Unit 6

UNIT 6 WORKSHEET

Task 1 – Identify the following tenses, giving your reason for the identification:

a) Peter went to the cinema yesterday evening.

This sentence uses the past simple tense. It is talking about an action completed at a definite time in the past. Peter already went and left the cinema and is done with that action. In this case, the definite time is yesterday evening. Also, went is the past simple form of go.

b) He had been living there for most of his life.

This sentence is in the past perfect continuous tense. It is describing an action in the past that had been going on continuously and we don’t know if it will or will not continue after. In addition, the sentence matches the form of the past perfect continuous tense: subject + had + been + verb + ing.

c) I was sleeping at 2.00AM.

It is the past continuous tense. The sentence expresses an action, which began before that time and probably continued after it. This sentence implies that I was in the middle of sleeping at 2 and that I had started sleeping before 2. Additionally, the sentence fits the past continuous tense form: subject + was/were + verb +ing.

d) John and Mary hadn’t been there before.

This is the negative form of the past perfect tense. It describes a past action that precedes the past. It is the past viewed from another past viewpoint. Before this moment, John and Mary had never been in at this specific location. Also, it matches the negative form of the past perfect tense: subject + had + not + past participle (be-been).

Task 2 – State as many usages as possible of the past tenses below, with an example sentence for each usage (not a sentence from the unit!).

a) Past simple

1. For a past action when the time is given- The man entered the bank at 5:40. Five minutes later, he ran out the door.

2. When the time is asked about- When did the bowling alley close? It closed about an hour ago.

3. When the action clearly took place at a definite time even though this time is not mentioned- I saw the Eiffel Tower in France.

b) Past continuous

1. For interrupted past actions- She was doing homework when she saw the black cat in the window.

2. Used without a time expression, it can indicate gradual development that took place in the past- The tide was getting higher and higher. She was losing her mind slowly.

3. Expresses an action, which began before that time and probably continued it- My father was still working on that car at midnight.

4. For descriptions of an action/situation in the past- When I arrived at the beach, the sea gulls were flying in the sky while the fish were swimming away from them.

c) Past perfect

1. To describe actions that occurred before other actions in the past; it is the past viewed from another past viewpoint- The dog ran away because Joe hadn’t fed the dog for days.

2. To show that a past action had completely finished before another action in the past started- After Richard had hidden his money in the safe, he forgot the combination. 

d) Past perfect continuous

1. To talk about longer actions/situations in the past that had been going on continuously up to the past moment that we are thinking about- Before arriving at the couple retreat, Sarah and Jake had just been fighting about the dog again.

Task 3 – State how the tenses below are formed grammatically.  Explain positive, negative and question forms:

a) Past simple

For regular verbs

Affirmative: add –d to the base form of verbs that end with e or add –ed to the base form of verbs that don’t with e.

Negative: add did not (contracted form-didn’t) before the base form- subject + did not/ didn’t + base form of verb

Questions: add did before the subject- Did + subject + base form of verb?

For irregular verbs, you must have those memorize. To be is the only verb that has two past simple forms according to person, which is was/were.

b) Past continuous

Use the past simple tense of the auxiliary verb “be” (was/were) + present participle (verb + ing)

Affirmative: subject + was/were + verb + ing

Negative: subject + was/were + not + verb + ing

Question: Was/Were + subject + verb + ing?

“Was” is used for I, he, she, and it. “Were” is used for we and you.

c) Past perfect

Affirmative: subject + had + past participle

Negative: subject + had + not + past participle

Question: Had + subject + past participle?

d) Past perfect continuous

Affirmative: subject + had + been + verb + ing

Negative: subject + had + not + been + verb + ing

Question: Had + subject + been + verb + ing?

Task 4 – Give at least 2 teaching ideas (suitable for the Activate stage of a lesson) for the tenses below and give examples of sentences that you would expect your students to produce:

a) Past simple

1. Card games, like memory pairs or fish, could be used to match the present tense with the past tense. For example, if a student picks the word eat, he/she would have to find the past tense, which is ate. Then, construct a sentence using the past tense. I ate a sushi restaurant yesterday.

2. Tell a story- A student has to pick an event from a bowl. Possible events could be: describe a time when you were happy, describe a time when you ate something new, or describe a birthday memory. Then students would discuss their memories or make one up. If a student chooses, “Describe a holiday that you shared with your family,” the student can start, “Last Christmas, my family and I went to my aunt’s house and skied. We…”

b) Past continuous

1. Detective game- Students can role-play an investigation where one student is a detective and the other is the person being investigated. They can ask questions like “Where were you on the eve of July 7^th?” or “What were you doing at Janice’s house at 9 pm?”

