THE PAST
Slides in this set (16)
-
-
- 1.- COMPLETED ACTIONS/EVENTS/SITUATIONS WHICH HAPPENED AT A SPECIFIC TIME IN THE PAST...
- I bought a new bike last week
- Elvis Presley died in 1977
- I went to the cinema three times last month
- (time expressions set the action in the past)
- Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
- (we all know that is a past situation)
- 2.- ...OR OVER A SPECIFIC PERIOD IN THE PAST
- Larry lived in England from 2000 to 2003
- They studied French for ten years
- 3.- With time linkers: BY THE TIME-WHEN-ONCE- AFTER-BEFORE- AS SOON AS-UNTIL
- for concecutive actions
- She stood up and said goodbye before she left the office
- I locked the front door after I got home
- when the second event was the result of the first
- Once she met the boy, she asked him out for dinner
- PAST SIMPLE
- Learn SIMPLE PAST TENSE through Movies english-challenge.ru (Embed)
- Caption: Check the uses of Past Simple in the video
-
"perfect" expressions for past simple
- 1.-It's (one/two/three) year/s since...... (more informal)
- It's one year since I (last) saw you
- 2.- It has been one /two/three year/s since... (more formal)
- It has been three years since I (last) saw you
- 3.- It's a long time since...
- It is a long time since I (last) saw you
- 4.- It has been a long time since...
- It has been a long time since I (last) saw you
-
- 1.-REPEATED ACTIONS IN THE PAST
- They used to travel a lot when they were younger
- (now they don't t travel a lot)
- They travelled a lot when they were younger
- They would travel a lot when they were younger
- 2.- ... IF THAT "REPEATED ACTION" IS ANNOYING FOR THE SPEAKER
- My parents were always travelling when I was a kid and I was looked after by a chilminder
- 4.- REPEATED SITUATIONS/STATES IN THE PAST
- There used to be a bakery in this street
- (now there's a restaurant in the same place)
- There was a bakery on this street
- I used to live in a residence hall when I was at university
- I lived in a residence hall when I was at university
- PAST SIMPLE - USED TO WOULD -
- PAST CONTINUOUS (+always)
- *See PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS for more repeated situations and the times they have occurred
- Past Habits - 'Used To'/'Would'/'Past Simple' (Embed)
- Caption: HABITUAL SITUATIONS/ACTIONS IN THE PAST
-
- 1.- SITUATIONS /ACTIONS IN PROGRESS AT A STATED MOMENT.... (we don't mention when the action started /finished)
- Yesterday at five o'clock I was writing a letter
- (I was in the middle of doing something)
- This time last year I was living in a different city
- 2.-...OR HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME (simultaneous actions in progress)
- While she was driving home, she was talking with her husband on the phone
- 3.-....ACTIONS IN PROGRESS IN THE BACKGROUND
- I was having a relaxing bath at home when the telephone rang (action in progress interrupted by another action)
- I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, the children were decorating the Christmas tree and my husband was trying to fix one of the windows in the living room. Suddenly someone knocked on the door.... ( background of the story/ setting up the scene)
- PAST CONTINUOUS
- PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE (Embed)
- Caption: Here you will find Past Continuous in easily understood American English
-
...connecting the past and the present
- 1.- EVENTS WHICH OCCURRED AT SOME TIME BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
- I have read that novel
- (When? It is not important so I don't mention it. The importance lies in the fact that now I can talk about the novel)
- My neighbours have bought a sailing boat
- ( When? I have no idea; the fact is that now they can sail / are the owners of a sailing boat)
- 2.- ACTIONS RECENTLY FINISHED WHOSE RESULTS ARE VISIBLE NOW ...
- She has done the shopping at the supermarket
- She has been doing the shopping at the supermarket
- ( you see her leaving the supermarket carrying bags with food)
- 3.- ...OR WHOSE EFFECTS ARE RELEVANT IN THE PRESENT
- Sorry, I can't go to the cinema with you, I have asked Peter out for dinner
- Sorry, I can't go to the cinema with you. I've been spending too much on clothes and I have no money.
- 4.- ACTIONS WHICH STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE UP TO THE PRESENT (especially with State Verbs and since/for)
- I have had a car for five years (Tengo coche desde hace...)
- She has known me since I was a little girl (Me conoce desde...)
- 5.- TWO STATES/ACTIONS WHICH HAVE EXISTED /OCCURRED TOGETHER
- She has been promoted several times since she has worked there
- 6.- IF THE ACTION IS RECURRENT...
- I am a bit scared. A stranger has been phoning me
- 7.- ...AND IF WE WANT TO INLUDE THE TIMES THAT THE ACTION HAS OCCURRED
- The stranger has phoned me six or seven times
- PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS
- Copy and paste the link into browser to practice Present Perfect listening:
- https://es.lyricstraining.com/play/queen/we-are-the-champions-live/HDLkEvrm1D#ibw
-
"perfect" expressions for present perfect
- 1.- This is the first /second/third/... time...
- This is the sixth time I have asked her out
- 2.- That is the first/second/third/...time...
