Welcome to the Tenses Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) section, a crucial component for anyone preparing for competitive exams. This section is meticulously designed to test and enhance your understanding of one of the fundamental aspects of English grammar – tenses. Mastering tenses is essential not only for achieving fluency in English but also for excelling in various competitive exams, where language proficiency plays a pivotal role.
In English, tenses are used to convey the timing of an action, be it in the past, present, or future. They form the backbone of effective communication, helping to clarify whether actions are ongoing, completed, or yet to occur. This section comprises a diverse set of questions that span simple to complex tense structures, tailored to challenge and improve your grammatical acumen.
Each question is carefully created to cover different tenses – including past, present, future, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous forms. This will not only prepare you for the types of questions you may encounter in competitive exams but also deepen your grasp of English grammar in practical usage. Remember, understanding the nuances of tenses is key to answering these questions correctly.
Whether you are a student, a job seeker, or a competitive exam aspirant, these MCQs offer an excellent opportunity to hone your skills. So, let’s dive into the world of tenses and embark on a journey to perfect your command of the English language!
1. Choose the correct tense for the sentence: "By next year, I ____ my degree."
a) will have completed
b) will complete
c) have completed
d) would have completed
Answer:
a) will have completed
Explanation:
The correct tense is the future perfect, which is used to express an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
2. Identify the correct past tense form: "He ____ to play the piano when he was young."
a) used
b) was using
c) use
d) used to
Answer:
a) used
Explanation:
'used' is the correct form to describe habitual actions in the past.
3. Choose the sentence with the correct present continuous tense:
a) She is singing a song.
b) She sing a song.
c) She sings a song.
d) She was singing a song.
Answer:
a) She is singing a song.
Explanation:
The present continuous tense is formed with 'is/am/are' + verb-ing, indicating an action happening now.
4. Select the sentence in the simple past tense:
a) They have visited the museum.
b) They visited the museum.
c) They will visit the museum.
d) They are visiting the museum.
Answer:
b) They visited the museum.
Explanation:
The simple past tense is used for actions completed in the past, often at a specific time.
5. Identify the sentence with correct future perfect continuous tense:
a) They will have been studying for three hours by then.
b) They will be studying for three hours by then.
c) They have been studying for three hours by then.
d) They studied for three hours by then.
Answer:
a) They will have been studying for three hours by then.
Explanation:
The future perfect continuous tense is used to express an ongoing action that will be completed at some specific future time.
6. Choose the correct past perfect form: "After she ____ the news, she called me."
a) had heard
b) has heard
c) heard
d) hears
Answer:
a) had heard
Explanation:
The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action completed before another action in the past.
7. Select the sentence in the present perfect continuous tense:
a) He has been working here since 2010.
b) He worked here since 2010.
c) He is working here since 2010.
d) He works here since 2010.
Answer:
a) He has been working here since 2010.
Explanation:
The present perfect continuous tense is used for actions that began in the past and continue up to the present.
8. Identify the sentence with the correct simple present tense:
a) She writes a letter every week.
b) She is writing a letter every week.
c) She wrote a letter every week.
d) She has written a letter every week.
Answer:
a) She writes a letter every week.
Explanation:
The simple present tense is used for habitual actions or general truths.
9. Choose the sentence with the correct future tense:
a) She will travel to Paris next month.
b) She traveled to Paris next month.
c) She is traveling to Paris next month.
d) She travels to Paris next month.
Answer:
a) She will travel to Paris next month.
Explanation:
The simple future tense is used to describe an action that will happen in the future.
10. Select the sentence in the past continuous tense:
a) He was reading when I arrived.
b) He read when I arrived.
c) He has read when I arrived.
d) He will read when I arrived.
Answer:
a) He was reading when I arrived.
Explanation:
The past continuous tense is used for actions that were happening at a specific time in the past.
11. Identify the correct future continuous tense: "This time tomorrow, I ____ in New York."
a) will be arriving
b) will have arrived
c) am arriving
d) will be arrived
Answer:
a) will be arriving
Explanation:
The future continuous tense is used for actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
12. Choose the correct past perfect continuous form: "They ____ for hours before help arrived."
a) had been waiting
b) have been waiting
c) were waiting
d) waited
Answer:
a) had been waiting
Explanation:
The past perfect continuous tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past had occurred before another past action.
