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Tenses Exercises

Practice these tenses exercises to improve your understanding of different tenses. These exercises will help you use correct tenses in sentences and make your grammar stronger.

Exercise 1 – Identify the Type of Tense

Read the sentences below and identify the tense used.

1. The sun sets in the west.
2. I was watching TV when you called.
3. She will visit her grandmother next weekend.
4. He has finished his homework.
5. We have been waiting for the bus for an hour.
6. They played football yesterday.
7. She is cooking dinner now.
8. He had completed the project before the deadline.
9. We will be attending the seminar tomorrow.
10. She had been studying all night.

Answers for Exercise 1

1. Simple Present Tense
2. Past Continuous Tense
3. Simple Future Tense
4. Present Perfect Tense
5. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
6. Simple Past Tense
7. Present Continuous Tense
8. Past Perfect Tense
9. Future Continuous Tense
10. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Exercise 2 – Rewrite as Directed

Change the given sentences into the tense mentioned in brackets.

1. I read books every day. (Present continuous tense)
2. They were playing football. (Simple past tense)
3. The baby has been crying for an hour. (Past perfect continuous tense)
4. She wrote a letter. (Future simple tense)
5. He is fixing his car. (Present perfect tense)
6. We had completed the assignment. (Past continuous tense)
7. They will watch a movie tonight. (Future continuous tense)
8. The teacher explains the lesson. (Present perfect tense)
9. She has cooked dinner. (Past perfect tense)
10. We were waiting at the station. (Present perfect continuous tense)

Answers for Exercise 2

1. I am reading books every day.
2. They played football.
3. The baby had been crying for an hour.
4. She will write a letter.
5. He has fixed his car.
6. We were completing the assignment.
7. They will be watching a movie tonight.
8. The teacher has explained the lesson.
9. She had cooked dinner.
10. We have been waiting at the station.

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb.

1. She ______ (go) to school every morning.
2. We ______ (watch) a movie right now.
3. The children ______ (play) in the park yesterday.
4. He ______ (finish) his work before the deadline.
5. They ______ (travel) to Paris next summer.
6. I ______ (know) him for five years.
7. The birds ______ (sing) since morning.
8. She ______ (write) an email when I arrived.
9. They ______ (build) a house for the last two months.
10. He ______ (complete) the project by tomorrow.

Answers for Exercise 3

1. She goes to school every morning.
2. We are watching a movie right now.
3. The children played in the park yesterday.
4. He had finished his work before the deadline.
5. They will travel to Paris next summer.
6. I have known him for five years.
7. The birds have been singing since morning.
8. She was writing an email when I arrived.
9. They have been building a house for the last two months.
10. He will have completed the project by tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is tense in English grammar?

Tense shows when an action happens like past, present, or future.

2. How many types of tenses are there?

There are three main types:

• Present Tense (happening now)
• Past Tense (happened before)
• Future Tense (will happen later)

Each has four subtypes, making 12 tenses in total.

3. What is the difference between simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses?

• Simple Tense – The simple tense talks about general actions or facts. Example: "She writes a letter."
• Continuous Tense – The continuous tense Talks about ongoing actions. Example: "She is writing a letter."
• Perfect Tense – The perfect tense Talks about completed actions. Example: "She has written a letter."
• Perfect Continuous Tense – The perfect continuous tense talks about actions that started earlier and are still going on. Example: "She has been writing a letter."

4. How do we use past perfect tense?

We use past perfect when talking about two past actions, where one happened before the other. Example:

"I had finished my homework before my mom came home."

5. What is the easiest way to learn tenses?

The best way is to practice! Read, write, and speak using different tenses. Try exercises like the ones above to improve your understanding.