1. When you go to the airport follow
these instructions: first you _________ (check) your baggage and then
you _________ (make) your way to the departure gate.
KEY
check
make
The present simple can be used to give instructions or directions instead of the imperative. Instead of: First check your baggage and then make your way to the departure gate.
2. "And all of a sudden, as we ____________ (approach) the summit, I begin to feel a sense of euphoria."
KEY
approach
We can use the present simple to bring the reader closer to the events in a narration
3. A woman ___________ (sail) to France when she sees a ship in the distance.
KEY
is sailing
In a narration the present continuous comes first to stablish the background while the simple form narrates the main events.
4. They _______________(always/brag) on social media about their extravagant lifestyle. I hate it.
KEY
are always bragging
brag: to talk too proudly about something you own or something you have done.
synonym boast.
E.g.
He bragged to his friends about the crime.
I’m not bragging but I think I did very well in the interview.
They repeatedly bragged that one of their men was responsible for the shooting.
We use the present continuous with always, constantly, continually to express anger or irritation at a repeated action.
5. I _______________ (see) the Joneses this evening. We arranged this meal some weeks ago.
KEY
am seeing
Present continuous with a future meaning for arrangements
The stative verb to see can be used in the continuous form when it means "meeting"
6. Her walking shoes ______________ (fit) well, so they won't hurt her feet.
KEY
fit
Stative verb fit only used in the simple form with the meaning (it's the right size)
7. Jason can't answer the phone right now because he ___________ (fit) a new kitchen sink.
KEY
is fitting
The stative verb to fit can be used in the continuous form when it means "install"
8. This is the most difficult hike I ________________ (ever/attempt).
KEY
have ever attempted
We
use the present perfect with present structures containing the
superlative degree (hardest, best, ...) and ordinal numbers (This is the
first/second time.... )
9. She _______________ (be) to New York and she loved it.
KEY
has been to
(She has gone and come back)
10. She ______________ (be) in London for two years now.
KEY
has been in
(She lives there)
11. She _____________ (go) to New York.
KEY
has gone to
(She hasn't come back yet)
12. We _______________ (walk) for five hours already. We are utterly exhausted.
KEY
have been walking
We
use the present perfect continuous to put emphasis on the duration of
an action which started in the past and continues up to the present.
13. Paul _______________ (lie) on the beach ignoring us for hours. Unbelievable!
KEY
has been lying
We use the present perfect continuous to express anger, irritation or annoyance.
14. They ____________ (stay) in Miami when the hurricane _____________ (hit).
KEY
were staying
hit
We
use past continuous for an action which was in progress when another
action interrupted it. We use the past simple for the action which
interrupted it.
15.
When we were on holiday on Mallorca, people _____________ (constantly/
leave) towels out overnight on the best sunbeds. I thought it was a very
selfish thing to do.
KEY
were constantly leaving
We
use the past continuous with "always", "constantly" and "continually"
to describe repeated unpleasant and irritating actions in the past.
16. That was the coldest place they _____________ (ever/ live) in.
KEY
had ever lived
We use the past perfect with superlative structures.
17. It was the third time he ____________________ (visit) a non-English-speaking country.
KEY
had visited
We use the past perfect with "It/That was the first/second ... time"
18. The town looked as if it _______________ (not/ change) for a hundred years.
KEY
had not changed
We use the past perfect after "as if" referring to the past.
19. I'd rather she _______________ (tell) me she was allergic to mosquitoes before we went to the Amazon Rainforest.
KEY
had told
We use the past perfect after "'d rather" referring to the past with different subjects.
20. The teacher would sooner the students ________________ (do) the homework the night before.
KEY
had done
We use the past perfect after "'d sooner" referring to the past with different subjects.
21. I wish I ___________ (go) to San Francisco while I was in the US.
KEY
had gone
We use the past perfect after "wish" referring to the past
22. If only I __________________ (leave) earlier, I wouldn't have missed my flight.
KEY
had left
We use the past perfect after "if only" referring to the past.
23. He _____________(walk) in the forest for several hours when he realised he was lost.
KEY
had been walking
We use the past perfect continuous to put emphasis on the duration of an action in the past before another past action.
24. You will soon get used to ________________ (sleep) on a camping mat (Sp. esterilla).
KEY
sleeping
We use get used to+ ing with the meaning "become accustomed to"
