This document provides a review of 12 English verb tenses: simple present, present progressive, simple past, past progressive, future, future progressive, and going to future. It explains the meaning and usage of each tense through examples and exercises requiring the reader to identify, form, or apply the correct verb tense based on time cues in sentences. Practice questions cover topics like habits, ongoing actions, completed past events, future plans, and mixing tenses.

1. Reviewing Verb Tenses
© 2001 by Ruth Luman
References

2. Verb Tense Review
The Importance of Time
Verb tense expresses the time of an event or action. Time and how it is expressed in
writing is very important to English readers. The English language has twelve
different tenses. In this lesson, we will review the meaning of each verb tense.

3. The Simple Present Tense
Expresses a habit or often repeated action. Adverbs of frequency such
as, often, seldom, sometimes, never, etc. are used with this tense.
She goes to work everyday.
They always eat lunch together.

4. The Simple Present Tense
This tense also expresses general truths or facts that are timeless.
Snow falls in the December in Minnesota.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

5. Write the correct form of the verb.
• I ( like) lemonade very much.
• The girls always ( listen) to pop music.
• Janet never ( wear) jeans.
• Mr Smith ( teach) Spanish and French.
• You ( do) your homework after.

6. Fill in the correct form of the verbs.
• We (have) a nice garden.
• She ( be) six years old.
• Simon ( have) two rabbits and five goldfish.
• I ( be) from Vienna, Austria.
• They ( be) Sandy's parents.

7. Give the correct verb form
• I ( listen) to music every day.
• Simon ( collect) stamps.
• We ( wash) the dishes once a day.
• My mother always ( make) breakfast.
• Sarah usually ( meet) Maria at the tennis club

8. Give the correct verb form
• Mr. Williams often (teach) the dogs new
tricks.
• They always ( throw) their litter in the bin.
• The referee usually ( stop) the game after 90
minutes.
• The kids ( hurry) to open their presents.
• This car can ( do) 250 km/h.

9. Long and Short Forms
Rewrite the sentences in the short form (where
the long form is given) or in the long form
(where the short form is given).
• She has got a nice mobile. →
• We don't use a computer. →
• Johnny does not swim in the lake. →
• They are from Budapest, Hungary. →
• This isn't my cup of tea. →

10. Negative Sentences
Make negative sentences.
• They go to the supermarket. →
• Ben does his homework in the kitchen. →
• Jenny takes photos. →
• I learn French words. →
• He has two older sisters. →

11. Questions
Ask for the bold part of the sentence.
• Danny goes to school from Monday to Friday.
→
• My rabbit has a cage in the garden. →
• The children like cats because they are nice.
→
• Jenny is never late. →
• Andrew's new mountain bike costs €1000. →

12. Negative Sentences
• My father makes breakfast. →
• They are eleven. →
• She writes a letter. →
• I speak Italian. →
• Danny phones his father on Sundays. →

13. Questions
• Make questions.
• you / to speak / English →
• when / he / to go / home →
• they / to clean / the bathroom →
• where / she / to ride / her bike →
• Billy / to work / in the superm

14. The Present Progressive
This tense is used to describe an action that is occurring right now (at this
moment, today, this year, etc.). The action has begun and is still in progress.
She is typing a paper for her class.
He can’t talk. He is fixing the sink right now.

15. The Present Progressive
The present progressive can also be used to describe an action that is occurring in the
present, but is temporary.
John is living in Modesto, but he might move soon.

16. Use a verb in the correct present
progressive form.
• Look! Andy ________in the garden.
• I _________TV at the moment.
• We ___________a book.
• She ____________the piano.
• Listen! Sue and John __________.

17. Use the present progressive.
• My sister ( clean) the bathroom.
• Look! They ( go) inside.
• I ( wait) in the car now.
• Mrs Miller ( listen) to CDs
• We (to speak) English at the moment

18. Rewrite the sentences using the
negative forms.
• We are playing a game.
• I'm drawing a picture.
• He is making pizza right now.
• Susan and her brother are taking photos.
• Dad is working in the kitchen.
•

19. „Was“ or „Were“?
• I _______hungry.
• You_______ in Australia last year.
• She _________not there.
• Charly Chaplin__________ a famous actor.
• Lisa and James___________ at home.

20. The Simple Past
We use the simple past to indicate exactly when an action or event took place in the
past.
I visited my sister yesterday.
We went out to dinner last night.

21. The Simple Past
The simple past is used to describe actions and/or events that are now completed and
no longer true in the present.
I attended MJC in 1998. (I no longer attend MJC.)
I saw a movie every weekend when I was a teenager. (I don’t see movies very much anymore

22. Write the sentences
into Simple Past Tense. Add a time
expression in the past
• you / cards / play
• I / a car / want
• we / the game / lose
• not / I / early / get up
• not / Jeff and Linda / home / cycle

23. Complete the Table
in Simple Past Tense
• Positive Negative Question
Jane was tired.
Sean did not work.
Did I have a cat
Mary did not sing.
Did she see us?

24. Ask for the bold part of the sentence.
• Billy ate an apple.
• The children played in the garden.
• Laura came home at six o'clock.
• The boy read a book.
• The girl wrote five letters.

25. Write the sentences
in the simple past.
• Janet / the bus / miss
• she / her room / tidy
• not / Rupert / the number / dial
• she / a friend / phone
• not / Andy / the ball / pass

26. The Past Progressive
The past progressive is used to talk about an activity that was in progress at a specific
point of time in the past. The emphasis is on the duration of the activity in the past.
I was studying for an exam while my mother was cooking dinner.
We were walking in the park around 7 p.m. last night.

27. The Past Progressive
The past progressive is often used with the simple past to show that one action was in
progress when another action occurred.
I was taking a bath when the doorbell rang.
They were eating dinner when the neighbors stopped by for a visit.

28. Complete the table in past
progressive.
• Positive Negative Question
It was raining.
They were not playing. Was I listening?
Caron was not eating.
You were singing.

29. The Future
Will and be + going + to are often used to describe future actions.
Thomas will graduate in June.
Maria is going to go to Mexico next week.

30. The Future
The simple present and present progressive are also used to express future time.
These are often used used in connection with schedules.
She is meeting a new client at eleven o’clock.
The train leaves at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

31. Test 1 Simple Future
•they / call / us
/tomorrow
–Positive:
–Negative:
–Question:

32. • you / copy / the homework
–Positive:
–Negative:
• Question:

33. •the clouds / disappear
–Positive:
–Negative:
–Question:

34. The Future Progressive
This tense is used to describe an event or action that will occur over a period of time
at a specific point in the future.
at 10 a.m. tomorrow
by the time you arrive
I will be teaching ESL 40 at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
They will be moving their furniture out of the house by the time you arrive tomorrow.

35. Give the correct verb form
in Future Progressive
• he / marry / his girlfriend
–Positive:
–Negative:
• Question:

36. Going to form (Future Tense)
•they / share / a room
–Positive:
–Negative:
–Question: