Fill in the blanks with suitable past tense verb – Tnpsc General English Questions

TENSES

	Explanation	Past	Present	Future
MOVEMENT		Simple Past	Simple Present	Future I simple
	Action that takes place once, never or several times	He played football every Tuesday	He plays football every Tuesday	He will/is going to play football every Tuesday.
	Actions that happen one after another	He played football and then he went home.	He plays football and then he goes home.	He will play football and then he will go home.
	state	He loved football.	He loves football.	He will love football.
PERIOD		Past Progressive	Present Progressive	Future I Progressive
	Action going on at that moment	He was playing football.	He is playing football.	He will be playing football.
	Actions taking place at the same time	He was playing football and she was watching.	He is playing and she is watching.	He will be playing football and she will be watching.
RESULT		Past Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Simple	Future II Simple
	Action taking place before a certain moment in time; emphasizes the result	He had won five matches until that day.	He was won five matches so far.	He will have won five matches by then.
DURATION		Past Perfect Progressive	Present Perfect Progressive	Future II Progressive
	Action taking place before a certain moment in time (and beyond), emphasizes the during	He had been playing football for ten years.	He has been playing football for ten years	He will have been playing football for ten years.

Fill in the blanks with suitable past tense verb

1. He _____ (run) fast.

A) ran

B) runs

C) is running

D) was running

Answer : A) ran

2. The cat ____ (kill) the rat.

A) is killing

B) was killed

C) killed

D) will kill

Answer : C) killed

3. The boys ____ (play) cricket.

A) were playing

B) will play

C) are playing

D) played

Answer : D) played

4. I _____ (go) to temple.

A) will go

B) went

C) was going

D) will be going

Answer : B) went

5. I ______ (score) good marks.

A) scores

B) Must score

C) scored

D) will score

Answer : C) scored

6. David ______ (call) me.

A) called

B) called out

C) calls

D) was calling

Answer : A) called

7. She _____ (learn) grammar.

A) learnt

B) learned

C) learning

D) was learning

Answer : B) learned

8. He ______ (walk) forward.

A) walks

B) walked

C) will walk

D) walk

Answer : B) walked

9. They ______ (eat) mangoes.

A) ate

B) eaten

C) will eat

D) are eating

Answer : A) ate

10. She ______ (come) yesterday.

A) comes

B) had came

C) has came

D) came

Answer : D) came

11. The Prime Minister _______ (leave) for London next week.

A) Dad left

B) will leave

C) will be leaving

D) was leaving

Answer : C) will be leaving

12. Yesterday we _____ (buy) a costly car.

A) had bought

B) bought

C) buyed

D) has bought

Answer : B) bought

13. My father _____ (return) from Mexico.

A) will return

B) had returned

C) returns

D) has returned

Answer : D) has returned

14. Now we _____ (live) in the welfare state.

A) will be living

B) was living

C) are living

D) has been living

Answer : C) are living

15. It _____ (rain) since 5 P. M.

A) has been raining

B) rains

C) is raining

D) was raining

Answer : C) is raining

16. The teacher _____ (open) the lid of the jar.

A) opened

B) opens

C) has opened

D) had opened

Answer : A) opened

17. The works _____ (paint) the walls.

A) were painting

B) are painting

C) had painting

D) paints

Answer : B) are painting

18. The players _____ (continue) the match in spite of the rain.

A) Was continuing

B) Will continue

C) continued

D) will be continuing

Answer : C) continued

19. The dogs _____ (hear) the sound and began to bark.

A) heard

B) will hear

C) has heard

D) hears

Answer : A) heard

20. The manager ______ (instruct) his subordinates to complete the given work in time.

A) Was instructing

B) will instruct

C) instructs

D) instructed

Answer : D) instructed

21. He _____ (bring) me a gift on my birthday.

A) is bringing

B) brought

C) has brought

D) will bring

Answer : B) brought

22. I _______ (give) them money, if I had more.

A) would have given

B) has gave

C) will be giving

D) gave

Answer : A) would have given

23. A star ______ (shine) in the sky.

A) had shined

B) shines

C) is shining

D) was shining

Answer : C) is shining

24. They _____ (play) hockey.

A) will play

B) played

C) are playing

D) was playing

Answer : C) are playing

25. I ______ (write) notes.

A) am writing

B) was writing

C) will write

D) had been writing

Answer : A) am writing

26. I ______ (have) my breakfast.

A) has

B) had had

C) had

D) have

Answer : C) had

27. The pain ______ (grow) worse.

A) grows

B) was growing

C) is growing

D) grown

Answer : C) is growing

28. The peon ______ (ring) the bell.

A) rung

B) rings

C) is ringing

D) will ring

Answer : D) will ring

29. I _____ (sleep) well last night.

