Fill in the blanks.
1I ............... a discussion with my boss this morning.
Wrong!
The past-time phrase "this morning" makes "had" the best choice here.
2They ............... to our proposal.
Wrong!
Use the present perfect "have agreed" to report recent news with present importance.
3Nobody knows how he ............... from prison.
Wrong!
The past simple "escaped" fits the completed past action in this sentence.
4The ship has ............... .
Wrong!
After "has," the past participle of "sink" is "sunk".
5When I talked to her, I realized that she ............... depressed.
Wrong!
After the past verb "realized," "was" keeps the reported state in the past.
6I ............... to him since our last meeting.
Wrong!
With "since our last meeting," use the present perfect negative "haven't talked".
7I ............... out every day.
Wrong!
For a daily habit, the simple present "work" is correct.
8Neither the manager nor his secretary ............... present in the office.
Wrong!
With "neither... nor" joining two singular nouns, the singular past verb "was" is correct.
9The quality of life in urban areas ............... deteriorating.
Wrong!
The singular subject "quality" takes the singular verb "is".
10Even the mightiest ............... prey to death.
Wrong!
The plural expression "the mightiest" takes "have fallen".
11He ............... here a moment ago.
Wrong!
The past-time phrase "a moment ago" requires "was" with "he".
12She ............... yet.
Wrong!
With "yet," the present perfect negative "has not returned" is the natural choice.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- I had a discussion with my boss this morning.
- They have agreed to our proposal.
- Nobody knows how he escaped from prison.
- The ship has sunk.
- When I talked to her, I realized that she was depressed.
- I haven’t talked to him since our last meeting.
- I work out every day.
- Neither the manager nor his secretary was present in the office.
- The quality of life in urban areas is deteriorating.
- Even the mightiest have fallen prey to death.
- He was here a moment ago.
- She has not returned yet.
