Grammar Essay

English Grammar PG (11388)

Vietnam Period 1 2021

UC3 - U3230366 - TRAN MY LINH

Dr Trung Quang DOAN

April 12, 2021

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 1

To express and use a language fluently, the language users should manage not only
the vocabulary. Despite how vast a vocabulary range someone may have, without
grammar, at some points, communication will be broken down since the meaning of
the words is not transmitted thoroughly. 

What important when using the language is the words should be put together based
on a system of rules that can clarify and define the meaning of a phrase or a sen-
tence. Therefore, the language users are demanded to learn the grammar rules,
which can be understood as “a set of structural constraints on speakers’ or writers’
composition of clauses, phrases, and words” or how words are arranged in order to
adequately describe the situation, the actions and times mentioned in the context. In
the book English Grammar (Berry, 2018), grammar is also defined as “the system of
rules that enables users of a language to relate linguistic form to meaning.” Time and
reality are significant and are the elements mentioned in grammar as “tense”,
“aspect” and “mode” (Payne, 2011). In this essay, the author will focus on “tense”
and “aspect”. 

According to Payne (2011), “tense is the grammatical expression of relative time. Sit-
uations being communicated in clauses are often anchored with a reference point,
usually the moment the clause is spoken”. Tense is one way that time is referred to
in English. There are two tenses, “present” and “past”. Payne also mentioned
“aspect” as “English has two constructions whose prototypical function is to adjust
the aspect of an expression. These will be termed the “progressive construction” and
the “perfect aspect construction”.” Some states are stative. In contrast, others are sys-
tems, and some are more complex (involve change and movement) than others.
These aspects can be used in any of the tenses.

In this essay, the author describes the past continuous tense and analyses its form,
meaning and function in each example. First, the “past continuous tense” is the “past
tense” and “continuous” - or “progressive” - is an aspect.

The past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb “be” and the “-ing”
form of a verb (“Past continuous”, n.d.). The structure is described as below:
Affirmative S + was/were + V-ing.
Negative S + was not (wasn’t)/were not (weren’t) + V-ing.
Question Was/Were + S + V-ing?
Question words (Wh-H) + was/were + S + V-ing?

The past continuous tenses is defined as “the past progressive tense”, “refers to a
continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past” ("Past
Continuous Tense", n.d.). In terms of its functions, “The most common function of
past tense is clearly to refer to completed situations presented as occurring before the
time of speaking" (Payne, 2011).

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 2

It can be referred from British Council (“Past continuous”, n.d.) at a much simpler
level for language learners to understand the definition. The past continuous is used
to talk about the past with different meanings. The first is “for something which hap-
pened before and after another action” [e.g. The children were doing their home-
work when I got home.] In this example, the readers can understand that the chil-
dren started to do their homework before the subject “I” got home. This use of the
past continuous is expected at the beginning of a story [e.g. Last week, as I was driv -
ing to work, …] The second is “for something that happened before and after a spe-
cific time” [e.g. We were having dinner at eight o’clock.] The following function is
“to show that something continued for some time, in the past [e.g. Everyone was
shouting.] The past continuous tense is also used to talk about things that happened
again and again [e.g. They were always quarrelling.] Similar to the present continu-
ous tense, the past continuous tense also has a function to talk about gradual change
or growth, but in the past [e.g. Her English was improving.]

According to Mann & Taylore-Knowles (2007) in the grammar-learning book Desti-

nation C1&C2, the past continuous tense’s functions are listed as below:
[1] Actions in progress at a particular moment in the past
E.g. Were you chatting to Matt online at midnight last night?
[2] Actions in progress around a particular moment in the past
E.g. At the turn of the twentieth century, many discoveries were being made in
physics and other sciences.
[3] Temporary situations and series of actions in the past
E.g. At the time, I was working for a large software company in California.
[4] Changing and developing situations in the past
E.g. I was getting frustrated with my internet provider so I decided to change.
[5] Annoying or amusing past habits (usually with “always”)
E.g. When she was young, Tina was always taking things apart to see how they
worked.
[6] Background information in a story
E.g. It was raining outside and people were making their way home after work.
[7] Actions in progress over a period of time
E.g. Were you writing emails all yesterday morning?
[8] Two actions in progress at the same time
E.g. While I was playing a computer game, my brother was doing his homework.
[9] The present and the future (in conditional sentences)
E.g. Would you be happier if you were studying computer science?
[10] The present and the future (after “wish”, “it’s time”, “would rather”, etc.)
E.g. I wish we were going to the computer fair next weekend.