A) slept

B) Sleeps

C) had slept

D) was sleeping

Answer : A) slept

30. He ______ (write) a letter to me.

A) writes

B) wrote

C) will be writing

D) was writing

Answer : B) wrote

31. She and her friend _____ (play) tennis.

A) plays

B) play

C) will be playing

D) was playing

Answer : B) play

32. We never ______ (drink) water with meals.

A) drinking

B) drinks

C) drink

D) are drinking

Answer : C) drink

33. The children _____ (break) many things when they play.

A) are breaking

B) breaks

C) will break

D) break

Answer : D) break

34. Ann usually does the shopping, but I ______ (do) it today as she isn’t well.

A) is doing

B) did

C) are doing

D) am doing

Answer : B) did

35. An old man ______ (climb) out of a first floor window!

A) was climbing

B) is climbing

C) climbing

D) climbs

Answer : B) is climbing

36. I cannot hear what you ______ (say).

A) said

B) are saying

C) say

D) is said

Answer : B) are saying

37. When I first met him he _______ (work) in a restaurant.

A) was working

B) worked

C) is working

D) works

Answer : A) was working

38. I ______ (read) the book when the light went off.

A) was reading

B) read

C) has read

D) am reading

Answer : A) was reading

39. I often _______ (drink) milk before going to bed.

A) drinks

B) be drinking

C) drink

D) drunk

Answer : C) drink

40. It ______ (rain) very often in this country.

A) rain

B) will be raining

C) raining

D) rains

Answer : D) rains

41. Who _______ (make) the tea today?

A) makes

B) make

C) is going to make

D) made

Answer : C) is going to make

42. When I ______ (arrive) at the party, everybody ______ (dance).

A) arrived/were dancing

B) arrive/dances

C) arrived/was dancing

D) had arrived/were dancing

Answer : C) arrived/was dancing

43. They were good friends. They _____ (know) each other for a long time.

A) knew

B) knows

C) had known

D) were known

Answer : C) had known

44. After the referee ______ (whistle) the players ______ (begin) playing.

A) had whistled / began

B) has whistled / began

C) Whistles / begins

D) whistled / began

Answer : A) had whistled / began

45. He _______ (play) in a Tennis match on Friday.

A) will play

B) will be playing

C) is playing

D) was playing

Answer : C) is playing

46. I _______ (believe) it when I see it.

A) will believe

B) shall believe

C) believes

D) am believing

Answer : B) shall believe

47. He ______ (weed) in the garden all day yesterday.

A) was weeding

B) weeded

C) has been weeding

D) has weeded

Answer : A) was weeding

48. This time next month I ______ (sit) on a beach.

A) will be sitting

B) was sitting

C) would be sitting

D) sits

Answer : A) will be sitting

49. I promise you : I _______ (finish) my homework on time next week.

A) would have finished

B) will finish

C) had finished

D) finishes

Answer : B) will finish

50. Mass spece travel ______ (become) possible.

A) will become

B) will soon become

C) is becoming

D) is going to become

Answer : B) will soon become

II. Choose the correct tense

1. Geetha ______ to the United Kingdom last week.

A) go

B) went

C) was gone

D) was going

Answer : B) went

2. I _______ English at present.

A) am teaching

B) is teaching

C) was teaching

D) taught

Answer : A) am teaching

3. Indira _____ the film already.

A) had seen

B) has seen

C) saw

D) is seeing

Answer : B) has seen

4. Columbus _______ America.

A) discover

B) discovers

C) discovered

D) none of these

Answer : C) discovered

5. Men ______ dules in the past.

A) fight

B) fought

C) fights

D) had fought

Answer : B) fought

6. Most of the trains usually ______ late.

A) come

B) are coming

C) have come

D) will come

Answer : A) come

7. Shakespeare ______ during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

A) live

B) had lived

C) was living

D) lived

Answer : D) lived

8. While I was driving, one fellow ______ before my car.

A) fall

B) was falling

C) fell

D) would fall

Answer : C) fell

9. My son ______ just now from London.

A) has arrived

B) arrived

C) is arriving

D) will arrive

Answer : A) has arrived

10. The plane _______ just now.

A) take off

B) was taking off

C) took off

D) will take off

Answer : C) took off

11. All planets _______ round the Sun.

A) revolve

B) revolves

C) are revolving

D) none of these

Answer : A) revolve

12. Sheela usually ______ tea. Today she _____ coffee.

A) drinks, drinking

B) drink, was drinking

C) drank, was drunk

D) drinks, in drinking

Answer : D) drinks, in drinking

13. Whenever he ______ his mouth, he says rubbish.

A) open

B) opens

C) is opening

D) opened

Answer : B) opens

14. If you _____ fast, you ______ the train.

A) walk, catches

B) walks, catch

C) walked, catch

D) walk, will catch

Answer : D) walk, will catch

15. I _______ in Washington next week.

A) will go

B) will be

C) shall go

D) would be

Answer : B) will be