English Exercises > verb tenses exercises

PRESENT PERFECT or SIMPLE PAST?




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PRESENT PERFECTSIMPLE PAST?

PRESENT PERFECT - This tense looks in the present at actions completed in the past - so there is always some kind of connection with the present.
a) RECENT PAST ACTIONS -  for recently finished past actions whose results are still visible in the present - "Look! The taxi has (just) arrived." (the taxi is probably still parked outside).
b) GENERAL PAST EXPERIENCES - for actions which happened in an indefinite time (we are not interested in when, but in the action itself) - "Have you ever been to New York?" - No, but I have been to Washington."
c) UNFINISHED ACTIONS - for actions which started in the past but which continue up to the present moment - "I have lived here since 1998." (and I will continue to live here).
SIMPLE PAST - This tense refers to a specific occasion in the past and to the details of what happened - so it is a completely finished past action with no connection with the present - "I went to Disneyland last year." - "Really? Did you like it?" (it tells us when something happened - so unlike the Present Perfect it is a definite past).
 
PRACTISE
a) Read and choose the correct alternative:
 1. He  for the lift for over 10 minutes.
2.  any gold yet? - Yes, he has.
3. Richard  the tickets for "Avatar" yesterday.
4. He still  a shower.
5. My football team  the cup twice so far.
6. The alarm clock at 7 a.m.
7. Kevin  the school bus last Monday.
8. I   my paperwork.
9.  a lot of pictures when you visited Paris?
10. He   United's best football player in 2008.
 
b) Read and complete the sentences with either the Present Perfect or the Simple Past of the verbs in brackets:
1. I  (not go)to school last week because I  (be) sick.
2. Paul  (just/start)reading a new book.
3. He  (never/eat)  such delicious cookies.
4. Michael  (drink) too much last night.
5.  (you/ever/be) late for school?
6. I  (already/do)the laundry. Now I need to do some ironing.
7.  (they/wash)  their father's car on Sunday?
8. I  (arrive)  from Italy yesterday morning.
9. Linda's husband only  (leave) 5 minutes ago and she already misses him.
10. Sarah  (work)in this company since she was very young.
 
c) Find in the grid and in any direction the missing verb forms and fill in the table.
1. begin -  - begun            2. break - broke -
 
3.  - built - built             4. choose - chose -
 
5. come -  - come               6. do - did -
 
7. drive -  - driven           8.  - felt - felt
 
9. forget - forgot -     10.  - gave - given
 
11. go - went -                   12. know -  - known
 
13. make -  - made             14.  - met - met
 
15. say - said -                  16. see - saw -
 
17. sell -  - sold                 18.  - slept - slept