Writing Wednesday | Tense Exercises

Hey all! I found some really great exercises on Purdue OWL this past weekend. One thing that is crucial and that I see done wrong over and over is tense. It's hard to get the hang of writing in proper tenses especially if they're constantly changing. I'll post two different exercises to help understand changing tenses and how to properly manage them.

ONE- If you think the sentence is correct, write (s) for satisfactory. If it's incorrect write (u) and then correct is on the sentence. If you get stuck read the sentence aloud- it helps.

___ 1. If the club limited its membership, it will have to raise its dues.

___ 2. As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rang.

___ 3. Thousands of people will see the art exhibit by the time it closes.

___ 4. By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them.

___ 5. After Capt. James Cook visited Alaska on his third voyage, he is killed by Hawaiian islanders in 1779.

___ 6. I was terribly disappointed with my grade because I studied very hard.

___ 7. The moderator asks for questions as soon as the speaker has finished.

___ 8. Everyone hopes the plan would work.

___ 9. Harry wants to show his friends the photos he took last summer.

___ 10. Scientists predict that the sun will die in the distant future.

___ 11. The boy insisted that he has paid for the candy bars.

___ 12. The doctor suggested bed rest for the patient, who suffers from a bad cold.

TWO- This is a passage from Roots by Alex Haley. Some verbs have been omitted. Give the appropriate tense for each missing verb, the plain form given in brackets. 

In Banjuh, the capital of Gambia, I met with a group of Gambians. They [tell] me how for centuries the history of Africa has been preserved. In the older villages of the back country, there are old men called griots, who [be] in effect living archives. Such men [memorize] and, on special occasions, [recite] the cumulative histories of clans or families or villages as those histories [have] long been told. Since my forefather [have] said his name was Kin-tay (properly spelled Kinte), and since the Kinte clan [be] known in Gambia, the group of Gambians would see what they could do to help me. I was back in New York when a registered letter [arrive] from Gambia.

Words [have] been passed in the back country, and a griot of the Kinte clan [have], indeed, been found. His name, the letter said, [be] Kebba Kanga Fofana. I [return] to Gambia and [organize] a safari to locate him.

Okay, now that you've done both exercises, let's see how you've done. Below are the answers-according Purdue OWL. 

ONE ANSWERS

_U_ 1. If the club limited its membership, it will have to raise its dues. (change will towould)

_U_ 2. As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rang. (change puts to put) OR As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rings. (change rang to rings to illustrate ongoing action)

_S_ 3. Thousands of people will see the art exhibit by the time it closes.

_U_ 4. By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them. (change have to had)

_U_ 5. After Capt. James Cook visited Alaska on his third voyage, he is killed by Hawaiian islanders in 1779. (change is to was)

_U_ 6. I was terribly disappointed with my grade because I studied very hard. (change studied to had studied)

_S_ 7. The moderator asks for questions as soon as the speaker has finished. (asks as habitual action; will ask is also possible)

_U_ 8. Everyone hopes the plan would work. (change hopes to hoped)

_S_ 9. Harry wants to show his friends the photos he took last summer.

_S_ 10. Scientists predict that the sun will die in the distant future.

_U_ 11. The boy insisted that he has paid for the candy bars. (change has to had)

_U_ 12. The doctor suggested bed rest for the patient, who suffers from a bad cold. (change suffers to was suffering)

TWO ANSWERS

In Banjuh, the capital of Gambia, I met with a group of Gambians. They told me how for centuries the history of Africa has been preserved. In the older villages of the back country, there are old men called griots, who are in effect living archives. Such men memorize and, on special occasions, recite the cumulative histories of clans or families or villages as those histories have long been told. Since my forefather had said his name was Kin-tay (properly spelled Kinte), and since the Kinte clan was known in Gambia, the group of Gambians would see what they could do to help me. I was back in New York when a registered letter arrived from Gambia. 

Word had been passed in the back country, and a griot of the Kinte clan had, indeed, been found. His name, the letter said, was Kebba Kanga Fofana. I returned to Gambia and organized a safari to locate him.

So, how did you do? Let me know in the comments if this was a good refresher for you. I'm interested who else has problems with tense comprehension. Is there any exercises you want a refresher on for next Wednesday? Let me know that too! I love helping you guys out and am willing to do exercises on whatever you want.