13. Select the sentence in the simple future tense:
a) She will cook dinner tonight.
b) She is cooking dinner tonight.
c) She cooked dinner tonight.
d) She has cooked dinner tonight.
Answer:
a) She will cook dinner tonight.
Explanation:
The simple future tense is used to describe an action that will take place in the future.
14. Identify the sentence with the correct present perfect tense:
a) She has finished her homework.
b) She finished her homework.
c) She is finishing her homework.
d) She will finish her homework.
Answer:
a) She has finished her homework.
Explanation:
The present perfect tense is used for actions that have been completed at some point in the past or that started in the past and continue to the present.
15. Choose the correct past tense form: "Last year, he ____ to Spain."
a) travels
b) travelled
c) has travelled
d) was travelling
Answer:
b) travelled
Explanation:
The simple past tense is used for actions completed in the past at a specific time.
16. Select the sentence in the present continuous tense:
a) She reads a book.
b) She is reading a book.
c) She read a book.
d) She has read a book.
Answer:
b) She is reading a book.
Explanation:
The present continuous tense is used for actions that are happening at the time of speaking.
17. Identify the sentence with the correct future perfect tense:
a) By next month, I will finish my project.
b) By next month, I will be finishing my project.
c) By next month, I will have finished my project.
d) By next month, I finish my project.
Answer:
c) By next month, I will have finished my project.
Explanation:
The future perfect tense is used for actions that will be completed before a certain time in the future.
18. Choose the sentence with the correct past perfect tense:
a) After he ate dinner, he went for a walk.
b) After he had eaten dinner, he went for a walk.
c) After he has eaten dinner, he went for a walk.
d) After he eats dinner, he went for a walk.
Answer:
b) After he had eaten dinner, he went for a walk.
Explanation:
The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.
19. Select the sentence in the present perfect continuous tense:
a) He has been living here since 2005.
b) He lived here since 2005.
c) He was living here since 2005.
d) He lives here since 2005.
Answer:
a) He has been living here since 2005.
Explanation:
The present perfect continuous tense is used for actions that started in the past and continue to the present.
20. Identify the sentence with the correct simple present tense:
a) The Earth revolves around the Sun.
b) The Earth revolved around the Sun.
c) The Earth is revolving around the Sun.
d) The Earth has revolved around the Sun.
Answer:
a) The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Explanation:
The simple present tense is used for facts and general truths.
21. Choose the sentence with the correct future perfect continuous tense:
a) In two years, they will have been studying medicine.
b) In two years, they will be studying medicine.
c) In two years, they will have studied medicine.
d) In two years, they will have been studying medicine for five years.
Answer:
d) In two years, they will have been studying medicine for five years.
Explanation:
The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that will continue up until a point in the future.
22. Select the correct form of the past continuous tense: "Yesterday at this time, I ____ a book."
a) am reading
b) was reading
c) have been reading
d) had read
Answer:
b) was reading
Explanation:
The past continuous tense is formed with 'was/were' + verb-ing, indicating an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
23. Identify the sentence in the present perfect tense:
a) She writes a letter.
b) She wrote a letter.
c) She has written a letter.
d) She is writing a letter.
Answer:
c) She has written a letter.
Explanation:
The present perfect tense is used for actions that have recently finished or have a connection to the present.
24. Choose the sentence with the correct simple past tense:
a) He will go to the store yesterday.
b) He went to the store yesterday.
c) He goes to the store yesterday.
d) He is going to the store yesterday.
Answer:
b) He went to the store yesterday.
Explanation:
The simple past tense is used to describe an action that was completed in the past.
25. Select the sentence in the future continuous tense:
a) He will be running a marathon next Sunday.
b) He runs a marathon next Sunday.
c) He ran a marathon next Sunday.
d) He has run a marathon next Sunday.
Answer:
a) He will be running a marathon next Sunday.
