Ordinary verbs: past and perfect tenses

 

Regular and irregular past tenses and past participles

 

INFINITIVE

 

Regular verbs

work play live

stop try etc.

 

Irregular verbs

be

come go know learn

see

etc.

PAST TENSE

 

 

worked played lived stopped tried

 

was/were came went knew learnt

saw

PAST PARTICIPLE

 

 

worked played lived stopped tried

 

been come been/gone known learnt

seen

 

(For a complete list of irregular verbs in The New

Cambridge English Course Levels 1 and 2, see StUdent's

Book 2 page 128.)

 

 

Simple Past

 

I stopped you stopped	did I stop? did you stop?	I did not (didn't) stop you did not (didn't) stop
he/she/it stopped	did she etc. stop?	he etc. did not (didn't) stop
we stopped	did we stop?	we did not (didn't) stop
you stopped	did you stop?	you did not (didn't) stop
they stopped	did they stop?	they did not (didn't) stop

 

She left Lima by air.

How far did she fall? (... did she fell?)

She did not recognise the people. (... did not recognised...)

'Did you like school when you were a child?'

'Yes, I did.' ('Yes, I liked.')

 

Spelling of regular past tenses

 

MOST REGULAR VERBS: work----7worked start ----7 started wait ----7 waited playplayed

 

VERBS ENDING IN -e: hate ----7 hated like ---?liked

 

SHORT VERBS ENDING IN stop ----7 stopped

ONE VOWEL + ONE CONSONANT: plan ----7 planned

fit ----7 fitted

Pronunciation of regular past tenses

 

1. ldl after vowels and.voiced,sounds f/bl'Y'Igf;Jfvl

Ia/, Ill,lzl, 131,ldy, tml, lnl;lol1, ·

agreed /a'gri:d/ played /pleid/ lived /IIvd/

pulled /puld/ used /ju:zd/

 

2. /t/ after /p/, IW;lfl,!9l;lsl,If!) ltfl

stopped /stnpt/ worked /wa:kt/

watched /wutJt/

 

3. lid/ after It/ and /dl

started /'sta:tid/ decided ldi'saidid/

 

VERBS ENDING IN CONSONANT + -y:

study ----7 studied try ------7 tried

 

Past Progressive

 

I was trying	was I trying?	I was not (wasn't) trying
you were trying	were you trying?	you were not (weren't) trying
he/she/it was trying we were trying	etc.	etc.
you were trying
they were trying

 

We use the Past Progressive for 'background' events- to say what was going on at a particular time, or at the moment when something happened. We use the Simple Past for a shorter event which came in the middle of the 'background' event, or which interrupted it.

 

 

What were you doing Iwasgetting ready to come home

 

at 7.15 last night?

and the phone rang.

 

Just when Iwastrying to finish some work The TV

broke down

Janet

turned up. while we were watching the news.

 

 

Simple Present Perfect

 

(have + past participle)
I have (I've) seen you have (you've) seen he etc. has (he's) seen we have (we've) seen you have (you've) seen they have (they've) seen	have Iseen? have you seen? has she etc. seen? have we seen? have you seen? have they seen?	Ihave not (haven't) seen you have not (haven't) seen he etc. has not (hasn't) seen we have not (haven't) seen you have not (haven't) seen they have not (haven't) seen

 

Ways of using the Simple Present Perfect

 

- Talking about experience

'Have you ever eaten snails?'

'Yes, Ihave.'

'No, I haven't.'

'No, Inever have.'

 

 

- Talking about changes (differences between past and present)

The population of Fantasia has increased since 1950. The percentage of homeless people has fallen.

She has got much fatter during the last few years.

 

Giving news

 

Fantasia has signed a treaty with Outland. The River Fant has just burst its banks.

I've lost my keys - could you help me look for them?

 

 

Simple Present Perfect and Simple Past with time expressions

 

1. We use the Present Perfect:

- when we are thinking of a period of time that is not finished (for example this week/month/year, since...)

- when we mean 'at any time up to now' (for example, with ever, never, before}

 

I've changed my job three times this year. (I changed my job three times...)

Have you seen Carmen before? (Did you see Ctt1·me1t before?)

Have you ever been to America? She has never learnt to drive.

2. We use the Simple Past:

when we are thinking of a period of time that is finished (for example with ago, yesterday, last week/month/year etc., then, when}

 

I changed my job last week.

(I have changed my job last vveek.) I saw Carmen three years ago.

(I ha • e seen Cttmtelt three years ago.)

(... ago three years... before three years)

Did you go to California last summer? She learnt to fly when she was 18.

 

 

Present Perfect Progressive

 

I have (I've) been working	have I been working?	I have not (haven't) been working
you have (you've) been working etc.	have you been working? etc.	you have not (haven't) been working etc.

 

Using the Present Perfect Progressive

 

We use the Present Perfect Progressive to say that something started in the past and is still happening (or has only just finished). We often use the Present Perfect Progressive to say or ask how long something has been happening. We do not use a present tense to do this.

For the last six days he has been visiting Third World countries. (... he is visiting...)

Demonstrators have been marching through the centre for several hours. Heavy rain has been falling steadily for the past four weeks.

Have you been waiting long? (Are you waiting long?)

 

Non-progressive verbs

 

With some verbs (for example know, remember, want, have meaning 'possess', be), we usually use simple tenses, not progressive tenses.

They have known each other for a long time. (They have been knowing...)

How long have you had that coat?

(... have you been ha-1ing...?) I've been in this class since October.

 

 

The difference between the Present Perfect and the Present

 

To say how long something has been happening, use a Present Perfect tense, not a Present tense. Compare:

1 know her well.

I have known her since 1980. (-I--k-no·N her since 1980.)

 

We live in Harwich.

We have lived here for 10 years. (We live here for 10 years.)

 

She is in the advanced class.

She's been in the class for three weeks. (She is...)

 

He is studying English.

He has been studying English for five years.

(He is studying...)

 

 

For and since

 

For + period = since + beginning of period. for 24 hours = since yesterday

for three days = since Sunday

for ten years = since we got married

for a long time = since the 15th century

 

I've been working for twelve hours.

(I've been working since twelve hours.) I've been working since six a.m.

(I'm working since six a.m.) We've lived here for ten years.

(We've lived here since ten years.) (We li·1e here for ten years.)

I've known her since 1980. (I knmv her...)

 

Past Perfect

 

I had (I'd) seen	had I seen?	I had not (hadn't) seen
you had (you'd) seen etc.	had you seen? etc.	you had not (hadn't) seen etc.

 

llte P t.Pe;rt is a 'before.past': we use it to talk about a second,

earlpa:st time;

BEFORE-PAST

She had gone

I'd changed so much

PAST

when I got back to the table.

she didn't realise it was me.

 

.f,fhe ht th·Past. Per£e io reported speech,.see page·l00.

Fat:the.use of the Past Perfect with if, see page 99.