2015-01-30 Structure: past tenses review

Greg Malivuk
greg.malivuk@gmail.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Homework: page 14 (present simple/continuous/perfect)
part A
1 are doing
2 loves (non-action; it doesn't take any time)
3 takes (repeated or habitual action)
4 'm getting
5 seem
6 attends
7 is playing
8 like
part B
1 have been living
2 has directed
3 has been working
4 have owned
5 have been remodeling
6 has been running
part C
1 B - bad (look/appear/sound/feel/smell/taste/seem/be + adjective)
2 C - excited
3 D - good
4 B - angrily (in this case "look" is an action)
5 A - felt
6 D - different

You look tired. (for example: You have dark circles under your eyes.)

You sound tired. (for example: You're speaking slowly or unclearly.)

You seem tired. (Something about your whole body or general behavior makes me think you're tired. Not specific to one sense.)

You are tired. (I'm 100% certain of this. There is no doubt in my mind.)
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Note that look, appear, feel, smell, and taste can also be action verbs. If they are actions, you need to use an adverb to modify them.
She looked angrily at my brother.
He always appears suddenly at parties.
I felt carefully around the floor for the pin.
They smelled the flowers joyfully.
We tasted the food cautiously.
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Long Actions:
- these always continue for a long time, and there's sometimes no difference between simple and continuous
I have lived in Boston for seven years. = I have been living in Boston for 7 years.

Medium Actions:
- these continue for a "medium" time, and there is a real difference between simple and continuous
I have read Harry Potter. ≠ I have been reading Harry Potter.
(I've finished it.)		(I haven't finished it.)
I take the bus to work. ≠ I'm taking the bus to work.
(I do it every day.)	  (I'm doing it right now.)

Short Actions:
- these continue for a very short time, and it's uncommon to use them in continuous, because it's too short for another thing to happen
? I was turning on the light when you called me. (strange, because it doesn't take much time to turn on the light)

Non-Actions:
- these verbs don't require any time, they can't be interrupted, you can do an unlimited number of them at once, we don't use them in the continuous
I have 100 bottles of wine. (have = possess, non-action)
(I'm having 100 bottles of wine with dinner. = I'm drinking 100 bottles.)
I want 100 cars. (no problem, because it doen'st take any time to want something)
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PAST TIME

I saw "Harry Potter". = I have in mind some specific finished time. I saw Harry Potter (at least) once within that time.

I have seen "Harry Potter". = This might have happened any time in the past, up through right now. I have this experience in my life, but there's no information about a specific finished time.

Did you watch this movie? = I'm thinking about a specific time. If you don't know the time I'm thinking about, you might ask, "When?"

Have you watched this movie? = I don't have any specific time in mind. I just want to know about your whole life, if you've watched it.
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I was going to watch "Titanic", but I got distracted by cat pictures.
= I had this plan, but then it changed for some reason.

When I was in college, I had already studied Spanish for five years.
("past of the past")

When I was in college, I was going to go to law school.
("future of the past")
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Homework: p. 31