This set of Professional Communication Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “The Use of Tenses”.
1. Which of these is used to express habitual actions?
a) Present perfect tense
b) Simple present tense
c) Past continuous tense
d) Present continuous tense
View Answer
Explanation: The simple present tense is used to express habitual actions. For example: I bathe every morning. It is also used to express general truths.
2. Which tense does this statement belong to?
We leave for Pune by the morning bus.
a) Simple future tense
b) Simple past tense
c) Simple present tense
d) Future perfect tense
View Answer
Explanation: Simple present tense is used to indicate a future event where the context tells us the future time. So the statement belongs to Simple present tense. In vivid narrative, it is also used as substitute for simple past.
3. Choose the correct statement:
a) He sweared that he had not stolen the bag.
b) He swore that he had not stolen the bag.
c) He was swearing that he had not stolen the bag.
d) He swears that he had not stolen the bag.
View Answer
Explanation: The correct statement is: He swore that he had not stolen the bag. The simple past tense of most irregular verbs is not formed with -d or -ed.
4. Which of these tenses does the statement belong to?
A letter is being written by me.
a) Present perfect tense (active)
b) Present continuous tense (active)
c) Present continuous tense (passive)
d) Present perfect tense (passive)
View Answer
Explanation: The statement: A letter is being written by me, belongs to the present continuous tense in passive form. In active form, the statement would be: I am writing a letter.
5. To which of the tenses does the statement belong?
I shall be meeting Neha in the market.
a) Future perfect tense
b) Future continuous tense
c) Future perfect continuous tense
d) Simple future tense
View Answer
Explanation: The statement belongs to future continuous tense. The future continuous tense represents an action going on at some time in the future. For example: When I reach class, the students will be studying.
6. Fill in the blank with past perfect tense:
I met Ruchi in Nagpur yesterday. I ______ her a week before.
a) saw
b) had seen
c) was seeing
d) had been seeing
View Answer
Explanation: The statement will be: I met Ruchi in Nagpur yesterday. I had seen her a week before. The past perfect tense describes an action completed before a certain moment in the past.
7. Correct the incorrect statement:
He said I owe him money.
a) He said I owed him money.
b) He said I had been owing him money.
c) He said I shall owe him money.
d) He said I am owing him money.
View Answer
Explanation: The correct statement is: He said I owed him money. When the main verb is past, the verb in the reporting clause is also past.
8. In which of these cases, present continuous tense is not used?
a) For an action going on at the time of speaking.
b) For a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking.
c) For an action that is planned to take place in the near future.
d) For an action which began sometime in the past and is still continuing.
View Answer
Explanation: The present perfect continuous tense is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing. For example, I have been writing a book for five hours (and am still writing). An easy way to spot any form of continuous tense would be to observe whether the verb in the sentence ends with the suffix –ing.
9. Correct the incorrect statement
I am loving it.
a) I love it.
b) I was loving it.
c) I have been loving it.
d) I shall be loving it.
View Answer
Explanation: Verbs of perception, appearance, emotion, thinking possession are not used in the continuous form. The correct statement is: I love it and not I am loving it.
10. Fill in the blank: He said that he ______ tomorrow.
a) will come
b) would come
c) will be coming
d) has been coming
View Answer
Explanation: When the verbs in the principal clause is in the past tense, shall and will change to should and would in the subordinates clause. Similarly may changes to might, can to could. The correct statement is: He said that he would come tomorrow.
Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – Professional Communication.
To practice all areas of Professional Communication, here is complete set of 1000+ Multiple Choice Questions and Answers.
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