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Exercise 1 The present perfect simple and continuous. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: present perfect simple or present perfect continuous.

1 Peter: You (telephone) for ages. You not nearly (finish)?

Jack: I (not get) through yet. I (try) to get our Paris office but the line (be) engaged all morning.

2 Ann (fail) her driving test three times because she’s so bad at reversing. But she (practise) reversing for the last week and I think she (get) a bit better at it.

3 Tom: I often (wonder) why Bill left the country so suddenly.

Peter: Actually, I just (find) out.

4 He (play) the bagpipes since six o’clock this morning. He only just (stop).

5 Why you (not bring) me the letters for signature? You (not type) them yet?

6 Tom (looking up absent-mindedly as Mary comes in): You (sunbathe)?

Mary (crossly): Don’t be ridiculous! It (rain) all day!

7 A pair of robins (build) a nest in the porch since last week. I (watch) them from my window since they began.

8 The police (not find) the murderer yet, but the dead man’s brother (be) in the station all day. The police say that he (help) them with their enquiries.

9 They (pull) down most of the houses in this street, but they (not touch) the old shop at the corner yet.

10 Tom is convinced that there is gold in these hills but we (search) for six months and (not see) any sign of it.

11 I (wait) for the prices of the houses to come down before buying a house, but I think I (wait) too long and the prices are beginning to go up again.

12 Peter (be) a junior clerk for three years. Lately he (look) for a better post but so far he (not find) anything.

13 I (do) housework all morning and I (not finish) yet.

- I (do) mine already. I always start at 6 a.m.

14 I just (pick) ten pounds of strawberries! I (grow) strawberries for years but I never (have) such a good crop before.

15 What you (do) with the corkscrew? The point is broken off.

- I’m afraid I (use) it to make holes in this tin.

16 She just (sell) two of her own paintings.

- She’s lucky. I (paint) for five years and I (not sell) a single picture yet.

17 They are throwing crockery at each other in the next flat.

- This (happen) before?

- Well, they (have) a good many rows but this is the first time they (throw) crockery.

18 What you (do) with my typewriter? I can’t find it anywhere.

- Tom just (go) off with it. He says he’ll bring it back when he (finish).

19 He (work) for Crow Brothers for forty years and never once (be) late. The firm just (present) him with a gold watch as .a sign of their appreciation.

20 We (mend) sheets all morning but we only (do) three, and now the sewing machine (break) down so we’ll be even slower with the next one.

21 George (collect) matchboxes ever since he left school. Now he (collect) so many that he doesn’t know where to put them.

22 I (look) through my old photograph album. It’s full of photographs of people whose names I completely (forget). I wonder what (happen) to them all.

23 It was lovely at eleven o’clock, but since then the sky (get) steadily darker and the wind (rise). I’m afraid the fine spell (come) to an end.

24 Since he became Mayor, my brother reckons that he (eat) 30 official lunches and 22 official dinners, and he (lose) count of the number of receptions and parties that he (attend).

- He (put) on a lot of weight?

25 Secretary: Customers (ring) up all morning complaining about getting incorrect bills.

Manager: I know, something (go) wrong with our computer. The mechanic (work) on it. I hope he (find) out what’s wrong.

26 Someone (use) my umbrella! It’s all wet! And it was wet yesterday and the day before!

- Well, it wasn’t me. I (not be) out of the house for a week!

27 I (stand) in this queue for ages. It (not move) at all in the last five minutes. I think the man in the ticket office just (shut) his window and (go) off for lunch.

28 The Town Council (consider) my application for permission to build a garage for three months. They just (give) my neighbour permission to build one, so I hope they (decide) to let me have one too.'

29 You look exhausted!

- Yes, I (play) tennis and I (not play) for years, so I’m not used to it.

30 They began widening this road three weeks ago; but the workmen (be) on strike for the last fortnight so they (not get) very far with it.

31 That man (stand) at the bus stop for the last half hour. Shall I tell him that the last bus already (go)?

32 I wonder if anything (happen) to Tom. I (wait) an hour now. He often (keep) me waiting but he never (be) quite so late as this.

33 Mrs Brown (live) next door for quite a long time now but she never (say) more than ‘Good morning’ to me.

34 I just (remember) that I (not pay) the rent yet. I am surprised that the landlord (not ring) me up to remind me.

- It is the first time you (be) late with the rent in 25 years. He probably thinks that you (pay) and he (lose) the cheque.

35 Shop assistant; Could you give me some proof of your identity, madam?

Customer: But I (shop) here for fifteen years!

