Lingua inglese

PAST SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

See pag.12 Focus your attention on the forms (affirmative, negative and interrogative)

of teìhe past continuous tense.

Use it to say that something was in progress (going on) around a particular past time.

To form it, use the auxiliary verb to be in the simple past with the – ing form of the

main verb.

PAST SIMPLE VS PAST CONTINUOUS

We often use the past continuous together with a simple past tense. The past

continuous refers to a longer “background” action or situation; the simple past refers

to a shorter action or event that happened in the middle of the longer action, or that

interrupted it.

As I was walking down the road, I met Bill.

The phone rang, while I was having breakfast.

The past continuous, like other progressive forms, is used for temporary actions and

situations. When we talk about longer situations, we use simple past.

Compare:

It happened while I was living in London last year.

I lived in London for ten years when I was a child.

AUDIO-LESSON

In order to improve and to consolidate what you have just studied; you can do now the

exercises in units 5-6.

In addition, to better revise the main ideas presented in this lesson, you can listen to

an audio lesson on Past Simple Tense. An extra slide is provided to enhance your

listening: listen to the audio lesson and follow it focusing your attention on the next

slide.

LESSON 3 VOCABULARY CHECK

These are the important words that you have studied in Lesson 3. You should make

sure that you know these words before going on to the next lesson.

ago__________________

go________________

happen__________________

in 1981___________________

last year/month/summer/autumn/winter /spring/week/night_____________

meet_____________

phone in sick______________

ring_____________

today_____________

tomorrow_____________

walk down the road_____________

yesterday_____________

Revise the paradigms of the irregular verbs.

LESSON 4. I TEMPI DEL PASSATO

Read the text and enter the following questions:

How has snowboarding evolved from its origins to its current global success?

Have you ever tried a snowboard?

The word in boldface in the tests are examples of simple present perfect verbs. We

usually USE the simple present perfect tense:

a) to say that a finished action or event is connected with the present in some way. If

we say that something has happened, we are thinking about the past and the present

at the same time. We could often change a simple present perfect sentence into a

present sentence with a similar meaning.

I can’t go on holiday because I have broken my leg. (= because my leg is broken

now). (NOT I can’t go on holiday because I broke my leg.)

Non posso andare in vacanza perché mi sono rotto una gamba (=perché la mia

gamba è rotta)

b) for past events when we are thinking of a period of time continuing up to the

present (when we use indefinite time adverbs that mean ‘at some time/any time up to

now, like ever, before, never, yet, already).

I am sure, we have met before. (Sono sicuro, ci siamo già incontrati un’altra

volta)

c) when we are thinking of a period of ‘time up to now’, even if we do not mention it.

You have done a lot for me. (... up to now)

(Hai già fatto tanto per me… fino adesso)

See pag.36 and focus your attention on the chart. The new tense is the simple present

perfect and it is formed with the auxiliary have/has followed by the past participle.

There are two kinds of past participle in English:

Regular (ends in –ed) such as, visited, received, opened.

Irregular (different form) such as spoken, eaten, me.

As it happened with the irregular simple past, you have to control the same list of

irregular verbs at the end of the book and consider the last column of the paradigm

(the first one gives you the infinite, the second one the past simple and the third one

the past participle).

While in Italian the auxiliary verb for the tense can be also the verb to be, in English

we must use only the verb to have.

Sei mai stato a Londra?

Have you ever been to London?

See pag.39 par.3.2. The simple present perfect tense is used with some particular time

expressions, such as just, already, still, yet,ever/never

Still, yet, already can all be used to talk about things which are going on around the

present

Already and still, never/ever usually go in ‘mid-position’:

Have you already studied? (Hai già studiato?)

I have already finished! (Ho già finito!)

Have you ever seen a ghost? (Hai mai visto un fantasma?)

She has never apologized for anything in her life. (Non ha mai chiesto scusa

per niente in vita sua)

Yet usually goes at the end of a clause.

The postman hasn’t come yet. (Il postino non è ancora venuto)

Do exercises n. 1-2-3 pag.40-41.

