Verb Tense Exercises

Present Continuous / Simple Past Present Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Continuous

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb tense.

My English is really getting better. I (try) _______ to learn the language since 1985, but only recently have I been able to make some real progress. By the time I started high school in 1988, I (study) _______the language for almost three years; however, I was only able to introduce myself and utter a few memorized sentences. For a couple more years, I (struggle) ________through grammar and vocabulary lessons, which made absolutely no difference. Nothing worked, so I decided to study abroad. I found an exchange program in England that sounded like the perfect answer. I (stay) ________with a host family for one month. It was a huge disappointment! I (sit) _________there the whole time staring at the host mother and father hoping that there would be some breakthrough. Nothing. When I returned, I mentioned to a friend that I (have) ________problems with the language for years. He recommended that I spend a year in an English speaking country. I decided to go abroad again. I (research) ________exchange programs for a couple of weeks and finally decided on a school in the United States. Well, it worked. I (live) ________and (study) _______in the U.S. for more than two years. I (stay) ________here for at least another year before I return home. By then, I should be completely fluent.