VERB TENSES

1.Put the verbs in bracket into the correct tense:

I come from a very large family, and recently my parents decided that they ________________ (spend)
long enough living in an overcrowded house in Birmingham. “We _____________________(move) to the
country”, my father ___________________(announce) one evening. “I _____________________ (sell)
this house and we ___________________ (live) on a farm”. So last week we _______________ (load) all
our possessions into two hired vans, and for the last few days we __________________________(try) to
organize ourselves in our new home. Yesterday, for example, my three brothers and I _________________
(start) painting the downstairs rooms. Unfortunately, while I __________________ (mix) the paint, one of
my sisters ___________________ (open) the door. Nobody ______________________ (tell) her that we
_________________ (be) in the room. So, instead of painting the walls, we ___________________(spend)
all morning cleaning the paint from the floor. But worse things ______________________ (happen) since
then. This morning when I _______________ (wake up), water _______________________ (drip) through
the ceiling next to my bed. We ___________________________ (spend) today so far repairing the roof.
It’s not all bad news, though. The school in the village nearby _______________________(close down)
two years ago, and my parents ______________________ (not find) another school for us yet.

2. .Rewrite each sentence in a more formal style so that it contains a passive form of the word given
in capitals.
a) Sorry, but we've lost your letter. MISLAY

b) The police are grilling Harry down at the station. QUESTION

c) They've found the remains of an old Roman villa nearby. DISCOVER

d) You'll get a rise in salary after six months. RAISE

e) They stopped playing the match after half an hour. ABANDON

f) They stopped traffic from using the centre. BAN

g) They took Chris to court for dangerous driving. PROSECUTE

h) You usually eat this kind of fish with a white sauce. SERVE
 3. For each question, fill the space or spaces in the sentence using the base word given in bold at the
end. The required word may be a noun, adverb, adjective or verb and it may be either positive (e.g.
helpful) or negative (e.g. unhelpful).

1. Many people often make a ________ between London and New York
compare

2. This book ________ as a series of lectures about shipwrecks, which were given two decades ago.
origin

3. There are power stations across Europe that use the ________ rise and fall of the ocean tides.
day

4. If you weren't so ________ of Ben, he'd be happier to spend time with you.
critic

5. Don't you find it ________ how Jeremy always comes to work looking so untidy?
intrigue

6. Doctors say a glass of warm milk before bedtime can result in a more ________ night's sleep.
rest

7. Tim-Berners Lee has received many awards as the ________ of the world wide web.
invent

8. On the final day, we visited the ________ Victoria Falls and then flew home.
majesty