Verb Tenses Quiz

What do verb tenses show?

• The object of a sentence

• The time that an action takes place

• The location of an action

• The subject of a sentence

When do we use the simple past tense?

• For present actions

• For short past actions

• For long, continuing past actions

• For future actions

How do we form the past progressive in English?

• Using 'will' or 'shall' and an -ing verb

• Using 'is' or 'are' and an -ing verb

• Using 'was' or 'were' and an -ing verb

• Using 'has' or 'have' and an -ing verb

What is a common time marker for the use of past progressive to show when a short past action interrupts a long past action?

• While

• Before

• When

• After

What is a clause?

• A sentence that expresses a command

• A group of words containing only a verb

• A sentence that expresses a question

• A group of words containing a subject and a verb

What is the independent clause in the sentence 'I was watching TV when the power went out'?

• The power went out

• I was watching TV

• I was watching TV when the power went out

• When the power went out

What punctuation do we need when a dependent clause starts the sentence?

• Exclamation mark

• Semicolon

• Comma

• Colon

What is a common time marker for the use of past progressive to show two long past actions taking place at the same time?

• Before

• While

• After

• Since

Look at the picture and say or write a sentence using simple past or past progressive verbs.

• He was climbing a ladder when he fell

• He climbs a ladder when he fell

• He was climbing a ladder when he jumps

• He climbed a ladder when he fell

What is the correct past progressive form of the sentence 'They sing in the car while he drives'?

• They were singing in the car while he is driving

• They was singing in the car while he was driving

• They was singing in the car while he is driving

• They were singing in the car while he was driving