The Passive: Mixed Tenses

Change these sentences from active to passive:

1. People speak Portuguese in Brazil.

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2. The Government is planning a new road near my house.

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3. My grandfather built this house in 1943.

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4. Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.

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5. The cleaner has cleaned the office.

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6. He had written three books before 1867.

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7. John will tell you later.

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8. By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.

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9. Somebody should do the work.

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10. The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.

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Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 1
Simple Present / Present Continuous
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ............... her kids to football practice.
2. Usually, I (work) ............... as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)
................ French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) ......... 4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain)
…..
5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always) ............ 6. I'm sorry I can't hear what
you (say) .................... because everybody (talk) ................ so loudly.
7. Justin (write, currently) ............ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can
find a good publisher when he is finished.
8. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight. Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) ........... to a
movie tonight with some friends.
9. The business cards (be, normally )................ printed by a company in New York.
Their prices (be)................. inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is quite good.
10. This delicious chocolate (be) ................... made by a small chocolatier in Zurich,
Switzerland.

Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 2

Simple Present / Present Continuous
Today (be) .............. the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am
exhausted
and my legs (shake) ............; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My feet
(kill, really)............. me and my toes (bleed) .........., but I (want, still).......... to continue.
Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) .............
so different, and I (try)........... to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn).......... a little
bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn,
not)............... foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) ................. much
yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually) ....................
I (travel, currently) ............... with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England.
He (be) ............... a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always) ............. ahead of me
and (complain)............ that I am too slow. I (do) .................. my best to keep up with
him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself
because I am getting old.
Right now, Liam (sit)................. with the owner of the inn. They (discuss)................ the
differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) .................... the
real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just)................. him Tam. Tam (speak)
................... English very well and he (try) ............... to teach Liam some words in
Nepali. Every time Tam (say)............... a new word, Liam (try).............. to repeat it.
Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also).............. to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I
just hope we don't get lost and have to ask for directions.

Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 3

Simple Past / Past Continuous
1. A: What (you, do) ................ when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) ..................... to change a light bulb that had burnt out.
2. After I (find) ..... the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately) ........ to the police and
(turn)............... it in.
3. The doctor (say) ............ that Tom (be) ........... too sick to go to work and that he
(need)
.................. to stay at home for a couple of days.
4. Sebastian (arrive) ................................. at Susan's house a little before 9:00 pm, but
she (be, not)......... there. She (study, at the library) ...... for her final examination in
French.
5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch,
also)
................... television. That's all she ever does!
6. A: I (call) ..... you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) ....... there. Where were
you?
B: I (work) ............... out at the fitness center.
7. When I (walk) ................ into the busy office, the secretary (talk) ................. on the
phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily) ............. at their desks, and two
managers (discuss, quietly)............. methods to improve customer service.
8. I (watch) ............. a mystery movie on T.V. when the electricity went out. Now I am
never going to find out how the movie ends.
9. Sharon (be) .................. in the room when John (tell)………. me what had happened,
but she didn't hear anything because she (listen, not) .................
10. It's strange that you (call) ................. because I (think, just) .........................about
you.
11. The Titanic (cross) ....................... the Atlantic when it (strike) ....................an
iceberg.
12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) ... and (try) .....
to
sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt) ............... for souvenirs. Some young boys
(lead)................ their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple
of men (argue)..............over the price of a leather belt. I (walk) ......... over to a man who
(sell) .................fruit and (buy) .................... a banana.
13. The firemen (rescue) .......... the old woman who (be) .......trapped on the third floor
of the burning building.
14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always) ...................... her dirty dishes in the sink.
I think she (expect, actually) ..................... me to do them for her.
15. Samantha (live) .................. in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she
(live) ............. there when the Berlin wall came down.

Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 4

Simple Past / Past Continuous
Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call) ............. She said she
(call)......... me on her cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she
(wait) ........... for class, but she said that the professor was at the front of the hall
lecturing while she (talk) ....... to me. I couldn't believe she (make) ......... a phone call
during the lecture. I asked what was going on. She said her biology professor was so
boring that several of the students (sleep, actually) .............. in class. Some of the
students (talk) .............. about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her
(draw) ................ a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell) ...................me she was not
satisfied with the class, I (mention) .............. that my biology professor was quite good
and (sugest)..............that she switch to my class. While we were talking, I
(hear)............... her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the
line went dead. I (hang).............. up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
As I (cut) .......... vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be).............
Angela, but this time she (not sit )……..in class.
Verb Tenses Tutorial Exercise 5
Simple Past / Present Perfect
1.A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars"?
B: I don't know. I (see, never) ................................. that movie.
2. Sam (arrive) ................................. in San Diego a week ago.
3. My best friend and I (know) ..... each other for over fifteen years. We still get together
once a week.
4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) ................. ten very creative short stories in the
last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.
5. I (have, not) ................................. this much fun since I (be) ................. a kid.
6. Things (change) ................. a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) ............
working here three years ago, the company (have, only) ................ six employees.
Since then, we (expand).......... to include more than 2000 full-time workers.
7. I (tell) ................ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he
(wander) ...................... off into the forest and (be) ...................... bitten by a snake.
8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) ........... the bus this morning. You
(be) .............. late to work too many times. You are fired!
9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see,
never) .............. the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.
10. How sad! George (dream) .............. of going to California before died, but he didn't
make it. He (see, never) ............. the ocean.
11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) .................. much easier and very
comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) .... two or three months to cross North America
by covered wagon. The trip (be) ........very rough and often dangerous. Things
(change)............ a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from
New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
12. Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change)......... since the last time I
(see)............... you. You (grow) ............... at least a foot!
13. This tree (be)....... planted by the settlers who (found)........... our city over four
hundred years ago.
14. This mountain (be, never) ................................. climbed by anyone. Several
mountaineers (try) ................................. to reach the top, but nobody (succeed,
ever) ................ The climb is extremelydifficult and many people (die) ................ trying
to reach the summit.
15. I (visit, never) ................. Africa, but I (travel) ................. to South America several
times. The last time I (go)............... to South America, I (visit) ................... Brazil and
Peru. I (spend)............ two weeks in the Amazon, (hike) ....... for a week near Machu
Picchu, and (fly) ..... over the Nazca Lines.

Focus on Verbs Exercise 6

Simple Past / Present Perfect
1. Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology
(change)................................. a great deal. The first computers
(be) ................................. simple machines designed for basic tasks. They (have,
not) ................................. much memory and they (be, not) ................................. very
powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often
(pay) ................................. thousands of dollars for machines which actually
(do) ................................. very little. Most computers (be) .................................
separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing
games.
2. Times (change) .................................. Computers (become) .................................
powerful machines with very practical applications. Programmers
(create) ................................. a large selection of useful programs which do everything
from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but
today's games (become) ...................... faster, more exciting interactive adventures.
Many computer users (get, also) ...................... on the Internet and
(begin) ................................. communicating with other computer users around the
world. We (start)......................... to create international communities online. In short, the
simple, individual machines of the past (evolve) ................................. into an
international World Wide Web of knowledge.