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Simple Present vs. Simple Past Exercise

July 25, 2020 A2pdf

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.
Progress 0 of 12 answered
1Dad usually drinks tea in the morning, but this morning he ............... coffee.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "drank" because "this morning" refers to a finished time in the past.
2All children ............... love.
Wrong!
Use the simple present "need" because the sentence states a general truth.
3I ............... a strange dream yesterday.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "had" because "yesterday" shows a finished past time.
4I ............... a sci-fi movie yesterday.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "watched" because "yesterday" shows a finished past time.
5I ............... my phone while I was on vacation in Greece.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "lost" because the event happened during a past vacation.
6Yesterday, he ............... gently to the child.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "spoke" to describe a completed past action.
7Plants ............... carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Wrong!
Use the simple present "absorb" because the sentence states a scientific fact.
8Kind words ............... others happy.
Wrong!
Use the simple present "make" because the sentence states a general truth.
9Birds ............... in the sky.
Wrong!
Use the simple present "fly" because the sentence states a general fact.
10Money ............... on trees.
Wrong!
Use the simple present negative "does not grow" because "money" is a singular uncountable noun in a general statement.
11They ............... the car last month to pay off the loan.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "sold" because "last month" refers to a finished past time.
12She ............... me a story the other day.
Wrong!
Use the simple past "told" because "the other day" refers to a finished past time.

Exercise complete

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Answers

  1. Dad usually drinks tea in the morning, but this morning he drank coffee.
  2. All children need love.
  3. I had a strange dream yesterday.
  4. I watched a sci-fi movie yesterday.
  5. I lost my phone while I was on vacation in Greece.
  6. Yesterday, he spoke gently to the child.
  7. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
  8. Kind words make others happy.
  9. Birds fly in the sky.
  10. Money does not grow on trees.
  11. They sold the car last month to pay off the loan.
  12. She told me a story the other day.

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Related lesson in the course Present simple: habits, facts and routines Module 04: Tenses & verb forms · Lesson 1

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