the new road. They ______(not/finish) it.
A:Is Helen still here?
B:No, she______(just/go) out.
I ______(be) very tired, so I lay down on the bed and went to sleep.
I did German at school but I ______(forget) most of it.
I wanted to phone her but I ______(forget).
I ______(have) a terrible headache this morning but I feel fine now.
The police ______(arrest) three people but later they let them go.
Ann______(give) me her address but I am afraid I ______(lose) it.
Where is my bike? It ______(be) outside the house. It ______(disappear)
What do you think of my English? Do you think I ______(improve)
I don’t know where Amy is.______(you/see) her?
Your car looks very clean. ______(you/wash) it?
George ______(not/be) very well.
Mr.Clark ______(work) in a bank for 15 years. Then he gave it up.
Molly lives in Dublin. She ______(live) there all her life.
I don’t know Carol’s husband. I ______(never/meet/him)
VI. Complete the following extract by choosing the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use either the past simple or the present perfect simple.
Last year our company ______(report) a small increase in profits. This year we ______(see) continued improvement and our turnover ______(rise) by 15 per cent. This is very good news in a difficult world market. In fact internationally, the market ______(fall). Naturally, our costs ______(go up) and so the rise in profits is not so great. It is true that our domestic performance ______(be helped) by the collapse of our competitor, Capra & Pecora, which ______(go out of business) in January.
Verb Review 1 (Past and Present Perfect)
Last night, I ______(talk) to my friend. She
______(have) great news. She’s getting married
soon. But she ______(tell/not) her parents yet.
They ______(be) angry at her for two weeks
because she ______(borrow) their car and
______(have) an accident two weeks ago.
Put the verbs in the correct tense. Use the SIMPLE PAST or the PRESENT PERFECT:
1.……………………….. Tim ………………………. (finish) his work yet?
2.……………………….. he ………………………… (finish) it yesterday?
3.They ……………………………………. (just / go) out.
4.They ……………………………… (go) out a minute ago.
5.…………………… Ann …………………………. (study) yesterday afternoon?
6.…………………… you …………………………. (send) the letters yet?
7.…………………… she ………………………….. (call) him a week ago?
8.They ………………………………………. (not / see) the film yet.
9.The train ……………………………………………… (just / arrive).
10.………………………. you ……………………………. (ever / be) in a TV studio?
11.…………………… you and Tom ………………………… (enjoy) the party last night?
12.…………………… you ………………………………. (not / finish) school last year?
13.I ………………………………………. (lose) my dictionary. I can’t find it anywhere.
14.His hair looks short. He ………………………………………….. (have) a haircut.
15.When ………………………………………………. (he / give up) smoking?
16.Jane …………………………………….. (buy) her car two weeks ago.
17.My bicycle isn’t here. Somebody ……………………………………………. (take) it.
18.Why ……………………………………… (Jim / not want) to play tennis last Friday?
19.The car looks clean. ……………………….. you ……………………….. (wash) it?
20.When we were on holiday, the weather …………………………… (be) terrible.
PRESENT PERFECT VS. PAST SIMPLE
Read the text below about Max’s passport. Underline the verbs used in the present perfect tense and the verbs used in the simple past tense. Decide why each tense is used in each case.
Max has visited 9 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. He has been to 6 different countries in Asia. In 1986, he went to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. He has visited Japan and Singapore twice. The first time he visited Japan was in 1995 and the second time was in 1996. He went to Singapore in 1988 and 1995. In 1990, he visited Canada. Max hasn’t been to Europe too often; he has been to England and France only once.
Alice is on vacation in New York City. Complete her postcard home, choosing verbs from the list below (some of the verbs can be used more than once). Use either the simple past or present perfect form of the verb.
Hi Folks!Having a great time! I 1______at least 50 miles, but I 2______lots of interesting things. Yesterday I 3______the Staten Island Ferry, and on Thursday I 4______to the top of the Empire State Building. I 5______several shows. Two nights ago I 6______to see “CATS”. I 7______great tickets. Wonderful food!!! I 8______some delicious meals. Yesterday I 9______sushi for the first time. See you next week.
Love, Alice
P.S. I 10______lots of money! / The Murphys
1403 Eastwood
Ann Arbor,
MI 48103
Read the text and fill in the blanks with present perfect and simple past tense.
Last February Bert and Emily Atkins 1______(win) 1 million pounds on the lottery. How 2______their lives 3______(change) since then? Well, the simple answer is their lives 4______(not/change) at all. They still live in their old little house. “We don’t want to move,” says Emily. “We 5______(live) here since 1970, and all our friends are around here.” Bert 6______(not/give up) his job at a local factory. He 7______(work) there for thirty years. So what difference 8______the money ______(make) to their lives? “ Well, we 9______(buy) a new car.” says Emily. “And we 10______(book) a holiday in Florida. We 11______(never/be) abroad and I 12______(always/want) to go to Florida. My sister’s family 13______(go) there last year. They 14______(have) a lovely time. We are going next year, though. I mean, a holiday and a new car in the same year is too extravagant.”
Fill in the gaps with verbs from the box in the Simple Past or Present Perfectform.
Husband:Hi, honey. I 1______just ______some letters. Here they are. I 2______the car, too. Now it shines! And I also 3______the broken shelf yesterday.
Wife:Good! 4______you ______with the typewriter now?