Unit
17
War
and Peace
Grammar
(Page: 146)
Past simple, past continuous, past perfect and
past perfect continuous tense
A.
Study the following sentences.
a.
My head was aching again, so I went home
early.
b.
Sanita was teaching to the children while Nitesh was
washing up.
c.
He worked hard all his life.
d.
Just as I was getting into the bath the fire alarm went
off.
e.
Before he stopped laughing, everyone had left.
f.
The film had already begun by the time
we got to the cinema.
g.
She had returned to the house where she had been
staying with friends.
B.
Here is an extract from a newspaper article about a missing boy (Ronish) and
his father (Naresh). Decide why different forms of past tenses were used.
Naresh said that
Ronish, who used to enjoy riding with him on his bike, followed him
as he set off. He told the child to go back
to his mother, and rode away. Meanwhile, Ronish’s mother thought that
Ronish had gone with Naresh; Naresh believed Ronish had
stayed behind. It was only some hours later, when
Naresh
returned, that they realized
Ronish had vanished …
C. Fill in the gaps with the suitable form of
the verb in the brackets. Use past simple/past continous/past
perfect tenses. You may need to use negative too.
It
was Sunday afternoon. I ……….. (watch) a cookery programme on TV when I ………….
(realise) how hungry I was. But of course, I was hungry; I ………. (eat) anything
since lunch, and I …….. (run) a race in the morning. “Biscuits!” I ……..
(think). My mother …………. (give) me a jar of delicious home-made biscuits.
I
….. (go) into the kitchen, …… (open) the fridge and ……. (pour) some milk in a
big glass. Then I …….. (look) for the kitchen chair but it …… (be) there:
somebody ……. (take) it away. And there were no biscuits in the biscuit jar:
somebody …… (eat) them all! I was sure I …… (put) the jar there the previous
day and I ………. (eat) only one cookie. It was very strange.
A
few minutes later, I ………. (drink) my glass of milk when I ………. (hear) aloud
noise coming from the dining room. I …….. (go) there quickly and I ……. (open)
the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes. An enormous monkey …….. (eat) the
biscuits excitedly on the kitchen chair.
Answer
It
was Sunday afternoon. I was watching a cookery programme on TV when I realised how hungry I was.
But of course, I was hungry; I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and I had run a race in the morning.
“Biscuits!” I thought. My mother had given me a jar of delicious home-made biscuits.
I went into the
kitchen, opened the fridge and poured some milk in a big glass. Then I looked for the kitchen
chair but it wasn't there: somebody had taken it away. And there were no biscuits in the
biscuit jar: somebody had eaten them all! I was sure
I had
put the
jar there the previous day and I had eaten only one cookie. It was very strange.
A
few minutes later, I was drinking my glass of milk when I heard aloud noise coming
from the dining room. I went there quickly and I opened the door. I
couldn’t believe my eyes. An enormous monkey was eating the biscuits excitedly
on the kitchen chair.
D. Rewrite the following
sentences correcting the mistakes.
Example: Did
you ever see her before you met her at school?
Had
you ever seen her before you met her at school?
a.
She played the flute and then she had sung in their choir.
→
She had played the flute before she sang in their choir.
or
→
After she had played the flute, she sang in their choir.
b.
I borrowed Rima’s car. Had you known about it?
→ Did you know that I had
borrowed Rima’s car?
c.
After the lesson had finished, we run out of school.
→
After the lesson had finished we ran out of school.
d. Had you be there? - Yes, the
previous year.
→ Have you been there? - Yes, the
previous year.
e.
Did you liked my article published in the Himalayan Times
yesterday?
→
Did you like my article published in the Himalayan Times yesterday?
f.
I recognized him because I saw him before.
→
I recognized him because I had seen him before.
g.
I hadn’t
gone out
because I hadn’t finished my homework.
→
I didn’t
go out because I hadn’t
finished my homework.
h.
We had done nothing like this at that time.
→
We were
not doing anything like this at that time.
i.
It was quite difficult. I had had no idea what to do.
→
I had had no idea that it was quite difficult.
j.
As far as I’d known, she had always had some pets.
→
As far as I knew, she had always had some pets.
k.
When I met Jim, he was already a soldier for three years.
→
When I met Jim, he had already been a soldier for three years.
l.
He had gone to the coffee because somebody had told him.
→
He went to the coffee
because somebody had told him.
Read
the note below for the reference of exercise ‘C’:
1
was watching
We
use the past continuous the set the scene in a story.
2
realised
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story.
3
hadn't eaten 4 had run
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in
the past.
5
thought
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story.
6
had given
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in
the past.
7
went 8 opened 9 poured 10 looked
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story.
11
wasn't
We
also use the past simple to talk about past states.
12
had taken 13 had eaten 14 had put 15 had eaten
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in
the past.
Questions
for further practice
Choose the most suitable answer for each gap below.