- That is the fourth time he has been beaten at Wimbledon
- 3.- It's (one/two/three) years since...... (more informal)
- It's one year since I have seen you
- 4.- It has been one /two/three years since... (more formal)
- It has been three years since I have seen you
- 5.- It's a long time since...
- It is a long time since I have seen you
- 6.- It has been a long time since...
- It has been a long time since I have seen you
- Copy and paste the link into browser:
- https://youtu.be/XiyoCZUwwYg (video)
- https://youtu.be/VJyUpA-4IwY (lyrics)
- Which tense is used after It's been a long time?
-
- 1.-TO EMPHASIZE THE DURATION OF AN ACTION
- We have been working on past tenses for over three weeks (Llevamos trabajando...)
- 2.-TO REFER TO AN INCOMPLETE ACTIVITY/SITUATION
- I've been cleaning the living-room but I have no time for more cleaning today.
- (He estado limpiando...)
- 3.-TO REFER TO A TEMPORARY ACTION
- My friends are coming over for the weekend, I have been tiying up my bedroom
- (He estado ordenando...)
- 4.-TO EMPHASIZE ON REPETITION
- That guy has been calling me. I am feeling a bit scared
- (...ha estado llamando...)
- PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
- Copy and paste the link into browser to see some examples with this tense in films:
- https://youtu.be/QRpRL9LLXrA
-
- 1.- ACTIONS WHICH HAPPENED BEFORE ANOTHER PAST ACTION OR BEFORE A STATED TIME IN THE PAST
- She had finished work when she met her friends for a drink
- He arrived at 7.00 but Lucy had left at 6.30
- 2.-SITUATIONS WHICH STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUED TO A LATER POINT IN THE PAST
- They had been married for 10 years before they decided to adopt a child
- 3.- With time linkers: BY THE TIME- AFTER-BEFORE-AS SOON AS- ONCE- WHEN- UNITL
- I went to the cinema once I had finished my homework (hube terminado*)
- As soon as he had got paid, he went to the estate agent's to ask about the flat (hubo cobrado*)
- *Pretérito Anterior in Spanish and now not widely used (only in literary texts)
- Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto and Pretérito Indefinido/Pretérito Perfecto Simple are the current verb tenses used in the translation of the structure:
- había terminado - terminé
- había cobrado - cobré
- Can you find any similarity with English?
- PAST PERFECT
- Past Perfect (Embed)
- Caption: Uses of the Past Perfect
-
"perfect" expressions with past perfect
- 1.- It was the first/second/third time...
- It was the third time that she had visited London
- 2.- That was the first/second/third time....
- That was the sixth time that she had visited London
- 3.- It was one/two/three year (s) since...
- It was four years since we had seen that film
- 4.- It was a long time since...
- It was a long time since I had (last) taken a certificate in English
-
- 1.-TO EMPHASIZE THE DURATION OF AN ACTION WHICH STARTED AND FINISHED IN THE PAST BEFORE ANOTHER PAST ACTION
- They had been looking for a house for three years
- (Llevaban buscando...)
- 2.-TO REFER TO AN ACTION WHOSE EFFECTS WERE VISIBLE IN THE PAST
- When I looked at his eyes I realized he had been crying
- (...había estado llorando)
- 3.-TO EMPHASIZE ON REPETITION
- That guy had been calling her recurrently, so she called the police.
- (...había estado llamando...)
- PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
-
...what if the event didn't happen?
- She was going to cancel the wedding , but eventually she decided to put it off until June
- (Iba a cancelar...)
- She was about to cancel the wedding, but eventually she decided to put it off until June
- (Estuvo a punto de cancelar...)
- She had been thinking of cancelling the wedding but eventually she put it off until June
- (Había estado pensando en cancelar...)
- She was thinking of cancelling the wedding but eventually she decided to put it off until June
- (Estuvo pensando en cancelar...)
- The wedding, which was to have taken place in March, was put off until June
- (...que iba a tener lugar...)
-
...expressing preference about the past
- I would like to have visited more people last year
- I would have liked to visit more people last year
- I would have liked to have visited more people last year
- She would love to have studied at Harvard
- She would have loved to study at Harvard
- She would have loved to have studied at Harvard
- They would prefer to have won the lottery at Christmas
- They would have preferred to win the lottery at Christmas
- They would have preferred to have won the lottery at Chrsitmas
- I would rather have spent more time with my family
- I would sooner have spent more time with my family
- I would like my father to have visited more cathedrals...
- I would have liked her to visit more cathedrals...
- I would have liked Helen to have visited more cathedrals...
- She would love her son to have studied at Harvard
- She would have loved me to study at Harvard
- She would have loved Paul to have studied at Harvard
- They would prefer him to have won the lottery at ...
- They would have preferred their neighbours to win the lottery...
- They would have preferred you to have won the lottery...
- I would rather you had spent more time with my family
- I would sooner my brother had spent more time with my family
-
- Caption: By Ashashyou [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thank-you-word-cloud.jpg