be be eat happen have meet play read see see try
PRESENT PERFECT
PLUPERFECT
1- You are writing a letter to a friend. In the letter you give news about yourself and other people. Use the words given to make sentences. Use the present perfect.
Dear Chris,
a- Lots of things .............................................. (happen) since I last wrote to you.
b- I/buy/a new car ...................................................................................................................
c- my father/start/a new job ....................................................................................................
d- I/give up/smoking ...............................................................................................................
e- Charles and Sarah/go/to Brazil ...........................................................................................
f- Suzanne/have/a baby .........................................................................................................
2- Read the situations and write sentences. Choose one of the following:
Arrive break go up grow improve lose
and use the present perfect
a- Mike is looking for his key. he can't find it. He .....................................................................
b- Margaret can't walk and her leg is in plaster. She ...............................................................
c- Maria's English wasn't very good. Now it is much better. She .............................................
d- Tim didn't have a beard last month. Now he has a beard. He ..............................................
e- This morning I was expecting a letter. Now I have it. It ........................................................
f- Last week the bus fare was 80 pence. Now it is 90. It .........................................................
3- Complete the sentences using the words in brackets.
a- Would you like something to eat? -- No, thanks. I .............................................. lunch (just/have)
b- Do you know where Julia is? -- Yes, I .............................................. her. (just/see)
c- What time is David Leaving? -- He .............................................. (already/leave)
d- What's in the newspaper today? -- I don't know. I .............................................. (not/read/it/yet)
e- Is Ann coming to the cinema with us? -- No, she .............................................. the film. (already/see)
f- Are your friends here yet? -- Yes, they .............................................. (just/arrive)
g- What does Tim think about your plan? -- I .............................................. (not/tell/him/yet)
4- Read the situations and write sentences with just, alreadyor yet.
a- After lunch, you go to see a friend at her house. She says, "Would you like something to eat?" You say: No, thank you. .............................................. (have/lunch)
b- Joe goes out. Five minutes later, the phone rings and the caller says, "Can I speak to Joe?" You say: I'm afraid .............................................. (go out)
c- You are eating in a restaurant. The waiter thinks you have finished and starts to take your plate away. You say: Wait a minute! .............................................. (not/finish)
d- You are going to a restaurant this evening. You phone to reserve a table. Later your friend says, "Shall I phone to reserve a table?" You say: No, .............................................. it. (do)
e- You know that a friend of yours is looking for a job. Perhaps she has been successful. Ask her. You say: ..............................................? (find)
f- Ann went to the bank, but a few minutes ago she returned. Somebody asks "Is Ann still at the bank?" You say: No, .............................................. (come back)
5- Put in been or gone. Then translate.
a- Jim is on holiday. he's .............................................. to Italy.
b- Hello! I've just .............................................. to the shops. I've bought lots of things.
c- Alice isn't here at the moment. She's .............................................. to the shop to get a newspaper.
d- Tom has .............................................. out. He'll be back in about an hour.
e- "Are you going to the bank?" "No, I've already .............................................. to the bank."
6- You are asking somebody about things he or she has done. Make questions from the words in brackets.
a- (ever/ride/horse) .................................................................................................................
b- (ever/be/California) .............................................................................................................
c- (ever/run/marathon) ............................................................................................................
d- (ever/speak/famous person) ...............................................................................................
e- (always/live/in this town) .....................................................................................................
f- (beautiful places/ever/visit) ..........................................................................................
7- Complete the answers. Be careful with negative forms. Use a verb from this list :
be be eat happen have meet play read see see try
a- What's George's sister like? -- I've no idea. I .............................................. her.
b- How is Amy these days? -- I don't know. I .............................................. her recently.
c- Are you hungry? -- Yes, I .............................................. much today.
d- Can you play chess? -- Yes, but I .............................................. for ages.
e- Did you enjoy your holiday? -- Yes it's the best holiday I .............................................. for a long time.
f- What's that book like? -- I don't know. I .............................................. it.
g- Is Brussels an interesting place? -- I've no idea. I .............................................. there.
h- Mike was late for work again today. -- Again? He .............................................. every day this week.
i- Do you like caviar? -- I don't- know. I .............................................. it.
j- The car broke down again yesterday. -- Not again! That's the second time it .............................................. this week.
k- Who's that woman by the door? -- I don't know. I .............................................. before.
