Grammar Practice Tenses in the Active Voice

Ex. 1 Use the verbs in brackets in proper tense and voice

1. The House of Lords _____ (consist) of the Lords Temporal and the Lords Spiritual.

2. The Lords Spiritual _____ (be) the Archbishops of York and Canterbury.

3. The Lords Temporal _____ (represent) hereditary peers who _____ (to inherit) their titles.

4. The Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) _____ (become) life peers on their judicial appointments.

5. Law Lords _____ (serve) the House of Lords as the ultimate court of appeal.

6. The appeal court _____(consist) of some nine Law Lords who _____ (to hold) senior judicial office.

7. The Lord Chancellor _____ (preside) over these nine Lords and they _____ (form) a quorum of three to five when they _____ ( hear) appeal cases.

8. The functions of the Prime Minister _____ (be): _____ (lead) the majority party, _____ (run) the government, _____ (appoint) Cabinet Ministers and other ministers, _____ (represent) the nation in political matters.

9. After the Prime Minister _____ (form) his cabinet he ____( select) the rest of his ministry.

10. The Cabinet _____ (constitute) the centre of the government.

11. The Cabinet _____ (make) all major decisions of the government.

Ex. 2 Choose the correct verb form:

a) Present Simple and Present Continuous

We are going/go to Italy next week. We take/are taking the plane. Usually we have/are having two weeks' holiday, but this year we have/are having four. We don't take/aren't taking the car because the journey takes/ is taking too long. We stay/are staying at a friend's house in Verese. Usually he works/is working in Milan but at the moment he spends/is spending the summer in New York.

b) used to / would

Howard Hughes, the American film producer, lived/used to live for fifteen years completely on his own. He was spending/used to spend all day lying on his bed watching films. He would/used to hate touching any thing that wasn't/didn't use to be sterile. He was living/used to live on tinned chicken soup for weeks, and was changing/ used to change to a diet of ice cream. When he died/ used to die, he was/ used to be a billionaire.

Ex. 3. Use the required form of the verb in the Active Voice.

1. The Party which (obtain) the majority of seats in the House of Commons (form) the Government.

2. There (be) a legend that the Tower (fall) if it (lose) its ravens; therefore the English carefully (guard) the birds with clipped wings.

3. The collection of books in the British Museum Library (increase) systematically, and the famous circular Reading Room of the Museum, planned by Sir Antonio Panizzi, (offer) unique research facilities to scholars.

4. The plane (leave) early tomorrow, and in three hours it (land) in one of the airports in London.

5. When Scotland (be) an independent Kingdome, it (be) often at war with England until 1603 when King James VI of Scotland (become) King of England.

6. The Great Fire of London 1666 (clear) away the old wooden houses and dirty narrow streets, and after the fire they (begin) to build wider streets and brick houses in the city.

7. I think I (visit) lots of fascinating places in England and (see) a lot of interesting in London by the time my holiday (be) over.

8. I (write) to tell you my exciting news. I (win) a competition. I am sure my life (change) a lot since now.

9. Next week John (leave) for Oxford to visit his sister, who he (not, see) for a year since she (go) to study there.

10. They (come) back from England by the end of July, and then we (throw) a big party for all our friends.

11. King Alfred (849 – 899) (be) the only monarch in English history who (receive) the title “Alfred the Great”.

12. In 1301, after defeating the native Prince of Wales, King Edward I of England (name) his son “Prince of Wales”. Since then the eldest son of the king or queen of England tradiditionally (have) this title.

13. In 1536 Wales (become) the part of the English system by the Act of Union.

14. Edward I (complete) the subjection of Wales, and it (be) he who (make) his son, afterwards Edward II, the Prince of Wales.

15. The Welsh language (be) still a living force, and the Welsh (study) it side by side with English in schools of Wales.

16. In 1707 Scotland and England (become) a united part, but the Scots (keep) there own legal system, religon and administrative system and still (keep) them now.

17. The Romans (build) Hadrian’s wall, the greatest monument of the Roman occupation of Britain, to act as a defence against the Celts from Scotland.

18. Sir Christopher Wren, the great architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral (die) in 1723, at the age of 90, and they (bury) him in the building which his genius and toil (creat).

19. Today Soho (become) a meeting place for all kinds of people who (come) to London from all over the world, whatever the hour of day or night.

20. The Frenchman, you (look) for yesterday, (learn) English at school quite well, but half (forget) it by the time he (stay) in London on business. I (see) him there a month ago. He (promise) that he (improve) his English by the time he (arrive) in London again.