Getting Started with Tense Buster

Tense Buster logo

Tense Buster offers interactive lessons, exercises, and practice tests to help improve English grammar. Courses cover key grammar areas in 5 levels, from articles at Elementary level through to phrasal verbs at Advanced level and includes tips to improve reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary and grammar.

How to access Tense Buster

  1. Go to tpl.ca and enter “Tense Buster ” in the search window.
  2. Click on Access Online under Tense Buster
  3. Enter your library card number and PIN

Getting Started

To track your progress, select "Sign in/Register" to create an account . An email address is required. Otherwise, select "Continue as a guest".

Image of Tense Buster's sign in screen

Choose a grammar level

Tense Buster has 5 grammar levels: Elementary, Lower Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate or Advanced.

If you are not sure which level is right for you, select Take a level test.  This test has 50 multiple choice questions that will help Tense Buster select the correct level.  Otherwise, select Start Now!

 

Image of Grammar Levels icons - Elementary, Lower Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced

Each grammar levels contains multiple units.  Each unit includes:

  1. Introduction
  2. The rule
  3. Several practice modules with exercises
  4. Test

Image displaying the 4 major sections in a unit

Navigation

Tip: Select the “Home” or grammar level buttons within the software to move around.  Avoid using the back button in your browser.

When working in a unit, there are several tools at the top of the page.  

  • Scoring: See how well you’ve done and view the correct answers
  • Start again: To work through the exercise again
  • Previous: To go back to the previous exercise or page
  • Next: To move to the next exercise or page

Image of Navigation icons

Use the Recorder to practice your pronunciation. 

Image of the Recorder icon

Note: Tense Buster runs on desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphones. It requires an up-to-date version of one of these browsers: Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox


For more information or for help, please contact our Answerline service.