Fill in the blanks.
1It ............... for the last two days.
Wrong!
Use "has been raining" because the action started in the past and continues up to now.
2The ship ............... .
Wrong!
Use "sank" because ships sink; people drown.
3He ............... to me since our last meeting.
Wrong!
Use "has not spoken" with "since" to show a period from the past to now.
4My brother ............... in Delhi since 2005.
Wrong!
Use "has been working" with "since 2005" for an action continuing to the present.
5I ............... the job.
Wrong!
Use "have finished" to show that the job is complete now.
6He ............... his phone shortly after he had bought it.
Wrong!
Use "lost" for the later past action after the earlier action in the past perfect.
7The show ............... before we reached the theatre.
Wrong!
Use "had begun" for the action that happened before another past action.
8He ............... motionless under the tree.
Wrong!
Use "lay" as the simple past form of "lie" meaning "be in a flat position."
9The hen ............... six eggs.
Wrong!
Use "has laid" because "lay" means "produce eggs," and its past participle is "laid."
10I ............... to him in the morning.
Wrong!
Use "spoke" for a finished action at a definite past time.
11I ............... him for a long time.
Wrong!
Use "haven't met" with "for a long time" to refer to a period continuing up to now.
12Although the driver was badly hurt, he could explain what ............... .
Wrong!
Use "had happened" because the event occurred before the driver explained it.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- It has been raining for the last two days.
- The ship sank.
- He has not spoken to me since our last meeting.
- My brother has been working in Delhi since 2005.
- I have finished the job.
- He lost his phone shortly after he had bought it.
- The show had begun before we reached the theatre.
- He lay motionless under the tree.
- The hen has laid six eggs.
- I spoke to him in the morning.
- I haven’t met him for a long time.
- Although the driver was badly hurt, he could explain what had happened.
