2014-07-22 Structure: present/past review

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
Notes from class at http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
---
Verb Tenses
3: present, past, future
2: simple, continuous	continuous = [be] + verb(ing)
2: perfect, not perfect perfect = [have] + past participle

present simple: I go to school every day.
present continuous: I'm taking a class right now.
present perfect: I have done my homework.
present perfect continuous: I have been doing my homework.

past simple: I went to school yesterday.
past continuous: I was taking a class at the time.
past perfect: I had done my homework before class.
past perfect continuous: I had been doing my homework.

future "simple": I will go to school tomorrow.
future continuous: I will be taking a class.
future perfect: I will have done my homework.
future perf. cont.: I will have been studying for one hour.
---
perfect: an action is done, and we have the result
- I have learned more than 1000 words.
  (I will probably learn more in the future.)
- I haven't gone swimming this year.
  (There is still time for swimming.)

simple past: an action is completed and won't continue
- I learned 1000 words before I came to Boston.
  (Learning before Boston is finished.)
- I didn't go skiing this year.
  (The time for skiing is finished.)

past perfect: an action happened before another past action
- By the time I came to Boston, I had learned 1000 words.
- By 2008, she had written three books.
- I had finished breakfast at 8:00.
- I was excited to play in the concert. I had practiced for several hours every day. I had been preparing for months.

I was eating dinner at 7:00. (I was in the middle at 7)
I ate dinner at 7:00. (I started at 7)

Long Actions: same in simple and continuous
I have lived in Boston for 6 years.
I have been living in Boston for 6 years.
(no difference - "live" always continues for a long time)

Medium Actions: different in simple and continuous
I have read a book by Stephen King.
(I finished it already.)
I've been reading a book by Stephen King.
(I'm reading it right now.)

Short Actions: different, usually not in continuous
The car has stopped at the light.
(it stopped in the past, and now it's waiting)
* The car has been stopping at the light.
("stop" doesn't take long enough to be continuous, usually)
---
Non-Action Verbs: no duration = no continuous
I have always loved this kind of music.
* I have always been loving this kind of music. (WRONG)
(These verbs don't require any time, they have no duration, we don't use them in the continuous tense.)
---
p. 8 exercise 3
2 have been
3 have been living(/have lived)
4 has been
5 has been working(/has worked)
6 has been writing
7 has also written
8 has been
9 has taught (has been teaching = 6 schools at the same time)
10 has been teaching(/has taught)
11 have had
12 have owned ("own" is a non-action verb)
13 have been communicating(/have communicated)
---
I used to watch TV every day. (in the past, but not now)
I used to have long hair.
I didn't use to teach English. (but now I do)
Did you use to wear glasses? (yes now OR not now)

When I was young, I would watch TV every day after school.
(We can use "would" for a past repeated ACTION.)

His friends always asked him when he was going to get married.
He would answer that he didn't know.

("He used to answer that he didn't know." = later it changed, and he didn't answer this way any more)
---
His friends asked him when he would get married.
(= future in the past)
His friends asked him, "When will you get married?"

She didn't know when the wedding would be, but she knew it would be beautiful.
She said, "I don't know when the wedding will be, but I know it will be beautiful."
---
I was going to go to California, but I didn't have the money.
---
Two Truths and a Lie
- Say three sentences about yourself, two are true and one is false.
- Everyone else has to guess which one is the lie.

Write three sentences about yourself with "used to".
(Two true, one false.)
------
Four ways to talk about plans for the future:

I    will arrive     at 4:00.
I am going to arrive at 4:00. (planned)
I     am arriving    at 4:00. (planned, arranged)
I       arrive       at 4:00. (planned, arranged, scheduled)
---
Homework: p. 32-34 (reading and questions)