MIXED TENSES

Meet the Fosters and complete the exercise.

Hello! we (be) the Fosters. Mrs foster ..(be) a Chemistry teacher in a
private school. I a lawyer and my office in the centre of London.I usually
(have) a very busy day. I often.(get up) at six oclock. I
.. (exercise) for about half an hour and then I.(get) ready for work. My wife
(get up) a little later. She .... (start) classes at nine oclock. Before going to school
she . (take) care of our children. In the evening we all . (get) together at around
seven pm. Right now we are all in the kitchen doing some tasks. I..(take)out the
dishes from the dishwasher, my wife..(prepare)dinner, john is
(set) the dinner table and Jane is the youngest,so she ..
(not/work) yet, she .(watch) cartoons. I think that globally we
(be) an organized family. Last year, we (go) to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon
West. There we .. (do) many different things. We .. (have) a great time.My wife
wants to go there again. I. (not/agree) since we(already/be)
there Although we (not/visit) certain touristic attractions, we
.(see) the essential. At the Hualapai Ranch we missed the show because it
.
(already/begin). There were always two shows happening simultaneously.But when we
(arrive) at the place for the second show, it..
(already/finished). Sometimes what we did was split up. So, while some of
us (try) to watch a cowboy show , the others
(attend) some other show.Maybe someday we (go) there again
because it really is a different kind of holiday experience, but not the this year.My dream now is
Brazil. We (never/be) there and Im sure the kids
..(love) it. If we had extra-money we.(have) the chance
of revisiting Arizona and we also..(go) to Brazil. This is an issue for
family discussion and get over with the husband and wife disagreement and work out the
generation gap with our children.

A. When Carol (call) 1 ____ last night, I (watch) 2 ____ my favorite show on television.
B. I (work) 3 ____ for this company for more than thirty years, and I intend to stay here until I
retire!
C. Sharon (love) 4 ____ to travel. She (go) 5 ____ abroad almost every summer. Next year, she
plans to go to Peru.

D. Thomas is an author. He (write) 6 ____ mystery novels and travel memoirs. He (write) 7
____ since he was
twenty-eight. Altogether, he (write) 8 ____ seven novels, three collections of short stories and a
book of poetry.
E. We were late because we had some car problems. By the time we (get) 9 ____ to the train
station, Susan (wait)
10 ____ for us for more than two hours.
F. Sam (try) 11 ____ to change a light bulb when he (slip) 12 ____ and (fall) 13 ____ .
G. Every day I (wake) 14 ____ up at 6 o'clock, (eat) 15 ____ breakfast at 7 o'clock and (leave)
16 ____ for work at 8
o'clock. However, this morning I (get) 17 ____ up at 6:30, (skip) 18 ____ breakfast and (leave)
19 ____ for work
late because I (forget) 20 ____ to set my alarm.
H. Right now, Jim (read) 21 ____ the newspaper and Kathy (make) 22 ____ dinner. Last night
at this time, they
(do) 23 ____ the same thing. She (cook) 24 ____ and he (read) 25 ____ the newspaper.
Tomorrow at this time,
they (do, also) 26 ____ the same thing. She (prepare) 27 ____ dinner and he (read) 28 ____.
They are very
predictable people!
I. By this time next summer, you (complete) 29 ____ your studies and (find) 30 ____ a job. I, on
the other hand,
(accomplish, not) 31 ____ anything. I (study, still) 32 ____ and you (work) 33 ____ in some new
high paying job.
J. The students (be, usually) 34 ____ taught by Mrs. Monty. However, this week they (be) 35
____ taught by Mr. Tanzer.
K.
Jane talks on the phone.
Bob has been talking on the phone for an hour.
Mary is talking on the phone.
Who is not necessarily on the phone now? 36____
L.
Jane left when Tim arrived.
Bob left when Tim had arrived.
Tim arrived when Mary was leaving.
John had left when Tim arrived.
After Tim arrived, Frank left.
Who did not run into Tim? 37 ____
M.
Jane is talking in class.
Bob always talks in class.
Mary is always talking in class.
Whose action bothers you? 38 ____
N.
Jane never left Jamestown.
Bob has never left Jamestown.
Who is still alive? 39 ____
ANSWERS
1. called
2. was watching
3. have been working

4. loves
5. goes
6. writes
7. has been writing
8. has written
9. got
10. had been waiting
11. was trying
12. slipped
13. fell
14. wake up
15. eat
16. leave
17. got up
18. skipped
19. left
20. had forgotten
21. is reading
22. is making
23. were doing
24. was cooking
25. was reading
26. will also be doing
27. will be preparing
28. will be reading
29. will have completed
30. have found
31. will not have accomplished
32. will still be studying
33. will be working
34. are usually taught
35. are being taught
36. Jane
37. John
38. Mary
39. Bob

1. I (learn)..English for seven years now.

2. But last year I (not / work). hard enough for English, that's why my marks (not
/be) really that good then.
3. As I (pass / want)..my English exam successfully next year, I (study)
..harder this term.
4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send).. me on a language
course to London.
5. It (be) great and I (think) I (learn)a lot.
6. Before I (go)to London, I (not / enjoy)learning English.
7. But while I (do)the language course, I (meet)..lots of young
people from all over the world.