Among these functions, number [8] is prevalent to be put into teaching when the
language teacher guides students on how to distinguish the past continuous and the

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 3

simple past tenses. Sometimes the past continuous is compared with the present per-
fect continuous tense.

In this essay, the author chooses to follow Mann & Taylore-Knowles, using their
definitions and functions of the past continuous tense to explain and analyze the
grammar in use in the below examples.

Here is an example from an ESL (English as a Second Language) learner who is cur-
rently taking part in the author’s English class (level: A2 Flyers). The student was re-
quired to write a short story based on the four given pictures, using the past simple

Lucy’s birthday with the hurt leg

Last weekend, Lucy and her mom were making a birthday cake for Lucy. Mom
told Lucy to reach a little sugar. But she couldn’t touch that. So she stood in
the chair. But she fell down. She screamed: “Oh my leg, it’s broken. I feel
hurt! Mom, help me please!” Mom took Lucy to the bed. Mom gave first-aid to
Lucy. She said Lucy should sleep. At 7 o’clock p.m, her friends went to Lucy’s
house. After that, mom finished the cake. Mom said: “Get up Lucy! Now it’s
time you need to go to school!”. Lucy got up and saw her friends and mom. She
felt surprised! Her friends gave Lucy presents. And they were celebrating.
(125 words)

and past continuous tenses.

The student could remember, understand and apply the past simple and past contin-
uous tenses in her writing. She used the past tenses to tell what happened in the past
in order of time. For example, in the sentence “Lucy and her mom were making a
birthday cake for Lucy”, the student used the past continuous tense to express the
background information before Lucy hurt her leg. In the last sentence, “And they
were celebrating”, the past continuous tense here told the action in progress at a par-
ticular moment in the past, to be specific, the time of the story. She also used the cor-
rect form, including the “be” verb and the “-ing” form. This paragraph shows how
the grammar rules are taught and applied at the beginner level.

In this essay, the author would choose two authentic texts to analyse further the
form, meaning and function of the past continuous tense. The first text is taken
from Harry Potter, a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K.
Rowling, first published on 26 June 1997. Initially published in English by two major
publishers Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United
States, the series has been translated into eighty languages ("Harry Potter -
Wikipedia", 2021). The series has become a phenomenon, and even until now, its
popularity is immense, being the best-selling book series in history. This series is
known by many children and adults worldwide, and it is suitable to be chosen as an

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 4

authentic text for further analysis. The second text is a short story named The Lun-
cheon by William Somerset Maugham, an English playwright, novelist, and short-
story writer. He was among the most famous writers of his era and reputedly the
highest-paid author during the 1930s. "His work is characterised by a clear, un-
adorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human na-
ture." ("W. Somerset Maugham | British writer", n.d.) The story is about a middle-
aged woman's incorrigible behaviour out to eat up his meagre earnings as a writer.
Being put into British Literature subject, which belongs to English Language major
in universities, this authentic text is appropriate for learners to study the target lan-
guage's literary style.

Here are the examples from the first text:

[Example 1]
“As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn’t help noticing that there
seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley
couldn’t bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young
people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on
the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close
by. They were whispering excitedly together.”
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived, J.K. Rowling)

The writer used both the past simple and past continuous tenses to narrate the story.
In this context, when the character was on the way commuting to work, he noticed
something happening, to be more specific, the people acting in a usual way.
In this sentence, the writer used the past continuous tense to explain what was pro-
gressing at that time. The sentence contains one subject and a verb phrase, which in-
cludes the “be” verb in past form and the “-ing” form of the verb “whisper”:
They were whispering excitedly together.
S be (past) V-ing

● Form: verb phrase [were (finite verbs) + whispering (non-finite verbs)]

