FCE Unit 2 - Past tenses - page 24

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Page 24:  Grammar

Past tenses

Using the past perfect tense

Uses

The past perfect tense is not usually used alone. It is mainly used with the simple past tense and then it refers to an action that has already happened by the time another action had commenced.

The patient had died before the doctor arrived. (NOT The patient died before the doctor had arrived.)

We use the past perfect tense for the earlier of the two past actions.

The train had left before we reached the station. (NOT The train left before we had reached the station.)

I had cooked the meals before the kids came home from school.

I had finished one project before I started the next.

The past perfect continuous tense

It had been raining.  

Uses

The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about longer actions or situations which had continued up to the past moment that we are thinking about.

At that time I had been studying in London for three years.

When I found Susie, I could see that she had been crying.

Difference between past perfect continuous and past continuous tenses

Both past continuous and past perfect continuous tenses can be used to talk about actions or situations that were in progress at a certain point of time in the past. While the past continuous merely shows continuity, the past perfect continuous tense also puts an emphasis on the idea of duration. It is mainly used to indicate the duration of a past activity or state.

Exercise 4  - page 24

Read the story and choose the correct answers. 

1. booked ( past event: You booked last July!)

You are going to see a photo, write down as many things as you can see!

How many things can you name? 

Past Perfect ( Yes, again!)

When did Sarah arrive?

When did Paul leave? 

Did Sarah find him when she arrived?

What happened first and what came second? 

We use the past perfect to talk about an event that happened ........

A

I couldn't answer the questions

I was hungry

My mother was worried

I was late

I was pleased

My father was furious

I was tired

I was nervous during the flight

B

because I had

because I hadn't

C

crashed his car

passed my driving test

got stuck in a traffic jam

flown in a plane before.

slept badly

revised for the exam.

been in touch for a long time

eaten all day

Make sentences from the chart below

 Mr. Bean at the hospital.

 While you watch the film clip: 

Combine two sentences into one to accurately describe the events that occur. You must include a linking word (e.g. so, because, while, etc.). You must also change the verb form when necessary (e.g. 'He went...' to 'He was going...' "He had stolen"). There are more detailed instructions on the worksheet.

Focus is on the past continuous and the past perfect 

Homework: 

Past Continuous: 

Read the following slides and do the exercises, please write the answers in your notebook.

Extra help 

If you need extra help, then watch this video at home for an extra explanation on the Past perfect and the Past perfect continuous.