Shop assistant: I know, madam, but apparently the company (lose) a lot of money lately through dud cheques and they (make) new regulations which we (be told) to apply to all customers no matter how long we (know) them.

36 What you (do)? I (look) for you for ages.

- I (build) a barbecue in the garden.

Student

Exercise 2 The simple past and the past perfect, simple and continuous. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.

1 He (give) me back the book, (thank) me for lending it to him and he (say) that he (enjoy) it very much; but I (know) that he (not read) it because most of the pages (be) still uncut.

2 When he (see) his wife off at the station he (return) home as he (not have) to be at the airport till 9.30.

3 He (not have) to pack, for his wife already (do) that for him and ms case (be) ready in the hall.

4 He (not have) to check the doors and windows either, for his wife always (do) that before she (leave) the house.

5 All he (have) to do (be) to decide whether or not to take his overcoat with him. In the end he (decide) not to.

6 At 8.30 he (pick) up his case, (go) out of house and (slam) the door behind him.

7 Then he (feel) in his jpodrets for the key, for his wife (remind) him to double-lock the irast door.

8 When he (search) all his pockets and (find) no key he Remember) where it (be).

9 He (leave) it in his overcoat pocket.

10 Then he (remember) something else; his passport and tickets (be) m his overcoat pocket as well.

11 I (arrive) in England in the middle of July. I (be told) that England (be) shrouded in fog all year round, so I (be) quite surprised to find that it was merely raining.

12 I (ask) another passenger, an Englishman, about the fog and he (say) that there (not be) any since the previous February.

13 If I (want) fog, he said, I (come) at quite the wrong time.

14 However, he (tell) me that I could buy tinned fog at a shop in Shaftesbury Avenue.

15 He (admit) that he never (buy) fog there himself but (assure) me that they (sell) good quality fog and that it (not be) expensive. I suppose he was joking.

16 When the old lady (return) to her flat she (see) at once that burglars (break) in during her absence, because the front door (be) open and everything in the flat (be) upside down.

17 The burglars themselves (be) no longer there, but they probably only just (leave) because a cigarette was still burning on an ornamental table.

18 Probably they (hear) the lift coming up and (run) down the fire escape.

19 They (help) themselves to her whisky too but there (be) a little left, so she (pour) herself out a drink.

20 She (wonder) if they (find) her jewellery and rather (hope) that they had.

21 The jewellery (be given) her by her husband, who (die) some years before.

22 Since his death she (not have) the heart to wear it, yet she (not like) to sell it.

23 Now it (seem) that fate (take) the matter out of her hands; and certainly the insurance money would come in handy.

24 I (put) the £5 note into one of my books; but next day it (take) me ages to find it because I (forget) which book I (put) it into.

25 A woman (come) in with a baby, who she (say) just (swallow) a safety pin.

26 I (think) my train (leave) at 14.33, and (be) very disappointed when I (arrive) at 14.30 and (learn) that it just (leave).

27 I (find) later that I (use) an out-of-date timetable.

28 He (park) his car under a No Parking sign and (rush) into the shop. When he (come) out of the shop ten minutes later the car (be) no longer there.

29 He (wonder) if someone (steal) it or if the police (drive) it away.

30 It (be) now 6 p.m.; and Jack (be) tired because he (work) hard all day.

31 He (be) also hungry because he (have) nothing to eat since breakfast.

32 His wife usually (bring) him sandwiches at lunch time, but today for some reason she (not come).

33 He (keep) looking at her, wondering where he (see) her before.

34 I (look) out before I (go) to bed and (see) a man standing on the opposite pavement watching the house.

35 When I (get up) the following morning he (be) still there, and I (wonder) whether he (stay) there all night or if he (go) away and (come) back.

36 When I (open) the door I (see) a man on his knees.

37 He clearly (listen) to our conversation and I (wonder) how much he (hear).

38 When I (ask) him what he (do), he (say) that he (drop) a 50p piece outside the door and (look) for it.

39 I (not see) any sign of the money, but I (find) a small notebook and pencil which he probably (drop) when the door (open) suddenly.

40 So he (take) notes of our conversation!

41 The notes (be) written in a foreign language, so I (turn) to the stranger and (ask) him to translate.

42 But he (pull) my hat over my eyes and (run) off down the corridor.

43 By the time I (recover) from the shock he (disappear) round the corner.

44 Curiously enough, when I (move) my foot I (find) that I (stand) on a 50p piece.

45 Perhaps he (tell) the truth after all!'  

Student