Present and Past tenses
Review
What tenses can you identify?
Two walkers are reported to HAVE gone missing near the summit of Snowdon, the highest
peak in Wales. John Watkins , aged 21 and Melanie McBrian, 19, DID NOT RETURN by
nightfall, leading to fears that they MAY HAVE BEEN forced to spend the night on the
mountain
Weather conditions, when the pair SET off yesterday morning, were fairly good. By the
afternoon , however, it had got much worse. Thick clouds quickly SPREAD over the region
and there was a sharp drop in temperature. The surface of the local lakes BEGAN to freeze
within a few hours. Blizzards began in the evening , with a great deal of snow FALLING above
500 metres.
Friends of the two walkers WERE SURPRISED that they HADNT HEARD from either of
them. They think their mobile phones MIGHT HAVE BECOME unusable for some reason.
Melanies friend Janet Richards believes Melanie WOULD HAVE CALLED her to say they
were alright if her phone HAD BEEN WORKING properly. Joe Hill , a friend of Johns ,
admits he IS WORRIED they COULD HAVE HAD an accident last night, but insists they have
a lot of experience walking in the mountains of Wales. They WOULD HAVE FOUND shelter
if they HAD BEEN FORCED to stay on the mountain during last night.
Mountain rescue teams, which began looking for the couple early this morning ,say that one or
both of the walkers MAY HAVE SLIPPED and fallen in bad weather conditions ,especially as
Which tense is used when?
1. Simple a) Actions that started in the past
present and continue in the present.
2. Simple past Unspecified past experiences.
3. Past b) Routines, habits, facts.
continuous c) An action happening during a
4. Present period of time.
continuous d) An action that happened before
5. Present another past action.
perfect e) An action that happened during a
6. Past perfect specific period of time in the
past.
Which tense is used when?
1. Simple Routines, habits, facts.
present Finished past actions.
2. Simple past An action that happened during a
3. Past specific period of time in the past.
continuous An action happening during a
4. Present period of time.
continuous Actions that started in the past and
5. Present continue in the present.
perfect Unspecified past experiences.
6. Past perfect An action that happened before
another past action.
Complete using the correct tense
At the dentist's
I was on time for my dentist's appointment, but the dentist was still
busy with another patient, so I 1. (SIT) in the waiting room and 2.
(READ) some of the old magazines lying there. While I 3.
(WONDER) whether to leave and come back another day, I 4.
(NOTICE) a magazine article about teeth. It began: 'How long is it
since you last 5. (GO) to the dentist? 6. (YOU/GO) regularly every six
months? Or 7. (YOU/PUT OFF) your visit for the last six years?'
Next to the article was a cartoon of a man in a dentist's chair. The
dentist 8. (SAY)/ 'I'm afraid this is going to hurt' I 9.
(SUDDENLY/REALISE) that my tooth 10. (STOP) aching. But just
as I 1.1. (OPEN) the door to leave, the dentist's door 12. (OPEN).
'Next please,' he 13. (CALL), as the previous patient 14. (PUSH) past
me. 'Actually I'm not here to see you, I 15. (WAIT) for my friend,' I
Complete using the correct tense
At the dentist's
I was on time for my dentist's appointment, but the dentist was still busy
with another patient, so I 1. SATin the waiting room and 2. READ
some of the old magazines lying there. While I 3. WAS WONDERING
whether to leave and come back another day, I 4. NOTICED a magazine
article about teeth. It began: 'How long is it since you last 5. WENT to the
dentist? 6. DO YOU GO regularly every six months? Or 7. DO YOU PUT
OFF your visit for the last six years?' Next to the article was a cartoon of a
man in a dentist's chair. The dentist 8. WAS SAYING 'I'm afraid this is
going to hurt I 9. SUDDENLY REALIZED that my tooth 10. HAD
STOPPED aching. But just as I 11. WAS OPENING the door to leave, the
dentist's door 12. OPENED'Next please,' he 13. CALLED as the previous
patient 14. PUSHED past me. 'Actually I'm not here to see you, I 15. WAS
WAITINGfor my friend,' I 16. SHOUTED leaving as rapidly as I could. 17.
HAVE YOU EVER DONE this kind of thing? Surely I can't be the only
person who 18. HATES the dentist!
DOMINA-English
Session1
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