Grammar Lesson: Tense Review

Tenses needed to be reviewed on a regular basis. This lesson provides exercises that help students review tense names and uses while having a "getting to know you" conversation. Below the worksheet, you'll find the answers to the exercises. 

Aim: To inductively review both structure and names of basic tenses

Activity: Personal Questions with follow up tense name and auxiliary verb quizzes

Level: Intermediate

Outline:

• Divide students into groups of 2 to 4
• Have students take personal information quiz
• Check answers as a class, ask students to quickly speak about what they have learned about their fellow students
• Have groups identify tense names used in questions in pairs. Once students identify tense names, ask them to match the explanation for each tense used
• Give auxiliary verb exercise to students to be done individually
• Correct auxiliary exercise in class

Personal Information Quiz

Answer these questions and discuss with a partner.

1. When did you last see a film?
2. How many times have you been abroad?
3. What type of books do you like reading?
4. When was your car made?
5. How long have you been learning English?
6. What will the weather be like tomorrow?
7. What were you doing at 7 o'clock yesterday evening?
8. What are your parents doing?
9. Where are your classes taught?
10. What are you going to do after this course finishes?

With your partner, decide the names of the tenses used in the above questions.

• Past Continuous
• Present Simple Passive
• Present Perfect
• Future Intent / Plan
• Present Perfect Continuous
• Past Simple Passive
• Future Prediction
• Present Simple
• Present Continuous
• Past Simple

Match it all up to how each tense is used.

• Something that happened in the past
• Something that is done by someone every day
• An action right now
• Something going on when something else happened
• Something that was done to someone or something else
• Used to think about the future
• Something that you've planned for the future
• Used to discuss experiences in life
• Expressing a length of time from one time to another
• Speaking about something that is true every day
• Something that was done to someone or something else

Gap Fill Exercise

Enter the correct auxiliary verb. Choose between: are, is, do, does, did, have, or will.

1. He ____ playing the guitar at the moment.
2. Jackie ____ been living in Paris for a few months.
3. Which sports _____ he like?
4. They _____ travelled all over the world.
5. My shoes _____ made in Italy.
6. Peter ____ going to fly to London next Thursday.
7. Do you think the current government ____ change soon?
8. Yamaha pianos ____ made in Japan.
9. Jane ____ doing her homework when I came home last night.
10. When ____ you arrive last night?

Answers

Exercise 1: Personal Information Quiz

1. When did you last see a film? - Past Simple / Something that happened in the past
2. How many times have you been abroad? - Present Perfect / Used to discuss experiences in life
3. What type of books do you like reading? - Present Simple / Speaking about something that is true every day
4. When was your car made? - Past Simple Passive / Something that was done to someone or something else
5. How long have you been learning English? - Present Perfect Continuous / Expressing a length of time from one time to another
6. What will the weather be like tomorrow? - Future Prediction / Used to think about the future
7. What were you doing at 7 o'clock yesterday evening? - Past Continuous / Something going on when something else happened
8. What are your parents doing? - Present Continuous / An action right now
9. Where are your classes taught? - Present Simple Passive / Something that is done by someone every day
10. What are you going to do after this course finishes? - Future Intent / Plan / Something that you've planned for the future

Exercise 2: Gap FIll Exercise

1. is
2. has
3. does
4. have
5. are
6. is
7. will
8. are
9. was
10. did