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Lesson Objectives
- To enhance students' understanding of verb tense usage, especially in past perfect, past continuous, and future perfect contexts.
- To enable students to accurately choose and apply the right form of verbs based on sentence structure and time references.
- To develop the ability to distinguish between actions that happened at different times in the past.
- To familiarize students with conditional structures and their appropriate verb forms.
- To reinforce knowledge of subject-verb agreement in various tenses.
- To build students’ confidence in completing sentence-based grammar exercises with correct verb usage.
- To improve overall grammar accuracy in writing and comprehension.
Right Forms of Verbs Exercise
Complete each paragraph by filling in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in parentheses:
1. Yesterday, I (go) to the market to buy some fruits. While I (walk) there, I (see) my old friend Sarah. She (buy) vegetables at the stall. We (talk) for a few minutes before I (continue) my shopping. After I (finish) buying everything, I (return) home happily.
2. Last weekend, we (decide) to visit the museum. When we (arrive), it was already crowded. The guide (explain) the history of the paintings. We (enjoy) the tour very much and (take) many photos.
3. By the time we (reach) the station, the train (leave). We (have) to wait for the next one, which (arrive) an hour later.
4. If she (study) harder, she (pass) the exam easily. But she (spend) most of her time watching TV.
5. I (be) very tired because I (work) non-stop since morning. I (need) some rest before I (start) again.
6. Neither the teacher nor the students (know) what (happen) to the missing file. Everyone (look) confused.
7. I would rather you (not/speak) to him about the issue. He (get) upset very easily.
8. It’s high time we (take) action against pollution. If we (wait) any longer, it (become) too late.
9. Not only the workers but also the manager (be) responsible for the delay. The documents (not/send) on time.
10. The book, along with its illustrations, (be) missing from the shelf. Nobody (know) where it (go).
11. Hardly (he/leave) the room when the phone (ring). He (rush) back to answer it.
12. The scientist (devote) his entire life to research. He (believe) that one day, his efforts (lead) to a major breakthrough. Finally, after years of trials, he (discover) a formula that (change) the course of medicine.
13. By the time the train (arrive), we (wait) for over an hour. The passengers (grow) impatient and some (start) to complain loudly. The station manager (try) to calm everyone down.
14. If he (study) harder, he (pass) the exam easily. But he (spend) too much time playing video games. Now, he (regret) his decisions and (promise) to do better.
15. No sooner (they/leave) the house than it (start) raining heavily. They (forget) to take umbrellas and (get) completely soaked. They (rush) to the nearest shelter.
16. Despite (warn) several times, the hikers (venture) into the restricted forest area. The authorities (launch) a search operation when they (fail) to return. Thankfully, they (rescue) safely.
17. If the government (implement) effective policies earlier, the crisis (not/escalate) to this extent. Experts (urge) for proactive measures for years, but little (do). Now, the administration (scramble) to fix the situation.
18. There (appear) to be a growing number of investors who (lack) confidence in the current leadership. Each of the forecasts, as well as the independent analyses, (suggest) a potential downturn. Only after the final reports (arrive) (begin) the board’s emergency session. Not until the facts (confirm) the rumors (take) any decisive action.
Answers
Right Forms of Verbs Exercise - Answers
1. Yesterday, I (go) to the market to buy some fruits. While I (walk) there, I (see) my old friend Sarah. She (buy) vegetables at the stall. We (talk) for a few minutes before I (continue) my shopping. After I (finish) buying everything, I (return) home happily.
Explanation: "Went" and "saw" are in the simple past tense because they describe completed actions in the past. "Was walking" and "was buying" are in the past continuous tense, showing ongoing actions happening simultaneously. Then comes the past perfect tense ("had talked" and "had finished"), which shows that one action happened before another past action. The final one is a simple past action.
2. Last weekend, we (decide) to visit the museum. When we (arrive), it was already crowded. The guide (explain) the history of the paintings. We (enjoy) the tour very much and (take) many photos.
Explanation: All verbs are in simple past because the events happened and finished in the past, describing a sequence of past actions.
3. By the time we (reach) the station, the train (leave). We (have) to wait for the next one, which (arrive) an hour later.
Explanation: "Had left" is past perfect because it happened before "we reached" (simple past). "Had to wait" indicates a past obligation. "Arrived" is simple past, referring to the train that came afterward.
