SELT Correct Verb Tense Usage 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: She ______ to work every day, but today she took the bus.
- walks (Correct answer)
- walked
- is walking
- has walked
Correct answer: walks
Simple present 'walks' describes a habitual action, while 'today' marks the exception.
Question 2: When I arrived at the party, most guests ______ already.
- left
- were leaving
- had left (Correct answer)
- have left
Correct answer: had left
Past perfect 'had left' shows that the guests' departure was completed before the speaker arrived.
Question 3: Look! The children ______ in the garden.
- play
- played
- are playing (Correct answer)
- have played
Correct answer: are playing
Present continuous 'are playing' describes an action happening right now, confirmed by 'Look!'.
Question 4: The company ______ its headquarters since 1985.
- has been at (Correct answer)
- was at
- is at
- had been at
Correct answer: has been at
Present perfect 'has been at' connects a past starting point to the present situation.
Question 5: If it ______ tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.
- rains (Correct answer)
- rained
- will rain
- has rained
Correct answer: rains
In first conditional sentences, the if-clause uses simple present to express a real future possibility.
Question 6: He ______ the report before the deadline last Friday.
- submits
- has submitted
- submitted (Correct answer)
- was submitting
Correct answer: submitted
Simple past 'submitted' is correct because the action is completed at a specific past time ('last Friday').
Question 7: I ______ this novel three times since I bought it.
- read
- am reading
- have read (Correct answer)
- was reading
Correct answer: have read
Present perfect 'have read' expresses repeated experiences from an unspecified past time up to now.
SELT Correct Verb Tense Usage 3
She ______ to work every day, but today she took the bus.