Language awareness

Simple Past and Present Perfect Tense

Practice A. Complete the text below with the appropriate tenses.

1. Did you like the movie Star Wars? I don’t know. I (see, never) _________________ that
movie.
2. Sam (arrive) _____________ in San Diego a week ago.
3. My best friend and I (know) ____________ each other for over fifteen years. We still get
together once a week.
4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) _____________ ten very creative short stories in last
year. One day, he’ll be as famous as Hemingway.
5. I (have, not) _______________ this much fun since I (be) ________ a kid.
6. Things (change) __________ a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) ______
working here three years ago, the company (have, only) ________ six employees. Since then,
we (expand) _____________ to include more than 2000 full-time workers.
7. I (tell) __________ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander) ________
off into the forest and (be) ______ bitten by a snake.
8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) __________ the bus this morning. You (be)
__________ late to work too many times. You are fired!
9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never)
____________________ the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.
10. How sad! George (dream) ____________ of going to California before he died, but he didn't
make it. He (see, never) __________________ the ocean.
11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) ___________ much easier and very
comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) ____________ two or three months to cross North
America by covered wagon. The trip (be) _________ very rough and often dangerous. Things
(change) _________________ a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can
fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
12. ‘Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change) _______________ since the last time I (see)
__________ you. You (grow) _______________ at least a foot!’
13. This tree (be) _________ planted by the settlers who (found) __________ our city over four
hundred years ago.
 14. This mountain (be, never) ____________________ climbed by anyone. Several
mountaineers (try) _________ to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever)
____________________. The climb is extremely difficult and many people (die) _________
trying to reach the summit.
15. I (visit, never) ____________________ Africa, but I (travel) _________________ to South
America several times. The last time I (go) ________ to South America, I (visit) ___________
Brazil and Peru. I (spend) _________ two weeks in the Amazon, (hike) ____________ for a
week near Machu Picchu, and (fly) ______________ over the Nazca Lines.

Practice B. Complete the text below with the appropriate tenses.

Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change)
___________________ a great deal. The first computers (be) ___________________ simple
machines designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) _____________________ much memory and
they (be, not) _____________________ very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive
and customers often (pay) _____________________ thousands of dollars for machines which
actually (do) ___________________ very little. Most computers (be) ___________________
separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.

Times (change) ______________________. Computers (become) ____________________

powerful machines with very practical applications. Programmers (create) ___________________ a
large selection of useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to
bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's games (become) ___________________
faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also)
_____________________ on the Internet and (begin) _____________________ communicating with
other computer users around the world. We (start) _____________________ to create international
communities online. In short, the simple, individual machines of the past (evolve)
_____________________ into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.
1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars?"

B: I don't know. I (see, never) have never seen that movie.

2. Sam (arrive) arrived in San Diego a week ago.

3. My best friend and I (know) have known each other for over fifteen years. We still

get together once a week.

4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) has written ten very creative short stories

in the last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.

5. I (have, not) have not had this much fun since I (be) was a kid.

6. Things (change) have changed a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first

(start) started working here three years ago, the company (have, only) only had six

employees. Since then, we (expand) have expanded to include more than 2000 full-

time workers.

7. I (tell) told him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he

(wander) wandered off into the forest and (be) was bitten by a snake.

8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) missed the bus this morning. You

(be) have been late to work too many times. You are fired!

9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see,

never) has never seen the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.

10. How sad! George (dream) dreamt of going to California before he died, but he

didn't make it. He (see, never) never saw the ocean.

11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) has become much easier and very

comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) took two or three months to cross North

America by covered wagon. The trip (be) was very rough and often dangerous.

Things (change) have changed a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now

you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

12. Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change) have changed since the last time

I (see) saw you. You (grow) have grown at least a foot!

13. This tree (be) was planted by the settlers who (found) founded our city over four

hundred years ago.

14. This mountain (be, never) has never been climbed by anyone. Several

mountaineers (try) have tried to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever) has ever

succeeded. The climb is extremely difficult and many people (die) have died trying

to reach the summit.

15. I (visit, never) have never visited Africa, but I (travel) have travelled to South

America several times. The last time I (go) went to South America, I

(visit) visited Brazil and Peru. I (spend) spent two weeks in the Amazon,

(hike) hiked for a week near Machu Picchu, and (fly) flew over the Nazca Lines.
 Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology
(change) has changed a great deal. The first computers (be) were simple machines
designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) did not have much memory and they (be,
not) were not very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers
often (pay) paid thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do) did very little. Most
computers (be) were separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or
for playing games.

Times (change) have changed. Computers (become) have become powerful machines

with very practical applications. Programmers (create) have created a large selection of
useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We
are still playing video games, but today's games (become) have become faster, more
exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also) have also got on the
Internet and (begin) have begun communicating with other computer users around the
world. We (start) have started to create international communities online. In short, the
simple, individual machines of the past (evolve) have evolved into an international World
Wide Web of knowledge.