1. We use the past continuous to describe an action which was going on at a definite moment or for a short period of time in the past.
I found this coin while I was digging the garden. (The past continuous refers to a longer background action; the past simple to a shorter action that happened in the middle.) , .
What were you doing at five oclock yesterday evening? I was watching TV. (The moment is defined by an indication of time.) ? .
When you called I was taking a shower. (The moment is defined by another action.)
, .
The man was looking at me in a very strange way. (The moment is implied.) .
We were having a party from eight oclock to midnight. (a short period of time) .
2. We use the past continuous to describe parallel actions in the past (the focus is on the duration rather than facts).
I was watching TV and Mum was doing the washing up. , .
What were the children doing while all this was going on? , ?
3. We use the past continuous to describe past arrangements.
Nancy was taking the next flight to Paris so she had to cut short the interview.
, .
She astonished us by saying she was leaving. , .
4. We use the past continuous to show that a past action was temporary, changing or developing.
To lose weight before the competition, I wasnt eating any sweets or biscuits for weeks. , , , .
During my training I was earning a lot less than my wife. ϳ , .
5. We use the past continuous to talk about repeated actions within a limited period of time in the past.
When Carlo was in hospital, we were visiting him twice a day. , .
While my cousin was on holiday, I was coming to feed his cat once a day. , , .
6.We use the past indefifnite to talk about habits, often annoying or unexpected.
Aunt Marie was always turning up without warning and bringing us presents. ҳ .
I didnt like him he was continually borrowing money. ³ .
Exercise 1. Translate into English and comment on the use of the present simple, the present continuous, the present perfect, the present perfect continuous, the past simple, the past continuous.
1. ? 2. , . 3. (Team A) , (Team B) . 4. . 5. (Karen) , , . 6. . 7. , . 8. 1991 . 9. (to find faults with sb.). 10. ? 11. , . 12. . . 13. . ? 14. (to butter) , . 15. ³ . 16. , , . 17. ij . 18. . 19. , (to agree) . 20. ? . 21. , . 22. . 23. ? . 24. . 25. , . 26. , , . 27. (pronounced). 28. . 29. , (proposal) . 30. .
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THE PAST PERFECT
Formation
We make the past perfect by using the auxiliary verb had and past participle.
Example: After I had finished school, I went to America.
When I arrived at the party, Bill had already gone home.
Questions are made by putting the auxiliary verb had before the subject.
Example: What had they said that made him so angry?
Had you heard the news before you saw it on TV?
Negatives are made by putting not after the auxiliary verb had.
Example: I was late, but fortunately the meeting hadnt started.
He hadnt been asked to the party and was feeling very left out.
| Affirmative I had done you had done he/she/it had done we had done you had done they had done | Questions had I done? had you done? had he/she/it done? had we done? had you done? had they done? | Negative I had not done you had not done he/she/it had not done we had not done you had not done they had not done |
Passive forms
The past perfect passive has the following structure:
| had+been + past participle |
Active: I had written the letter before you came.
Passive: The letter had been written by me before you came.
Active: The police said they had hit him with a blunt instrument.
Passive: The police said he had been hit with a blunt instrument.
Use of the past perfect
1. We use the past perfect to describe an action which is completed before a time in the past.
By 6 oclock on Sunday he had already learned all the words. .
As Geoff was introduced to Mrs Snape, he realized that they had met before. , , .
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Julia didnt arrive until after I had left. , .
NB
We can use the past perfect to make a sequence of past events clear. Compare the following examples:
When we got back, the babysitter went home. , .
When we got back, the babysitter had already gone home. , . (The second action had been completed when the first action took place.)
2. We use the past perfect to describe an action or a state that had lasted for a period of time to the past moment.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years. , .
She had lived in China for five years before she moved to Thailand. , .
3. We use the past perfect with these three expressions:
o hardlywhen/before
o scarcelywhen/before
o no sooner than
I had hardly closed my eyes when the phone rang. , .
had scarcely entered the house when it started to rain. , .
I had no sooner closed the door than somebody knocked. ³ , .
In a formal or literary style, these structures are sometimes used with inverted word order.
ardly had h entered the house, when it started to rain. , .
Exercise 1. Translate into English and comment on the use of the present simple, the present continuous, the present perfect, the present perfect continuous, the past simple, the past continuous, the past perfect.
1. . 2. (Brian) . ? 3. . 4. ϳ , , . 5. , (to know sb. for very long). 6. ij (to play up). 7. . , . 8. , 400 .. 9. , ? 10. . 11. ϳ , , . 12. (to go through a bad time), . 13. . 14. . . . 15. . 16. , . , . 17. , . 18. , . 19. . (shortly after) , . 20. ϳ , , . 21. ҳ , , . 22. ̳ (to play trick on sb). 23. ³ (villa) . 24. ³ (to be crazy about sb) , . 25. , (to empty). 26. , . ³ . 27. (to hurt) . 28. , . 29. , . 30. , .