8- Complete these sentences using today/this year/this term/etc.
a- I saw Tom yesterday but I ..............................................
b- I read a newspaper yesterday but I ..............................................
c- Last year the company made a profit but it ..............................................
d- Tracy worked hard at school last term but she ..............................................
e- It snowed a lot last winter but it ..............................................
f- Our football team won a lot of games last season but we ..............................................
9- Read the situations and write sentences as shown in the examples.
a- Jack is driving a car but he's very nervous and not sure what to do.
You ask: Have you driven a car before?
He says: No, this is the first time I've driven a car.
b- Len is playing tennis. He's not very good and he doesn't know the rules.
You ask: ..............................................
He says: ..............................................
c- Sue is riding a horse. She doesn't look very confident or comfortable.
You ask: ..............................................
She says: ..............................................
d- Maria is in London. She's just arrived and it's very new for her.
You ask: ..............................................
She says: ..............................................
10- Write the verb in brackets in the simple present perfect. Then translate the sentence.
a- Millions of music lovers (become) addicted to the crisp clear sound of the compact disc.
b- The marriage of micro-electronics, telecommunications and computer programming (transform) computing and data processing from an expensive and specialized activity into a cheap market.
c- The most successful memory in modern computers for nearly 20 years (be) the magnetic core variety, consisting of thousands of tiny iron beads.
d- Almost every human Endeavour (benefit) from the invention of the computer.
e- By manipulating vast amounts of data at high speed, the computer (enable) us to solve scientific, technical, financial, and administrative problems that used to be far beyond our practical ability.
11- Rewrite the precedent sentences using the pluperfect and add a temporal element justifying the use of this tense.
12- Write the verbs in the present perfect or the pluperfect according to the context and add « for » or “since” when necessary.
a- Up to now, the police security systems (prove) to be efficient enough.
b- I (be) in the workshop ... ten o'clock when the telephone rang.
c- They (be married) ... ten years when I met them.
d- The word "robotics" (be used) ... Isaac Asimov created it.
e- They (show) that commercial ... weeks now.
f- I see that you (buy) a new computer. Was it expensive?
g- Hacking (bedevil) the computer business ... its birth.
13- Turn the sentences of the previous exercise into
a- the interrogative form,
b- the negative form,
c- the interro-negative form.
Then give the question-tag of each of these sentences
14- Translate into French
a- The video spectral comparator, as the device is called, has also identified each separate forgery in MOT certificates which had been altered several times.
b- The best-selling word processor for PCs has now been made available for Macintosh machines, strengthening further the links between the two worlds.
c- Matra, the French electronics and defense group, has clinched a $100m (75m) deal... The bidding battle for the deal has been intense.
d- Microsoft had always met its customers' requirements until demand became too high.
e- They informed me that they had just received a big order from Japan.
f- Although security systems have improved, hacking has never stopped growing.
15- Translate into English
a- Depuis cinq jours le dollar continue de monter. Depuis lundi il a gagné plus de trente centimes.
b- D'énormes progrès ont été réalisés dans le domaine de l'électronique au cours des dix dernières années.
c- Une nouvelle gamme de produits a été fournie à un groupe français, Matra.
d- Deux dates avaient été annoncées pour le lancement de ce nouveau produit.
e- Il y a quatre ans une catastrophe a failli se produire dans une centrale nucléaire parce qu'un programme malveillant avait été introduit dans l'ordinateur.
f- Le nouveau clavier détachable a été conçu pour être encore plus agréable a utiliser.
16- Read the situations and write sentences from the words in brackets. Use the pluperfect
a- You went to Jill's house but she wasn't there. (she/go/out)
b- You went back to your home town after many years. It wasn't the same as before. (it/change/a lot)
c- I invited Rachel to the party but she couldn't come. (she/arrange/to do something else)
d- You went to the cinema last night. You arrived at the cinema late. (the film/already/begin)
e- I was very pleased to see Tim again after such a long time. (I/not/see/him for five years)
f- I offered Sue something to eat but she wasn't hungry. (she/just/have/breakfast)
17- Put the verb in the correct form, pluperfect or preterite
a- "Was Tom at the party when you arrived? ---No, he ... (go) home."
b- I felt very tired when I got home, so I ... (go) straight to bed.
c- The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody ... (go) to bed.
d- Sorry I'm late. The car ... (break) down on my way here.
e- We were driving along the road when we ... (see) a car which ... (break) down, so we ... (stop) to see if we could help.
