All English 4U · Intermediate Grammar · Unit 13 · B1–B2
Present Perfect or Past Simple?
Bringing the Clock Tower Back to Life
100% Original Practice Test · 44 questions · finished past events, experience and time extending to now.
0 / 44 answered
Quick Grammar Guide
The restoration team needs both a dated history and a report of progress up to now. Decide which kind of information you want to give before choosing a tense.
1. How to Form It
Past simple places an event in past time. Present perfect connects a past action or experience with the present situation or reporting period.
Past simple: locate a past occasion
Structure: past form; did/did not + base verb
Positive: The keeper sold the broken bell in 1973.
Negative: The council did not accept the first estimate.
Question: When did the tower reopen?
Meaning: A particular past event is located in completed time. Did carries tense, leaving accept or reopen in the base form.
Present perfect: report the connection to now
Structure: have/has + past participle
Positive: The keeper has written three reports so far this month.
Negative: The council has not accepted the latest estimate yet.
Question: Have you ever heard the midnight bell?
Meaning: The focus is a total up to now, a result now, or experience without a particular past date.
write → wrote → written; buy → bought → bought; ring → rang → rung
Use the past form in a past statement. Use the participle after have or has, and the base form after did.
Complete the question about last year: When did the clock ___ again? (start)
Start. Did carries the past tense; the main verb stays in its base form.
2. Clue Words & Patterns
Interpret time phrases in their situation. The same finished action can be presented as a past event or as a current result.
A dated historical event
Pattern: in 1981; yesterday; last winter; three weeks ago
Example: The clockmaker replaced the hands three weeks ago.
Reason: The sentence locates a particular replacement at a completed past time.
An experience or total up to now
Pattern: ever; never; so far; from the start up to now; since
Example: Since the project began, we have repaired six windows.
Reason: Began identifies the past starting event. Have repaired gives the total over the period extending to now.
Have you ever visited a bell workshop? Yes. I visited one during my holiday in 2023.
The first question asks about experience to date. The follow-up locates one event in past time.
At 9 a.m.: We have checked two gears so far this morning. At 8 p.m.: We checked two gears this morning.
The first report counts through the present moment during the morning. In the evening report, the morning is over.
The clock has stopped; we need to inspect it now. The clock stopped at noon yesterday.
Both sentences describe a completed stopping event. One presents its current result; the other gives a specified past time.
Since the appeal started in May, residents have donated enough to buy a bell.
The May date belongs to started. It does not force the main reporting clause have donated into the past simple.
It is evening. Choose the form for the completed morning tour: We gave / have given a tour this morning.
We gave a tour this morning. The morning is over by the time of this report.
3. Watch Out & Common Mistakes
Check the time frame, then the auxiliary and main verb. A result now does not cancel a specific past date in the same clause.
A perfect phrase with a finished date
Wrong: The mayor has signed the agreement last Tuesday.
Better: The mayor signed the agreement last Tuesday.
Last Tuesday places the signing in completed past time.
A past form after did
Wrong: Did the keeper rang the bell?
Better: Did the keeper ring the bell?
Did carries tense. Ring stays in its base form.
A past form after has
Wrong: The clockmaker has wrote a report.
Better: The clockmaker has written a report.
Has requires the participle written; wrote is the past form.
Subject and auxiliary agreement
Wrong: The two engineers has inspected the tower.
Better: The two engineers have inspected the tower.
The plural subject takes have. One engineer takes has.
Correct the verb form: Have the volunteers took any photographs?
Have the volunteers taken any photographs? Have needs the participle taken.
Before answering: decide whether you are dating a past event or reporting a connection to now. Check the subject, auxiliary and main verb form.
Part 1 — Recognise the tense in context
Write past for past simple or perfect for present perfect simple. Identify the named verb phrase in each complete sentence.
Identify the tense of the named verb phrase.
1. The council inspected the tower in September 2018. Tense of inspected:
Identify the main verb phrase, rather than the verb in the since clause.
2. Since the appeal began, residents have raised enough for a new bell. Tense of have raised:
The speaker reports the time of a particular test.
3. It is evening. A technician tested the clock this morning. Tense of tested:
Never separates the auxiliary and participle; it is not part of the tense name.
4. I have never climbed the tower. Tense of have climbed:
Identify the verb phrase used in this dated report.
5. The repair team arrived three days ago. Tense of arrived:
The report counts discoveries from the start of the week up to now.
