B2 · Upper-Intermediate

B2 Grammar Exercises with Answers

B2 introduces almost no new tenses. What it introduces is nuance — ways of saying that something probably happened, or nearly happened, or happened but should not have. The forms are recombinations of things you already know: a modal plus have plus a past participle, a conditional with its two halves in different time frames. What is new is the precision they buy you.

This is also the level at which grammar stops being separable from register. Inversion after a negative adverb, the choice of reporting verb, whether you say "he must have forgotten" or "he probably forgot" — none of these changes the facts, and all of them change how the sentence sounds. B2 is the first level where a grammatically perfect sentence can still be the wrong one.

The three sets below take the structures that carry most of that load. Each is marked instantly, each ends with a scored test, and each has a written answer key that explains the near-miss options rather than only the correct one.

3 exercise sets 33 questions Answer key included Free, no sign-up

Written and reviewed by Vugar Novruzov, Academy Director · How we write our lessons

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Exercise 1 — third and mixed conditionals

Talking about pasts that did not happen, and the present they would have produced.

The third conditional describes an unreal past: what would have happened had things gone otherwise. The mixed conditional splits the two halves across time, which is what you need when a past event still has a present consequence. Both feel heavy at first because they stack three or four auxiliaries, but the meaning is simple — regret, relief, or a counterfactual explanation.

Seven questions on unreal conditionals.

Complete: If I had left earlier, I ___ the train.would catch / would have caught / caught / will catch
Sort these conditionals by type: If I had studied law, I would be a lawyer now., If she had asked, I would have helped her., If we had taken that job, we would live abroad today., If they had left on time, they would have arrived by six.categories: Third — past result / Mixed — present result
If you had told me, I ___ something about it.would do / would have done / did / will do
If I hadn't missed that flight, I ___ at home now.would have been / would be / was / am
She would have passed if she ___ the last question.answered / had answered / would answer / answers
If he weren't so stubborn, he ___ the offer last week.would accept / would have accepted / accepted / accepts
Which sentence is correct?If I would have known, I would have come. / If I had known, I would have come. / If I knew, I would have come. / If I have known, I would come.
We ___ the match if the referee had been fair.would win / would have won / won / win
Had I known about the traffic, I ___ earlier.would leave / would have left / left / will leave

Show the answer key for third and mixed conditionals

If I had left earlier, I ___ the train.: would have caught — Third conditional.
Sorting: If I had studied law…; If we had taken that job…: Mixed — present result — Past condition, present consequence.
Sorting: If she had asked…; If they had left on time…: Third — past result — Both halves in the past.
If you had told me, I ___ something.: would have done — Past condition, past result.
If I hadn't missed that flight, I ___ at home now.: would be — Now makes the result present.
She would have passed if she ___ the last question.: had answered — Past perfect in the if-clause.
If he weren't so stubborn, he ___ the offer last week.: would have accepted — Present condition, past result.
Which sentence is correct?: If I had known, I would have come. — No would in the if-clause.
We ___ the match if the referee had been fair.: would have won — Order does not change the forms.
Had I known about the traffic, I ___ earlier.: would have left — Inversion replaces if without changing the tense.

Exercise 2 — modals of deduction and regret

must have, might have, can't have, should have, needn't have.

Perfect modals let you say how confident you are about a past event, or how you judge it. The form is invariable — modal plus have plus past participle — and it never changes for person, so the only thing to learn is which modal carries which claim. Getting this wrong rarely produces an ungrammatical sentence; it produces a sentence that says something you did not mean, which is harder to notice and worse.

Seven questions on perfect modals.

His coat is gone and his desk is cleared. Deniz says: "He ______ have left already."must / can't / needn't / would
She was in Tokyo all week, so she ___ have been at the meeting.must / can't / should / might
You ___ have told me — I would have helped.must / should / can't / might
I am not sure, but she ___ have missed the train.must / can't / might / should
The lights are off, so they ___ have gone to bed.must / can't / needn't / would
You ___ have bought bread — we already had two loaves.should / needn't / can't / must
He ___ have written this; his English is far better.must / can't / should / needn't
I ___ have left my phone at the café — I remember using it there.can't / needn't / may / should
Which sentence criticises a past action?She might have known. / She must have known. / She should have known. / She can't have known.

Show the answer key for modals of deduction and regret

He ___ have left already.: must — Strong evidence supports the conclusion.
She was in Tokyo, so she ___ have been at the meeting.: can't — Negative deduction with near certainty.
You ___ have told me.: should — Criticism of an unmet obligation.
She ___ have missed the train.: might — Genuine but uncertain possibility.
The lights are off, so they ___ have gone to bed.: must — Deduction from evidence.
You ___ have bought bread.: needn't — It was done and proved unnecessary.
He ___ have written this.: can't — Near certainty that he did not.
I ___ have left my phone at the café.: may — A possibility.
Which criticises a past action?: She should have known. — The others are all deductions.

