English Mastery
Module 1 · Verb Tenses

Grand Review & Practice Tests

All1 h 30 min50 questions5 sections
Overview

Visual overview

Three time frames, four aspects
PASTPRESENTFUTURESIMPLEV2किया / थाV1 (+s)करता हैwill+V1/ going toकरेगा / करने वाला हैCONTINUOUSwas / were+Vingकर रहा थाam / is / are+Vingकर रहा हैwill be+Vingकर रहा होगाPERFECThad+V3कर चुका थाhave / has+V3कर चुका हैwill have+V3कर चुका होगाPERFECTCONTINUOUShad been+Ving(कब से) कर रहा थाhave / has been+Ving(कब से) कर रहा हैwill have been+Ving(तब तक, कब से)कर रहा होगाPASTHABITSused toV1/wouldV1पहले करता थाnowthe ‘then’ moment or the deadlinein progresscompletedone action
Pick a time frame (past, present or future) and an aspect (simple, continuous, perfect or perfect continuous): the formula and the picture follow.
Extra

The Complete Tense Map — One Page, Thirteen Tenses

Read this table until you can reproduce it from memory. Every tense, its formula, its Hindi feeling, and one example.
TenseFormulaHindi feelingExample
Simple PresentV1 (+s)करता हैShe works in Noida.
Present Continuousam/is/are + Vingकर रहा हैShe is working right now.
Present Perfecthave/has + V3कर चुका हैShe has finished the report.
Present Perfect Continuoushave/has been + Ving(कब से) कर रहा हैShe has been working since 9.
Simple PastV2किया / थाShe worked there in 2020.
Past Continuouswas/were + Vingकर रहा थाShe was working when I called.
Past Perfecthad + V3कर चुका थाShe had left before I arrived.
Past Perfect Continuoushad been + Ving(कब से) कर रहा थाShe had been working for hours.
Simple Futurewill + V1 / going toकरेगा / करने वाला हैShe will call you. / She is going to call.
Future Continuouswill be + Vingकर रहा होगाShe will be working at 5.
Future Perfectwill have + V3कर चुका होगाShe will have finished by 5.
Future Perfect Continuouswill have been + Ving(तब तक, कब से) कर रहा होगाBy June, she will have been working there for a year.
Used to / Wouldused to + V1 / would + V1पहले करता थाShe used to work in a bank.
Five rules that solve most confusion:
  1. Stative verbs (know, want, have=own, love, understand, belong) never take -ing — in any tense.
  2. Specific finished time (yesterday, ago, in 2015) bans Perfect tenses Simple Past.
  3. ‘Since/for + still continuing’ pulls towards Perfect Continuous (have/had/will have been + - ing).
  4. No ‘will’ inside when/if/before/after/until/as soon as clauses — Simple Present does the job.
  5. After did/didn’t and after will, the verb returns to base form. One word carries the tense.
Step 2

Practice Test 1 — Choose the Right Tense (25 questions)

Test

Practice Test 1 — Choose the Right Tense (25 questions)

0 / 25

Fill each blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets. All thirteen tenses are in play.

  1. 1
    Ravi (work) in Gurgaon these days, but he (live) in Ghaziabad permanently.
  2. 2
    I (call) you three times yesterday — where were you?
  3. 3
    By the time we (reach) the hall, the speeches (already/start).
  4. 4
    She (learn) French for two years now, and she (already/finish) the basic level.
  5. 5
    Look at the traffic! We (miss) the flight.
  6. 6
    When I was a child, my mother (tell) me a story every night.
  7. 7
    Water (boil) at 100°C — everyone (know) that.
  8. 8
    He (drive) for ten hours straight when the accident (happen).
  9. 9
    Don’t call at 9 tomorrow — I (meet) the CA at that time.
  10. 10
    By next Holi, we (live) in this house for twenty years.
  11. 11
    I (see) him only once since he (move) to Pune.
  12. 12
    The office (close) by the time you reach — it’s already 7:40.
  13. 13
    While she (cook), the children (do) their homework.
  14. 14
    He said he (send) the documents the next morning.
  15. 15
    This colony (be) a jungle before the builders came.
  16. 16
    I (not/finish) the book yet — I (read) it since Sunday.
  17. 17
    As soon as the payment (clear), we (start) the registry process.
  18. 18
    you ever (attend) a property expo before this one?
  19. 19
    The phone rang while I (take) a shower.
  20. 20
    Okay, you rest — I (drop) the kids to school today.
  21. 21
    By 2030, this expressway (change) the whole district.
  22. 22
    She (not/use) to like Delhi, but now she (love) it.
  23. 23
    How long they (negotiate) when the seller finally agreed?
  24. 24
    Prices (rise) every year since 2021.
  25. 25
    I promise I (not/tell) anyone about this.
Step 3

Practice Test 2 — Find and Fix the Error (15 questions)

Test

Practice Test 2 — Find and Fix the Error (15 questions)

0 / 15

Each sentence has exactly one tense error. Rewrite it correctly.

