Past Tenses in Comparison

19-04-2021 Grammar

Грамматический материал с упражнениями

Past Tenses

Past Perfect:

1 to describe actions and events which happened at an earlier time than the events described in the Past Simple or Continuous. There must always be a past tense to refer to:

I had never played tennis until I went to Spain.

2 with when, before and after to express the same time relations as above. (Note that the Past Simple can be used instead of the Past Perfect but the Past Perfect emphasizes the completion of the action in the subordinate clause):

When I had finished, I went home.

After I had finished, I went home.

I went home before I had finished my work.

3 in the continuous form when describing an action which continued for some time before another past action:

The train arrived late and he had been waiting for an hour.

4 in the sentence pattern with a subordinate clause of time introduced by scarcely… when, hardly … when, nearly… when, no sooner … than to show the time relation between the two actions of a specific character: the action of the subordinate clause takes place when the action of the principal clause is hardly accomplished yet.

He had scarcely entered the room when in a chair by the door he perceived Ann Chester.

Such sentences are emphatic in meaning and so

scarcely, hardly, nearly, no sooner may be placed at the head of the sentence with an inverted word order following.

No sooner had they established themselves in the house than he perceived to his dismay a return of her gloomy mood.

5 in a complex sentences with a before-clause or when-clause to express an action that is not fully accomplished before the action in the subordinate clause.

He had not been there for two days before he admitted that he should not have taken the invitation.

I hadn’t been in the pub five minutes when somebody brought in Tom for a drink.

Future in the Past

to describe events that will take place in the future of the story, when we are already using past tenses to tell the story:

I was afraid that I would never win the game or

I was afraid that I was never going to win the game.

Past Simple:

1 to talk about an action that happened at a specific time in the past:

I met John last night.

The time of the action may be implied in the situation through the mention of the place of the action:

I ate turnips in Germany.

Did you belong to any society at the University?

2 to talk about something that happened over a period of time in the past and was completed in the past:

I lived in Spain from 1992 to 1995.

3 to talk about repeated actions or habits in the past:

He always caught the 8.30 train to go to work.

They went to Spain every year for their holidays.

4 in narration to express a succession of actions:

I found some matches, climbed on the table, lit the gas lamp, then settled down to read.

5 to make polite enquiries or requests, usually in formal situations:

Did you want to see me? Could you turn the TV off?

Past Continuous:

1 to describe actions which are interrupted by another action (the inter-rupting action is in the Past Simple):

I was writing an essay when the phone rang.

2 to talk about an action that continued over some time in the past (the action may or may not have been completed):

I was doing my homework all evening.

3 with while to talk about two actions continuing at the same time in the past:

While I was writing, my brother was watching TV.

4 to talk about annoying habits in the past + always / constantly:

He was always losing his keys

used to

We use used to to talk about habits/routine actions/events in the past. This always implies that the action no longer happens:

When I was younger I used to play in the park.

She used to go to school, but now she's at college.

Did you use to talk a lot in class?

She didn't use to exercise, but she's started now.

would do

We use would with the same meaning as used to, but only for concrete actions. It is NOT used for general situations:

We used to live in Paris when I was a child, and I would cycle/used to cycle to school every day. (NOT We would live in Paris ...)

We would talk for hours about philosophy.

We wouldn't ever talk about it. Would you ever talk ...

Ex. 1 Comment on the use of tenses in the following sentences

1. When Arni turned on the television, the weatherman was giving the weekend forecast for Europe. 2. Diana and I were sitting in the library on Sunday morning, reading the newspapers. Or rather, she was reading, I was merely glancing through them. 3. To make conversation I asked him what he was doing at Oxford. 4. The noise was caused by a dog, which was chasing a cat through the garden. 5. And I just knew it was my mother's face I was seeing in my mind. 6. As usual, he was being selfish, thinking only about himself. 7. When she came back to the office, the secretary was still riffling through some papers. 8. She was being perfectly friendly again. 9. Nora thought she was being noisy. 10. When I entered a Pizza Hut, all around me people were eating pizzas the size of bus wheels. The programmer had done the work by four o'clock. 11. The policeman asked if there had been any witnesses. 12. By the time we got to the shopping centre it had closed. 13. The students had written the test and were now checking them up. 14. Mike phoned Rosie, but she hadn't returned home yet. 15. She complained that she was penniless as she had spent all her money. 16. It turned out that Dick was ill and he had been ill for a fortnight. 17. We learnt that they had been close friends for many years. 18. Hardly had I turned on the television, when I heard shocking news. 19. No sooner had he opened the door than the children rushed to meet him. 20. Scarcely had the inspector opened the envelope when he understood everything. 21. She sat staring at the page she had written last night in New York. 22. And for the first time in more than twenty years she had found herself living in the city where she had been born. 23. They walked toward the house. It had been months since they had been there. They felt comforted by the charm of the house. It had always been a peaceful place. 24. Kitty looked at Sue and knew that she had been weeping. 25. I had been hearing and reading about the Vatican for so long that I was genuinely keen to see it. 26. I hadn’t gone a hundred yards from the corner when I noticed there was a car behind me. 27. I realized before you had been here a fortnight that you never were cut for this life. 28. He didn’t hate her, he scarcely seemed aware of her presence. 29. She would sit for hours before the window waiting for her husband. It used to be a wonderful time!