18- Read the situations and make sentences from the words in brackets. Use the progressive pluperfect.
a- I was very tired when I arrived home. (I/work/hard all day)
b- The two boys came into the house. They had a football and they were both very tired. (they/play/football)
c- There was nobody in the room but there was a smell of cigarettes. (somebody/smoke/in the room)
d- Ann woke up in the middle of the night. She was frightened and didn't know where she was. (she/dream)
e- When I got home, Mike was sitting in front of the TV. He had just turned it off. (he/watch/TV)
19- Put the verb into the most suitable form, progressive preterite, pluperfect or progressive pluperfect
a- It was very noisy next door. Our neighbors ... (have) a party.
b- We were good friends. We ... (know) each other for a long time.
c- John and I went for a walk. I had difficulty keeping up with him because he ... (walk) so fast.
d- Mary was sitting on the ground. She was out of breath. She ... (run).
e- When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table and talking. Their mouths were empty but their stomachs were full. They ... (eat).
f- When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table with their mouths full. They ... (eat).
g- Jim was on his hands and knees on the floor. He ... (look) for his contacts.
h- When I arrived, Kate ... (wait) for me. She was rather annoyed with me because I was late and she ... (wait) for a very long time.
i- I was sad when I sold my car. I ... (have) it for a long time.
j- We were extremely tired at the end of the journey. We ... (travel) for more than 24 hours.
CORRECTION
1- a- Lots of things have happened since I last wrote to you.
b- I have bought a new car.
c- My father has started a new job.
d- I have given up smoking.
e- Charles and Sarah have gone to Brazil.
f- Suzanne has had a baby.
2- a- Mike is looking for his key. he can't find it. He has lost them.
b- Margaret can't walk and her leg is in plaster. She has broken it.
c- Maria's English wasn't very good. Now it is much better. She has improved.
d- Tim didn't have a beard last month. Now he has a beard. He has grown one.
e- This morning I was expecting a letter. Now I have it. It has arrived.
f- Last week the bus fare was 80 pence. Now it is 90. It has gone up.
3- a- Would you like something to eat? -- No, thanks. I have just had lunch.
b- Do you know where Julia is? -- Yes, I have just seen her.
c- What time is David leaving? -- He has already left.
d- What's in the newspaper today? -- I don't know. I haven’t read it yet.
e- Is Ann coming to the cinema with us? -- No, she has already seen the film.
f- Are your friends here yet? -- Yes, they have just arrived.
g- What does Tim think about your plans ? -- I haven’t told him yet.
4- a- After lunch, you go to see a friend at her house. She says, "Would you like something to eat?" You say: No, thank you. I have just had lunch.
b- Joe goes out. Five minutes later, the phone rings and the caller says, "Can I speak to Joe?" You say: I'm afraid he has already gone out.
c- You are eating in a restaurant. The waiter thinks you have finished and starts to take your plate away. You say: Wait a minute! I haven’t finished yet.
d- You are going to a restaurant this evening. You phone to reserve a table. Later your friend says, "Shall I phone to reserve a table?" You say: No, I have already done it.
e- You know that a friend of yours is looking for a job. Perhaps she has been successful. Ask her. You say: Have you already found a job?
f- Ann went to the bank, but a few minutes ago she returned. Somebody asks "Is Ann still at the bank?" You say: No, she hasn’t come back yet.
5- a- Jim is on holiday. He's GONE to Italy. Jim est en vacances. Il est allé en Italie.
b- Hello! I've just BEEN to the shops. I've bought lots of things. Salut ! Je viens de faire le tour des magasins. J’ai acheté plein de choses.
c- Alice isn't here at the moment. She's GONE to the shop to get a newspaper. Alice n’est pas ici pour l’instant. Elle est allée au bureau de tabac pour acheter un journal.
d- Tom has GONE out. He'll be back in about an hour. Tom est sorti. Il reviendra dans environ une heure.
e- "Are you going to the bank?" "No, I've already BEEN to the bank." « Allez-vous à la banque ? » « Non, je suis déjà allé à la banque. »
6- a- Have you ever ridden a horse ?
b- Have you ever been to California ?
c- Have you ever run the marathon ?
d- Have you ever spoken to a famous person ?
e- Have you always lived in this town ?
f- Have you ever visited beautiful places ?
