Class 12 English Unit: 17 Grammar: Past Continous and Past Perfect Langauge Development Section

 

Grammar (page 146)

Past simple, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous tense

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c20lS2t8f0 (past simple and past perfect )

link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70AtMUUAns ( past continuous and past perfect continuous)

A.   Study the following sentences.

a.      My head was aching again, so I went home early.

b.     Sanita was teaching the children while Nitesh was washing up.

c.      He worked hard all his life.

d.     Just as I was getting into the bath the fire alarm went off.

e.      Before he stopped laughing, everyone had left.

f.       The film had already begun by the time we got to the cinema.

g.     She had returned to the house where she had been staying with friends.

B.    Here is an extract from a newspaper article about a missing boy (Ronish) and his father (Naresh). Decide why different forms of past tenses were used.

Naresh said that Ronish, who used to enjoy riding with him on his bike, followed him as he set off. He told the child to go back to his mother, and rode away. Meanwhile, Ronish’s mother thought that Ronish had gone with Naresh; Naresh believed Ronish had stayed behind. It was only some hours later, when Naresh returned, that they realized Ronish had vanished …

Answers:

·        Past Simple is used in the sentences above because sentences are in indirect speech and to show the past action.

·        Past Perfect is used in sentences to indicate the action that had taken earlier.

C.    Fill in the gaps with the suitable form of the verb in the brackets. Use past simple/past continuous/past perfect tenses. You may need to use negative too.

It was Sunday afternoon, I was watching (watch) a cookery programme on TV when I realized (realise) how hungry I was. But of course, I was hungry; I had not eaten (eat) anything since lunch, and I had run (run) a race in the morning. “Biscuits!” I thought (think). My mother gave (give) me a jar of delicious home-made biscuits.

I went (go) into the kitchen, opened (open) the fridge and poured (pour) some milk in a big glass. Then I looked (look) for the kitchen chair but it was not (be) there: somebody had taken (take) it away. And there were no biscuits in the biscuit jar: somebody had eaten (eat) them all! I was sure I had put (put) the jar there the previous day and I had eaten (eat) only one cookie. It was very strange.

A few minutes later, I was drinking (drink) my glass of milk when I heard (hear) a loud noise coming from the dining room. I went (go) there quickly and I opened (open) the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes. An enormous monkey was eating (eat) the biscuits excitedly on the kitchen chair.

D.   Rewrite the following sentences correcting the mistakes.

Example: Did you ever see her before you met her at school?

Had you ever seen her before you met her at school?

a.      She played the flute and then she had sung in their choir.

She had played the flute and then she had sung in their choir.

b.     I borrowed Rima’s car. Had you known about it?

I had borrowed Rima’s car. Had you known about it?

c.      After the lesson had finished, we run out of school.

After the lesson had finished, we ran out of school.

d.     Had you be there? - Yes, the previous year.

Had you been there? Yes, the previous year.

e.      Did you liked my article published in the Himalayan Times yesterday?

Did you like my article publishes in the Himalayan Times yesterday?

f.       I recognized him because I saw him before.

I recognized him because I had seen him before.

g.     I hadn’t gone out because I hadn’t finished my homework.

I did not go out because I hadn’t finished my homework.

h.     We had done nothing like this at that time.

We did nothing like this at that time.

i.       It was quite difficult. I had had no idea what to do.

It had been quite difficult. I had no idea what to do.

j.       As far as I’d known, she had always had some pets.

As far as I knew, she had always had some pets.

k.     When I met Jim, he was already a soldier for three years.

When I met Jim, he had already been a soldier for three years.

l.       He had gone to the coffee because somebody had told him.

He went to the coffee because somebody had told him,

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