Present Simple · Exercises
C2Proficient practice
Formal structures and the subtle cases natives use.
Play
- Practice10 exercises at your own pace
- Time Attack60 seconds, as many as you can
- Survival3 lives, harder as you go
- Tense SortDrag sentences into their tense — 60 seconds
- Timelines10 sentences to match to their timelines
- C2 Boss12 hits before you lose 3 lives
- Irregular MatchPair verbs with their past forms — 60 seconds
Want to mix tenses, go endless or pick exercise types? Set up your own session.
What you’ll practise at C2
- He/she/it + -s
- Negatives: don’t / doesn’t
- Yes/no questions
- Question tags
- Passive: is made, are cleaned
- Time clauses (when, until…)
- Emphatic do / does
- Inversion (Rarely does she…)
- Present subjunctive (insist that he be…)
- Timelines: what the tense means
Need a refresher? Learn the present simple: rules, tables and audio examples.
Sample exercises
A taste of what’s inside. In practice mode every exercise is freshly generated.
Find the word that is wrong.
The people next door moderates online debates on Sunday mornings.
Show answer
The people next door moderate online debates on Sunday mornings.
With I, you, we and they, use the base form: the people next door moderate.
Write the verb in the formal subjunctive.
We propose that my best friend _____ (be) present at the interview.
Show answer
We propose that my best friend be present at the interview.
After verbs and phrases like insist, recommend, suggest or it is essential that, formal English uses the base form for every subject: …that he be / that she wear. “should + verb” is also correct.
Find the word that is wrong.
Do Lucas live on a farm?
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Does Lucas live on a farm?
Use does with he/she/it. The main verb stays in the base form: Does Lucas live on a farm?
Complete the sentence.
Little _____ Emma know about the surprise party.
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Little does Emma know about the surprise party.
Little + do/does + subject + base verb means “they have no idea”: Little does she know…
Choose the formal (subjunctive) form.
I suggest that Lucia _____ (be) present at the interview.
Show answer
I suggest that Lucia be present at the interview.
After verbs and phrases like insist, recommend, suggest or it is essential that, formal English uses the base form for every subject: …that he be / that she wear.
Write the verb in the formal subjunctive.
It is essential that she _____ (apply) in person.
Show answer
It is essential that she apply in person.
After verbs and phrases like insist, recommend, suggest or it is essential that, formal English uses the base form for every subject: …that he be / that she wear. “should + verb” is also correct.