English Tense System Quiz

You can do this grammar quiz online or print it on paper. It tests what you learned on the English Tense System page.

1. In English, the concept of tense

does not exist
is not important
is very important
a) does not exist b) is not important c) is very important

2. There are _______ in the English language.

3 basic tenses
12 basic tenses
21 basic tenses
a) 3 basic tenses b) 12 basic tenses c) 21 basic tenses

3. A past simple verb such as "had" _______ refer to past time.

must always
does not always
can never
a) must always b) does not always c) can never

4. "I hope it snows next weekend." In this sentence, the present simple verb "snows" refers to

the past
the present
the future
a) the past b) the present c) the future

5. All 12 basic tenses can be used in either the active or _______ voice.

passive
inactive
reactive
a) passive b) inactive c) reactive

6. The structure of a basic tense depends on whether it's in the positive, negative or _______ form.

future
neutral
question
a) future b) neutral c) question

7. Which verb form always ends with -ing, as in "talking"?

past participle
present participle
base V2 form
a) past participle b) present participle c) base V2 form

8. Which of the basic tense structures is "auxiliary + subject + main verb"?

positive
negative
question
a) positive b) negative c) question

9. When learning the structure of tenses, we learn how to use regular verbs and irregular verbs, including the highly irregular verb _______.

learn
be
have
a) learn b) be c) have

10. When learning the English tense system, it's important to understand that "tense" and "time" are

the same thing
different things
opposite things
a) the same thing b) different things c) opposite things

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