Tenses Quiz: Check Your English Grammar in Minutes
This tense quiz targets English grammar tense choice and verb-form accuracy across simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous patterns. Built for Class 10/high-school grammar and exam-style MCQs, it works as a class 10 tenses mcq online test and a tenses test online. Use this tenses quiz and grammar tenses quiz to spot timeline mismatches, since/for errors, and auxiliary mistakes.
True / False
True / False
True / False
True / False
Select all that apply
Put in order
True / False
Select all that apply
Put in order
Select all that apply
Put in order
Select all that apply
Put in order
Select all that apply
High-Frequency English Tense Errors That Break Timeline Clarity
Most wrong answers in an English tenses quiz come from ignoring the sentence’s time reference (finished vs unfinished time), not from forgetting a chart of “12 tenses.” Use the patterns below as a checklist while you review your results.
1) Mixing past simple with present perfect time markers
- Finished time (yesterday, last year, in 2019) → past simple: “I saw him yesterday.”
- Unfinished time / result-now (today, this week, so far, already, yet) → present perfect: “I have seen him today.”
2) Using past perfect without a second past reference point
Past perfect needs a “later past” anchor: “She had left before I arrived.” If you’re just listing events in order, past simple is usually enough.
3) Treating stative verbs as continuous
Common stative verbs (know, believe, own, need, like) rarely take -ing forms. Prefer: “I know,” not “I am knowing,” unless a special temporary meaning is clearly intended.
4) Wrong auxiliary in questions and negatives
- Past questions: Did + base verb → “Did you go?” (not “Did you went?”)
- Perfect: have/has + past participle → “She has eaten.”
- Future: will + base verb → “They will arrive.”
5) Uncontrolled tense shifts across sentences
Choose a main timeline (past narrative, present description, future plan) and shift tense only to signal a clear time jump (earlier-than-past, background-in-progress, or reported speech).
English Grammar Tenses: 5 Rules to Apply Before You Lock an Answer
Use these five takeaways as a repeatable method for any tenses quiz: identify the timeline first, then match the form.
-
Underline time expressions and label them “finished” or “unfinished.”
If the time is finished (“yesterday,” “in 2020”), default to past simple. If the time is unfinished (“this week,” “so far”) or the result matters now, default to present perfect.
-
For perfect tenses, always state the reference point in your head.
Past perfect = earlier than a past point (“had left” before “arrived”). Future perfect = completed before a future deadline (“will have finished by 6”). If you can’t name the second point, you’re probably overusing “perfect.”
-
Choose continuous forms only when “in progress/temporary/background” is the meaning.
Use continuous for actions in progress (“was studying when…”), temporary situations (“are staying for a week”), and background scene-setting. Use simple for routines, facts, repeated actions, and completed events.
-
Protect stative verbs from -ing unless a special interpretation is intended.
Write “I know,” “She owns,” “They believe.” If the quiz offers a continuous stative form, check whether the sentence forces a temporary/behavioral meaning; otherwise it’s likely a trap.
-
Build questions and negatives from the auxiliary—never double-mark tense.
Past: did + base (“did go”). Perfect: have/has + participle (“has gone”). Future: will + base (“will go”). If an auxiliary is present, the main verb usually stays in base/participle form.
Authoritative References for English Verb Tenses (Past, Present Perfect, and Time vs Tense)
- Purdue OWL: Introduction to Verb Tenses — University-level overview of tense forms, auxiliaries, and the logic behind perfect tenses.
- Cambridge Dictionary Grammar: Tenses and time — Clear explanations of how English uses tense forms to express time (including why “future” is often expressed with auxiliaries).
- British Council LearnEnglish: Present perfect — Rules, examples, and typical errors (especially with finished-time markers).
- British Council LearnEnglish: Past tense — Past simple/continuous/perfect/perfect continuous with usage contrasts and examples.
- British Council TeachingEnglish: Tense (teaching knowledge) — Concise clarification of tense vs time vs aspect, useful for avoiding “rule-mixing.”
English Tenses Quiz FAQ: Time Markers, Reference Points, and Form Choices
Why is “I have seen him yesterday” wrong, but “I have seen him today” can be correct?
Yesterday is a finished time period, so English typically uses past simple: “I saw him yesterday.” Today is often treated as unfinished (the day is still ongoing), so present perfect can be correct when the time period is still open or the result matters now: “I have seen him today.”
When do I need past perfect instead of past simple?
Use past perfect when the sentence (or context) contains two past moments and you must show which happened first: “She had left before I arrived.” If the actions are simply listed in order and the sequence is already clear, past simple is often enough: “She left and I arrived later.”
How do I choose between simple and continuous in past and present?
Simple fits completed events, routines, and facts: “He works,” “They finished.” Continuous signals an action in progress, a temporary situation, or background action: “She is studying now,” “I was driving when…”. If the sentence includes “when/while” and one action interrupts another, the background action is often continuous and the interrupting action is often simple.
Why can’t I usually use -ing with verbs like know, believe, own, or need?
These are typically stative verbs (states, not actions), so English usually uses simple forms: “I know,” “She owns.” Some continuous uses are possible, but they change the meaning (often to a temporary, evolving, or behavioral interpretation). In MCQs, continuous stative options are frequently included as distractors.
What’s the fastest way to fix tense shifts in a paragraph?
Pick one main timeline for the paragraph (past narrative, present explanation, or future plan). Then justify every tense change with a reason: earlier-than-main events (often past perfect), background-in-progress (continuous), or a time jump signaled by a new time phrase. If you’re still building basics like subject–verb agreement and auxiliaries, the English Grammar Quiz for Class 6 can help reinforce the foundations that tense questions assume.
How do “since” and “for” affect tense choice?
With since (start point) and for (duration) that continue up to now, English commonly uses present perfect: “I have lived here for five years,” “She has worked here since 2021.” If the duration is clearly finished in the past, use past simple: “I lived there for five years (but not anymore).”