GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES

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ACTIVITIES

PRESENT SIMPLE & PAST SIMPLE

1. Decide if the correct tense is the present simple or the past simple: I don’t understand this sentence. What _______ this word ______? [mean] It was a boring weekend. I ___________ anything. [do] My mother ________ up in Scotland. [grow] Robert usually ________ away two or three times a year. [go] The man sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous because he __________ before. [fly] How ______ you ______ now? [feel]

2. Complete each question using a suitable verb:

A: Why _________________ to bed so early last night? [go] B: I was feeling very tired.

A: _________________ television every evening? [watch] B: No, only if there’s something special on.

A: How was your holiday? ________________ a nice time? [have] B: Yes, thanks. It was great.

A: ____________ Bill? [know] B: Yes, I do.

A: ______________ your holiday? [enjoy] B: Yes, it was really good.

A: _____ David there? [be] B: No, I’m afraid he isn’t.

A: How often ______________ to the cinema? [go] B: I go sometimes.

3. Complete the following texts with the verbs in brackets:

At 12.30 am I usually ______ (go) for lunch with Helen, the secretary. She ______ (work) from 8 am to 8 pm. Last week, she _______ (stay) until 9 pm to finish her work. Today, she _______ (have) a lot of things to do but she __________ (not want) to stay late again.

PRESENT SIMPLE & PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or present simple:

Julia is very good at languages. She (speak) four languages very well. Hurry up! Everybody (wait) for you!

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I (improve) my English. My father (teach) me to drive. Where your parents (live)? Normally she (finish) work at five, but this week she (work) until six to earn

extra money. Who is that man? Why he (look) at us? Sarah (not be) nice to me at the moment. What your brother (do)? He (not work) right now.

Decide when the tense is in present simple or in present continuous in each couple of sentences.

BOIL A: Water at 100 degrees Celsius. B: The water . Can you turn it off?

LISTEN A: “ you to the radio?” “No, you can turn it off.” B: “ you to the radio every day?” “No, just occasionally.”

FLOW A: The River Nile into the Mediterranean. B: The River very fast today, much faster than usual.

GROW A: We usually vegetables in our garden. B: This year we any vegetables.

STAY A: Rachel is in London at the moment. She at the Park Hotel. B: She always there when she’s in London.

Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. I (not sleep) right now. Sue (go) to the cinema twice a month. The students (not take) an exam every week. Look! I (juggle) balls! Alan (not like) magic.

Complete the text with the verbs in brackets. Use the present simple or present continuous.

Our local market (open) every Friday at 7 o’clock. The workers usually ________ (stand) quietly. They (not shout) and they certainly don’t sing (not sing). But today is different. Today, there is a festival at the market! At the moment, two musicians __________________ (play) guitars, but they (not sing). An artist _________________ (draw) a picture on the pavement. Oh no! What (happen) now? It (rain)! The poor pavement artist!

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At the moment Mo and Snapper (hide). They (watch) Mo’s dad. Mo’s dad usually (walk) to his office, but today he (want) to take his car to work. He (look) at his car now. Mo and snapper _____________ (laugh) because Mo’s dad looks very surprised. Mo and Snapper have got the car keys. Now Mo and Snapper (hide) the car keys in the garden. They (love) playing tricks on Mo’s dad.

PRESENT PERFECT

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the Present Perfect Simple.

The volunteers _____________ (knit) thousands of jerseys. The conservation group ________________ (not use) all of the jerseys yet. We ________________ (watch) many programmes about penguins. My sister _______________ (work) with many of the penguins. Martin ______________ (try) to solve the problem. We _________________ (not visit) Australia this year. I ______________ (not clean) the kitchen.

Fill in the gaps of this conversation.

SPLODGE: ________ you ever ________ (eat) a mud pie, Lionel? LIONEL: No, I haven’t. But I _______________ (eat) some delicious fish. I love fish. SPLODGE: I hate fish. __________ your friends ever ________ (go) to other countries? LIONEL: Yes, of course! My friend Hector ___________ (travel) round Australia three times. SPLODGE: _________ he ever __________ (see) a kangaroo? LIONEL: Yes, he has. But he ________ never ________ (meet) a koala. I know lots of koalas. There is a very friendly koala at Wibble Zoo. SPLODGE: Great! Can we go and see him? I want to talk to him. I ________ never _________ (speak) to a koala in my life. LIONEL: No, we can’t. He ______________ (go) to New Zealand.

Complete the sentences with the following words: yet, already, ever, never, just.

They haven’t bought a car _______. Have you __________ been to Alaska? We have ___________ slept in a tent. Is it fun? Have your friends arrived ________? He is probably outside the door. He has ___________ left. I haven’t finished my homework __________. That was the most frightening moment I have _________ experienced in my life. Mary has _________ put on her make-up and now she is ready to go. I have ________ been to the USA but I want to go one day. Carol has _________ baked the cake. She baked it yesterday.