Explanation:
The future continuous tense is used for actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
26. Identify the sentence with the correct past perfect continuous tense:
a) She had been cooking for three hours when the guests arrived.
b) She has been cooking for three hours when the guests arrived.
c) She was cooking for three hours when the guests arrived.
d) She cooked for three hours when the guests arrived.
Answer:
a) She had been cooking for three hours when the guests arrived.
Explanation:
The past perfect continuous tense is used for actions that were ongoing in the past and were completed before another action.
27. Choose the sentence with the correct present continuous tense:
a) They are studying for their exam right now.
b) They study for their exam right now.
c) They studied for their exam right now.
d) They have been studying for their exam right now.
Answer:
a) They are studying for their exam right now.
Explanation:
The present continuous tense is used for actions happening at the moment of speaking.
28. Select the sentence in the future perfect tense:
a) By the end of this month, she will have finished her project.
b) By the end of this month, she finishes her project.
c) By the end of this month, she will finish her project.
d) By the end of this month, she has finished her project.
Answer:
a) By the end of this month, she will have finished her project.
Explanation:
The future perfect tense is used for actions that will be completed before a certain future time.
29. Identify the sentence with the correct past tense:
a) He always enjoyed playing football.
b) He is always enjoying playing football.
c) He has always enjoyed playing football.
d) He will always enjoy playing football.
Answer:
a) He always enjoyed playing football.
Explanation:
The simple past tense is used for habits or states in the past.
30. Choose the sentence with the correct present perfect continuous tense:
a) They have been waiting for you since morning.
b) They had been waiting for you since morning.
c) They waited for you since morning.
d) They wait for you since morning.
Answer:
a) They have been waiting for you since morning.
Explanation:
The present perfect continuous tense is used for actions that started in the past and are still continuing.
31. Select the sentence in the simple present tense:
a) She will go to the gym every day.
b) She goes to the gym every day.
c) She went to the gym every day.
d) She has gone to the gym every day.
Answer:
b) She goes to the gym every day.
Explanation:
The simple present tense is used for habitual actions or routines.
32. Identify the sentence with the correct past perfect tense:
a) They had completed the assignment before the deadline.
b) They have completed the assignment before the deadline.
c) They completed the assignment before the deadline.
d) They were completing the assignment before the deadline.
Answer:
a) They had completed the assignment before the deadline.
Explanation:
The past perfect tense is used for actions that were completed before another action in the past.
33. Choose the sentence with the correct future tense:
a) He will be visiting his grandparents next week.
b) He visits his grandparents next week.
c) He visited his grandparents next week.
d) He is visiting his grandparents next week.
Answer:
a) He will be visiting his grandparents next week.
Explanation:
The future continuous tense is used for actions that will be happening at a certain time in the future.
34. Select the sentence in the present continuous tense:
a) She is preparing for her exams now.
b) She prepares for her exams now.
c) She prepared for her exams now.
d) She has prepared for her exams now.
Answer:
a) She is preparing for her exams now.
Explanation:
The present continuous tense is used for actions happening currently.
35. Identify the sentence with the correct past continuous tense:
a) They were playing football when it started to rain.
b) They played football when it started to rain.
c) They have played football when it started to rain.
d) They are playing football when it started to rain.
Answer:
a) They were playing football when it started to rain.
Explanation:
The past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action in the past that is interrupted by another action.
36. Choose the sentence with the correct future perfect tense:
a) By 2023, they will perfect their skills.
b) By 2023, they will have perfected their skills.
c) By 2023, they have perfected their skills.
d) By 2023, they perfected their skills.
Answer:
b) By 2023, they will have perfected their skills.
Explanation:
The future perfect tense is used for actions that will be completed before a specific future time.
37. Select the sentence in the present perfect continuous tense:
a) He has been working on this project for two months.
b) He worked on this project for two months.
c) He is working on this project for two months.
d) He works on this project for two months.
Answer:
a) He has been working on this project for two months.
Explanation:
The present perfect continuous tense is used for actions that started in the past and are still continuing.
38. Identify the sentence with the correct simple past tense:
a) Yesterday, she makes a cake.
b) Yesterday, she made a cake.
c) Yesterday, she is making a cake.
d) Yesterday, she has made a cake.