1)
I was very late. When I arrived, the conference …………..
a. was already
starting
b. started
c. had already started
2)
When he heard the police knocking on the door, he ………… under the bed.
a. hid
b. had
hidden
c. was hiding
3)
The police arrested him because he ………… a gun.
a. carried
b. was carrying
c. had carried
4)
When they arrived at the police station, he said that he …………anything wrong.
a. didn't do
b. wasn't
doing
c. hadn't done
5)
When he said that he loved me, I knew that he ………….
a. lied
b. was lying
c. had lied
6)
I looked at him and I knew he ………… in a fight, because he had a black eye.
a. was
b. was being
c. had been
7)
He pulled out a gun and everybody…………away.
a. ran
b. was
running
c. had run
8)
When I was a child, we ………… anywhere at weekends; it was boring.
a. never went
b. were never going
c. had never gone
9)
When he retired he…………in the company for more than 50 years.
a. was
b. was being
c. had been
10)
I …………to the road and we crashed.
a. didn't pay attention
b. wasn't paying attention
c. hadn't paid attention
Answers
1
c. had already started
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in
the past. In this case, the conference started before I arrived.
2
a. hid
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story. First he heard the police, and then he hid under the
bed.
3
b. was carrying
We
use the past continuous when a longer action (was carrying a gun) is
interrupted by a shorter action in past simple (arrested).
4
c. hadn't done
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about an earlier past: events which
happened before the main event. First he did or did not do something wrong, and
then the police arrested him.
5
b. was lying
We
use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past. When he said that
he loved me, the action of lying was in progress.
6
c. had been
We
use the past perfect simple to talk about an earlier past: events which
happened before the main event. First he was in a fight, and then I looked at
him.
7
a. ran
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story. First he pulled out a gun, and then everybody ran away.
8
a. never went
We
use the past simple to talk about past habits or past states.
9
c. had been
We
use the past perfect simple with stative verbs to talk about states or
situations that had started earlier in the past. We often use how long, for or
since, always, etc.
10
b. wasn't paying attention
We
use the past continuous when a longer action (wasn't paying attention) is
interrupted by a shorter action in past simple (crashed).
Fill
in the gaps with the most appropriate narrative tenses of the verbs in
brackets: past simple, past continuous or past perfect simple.
This
story is based on true events that 1 ……happened…….
(happen) many, many years ago in Scotland. One day, Mr Clark 2 ……was
walking……. (walk) home with a smile on his face. He 3 ……
was carrying ……. (carry) something very valuable in his hand: tickets for a
long, long journey.
After
many years working and saving, Mr Clark 4 …… had saved …….
(save) all the money he needed to take all his family to the United States.
Earlier that afternoon he 5 ……
had bought ……. (buy) all the tickets that now he 6 …… was holding ……. (hold) in his hand. It
was the opportunity of their lives. “The United States of America,” he repeated
aloud just to see how nice it 7 ……
sounded ……. (sound) in his ears.
A
few days before their departure, Mr Clark’s son 8 …… sounded ……. (play) in the street when a
dog 9 …… bit ……. (bite) him. The doctor 10 ……
went ……. (go) to their home and 11 …… treated
……. (treat) the child’s wound. Then he 12 …… hung
……. (hang) a yellow sheet on their front door. That yellow sheet meant that
they 13…… had just been ……. (just/be) quarantined.
They 14 …… had ……. (have) to stay at home for two
weeks because of the possibility of rabies.
Five
days later, Mr Clark was at the docks. He 15 …… had
left ……. (leave) the house and now he 16 …… was
watching ……. (watch) their ship leave to the United States without him or
his family. When the ship 17 …… disappeared …….
(disappear) in the horizon, he 18 …… stood up …….
(stand up) and 19 …… went ……. (go) back home,
crying.
A
few days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty
Titanic 20 …… had sunk ……. (sink),
taking hundreds of lives with it.
Answer
1
happened - We
use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past.
2
was walking 3 was carrying
We
use the past continuous the set the scene in a story.
4
had saved - We use the past perfect simple (and not continuous) to
say how much or how many we had done of something earlier in the past.
5
had bought - We use the past perfect simple to talk about single
actions completed earlier in the past.
6
was holding - We use the past continuous for actions in progress
in the past.
7
sounded - The
verbs of the senses (look, sound, taste, etc.) are stative verbs, which means
that they cannot be used in continuous verb forms.
8
was playing - We use the past continuous when a longer action (was
playing) is interrupted by a shorter action in past simple (bit).
9
bit 10 went 11 treated 12 hung
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story.
13
had just been - We use the past perfect simple to talk about single
actions completed earlier in the past.
14
had - We
use the past simple to talk about past states.
15
had left - We
use the past perfect simple to talk about single actions completed earlier in
the past.
16
was watching - We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the
past.
17
disappeared 18 stood up 19 went
We
use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the
main events of a story.
20
had sunk- We
use the past perfect simple to talk about earlier events and experiences.
Thank you so much sir ❤️
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