Advanced grammar tests - English exam centre 2015
English Tenses / Test-1
1. Last Saturday, my father ... that his dinner suit was too small, so now he ... a strict diet.
A) has discovered / followed
B) discovers / was following
C) discovered / is following
D) was discovering / has followed
E) has been discovering / will follow
2. Helen ... her driving test five times so far without success, but she ..., yet.
A) takes / isn't giving up
B) has taken / hasn't given up
C) was taking / didn't give up
D) is taking / doesn't give up
E) took / wasn't giving up
3. Most of the time, John and his friends ... football matches at their local coffee, but this Saturday, they ... to the stadium, and so they're all very excited.
A) watch / are going
B) have been watching / go
C) are watching / have gone
D) were watching / went
E) have watched / were going
4. Kate ... a vegetarian for eleven years now, and she ... meat at all during this time.
A) is / isn't eating
B) has been / wasn't eating
C) is / doesn't eat
D) has been / hasn't eaten
E) was / didn't eat
5. Last year, Richard ... his bicycle to work everyday, but he ... the bus since the accident.
A) rides / takes
B) has ridden / is taking
C) rode / has been taking
D) was riding / took
E) is riding / has taken
6. I ... glasses when I was younger, but now I ... contact lenses.
A) was wearing / have had
B) have worn / am having
C) have been wearing / had
D) wear / was having
E) wore / have
7. About a month ago, I ... a brochure about your hotel, but I ... it yet.
A) request / didn't receive
B) have requested / am not receiving
C) was requesting / wasn't receiving
D) requested / haven't received
E) have been requested / don't receive
8. The conditions in our office ... more and more unbearable, so quite often recently I ... quitting it and looking for a new job.
A) have got / was considering
B) was getting / am considering
C) are getting / have considered
D) have been getting / consider
E) get / considered
9. Because I ... a long way from my work, I ... lots of time going to and from work.
A) live / waste
B) lived / have wasted
C) have been living / wasted
D) am living / have been wasting
E) was living / am wasting
10. In the USA, the twenty largest newspaper chains ... for almost half of the circulation, reflecting a trend that ... in the 1970s.
A) account / started
B) were accounting / start
C) has accounted / was starting
D) accounted / is starting
E) accounts / has started
11. Clean snow ... as much as 87 percent of the sunlight that ... on it.
A) is reflecting / shone
B) has reflected / was shining
C) reflected / is shining
D) was reflected / has shone
E) reflects / shines
12. More than two hundred people ... the tower when the bomb ... in one of the dustbins.
A) have visited / was exploding
B) were visiting / exploded
C) visited / has exploded
D) are visiting / is exploding
E) visit / has exploded
13. Because you ... half of the ingredients as I ... dinner, you probably aren't hungry at all now.
A) were eating / have prepared
B) have eaten / prepared
C) have been eating / prepare
D) ate / was preparing
E) eat / have been preparing
14. She ... strictly since Christmas and so far she ... eight kilos.
A) was dieting / was losing
B) dieted / loses
C) diets / is losing
D) is dieting / lost
E) has been dieting / has lost
15. Cindy's family ... chains in this area for over three centuries and now her father ... this traditional craft at the county museum twice a day as well.
A) are making / is demonstrating
B) have made / has demonstrated
C) made / was demonstrating
D) were making / demonstrated
E) have been making / demonstrates
16. He ... to unlock the door to his flat because the telephone ... .
A) was hurrying / rang
B) hurries / has been ringing
C) hurried / was ringing
D) is hurrying / rings
E) has hurried / has rung
17. There ... economies since the dawn of civilisation, but as a field of study, economics ... only recently.
A) were / was developing
B) have been / has developed
C) are / has been developing
D) were / is developing
E) have been / develops
18. John Deere ... his farm machinery business, which ... tractors today, in the 19th century.
A) founds / still produced
B) has founded / is still producing
C) was founding / was still producing
D) founded / still produces
E) is founding / is still produced
19. I ... my French lately; consequently, I ... more and more of it.
A) am not practising / forget
B) haven't been practising / am forgetting
C) don't practice / have forgotten
D) wasn't practising / forgot
E) didn't practice / was forgetting
20. The old lady's health ... day by day until she ... smoking.
A) was deteriorating / gave up
B) is deteriorating / gives up
C) deteriorated / has given up
D) deteriorates / is giving up
E) has deteriorated / was giving up
21. The managing director ... Sid to sales manager and ever since, he ... everybody around.
A) promoted / has been bossing
B) promotes / bosses
C) has promoted / is bossing
D) is promoting / was bossing
E) was promoting / has bossed
22. Problems with the hotel, coupled with this awful weather, ... our holiday miserable, so we ... before the scheduled time.
A) have made / have left
B) were making / leave
c) make / left
D) are making / are leaving
E) made / were leaving
23. The fact that more people ... ozone-friendly products nowadays ... that the media can positively increase public awareness.
A) have used / was showing
B) used / has shown
C) use / has been showing
D) were using / showed
E) are using / shows
24. My sister ... from severe back aches lately and I think it's because, last month, she ... to work in a shop where she has to pick up heavy things.
A) is suffering / has started
B) suffers / was starting
C) has been suffering / started
D) suffered / is starting
E) was suffering / start
25. Though she ... dancing, Sonia ... to the disco with her friends the previous night just in order to be with them in a different atmosphere.
