Texts with mixed tenses

Here you have some texts to practise having all the different tenses we've studied for your exams! At the end of the post you can find the answers ;)

text 1

One afternoon, while I 1)..........(walk) in town, I 2)....... (see) a poster for a liquor promotion at a club I 3) .......(used to, go) to. They 4) .........(advertise) a “vodka disco”. Later that week, my friend and I 5).......(decide) to go to this club to find out what 6) .........(go on). It was a “drink-as-much-vodka-as-you-can” evening, with music and prizes for the best dancers. After we 7).... .....(enter) the club, a man 8) ........ (give) each of us a T-shirt and a badge in the shape of a vodka bottle. To my surprise , all the drinks 9)..........(be) free.

We 10) ......... (not drink) very much at all –one vodka each- but other young people 11).......... (drink) a lot before we arrived. Some of the dancers 12) ....looked.........(look) quite drunk.

We all know that companies 13) .........(try) to sell us their products and they 14) ...... (use) almost any means possible to encourage us to spend our money. 15) ........... (this, mean) they can convince us to buy anything? Even things that are bad for us?

Think about it! The last time you 16) ............(buy) an alcoholic drink, 17)..........(it, be) because you really wanted it, or because an ad persuaded you to do so?

text 2

Sue Thomas is a fashion designer. She 1) ... .... (make) clothes ever since she 2) ………….(be) a young girl. She 3) …………………………. (get) her first job in a clothes factory when she was sixteen. She 4) …………………… (sew) buttons onto a shirt one day when she 5)………………….. (have) a brilliant idea for a design. After she 6) …………………. (speak) to her bank manager, she got a loan and she 7) …………....…….(open) her own little workshop. Now she 8) …………………………. (make) lots of money. Next year she 9) ………………….. (open) a shop which will sell all her own designs. She 10) ………………… (sell) clothes to a lot of famous people, including film stars and singers, and she 11) …...................... (think) she will be very rich soon.

Answers

One afternoon, while I 1).....was walking.....(walk) in town, I 2).....saw... (see) a poster for a liquor promotion at a club I 3) ...used to go....(used to, go) to. They 4) ....were advertising/advertised.....(advertise) a “vodka disco”. Later that week, my friend and I 5)...decided....(decide) to go to this club to find out what 6) ....was going on.....(go on). It was a “drink-as-much-vodka-as-you-can” evening, with music and prizes for the best dancers. After we 7).... entered.....(enter) the club, a man 8) .....gave... (give) each of us a T-shirt and a badge in the shape of a vodka bottle. To my surprise , all the drinks 9)......were....(be) free.

We 10) ....didn’t drink..... (not drink) very much at all –one vodka each- but other young people 11)....had drunk...... (drink) a lot before we arrived. Some of the dancers 12) ....looked.........(look) quite drunk.

We all know that companies 13) ....try/ are trying......(try) to sell us their products and they 14) ...use/will use... (use) almost any means possible to encourage us to spend our money. 15) ....Does this mean....... (this, mean) they can convince us to buy anything? Even things that are bad for us?

Think about it! The last time you 16) ......bought......(buy) an alcoholic drink, 17).....was it.....(it, be) because you really wanted it, or because an ad persuaded you to do so?

Sue Thomas is a fashion designer. She 1) ... has been making.... (make) clothes ever since she 2) …was….(be) a young girl. She 3) …got…. (get) her first job in a clothes factory when she was sixteen. She 4) …was sewing… (sew) buttons onto a shirt one day when she 5)…had... (have) a brilliant idea for a design- After she 6) …had spoken…. (speak) to her bank manager, she got a loan and she 7) …opened...(open) her own little workshop. Now she 8) …is making/makes…. (make) lots of money. Next year she 9) …is opening/is going to open….. (open) a shop which will sell all her own designs. She 10) …has sold/sells… (sell) clothes to a lot of famous people, including film stars and singers, and she 11) …thinks.... (think) she will be very rich soon.