Present Simple · Exercises
C2Proficient practice
Formal structures and the subtle cases natives use.
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What you’ll practise at C2
- He/she/it + -s
- Question tags
- Time clauses (when, until…)
- Emphatic do / does
- Inversion (Rarely does she…)
- Present subjunctive (insist that he be…)
Need a refresher? Read the present simple guide with rules, tables and audio examples.
Sample exercises
A taste of what’s inside. In practice mode every exercise is freshly generated.
Choose the formal (subjunctive) form.
Her manager insists that Mateo _____ (speak) to a lawyer.
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Her manager insists that Mateo speak to a lawyer.
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.
The coach demands that he _____ (wear) a helmet.
Show answer
The coach demands that he wear a helmet.
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.
Choose the formal (subjunctive) form.
Her manager insists that Mateo _____ (speak) to a lawyer.
Show answer
Her manager insists that Mateo speak to a lawyer.
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.
Rewrite the sentence starting with “Seldom”.
Ethan and Hiro seldom borrow their sister's car.
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Seldom do Ethan and Hiro borrow their sister's car.
After negative adverbs like rarely, seldom, never or hardly ever at the start, invert: adverb + do/does (or am/is/are) + subject + verb.
Choose the formal (subjunctive) form.
The school requests that my sister _____ (be) present at the interview.
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The school requests that my sister 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 correct form of the verb.
We'll have dinner after my classmates _____ (finish) work.
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We'll have dinner after my classmates finish work.
After when, as soon as, until, before and after we use the present simple to talk about the future — not will.