The children were playing cricket when it ____ to rain.
Correct answer B. started
Topic / 239 questions
Tenses MCQs
Tenses MCQs test whether you can choose the verb form that shows exactly when an action happens and how it relates to other actions. Every question on MCQs360 shows the correct answer instantly, with a short note on the rule behind it.
- Synonyms 420
- Tenses 239
- One Word Substitution 206
- Antonyms 202
- Idioms and Phrases 160
- Reading Comprehension 150
- Preposition 145
- Sentence Correction 95
- Selecting Words 95
- Sentence Improvement 94
- Pair of words 80
- Ordering Of Sentences 68
- Ordering Of Words 48
- Voice 47
- Change Of Speech 46
- Spelling Check 41
- Sentence Formation 41
- Verbal Analogies 41
- Completing Statements 33
He said, “I saw the accident yesterday.” In reported speech: He said that he ____ the accident the day before.
Correct answer C. had seen
She said, “I can drive a car.” In reported speech: She said that she ____ drive a car.
Correct answer B. could
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Rizwan said, “I am going to buy a laptop.” In reported speech: Rizwan said that he ____ going to buy a laptop.
Correct answer A. was
“Where do you live?” he asked me. In reported speech: He asked me where I ____.
Correct answer A. lived
Sunil wishes he ____ a bigger house in the city.
Correct answer B. had
I’d rather you ____ smoke in the car; the smell stays for days.
Correct answer C. didn't
It’s high time we ____ for the station; the train leaves in ten minutes.
Correct answer B. left
He will not leave the office until he ____ all the files.
Correct answer D. has checked
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Which sentence correctly expresses a prediction based on present evidence?
Correct answer A. Be careful! That ladder is going to fall.
Which sentence correctly uses the future perfect continuous?
Correct answer A. By noon, Usha will have been cooking for five hours.
Shoaib ____ his driving test next Tuesday, so he is practising every evening.
Correct answer D. is taking
My grandparents ____ in Hyderabad for forty years before they moved to Karachi.
Correct answer A. had lived
We ____ each other since we joined the same college in 2019.
Correct answer C. have known
Sameer gave up smoking a long time ____.
Correct answer D. ago
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Javed has not phoned me ____ a long time.
Correct answer B. for
Anjali ____ the piano since she was six years old.
Correct answer A. has been playing
If I ____ you, I would accept the job offer without delay.
Correct answer C. were
If you ____ me earlier, I could have helped you.
Correct answer B. had told
Water ____ at 0 degrees Celsius.
Correct answer D. freezes
About Tenses MCQs
The questions cover all twelve tenses: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous forms of the present, past and future. You will also meet the tense patterns that examiners like to test in context: since and for with the present perfect, time clauses with when and as soon as, the four conditional types, wish and if only, and the backshift of tenses in reported speech. Item types include filling a blank with the right verb form, naming the tense of a sentence, choosing the correct sentence and spotting a tense error.
Key facts to remember
- Use the simple past, not the present perfect, with a finished time such as yesterday, last year or at midnight.
- Use since with a point in time (since 2020) and for with a period of time (for five years) with perfect tenses.
- Stative verbs such as know, believe, own and understand are not normally used in continuous tenses.
- After time words such as when, as soon as, before and until, use the present tense to refer to the future: I will call you when I arrive.
- In a type 2 conditional, use the past tense after if (If I were you, I would wait); in a type 3 conditional, use the past perfect (If she had studied, she would have passed).
- In reported speech after a past reporting verb, tenses usually move one step back: will becomes would and saw becomes had seen.
Exams that include Tenses MCQs
Pakistan
- PPSC
- FPSC
- CSS
- NTS
- MDCAT
- ECAT
India
- SSC CGL
- SSC CHSL
- IBPS PO
- SBI Clerk
- RRB
Bangladesh
- BCS
- Bank recruitment tests
How to prepare for Tenses MCQs
- Look for time signals first (yesterday, since, by the time, now), because they usually decide the tense.
- Learn the irregular past and past participle forms of common verbs; many wrong options use invented forms such as catched.
- For conditionals, match the if-clause and the main clause as a pair rather than judging each verb alone.
- When reporting speech, check whether the reporting verb is past; if it is, shift the tense back and change time words such as yesterday to the day before.
Frequently asked questions
Which tenses are most often tested in competitive exams?
The present perfect versus the simple past, the past perfect, future forms in time clauses and the conditional patterns are the most common. Examiners also like sentences where a stative verb is wrongly used in a continuous tense.
How can I practise tenses quickly before a test?
Work through a set of mixed tense MCQs, read the explanation for every answer you get wrong, and keep a short list of the rules behind your mistakes. Revisit that list the day before the exam.
Last reviewed October 2026