● Function: predicate of the simple sentence
● Meaning: The functions of the past continuous tense in this context are [1] Actions
in progress at a particular moment in the past and [6] Background information in a
story. (Mann & Taylore-Knowles, 2007)

[Example 2]
“Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother.
Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck,
small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.
Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said
that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 5

Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there
wasn’t much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.”
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass, J.K. Rowling)

(1) Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen…
S be (past) V-ing

(2) Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, …
Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents.
S be (past) V-ing

● Form: verb phrase (1)[was (finite verbs) + frying (non-finite verbs)]; (2)[was (finite
verbs) + counting (non finite verbs)]
● Function: predicate of the simple and compound sentences
● Meaning: Following the narration of the story, the writer kept using both past
tenses. In this scene, the readers can see the big contrast between Harry Potter and
his cousin Dudley: Harry had to do housework and serve others, while his cousin
was a spoiled child. Through these details, the readers can also know that Harry and
his relatives' relationship is not great.

In the second authentic text, the narrator of the story is a book writer who remem-
bers a woman he had lunch with years earlier. He begins to recall the unforgettable
evening. He was a young man who lived in Paris and struggled to make ends meet.
She had read his books and had written him a letter congratulating him on his ac-
complishments. He asked her to lunch, and she chose an expensive restaurant, much
to his surprise. He just had eighty francs left to get him through the rest of the
month. She ordered expensive dish after expensive dish, and when the bill arrived,
he paid, leaving her with no income. However, when the narrator notices that the
lady has gained much weight, he believes he has finally gotten his revenge.

Here are the examples from the story:

[Example 3]
“It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment in the
Latin quarter overlooking a cemetery, and I was earning barely enough money to
keep body and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me
about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently I received from her another letter
saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me;
but her time was limited, and the only free moment she had was on the following
Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg and would I give her a
little luncheon at Foyot's afterwards?”
(The Luncheon, William Somerset Maugham)

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 6

In example 3, the writer used the past continuous tense in these sentences:
(1) It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris.
S be (past) V-ing
(2) …and I was earning barely enough money to keep body and soul to-
gether.
S be (past) V-ing

● Form: verb phrase (1)[was (finite verbs) + living (non-finite verbs)]; (2)[was (finite
verbs) + earning (non finite verbs)]
● Function: predicate of the compound sentences
● Meaning: With the use of a compound sentence, the time was mentioned and the
writer also expressed [3] Temporary situations and series of actions in the past and
[6] Background information in a story. This helps the readers to travel back in the
past, and the readers can share the same view with the narrator; from that, they can
sympathize with him.

The sentence “she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me”
also uses the past continuous tense, but the author views it as the past form of
present continuous tense, with the function of telling future arrangement. In the nar-
rator’s voice, it should be changed to reported speech with the past continuous
tense.

[Example 4]
"Then a terrible thing happened. While we were waiting for the coffee, the head
waiter, with an ingratiating smile on his false face, came up to us bearing a large bas-
ket full of huge peaches. They had the blush of an innocent girl; they had the rich
tone of an Italian landscape. But surely peaches were not in season then? Lord knew
what they cost. I knew too what they cost-a little later, for my guest, going on with
her conversation, absentmindedly took one.”
(The Luncheon, William Somerset Maugham)

While we were waiting for the coffee, the head waiter, with an ingratiating smile on
S be V-ing
his false face…

● Form: verb phrase [were (finite verbs) + waiting (non-finite verbs)]

● Function: predicate of a clause in a complex sentence
● Meaning: This example is taken near the end of the story. After the female charac-
ter chose a lot of expensive dishes, the narrator’s intensity had gone up. The last
detail of the story - the waiter brought the peaches himself, without being ordered,
and asked them if they wanted to taste while they were already waiting for the or-
dered dessert - had drawn a conclusion for the narrator. The readers can also feel
the heat and worry for him and pick some questions like, “What should he deal

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 7

 with this situation?” or “Will he have enough money to pay for the meal?” The
writer could take advantage of the words and effectively use them, creating irony
and tension for the story.
●
In short, the grammar of a language is essential. To be able to use a language prop-
erly, not only the vocabulary but also the user needs to understand the basic gram-
mar rules. The correct use of grammar, while invisible, is present in the speech com-
munity. For everyday communication, there should be a way as well as for teaching
or literature. All follow the grammar rules of that language. Grammar plays a critical
role in a language and is the key for communication to be consistent.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 8

 References
[1] Berry, R. (2018). English Grammar (2nd ed.). Routledge.

