Exercises

Formation of the Perfect Progressive Tenses
Complete the blanks with the helping verb (be, has been, have been, or had been) in the appropriate tense. (Do
not use contractions.)
1. She will _____________ sleeping eight hours when she wakes up.
2. I will _____________ heading north in two hours.
3. We _____________ driving for four hours when we ran out of gas.
4. I _____________ waiting for an hour when the attorney arrived.
5. By now they _____________ flying for three hours.
6. Recently, I _____________ thinking about renting an apartment.
7. Thanks for helping me. I _____________ trying to find the Smithsonian for an hour.
8. When he retires, he will _____________ working here for fifty years.
9. When he arrives, he will _____________ travelling for three days.
10. There you are! I _____________ thinking about you all day.
11. I _____________ cleaning the house when you arrived.
12. He _____________ washing clothes for an hour when I called.
13. Mary likes this place. She _____________ renting this apartment for a year now.


Using “Should”
Decide whether the statement is URGENT or NOT URGENT.
1. You’d better fill up your car right now, or you’ll run out of gas. ____________
2. He should fill out this form if he wants credit. ____________
3. Fred had better not drink any more wine, or he’ll be very sick. ____________
4. We ought to have our mail forwarded while we’re out of town. ____________
5. John ought to visit his aunt. ____________
6. You’d better finish that report, or you’ll lose your job. ____________
7. We should rent a mid-sized car. ____________
8. She should study more, or she’ll fail all her classes. ____________
9. You had better claim your inheritance, or you’ll lose $10,000,000. ____________
10. You’d better wake up right now, or you’ll miss your flight. ____________
11. We should see the sights while we’re in San Francisco. ____________
12. Fred ought to buy some bread at the store. ____________
13. I should wash my clothes. ____________