1. UNIVERSITY OF MONTENEGRO
THE FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ENGLISH COURSE – UPPERINTERMEDIATE Podgorica,

2. UNIT THREE – NARRATIVE TENSES
BUCKLE UP – IT IS GRAMMAR TIME
9/18/2018

3. THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE Past Simple:
When sth happened at a particular/specific moment in the past.
Sth that ended in the past.
Example sentences:
He worked in a factory in I wrote this letter when I was 16.

4. How do we form this tense?
IF A VERB IS REGULAR WE ADD – ED
IF THE VERB IS IRREGULAR WE USE “THE SECOND COLUMN”
9/18/2018

5. The Rules It’s easy to spell words ending in
-ed correctly. You can learn to do it in just a few minutes! There are only 4 simple rules:
1. + ed
2. + d
3. y  i + ed
4. x2 + ed

6. For most verbs, just add –ed.
work  worked
brush  brushed
ask  asked

7. If the base form of the verb ends in a single -e, just add –d.
smile  smiled
live  lived
dance  danced

8. y  i + ed
If the base form of the verb ends with a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -ed.
study  studied
try  tried
reply  replied
but PLAY  PLAYED

9. x2 + ed If
1) the last 3 letters of the base form of the verb are consonant-vowel-consonant and
2) the stress is on the final (or only) syllable,
double the final consonant and add –ed.
stop  stopped
plan  planned

10. x2 + ed (continued) admit  admitted prefer  preferred
The final –l is always doubled in British English, but not in American English:
travel  travelled (British)
travel  traveled (American)

11. IRREGULAR VERBS

12. catch
buy
think
come
give
make
cut
let
fly
draw
meet
read
fall
caught
bought
thought
came
gave
made
cut
let
flew
drew
met
read [red]
fell

13. The affirmative form I went to school five minutes ago.
She swept the flat.
They broke the window.

14. DID + Subject + the infinitive
The question form
THE RULE:
DID + Subject + the infinitive
(no –ED, no II column!!)
Did you go to school five minutes ago?
Did she sweep the floor?
Did they break the window?

15. The negative form DIDN‘T + the infinitive (I column)
THE RULE:
DIDN‘T + the infinitive (I column)
You didn‘t go to school.
She didn‘t sweep the flat.
They didn‘t break the window.

16. DID SHE WENT GO TO SCHOOL?
SPECIAL ATTENTION
IN INTERROGATIVE AND NEGATIVE FORM WE DO NOT USE -ED OR II COLUMN - ONLY INFINITIVE!
DID SHE WENT GO TO SCHOOL?
9/18/2018

17. PAST SIMPLE Past Simple: HOW? Verb+ed/ 2nd column Did/didn’t
DID/DIDN’T folowed by: infinitive + ? -
I worked
Did I work?
I didn’t work
You worked
Did you work?
You didn’t work
He worked
Did he work?
He didn’t work
She worked
Did she work?
She didn’t work
It worked
Did it work?
It didn’t work
We worked
Did we work?
We didn’t work
They worked
Did they work?
They didn’t work

18. yesterday, last week, last month, in 1998, five minutes ago, …
When do we use it?
Common time expressions:
yesterday,
last week,
last month,
in 1998,
five minutes ago, …

19. Make positive and negative sentences and ask questions in Past Simple Tense:
I catch fish in the river.
Yesterday I caught fish in the river.
Yesterday I didn’t catch fish in the river.
Did you catch fish in the river?

20. Betty buys some butter in the dairy.
Last Sunday Betty bought some butter in the dairy.
Last Sunday Betty didn’t buy any butter in the dairy.
Did Betty buy any butter in the dairy?
She puts it into batter.
Yesterday she put it into batter.
Yesterday she didn’t put it into batter.
Did she put it into batter?

21. The policeman lets the criminal go.
Two days ago the policeman let the criminal go.
Two days ago the policeman didn’t let the criminal go.
Did the policeman let the criminal go?
A huge dog bites my finger.
Yesterday a huge dog bit my finger.
Yesterday a huge dog didn’t bite my finger.
Did it bite my finger?

22. Past Continuous
The past continuous refers to an action in progress during a particular time in the past.
It is formed with was/ were + the –ing form of the verb.

23. PAST CONTINUOUS HOW? Was/were + verb + ing + ? - I was working
Was I working?
I wasn’t working
You were working
Were you working?
You weren’t working
He was working
Was he working?
He wasn’t working
She was working
Was she working?
She wasn’t working
It was working
Was it working?
It wasn’t working
We were working
Were we working?
We weren’t working
They were working
Were they working?
They weren’t working
HOW? Was/were + verb + ing

24. Past Continuous I was playing video games all afternoon.
Where were you? We were waiting for hours!
I was running back to the hotel.
The wind was blowing.

25. Question form He was doing his homework at 5:00.
Was he doing his homework at 5:00?
They were swimming in the pool.
Were they swimming in the pool?
I was waiting for hours.
Were you waiting for hours?

