Tense & Conditionals Worksheet
20 exam-style questions across three sections — fill-in-the-blank, error correction, and sentence transformation. Reveal each answer as you go, then download the full PDF for offline practice.
Prof. Amirul Khan — amirulkhan.in
Tense & Conditionals Worksheet — 20 Exam-Style Questions
Section A — Fill in the Blank (10 Questions)
1.If I ___ (have) more time, I would prepare a detailed report.
Answer: had
Type 2 conditional: simple past in the if-clause, 'would' only in the result clause.
2.If the team ___ (arrive) ten minutes earlier, they could have saved more lives.
Answer: had arrived
Type 3 conditional needs past perfect in the if-clause, never 'would have'.
3.By the time the fire brigade arrived, the warehouse ___ (destroy) all the inventory.
Answer: had destroyed
The earlier of two past events takes the past perfect when 'by the time' introduces the sequence.
4.She ___ (work) at the institute since she completed her post-graduation in 2018.
Answer: has been working
'Since' with a specific point in time requires the present perfect (continuous).
5.No sooner ___ (the results / announce) than the students began celebrating.
Answer: had the results been announced
'No sooner' at the start of a sentence forces subject-auxiliary inversion.
6.I ___ (know) the answer very well, so I do not need any help.
Answer: know
Stative verbs like 'know' do not take the continuous form.
7.There ___ (be) a large banyan tree at the entrance of our school when I was a child.
Answer: used to be
'Used to' describes a past state; 'would' cannot describe a state, only repeated actions.
8.Unless you ___ (submit) the form by Friday, the committee will not process your request.
Answer: submit
Conditional/time clauses with unless/if/when use present simple, never 'will'.
9.If you heat water to 100°C, it ___ (boil).
Answer: boils
Zero conditional expresses a general truth: simple present in both clauses.
10.By next year, she ___ (complete) her doctorate.
Answer: will have completed
Future perfect describes an action completed before a specified future point.
Section B — Spot and Correct the Error (5 Questions)
11.Find and correct the error: 'The inspector entered the room and announces his findings.'
Answer: The inspector entered the room and announced his findings.
Both verbs describe the same past sequence — the tense must stay consistent.
12.Find and correct the error: 'Although the plan was solid, but it failed due to poor execution.'
Answer: Although the plan was solid, it failed due to poor execution.
'Although' and 'but' are a redundant conjunction pair — only one may appear.
13.Find and correct the error: 'She submitted the report yesterday, and she had left the office immediately.'
Answer: She submitted the report yesterday, and she left the office immediately.
A named past time marker ('yesterday') requires simple past, not past perfect.
14.Find and correct the error: 'He is consisting of two departments under his charge.'
Answer: He is in charge of two departments.
'Consist' is a stative verb and cannot be used in the continuous form.
15.Find and correct the error: 'When he will arrive, we will start the meeting.'
Answer: When he arrives, we will start the meeting.
'When' introducing a future time clause takes present simple, not 'will'.
Section C — Sentence Transformation (5 Questions)
16.Rewrite as a mixed conditional: 'I did not study medicine, so I am not a doctor now.'
Answer: If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.
A Type 3 past condition combines with a Type 2 present result in a mixed conditional.
17.Rewrite using 'wish' to express present regret: 'I don't know the answer, and I regret it.'
Answer: I wish I knew the answer.
'Wish' about a present situation takes the past simple tense.
18.Rewrite using 'it's time': 'You should go to bed now — it's late.'
Answer: It's time you went to bed.
'It's time' takes a past-simple verb to express present urgency.
19.Rewrite using the mandative subjunctive: 'Every candidate must submit the form on time (it is essential).'
Answer: It is essential that every candidate submit the form on time.
After 'essential', the following clause uses the base verb form for all subjects.
20.Rewrite using present continuous for a fixed plan: 'I have already arranged to meet the client tomorrow.'
Answer: I am meeting the client tomorrow.
Present continuous expresses a personal future arrangement already fixed by plan.