ACT English verb tense shifts practice
Practice identifying and correcting verb tense shifts commonly tested on the ACT English section.
Quiz(32 questions)
1. Identify the tense shift: She goes to the gym every day, but last week she _____ (go).
Terms in this Study Set(32)
Verb Tense Basics(16)
What are the three main verb tenses?
Present, past, and future.
Fill in the blank: He _____ (walk) to school.
He walks to school.
True or False: 'I seen the movie.' is correct.
False - it should be 'I saw the movie.'
Past tense of 'run'?
Ran
Identify the tense: 'She is studying.'
Present continuous tense.
Cause → Effect: 'He will travel tomorrow.'
He is making plans today.
What is the past perfect tense?
Indicates an action completed before another past action, e.g., 'had eaten.'
Fill in the blank: They _____ (play) soccer last Saturday.
They played soccer last Saturday.
Compare: 'I walk' vs. 'I walked'.
'I walk' is present; 'I walked' is past.
True or False: 'I will went to the store.' is correct.
False - it should be 'I will go to the store.'
What is the future tense of 'to eat'?
Will eat.
Identify the tense: 'She has finished her homework.'
Present perfect tense.
Fill in the blank: They _____ (study) right now.
They are studying right now.
What is the simple past form of 'to drive'?
Drove.
True or False: 'He has wrote a book.' is correct.
False - it should be 'He has written a book.'
Present tense of 'to go'?
Goes.
Common Tense Shifts(16)
Identify the tense shift: She runs every day, but yesterday she ran.
Correct: Maintain past tense for yesterday: '...but yesterday she ran.'
True or False: 'He will go to the store and bought milk.'
False. Shift from future to past tense; should be 'will buy.'
Fill in the blank: I _____ (go) to the park, then I _____ (see) my friend.
went; Correct: 'I went to the park, then I saw my friend.'
What is the correct form?: They eat breakfast at 8 am, but yesterday they _____ (eat).
ate; Correct: '...but yesterday they ate.'
Which sentence is correct?: I was walking to school and I see my friend.
I was walking to school and I saw my friend.
Identify the error: She loves ice cream and yesterday she eats it.
Correct: 'and yesterday she ate it.'
What is a common error in tense shifts?
Switching between past and present without clear reason.
Cause: A subject shifts from past to present tense. What is the effect?
Creates confusion about the timeline of events.
True or False: 'They will finish the project, but last week they start it.'
False. Correct: 'but last week they started it.'
What should you do when mixing tenses?
Ensure consistent use of past, present, or future within sentences.
Identify the tense shift: I study for the exam, but I studied last night.
Correct: Maintain past tense: 'but I studied last night.'
Choose the correct form: She walks to work now, but she _____ (drive) before.
drove; '...but she drove before.'
Correct the shift: He plays football last year.
Correct: 'He played football last year.'
Identify the error: They are going to the movies, and they went to dinner before.
Correct: 'and they had gone to dinner before.'
What is the problem with this sentence? 'I am studying hard and I passed the test.'
Shift from present to past; Correct: 'I am studying hard and I will pass the test.'
True or False: Consistent verb tense improves clarity.
True. It helps the reader follow the timeline.
Questions in this Study Set(32)
1. Identify the tense shift: She goes to the gym every day, but last week she _____ (go).
2. What is the future tense of 'to write'?
3. True or False: 'They will travel to Paris, but they visited London last year.'
4. Fill in the blank: She _____ (swim) every morning.
5. Fill in the blank: He _____ (eat) dinner, and then he _____ (watch) a movie.
6. True or False: 'They have went to the concert.' is correct.
7. Which sentence is correct?: I walk to the bus stop and I _____ (see) my friend yesterday.
8. What is the past tense of 'to eat'?
9. Identify the error: He is playing soccer, and last week he _____ (play) basketball.
10. Identify the tense: 'They are playing chess.'
11. What is a common error in tense shifts?
12. Which sentence is NOT in the past tense?
13. True or False: 'I have a meeting tomorrow, but I had a conference yesterday.'
14. Fill in the blank: By the time he arrived, they _____ (eat) all the food.
15. Which sentence has a tense shift error?: They are planning a trip, but they decided last month.
16. True or False: 'I have saw the new exhibit.' is correct.
17. Correct the tense shift: I am studying for my test, but last week I _____ (study) hard.
18. What is the simple past form of 'to bring'?
19. What should you do when mixing tenses?
20. Compare: 'She walks' vs. 'She walked'.
21. Fill in the blank: They usually _____ (go) to the beach, but last summer they _____ (stay) home.
22. What is the future tense of 'to call'?
23. Identify the tense shift: I had a great time at the concert, and I enjoy the music.
24. Fill in the blank: He _____ (study) for his exam last night.
25. Which is NOT a tense shift error?: She walks to the library, and yesterday she _____ (walk) to the park.
26. Identify the tense: 'We will be traveling next week.'
27. True or False: Consistent verb tense disrupts clarity.
28. True or False: 'She has wrote three novels.' is correct.
29. Choose the correct form: He is working late tonight, but he _____ (finish) early yesterday.
30. What is the past continuous tense form of 'to read'?
31. Which sentence contains a tense shift error?
32. Which of the following sentences is in the future tense?
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