[2] Börjars, K., & Burridge, K. (2010). Introducing English grammar. Hodder Education.

[3] Harry Potter - Wikipedia. En.wikipedia.org. (2021). Retrieved 12 April 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter.

[4] Luncheon - Home reading lessons. Sites.google.com. Retrieved 12 April 2021, from
https://sites.google.com/site/homereadinglessons/luncheon.

[5] Mann, M., & Taylore-Knowles, S. (2007). Destination. Macmillan Education.

[6] Past continuous. British Council. Retrieved 12 April 2021, from https://lear-
nenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/past-continuous.

[7] Past Continuous Tense. Past Continuous Tense | Grammarly. Retrieved 11 April
2021, from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/past-continuous-tense/.

[8] Payne, T. (2011). Understanding English grammar. Cambridge University Press.

[9] W. Somerset Maugham | British writer. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 April

2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/W-Somerset-Maugham.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 9

 Appendix
The Luncheon
 
William Somerset Maugham
 
I caught sight of her at the play, and in answer to her beckoning, I went over during
the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her, and if
someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognized her.
She addressed me brightly.
"Well, it's many years since we first met.  How time does fly! We're none of us get-
ting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to lun-
cheon.”
Did I remember?
It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment in the Latin
quarter overlooking a cemetery, and I was earning barely enough money to keep
body and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it.
I answered, thanking her, and presently I received from her another letter saying
that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me; but her
time was limited, and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday;
she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg and would I give her a little lun-
cheon at Foyot's afterwards? Foyot's is a restaurant at which the French senators eat,
and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there. But
I was flattered, and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman. (Few
men, I may add, learn this until they are too old to make it of any consequence to a
woman what they say.) I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of the
month, and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen. If I cut out coffee
for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.
I answered that I would meet my friend-by correspondence-at Foyot's on Thursday
at half-past twelve. She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposing
rather than attractive. She was, in fact, a woman of forty (a charming age, but not
one that excites a sudden and devastating passion at first sight), and she gave me the
impression of having more teeth, white and large and even, than were necessary for
any practical purpose. She was talkative, but since she seemed inclined to talk about
me I was prepared to be an attentive listener.
I was startled when the bill of fare was brought, for the prices were a great deal
higher than I had anticipated. But she reassured me.
"I never eat anything for luncheon," she said.
"Oh, don't say that!" I answered generously.
"I never eat more than one thing. I think people eat far too much nowadays. A little
fish, perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon."
Well, it was early in the year for salmon and it was not on the bill of fare, but I asked
the waiter if there was any. Yes, a beautiful salmon had just come in, it was the first

