Correct Verb Forms – ICSE & ISC Practice questions

ICSE Tenses Practice: 20 Passage Exercises (8 Blanks Each)

Instructions: Fill in the blanks in each passage below with the appropriate form of the verb given in brackets. Do not write the passage but write the verbs in the correct serial order. Each passage has exactly 8 blanks.

Set 1

Last summer, Emily (1) ________ (plant) a variety of flowers, (2) ________ (envision) a vibrant display. Every morning, she (3) ________ (spend) hours tending to the blossoms. One day, while she (4) ________ (water) the plants, her neighbour (5) ________ (stop) by to admire her work. By autumn, Emily (6) ________ (create) a beautiful garden that (7) ________ (attract) butterflies and bees. Since then, she (8) ________ (inspire) her friends to start their own gardens.

Set 2

The sun (1) ________ (disappear) behind the clouds and the sky (2) ________ (turn) grey. The wind (3) ________ (pick) up and raindrops (4) ________ (fall) on the tin roof. Jose (5) ________ (run) inside and (6) ________ (close) all the windows. While he (7) ________ (light) a candle, the storm (8) ________ (grow) stronger.

Set 3

The man (1) ________ (call) Boone (2) ________ (wake) up at dawn and (3) ________ (make) his way to the pier. His assistant (4) ________ (pack) the fishing net as the boat (5) ________ (bob) in the calm waters. “What (6) ________ (do) the forecast say?” Boone (7) ________ (ask). “It (8) ________ (mention) rain in the afternoon,” the assistant replied.

Set 4

There (1) ________ (live) three old monks who (2) ________ (travel) from village to village. In every place they (3) ________ (stop), the villagers (4) ________ (welcome) them warmly. One day, while they (5) ________ (rest) under a tree, a villager (6) ________ (offer) them food. The monks (7) ________ (share) it equally and (8) ________ (bless) the entire village.

Set 5

Raj (1) ________ (love) reading adventure stories. Whenever he (2) ________ (get) free time, he (3) ________ (sit) in a quiet corner with a book. Last month, he (4) ________ (join) the local library. Since then, he (5) ________ (borrow) new books every week. Yesterday, while he (6) ________ (return) home, he (7) ________ (notice) a writing competition poster. He (8) ________ (decide) to participate.

Set 6

Our school (1) ________ (organise) a charity fair every year. Last year, our class (2) ________ (put) up a food stall. We (3) ________ (plan) the menu carefully and (4) ________ (calculate) the costs. On the day of the fair, while some students (5) ________ (serve) food, others (6) ________ (manage) the cash counter. By evening, we (7) ________ (collect) a large amount. Since then, we (8) ________ (help) the orphanage regularly.

Set 7

When the teacher (1) ________ (enter) the classroom, the students (2) ________ (prepare) for a test. Some (3) ________ (revise) notes while others (4) ________ (discuss) questions. The teacher (5) ________ (notice) one nervous student and (6) ________ (ask) him the reason. He (7) ________ (reply) that he (8) ________ (forget) his textbook.

Set 8

For weeks, my grandmother (1) ________ (teach) me traditional cooking. Every evening, she (2) ________ (call) me to the kitchen and (3) ________ (show) me the steps. Yesterday, she (4) ________ (ask) me to cook alone while she (5) ________ (watch). I (6) ________ (follow) her instructions carefully. The family (7) ________ (taste) the dish and (8) ________ (praise) me highly.

Answer Key – All 20 Sets

Set 1: 1. planted, 2. envisioning, 3. spent, 4. was watering, 5. stopped, 6. had created, 7. attracted, 8. has inspired

Set 2: 1. disappeared, 2. turned, 3. picked, 4. fell, 5. ran, 6. closed, 7. was lighting, 8. grew

Set 3: 1. called, 2. woke, 3. made, 4. was packing, 5. bobbed, 6. does, 7. asked, 8. mentions

Set 4: 1. lived, 2. travelled, 3. stopped, 4. welcomed, 5. were resting, 6. offered, 7. shared, 8. blessed

Set 5: 1. loves, 2. gets, 3. sits, 4. joined, 5. has been borrowing, 6. was returning, 7. noticed, 8. decided

Set 6: 1. organises, 2. put, 3. planned, 4. calculated, 5. were serving, 6. were managing, 7. had collected, 8. have been helping

Set 7: 1. entered, 2. were preparing, 3. were revising, 4. were discussing, 5. noticed, 6. asked, 7. replied, 8. had forgotten

Set 8: 1. has been teaching, 2. calls, 3. shows, 4. asked, 5. watched, 6. followed, 7. tasted, 8. praised

Set 9: 1. decided, 2. had been throwing, 3. felt, 4. was, 5. arrived, 6. were picking, 7. were sweeping, 8. had collected

Set 10: 1. is planning, 2. learnt, 3. explained, 4. are collecting, 5. approved, 6. will have been installed, 7. will help, 8. are studying

Set 11: 1. gets up, 2. goes, 3. was walking, 4. found, 5. was lying, 6. picked, 7. brought, 8. has been taking

Set 12: 1. loves, 2. spends, 3. solved, 4. cheered, 5. finished, 6. are challenging, 7. will have completed, 8. has bought

Set 13: 1. celebrated, 2. danced, 3. sang, 4. played, 5. were preparing, 6. were decorating, 7. had gathered, 8. thank

Set 14: 1. practices, 2. says, 3. is improving, 4. performed, 5. clapped, 6. is planning, 7. will have been practicing, 8. are

Set 15: 1. started, 2. ran, 3. was pouring, 4. flashed, 5. had died, 6. were flooded, 7. was injured, 8. has been

Set 16: 1. has been training, 2. won, 3. said, 4. performed, 5. will play, 6. hope, 7. have been cheering, 8. are waiting

Set 17: 1. tells, 2. narrated, 3. was travelling, 4. met, 5. gave, 6. defeated, 7. listened, 8. have loved

Set 18: 1. opened, 2. has been attracting, 3. was shopping, 4. saw, 5. bought, 6. has, 7. eat, 8. will have become

Set 19: 1. has been collecting, 2. gave, 3. has, 4. exchanged, 5. was arranging, 6. asked, 7. showed, 8. will join

Set 20: 1. began, 2. gathered, 3. was performing, 4. were playing, 5. lit, 6. enjoyed, 7. ended, 8. have been waiting