Upper Primary Grammar The Perfect Tense

If you want to know where Danny is, he __________ the piano for the past hour. He is still playing now.

• has practiced

• had practiced

• has been practiciing

• had been practicing

Mum __________ dinner and is plating it at the moment.

• has cooked

• has been cooking

• had cooked

• had been cooking.

Answer explanation

The present perfect is used here because mum's action started in the past and ends in the present, before she plates the dinner.

Jenny _______broken her wrist before going to the hospital yesterday.

• has broken

• had broken

• had been breaking

• had been breaking

William _______television when the door rang and the deliveryman arrived.

• has watched

• had watched

• has been watching

• had been watching

The dog __________ before we bathed it.

• have played

• playing

• has played

• had played

The pupils _________ their books and are on the way home.

• has kept

• keeping

• have kept

• had kept

David _________ for his examinations when the phone rang incessantly.

• has studied

• had studied

• had been studying

• has been studying

The brave man __________ his life to save the children from the fire.

• has risked

• risked

• has been risking

• had risked

The storm __________and it is alright to go out.

• calms

• has calmed

• had calmed

• has been calming

Theresa _________for the past half an hour and is still in the library.

• reading

• had been reading

• has been reading

• reads