26. 1. The sun ……………… (shine) when I went out.
B. PUT THE VERB IN BRACKETS INTO THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE.
1. The sun ……………… (shine) when I went out.
2. When mother entered the room the children …………… (sleep).
3. I met our teacher when I …………… (go) to town.
4. She …………… (sit) by the window when I passed by.
5. Mary ……………… (sit) at the table while her mother ………………(prepare) lunch.
6. This time yesterday I …………………… (prepare) my lessons.
7. Mary ………… (try) to phone Helen when I entered the room.
8. The teacher………… (read) the new lesson and the student …………………… (listen to) him attentively.

27. We use Past Continuous to talk about an action that was in progress in the past.
I was watering the flowers at 4 o’clock yesterday.
They were writing a test this time last Tuesday.

28. WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT 8 O’CLOCK LAST NIGHT?
When specific time is given we use PAST CONTINUOUS not SIMPLE PAST:
AT 7 o’clock I read an article. WRONG
AT 7 o’clock I was reading an article. RIGHT
THE TYPICAL USE OF PAST CONTINUOUS IN ENGLISH IS ILLUSTRATED IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE:
WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT 8 O’CLOCK LAST NIGHT?

29. The past continuous is often used with a when clause.
I was having a shower when the phone rang.
This use draws attention to the idea of one action in progress interrupted by another past action.

30. Longer action – PAST CONTINUOUS
Shorter action – SIMPLE PAST (-ED, II column)

31. The when clause can go first or it can go second
The when clause can go first or it can go second. The meaning is the same.
When the accident happened, she was riding her bike. She was riding her bike when the accident happened.

32. WHEN – USE SIMPLE PAST IN PART OF THE SENTENCE BEGINNING WITH WHEN (FOR SHORTER ACTION) AND USE PAST CONTINUOUS IN THE SECOND PART OF THE SENTENCE FOR LONGER ACTION : WHEN SHE (COME) WE (PLAY ) HIDE AND SEEK WHEN SHE CAME WE WERE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK

33. Past progressive with when clause
I (practice) the piano when the electricity (go out).
I was practicing the piano when the electricity went out.
When it (start) to rain I (swim).
When it started to rain I was swimming .
What he (do) when mother (come) in?
What was he doing when mother came in?

34. The past continuous is also often used with a while clause.
The while clause can go first or it can go second. The meaning is the same.
WITH WHILE WE USUALLY USE PAST CONTINUOUS IN BOTH CLAUSES.
Mum was cooking while Dad was mowing the lawn.
They were reading while I was studying.

35. WHILE IT WAS RAINING YESTERDAY?
WHAT WERE THEY DOING,
WHILE IT WAS RAINING YESTERDAY?

41. WHEN SHE ARRIVED WE WERE SLEEPING.
SUMMARY:
IF THE EXACT TIME IS MENTIONED (7 O’CLOCK, THIS TIME YESTERDAY) ALWAYS USE PAST CONTINUOUS:
I WAS WATCHING TV AT 3 O’CLOCK LAST NIGHT.
WHILE – PAST CONTINUOUS IN BOTH PARTS OF A SENTENCE:
WHILE THEY WERE READING SHE WAS LISTENING TO MUSIC.
WHEN – USE SIMPLE PAST IN PART OF THE SENTENCE BEGINNING WITH WHEN (FOR SHORTER ACTION) AND USE PAST CONTINUOUS IN THE SECOND PART OF THE SENTENCE FOR LONGER ACTION :
WHEN SHE ARRIVED WE WERE SLEEPING.

45. Before I went to school, I had never played basketball.
By the time we arrived, she had already left.

46. Look at these two sentences, what is the difference in meaning?
When I turned on the TV, the programme started.
When I turned on the TV, the programme had started.

48. BEFORE I MOVED HERE I HAD LIVED IN LISBON.
IF THERE IS BEFORE, AFTER, UNTIL, BY THE TIME – USE PAST PERFECT FOR ACTION THAT HAPPENED BEFORE SOME OTHER ACTION EXPRESSED BY SIMPLE PAST:
BEFORE I MOVED HERE I HAD LIVED IN LISBON. .

49. KEY: A – 3 B – 1 C - 2

50. PAY ATTENTION:
WHILE – PAST CONTINUOUS IN BOTH PARTS OF A SENTENCE:
WHILE THEY WERE READING SHE WAS LISTENING TO MUSIC.
WHEN – USE SIMPLE PAST IN PART OF THE SENTENCE BEGINNING WITH WHEN (FOR SHORTER ACTION) AND USE PAST CONTINUOUS IN THE SECOND PART OF THE SENTENCE FOR LONGER ACTION :
WHEN SHE CAME WE WERE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK.

51. IF THERE IS BEFORE, AFTER, UNTIL, BY THE TIME – USE PAST PERFECT FOR ACTION THAT HAPPENED BEFORE SOME OTHER ACTION EXPRESSED BY SIMPLE PAST:
BEFORE I MOVED HERE I HAD LIVED IN LISBON.
IF THE EXACT TIME IS MENTIONED (7 O’CLOCK, THIS TIME YESTERDAY) ALWAYS USE PAST CONTINUOUS:
I WAS WATCHING TV AT 3 O’CLOCK LAST NIGHT.

55. THANK YOU FOR COMING! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.