Get with Grammar! Verb Tenses - Part Four. Simple Past vs Present Perfect Mixed Tenses

Transcription

1 Get with Grammar! Verb Tenses - Part Four Simple Past vs Present Perfect Mixed Tenses

2 Verb Tenses: Simple Past vs Present Perfect Simple Past describes actions or situations which happened in the past and have finished. Present Perfect describes actions which started in the past but have a connection to the present. The actions may or may not be finished. The uses of simple past and present perfect differ in the following ways: Simple Past Finished Actions Present Perfect Continuing Actions Ryan played tennis yesterday. Michiko lived in Kyoto five years ago. Ryan has played tennis since he was ten years old. Michiko has lived in Kyoto for five years. Michiko lived in Kyoto for three years, then moved to Tokyo. Time Period Finished Time Period not Finished Dong ate out three times last week. Specific, Definite Time Dong has eaten out three times this week. NOTE: this week could be finished (at the end of the week) or continuing (at the start of the week) Indefinite Time David saw the latest Harry Potter movie last Tuesday. Bill visited his grandmother in Ontario three weeks ago. David has already seen all the Harry Potter movies. Bill has visited his grandmother in Ontario five times. Bruce has been very busy recently. Bruce was extremely busy last month. Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 2

3 Simple Past Emphasize Action Finished in Past Present Perfect Emphasize Present Result of Action Yoshiko finished her essay last night. When did Keane graduate? Briana went to Mexico last winter. Jeff bought a new bike last month. Yoshiko has finished her essay. Has Keane graduated yet? Briana has been to Mexico three times. Jeff has bought a new bike. Series of Completed Actions in Past Recently Completed Actions The new president was elected after officials counted the ballots. The ELI students travelled to Banff on Friday and returned on Sunday. The new president has just been elected. The ELI students have just returned from Banff. Interrupts Progressive Action Actions Beginning in Past and Still Continuing Jessica was driving along a country road when a deer ran in front of her car. Period of Time- Finished, Began & Ended in Past Jessica has driven for six hours non-stop. Period of Time- Not Finished, Continues to Present Mike worked for Tim Hortons from 2005 to Mike has worked for Tim Hortons since he graduated from high school. by Angie Gerst and Cristina Peralejo,

4 Simple Past No Possibility of Performing Action in Future Present Perfect Action not yet Performed, but Possibility of Performing Action in Future The economy never recovered. The economy hasn t recovered yet. Signal Words Different signal words are commonly used with simple past and present perfect. Simple Past Last week, month, Tuesday, etc. Yesterday. ago (ex) five weeks ago In (ex) in 2010 The other day Since/for Already Just Yet/not yet Still Present Perfect Up to now/until now/so far Lately/recently Ever/never This week/winter etc. In /over the past/last year/century etc. The climate changed dramatically last year. Connie visited her cousins last summer Megumi travelled to China three years ago. The climate has already changed dramatically. Connie has never visited her cousins. Has Megumi travelled to China recently? Simple Past describes actions or situations which happened in the past and have finished. Present Perfect describes actions which started in the past but have a connection to the present. The actions may or may not be finished. Choose the correct verb tenses in the following sentences. Rewrite the whole sentence with the correct verb. Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 4

5 Now, try the exercises. a.) Hui (studied/has studied) English at the ELI two years ago. b.) Risako (played/has played) piano for a long time. c.) Jiaqi (lived/has lived) in China in the 1980 s, but he (left/has left) in the 1990 s. d.) Minjee (lived/has lived) in Pusan, Korea all her life. e.) (Did Mi Gyeong do/has Mi Gyeong done) her writing assignment yet? f.) The thief (broke into/has broken into) several homes, but the police (didn t catch/haven t caught) him yet. g.) Rosabella (biked/has biked) to work every day this week. h.) Ouch! I (injured/have injured) my back! i.) Smoking (became/has become) increasingly popular amongst teens. j.) Over one thousand people (contracted/have contracted) the deadly disease. by Angie Gerst and Cristina Peralejo,

6 k.) Anwar (never saw/has never seen) the movie Star Wars. l.) Vancouver (changed/has changed) significantly since the 1986 World Exposition. There (were/ have been) both positive and negative impacts on the city. Before 1986, there (were/have been) many small German shops on Robson Street, but they (disappeared/have disappeared) after Expo. The population and traffic (increased/have increased) greatly. On the other hand, the city (became/has become) more cosmopolitan, cultured and well-known around the world. 1. Correct the errors in the following sentences: a.) Where were you travel in the past year? b.) I don t travel anywhere lately. c.) Did Masumi ever break a bone? d.) Sachi have gone to Korea last year. e.) Marie didn t visited the Vancouver Museum yet. _ Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 6

7 f.) Naoyo didn t go to Japan since she come to Canada. _ g.) Yoshi have worked for Sony since _ h.) Sonya have bought a house last month. _ i.) Have you see that new movie yet? j.) When did you have visited Victoria? k.) Was he has seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris? l.) He s escape from prison. m.) She listen to what her teacher say yesterday. Way to go! Don t forget: He (she) who is being carried does not realize how far the town is. Nigerian proverb by Angie Gerst and Cristina Peralejo,

8 Verb Tenses: Mixed Tenses 1. Write the correct form & tense of the verbs in the story below. Note: the questions by the police are the same in both interrogations, so you only need to do the police questions once. A crime was committed last night in Vancouver between 6pm and 10pm! The police (investigate) the crime. They (have) two suspects, Eric and Stella. The suspects (claim) they (be) together between 6pm and 10 pm last night. The police (question) them separately to see if their alibis (match). 2. First Interrogation: Stella Police: Where (be) you last night between 6pm and 11pm? Stella: I (be) with Eric. We (go out) for dinner, (see) a movie, and then (go dancing). Police: Where (go) for dinner? Stella: We (go) to Hon s restaurant on Robson Street. Police: What time (go) there, and how long (stay)? Stella: We (arrive) at the restaurant at 6pm and (stay) until 7pm. Police: (eat) at that restaurant before? Stella: Yes, we (be) there many times. Police: How (get) there? Stella: Eric (come) to my house and we (take) the number 5 bus there. Police: What (eat)? Stella: We (have) lemon chicken, fried rice and rock salt tofu. Police: Where (sit)? Stella: We (sit) at the back of the restaurant. Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 8

