> Other English exercises on the same topics: | Past | Plu-perfect | Find the correct tense [Change theme]
	> Similar tests: - Past simple or present perfect - Past tenses - Past simple (video) - Modal: may/might - Past simple or past continuous - Placement test 1 - Past perfect - Pluperfect
	> Double-click on words you don't understand

Such a strange trial ... 2/2 Mix of tenses - English lesson

For this lesson, which I really want to adapt to a test that is different from others, I've decided to make you think a lot ! Here, I have mixed all tenses, modals, active and passive forms and what's unreal , plus an 'if clause' to end 'decorating' it all !

As I go on telling my story, I will very often use the tense of narration : the  simple past. You will find many, in the active and passive forms :

ex : They were like two peas in a pod ! ; The man she showed ... ; The counsel advised them to ...;

ex : She was asked to point at the culprit !  ;   They were acquitted for lack of evidence !

    * If an action started in the past and is still going on in the present, the verb must be in the present perfect : Have/has + Verb in the past participle

ex : Since Adams's release, Mrs Salmon has been very frightened.

    * If an action happened (long) before a simple past, it must be in the  past perfect simple (or in the past perfect in -ing) if you want to insist on the duration of the action :

              had + verb in the past participle   or had + been + verb + ing

ex : Mrs Parkers had been beaten to death. 

ex : Adams's horrible eyes had been haunting Mrs Salmon !

*  If you want to use a future, remember that it doesn't get on well with the past  ...  In this test, you'll need one in a particular context :

the 'potential if clauses '  - if the verb of the main clause is in the simple future, the verb of the subordinate introduced by 'if' will be in the present ( simple or perfect)

ex : If Mrs Salmon points at the culprit, he will be resentful to her forever ...

     * You'll use  the conditional : would + verb  and the past conditional: would + have + past participle

ex : Adams would be happy to get away with it !

ex : Mrs Salmon would have been relieved to know that Adams was condemned to death !

     * You will also have to use the modals : can => could  which indicate physical or intellectual capacity (and permission in informal language,) and their pasts :

can /could have + past participle

ex : What could the judge do in such circumstances ?

ex : Since the night of the murder, Mrs Salmon hadn't been able to forget Adams ! 

     * A structure that you don't know well : the unreal present = I wish + modal preterite   indicates that the action is imagined, but isn't real ...

! the  modal preterite of 'be' = 'were' (all along) .

ex : I wish I knew != I would like to know !

ex : They decided it was time they left ! = It was time to leave.!

Reading this lesson carefully, and thinking a little before choosing, it will be quite easy for you to succeed ... Go for it !

                              Offended Justice ...   Then, it happened ...

Twitter Share
English exercise "Such a strange trial ... 2/2 Mix of tenses" created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test

Please log in to save your progress.

(... continued)
Mrs Salmon had been flabbergasted seeingby she'll seewhen she seenat she seesif she's sawI don't know the suspect’s twin-brother. They were like two peas in a pod and not somebody distinguishednobody could distinguishanybody couldn't distinguishI don't know one from the other … Everybody knew that one was guilty whereas the other one didn'tthe other one wasn'tthe others weren'tthe other one hadn'tI don't know but nobody knew which was who ...
What could the judge docan the judge dowas the judge able to domight the judge doI don't know in such circumstances ? Not much …
Knowing that it’s less shocking and immoral to release a culprit than to condemn an innocent man, and that everyone is presumed innocent until was provinghad been provenproved/provenhe had provedI don't know guilty the two brothers were acquittedwas acquittedwould be acquittedhad been acquittedI don't know for lack of evidence … One problem was that everyone was sure that a murderer was at large, and rightfully scared …
During the trial, the reporters and a huge crowd has gatheredhad gatheredwould gatherwas gatheringI don't know in front of the court house … The twins paradedhad been paradingwould be paradingwere paradingI don't know for long minutes inside the court house with their counsel. Then they decided it was time they left the place … The counsel advisedwill advisehas advisedwas advisingadvisingI don't know them to go out through the back door … but one of them, no one was to knowknowinghad knownknewhas knownI don't know which, said : ’I’ve been acquitted, haven’t I ?’ Therefore, they went out through the front door, wedged in the crowd, and then, it happened : one of the twins had pushedgotten pushedgot pushedget pushedI don't know right in front of a bus, he screamed and he deathhe was deadhe dieshe deadI don't know, his skull smashed just as Mrs Parkers 's was beinghad been donewashad beenhas beenI don't know. The surviving twin bentbendedbentedbendI don't know over his brother’s body, looked at Mrs Salmon, and cried … Was it a divine vengeance ? I wish I had knownI wish I knewI wished I knewI wish I would knowI don't know … Whether it was the murderer or the innocent man who was dieddieddeathdeaddiesI don't know, nobody would ever knowwill never knowever will knowanybody didn't ever knowI don't know …
Yet, will you be surprisedwill you surprisewould you be surprisedwould you surprisedI don't know if I tell you that, since then, Mrs Salmon cannot sleepwasn't able to sleephasn't been able to sleepdidn't sleepI don't know at night ?