Discussing grammar 1 Charles Dickens Put the verb in the correct tense. _(write) her autobiography for the pan copseen mood (write) Oliver Tirit in 1837. —you ever _(try) chiles…
Discussing grammar 1 Charles Dickens Put the verb in the correct tense. _(write) her autobiography for the pan copseen mood (write) Oliver Tirit in 1837. —you ever _(try) chiles rellenes when you were in Medics? (try) Mexican food? How many times How many times 4 1 Henry VIT (marry? He five) in the sume house since I was born, Cinda's very pleased with herself. She _(live) with his brother for the pust weck. (give up) smoking She finally Simple and continuous - (try) to give up for yeun LANGUAGE FOCUS Simple verb forms see actions as a complete whoit. He warks for IBM. 2 Contracen verb forms see actions in progress, with a beginning and an end I rained all day yesterday. Tve lost my passport. it was raining when I woke up. m working with him for a couple of days. 3 State verbs don't tend to be used in the continuous The company has been losing money for years. I know Peter well I don't understand what yoo te sayira T've always liked him Do you know more verbs lice these? Grammar Reference pp140-141 Match a line in A with a line in B. Write 1 or 2 in the box. B Peter comes 1 from Switzerland Peter is coming 2 round at 8.00 tonight. I wrote a report this morning. 1 Ill finish it this afternoon. was writing a report this morning 2 1 sent it off this afternoon. I heard her scream 1, when she saw a mouse. I heard the baby screaming 2 all night long What have you done 1 since I last saw you? What have you been doing 2 with my dictionary? I can't find it I've had 1 a headache all day. I've been having 2 second thoughts about the new job. I've known my new neighbours. I've been getting to know 2 Anna for over ten years. I've cut 1 my finger. It hurts. I've been cutting 2 wood all morning, WRITING Informal letters - Correcting mistakes p/12 18. Unit 2 • Been there, done that!
Certainly! Let's address your exercise step-by-step, filling in the blanks with the appropriate verb forms and discussing key grammar points.
Verb Tenses
(write) her autobiography for the past couple of years.
Correct tense: has been writing
Complete sentence: She has been writing her autobiography for the past couple of years.(write) Oliver Twist in 1837.
Correct tense: wrote
Complete sentence: He wrote Oliver Twist in 1837.Have you ever (try) chiles rellenos when you were in Mexico?
Correct tense: tried
Complete sentence: Have you ever tried chiles rellenos when you were in Mexico?How many times (try) Mexican food?
Correct tense: have you tried
Complete sentence: How many times have you tried Mexican food?How many times (marry) Henry VIII?
Correct tense: did he marry
Complete sentence: How many times did Henry VIII marry?I (live) in the same house since I was born.
Correct tense: have lived
Complete sentence: I have lived in the same house since I was born.Cinda's very pleased with herself. She finally (give up) smoking.
Correct tense: has given up
Complete sentence: Cinda's very pleased with herself. She finally has given up smoking. She has been trying to give up for years.
Simple and Continuous Tenses
Language Focus:
- Simple verb forms (e.g., "He works for IBM.") indicate completed actions or general truths.
- Continuous verb forms (e.g., "I was writing a report this morning.") indicate actions that are in progress.
- State verbs (e.g., "I don't understand what you're saying.") typically are not used in continuous forms.
Matching Exercise
Match a line in A with a line in B.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Peter comes | 1 from Switzerland |
| Peter is coming | 2 round at 8.00 tonight |
| I wrote a report this morning. | 1 I’ll finish it this afternoon. |
| I was writing a report this morning | 2 I sent it off this afternoon. |
| I heard her scream | 1 when she saw a mouse. |
| I heard the baby screaming | 2 all night long. |
| What have you done | 1 since I last saw you? |
| What have you been doing | 2 with my dictionary? I can't find it. |
| I've had | 1 a headache all day. |
| I've been having | 2 second thoughts about the new job. |
| I've known | 1 my new neighbours. |
| I've been getting to know | 2 Anna for over ten years. |
| I've cut | 1 my finger. It hurts. |
| I've been cutting | 2 wood all morning. |
Summary
- The present perfect tense is often used for actions that have relevance to the present or that started in the past and continue into the present.
- The past simple is used for completed actions with no direct relevance to the present.
- The present continuous highlights ongoing actions, while the past continuous focuses on actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past.
- Remember that state verbs describe conditions or states rather than actions (e.g., know, understand, like) and are typically not used in continuous forms.
Feel free to ask if you need further clarification or have additional questions!
