The document contains 4 short stories where the verbs are provided in brackets and the reader must put them into the correct tense. The summaries are: 1) A man on a train crumples up newspaper pages and throws them out the window to keep away elephants, despite there being none around. 2) A truck driver has his vehicle break down while transporting penguins, and another driver agrees to take them to the zoo but instead takes them to the movies. 3) A vampire bat wants to sleep after feeding but the other bats pester him for details, so he leads them on a wild goose chase. 4) Holmes and Watson go stargazing and Watson analyzes what he sees

1. FUNTASTIC TENSES 1
Put the verbs in brackets into suitable tense forms.
A friend of mine ........................... (travel) by train and opposite him
sat a gentleman reading The Times. Every so often he .......................
(take) a sheet of the newspaper, ....................... (crumple) it up,
........................ (open) the window, ......................... (throw) it out and
..................... (shut) the window.
After he ...................... (do) this a few times, my friend said, “Excuse
me, why ............... you ................... (do) that?”
“Oh,” he replied, “it .................... (keep) the elephants away.”
“But,” my friend said, “there .................... (be) no elephants here.”
“Of course not,” he replied. “That proves it ..................... (work)!”

2. FUNTASTIC TENSES 2
Put the verbs in brackets into suitable tense forms.
A truck driver ……………… (drive) 100 penguins to the New York Zoo
when his truck ……………… (break) down on the freeway. The driver
…………… (get) out of the cab and ……………… (look) at the engine when a
second truck driver …………… (stop) in front of him and …………… (ask)
if he needed any help. The penguins' driver ……………… (explain) that
he …………… (be) on his way to the zoo and asked if the other man
would take the penguins there. He …………… (agree).
Some hours later, the second truck driver …………… (drive) past the
first one, who ………………… (still / wait) on the freeway for help to
come. The penguins, however, …………… (be) still on the truck!
"I thought I …………… (ask) you to take those penguins to the zoo,"
shouted the first driver. The second man ……………… (reply), "I ……………
(do), but I have some money left, so we ……………… (go) to the cinema
now."

3. FUNTASTIC TENSES 3
Put the verbs in brackets into suitable tense forms.
A young vampire bat, covered in fresh blood, reached his cave at
night. He ……………… (want) to get some sleep, but all the other bats
……………… (smell) the blood and ……………… (begin) asking him about
where he ……………… (get) it. He …………… (be) tired and needing a rest,
so he …………… (tell) them to leave him alone. However, it …………… (be)
clear that he wasn't going to get any sleep until he ………………
(satisfy) their curiosity.
"OK!" he …………… (say). "Follow me!"
He …………… (fly) out of the cave with hundreds of bats following
close behind him. Down through the valley they …………… (go), across
the river and into the deep forest. Finally he …………… (slow) down and
all the other bats excitedly ……………… (gather) around him.
"………… you ………… (see) that tree over there?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, yes!" the bats all ……………… (scream) like crazy.
"Good," said the first bat, "Because I DIDN'T!"

4. FUNTASTIC TENSES 4
Put the verbs in brackets into suitable tense forms.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson ……………… (go) on a camping trip.
After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they …………… (lie) down for
the night, and …………… (fall) asleep. Some hours later, Holmes ……………
(open) his eyes and nudged his faithful friend awake. "Watson, look
up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson …………… (reply), "I …………… (see) millions and millions of
stars."
"What ………… that ………… (tell) you?" Holmes asked.
Watson ……………… (think) for a minute. "Astronomically, it ……………
(tell) me that there …………… (be) millions of galaxies and billions of
planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Theologically,
I ………… (see) that God is all powerful and that we are small and
insignificant. Meteorologically, I ……………… (suspect) that we ……………
(have) a beautiful day tomorrow. What ………… it ………… (tell) you?"
Holmes …………… (be) silent for a minute, then ………… (say), "Watson,
you idiot! Someone ……………… (steal) our tent."

5. Key 1:
A friend of mine was travelling by train and opposite him sat a gentleman reading The Times.
Every so often he took a sheet of the newspaper, crumpled it up, opened the window, threw it
out and shut the window. After he had done this a few times, my friend said, “Excuse me, why
are you doing that?” “Oh,” he replied, “it keeps the elephants away.” “But,” my friend said,
“there are no elephants here.” “Of course not,” he replied. “That proves it works!”
Key 2:
A truck driver was driving 100 penguins to the New York Zoo when his truck broke down on the
freeway. The driver got out of the cab and was looking at the engine when a second truck driver
stopped in front of him and asked if he needed any help. The penguins' driver explained that he
was on his way to the zoo and asked if the other man would take the penguins there. He agreed.
Some hours later, the second truck driver drove past the first one, who was still waiting on the
freeway for help to come. The penguins, however, were still on the truck! "I thought I asked you
to take those penguins to the zoo," shouted the first driver. The second replied, "I did, but I
have some money left, so we're going to the cinema now."
Key 3:
A young vampire bat, covered in fresh blood, reached his cave at night. He wanted to get some
sleep, but all the other bats smelled the blood and began asking him about where he had got it.
He was tired and needing a rest, so he told them to leave him alone. However, it was clear that
he wasn't going to get any sleep until he satisfied their curiosity. "OK!" he said. "Follow me!" He
flew out of the cave with hundreds of bats following close behind him. Down through the valley
they went, across the river and into the deep forest. Finally he slowed down and all the other
bats excitedly gathered around him. "Do / Can you see that tree over there?" he asked. "Yes,
yes, yes!" the bats all screamed like crazy. "Good," said the first bat, "Because I DIDN'T!"
Key 4:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine
they lay down for the night, and fell asleep. Some hours later, Holmes opened his eyes and
nudged his faithful friend awake. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson
replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Holmes asked. Watson
thought for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and billions
of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Theologically, I can see that God is all
powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a
beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then said,
"Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent."
The author of the pictures: Aire Ansen