FCE (First Certificate in English) Use of English Part Two- Open Cloze Tenses Review

Cambridge B2 First Use of English Part Two open cloze tenses review

For questions 1-29, read the sentences below and think of the word which best fills each gap. Use one word only in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0)

1. I _____had______ already left when he arrived.
2. I ___________ seen him three or four times in my life.
3. I’ve ____________ suffering from stress recently.
4. When the police entered I ____________ still flushing drugs down the toilet.
5. I was sure she ___________ just left because I could still smell her perfume in the room.
6. At this time next week I ____________ be lying on a beach sipping champagne.

 

6. I have been working here ____________ seven years.
7. I’d been waiting _______ an hour when he arrived.
8. I hadn’t known him __________ long when he suddenly proposed.
9. I’ve been living here _____________ January.
10. I was sure I had never been there _______, but I still had a feeling of déjà vu.
11. I had been there many years ________________.
12. I went there many years ____________________.
13. I was copying the files _____________ they were having a meeting in the next room.
14. I was watching a film on TV ______ all programmes were interrupted with news of the coup.
15. I had already hidden ________ he entered the room.
16. I was watering the flowers _____________ six o’clock this morning to beat the daytime hose pipe ban.
17. The film is showing _____________ ten thirty tonight, but I will be sleeping by then.
18. I’ve ________________ done this unit. Can we do the next one?
19. He pulled the trigger, but I had __________________ taken out all the bullets.
20. I will probably still be paying the loan back _________________ twenty or thirty years.
21. ________ the time I retire, I will have saved at least a million dollars.

 

22. At ___________ moment I’m sleeping on my brother’s sofa.
23. ___________ present he is taking a sabbatical.
24. At _____________ moment, the earthquake struck.
25. I go to the gym at least once _______ week.
26. I have my hair cut once ______________ two months or so.
27. He only finished the project _____________ week.
28. I have already been out drinking three times ______________ week.
29. Every city centre in the world seems the same ____________ days.

Check with the suggested answers or as a class. Other answers might be possible, so please check if you wrote something different.  

How are the meanings and uses of the different tenses above different from each other?

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Suggested answers

1. I _____had______ already left when he arrived.
2. I _____have______ seen him three or four times in my life.
3. I’ve _______been_____ suffering from stress recently.
4. When the police entered I _______was_____ still flushing drugs down the toilet.
5. I was sure she _____had______ just left because I could still smell her perfume in the room.
6. At this time next week I ____will________ be lying on a beach sipping champagne.

 

6. I have been working here _____for_______ seven years.
7. I’d been waiting ___for____ an hour when he arrived.
8. I hadn’t known him ____for______ long when he suddenly proposed.
9. I’ve been living here _____since________ January.
10. I was sure I had never been there ___before____, but I still had a feeling of déjà vu.
11. I had been there many years _______before__
12. I went there many years _________ago__
13. I was copying the files ________while/ when_____ they were having a meeting in the next room.
14. I was watching a film on TV ___when___ all programmes were interrupted with news of the coup.
15. I had already hidden ___when/ before_____ he entered the room.
16. I was watering the flowers _____at________ six o’clock this morning to beat the daytime hose pipe ban.
17. The film is showing ______at/ from____ ten thirty tonight, but I will be sleeping by then.
18. I’ve ________already/ just________ done this unit. Can we do the next one?
19. He pulled the trigger, but I had ______already/ just________ taken out all the bullets.
20. I will probably still be paying the loan back ___in ______________ twenty or thirty years.
21. ____At/ By____ the time I retire, I will have saved at least a million dollars.

 

22. At ______the_____ moment I’m sleeping on my brother’s sofa.
23. ______At_____ present he is taking a sabbatical.
24. At ______that_______ moment, the earthquake struck.
25. I go to the gym at least once ___a/ per____ week.
26. I have my hair cut once ________every______ two months or so.
27. He only finished the project _____last________ week.
28. I have already been out drinking three times _____this_________ week.
29. Every city centre in the world seems the same ______these______ days.