Friday, October 25, 2013

Simple Past vs. Past Continuous


Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verbs in parentheses.
1. Jill came to my house last night. It was 6:30. I (make) ______________ dinner when she (arrive) _______________. She didn’t stay at my house for a long time. She only (stop) _______________ by to say “hello.” After a few minutes, she (leave) _______________.
2. While I (listen) _______________ to the teacher’s lecture, I heard two words that I (not know) _______________. I (write) _______________ down the words, and after class I (look) _______________ them up in the dictionary.
3. Paul and I studied together this afternoon for our test tomorrow. We (meet) _______________ at the library, and we studied for about two hours. Then we (have) _______________ a bite (=a small amount) to eat in the student cafeteria. After that, I (go) _______________ home, but Paul went back to the library to study some more. While I (go) _______________ home, I (decide) _______________ to stop by the bank to withdraw some money from the ATM.
4. Last Sunday I went to a baseball game. It (start) _______________ at 1 p.m. The players from both teams (go) _______________ onto the field. After they (warm) _______________ up, they (begin) _______________ playing. Unfortunately, it suddenly (start) _______________ to rain really hard. In fact, they (have to) _______________ cancel the game!
5. Many Americans can remember exactly what they (do) _______________ the moment when they heard the news about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack (
恐怖袭击, atentado terrorista) on the Twin Towers in New York. I (attend) _______________ a meeting when a secretary rushed into the room and (tell) _______________ us the horrible news.

Past continuous with simple present


Practice using the past continuous with the simple past. You will hear two sentences in present tense. Change the sentences to past tense.
Say the first thing was happening when the second thing happened.
Start each sentence with “while.”

Example:
he is making dinner / he cuts himself
While he was making dinner, he cut himself.
(past continuous and simple past)

Example:
She is using the computer. She has a system error.
(电脑故障,  mal funcionamiento del ordenador, сбой ошибки)     

While she was using the computer, she had a system error.
(past continuous and simple past)
While she is using the computer, she has a system error.

He is making dinner. He cuts himself.
He is mowing the lawn. The lawn mower* breaks down. (=stops working) *
(修剪草坪, cortar el césped,  подстригать)
He is drying the dishes. He drops a dish and it breaks.
He is parking. He backs into another car.
She is making copies. The machine jams.
出故障,不能运, (停止运作,由于阻塞), atascarse, stopped working because a paper got stuck and blocked the path
He is working for the model agency. He meets a beautiful woman and falls in love.
She is getting off Muni. The door suddenly closes and hits her in the head.
He is plugging in the blowdryer. He gets shocked.
触电, me dio una descarga/un golpe de corriente, меня́ уда́рило то́ком, صدمة كهربائية (noun)
She is playing with the cat. It scratches* her.
(, arañó,  царапать)

Part D: simple present, simple past, past participle

Give it a listen!

he hears he heard he has heard 
he holds he held he has held

he lays (=he puts) he laid he has laid
he pays he paid he has paid

he lies (=to recline) he lay he has lain
he loses he lost he has lost
he makes he made he has made
he means /mi:nz/ he meant /mεnt/ he has meant /mεnt/
he runs he ran he has run
he says /sεz/ he said /sεd/ he has said /sεd/
he sees he saw he has seen

he sells he sold he has sold
he tells he told he has told

he shoots he shot he has shot

he shows he showed he has shown or he has showed

it sinks it sank it has sunk
he sits he sat he has sat

he stands he stood he has stood
he understands he understood he has understood

he takes he took he has taken
he shakes he shook he has shaken

he tears he tore he has torn
he wears he wore he has worn

he goes he went he has gone
he wins he won he has won


he winds he wound he has wound

Speaking: More Comparative

To listen, first click on ‘Permalink’ and then click on ‘Play’.


1. a view (景色,vista, вид) of the wall next door a view of the Golden Gate Bridge (beautiful)
2. mathematics algebra (代数 алгебра) (hard)
3. Safeway Costco (expensive)
4. Mr. Trego you (short)
5. soccer football (American)
6. a Muni ticket a lottery ticket (cheap)
7. Canada Mexico (cold in the winter)
8. giving a present giving a gift certificate (thoughtful 贴的,为他人考虑的, considerado)
9. cotton wool (羊毛 , lana, шерсть) (cool)
10. New York Miami (warm in December)
11. Mr. Trego’s English your English (good)
12. smoking not getting enough sleep (bad)
13. potato chips bread (salty)
14. San Francisco Los Angeles (big)

Speaking Practice: Comparative with adjectives describing people

Example
You're short. > You're short, but I'm shorter than you are.
They're tall. > They're tall, but I'm taller than they are.
short
tall
heavy
attractive  妩媚动人的, atractivo
intelligent
smart
pretty
nice
good
bad

Tell me you are the same as the other person.
Example:
healthy / Bill > I'm as healthy as Bill is.
happy / Bill > I'm as happy as Bill is.
hard-working
outgoing  性格外向的人, sociable, extrovertido
organized  组织的,高效的, organizado
lucky


You are not the same. You're different.
Example:
I'm not as healthy as Bill is. > Bill is healthier than I am.
I'm not as happy as Bill is. > Bill is happier than I am.
hard-working
outgoing  性格外向的人, sociable, extrovertido
organized  组织的,高效的, organizado
lucky
smart
generous  慷慨的,大方的, generoso
patient   耐心的,平静等待的, paciente
old
tall

Past Tense: She bumped her head on the file cabinet drawer.

Yesterday She Bumped Her Head on the File Cabinet Drawer by youreslteacher

When she got up, she bumped her head on the file cabinet drawer.

When She Got Up She Bumped Her Head... by youreslteacher

Pre-Vocabulary: Luis's accident

Vocab Luis Accident by youreslteacher

Health Vocabulary: I think I'm coming down with something.

Vocab I Think Im Coming Down With Something by youreslteacher

Vocabulary Practice: This is the first place air enters your body.

This is the First Place That Air Enters Your Body... by youreslteacher

The pain started two hours ago.

The Pain Started Two Hours Ago by youreslteacher

Shopping - A

Shopping A by youreslteacher

SARS: Wh- Questions

SARS Wh- Questions by youreslteacher

SARS: Reading and Questions

SARS Reading and Questions by youreslteacher

Health Vocabulary: Refresh your memory!

Refresh Your Memory by youreslteacher

Questionnaire Vocabulary

Questionnaire Vocab by youreslteacher

Health Questionnaire

Health Questionnaire by youreslteacher

Health Questionnaire Answers

Health Questionnaire Answers by youreslteacher

Present Continuous or Simple Present?

Present Continuous or Simple Present by youreslteacher

I went to the doctor. He checked my cholesterol.

I Went to the Doctor. He Checked My Cholesterol. by youreslteacher

Health: Fill in the missing letters.

Health Fill in the Missing Letters by youreslteacher

Find someone who… takes a prescription medication.

Find Some Who Takes a Prescription Medication by youreslteacher

...and so ___ I.

and so ___ I by youreslteacher

and neither ___ I.

And Neither I by youreslteacher

Emergency Vocabulary 1

Emergency Vocabulary by youreslteacher

Accident Verbs

Accident Verbs by youreslteacher

Emergency Vocabulary 2

Emergency Vocabulary 2 by youreslteacher

Luis's Accident: Questions and Text

Accident Luis Questions and Text by youreslteacher

Luis's Accident: Mixed-up questions

Accident Luis Mixed Up Questions by youreslteacher

Luis's Accident: Cloze Exercise

Accident Luis Cloze Ex by youreslteacher