hadn’t / studied / failed / he / the / he / test / because / .
He failed the test because he hadn’t studied.
By the time the teacher arrived, the students ______ (already start) the activity.
had already started
The door is open. Someone ______ (might / must / can’t) be home.
must
playing / been / football / has / for / hours / he / two / .
He has been playing football for two hours.
This combination of tenses is used to compare a completed action in the past with an action that still has relevance to the present. For example: "I visited Paris last summer, but I haven’t visited Rome yet."
Present perfect and past simple
forgotten / must / have / phone / her / at / she / home / .
She must have forgotten her phone at home.
the / they / last / watched / movie / week / .
They watched the movie last week.
This grammar type is used to make guesses about a situation based on evidence or logic.
Modals of deduction
Fill in the blanks: She ______ (travel) to Hanoi last year, but she ______ (not visit) Ha Long Bay yet.
travelled, hasn’t visited
He ______ (has been playing / played) football for two hours.
has been playing
Fill in the blanks: I ______ (meet) my best friend in 2019, and we ______ (stay) close ever since.
met, have stayed
After he ______ (finish) his project, he ______ (go) to bed.
had finished, went
been / ever / have / to / you / Japan / ?
Have you ever been to Japan?
Choose the correct sentence:
He might be tired because he didn’t sleep last night.
He must be tired because he didn’t sleep last night.
I ______ (study) for three hours. I need a break.
have been studying
She ______ (leave) the house before I ______ (wake up).
had left, woke up
Fill in the blanks: We ______ (finish) our homework already, so we ______ (watch) TV last night.
have finished, watched
has / been / she / practicing / piano / the / since / morning / .
She has been practicing the piano since morning.
the / might / be / answer / correct / .
The answer might be correct.
This tense is used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past.
Past perfect
She ______ (not sleep) well recently because of the noisy construction.
hasn’t been sleeping
I ______ (see) that movie three times, but I ______ (watch) it again with my friends last weekend.
have seen, watched
after / eaten / left / had / they / they / the / house / .
They had left the house after they had eaten.
You ______ (must / might / can’t) be joking! That’s unbelievable.
must
This can’t be Jane’s bag. She ______ (must / might / can’t) have left it at home.
must
Choose the correct sentence:
He bought a new phone yesterday.
He has bought a new phone yesterday.
They ______ (work) on this project since last Monday.
have been working
Choose the correct sentence:
They had eaten dinner by the time we arrived.
They ate dinner by the time we arrived.
This grammar type helps explain ongoing actions or habits in the recent past, focusing on their effect now. For example: "I’ve been feeling tired lately."
Present perfect continuous
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