7- a- What's George's sister like? -- I've no idea. I haven’t met her.
b- How is Amy these days? -- I don't know. I haven’t seen her recently.
c- Are you hungry? -- Yes, I haven’t eaten much today.
d- Can you play chess? -- Yes, but I haven’t played for ages.
e- Did you enjoy your holiday? -- Yes it's the best holiday I have had / have ever had for a long time.
f- What's that book like? -- I don't know. I haven’t read it.
g- Is Brussels an interesting place? -- I've no idea. I have never been there.
h- Mike was late for work again today. -- Again? He has been late every day this week.
i- Do you like caviar? -- I don't know. I haven’t tried it.
j- The car broke down again yesterday. -- Not again! That's the second time it has happened this week.
k- Who's that woman by the door? -- I don't know. I have never seen her before.
8- a- I saw Tom yesterday but I haven’t seen him today.
b- I read a newspaper yesterday but I haven’t read one today.
c- Last year the company made a profit but it hasn’t this year.
d- Tracy worked hard at school last term but she hasn’t worked much this term.
e- It snowed a lot last winter but it hasn’t snowed at all this winter.
f- Our football team won a lot of games last season but we haven’t won one this season.
9- b- Len is playing tennis. He's not very good and he doesn't know the rules.
You ask: Have you played tennis before ?
He says: No, this is the first time I have played tennis.
c- Sue is riding a horse. She doesn't look very confident or comfortable.
You ask: Have you ridden a horse before ?
She says: No, this is the first time I have ridden a horse.
d- Maria is in London. She's just arrived and it's very new for her.
You ask: Have you been to London before ?
She says: No, this is the first time I have been to London.
10- a- have become. Des millions d'amateurs de musique sont devenus dépendants du son clair et net du disque compact.
b- has transformed. Le mariage de la micro-informatique, des télécommunications et de la programmation pour ordinateur a transformé l'informatique et le traitement de données d'une activité spécialisée et chère en une activité commerciale bon marché.
c- has been. La mémoire la plus couronnée de succès dans les ordinateurs modernes depuis presque vingt ans c'est le type à tores magnétiques qui se compose de milliers de minuscules "billes" (tores) métalliques.
d- has benefited Presque toutes les activités humaines ont profité de l'invention de l'ordinateur.
e- has enabled. En manipulant de vastes quantités de données à grande vitesse, l'ordinateur nous a permis de résoudre des problèmes scientifiques, techniques, financiers et administratifs qui étaient autrefois bien au delà de nos capacités pratiques.
11- a- had become ... when it became a fad to recapture the old imperfect sound of the original recordings of the 30s or the 40s. ... étaient devenus dépendants... quand c'est devenu une mode de retrouver le vieux son imparfait des enregistrements originaux des années trente et quarante.
b- had transformed... when the Government finally decided to teach those techniques at school to all students. ... avait transformé ... quand le Gouvernement finalement décida d'enseigner ces techniques en classe à tous les étudiants.
c- had been... when IBM and Macintosh signed their famous agreement. ... c'était... quand IBM et Macintosh signèrent leur célèbre accord.
d- had benefited ... when HDTV finally arrived on the market. ... avaient profité... quand le télévision haute définition arriva finalement sur le marché.
e- had enabled ... when a new generation of informatics permitted us to go even farther. ... nous avait permis de... quand une nouvelle génération d'informatique nous a permis d'aller encore plus loin.
12- a- Up to now, the police security systems have proved to be efficient enough. Jusqu'à présent les systèmes de sécurité de la police ont prouvé qu'ils étaient suffisamment efficaces (se sont révélés suffisamment efficaces).
b- I had been in the workshop since ten o'clock when the telephone rang. J'étais dans l'atelier depuis dix heures quand le téléphone sonna.
c- They had been married for ten years when I met them. Ils étaient mariés depuis dix ans quand je les ai rencontrés.
d- The word "robotics" has been used since Isaac Asimov created it. Le mot "robotique" est employé depuis qu'Isaac Asimov l'a créé.
e- They have shown that commercial for weeks now. Ils montrent cette publicité depuis des semaines maintenant. Cela fait maintenant des semaines qu'ils montrent cette publicité. Il y a des semaines maintenant qu'ils montrent cette publicité.
f- I see that you have bought a new computer. Was it expensive? Je vois que tu as acheté un nouvel ordinateur. Etait-il cher?
g- Hacking has been bedeviling (has bedeviled) the computer business since its birth. Le piratage empoisonne l'industrie informatique depuis sa naissance.