2. Have a sequence of pictures and have the students come up with a story to match the pictures. For example, there could be a picture of a man in a store, an officer, and a dog. “Mike was shopping for groceries when an officer was chasing a dog. Then the dog started to run towards Mike and jump into his arms. The officer was slowing down as he approached Mike and was questioning him about the dog.”

c) Past perfect

1. Students see a story and then retell that story backwards in their own words, starting from the end and describing what had happened before. “The girl and the boy had found their way home because they had met and listened to the wizard. Before they met the wizard, they had found a map that showed them how to find the wizard.”

2. Have two pictures out and have the students come with a sentence to describe the pictures using the words when/after. For example, there’s a picture of a boy riding a bike and another one of him swimming. “After he had ridden his bike, he went swimming.”

d) Past perfect continuous

1. A student will pick out a situation and a past result.

I had been watching a sad movie that day. Yesterday I was crying

I had been running that day. Yesterday I was sweaty and tired.

I had been traveling for the last month. Last week, I was on a plane.

The student would give the result (the 2^nd sentence) and the other students would try to guess what activity that person had been doing. “Yesterday I was crying.” Had you been cutting onions?” “Had you been fighting with your friend?”

2. The teacher can provide a prompt, like “Before I came to class today” or “Before I went to sleep last night.” Then each student can come up with the last part. “Before going to sleep, I had been doing my homework.” Or “Before I came to class, I had been showering.”

Task 5 – Complete the past simple form of these irregular verbs:

VERB	PAST SIMPLE	VERB	PAST SIMPLE
tell	told	hide	hid
be	was/were	eat	ate
bring	brought	find	found
do	did	buy	bought
see	saw	go	went

Task 6 - Complete the past participle form of the same irregular verbs:

VERB	PAST PARTICIPLE	VERB	PAST PARTICIPLE
tell	told	hide	hidden
be	been	eat	eaten
bring	brought	find	found
do	done	buy	bought
see	seen	go	gone

Task 7 – How would you explain the difference in structure and usage between these tenses to a low-level student? Illustrate your explanations with example sentences of your own:

a)   Past simple and past continuous

i)     Explanation of differences in structure:

The past simple tense is structurally simpler than the past continuous tense. The past continuous adds the present participle (-ing form) to the verb stem while the past simple only uses the verb stem. The only change to the verb stem is done during the affirmative form when you add –d/-ed. The past continuous always has two verbs in the sentence: the main action verb and the auxiliary verb “to be.” The past continuous tense always has the auxiliary verb (was/were) added in any form.

ii) Differences in usage:

While both tenses are used to discuss the past, the past simple is used for actions completed at a definite time in the past. You know that the action has been performed and completely finished. The past continuous is used for past actions that occurred at that time specifically. Those actions may or may not be completely over with. It is used for interrupted actions.

iii) Example sentences:

1) Past simple: She walked the dog at ten.

2) Past continuous: She was walking the dog at ten.

The first sentence implies that she started her walk at ten and was probably done with her walk. The second sentence implies that she was in the middle of her walk and may be out still walking the dog. Also, the action verb “walk” is in different form. The first sentence has –ed added while the second sentence has –ing added.

b) Past simple and present perfect

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

The past continuous always uses the past participle form of the verb. Also, the present perfect tense always has the auxiliary verb “to have” added in any form.

ii) Differences in usage:

Past simple tense talks about past actions and doesn’t really mention the present. Present perfect tense relates the past to the present. It talks about past actions but emphasizes really on the present result due to that past action. It shows how the past affected the present while the past simple tense only discusses past actions and past results.

iii) Example sentences:

1) Past simple: I saw eight movies this summer.

2) Present perfect: I have seen eight movies since summer started.

The first sentence implies that summer has passed and during that summer, exactly eight movies were watched. The second sentence says, for now, I watched eight movies and may watch more since summer is not over yet. You don’t know if that person will only watch eight movies in total or maybe more. Also, the auxiliary verb “to have” is only in the second sentence and the action verb “to see” is in different forms. The first form just uses the past simple form while the second uses see in the past participle form.

c) Present perfect and past perfect

i) Explanation of differences in structure:

The difference is the tense of the auxiliary verb “to have.” Present perfect uses the present tense of the auxiliary verb “to have.” Past perfect uses the past tense of the auxiliary verb “to have.”Present perfect uses have, and past perfect uses had.

ii) Differences in usage:

Present perfect tense relates the past to the present. Past perfect represents actions that occurred before other actions in the past. It is the past viewed from another past viewpoint. Present perfect is the past viewed from the present viewpoint.

iii) Example sentences:

1) Present perfect: I have already finished the homework.

2) Past perfect: I had finished the homework by dinner.