I am trying to complete a module using/choosing;
past perfect/past perfect continuous/past simple/future perfect/present perfect continuous... and so on and so forth. My mind is messed! Please come to my rescue all grammar geniuses out there! thanks..
2006-11-24 03:23:26 · 10 answers · asked by zonky35 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Are you looking for a course book? or wanting someone to explain these tenses? As you've already been given some tips on finding modules in Cutting Edge etc, I'll go with the second:
Put VERY basically:
The past perfect and past perfect continous are used to indicate something that happened before another point in the past. "When I arrived at the party I realised that I had left the present I had bought at home." arrived and realised = past simple; had left and had bought = past perfect. The Second two actions happened before the first two.
The continuous tenses (in past present and future) are often used to indicate a 'long' action happening at the same time as something else, or interrupted by something else. For example, you could say, "I was having a bath (past continuous) when the phone rang (past simple)" - the phone inturrupts the longer action of having a bath. Or "I was gardening (past continuous) all afternoon". Here you choose the continuous tense because there is a 'long' time marker: 'all day'. The same applies if you put it into the past perfect continuous - it's just one step back in time. "I didn't go out (past simple) in the evening because I had been working (past perfect continuous) all day and was tired." The working all day happened before not going out.
The present perfect and present perfect continuous are complex tenses. The present perfect is used for past actions that have a connection to the present. "I have fed the cats" - this implies that the cats are not hungry now/that no one else needs to feed them now. The present perfect continuous can be used to indicate things that started in the past and continue to the present. "I have been studying French for 5 years." This tells you that they started studying French 5 years ago and still are.
The future perfect is used when you want to say that something will be finished before a point in the future. Eg: "I will have finished (future perfect) this report by 4.00 this afernoon."
The above explanations are only the tip of the iceberg. So, depending on whether you're a teacher or a student (I guess studying to be a teacher?) there are a couple of books I would recommend.
If you are a teacher:
I suggest buying the book "Teaching Tenses" by Rosemary Aitkin. Whatever material/coursebook I'm using for a lesson, if it involves presenting a tense, I always find it useful to read what she has to say. It helps you to get a good overall view, gives you ideas on how to show the tenses visually using time lines, and it helps you to predict the problems students will have understanding and using the tense in question.
I certainly wouldn't present these tenses together in one lesson!
For students, the following series is really great. As a teacher it is also really useful to look through them as it gives you ideas about how to explain grammar to students.
Raymond Murphy's series:
Essential Grammar in Use (Elementary to Pre-Intermediate)
English Grammar in Use (Intermediate - Upper Intermediate)
Advanced Grammar in Use
Good luck!
2006-11-25 00:37:21 · answer #1 · answered by JJ 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
As someone with a degree in languages I have some idea of what you're talking about.
The best advice I can give you is go get a good comprehensive easy to understand grammar book that will allow you to complete exercises and so get you used to identifying the tenses more naturally. Repetition is the key!
Good luck - I'm sure you'll get to grips with it!
2006-11-24 16:13:47 · answer #2 · answered by hevs 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the first module of the book is related with part, present and future times. ... past present and future more about the present perfect, simple and continuous ...www.ingilish.com/cuttingedge.htm
English:Grammar - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks
... the future (will, going to, the present continuous, the present simple and so ... Past perfect continuous: "I had been listening. ...en.wikibooks.org/wiki/English:Grammar
2006-11-24 03:27:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
There may well be a 'bitesize' module out there on the BBC which will help with that. I'll go have a look...
...there we go - think the BBC have lots of other links too, so check out the link below as well
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/toc.cfm
Hope that helps!
2006-11-24 03:35:56 · answer #4 · answered by SilverSongster 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The grammar structure "used + infinitive" is the past simple. This section appears to be teaching the use of "used + infinitive" which describes a habit or situation in the past which has changed; this is contrasted with the current situation which is described using the present simple. I would be very interested to hear what your tutor says this tense is so do tell us!
2016-03-29 07:33:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
English is my first language and I have no idea what you are talking about. I suggest ditch the books and just get out more...preferably in an English speaking country...this will be just as much help to you.
2006-11-24 03:29:24 · answer #6 · answered by Mum knows best 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10 points to JJ
2006-11-26 00:19:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell me about the rabbits, George. Tell me about the rabbits.
If I understood what you wanted ...
2006-11-24 03:28:17 · answer #8 · answered by iamhermansen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Love to help, dude, but you haven't actually mentioned what you want me to do!
2006-11-24 03:25:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can help. What is the question?
2006-11-24 03:27:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