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 10

they had had. I ordered it for my guest. The waiter asked her if she would have
something while it was being cooked.
"No," she answered, "I never eat more than one thing unless you have a little caviare,
I never mind caviare."
My heart sank a little. I knew I could not afford caviare, but I could not very well tell
her that. I told the waiter by all means to bring caviare. For myself I chose the cheap -
est dish on the menu and that was a mutton chop.
"I think you are unwise to eat meat," she said. "I don't know how you can expect to
work after eating heavy things like chops. I don't believe in overloading my stom-
ach."
Then came the question of drink.
"I never drink anything for luncheon," she said.
"Neither do I," I answered promptly.
"Except white wine," she proceeded as though I had not spoken.
"These French white wines are so light. They're wonderful for the digestion."
"What would you like?" I asked, hospitable still, but not exactly effusive.
She gave me a bright and amicable flash of her white teeth.
"My doctor won't let me drink anything but champagne."
I fancy I turned a trifle pale. I ordered half a bottle. I mentioned casually that my
doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
"What are you going to drink, then?"
"Water."
She ate the caviare and she ate the salmon. She talked gaily of art and literature and
music. But I wondered what the bill would come to. When my mutton chop arrived
she took me quite seriously to task.
"I see that you're in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon. I'm sure it's a mistake. Why
don't you follow my example and just eat one thing? I'm sure you'd feel ever so
much better for it."
"I am only going to eat one thing." I said, as the waiter came again with the bill of
fare.
She waved him aside with an airy gesture.
"No. no. I never eat anything for luncheon. Just a bite, I never want more than that,
and I eat that more as an excuse for conversation than anything else. I couldn't possi-
bly eat anything more unless they had some of those giant asparagus. I should be
sorry to leave Paris without having some of them."
My heart sank. I had seen them in the shops, and I knew that they were horribly ex -
pensive. My mouth had often watered at the sight of them.
"Madame wants to know if you have any of those giant asparagus." I asked the
waiter.
I tried with all my might to will him to say no. A happy smile spread over his broad,
priest-like face, and he assured me that they had some so large, so splendid, so ten-
der, that it was a marvel.
"I'm not in the least hungry," my guest sighed, "but if you insist I don't mind having

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 11

some asparagus."
I ordered them.
"Aren't you going to have any?"
"No, I never eat asparagus."
"I know there are people who don't like them. The fact is, you ruin your palate by all
the meat you eat."
We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me. It was not a question
now of how much money I should have left over for the rest of the month, but
whether I had enough to pay the bill. It would be mortifying to find myself ten
francs short and be obliged to borrow from my guest. I could not bring myself to do
that. I knew exactly how much I had, and if the bill came to more I had made up my
mind that I would put my hand in my pocket and with a dramatic cry start up and
say it had been picked. Of course, it would be awkward if she had not money
enough either to pay the bill. Then the only thing would be to leave my watch and
say I would come back and pay later.
The asparagus appeared. They were enormous, succulent, and appetizing. The smell
of the melted butter tickled my nostrils as the nostrils of Jehovah were tickled by the
burned offerings of the virtuous Semites. I watched the abandoned woman thrust
them down her throat in large voluptuous mouthfuls, and in my polite way I dis-
coursed on the condition of the drama in the Balkans. At last she finished.
"Coffee?" I said.
"Yes, just an ice cream and coffee,” she answered.
I was past caring now. So I ordered coffee for myself and an ice cream and coffee for
her.
"You know, there's one thing I thoroughly believe in," she said, as she ate the ice
cream. "One should always get up from a meal feeling one could eat a little more."
"Are you still hungry?" I asked faintly.
"Oh, no, I'm not hungry; you see, I don't eat luncheon. I have a cup of coffee in the
morning and then dinner, but I never eat more than one thing for luncheon. I was
speaking for you."
"Oh, I see!"
Then a terrible thing happened. While we were waiting for the coffee, the head
waiter, with an ingratiating smile on his false face, came up to us bearing a large bas-
ket full of huge peaches. They had the blush of an innocent girl; they had the rich
tone of an Italian landscape. But surely peaches were not in season then? Lord knew
what they cost. I knew too what they cost-a little later, for my guest, going on with
her conversation, absentmindedly took one.
"You see, you've filled your stomach with a lot of meat"-my one miserable little
chop- "and you can't eat any more. But I've just had a snack and I shall enjoy a
peach."
The bill came and when I paid it I found that I had only enough for a quite inade-
quate tip. Her eyes rested for an instant on the three francs I left for the waiter, and I

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 12

knew that she thought me mean. But when I walked out of the restaurant I had the
whole month before me and not a penny in my pocket.
"Follow my example," she said as we shook hand, "and never eat more than one
thing for luncheon."
"I'll do better than that," I retorted. "I'll eat nothing for dinner to-night."
"Humorist!" she cried gaily, jumping into a cab, "you're quite a humorist!"
But I have had my revenge at last. I do not believe that I am a vindictive man, but
when the immortal gods take a hand in the matter it is pardonable to observe the re-
sult with complacency. Today she weighs twenty-one stone*.
(* One stone equals fourteen pounds.)

ENGLISH GRAMMAR PG (11388) 13