8. There I (notice). how important it (be) to speak foreign

languages nowadays.
9. Now I (have).. much more fun learning English than I (have)
..before the course.
10. At the moment I (revise).. English grammar.
11. And I (begin / already).. to read the texts in my English textbooks again.
12. I (think).. I (do). one unit every week.
13. My exam (be) on 15 May, so there (not / be)..any time to
be lost.
14. If I (pass)..my exams successfully, I (start). an
apprenticeship in September.
15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go)..back to London to work there for
a while.
16. As you (see / can)., I (become) a real London fan
already.
1. A: You seem energetic! B: Really, I (exercise) .for some time.
2. A: What (you, do) .. when the robbery took place?
B: I (change) a light bulb that had burnt out.
3. Mike (use) .. the same PC for more than three years. He is thinking of
upgrading it.
4. If it (snow) ..tomorrow, we (go) . skiing near Vesuvius.
5. This is the second pill I (take) to make me sleep.
6. Sami started his business in Spain three months ago. When he returns to Turkey next July,
he (spend) ..nine months there.
7. Mary (not, call) ..me since she (leave) .. the city.
8. Karen (live) .. in Hong Kong for more than two years. In fact, she (live)
. there when the political takeover occurred.
9. By the time the police (arrive) ., the robbers (run) ..away.
10. The book writes that the Maya tribes founded an advanced civilization in the forests of the
Yucatan; nevertheless, their culture (disappear) .. by the time Europeans first
(arrive) .in the New World.
11. Hey. Be quiet! The boss (come) ..
12. It (snow) ..all day. I hope it stops by noon because I wish to go to the
market.
13. Listen Ed, I don't care whether you (miss) .. the bus this morning. You (be)
.. late for meetings too many times. This is my last warning.
14. We are fed up with storm and those dark clouds! We expect, when we (wake)
up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) ..
15. When Hassan arrived at the cafe, I (wait) .for him for half an hour.
16. I (not, hear) .of the pyramids before I went to Egypt.
17. During the past 50 years, traveling (become) much easier and very
comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) . two or three months to cross Africa
by wagon. The trip (be) very rough and often dangerous. Things (change)
.. a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from
Ankara to Tokyo in a matter of hours.

18. Your English (improve) .. You (watch) . television

programs and (study) .. grammar every day since you first arrived in London.
It is apparent that you will be fluent very soon.
19. When Ted (arrive) .. home last night, he discovered that Hilary (prepare)
a beautiful candle-lit dinner.
20. Do not forget that if you (need) to contact me sometime next week,
I (stay) at the Hilton in Istanbul.
a) John /leave/ Anne two days ago. She hardly /eat/ anything since.
b) So far Anne /be/. in the house by herself for two weeks. During that time she
/refuse/ to open the door to anyone.
c) John /begin/. listening to English recordings regularly last year. Since then his
pronunciation /improve/...greatly.
d)He /listen/.. to English recordings for several months. His comprehension ability
/increase/.. since.
e) If you /lose/.. a book, report it at once. If it /not be found/.. within a
reasonable period, you /be asked/ to pay the cost of replacing it. This sum /be
refunded/. if the book /be found/ subsequently.
f) Last week he /not send/.. me an SMS text message because he /lose/
my phone number, so I /not able to/. meet him.
g) I see that the children /switch on/. the T.V. and /watch/. an
interesting film.
h) The radio reported that the weather in that region /be/. dry since August.
i) Which of the roads /lead/ to the railway station? We /want/.. to arrive there
before the departure of the train.
j) When I came in, the dog /sleep/. on the rug.
k) If you /go/.. to the kitchen, you will find milk there. But I dont know if the milk /be/
.. sour.
l) All the time you have been toiling in your office, I /enjoy/ myself on the beach.
We /not have/.. a drop of rain since we /arrive/... But unfortunately
this time next week I /travel back/..
m) We will leave as soon as the car /be overhauled/.. But I dont know if the
overhaul /be completed/. by 10 oclock.
n) After I /do/ all my work, I /want/.. to go home, but I remembered that I
/leave/. my umbrella in the hall, where I /put/.. it to dry, and I had to go to fetch
it as it /rain/...
Read about Pat and Ronald Thomas, who live on a train. Put the verbs in brackets into the
correct verb form.
At home on a train
Pat and Ronald Thomas /not live/.in a caravan, but their home /travel/.more
miles than any other house in Britain! Their house /make/..from a pair of Victorian railway
carriages, and they /live/there for ten years. I /not want/to live in a train at
first, admits Pat, but when I /see/
. that this train had a garden with a stream, I just /fall/ in love with it. We /buy/
.it from an old lady, and she /do/ a lot of work on it already. But there is a lot left
to do and we /make/..still improvements.

Visitors are often surprised to see how spacious the house is. All the dividing walls /remove/
, so now the rooms are about fifteen meters long.
Pat and Ronald /pay/.. 68 000 for their house. Recently they /offer/
.more than 100 000 for it, but its not for sale.
I /discover/.. more and more about the history of this train all the time, says Ronald.
It /build/..in Swindon between 1855 and 1875. We /work/..so hard to make it
beautiful that I dont think we /sell/ever it, he admits. I hope it /remain/
..in our family forever.
4. Put the verbs in brackets in this text in the most suitable form.
Dear Sue,
I /think/ Id better write and apologize about what /happen/.on Thursday. I
/not, usually, behave/..that way at parties, but as you probably /realise/, I
/be/..rather drunk when I /arrive/.. I /be/never as drunk as that
before, but I /have/. an explanation. You /see/, on my way to the party I /meet/
this old friend of mine while I /come/..out of the pub, which I only /pop/
into to buy you a bottle of wine. By the time we /talk/..over all our news, I /realize/
..we /drink/. rather a lot, but I very much /want/.to see you, so I /leave/
.my car at the pub, and /walk/.over. I /really, not, mean/ to break
the window, and I /come/..round next Monday to repair it myself. I /not, think/
it /be/very cold in the meantime. I also /write/to your
mother and I /apologize/..for saying what I /say/.to her. You /know/..how
much I /like/..her. I /hope/..that by the time I see you next Monday you /forget/
..my unforgivable behavior. I /decide/never to drink again.
Your foolish friend,
Ken