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Class 9 English — Keeping the tense consistent

Spot the verb that breaks the tense of a passage, and correct it.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Sort each verb by its tense.

    Groups: Past tense · Present tense

    • goes
    • saw
    • brought
    • brings
    • went
    • sees

  2. 2.Match each verb to its simple past form.

    • walk
    • begin
    • choose
    • teach
    • keep
    • freeze
    • taught
    • chose
    • walked
    • froze
    • kept
    • began

  3. 3.Which verb breaks the tense? "Every morning she wakes up early, made her bed and goes for a run."

    • a) goes
    • b) none — the tense is consistent
    • c) wakes
    • d) made

  4. 4.Correct the odd verb: "We reached the hall, took our seats and waits for the play to begin." Write the corrected verb.

  5. 5.Which sentence mixes its tenses wrongly?

    • a) I was reading when the phone rang.
    • b) I am reading when the phone rang.
    • c) I will read it and tell you about it.
    • d) I read the book and enjoyed it.

  6. 6.Correct the odd verb: "He picks up the bat, walks to the crease and hit the first ball for four." Write the corrected verb.

  7. 7.Rewrite in the past tense: "She writes a letter." Write the whole sentence.

  8. 8.Which version keeps one tense throughout?

    • a) The bell rang and the children ran out.
    • b) The bell rang and the children run out.
    • c) The bell ring and the children ran out.
    • d) The bell rings and the children ran out.

Answer key — Class 9 English — Keeping the tense consistent

  1. 1. went → Past tense; goes → Present tense; brought → Past tense; brings → Present tense; saw → Past tense; sees → Present tense
  2. 2. walk → walked; begin → began; choose → chose; teach → taught; keep → kept; freeze → froze
  3. 3. d) made
  4. 4. waited
  5. 5. b) I am reading when the phone rang.
  6. 6. hits
  7. 7. she wrote a letter
  8. 8. a) The bell rang and the children ran out.