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    Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #4052: Tenses and actions
    > Other English exercises on the same topics: Find the correct tense | Placement tests [Change theme]
    > Similar tests: - Placement test : grammar for beginners - Placement test beginners: Check your spelling - Past tenses - Placement test 1 - Placement test : Action verbs - Placement test : Past tense - Gerund - Preterite or Present Perfect
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    Tenses and actions


    TenseExampleExplanation
     Present simpleI play football every week.

    Here you want to say that it happens regularly.

     

    Present continuousI'm playing football now.

    Here you want to say that it is happening at the moment.

     

     Past simpleI played football yesterday.

    You did it yesterday, it happened in the past., the action is finished.

     

    Past continuousI was playing football the whole evening.

    You were doing it in the past. It's not sure whether the action was finished or not.

     

    Present PerfectI have just played football.

    You have just finished it. So it has a connection to the present. Maybe your clothes are dirty.

     

    Present Perfect ContinuousI have been playing football for 2 hours.

    You want to say how long you have been doing it. (You started in the past and it continues up to the present.

    Past PerfectI had played football when Susan came.

    The two actions are related to each other: you had finished to play football and after that the girl arrived.

     

    Past Perfect ContinuousI had been playing football when Susan came.

    Here you want to point out how long you had been doing it before the girl came.

     

    will futureI will play football next week.

    This is a prediction, you can probably do something else.

     

    going to futureI'm going to play football this afternoon.

    This is a plan you've made.

     

    Future ContinuousI will be playing football next Sunday.

    You do it every Sunday (as usual)

     

    Future PerfectI will have played football by tomorrow.

    You will have done it before tomorrow.

     

    Conditional
    Simple
    I would play football.

    You'll probably do it.

     

    Conditional
    Continuous
    I would be playing football.

    You'll probably do it. Here you concentrate more on the progress of the action.

     

    Conditional
    Perfect
    I would have played football.

    You'll probably have finished playing football at a special time in the future. Here you concentrate on the fact (football).

     

    Conditional
    Perfect
    Continuous
    I would have been playing football.

    You'll probably have finished playing football at a special time in the future. Here you concentrate on the progress of playing (football).

     

    Exercise : write the verbs in the right tense

     





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    English exercise "Tenses and actions" created by lucile83 with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from lucile83]
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    1. He (write) his aunt a letter every week.

    2. She (go) to school yesterday.

    3. Jane (eat) a cake right now.

    4. Yesterday Tom (watch) TV when Jane arrived.

    5. Oh no! Someone (take) all the sweets!

    6. Mike (run) for 2 hours, he is exhausted now.

    7. He (write) a letter to Dave last week but he didn't post it.

    8. Perhaps next Sunday I (go) to Battersea Park.

    9. Last week Meg (work) a lot.

    10. She must go to bed, she (watch) TV for 2 hours!

    11. Kevin (buy) a new car if he had enough money.










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