13- a- Have the police security systems up to now proved to be efficient enough?
The police security systems have not up to now proved to be efficient enough.
Haven't the police security systems up to now proved to be efficient enough.
haven't they? haven't they? have they? have they?
b- Had I (you) been in the workshop since ten o'clock when the telephone rang?
I (you) had not been in the workshop since ten o'clock when the telephone rang.
Hadn't I (you) been in the workshop since ten o'clock when the telephone rang?
hadn't I? hadn't I (you)? had I (you)? had I (you)?
c- Had they been married for ten years when I met them?
They had not been married for ten years when I met them.
Hadn't they been married for ten years when I met them?
hadn't they? hadn't they? had they? had they?
d- Has the word "robotics" been used since Isaac Asimov created it?
The word "robotics" has not been used since Isaac Asimov created it.
Hasn't the word "robotics" been used since Isaac Asimov created it
hasn't it? hasn't it? has it? has it?
e- Have they shown that commercial for weeks now?
They have not shown that commercial for weeks now.
Haven't they shown that commercial for weeks now?
haven't they? haven't they? have they? have they?
f- Do I see (Do you see) that you (I) have bought a new computer?
I don't see (You don't see) that you (I) have bought a new computer.
Don't I see (Don't you see) that you (I) have bought a new computer?
don't I? don't I (don't you)? do I (do you)? do I (do you)?
g- Has hacking bedeviled the computer business since its birth?
Hacking has not bedeviled the computer business since its birth.
Hasn't hacking bedeviled the computer business since its birth?
hasn’t it? hasn't it? has it? has it?
14- a- Le comparateur spectral vidéo, comme on appelle ce système, a également identifié toutes les différentes modifications effectuées sur des certificats MOT qui avaient été modifiés plusieurs fois.
b- Le traitement de texte le plus populaire pour PCs est aujourd’hui disponible pour les machines Macintosh, renforçant encore davantage les liens entre ces deux mondes.
c- Matra, le groupe français d'électronique et d'armement a décroché un marché de 100 millions de dollars... La bataille de l'appel d'offre pour ce marché a été très dure.
d- Microsoft avait toujours satisfait les demandes de ses clients jusqu'au jour où la demande est devenue trop forte.
e- Ils m'informèrent qu'ils venaient de recevoir une grosse commande du Japon.
f- Bien que les systèmes de sécurité se soient améliorés, le piratage n'a jamais cessé d'augmenter.
15- a- For five days the dollar has gone on rising. It has gained more than thirty centimes.
b- Enormous progress has been made in the field of electronics over the last ten years.
c- A new range of products has been supplied to the French group Matra.
d- Two dates had been announced for the release of this new product.
e- Four years ago a disaster nearly occurred in a nuclear power plant because a malicious program had been introduced into the computer.
f- The new, detachable keyboard has been designed to be even more pleasant to use.
16- a- She had gone out.
b- It had changed a lot.
c- She had arranged to do something else.
d- The film had already begun.
e- I hadn’t seen him for five years.
f- She had just had breakfast.
17- a- "Was Tom at the party when you arrived? ---No, he HAD GONE home."
b- I felt very tired when I got home, so I WENT straight to bed.
c- The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody HAD GONE to bed.
d- Sorry I'm late. The car BROKE down on my way here.
e- We were driving along the road when we SAW a car which HAD BROKEN down, so we STOPPED to see if we could help.
18- a- I had been working hard all day.
b- They had been playing football.
c- Somebody had been smoking in the room.
d- She had been dreaming.
e- He had been watching TV.
19- a- It was very noisy next door. Our neighbors WERE HAVING a party.
b- We were good friends. We HAD KNOWN each other for a long time.
c- John and I went for a walk. I had difficulty keeping up with him because he WAS WALKING so fast.
d- Mary was sitting on the ground. She was out of breath. She HAD BEEN RUNNING.
e- When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table and talking. Their mouths were empty but their stomachs were full. They HAD EATEN / HAD BEEN EATING.
f- When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table with their mouths full. They WERE EATING.
g- Jim was on his hands and knees on the floor. He WAS LOOKING for his contacts.
h- When I arrived, Kate WAS WAITING for me. She was rather annoyed with me because I was late and she HAD BEEN WAITING for a very long time.
i- I was sad when I sold my car. I HAD HAD it for a long time.
j- We were extremely tired at the end of the journey. We HAD BEEN TRAVELLING for more than 24 hours.