Gold experience UNIT 1

Master high school English grammar! Practice past tenses, word formation, and essential vocabulary with this comprehensive worksheet.

PAST TENSESYou have to fill each space with either the past continuous, past perfect simple or past perfect continuous.Don't use contractions. 1. I was exhausted at the end of the exam. I had been writing (write) for over two hours.2. When thieves stole my favourite leather jacket, I was really upset. I had had (have) it for over ten years.3. Please step out of the car, Mr. Jones. Do you realise you were driving (drive) at over 90mph?4. We didn't really want to go and see the musical again. We had already seen (already / see) it twice - so we said "no" and we went to a restaurant instead!5. I arrived over an hour late to the office and everyone was working. Actually, they had been working (work) for over two hours on the new project and I felt really guilty.6. The kitchen was full of steam when we arrived. Joan was in the kitchen and she was cooking (cook) a huge meal for everyone at the party.7. It was a bit embarrassing to arrive at their house and find Mary looking so sad. I think she had been crying (cry) before we got there.8. No-one even noticed when I got home. They were all watching (all watch) the big game on TV. PAST HABITSFor each of the following sentences, choose either "used to" or "would". If both are possible, use "would". 1. Do you remember how your Uncle David would sit in that chair and smoke those disgusting cigars.2. Your mother used to have a Yorkshire Terrier when she was a young girl, didn't she?3. For years, they would go on holiday to the Rockies, but then it became very fashionable and, hence, expensive.4. Years ago, I would write a diary every day but then I got bored with doing it and I stopped. Maybe it was my life that was boring!5. At the start of their marriage, they used to be very happy - but then it all went wrong!6. When I was five, I used tobe able to do incredible gymnastics. Now I can't even touch my toes.7. Before getting my driving licence, I would ride a bicycle everywhere. PARTICIPLE ADJECTIVES + DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONSComplete the sentences with the correct preposition. 1. I was encouraged by the score I got in the memory test. Not bad at all!2. My grandfather used to be very accomplished at playing the piano. He even won prizes.3. My brother is addicted to computer games. He plays them non-stop.4. I ordered some jeans online, but I wasn't satisfied with the quality of them, so I sent them back.5. It's sensible to get an anti-virus installed on your computer to protect you from bugs.6. I'm not sure what I want to study at university. In fact, I'm completely undecided about it. AFFIXATIONComplete the text with the correct form of the words in brackets. WHAT IT TAKES TO BE HAPPYAccording to experts, the way you spend your free time is vital to your general happiness (HAPPY), and getting (GET) the right balance is very important. It goes without saying that physical fitness (FIT) is the key, so everyone's leisure time should include some form of exercise, ideally (IDEAL) something that you find enjoyable (ENJOY).Most people also gain satisfaction (SATISFY) from doing something creative (CREATE), such as painting, cooking, or gardening. However, not all your free time activities (ACTIVE) should be solitary or you may end up feeling lonely. Company (COMPANION) is also important to most people's sense of well-being. But you must find the right kind of social interaction (INTERACT). Memberships (MEMBER) in some groups, such as political (POLITICS) parties can simply lead to stress and frustration (FRUSTRATE). Joining a social (SOCIETY) group like a choir or a dance class is likely to be much more beneficial (BENEFIT). VOCABULARY: MEMORY1. I mustn’t forget to buy him a present. Can you _ me later please? remember remind realise 2. Did you put these pizzas in the fridge? I don’t _buying them. recall recognise remind 3. I know it’s boring, but the only way to remember French verbs is to _them. memorise recall remind 4I’m terrible about _ names of people, but I am quite good at _faces. remembering remembering realising realising 5Luckily, I _just in time that I had to renew my passport! realised recalled reminded 6We used to live in the USA until I was three years old. I don’t _ much of it though. recognise realise remember 7. Complete the text with these words HOW FIT IS YOUR BRAIN?Can you remember conversations 1 word for wordor do you just have a 2 vague memory of what was said? Do you have problems 3 committingto memory? Do you sometimes need someone to 4 refresh your memory when you go shopping? Do you ever get 5 ear-worms? You know, you can’t get a song 6 out of your head. You can remember songs, but not the important stuff! If you have answered yes to any of the above, try some memory games to improve brain fitness. 8. Complete the sentences with the correct form of these verbs. 1. Sometimes blocking outmemories is the only way of coping with painful past events.2. I am quite good at remembering names, but I have trouble committing passwords to memory.3. Smells are very evocative and they can trigger memories of things we thought we had forgotten.4. I have a vague recollection of meeting her before, but I’m not very sure.5. We all like to hang onto the past and I suppose that keeping souvenirs is one way of doing so.