Verb Tenses

A Present

Gap-fill exercise

Fill in all the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in brackets, then press "Check" to check your answers.

Many years ago the ship on which Uncle Mathew (to travel ) (to strike) an iceberg, and all the passengers (to have) to take to the boats. In the night one of the boats (to fill) with water and the passengers (to throw) into the sea. Uncle Mathew's boat (to go) to the rescue, but by the time it (to get) there everybody (to be) drowned except a baby who (to lie) smiling happily on a life belt. Mathew (to collected) the baby and (to wrap) her in his coat, and when they (to be) at last rescued by a liner and taken to England, (to try) to find someone to own her.
That (to be) the trouble. Nobody (to know) for sure whose baby she (to be); there (to be) other babies on board, and three (to be) missing. «She must go to an orphanage», (to say) everybody but Uncle Mathew (to have) a better idea. He (to remember) chat he (to mean) to bring his niece Sylvia back a present. Now what can be better than this? He (to wait) while the adoption papers (to make out), (to take) the baby and (to go) home to London.
Seeing nobody in the hall he (to call) rather angrily for Sylvia. Sylvia in a moment (to be) down the stairs with Nana panting behind. «Darling, why you (not to let) me know you (to come)?» she (to say). Her uncle (to kiss) her and (to push) the baby into her arms. - « Look! I (to bring) you a present.»