MIXED TENSES

I. Choose the best answer a), b), c) or d).

1. Andrew _________ lunch by the time they arrived.
a) finished c) had finished
b) was finished d) has finished
2. I have a terrible headache. I ___________ another aspirin.
a) take c) am taking
b) ’ll take d) will be taking
3. A cold wind _____ for the last week.
a) has been blowing c) blows
b) is blowing d) blew
4. We’ll meet in September when she _____ back.
a) will come c) came
b) will have come d) comes
5. Maria ____________ a comic when the teacher asked her to come to the blackboard.
a) was reading c) read
b) has been reading d) has read
6. You won’t need the jacket. It _________ warmer.
a) gets c) ’s got
b) ’s getting d) ’d got
7. Bryan _____ when the meeting started.
a) hasn’t arrived c) hasn’t been arriving
b) hadn’t arrived d) wasn’t arriving
8. To be honest, I ___________ she will be able to handle this properly.
a) doubt c) am doubting
b) have doubted d) will doubt
9. They _________ for 5 years at the end of this year.
a) will date c) will be dating
b) will have been dating d) are going to date
10. I am not surprised they’ve broken up. She never knew if she could trust him and was
afraid he ___________ her.
a) will leave c) would leave
b) is going to leave d) will have left
11. Call the police. Our apartment __________ into.
a) was broken c) is broken
b) has been broken d) will be broken
12. She can’t go hiking with us. She _____________ on her new book all day tomorrow.
a) will be working c) is working
b) will work d) will have worked
13. By the time you finish my dress it ____________ old-fashioned.
a) will become c) is becoming
b) will be becoming d) will have become
14. They __________ for some time when their mother told them to be silent.
a) had shouted c) had been shouting
b) have shouted d) have been shouting
15. The letter ____________ by the end of the week.
a) is not going to be delivered c) is not delivered
b) won’t be delivered d) won’t have been delivered
II. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Some
verbs are negative.

1. I ________ (start) looking for a new flat 2 weeks ago, but I still _________ (find)
anything suitable. I __________ (live) with my parents these days.
2. We _______ (see) Mike yesterday, but Ann _________ (want) to meet him so we
___________ (cross) the street.
3. In a few minutes’ time, when the clock ____________________ (strike) 5, I
____________________ (wait) here half an hour.
4. Mrs Blake ____________ (arrange) the flowers yet, but she _______________ (do) it
before she ________ (go) home.
5. You must be hungry. Let me just put this away and I ______________ (make) you some
sandwiches.
6. Let’s meet at the station. The train ___________________ (leave) at 7 p.m.
7. You __________________ (eat) the whole pie! You _________________ (be) sick.
8. She won’t be able to come in the afternoon. She ________________ (see) her lawyer at 4
o’clock.
9. Don’t expect us to come at 6 o’clock. We _______________________ (still, play) tennis.
10. They __________________ (date) for 5 years before he finally ___________________
(propose) to her.
11. What____________________ (you, do) the whole evening while we
____________________ (look for) you?
12. When we ____________________ (go) to see him last night, he ____________________
(play) computer games; he ____________________(play) since lunch time.
13. By the end of last year they ____________________ (finished) three large projects, and
by next year they ____________________ (finish) two more. I ____________________
(be) with them since last month, but I ____________________ (believe) they
____________________ (work) on presentations at present.
14. Look at that little boy in the corner. He ____________ (wait) for three hours now and no
one __________ (come) to take him home.
15. Look at this mess! You ___________ (always, leave) your clothes all over the room!

III. Put the verbs in brackets into the appropriate tense. Passive will be needed
sometimes.

Einstein’s Chauffeur
This 0 is (be) a true anecdote about Albert Einstein, and his theory of relativity.
After having propounded his famous theory, Albert Einstein 1 ________ (tour) the various
Universities in the United States, delivering lectures wherever he 2 ________ (go). He 3
________ always (accompany) by his faithful chauffeur, Harry, who 4 ________ (listen to)
each of these lectures while he 5 ________ (sit) in the back row! One fine day, after Einstein
6 ________ (finish) a lecture and 7 ________ (come out) of the auditorium into his vehicle,
Harry 8 ________ (address) him and 9 ________ (say), “Professor Einstein, 10 ________
(hear) your lecture on Relativity so many times, that if I 11 ________ ever (give) the
opportunity, I 12 ________ (be) able to deliver it to perfection myself!”

“Very well,” 13 ________ (reply) Einstein, “I 14 ________ (go) to Dartmouth next week, and
I 15 ________ (meet) some young scientists there. They 16 ________ (know) me. You 17
________ (deliver) the lecture as Einstein, and I 18 ________ (take) your place as Harry!”
And so it 19 ________ (go) to be... Harry 20 ________ (deliver) the lecture to perfection,
without a word out of place, while Einstein 21 ________ (relax) in the back row playing
“chauffeur”. He 22 ________ (enjoy) a snooze for a change.

After Harry 23 ________ (give) the lecture, while he 24 ________ (descend) from the
podium, however, one of the research assistants 25 ________ (intercept) him, and 26
________ (begin) to ask him a question on the theory of relativity.... one that 27 ________
(involve) a lot of complex calculations and equations. Harry 28 ________ (reply) to the
assistant “The answer to this question 29 ________ (be) very simple! In fact, it’s so simple,
that I 30 ________ (let) my chauffeur answer it!”