See pag.41 par.3.3. The English verb to go has two forms: have gone and have been.

We use have been when we talk about completed visits. Compare:

a) I’ve been to London three times this week. (I went to London but now I’m here)

b) “Where’s Lucy?” “She has gone to London.”(She went to London and at the

moment she is still there)

Do exercises n. 1-2 pag.41.

See pag.42 par.3.4. Here you can find a clear chart about the contrast between simple

past and simple present perfect. Apart from what we have already said about time

expressions, it is now important to focus you attention on some peculiar expressions

such as:

How long + simple present perfect?

How long have you studied English? (Quanto tempo hai studiato inglese?)

It’s the first/second/third.... time + simple present perfect.

It is the second time I have met him. (È la seconda volta che lo incontro)

Do exercises n.1-2-3-4 pag.43-44.

See pag.45 and focus your attention on the forms (affirmative and interrogative) of the

present perfect continuous tense (chart on pag.45). Use it to talk about situations

which started in the past and are still going on, or which have just stopped and have

present results. Both the present perfect (continuous and simple) can be used to talk

about recent actions and situations that have present results. There is an important

difference.

The present perfect progressive focuses on the action/situation itself, looking at it as a

continuous, extended activity (not necessary finished). The simple preset perfect, on

the other hand, looks more at the idea of completion and present result.

Compare:

a) I must have a bath. I’ve been gardening all afternoon. (focus on continuous

activity)

b) I’ve planted a lot of new rose bushes. (focus on result)

Do exercise n.1 pag.46.

See pag.46. Here you find the so-called duration form.

We often use for and since when talking about time.

- for + period

A period is a duration of time, for example: 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years. For means

"from the beginning of the period until the end of the period." For can be used with all

tenses. For is NOT used with "all day", "all the time" etc.

I was there all day. (not *for all day) (Sono stato là tutto il giorno)

Here are a few examples:

They study for two hours every day. (Studiano due ore tutti i giorni)

They are studying for three hours today. (Stanno studiando da tre ore oggi)

He has lived in Bangkok for a long time. (Ha vissuto a Bangkok per lungo tempo)

He has been living in Paris for three months. (Vive a Parigi da tre mesi)

- since + starting point

A starting point is a precise moment in time, for example: 9 o'clock, 1st January,

Monday. Since means "from a point in the past until now.” Since is normally used with

perfect tenses:

He has been here since 9am.

He has been working since he arrived.

I had lived in New York since my childhood.

Since can also be used in the structure "It is [period] since...":

It is a year since I saw her.

How long is it since you got married?

Do exercises n.1-3-5 pag.48-49.

LESSON 5. I TEMPI DEL PASSATO

Read the text and enter the following questions:

a) What amuses the family about the blood-stain?

b) Why does the suit of armour fall on the floor?

c) What does the Canterville ghost do when he sees the other ghost?

Look at the text:

- The words in boldface in the text are examples of past perfect verbs.

- The basic meanings of the simple past perfect are “earlier past” and

“completed in the past”. A common use is to ‘go back’ when we are already

talking about the past, so as to make it clear that something had already

happened at the time we are talking about.

I realised that we had met before. (=Capii che ci eravamo già incontrati)

(NOT I realised that we met before)

(NOT I realised we have met before)

Take your book and see pag.53 and focus your attention on the chart. The new tense is

the simple past perfect and it is formed with the auxiliary had followed by the past

participle.

As we have already studied, there are two kinds of past participle in English:

Regular (ends in –ed) such as, visited, received, opened

 Irregular (different form) such as spoken, eaten, met (third column of the

 paradigm)

We use past perfect for events in the past that happened before other events in the

past. By the time we arrived, the bus had already left. (Quando siamo arrivati,

l’autobus era già passato)

When we arrived, she hadn’t eaten yet. (Quando arrivammo, non aveva ancora

mangiato)

Do exercises n.1-2-3-4 pag.53-54; n.2 pag.56.

See pag.59. As you know, when you talk about past habits and states, you can use the

simple past.

But, if we want to underline the fact that these habits and states are now finished, we

use used + infinitive.