Answer:
b) Yesterday, she made a cake.
Explanation:
The simple past tense is used for actions that were completed in the past.
39. Choose the sentence with the correct past perfect continuous tense:
a) They had been studying for five hours before the exam.
b) They have been studying for five hours before the exam.
c) They studied for five hours before the exam.
d) They were studying for five hours before the exam.
Answer:
a) They had been studying for five hours before the exam.
Explanation:
The past perfect continuous tense is used to express an action that had been ongoing in the past up to another point in the past.
40. Select the sentence in the future continuous tense:
a) Next year, she will be attending college.
b) Next year, she attends college.
c) Next year, she has attended college.
d) Next year, she attended college.
Answer:
a) Next year, she will be attending college.
Explanation:
The future continuous tense is used for actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future.
41. Identify the sentence with the correct present perfect tense:
a) She has never been to Paris.
b) She never went to Paris.
c) She is never going to Paris.
d) She never goes to Paris.
Answer:
a) She has never been to Paris.
Explanation:
The present perfect tense is used for experiences up to the present, often with 'never' to indicate something has not happened before.
42. Choose the sentence with the correct past perfect tense:
a) After she ate dinner, she felt sick.
b) After she had eaten dinner, she felt sick.
c) After she was eating dinner, she felt sick.
d) After she has eaten dinner, she felt sick.
Answer:
b) After she had eaten dinner, she felt sick.
Explanation:
The past perfect tense is used to express an action completed before another action in the past.
43. Select the sentence in the simple future tense:
a) They will travel to Japan next year.
b) They traveled to Japan next year.
c) They are traveling to Japan next year.
d) They have traveled to Japan next year.
Answer:
a) They will travel to Japan next year.
Explanation:
The simple future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen in the future.
44. Identify the sentence with the correct present continuous tense:
a) He is eating dinner now.
b) He eats dinner now.
c) He ate dinner now.
d) He has eaten dinner now.
Answer:
a) He is eating dinner now.
Explanation:
The present continuous tense is used for actions occurring at the moment of speaking.
45. Choose the sentence with the correct past continuous tense:
a) I was studying when she called.
b) I studied when she called.
c) I am studying when she called.
d) I have been studying when she called.
Answer:
a) I was studying when she called.
Explanation:
The past continuous tense is used for an ongoing action in the past that is interrupted by another action.
46. Select the sentence in the future perfect tense:
a) By next week, I will complete the project.
b) By next week, I will have completed the project.
c) By next week, I complete the project.
d) By next week, I have completed the project.
Answer:
b) By next week, I will have completed the project.
Explanation:
The future perfect tense is used for actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
47. Identify the sentence with the correct past perfect continuous tense:
a) We had been driving for hours before we reached the destination.
b) We have been driving for hours before we reached the destination.
c) We drove for hours before we reached the destination.
d) We were driving for hours before we reached the destination.
Answer:
a) We had been driving for hours before we reached the destination.
Explanation:
The past perfect continuous tense shows an action that was ongoing in the past and continued up until another past action.
48. Choose the sentence with the correct future continuous tense:
a) He will be waiting for you when you arrive.
b) He waits for you when you arrive.
c) He waited for you when you arrive.
d) He has waited for you when you arrive.
Answer:
a) He will be waiting for you when you arrive.
Explanation:
The future continuous tense is used for actions that will be in progress at a specific future time.
49. Select the sentence in the present perfect continuous tense:
a) They have been preparing for the exam since last week.
b) They prepared for the exam since last week.
c) They are preparing for the exam since last week.
d) They prepare for the exam since last week.
Answer:
a) They have been preparing for the exam since last week.
Explanation:
The present perfect continuous tense is used for actions that began in the past and are still continuing up to the present.
50. Identify the sentence with the correct simple present tense:
a) The sun rises in the east.
b) The sun rose in the east.
c) The sun is rising in the east.
d) The sun has risen in the east.
Answer:
a) The sun rises in the east.
Explanation:
The simple present tense is used for habitual actions and universal truths.