...

Exercises · Present perfect or past simple

Present perfect or past simple gap-fill

Type the correct form of the verb in brackets. Contractions (I’ve, she’s) and full forms (I have, she has) are both accepted.

Need a refresher? Review the rules in 3.1 Single events, 3.2 Repeated events and 3.3 ‘Have you ever…?’ and ‘never’ in our Verb Tenses in Business guide.

1. Saying when

If you say when something happened – yesterday, in 2019, an hour ago – use the past simple.

Rules: 3.1 Single events

1Our CFO (leave) the company two weeks ago.

2We (launch) the new pricing model on 1st March.

3I (speak) to the investors an hour ago, and they’re happy.

4The CEO (announce) the restructuring at last week’s town hall.

5The auditors (send) their final report. Can you forward it to the board?

2. Have we moved on?

With no time given, ask: has the next stage happened? If not, the event is still ‘live’ – use the present perfect.

Rules: 3.1 Single events

1I (explain) the new process to the team, so they can use it from Monday.

2We (analyse) the results, and here are our findings.

3I (send) the proposal to the client, and they signed it the next day.

4The government (propose) a stricter tax law. It comes into effect next year.

5I had a meeting with John, and we (put) together a proposal.

3. Not yet

Use the present perfect with ‘yet’ for things that haven’t happened so far, but still can.

Rules: 3.1 Single events

1I (not / read) your email yet – I’ve been in meetings all morning.

2We (not / decide) on a supplier yet, but we’ll choose one this week.

3Has the client (reply) yet?

4I’ve started the report, but I (not / finish) it yet.

5The auditors (not / send) their final comments yet, so we can’t close the books.

4. Repeated events

How many times? Ask: can it happen again within the time frame?

Rules: 3.2 Repeated events

1Last quarter the team (miss) three deadlines.

2I (be) to China three times this year.

3We (have) six meetings with the client this week, and there’s another one tomorrow.

4I (call) them several times today, but nobody is answering.

5During our discussion earlier, you (mention) two problems with the supplier.

5. Ever and never

‘Have you ever…?’ and ‘never’ – is the context finished, or can it still happen?

Rules: 3.3 ‘Have you ever…?’ and ‘never’

1Have you ever (try) our famous local dessert?

2Our new CFO (never / approve) a budget increase.

3I (never / present) to the board while I was at my last company.

4Since I joined, our team (never / miss) a deadline.

5Our previous CEO (never / visit) the Asian offices in ten years.

6. Mixed review

All the rules together, in real business situations.

Rules: all lessons in ‘From the past to the present’

1I (work) in finance for ten years before I moved into consulting.

2We (receive) your payment – thank you.

3We (complete) the merger in 2024.

4I (just / speak) to legal, and they’re happy with the wording.

5In my career I (manage) teams in four different countries.

Check a section to see your score here.

More practice

Next exerciseQuizChoose the right tenseNext exerciseMatch the sentence halvesMatch the beginnings and endingsThe guideVerb Tenses in BusinessDiagrams and explanations

Correct on paper is not the same as natural in the boardroom

One-to-one Business English coaching for C1/C2 executives and founders.

See the CEO Package

Advanced Premium Course

The Fluency Space CEO Package

Enjoyed this lesson? Take your business English further with a structured 3-month programme designed specifically for senior executives.       

Full English audit session
Package of 12 private lessons
4 CEO-Specific webinars
AI lesson summaries and tracking

IN-DEPTH PROPOSAL BUILT WITH CARE

A Course Built around you

After your full English audit, we do a deep dive into your company, your role and your real communication goals - We then build a fully tailored program around them and send a proposal within 3 working days.

© Copyright Fluency Space.  All Rights Reserved

Page Created with OptimizePress