A13: tenses

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Question English Answer English
Einstein has been the author of many modern theories in physics.
present perfect is wrong here
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Einstein was the author of many modern theories in physics.
Einstein is gone, his life is the past - you need past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.
How many times did you drink Bloody Mary?
past simple is wrong here
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How many times have you drunk Bloody Mary?
This is a question about your life experiences - you need present perfect to talk about what you have and haven't experienced so far and how many times.
How many foreign countries have you visited last year?
present perfect is wrong here
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How many foreign countries did you visit last year?
Last year is finished - it's the past - that's why you need past simple.
Why didn’t you answer the phone when I called you yesterday? What did you do?
past simple is wrong in the second question
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Why didn’t you answer the phone when I called you yesterday? What were you doing?
Sb didn't answer the phone because they were in the middle of some activity (they were doing sth and they weren't finished) - you need past continuous to talk about sth you were in the middle of at some specific time (like when sb called you).
We work on a new project this month. It’s hard work.
present simple is wrong in the first sentence
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We are working on a new project this month. It’s hard work.
The work on the project isn't a routine - it's temporary - it'll finish soon. You need present continuous to talk about activities you're doing only temporary.
Hurry up! Our train will leave in 5 minutes!
future simple is wrong here
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Hurry up! Our train leaves in 5 minutes!
You need present simple to talk about things happening according to a fixed timetable - e.g. when talking about classes, trains, buses, cinema, TV, lunch breaks and so on.
I’m not going to meet him ever again! He’s such a jerk!
"to be going to" is not the best choice here
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I won’t meet him ever again! He’s such a jerk!
This is a decision and a promise - you need future simple when you tell sb your decision, promise or offer.
Ewa is always getting late. She’ll be late today too.
"will" is wrong here
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Ewa is always getting late. She’s going to be late today too.
We know Ewa is always late. As a result we can be almost 100% sure it's going to happen again - use "to be going to" when you're sure sth's gonna happen.
OH MY GOD! The boy is running towards the car. The car will run him over.
"will" is wrong here
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OH MY GOD! The boy is running towards the car. The car is going to run him over.
You can see sth is about to happen in a moment - everything you see or know tells you it's going to happen - that's why you need "to be going to" here.
Why are you breathing so hard? What did you do?
past simple isn't the best choice in the second question
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Why are you breathing so hard? What have you been doing?
You can see a result of sth that has just happened - you want to know where the result came from. To find out you always use present perfect continuous.
Tina and Tim have been married for 20 years but Tim’s got a new wife now.
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Tina and Tim were married for 20 years but Tim’s got a new wife now.
Before Liz went for lunch, she had an awful argument with her boss.
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Before Liz went for lunch, she had had an awful argument with her boss.
Hm, I think the weather is going to be perfect tomorrow.
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Hm, I think the weather will be perfect tomorrow.
You will must lose some weight if you want me to take you on a date.
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You will have to lose some weight if you want me to take you on a date.
If Zdzisiek had won the 30 million last weekend, he would hand in his notice.
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If Zdzisiek had won the 30 million last weekend, he would have handed in his notice.
If I were a rich man, I will give all my money away. Money is nothing but trouble!
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If I were a rich man, I would give all my money away. Money is nothing but trouble!
We will go for a walk unless it will rain.
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We will go for a walk unless it rains.
You had better don’t forget your girlfriend’s birthday or she’ll break up with you.
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You had better not forget your girlfriend’s birthday or she’ll break up with you.
How about order a pizza?
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How about ordering a pizza?

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