4. If she (study) harder, she (pass) the exam easily. But she (spend) most of her time watching TV.
Explanation: This is a second conditional sentence. "Studied" is simple past subjunctive, "would pass" is conditional, and "spends" is simple present describing her current habit.
5. I (be) very tired because I (work) non-stop since morning. I (need) some rest before I (start) again.
Explanation: "Am" is simple present to describe current state. "Have been working" is present perfect continuous showing an action started in the past and continuing. "Need" and "start" are simple present because they talk about current/future actions.
6. Neither the teacher nor the students (know) what (happen) to the missing file. Everyone (look) confused.
Explanation: "Know" agrees with the nearer plural subject "students." "Has happened" is present perfect, showing a recent event with present relevance. "Looks" is simple present for a current state.
7. I would rather you (not/speak) to him about the issue. He (get) upset very easily.
Explanation: "Would rather" is followed by past tense ("did not speak") to express a present wish. "Gets" is simple present describing habitual action.
8. It’s high time we (take) action against pollution. If we (wait) any longer, it (become) too late.
Explanation: "It's high time" is followed by simple past ("took") to express urgency. "Wait" is simple present for a real future condition. "Will become" is future simple for consequence.
9. Not only the workers but also the manager (be) responsible for the delay. The documents (not/send) on time.
Explanation: Verb agrees with the nearer subject "manager" (singular), so "is" is correct. "Were not sent" is simple past passive for an action done to the documents.
10. The book, along with its illustrations, (be) missing from the shelf. Nobody (know) where it (go).
Explanation: "Is" matches the singular subject "The book." "Knows" is simple present for current knowledge. "Has gone" is present perfect for a recent action with present relevance.
11. Hardly (he/leave) the room when the phone (ring). He (rush) back to answer it.
Explanation: "Hardly" is followed by past perfect with subject-verb inversion ("had he left"), and the next events ("rang", "rushed") use simple past to show the sequence of completed actions.
12. The scientist (devote) his entire life to research. He (believe) that one day, his efforts (lead) to a major breakthrough. Finally, after years of trials, he (discover) a formula that (change) the course of medicine.
Explanation: The verbs show a combination of past simple ("devoted", "believed", "discovered", "changed") and conditional ("would lead") to narrate the past belief and its eventual outcome.
13. By the time the train (arrive), we (wait) for over an hour. The passengers (grow) impatient and some (start) to complain loudly. The station manager (try) to calm everyone down.
Explanation: "Had waited" is past perfect to show the earlier action. All other verbs are in past simple to describe a sequence of actions following the arrival of the train.
14. If he (study) harder, he (pass) the exam easily. But he (spend) too much time playing video games. Now, he (regret) his decisions and (promise) to do better.
Explanation: The first part is a third conditional (past regret): "had studied" + "would have passed". The latter half shifts to present simple to express current regret and intention.
15. No sooner (they/leave) the house than it (start) raining heavily. They (forget) to take umbrellas and (get) completely soaked. They (rush) to the nearest shelter.
Explanation: "No sooner" requires past perfect with inversion ("had they left"). Other actions use simple past to show quick succession.
16. Despite (warn) several times, the hikers (venture) into the restricted forest area. The authorities (launch) a search operation when they (fail) to return. Thankfully, they (rescue) safely.
Explanation: "Despite" is followed by a passive gerund ("being warned"). Other verbs use simple past to narrate the events, and "were rescued" is past passive.
17. If the government (implement) effective policies earlier, the crisis (not/escalate) to this extent. Experts (urge) for proactive measures for years, but little (do). Now, the administration (scramble) to fix the situation.
Explanation: The first sentence is a third conditional using past perfect and "would not have escalated". "Had urged" and "was done" are past actions. The last clause shifts to present continuous ("is scrambling") to show current effort.
18. Not only the chief strategist, but also the board of directors (disagree) with the proposed acquisition. Along with several reports, a stack of confidential documents (reveal) inconsistencies in the financial data. What (matter) most (be) the long-term implications. Neither the urgency of the deal nor the external pressures (justify) a rushed decision.
Explanation: - In “Not only...but also,” the verb agrees with the subject closer to it ("the board of directors" is plural → "disagree"). - "A stack of confidential documents" is singular despite the plural "documents" → "reveals." - “What matters...is” follows the structure of “what + singular verb + singular complement.” - “Neither...nor” uses the subject closer to the verb; “pressures” is plural → "justify."
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