Exercise 3 — reported speech and reporting verbs

Backshift, changed references, and choosing a verb that carries an attitude.

Reporting speech shifts three things at once: the tense goes back a step, the pronouns move to the reporter's point of view, and the time and place words re-anchor to the moment of reporting. Tomorrow becomes the next day, here becomes there. The exercise below drills all three, and then the part that actually matters at B2 — choosing a reporting verb that says something rather than defaulting to said.

Seven questions on reported speech.

"I am tired," she said. → She said that she ___ tired.is / was / has been / will be
He ______ that he had broken the window.word bank: admitted, denied, suggested, refused
She ______ taking the money.word bank: admitted, denied, suggested, refused
They ______ meeting at the station.word bank: admitted, denied, suggested, refused
He ______ to answer the question.word bank: admitted, denied, suggested, refused
"I will call you tomorrow." → He said he ___ call me the next day.will / would / can / shall
She asked me where I ___.live / do live / lived / am living
"We saw it yesterday." → They said they had seen it ___.yesterday / the day before / tomorrow / now
He ___ me not to touch it.said / told / spoke / asked that
Which is correctly reported?She asked what was I doing. / She asked what I was doing. / She asked what did I do. / She asked me what am I doing.
He ___ having ever met her.refused / denied / admitted to / promised
"Don't wait for me." → She told us ___ for her.don't wait / not to wait / to not waiting / that not wait

Show the answer key for reported speech and reporting verbs

"I am tired," she said.: she was tired — Backshift one step after a past reporting verb.
He ___ that he had broken the window.: admitted — Accepting responsibility.
She ___ taking the money.: denied — Deny is followed by an -ing form.
They ___ meeting at the station.: suggested — Suggest also takes -ing.
He ___ to answer.: refused — Refuse takes a to-infinitive.
He said he ___ call me the next day.: would — Will backshifts to would.
She asked me where I ___.: lived — Backshift plus statement word order.
They said they had seen it ___.: the day before — Time words re-anchor.
He ___ me not to touch it.: told — Told takes an object, said does not.
Which is correctly reported?: She asked what I was doing. — No inversion in a reported question.
He ___ having ever met her.: denied — Deny plus -ing.
She told us ___ for her.: not to wait — Negative imperative reported with not to.

Perfect modals: the same past, five different readings

One past event — a colleague did not arrive. Each modal below reports the identical fact and takes a different position on it. This is the whole of B2 grammar in one table.

Sentence	What the speaker is claiming
He must have forgotten.	near certainty, based on evidence
He might have forgotten.	a genuine possibility, no more
He can't have forgotten.	near certainty that this is not the explanation
He should have called.	criticism — an obligation he did not meet
He needn't have come.	he did come, and it turned out to be unnecessary

Note the last two carefully. "He shouldn't have come" means he came and it was a mistake; "he didn't need to come" usually means he did not come at all. The difference is invisible in most other languages, which is why it is worth drilling.

Where B2 grammar meets register

Three structures at this level exist almost entirely to change formality rather than meaning. Using them signals control; using them in the wrong place signals the opposite.

Inversion after negative adverbs

"Never have I seen such a mess" is emphatic and formal; "I have never seen such a mess" is neutral. Fronting rarely, seldom, never, no sooner or little forces the auxiliary in front of the subject. In speech it can sound theatrical, which is occasionally the point.

The passive with reporting verbs

"It is thought that the fire started in the kitchen" and "the fire is thought to have started in the kitchen" both let a writer report a claim without naming who makes it. This is the standard register of news and academic writing.

Reporting verbs instead of "said"

Admitted, denied, insisted, suggested and refused each carry an attitude that said does not. Choosing one is an editorial act: "he suggested we leave" and "he insisted we leave" describe very different conversations.

Frequently asked questions

What grammar is tested at B2 level?

Third and mixed conditionals, perfect modals, the full passive including reporting structures, reported speech with a range of reporting verbs, relative clauses, participle clauses, inversion, and the finer uses of articles.

Do these B2 exercises come with answers?

Yes. Each set is marked as you answer, and a written answer key beneath every set explains each item and why the closest wrong answer fails.

What is a mixed conditional?

A conditional whose two halves sit in different time frames — usually a past condition with a present result: "If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now." The studying is past; being a doctor is present.

Is B2 enough for university study?

B2 is the level most commonly required for undergraduate study in English and for professional work. Whether it is enough depends on the institution, which will normally state a specific exam score rather than a CEFR level.

What is the difference between "must have" and "should have"?

Must have is a deduction — you are near certain that is what happened. Should have is a criticism — the thing did not happen and you think it ought to have.

How is B2 different from B1?

B1 is about being understood; B2 is about being precise. The forms are largely recombinations of B1 material, but they let you mark how certain, how hypothetical or how critical you are being.