English Grammar Exercises: Past and Present Tenses

Posted on Apr 21, 2026 in English

1. Look at the pictures and write sentences. Use the continuous or past simple.

  • Tom was walking down the street. He saw Jack. He said hello.
  • They were sitting in the garden. It started to rain. They went into the house.
  • Carol was painting the room. She fell off the ladder. She broke her arm.

2. Put the verb into the past continuous

  • When we went out, it was raining.
  • I wasn’t hungry last night, so I didn’t eat anything.
  • Where were you watching television when I phoned you?
  • Jane wasn’t at home when I went to see her. She was working.
  • I got up early this morning. I washed, dressed and then I had breakfast.
  • The postman came while I was having breakfast.
  • We met Joan at the party. She was wearing a red dress.
  • The boys broke a window when they were playing football.
  • I was late but my friends were waiting for me when I arrived.
  • I got up at 7 o’clock. The sun was shining, so I went for a walk.
  • He wasn’t driving fast when the accident happened.
  • Margaret didn’t go to work yesterday. She was ill.
  • What did you do on Saturday evening? I went to the cinema.
  • What were you doing at 9:30 on Saturday evening? I was watching a film in the cinema.

3. Past Simple Practice

Complete these sentences. Use one of these verbs in the past simple:

watched, cleaned, smoked, started/finished, happened, wanted, lived, enjoyed/stayed, rained, opened, played, died.

Write the past of these verbs:

get → got, eat → ate, pay → paid, make → made, give → gave, leave → left, see → saw, go → went, hear → heard, find → found, buy → bought, know → knew, stand → stood, take → took, do → did, put → put, tell → told, lose → lost, think → thought, speak → spoke.

Write sentences about the past (yesterday, last week, etc.)

  1. Yesterday he went to work by car.
  2. This morning they got up early.
  3. He lost his keys last Saturday.
  4. Last week I wrote a letter to Jane.
  5. She met her friends yesterday evening.
  6. I read two newspapers yesterday.
  7. Last Friday they came to my house.
  8. We went to the cinema last Sunday.
  9. This morning Tom had a shower.
  10. Last year they bought a new car.
  11. Yesterday I ate an orange.
  12. We did our shopping last Monday.
  13. Last weekend Ann took photographs.
  14. This morning we left home at 8.30.

Write sentences about yourself. What did you do yesterday?

  1. Yesterday I woke up early and studied English.
  2. I went to school and had classes.
  3. In the afternoon, I did my homework.
  4. I watched TV in the evening.
  5. I went to bed at 11 p.m.

4. Negative and Interrogative Past

Complete these sentences with the verb in the negative.

  1. I saw John but I didn’t see Mary.
  2. They worked on Monday but they didn’t work on Tuesday.
  3. We went to the shop but we didn’t go to the bank.
  4. She had a pen but she didn’t have any paper.
  5. Jack did French at school but he didn’t do German.

Write questions with Did…?

Did you watch TV last night? Did you enjoy the party? Did you have a good holiday? Did you get up early this morning? Did you sleep well last night?

What did you do yesterday?

I watched TV. I got up before 7.30. I had a shower. I bought a magazine. I spoke English. I did an examination. I ate meat. I went to bed before 10.30.

Write questions with Who/What/How/Why…?

  1. Who did you meet?
  2. What time did Harry arrive?
  3. Who did you see?
  4. What did they want?
  5. What time did the meeting finish?
  6. Why did Pat go home early?
  7. What did you have for dinner?
  8. How much did it cost?

Put the verb in the correct form of the past (positive, negative or question).

  1. I played tennis yesterday but I didn’t win.
  2. We waited a long time for the bus but it didn’t come.
  3. That’s a nice shirt. Where did you buy it?
  4. She saw me but she didn’t speak to me.
  5. Did it rain yesterday? “No, it was a nice day.”
  6. That was a stupid thing to do. Why did you do it?

5. Present Tenses

Answer the questions about the pictures.

  1. Does he take photographs? Yes, he does. Is he taking a photograph? No, he isn’t. What is he doing? He is having a bath / taking a bath.
  2. Does she drive a bus? Yes, she does. Is she driving a bus? No, she isn’t. What is she doing? She is playing the piano.
  3. Does he clean windows? Yes, he does. Is he cleaning a window? Yes, he is. What is he doing? He is cleaning a window.
  4. Do they teach? Yes, they do. Are they teaching? No, they aren’t. What are they doing? They are watching television / sitting on the sofa.

Put in am/is/are/do/don’t/does/doesn’t.

1. do, 2. don’t, 3. are, 4. does, 5. don’t/is, 6. do, 7. does, 8. am, 9. doesn’t.

Put the verb in the present continuous or present simple.

  1. Excuse me, do you speak English?
  2. Tom is having a shower at the moment.
  3. They don’t watch television very often.
  4. Listen! Somebody is singing.
  5. She’s tired. She wants to go home now.
  6. How often do you read a newspaper?
  7. ‘Excuse me, but you are sitting in my place.’ ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’
  8. I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Please speak more slowly.
  9. ‘Where are you, Roy?’ ‘I’m in the sitting-room. I am reading.’
  10. What time does she finish work every day?
  11. You can turn off the radio. I am not listening to it.
  12. He doesn’t usually drive to work. He usually walks.