Question

a) complete the following exercise with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

1. hi, i am (be) matt rotell, a friend of alices.

2 - 3. oh, yes. alice (mention) you the other day. gee, you (not look) like a detective.

1. well, thats good, i (guess).

5 - 6. im curious. tell me, how you (decide) to become an undercover cop?
7 - 12. well, when i (be) a kid, i (love) to read detective novels. by the time i (be) ten, i (read) every book in the hardy boys series. i (know) that i (want) to get into law enforcement.

1. but according to alice, you (attend) law school nowadays.

14 - 18. right. i (get) married last month. i (not mind) being on the police force when i (be) single, but ever since i (meet) nicole, my wife, i (want) to do something less dangerous.
19 - 21. i (understand). by the way, you

Explanation:

1. The sentence "Hi, I (be) Matt Rotell, a friend of Alice's." is in the present tense. The subject "I" takes the verb form "am".
2. "Alice (mention) you the other day." The phrase "the other day" indicates the past tense. The past - tense form of "mention" is "mentioned".
3. "you (not look) like a detective." The subject "you" in the present - tense negative form uses "don't look".
4. "I (guess)." is in the present tense. The verb form is "guess".

5 - 6. "how (decide) you..." This is a past - tense question. The auxiliary verb "did" is used for the past - tense question form, and the main verb "decide" remains in its base form.

1. "when I (be) a kid" is in the past tense. The form for "I" in the past tense of "be" is "was".
2. "I (love) to read detective novels" in the past tense. The past - tense form of "love" is "loved".
3. "By the time I (be) ten" is in the past tense. The form is "was".
4. "I (read) every book..." The action of reading was completed before the time of being ten. So, the past - perfect tense "had read" is used.
5. "I (know) that..." is in the past tense. The past - tense form of "know" is "knew".
6. "I (want) to get into law enforcement" is in the past tense. The past - tense form of "want" is "wanted".
7. "you (attend) law school nowadays" is in the present continuous tense. The form is "are attending".
8. "I (get) married last month" is in the past tense. The past - tense form of "get" is "got".
9. "I (not mind) being on the police force..." The subject "I" in the past - tense negative form uses "didn't mind".
10. "when I (be) single" is in the past tense. The form is "was".
11. "ever since I (meet) Nicole..." The action of meeting happened in the past. The past - tense form of "meet" is "met".
12. "I (want) to do something..." The action started in the past and continues to the present. The present - perfect tense "have wanted" is used.
13. "I (understand)" is in the present tense. The form is "understand".

20 - 21. This part is incomplete, but based on the context, if it's a question, it could be in a suitable tense (e.g., present - tense question form).

Answer:

1. am
2. mentioned
3. don't look
4. guess
5. did
6. decide
7. was
8. loved
9. was
10. had read
11. knew
12. wanted
13. are attending
14. got
15. didn't mind
16. was
17. met
18. have wanted
19. understand

20 - 21. (Incomplete, but if it's a question like "Do you...", it could be "Do" and the main verb in base form depending on context)