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Question
Read this sentence.
M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.
In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an “earlier past.” The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel’s “saying” happened earlier than the events in this story. This form of the verb is called the past perfect.
Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of verb and say why this form has been used.
Solution
In the following sentences, two activities of past, occurring at two different points of time in the past, are indicated. The one that happens earlier takes the “had” + past form of verb (V3), while the one that follows it takes the simple past form of verb (V2).
|
Sentences in past perfect form |
Reason/ Explanation |
| I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. | The protagonist decided to depend on the commotion to sneak into the classroom before he encountered the quietness at the school. |
| Not till then, when I had got a little over my fright, did I see that our teacher had on his beautiful green coat … prize days. | Getting over the fright happened before he noticed his teacher’s green coat. |
| …Hauser had brought an old primer, thumbed at the edge, and he held it open on his knees with his great spectacles lying across the pages. | Of the two actions, Hauser’s bringing of the old primer happened before he held it open on his knees. |
| It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. | The feeling of regret comes after they realise they did not go to school more than what they did. |
| My books, that had seemed such a nuisance … were old friends now that I couldn’t give up. | The books were a nuisance earlier. It is only later that the protagonist talked about them in a different light. |
Notes
A model answer has been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
APPEARS IN
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Present Progressive
(Progressive = continuous)
Form
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S +is/ am/ are+ not+ verb+ ing.
Is/am/me+ S + verb+ing?
S + is/ am/ are +being+ Verb (past participle)
- Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the present progressive form of the given verbs.
i. "You've put on weight, Cheryl."
"Yes. I.. .... (eat) a lot these days."
ii. "Hurry up! We ... (get) late for school."
"Justa second, please! I ... (come}."
iii. Temperatures ... (rise} all over the world.
iv. "You .... not ... (wear) this dirty shirt to office. Wait, I'll give you another."
v. "l...not ... (do) your homework-forget it. I still haven't forgotten how you
fought with me in the morning."
vi. The Prime Minister ... (leave) for Russia tomorrow on a 5 day state visit.
Vii "You ... (be) ver:yrude, Abhi."
viii. She ... always (make) excuses for coming late.
ix. Aabha ... (write) a novel these days.
- The table below shows different uses or meanings of the present progressive. Match the verbs in the above sentences with the uses or meanings they convey.
| a. Something pre-arranged or a fixed plan ............ b. Insistence............. c. Annoyance............ d. Repeated action............. e. Some development or change........... f. Emphatic refusal............. g. Something happening 'around now'.............. h. An action just starting.......... i. Temporary action not necessarily taking place at the moment of speaking............ |
*It is a little difficult to match the sentences with uses of present progressive
tense. Here are the answers:
a-vi, b-iv, c-vii, d-i, e-iii, f-v, g-ix, h-ii, i-viii.
Compare your answers with these and have a class discussion.
Present Perfect vs. Simple Past
a. Explain the difference in the meaning of the following pairs of
sentences. You may like to use the given hints.
1. a. I have been a teacher for five years.
b. I was a teacher for five years.
(Hint: Is the speaker still a teacher?)
2. a. I always got good marks in English.
b. I have always got good marks in English.
(Hint: Is the speaker still studying?)
3. a. Geeta has never met her cousin.
b. Geeta never met her cousin.
(Hint: Is Geeta's cousin alive?)
4. a. I have never been to Timbuktu.
b. I never went to Timbuktu.
(Is the speaker talking about a particular journey or his travels so far?)
5. a. Jose has completed seven assignments today.
b. Jose completed seven assignments today.
(Hint: Is the day over? Has Jose more assignments to write?)
Study the following picture carefully and then write a paragraph to describe what is happening.
As Susie, write a reply to Nikita's letter. Do take care to answer all the
questions Nikita has asked you. What verb forms would you like to use?
Milan
25th October, 2011
Dear Nikita
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
Yours
Susie
Simple Past Tense-Past Perfect Tense
Underline the main verbs in the sentences below. Then, rewrite the sentences in the correct order of events.
1) The people began to starve.
2) In 1925, a disease destroyed the crops in one village.
3) Later, the village people came to retrieve their children
4) The chief decided to send the children of the village to live in a settlement in the next valley.
5) However, they had married outside the village.
6) This caused a war between the two villages.
__________________
__________________
Now work with your partner and tick (✓) the sentence in which a different tense has been used. In pairs, discuss why this has been done.
Sentence No: 5 uses a different tense because ..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Study the following sentences.
1) I didn't know Jim had migrated to the United States.
2) When we arrived at the theatre, the show had already begun.
3) The patient had died before the ambulance reached the hospital.
4) He had got married by the time he started working.
5) I couldn't open the locker because I had mislaid the keys.
6) Byom Bakshi felt that he had seen the man somewhere before.
As you can see, each of the above sentences describes two different actions, events or situations. Work with a partner and list them as shown in the example.
| A. Occurred First | B. Occurred Later |
| 1. Example: Jim had migrated to the United States. | 1. I did not know it. The speaker came to know the fact later.) |
| 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. |
| 5. | 5. |
| 6. | 6. |
What verb forms have been used in (A) and (B) respectively?
A. ....................................................................
B ....................................................................
What conclusion can you draw from your analysis?
...................................................................
...................................................................
Use the correct tense form of the verb given in the bracket and rewrite the sentence.
She ________ that old fashion book of her mother a few months back.
Use the correct tense form of the verb given in the bracket and rewrite the sentence.
One human should _______ this for another always.
Use the correct tense form of the verb given in the bracket and rewrite the sentence.
She ______ like a dressmaker’s dummy standing there.
Name the Tense of the Verb underlined to include Time (Past/Present/Future) and Aspect (Simple/Continuous/Perfect/Perfect Continuous).
We were designing the first Macintosh computer.
Change the Tense as instructed.
Life hits you in the head. (Present Perfect Continuous)
Change the Tense as instructed.
I started the company. (Present Continuous)
Change the Tense as instructed.
My doctor advised me. (Past Perfect Continuous)
Observe the following underlined phrases. Here ‘have /has’ are followed by the past participle form of the verb. This construction indicates the present perfect tense. Find more such sentences from the text.
(1) We have made progress in the last couple of decades.
(2) We have prevented millions of child deaths.
(3) It has happened.
(4) _________________________
(5) _________________________
Spot the error and correct the following sentences.
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- A stranger were knocking at our door.
- My sister and I shares a study room.
- One of my friend, is leaving school.
- A flock of birds were flying overhead.
Underline the verb and choose the correct option from the options.
Today Sanjay found a new book.
Underline the verb and choose the correct option from the options.
Rahul finds Maths easy.
Underline the verb and choose the correct option from the options.
Preeti was scornful.
Underline the verb and choose the correct option from the options.
They are sportsmen.
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
The sun was now ascending the sky.
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
She is standing on a little high hump on the plateau.
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
He just felt dizzy.
Form two present participle in which the last letter is doubled.
Rewrite the sentence in future tense:
I am doing it.
Rewrite the sentence in simple future tense.
He has been playing since afternoon.
