Past Tense - Tense- Part -2
Subject: English
Subject Code: HUM 4101
Topic: Past Tense and Tense Part-2
Lecturer: Md. Arif Moinuddin Chy
Past Tense
A common excuse of a late student …
“Sorry sir, I was caught in a big traffic jam.
Unfortunately, my bus/ texi was also slow. But I reached Bahaddarhat on time. When I came near to the university, I met an old friend. I had to give him time and talked to him. So I missed the class…”
Simple
Past
Form:
I met an
old friend.
Structure: Sub + verb ii + Obj
P: I met an
old friend. .
N: I didn’t
meet an
old friend.
Q: Did I
meet an old friend ?
• Actions completed in the past at a definite time. The man died in 1895.
• Past habit: He
always wrote letters.
• Actions taking place one after another. He climbed the stairs, he looked at me and then followed me.
• Action taking place in the middle of another action. I was having a shower when the phone rang.
Time Expression: yesterday,
3 days ago, in 1967, in the 1980s, in the 17th century,
when, then, last Friday.
Complete the newspaper story about a
fire. Put in the past simple forms of the verbs.
Two
people died
(die) in a fire in Ellis Street, Dhaka yesterday morning. They
(1)…….….(be) Hashim and
Momtaz, a
couple in their seventies. The fire
(2)……………………………….. (start) at 3.20
am. A neighbour, Mr Aziz, (3)……………………………… (see) the flames and (4) …………………………… (call)
the fire brigade. He also
(5)………………………......... (try) to get
into the house and rescue his neighbours, but the heat (6)………………………. (be) too great. The fire brigade
(7) (arrive) in five
minutes. Twenty fire-fighters (8)
……………………….. (fight) the fire and finally
(9)……………………………. (bring) it under
control. Two fire-fighters (10)……………………………
(enter) the burning building but
(11)…………………… (find) the couple dead.
I was so happy to see the place for the first time in my life. You
know, we were sitting on a bench very close to the river bank. The
wind was blowing gently. The sun was shining bright. The birds were singing.
The people were enjoying themselves. The children were playing,
jumping and laughing… I just loved the place so much
Past
Continuous/ Progressive
Form:
We
were sitting on a bench .
Structure: Sub + was/were + verb-i +
Obj
P: We were
sitting on
a bench .
N: We weren’t
sitting on
a bench .
Q: Were we sitting on
a bench ?
•action
going on for some time at a certain time
in the past. At 9 o’clock, yesterday.
I was
waiting for my son
• actions
taking place at the same time joined by while
or as: While I was cooking, my husband was
laying the table.
• action
in the past that is interrupted by another action joined by when : I
was having a shower when the phone rang
Read this conversation…
Melanie: I
rang at about three yesterday
afternoon, but you weren't in. I didn't know where you were.
David: Oh, I was
helping Mike. We were repairing his car. It took ages. We were working on it all afternoon.
Melanie: It was raining. 1 hope you weren't
doing it outside.
David: No, we were in the garage. So I didn't get wet. But I'm afraid I got
oil all over my new trousers.
Melanie: Why were
you wearing your new trousers to repair a car? David: / don't know. I forgot I had them on.
Complete the conversation. Put in the
past continuous forms.
Jessica: I was looking (I / look) for you, Vicky. I'm afraid I've broken this dish.
Vicky: Oh no! What (1)………………………...(you /
do)?
Jessica: (2)………………………
(I
/ take) it into the kitchen. I bumped
into Emma. (3)…………………………. (she
/ come) out just as (4)
……………………….…..
(I
/go) in.
Vicky: I expect it was your fault. (5).....................
(you
/ not / look) where
(6)………………………….. (you/
go).
Jessica: Sorry. I'll buy you
another one as soon as I have some money.
What can you say in these
situations? Add a sentence with the past continuous
to say that an action lasted a long time.
► You had to work yesterday. The
work went on all day. = I was
working all day.
• You
had to make phone calls. The calls went on all evening.
• You
had to make sandwiches. This went on all afternoon.
• You
had to sit in a traffic jam. You were there for two hours.
• Your neighbor played loud music. This went on all night.
[It happened as I was driving]
We often use the past continuous and
simple together when one (shorter) action
comes in the middle of another (longer)
one.
üAs we were driving down the hill,
a strange object appeared in the sky.
üWhile Laura was
sitting in the garden, it suddenly began to rain.
üYou drove
right past me when I was waiting for the bus.
The appearance of the strange object
comes in the middle of the longer action, the drive down the hill.
Shorter action: An
object appeared.
In the three sentences above, the past
continuous comes after as, while or when
(As
we were driving ...). We can also use when before the past simple.
We were
driving down the hill when a strange object appeared in the sky.
David was
making lunch when the phone rang.
But we use two past simple verbs for one
action after another.
When we saw
the spaceship, we stopped the car. (= We saw it and then we stopped.)
Past continuous or past simple?
Put in the correct form of the verb.
Rita: I hear the lights went
(go) out in your flats last night.
Emma: Yes, I was
watching (I / watch) a documentary on TV when suddenly (1)………..
.................. (we / lose) all the power. But (2)………….(it / come) on again
after about ten minutes.
Vicky: Rachel (3)…………… (come) down the
stairs when the lights
(4)………………… (go) out. She almost
(5)…………………………. (fall) over.
Daniel: Matthew and I (6)……….
.........(play) table tennis at the time.
Andrew: (7)………………................. (I /
work) on the computer.
(8)……………… (I / lose) a whole hour's work.
But this morning
(9) ……………(I/get) up early and
(10)…………………Do) it again.
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