IV. Some of the following sentences are correct and some have mistakes in them.
Tick the correct ones and correct the ones with mistakes.
1. My brother and his fiancée will get married on Saturday. They have invited more than 300
guests.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. It’s three minutes to 8. We are going to be late.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. They have left home at 7 o’clock and arrived to school at 8.30.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. He has been eating three sandwiches and he is still hungry.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. I have to sit down. I have run for more than an hour.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. I found that ring while I was playing in the sand with my nephew.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. When I checked your homework I noticed that you had problems with spelling.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. I am really angry. She is always borrowing my clothes without asking me anything!
_____________________________________________________________________
9. A stitch in time is saving nine.
_____________________________________________________________________
10. She enrolled at university last year. Which subjects did she chose?
_____________________________________________________________________
11. Why you lent her my earrings? I was going to wear them tonight.
_____________________________________________________________________
12. They had driven for only 10 minutes when they had a puncture.
_____________________________________________________________________
13. This is the best pizza I ever had.
_____________________________________________________________________
14. I had been hoping to explain it to her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.
_____________________________________________________________________
15. By the time she comes the best roles will have taken.
_____________________________________________________________________

V. Rewrite these sentences so that the meaning is the same, using the word in bold
type. Do not change the word.
1. The bridge is 20 years old.
ago
The bridge ___________________________.
 2. One of the actors passed out during the rehearsal for the play.
while
One of the actors passed out ____________________________________ for the play.
3. In your opinion, who is going to pass the exam?
you
Who ________________________________________ the exam?
4. This isn’t the first time I have watched this movie.
already
I ______________________________________________ this movie.
5. I’d rather not go out with you tonight.
feel
I _____________________________________ with you tonight.
6. We are disappointed because they forgot everything we had taught them.
remember
We are disappointed because they _________________________ we had taught them.
7. Their lunch will be over by 1 o’clock.
finished
They ________________________________________________ by one o’clock.
8. When we returned to the meeting room the Japanese guests were not there anymore.
time
The Japanese guests ___________________________ we returned to the meeting room.
9. I hope he will bring the CD player downstairs.
leave
I hope he _______________________________________.
10.She obeyed her parents only after they threatened they would cut off her allowance.
until
She __________________________ they threatened they would cut off her allowance.
11.She started smoking 20 years ago and she hasn’t given up yet.
for
She ___________________________________________ .
12.The play will take less than a month to put on stage.
have
They _________________________________________ in less than a month.
13.When we came out of the restaurant it was raining.
started
It ______________________________________ when we came out of the restaurant.
14.It has been a month since she dusted the shelves.
ago
She __________________________________________________________.
15.Whose are these books?
to
Who _________________________________________?

KEY
I.
1. c) had finished
2. b) ’ll take
3. a) has been blowing
4. b) comes
5. a) was reading
6. b) ’s getting
7. b) hadn’t arrived
8. a) doubt
9. b) will have been dating
10. c) would leave
11. b) has been broken
12. a) will be working
13. d) will have become
14. c) had been shouting
15. d) won’t have been delivered

II.
1. started, haven’t found, am living
2. saw, didn’t want, crossed
3. strikes, will have been waiting
4. hasn’t arranged, will do / is going to do, goes
5. ’ll make
6. leaves
7. have eaten, are going to be
8. is seeing
9. will still be playing
10. had been dating, proposed
11. were doing, were looking
12. went, was playing, had been playing
13. had finished, will have finished, haven’t been, believe, are working
14. has been waiting, has come/ is coming.
15. are always leaving

III.
1 toured; 2 went; 3 was always accompanied; 4 was listening to; 5 was sitting; 6 had finished;
7 was coming out; 8 addressed; 9 said; 10 I’ve heard; 11 were ever given; 12 would be; 13
replied; 14 am going; 15 am going to meet; 16 don’t know; 17 will deliver; 18 will take; 19
went; 20 delivered; 21 was relaxing; 22 enjoyed; 23 had given; 24 was descending; 25
intercepted; 26 began; 27 involved; 28 replied; 29 is; 30 am going to let.

IV.
1. Х My brother and his fiancé are going to get / are getting married on Saturday.
They have invited more than 300 guests.
2. √
3. Х They left home at 7 o’clock and arrived to school at 8.30.
4. Х He has eaten three sandwiches and he is still hungry.
5. Х I have to sit down. I have been running for more than an hour.
6. √
7. Х When I was checking your homework I noticed that you had problems
with spelling.
8. √
9. Х A stitch in time saves nine.
10. Х She enrolled university last year. Which subjects did she choose?
11. Х Why did you lend her my earrings? I was going to wear them tonight.
12. Х They had been driving / were driving for only 10 minutes when they had a
puncture.
13. Х This is the best pizza I have ever had.
14. √
15. Х By the time she comes the best roles will have been taken.

V.
1. The bridge was built 20 years ago.
2. One of the actors passed out while we were rehearsing for the play.
3. Who do you think is going to pass the exam?
4. I have already watched this movie.
5. I don’t feel like going out with you tonight.
6. We are disappointed because they didn’t remember anything we had taught them.
7. They will have finished lunch by one o’clock.
8. The Japanese guests had (already) left / gone by the time we returned to the meeting
room.
9. I hope he won’t leave the CD player upstairs.
10. She hadn’t obeyed her parents until they threatened they would cut off her allowance.
11. She has been smoking for 20 years.
12. They will have put the play on stage in less than a month.
13. It started / had started to rain when we came out of the restaurant.
14. She dusted the shelves a month ago.
15. Who do these books belong to?