2015-10-26 Grammar: tense wrap-up

Greg Malivuk
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http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Homework: p. 22 exercise 8 - write the correct (past) forms of the verbs
4 got
5 had started
6 walked
7 shouted
8 had just arrived
9 kept
10 went
11 were
12 were sitting (This is what they were doing when I walked in.)
13 talked
14 laughed (The action happened and then finished in this sentence.)
15 was
16 was
17 went
18 discovered
19 was complaining / complained
20 asked
21 obeyed
22 got
23 had
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I discovered my neighbor, who was complaining about the noise.
= He was in the middle of complaining when I opened the door.

I discovered my neighbor, who had been complaining about the noise.
= He had started complaining before I discovered him.

I discovered my neighbor, who had complained about the noise.
= He complained, and then he came to our door and I discovered him.

I discovered my neighbor, who complained about the noise.
= I opened the door and discovered him, then he complained.
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I was eating dinner when I got home. = I was in the middle of dinner. (I started before I got home.)

I ate dinner when I got home. = First I got home, then I ate dinner.
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I’m thinking about moving to a new apartment. = I am thinking about it now.

I’ve been thinking about moving to a new apartment. = I am thinking about it now, but I started thinking about it awhile ago.
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I am studying for four years. = I am currently in the middle of a four-year program, or I plan to start a four-year program. (Remember: present progressive can be future plans)

I have been studying for four years. = I started four years ago and I am still studying now.
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Time clauses about the future:

past: I ate dinner when I got home.
present: I eat dinner when I get home.
future: I will eat dinner when I get home.

We don’t use future grammar in time clauses about the future.
(A time clause starts with when, while, until, before, after, once, etc.)
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Think of something you are currently trying to improve. Answer these questions with a partner.
What has changed since you started working on this thing?
What can’t you do yet but hope to be able to do soon?
What will do next to reach those goals?

accomplishments = things you have already finished
goals = things you still want to accomplish
strategies = things you need to do in order to reach those goals