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Section Three / Lesson Three - Tense Choice

     Below you will find 8 questions to practice the different tenses that you could be asked to use when describing change over time. We'll also practice how to add variety to our tense choices. Using the study notes and the class video, you should be able to answer these questions to practice the language, and then be able to use the language in your IELTS writing test. The answers to all the questions are available to Patreon supporters as a means to support this website and Youtube Channel. Please find them here

The line chart below shows the past and predicted yearly sales of refrigerators by a small shop in Bangkok Thailand. 

Fill in the gaps using the correct tense:

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1. In 1980, the shop _______ (sell) 100 units per year.

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2. By 1995, there _______ (to be) a huge growth in sales to 400 per year.

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3. Over the next 15 years, sales _______ (stabilise) at this rate. 

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4. By 2015, sales _______ (plummet) back to 100 sales per year. 

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5. Since then, there _______ (to be) a steady increase in purchases. 

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6. There _______ (to be) a continued growth to around 300 yearly sales in sales by 2035.

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7. Sales _______ (fluctuate) until 2050. 

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8. Sales are _______ to plunge back to 100 yearly sales over the following 10 years.

present

the present.

9. Change this paragraph, which is all written in past simple, and add two more tenses (past perfect and present perfect) 

Please note: We will improve linking in the next class.

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In 2010, there were around 700 cases of Dengue Fever. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of cases dropped by 500 cases. Over the next 2 years, there was a growth in the number of cases to over 800 per year. This number fluctuated over the next two years.  The number of cases fell to approximately 400 in 2017 and 2018. The number of people with Dengue Fever rocketed between 2018 and today. 

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10. Describe the other two lines (Zika Virus and Measles) using at least 3 tenses

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