Mixing Tenses in the Past Practice

Part 1: Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. Michael has been wearing (wear) glasses ever since he was (be) in elementary school.

2. My friend has seen (see) this movie twice since it came (come) out in the movie theater.

3. Ever since the movie began (begin), the audience has been (be) completely silent.

4. I have been drawing (draw) two self-portraits since I took (take) that art class.

5. My swim team has beaten (beat) our rival team only once since the new coach was (be) hired.

6. Since the new neighbors moved (move) in next door, their dog has been digging (dig) several holes in my yard.

7. My roommate hasn’t forgiven (not forgive) me since the last time I spilled(spill) coffee on her sofa.

8. Since a contaminated shipment of tomatoes arrived (arrive) at the port, a dangerous virus has spread (spread) throughout the city.

9. Since Sally started (start) dating William, he sweeped (sweep) her off her feet.

10. Lightning has struck (strike) that old house three times since it was (be) built in the

1920’s.

Part 2: Arrange the words in the correct order to make a grammatically correct sentence. You do not need to change the verb forms. The first one has been done for you.

11. I have eaten three hamburgers since I quit my diet. / Since I quit my diet, I have eaten three hamburgers.

I/ I/ hamburgers/ three/have/ eaten/quit my diet/ since

12. My niece has her hair cut twice since she turned 5 My niece/ she/ her hair/ twice/has / cut/turned 5/ since

13. I have stood in front of this house many times since it was built I/in front of this house/ it/ many times/have/ built/was/ stood/ since

14. My mother has told me this story several times since it happened My mother/ me/ this story/ it/ several times/has/ told/happened/ since

15. The professor has taught this course five times since she started teaching at the university The professor/ she/ this course/ at the university/ five times/ has/ taught/started teaching / since

16. I have thought about him a lot since he left him I/he/ him/ a lot/have/ left/ thought about / since

17. I haven’t understood anything since the teacher started lecturing

I/the teacher/ anything/ haven’t/ understood/ started lecturing / since

18. This team has won several tournaments since it joined the league That team/ it/ several tournaments/has/ won/ joined the league / since

19. Jane has called me twice since I sent her that text message Jane/I/ that text message/has/ called me twice/ sent her / since

20. Jack has gotten sick a lot since I saw him the last time Jack/ I/ a lot/ has/ gotten sick/ saw him/ since the last time

Part 3: Change, add or remove one word to make the sentence correct. The first one has been done for you.

21. Ken loved his current job since he started working there. ADD: has

Ken has loved his current job since he started working there.

21. Apples been grown in this orchard since my parents bought this piece of land.

Apples has been grown in this orchard since my parents bought this piece of land.

21. Anne has stayed in this hotel a few times since she has started doing business in this city.

Anne has stayed in this hotel a few times since she started doing business in this city.

21. Since my parents have bought their new house, they have also bought a lot of new furniture.

Since my parents bought their new house, they have also bought a lot of new furniture.

21. My nephew has threw the ball to me a few times since I taught him how to play baseball.

My nephew has thrown the ball to me a few times since I taught him how to play baseball.

21. I have putted your mail on the table every day since you left for vacation

I have been putting your mail on the table every day since you left for vacation

21. Oscar have taken his vitamins every day since the doctor told him he needed to do so.

Oscar has been taking his vitamins every day since the doctor told him he needed to do so.

21. Amber has made a few mistakes since she has started writing her paper.

Amber has made a few mistakes since she started writing her paper.

21. Since Lisa found her cell phone, she received 2 new text messages.

Since Lisa found her cell phone, she has received 2 new text messages.

21. I have taken the bus twice since I come to this city.

I have taken the bus twice since I came to this city.