Ex. 2 Complete the text by underlining the correct alternative.

When I (1) had been/was six years old, our family (2) was moving/moved from a quiet country village in Scotland to London. Life (3) used to be/was suddenly very different for us all. Now I (4) had been living/was living in a big city again, I often (5) was remembering/remembered the village and the things we (6) had done/were doing there. My annoying little brother (7) had always been playing/was always playing tricks on me. Once, I (8) walked/was walking home from school, when I (9) felt/was feeling drops of water falling on my head. I (10) would look up/looked up and (11) was seeing/saw him sitting in a tree, slowly pouring water from a bottle. At school, almost every day in break time, he (12) used to sneak/was sneaking up behind me and stick chewing gum on my back! When I (13) sat/would sit down in class, I (14) wasn't under-standing/couldn't understand why all the class (15) had laughed/ laughed at me. After school, we (16) didn't use to watch/weren't watching TV like most children nowadays, but instead, we (17) would play/had played with our pets, or run around our garden. Life (18) was/would be much more fun then. When you lived in London, (19) did you used to travel/ did you use to travel) by bus? Susan has changed a lot, she (20) used to look/ didn’t use to look like that.

Ex. 3 Write a suitable form of the verb in brackets in the sentences below. There can be more than one suitable answer in some cases.

1. While we (get) ready for the journey, our parents (wash) the car.

2. After I (read) the instructions, I (try) to answer the questions.

3. When he (arrive) at the airport, he (realize hat he (leave) his pass-port at home.

4. 'I'm sorry about my homework. I (finish) it, but my computer (break) down!'

5. When I (open) the door to the bedroom, I (see) immediately that someone (be) in the room. All my clothes were on the floor.

6. Finally, at midnight, he (decide) to phone the police. He (wait) for her for over two hours, and he was worried that something (happen).

7. When I was younger, I (play) a lot of football, but I (stop) when I was 16 to study for my exams.

8. When he was at university he (start) revising the night before the exam.

Ex. 4 Which of the following things had you done by your sixteenth (or twentieth) birthday? Use the Past Perfect tense to answer.

Model: By my sixteenth (or twentieth) birthday, I had smoked cigarettes and decided that I was never going to smoke again

smoke a cigarette

learn to drive

go on my first date

get drunk

study calculus

study physics

fall in love

have my first kiss

learn how to support myself

live apart from my parents

learn everything there is to know about life

be on an airplane

learn to speak another language well

get a job

decide what I wanted to do for a living

Ex. 6 Make the right choice.

1. Kate's hopes ... after her last interview.

a. raised b. rose c. were raising

2. The landscape ... in silence, as if the world had stopped.

a. lay b. laid c. was lying

3. The King's palace ... on the hill, overlooking the river.

a. was standing b. stood c. stayed

4. A narrow path ... to the entrance to the secret garden.

a. led b. was leading c. is leading

5. Meredith laughed and ... a perfectly shaped blonde brow.

a. rose b. raised c. was raising

6. Instinctively she recognized that here her future ... .

a. lay b. lied c. was lying

7. She ... suddenly and began to clear the kitchen table.

a. raised b. was rising c. rose

8. I ... my hand in greeting.

a. raised b. rose c. was raising

9. A little river ... through the grounds.

a. flowed b. was flowing c. flew

10. Molly was walking along the lonely path that ... between the hills,

a. ran b. was running c. runs

11. A thick fog ... in the air.

a. hanged b. hung c. was hanging

12. Do you happen to know who ... this public fund?

a. found b. founded c. finds

13. My parents couldn't offer me any financial help. I had to ... the mon-ey myself.

a. raise b. rise c. rose

14. Now she knew that her happiness ... in his hands.

a. was lying b. was laying c. lay

15. When I came into the room, my dog ... on the bed again.

a. was laying b. lay c. was lying

16. The door ... open.

a. stood b. was standing c. stood up

17. Last week he ... a new record.

a. sat b. set c. was sitting

18. After the heavy rains the lake ... .

a. rose b. raised c. risen

Ex. 7 Complete the sentences using the Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous, the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous.

1. I never (lend) a friend a large amount of money, because I always (think) it would almost certainly be the end of the friendship. But one day I (have) a very good reason for borrowing money myself. I (need) an urgent operation.

2. We think of democracy as a modern invention, but in fact the world's most perfect democracy probably (exist) in Ancient Athens in 500 B.C. - if you (be) not a woman or a slave.

3. Two French architects - Frederic Augusta Bartholdi and Alexander Gustave Eiffel (design) and (build) in Paris the Statue of Liberty which has stood on Liberty Island in New York Island since 1886.

4. My brother (work) in a bank for about five years, and actually he wasn't very ambitious or career-minded. Then a new manager (persuade) him to take the job more seriously, so he (start) studying to become a man-ager himself. For five years he (go) to evening classes to get qualifications he needed... but it was worth it.

