Verb tenses: Context is everything

Verb tenses give us information about when an action is taking place: in the past, present or future. The sequence of verb tenses tells us when one action takes place relative to another action. For example, is one action completed before another in the past? Is one action ongoing when another takes place? The verb tenses will tell you!

Up to the challenge? Try your hand at the questions below!

1. By the time you come back, I to the library.

will go

will be going

will have gone

2. Juno was studying in her room when, all of a sudden, the telephone .

rang

was ringing

had rung

3. Malcolm his hair every morning.

washes

is washing

has washed

4. The hockey team has been practising for weeks to be ready for the tournaments it in.

will play

will have played

will have been playing

5. The company has received hundreds of applications; as a result, it interviews later than expected.

will start

will have started

will have been starting

6. Now that I the book, I agree with Ashley that it has the best ending of all time!

read

am reading

have read

7. Every time I go to his house, he .

gardens

is gardening

will garden

8. While the professor was lecturing, the student detailed notes.

will take

was taking

will have been taking

9. I to surprise you with breakfast before you woke up, but I slept in!

will plan

plan

had planned

10. We usually a movie on Friday nights.

watch

had watched

will watch