9 Police: Who (pay) the bill? Stella: We (split) the bill. You know, we be) both students and we (have/not) enough money to treat each other. Police: How much (cost) the meal? Stella: It (cost) about $30 before tax. Police: Hmm, yes, the new HST (be) a real killer! (leave) a tip? Stella: Yes, we (pay) $40 including tax and tip - $20 each. Police: What the server (look like)? Stella: She (be) about 20 years old. She (be) short and slim with long black hair. Police: After dinner, what (do)? Stella: We (take) the bus to Granville Street to see a movie. Police: Which movie (see)? Stella: We (see) Unstoppable at the Granville 7 theatre. Police: How much (be) the tickets? Stella: They (be) $15 each. Police: Who (play) in the movie? Stella: The movie (star) Denzel Washington and Ben Pine. Police: Where (sit)? Stella: We (sit) in the middle section. Police: (eat or drink) anything? Stella: Yes, we (have) some popcorn and juice. Police: How long (be) the movie? Stella: It (start) at 7:30 and (finish) at 9:30. Police: What (do) after that? Stella: We (go) to Au Bar. Police: How (get) there? by Angie Gerst and Cristina Peralejo,

10 Stella: We (walk). It (be) only a few blocks from the theatre. Police: How much (be) the cover charge? Stella: It (be) $10 each. Police: (have to) wait in line? Stella: Yes, we (wait) in line for about 20 minutes. Police: What kind of music (be) there? Stella: They (play) a mix- reggae, electronic, you know. Police: (drink) anything? Stella: I (drink/not) alcohol, so I just (have) a juice. Eric (have) a beer. Police: How long (be) you there? Stella: We (stay) until 11pm. Police: (be/ever) to Au Bar before? Stella: No, it (be) our first time. We (hear) it (be) a good club, so we (decide) to check it out. Police: By the way, what (wear) you and Eric last night? Stella: Hmm, I (wear) a green skirt and a white top and Eric (wear) a T-shirt and jeans. Police: OK, we (be) done. 3. Second Interrogation: Eric Police: Where (be) you last night between 6pm and 11pm? Eric: Stella and I (be) together. First we (go out) for dinner, then we (see) a movie, and after that we (go dancing). Police: Where (go) for dinner? Eric: We (go) for Japanese food at Aki restaurant downtown. Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 10

11 Police: What time (go) there, and how long (stay)? Eric: We (get) to the restaurant at 5:30pm and (stay) until 7pm. Police: (eat) at that restaurant before? Eric: No, we (be/never) to that restaurant before. Police: How (get) there? Eric: I (take) the Canada Line and Stella (take) the bus. We (meet) at the restaurant. Police: What (eat)? Eric: We (have) chicken teriyaki, seafood tempura and miso soup. Police: Where (sit)? Eric: We (sit) by the window. Police: Who (pay) the bill? Eric: I (pay) of course. Police: How much (be) the bill? Eric: It (be) really expensive- it (come to) about $80 plus tax. Police: (leave) a tip? Eric: Of course! I (be) a generous guy. I (leave) a $20 tip. Including tax, I (pay) about $120. Police: What the server (look like)? Eric: He (be) an older guy, chubby, with grey hair. Police: After dinner, what (do)? Eric: We (take) a taxi to Granville Street to see a movie. Police: Which movie (see)? Eric: We (see) Inception at the Scotiabank theatre. Police: How much (be) the tickets? Eric: They (be) $10 each. Police: Who (play) in the movie? by Angie Gerst and Cristina Peralejo,

12 Eric: The movie (star) Leonardo DiCaprio and Ken Watanabe. Police: Where (sit)? Eric: Stella (have) bad vision, so we (sit) right at the front. Police: (eat or drink) anything? Eric: No, we (be) full from dinner and Stella (be) on a diet, so we (eat/not) anything. We just (drink) water. Police: How long (be) the movie? Eric: It (start) at 7:15 and (finish) at 9:15. Police: What (do) after that? Eric: We (go dancing) at Luna Loca. Police: How (get) there? Eric: We (take) a taxi. It (be) far from the theatre. Police: How much (be) the cover charge? Eric: It (be) expensive - $25 each because there (be) a live band. Police: (have to) wait in line? Eric: No, we (have to wait/not) in line because I (know) the owner of the club for a long time. Police: What kind of music (be) there? Eric: The band (play) Latin music- salsa, bachata, stuff like that. Police: (drink) anything? Eric: Stella (drink/not) alcohol, so I (order/not) anything either. Police: How long (be) you there? Eric: We (stay) pretty late- we (be) there until around 1pm. Police: (be/ever) to Luna Loca before? Eric: Of course, we (go) there many times because I (be) friends with the owner since high school. Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 12

13 Police: By the way, what (wear) you and Stella last night? Eric: Hmm, I (wear) a black suit and Stella (wear) a red dress. Police: OK, we (be) done. 4. Did Stella and Eric s alibis match? Do you think they are innocent or guilty of the crime? Wow- great job with this long exercise! Give yourself a pat on the back, and remember: Where much is expected of an individual, he (she) may rise to the level of events and make the dream come true. Elbert Hubbard Get with Grammar! English Language Institute University of British Columbia 13