5. It (snow) when I (get up) this morning. The children next door (make) a snowman. I quickly (put on) my warm clothes and (race) outside to help them.

6. Ann was worn out. The baby (cough) all night and she (not to get) any sleep.

7. Our team (play) really well. We (win) at half time, but in the end we (lose).

8. Kate was a successful model before she (become) a teacher. She (earn) a lot of money for a few years but then she (give) it all up for the classroom.

9. When my mother (come) downstairs this morning, she couldn't believe her eyes. We (do) all the washing-up and (made) breakfast for her. We (work) for an hour before she (wake up).

10. Imagine my delight when I (do) really well in all my exams! My childhood dream (come) true and I (become) a student of the university.

11. She (live) in Oxford when she (meet) her husband. They (go out) for two years before they (get) married.

12. Long, long ago the people of Egypt (make) paper from the tall grass that (grow) on the banks of the river Nile.

13. In 1812 Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University (invent) the first calculating machine which (do) complicated calculations faster than any mathematician.

14. I found a camera you (leave) in hotel room 222 where I (stay) for a week before they offered me a single room.

15. Once I (tell) him the truth, I (feel) better. For many years I (keep) it a secret.

16. It was 1 o'clock and the dog from next door (bark) for two hours. I wondered what (happen) there.

17. My friend was 26 last month. He (start) working for the company when he (be) eighteen. He quickly (climb) the career ladder and not long ago he (become) the youngest managing director the company ever (appoint).

18. She said she (try) to phone me since morning, but nobody was at home.

19. No sooner I (get) home than the telephone (ring). My mother (call).

20. After the students (pass) their exams, they went out to celebrate. Alex (not to go) anywhere because he (fail) his last exam. He said he (have) a lovely time and (not to prepare) for the exam properly.

21. When we arrived at the station, Alex (wait) for us for half an hour already. He (wear) a white suit and (look) very handsome.

22. I heard that Peter (get married). You (know) him quite well, didn't you? - Yes, we (work) for the same company for five years before he (find) another job.

Ex. 8 Put the verbs in the Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous or Past Indefinite.

Cooking the Books?

Old Mr Williams was very concerned. He and his wife were pensioners and he (spend) the whole morning looking for their pension books. He (look) everywhere, but he (not be able) to find them. Meanwhile, his wife (be) busy. She (cook) all morning. She (prepare) a delicious meal. She (make) soup, followed by a lovely pie, which she (bake) in the oven. Mr Williams (always enjoy) his food, but he clearly wasn't enjoying his lunch. "What's the matter, Tom?" his wife asked. Mr Williams (have to) confess that he (lost) their pension books. "I know", Mrs Williams (say), with a twinkle in her eye. "I've got them." "You've got them?" "Yes - and guess where I (find) them!" Mr Williams suddenly remembered. "In the oven! I (put) them there for safe-keeping." He (smile) with relief as she (fish) them out of her apron pocket!

Ex. 9 Open the brackets and use the proper tense.

1. When he (arrive), I (live) in London for a week. 2. We (read) while he (eat). 3. When Jack (phone) me, I (write) a letter. 4. When my friend (come), I (do) an exercise for an hour. 5. The library (close) by the time I (get) there. 6. I (drive) home when I (hear) the news on the radio. 7. They always (have) loud parties which (go on) till the early hours. 8. We (walk) for some hours before we (realize) that we (lose) our way. 9. No sooner I (complain) that I (not hear) from them for a long time than the letter (come). 10. The concert was a great success. When the pianist (finish) his part, the audience (applaud) the orchestra for some minutes.

Ex. 10 Use the right form of the verbs in brackets.

1. The three of them became inseparable. A great deal of camaraderie (develop) between them in the short time they (know) each other. 2. He admitted that it (be) too long since he (see) them. 3. My life was hectic. And indeed it (be) a stormy life I (live) ever since. 4. Joe saw that Nel was worried. She (live) with a problem for the last few days, ever since the baby (be) born. 5. Mrs. Loveday liked Maggie. In the few weeks she (know) the girl she never (see) her ruffled. Nor she ever (hear) her raise her voice at the children. 6. He painted mostly in the red barn. It (become) a refuge for him since he (move) into the house. 7. She looked up at Charles. She (be) acutely conscious of him from the moment he (arrive). 8. The Berlin, she (be born) in, and where she (grow up), no longer existed.

Ex. 11 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

1. I was always getting into trouble when I was at school. (to)

I.............................................................................when I was at school.

2. I haven't had a holiday for three years. (last)

The.............................................................. a holiday was three years ago.

2. I have had this camera for a year. (bought)

I................................................................................................ago.

4. Whenever I went to the cinema, I bought popcorn. (buy)

When I went to the cinema, .................................................popcorn.

5. As a child, we always had our summer holiday by the sea. (have)

As a child, we ....................................................................by the sea.

6. We haven't seen each other for ages. (last)

We .............................................................................. a long time ago.