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You haven’t done your project _________. Mum has ________ left the house. Maybe she is outside. Have you __________ volunteered in an organization?

Circle the correct answer.

They have known each other for / since a long time. We haven’t spoken for / since Monday. He hasn’t played football for / since he hurt his foot last week. I haven’t eaten anything for / since hours. Fish haven’t lived there for / since the oil spill. Real fur coats haven’t been fashionable for / since years.

PAST SIMPLE & PAST CONTINUOUS

Complete the sentences below. Use the Past Simple.

It was warm, so I ________ off my coat. (take) The film wasn’t very good. I ___________ it very much. (not enjoy) I knew Sarah was very busy, so I ______________ her. (not disturb) I was very tired, so I ________ the party early. (leave)

Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.

Jenny ______________ (wait) for me when I __________. (arrive) “What _________ you ___________ (do) at this time yesterday?” How fast _________ you ___________ (drive) when the accident __________? (happen) When I was young, I __________ (want) to be a pilot. I _________ (walk) along the street when suddenly I ________ (hear) footsteps behind me.

Somebody ____________________ (follow) me. I was scared and I _________ (start) to run. Last night I _________ (drop) a plate when I _______________ (do) the washing up. Fortunately it

_____________ (not break).

Put the verb into the correct form in these short stories. Use both Past Simple or Past Continuous.

1. I _________ (see) Sue in town yesterday, but she _____________ (not see) me. She ______________ (look) the other way.

2. I ___________ (meet) Tom and Jane at the airport a few weeks ago. They ______________ (go) to Paris and I ________________ (go) to Rome. We ________ (have) a chat while we ________ (wait) for our flights.

3. I ______________ (cycle) home yesterday when a man _____________ (stop) in the road in front of me. I _______________ (go) quite fast, but luckily I ___________ (manage) to stop in time and ___________ (not hit) him.

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Circle the correct answers.

While we waited / were waiting at the bus stop, I was seeing / saw a friend. As I was walking / walked to school, I was meeting / met some friends. They were dancing / danced while the band was playing / played. While I was watching / watched TV, my sister was doing / did her homework. He was crashing / crashed into a tree while he was riding / rode his bike.

Complete the sentences with while or when.

I was buying a newspaper _____________ my favourite singer walked into the shop. ___________ Sally was talking to her neighbor, the phone rang. People were listening to the news ______________ they heard about the disaster. ___________ the plane crashed, the pilot was talking on his radio. ___________ we were waiting for the train, we looked at the clock on the wall.

EXPRESSING THE FUTURE

Complete the sentences with the words below. Use be going to.

Do Not come Not drive Visit Watch We __________________ the football match tomorrow evening. I _____________________ my homework later. John and Paul _____________________ to London next summer. My father ___________________ me to school tomorrow. __________ you ____________________ the museum with us?

Put the verb in brackets in Present Simple.

_________ the film _______________ (begin) at 3.30 or at 4.30? The art exhibition ______________ (finish) on 3 May. The concert ______________ (start) at 7.30. Her train __________ (come) at 10.15. What time ___________ this train __________ (arrive) to London?

Write sentences with the words below. Use the Present Continuous.

Danny / leave / in five minutes. _____________________________________________________________________

We / not stay / late / tonight. _____________________________________________________________________

Lisa / not do / the test /tomorrow. _____________________________________________________________________

I / cook / dinner / later. _____________________________________________________________________

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The boys / paint / their room / at the weekend. _____________________________________________________________________

Complete the text with the verbs in brackets and use the correct form of will.

What _______ the world _____ (be) like fifty years from now? That’s a question many people ask and I __________ (try) to answer. First of all, people ___________________ (communicate) more easily. Everybody _______________ (have) very small mobile phones but they ________________ (not hold) them. They _______________ (wear) them on their clothes, in their ear or on their hand. Travel ________________ (improve) too. People ___________ (not sit) in traffic for hours because they _________________ (not use) ordinary cars. They _________________ (fly) in sky cars. But _____________ all the changes ______________ (improve) our lives? I don’t think so. People _________________ (become) lazy because they ______________________ (use) more technology and they ______________ (not do) manual work. _________ you ____________ (enjoy) living in a world like that? I know I won’t.

What are the people going to do tomorrow? Use be going to. Jake ______________________ (not meet) his friends at the park. Dan and Allison ___________________ (buy) some new clothes. Claire _______________________ (not play) tennis. A cool hunter ___________________ (interview) Harry Brandon and Amy _____________________ (go) to the cinema. Gary ______________________ (wear) designer jeans.

Complete the sentences in the Present Continuous. I _________________ (have) lunch soon. My class _________________ (not go) on a trip tomorrow. My friends _______________________ (come) to my house tonight. My school __________________ (not organize) a party next week. I _____________________ (buy) a new CD later.