A) hasn't like / has gone
B) doesn't like / went
C) didn't like / is going
D) doesn't like / goes
E) didn't like / is going
26. Somebody ... three times this morning asking for Pete, but nobody called Pete ... here.
A) has phoned / has ever lived
B) is phoning / was ever living
C) phones / ever lived
D) phoned / is ever living
E) has been phoning / ever lived
27. Joey ... just ... stubborn when he refused to go to the cinema today and he only did so because we ... to go bowling yesterday.
A) is / being / haven't wanted
B) has / been / didn't want
C) is / being / don't want
D) was / being / haven't been wanting
E) was / being / didn't want
28. My mother ... her optician tomorrow because her eyesight ... worse since she got this computing job.
A) has visited / is becoming
B) visited / was becoming
C) visits / becomes
D) is visiting / has become
E) was visiting / became
29. As the President ... the hall, all the guests ... to their feet to welcome him.
A) was entering / have risen
B) entered / rose
C) is entering / rise
D) enters / have been rising
E) has entered / were rising
30. She ... interested in health ever since she was a young girl and now that the medical college ... her as a student, it seems that she will be able to work in the medical field.
A) was / accepted
B) has been / has accepted
C) is / is accepting
D) is being / accepts
E) was / was accepting
31- Bob ... with us tonight as he ... an appointment with the dentist.
A) won't have trained / is making
B) hasn't trained / was making
C) hadn't trained / made
D) doesn't train / makes
E) isn't going to train / has made
32- We ... football for two hours and ... to a restaurant for a meal, afterwards.
A) are playing / go
B) play / are going
C) played / went
D) have played / were going
E) have been playing / had gone
33- Environmental pollution ... ever since people ... to congregate in towns and cities.
A) will have existed / are beginning
B) exist / have begun
C) had existed / were beginning
D) has existed / began
E) will exist / begin
34- I heard that you ... about the boys all day, so I just rang to tell you that Matthew ... from a pay phone a couple of hours ago and they are both fine. The weather is fine and they will be home on Sunday evening.
A) had been worrying / will phone
B) have been worrying / phoned
C) will be worrying / had phoned
D) are worrying / is going to phone E) were worrying / phones
35- Although he ... the first round in record time, he ... in the second, and so finished tenth overall.
A) finishes / is slipping
B) had been finishing / was slipping
C) will have finished / slips
D) had finished / slipped
E) was finishing / has slipped
36- The petrol warning light ... for half an hour before we ... a petrol station.
A) had been flashing / reached
B) is going to flash / will reach
C) flashed / have reached
D) flashes / will be reaching
E) was flashing / were reaching
37- Up until the tap water ... back on yesterday evening, we ... water back and forth for three days.
A) came / had been carrying
B) has come / have been carrying
C) had come / were carrying
D) was coming / will have carried
E) is coming / will have carried
38- The neighbours ... so loudly last night that they ... us all awake until after midnight.
A) are shouting / are keeping
B) have been shouting / were keeping
C) shouted / have been keeping
D) have shouted / had kept
E) were shouting / kept
39- Man's use of pictures to tell stories and to record experiences ... prehistoric times, when he ... the walls of caves.
A) was beginning / has drawn
B) began / drew
C) begins / will have drawn
D) has begun / was drawing
E) had begun / draw
40- My team ... a match for a month, so currently the manager ... resigning if they lose one more match.
A) doesn't win / considered
B) isn't winning / was considering
C) hasn't won / is considering
D) hadn't won / will have considered
E) wasn't winning / will consider
41- My brother ... past the post office every morning and I ... him all week to post a letter for me, but he keeps forgetting, so I'm going to post it myself tomorrow.
A) will be going / ask
B) will go / am asking
C) goes / have been asking
D) is going / will ask
E) has been going / had ask
42- The football team that ... last year's championship ... little chance of winning it again this year.
A) was winning / stood
B) was going to win / stand
C) has won / has stood
D) had won / was standing
E) won / stands
43- Freedom of the press ... an issue between people and their governments since the time individuals ... newspapers independent of government control for the first time.
A) is / are publishing
B) will have been / publish
C) had been / were publishing
D) has been / published
E) was / have published
44- The hikers ... so tired by the time they ... the top of the hill that I'm sure they'll first want to sit down for a rest.
A) will have got / reach
B) are getting / will have reached
C) had got / reached
D) have got / are reaching
E) were getting / had reached
45- When the young scouts ... the top of the hill, they ... for more than an hour.
A) reached / have been walking
B) reach / will have been walking
C) will have reached / are walking
D) had reached / were walking
E) have reached / will be walking
46- Modern exploration of the undersea world had its beginning in June 1943, when Jacgues Cousteau … his first dive with a revolutionary breathing device which he ... with Emile Gagnan, a French engineer.
A) was making / has developed
B) had made / will have developed
C) has made / was developing
D) will have made / develops
E) made / had developed
47- She says that she ... the eight o'clock train tomorrow, but I'm sure she ... it, as usual.
A) is catching / is missing
B) has caught / misses
C) will have caught / has missed
D) is going to catch / will miss
E) was catching / missed
48- The fisherman ... more fish in one night than ever before, so when they anchored in the harbour, they ... with joy at the thought of their reward.
A) had been catching / will sing
B) will have caught / sang
C) had caught / were singing
D) caught / have been singing
E) have caught / will be singing
49- On my friend's farm they ... an alarm clock because the cockerel ... at five o'clock every morning without fail.
A) don't need / crows
B) haven't needed / was crowing
C) won't have needed / has crowed
D) wont need / is crowing
E) didn't need / will crow
50- The Continental Congress ... the US Postal Service in 1775 and the first federal government ... the service in the Constitution.
A) was founding / has included
B) had founded / includes
C) has founded / is including
D) was going to found / will include
E) founded / included