6. We have found four old photographs so far this week. Tense of have found:
The note still exists, but the writing is placed in past time.
7. The tower keeper wrote that note during the winter of 1962. Tense of wrote:
Identify the phrase that connects the arrival with the present plan.
8. The new bell has arrived, so we can install it now. Tense of has arrived:
Part 2 — Complete the restoration report
Use the past simple or present perfect simple of the cue. Supply the whole missing verb phrase, including any subject shown in a question cue. Treat the team as singular.
Give the date of the original breakdown.
Cue: stop
9. The old clock during a storm in November 1997.
The appeal is still open; the total includes donations received today.
Cue: raise
10. Since the appeal began, residents nine thousand pounds in total.
Supply the auxiliary, subject and base verb inside this one blank.
Cue: the council / approve
11. When the repair plan last autumn?
The bell is here, but the engineer has still to inspect it.
Cue: not / examine
12. Our engineer the new bell yet.
Use the present perfect simple to report experience to date.
Cue: climb
13. I the tower twice in my life so far.
Report one completed task on a particular day.
Cue: remove
14. The volunteers the broken face last Friday.
The month is still in progress; include the subject from the cue.
Cue: you / collect
15. How many photographs so far this month?
Describe a documented historical occasion.
Cue: give
16. The keeper the first public tour in June 1954.
Use the past simple for the completed morning check.
Cue: check
17. It is eight in the evening. We the mechanism this morning.
Use the singular verb form for the team as one unit.
Cue: replace
18. From the start of the project up to now, the team twelve damaged parts.
Part 3 — Choose the form that fits
Choose the option that matches the stated situation and standard British English. Read the context as well as the time phrase.
Ask about yesterday's ceremony.
Report support accumulated through the present moment.
The question asks about experience, without a past date.
Report the historical date of the delivery.
Report what happened during the completed morning period.
Use the present perfect simple for the stated record up to now.
The sentence tells us when one particular visit took place.
Follow general experience with a question about one past occasion.
Part 4 — Rebuild the sentences
Use every word exactly once. Follow the starting words and placement cue. Return a word to the bank if you want to move it.
Start with The volunteers; put so far this week at the end.
27. Build the sentence.
Word bank: volunteers / three / repaired / week. / The / windows / have / far / this / so
Start with We; keep a brass key together and put behind the door last Saturday at the end.
28. Build the sentence.
Word bank: behind / key / door / brass / the / We / found / a / Saturday. / last
Start with Have you; put ever before heard and from the river at the end.
29. Build the sentence.
Word bank: the / from / heard / old / the / bell / river? / ever / you / Have
Start with The engineer; put yet at the end.
30. Build the sentence.
Word bank: not / new / The / the / gears / tested / yet. / engineer / has
Start with Did the workers; put after lunch yesterday at the end.
31. Build the sentence.
Word bank: door / lunch / the / yesterday? / paint / the / after / workers / Did
Start with I; put twice this year at the end.
32. Build the sentence.
Word bank: have / year. / visited / the / I / tower / twice / clock / this
Part 5 — Correct the marked phrase
Replace only the underlined word or words. Keep the same verb meaning and leave the rest of the sentence unchanged.
The sentence describes a particular afternoon in a completed year.
33. We have opened the tower for one afternoon in July 2020.
Replace have opened with
Keep has and the rest of the question unchanged.
34. Has the engineer check the new gears yet?
Replace check with
Replace only the marked verb in this past question.
35. Did the volunteers cleaned the stairs yesterday?
Replace cleaned with
Keep the verb go: replace its wrong form with the correct participle.
36. Have you ever went up the narrow staircase?
Replace went with
The appeal continues; the report includes all donations up to this moment.
37. From the appeal's launch up to now, local shops gave eight thousand pounds in total.
Replace gave with
The sentence gives the historical purchase date.
38. The town has bought the replacement bell in 1988.
Replace has bought with
Part 6 — Hear the verb form
Play each recording, then type the single missing word that you hear.
A speaker describes one completed task.
39. Listen and complete.
The volunteers the wooden door yesterday.
A volunteer reports a result that matters now.
40. Listen and complete.
We have enough money for the repairs.
An adult describes an experience.
41. Listen and complete.
I have the old clock from the river.
A speaker reports a past purchase.
42. Listen and complete.
The council the new bell last March.
A coordinator reports a completed action.
43. Listen and complete.
The team has a letter to the museum.
A colleague asks about an earlier task.
44. Listen and complete.
Did the workers the bell after lunch?
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