  1. 1
    I am knowing this area very well.
  2. 2
    She has completed her degree in 2019.
  3. 3
    We are living in this society since five years.
  4. 4
    Did you went to the site yesterday?
  5. 5
    When he will come, give him the keys.
  6. 6
    The train had left. (Only one event — nothing else in context.)
  7. 7
    By Monday, I will finish the entire audit. (Meaning: done before Monday)
  8. 8
    He said he will pay the token amount soon. (reported last week)
  9. 9
    I use to walk five kilometres daily in my twenties.
  10. 10
    Look at those clouds — it will rain.
  11. 11
    She was cooking dinner when the guests were arriving.
  12. 12
    I have been owning this shop since 2010.
  13. 13
    This time tomorrow, we will sit in the new office. (Meaning: in progress)
  14. 14
    He would have a Bullet motorcycle in his college days.
  15. 15
    The ground is wet — it rained. (Focus: visible evidence now)
Step 4

Practice Test 3 — Translate into English (10 questions)

Test

Practice Test 3 — Translate into English (10 questions)

0 / 10

Translate. Choose the tense from the Hindi feeling — this is the real exam.

  1. 1
    वह रोज़ सुबह योग करता है।
  2. 2
    मैं दो घंटे से तुम्हारा इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
  3. 3
    जब मैं पहुँचा, meeting शुरू हो चुकी थी।
  4. 4
    हम अगले महीने नया showroom खोलने वाले हैं।
  5. 5
    क्या तुमने कभी गोवा देखा है?
  6. 6
    बारिश हो रही थी जब हम निकले।
  7. 7
    शाम तक मैं सारे documents भेज चुका हूँगा।
  8. 8
    वह पहले इसी building में काम करता था।
  9. 9
    उसने कहा था कि वह समय पर पहुँच जाएगा।
  10. 10
    कल इस समय हम पहाड़ों में गाड़ी चला रहे होंगे।
Step 5

Answer Keys

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Test 1
1
is working ... lives
2
called
3
reached ... had already started
4
has been learning ... has already finished
5
are going to miss
6
told (would tell also correct)
7
boils ... knows
8
had been driving ... happened
9
will be meeting
10
will have lived / will have been living
11
have seen ... moved
12
will have closed
13
was cooking ... were doing
14
would send
15
used to be / was
16
have not finished ... have been reading
17
clears ... will start
18
Have ... attended
19
was taking
20
will drop (I’ll drop)
21
will have changed
22
didn’t use ... loves
23
had ... been negotiating
24
have risen / have been rising
25
will not (won’t) tell
Answers · Test 2
1
I know this area very well. (Stative verb.)
2
She completed her degree in 2019. (Specific time Simple Past.)
3
We have been living in this society for five years. (Perfect Continuous + ‘for’ with duration.)
4
Did you go to the site yesterday? (Base verb after did.)
5
When he comes, give him the keys. (No will in the when-clause.)
6
The train left. / The train has left. (Past Perfect needs a second, later past event.)
7
By Monday, I will have finished the entire audit. (Deadline + completion Future Perfect.)
8
He said he would pay the token amount soon. (will would after said.)
9
I used to walk five kilometres daily in my twenties. (Affirmative keeps the ‘d’.)
10
Look at those clouds — it is going to rain. (Visible evidence going to.)
11
She was cooking dinner when the guests arrived. (Interruption Simple Past.)
12
I have owned this shop since 2010. (‘Own’ is stative.)
13
This time tomorrow, we will be sitting in the new office. (Moment in progress Future Continuous.)
14
He used to have a Bullet motorcycle in his college days. (State used to, not would.)
15
The ground is wet — it has been raining. / it has rained. (Present evidence Present Perfect (Continuous).)
Answers · Test 3
1
He does yoga every morning.
2
I have been waiting for you for two hours.
3
When I arrived, the meeting had already started.
4
We are going to open a new showroom next month.
5
Have you ever seen Goa? / Have you ever been to Goa?
6
It was raining when we left.
7
I will have sent all the documents by evening.
8
He used to work in this same building.
9
He said (that) he would reach on time.
10
This time tomorrow, we will be driving in the mountains.

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Next up · Module 2 · Chapter 1Conditionals Overview — Real vs. Unreal

Module 1 complete. You now own all thirteen tenses. Module 2 — Conditionals — begins with the sentence every deal-maker needs: ‘If the price is right, we will close today.’