A Day in the Life of a Traditional Housewife

She arose early, before dawn, in order to fix breakfast and to wake her family. She nudged, prodded, and yelled until everyone was finally out of bed. While everyone else was showering, shaving, and dressing, she was frying eggs, making coffee, and preparing sack lunches. One by one, the family members came down to the kitchen. When each person sat down, she served breakfast. She hustled and bustled, making sure that everyone was awake to face the day. After everyone had gone, she began her day's work. During the day, she mopped, swept, did dishes, vacuumed, mended clothes, washed, ironed, scrubbed. . . .

And today's mother? She does everything that mothers used to do and more. Over one-half of mothers in the United States today maintain their homes while also managing to hold down eight-hour-per- day, forty-hour-per-week jobs.

Looking at Structures

1. What tenses appear in this passage? In which lines do the tenses shift? Were the actions in the third sentence happening at the same time or one after the other? In the fifth sentence?

2. Note the use of the construction used to in Line 11. From the meaning of the sentence, can you explain why the author chose this structure?

Ex.61 Comment on the use of the Past Continuous or Simple Past tenses in the following sentences.

1. Life was changing very quickly during the second half of the ninetieth century.

2. I was listening to the radio when the sensational news suddenly came on.

3. They weren’t sleeping at the time of the earthquake, fortunately.

4. What was happening in the world when you were born?

5. Dr. Johnson was very busy at the hospital yesterday, she was delivering babies all day long.

6. How many people were sitting in the theatre when the fire started?

7. It was bright sunlight in the room when I woke.

8. He turned to him and said that the office smelt like a stagedressing- room.

9. During the study period in class yesterday, it was hard for me to concentrate because the student next to me was humming.

10. When Joan was a child she used to be very nervous, she was always biting her fingernails.

11. She said that she didn’t want to stay there any longer and that she was leaving the country in a week.

12. I looked at my watch, it read five minutes to eleven.

13. He saw that one of the students was having difficulty with the homework.

14. Philip made no haste to move from where he sat.

15. Then he noticed Jack. He was standing in front of the fire and was talking Italian to a man in glasses.

16. She stopped beside Tommy who was in a particularly scornful mood. He was leaving in the morning.

17. His steps slowed down as he mounted the stairs.

18. She left the house and went along a sandy path leading to the vegetable garden. Soon she saw that someone was moving among the tomato plants.

CONTEXT

Ex. 62. Read this modern version of Hamlet. Put the verbs into the Past Simple or Past Continuous.

Hamlet was a student in New York. His father (be) _________ the boss of the family business, but he (die) _________ in a car accident. Hamlet’s uncle (become) _________ the boss and (marry) _________ Hamlet’s mother.

One day, Hamlet (study) _________ in the library, when he (receive) _________ a message from a friend. It (say) _________ , “Your uncle (kill) _________ your father”. Hamlet (phone) _________ his mother on his mobile phone and she (come) _______ to the library. They (argue) _________ , when Hamlet (hear) _________ a noise behind a bookshelf. Somebody (listen) __________ to their conversation. Being in a fury Hamlet (kill) _________ him. Unfortunately, it (be) _________ his girlfriend’s father! When Ophelia (find) _________ out about her father, she (drown) _________ her sorrows in buttered mashed potatoes. She (become) _________ so fat that Hamlet (not /want) to go out with her any more. Hamlet (sit) _________ in a local burger bar, when his girlfriend’s brother (come in) _________. He (carry) _________ a gun and was very angry….

CONTEXT

Ex.63. Choose the best verb forms to complete the gaps.

The first time I met/ was meeting Julia was about eight years ago. I’m Australian, but I spent/ was spending a few months in Britain – I did/ was doing some photographic work for Harry, an Australian friend of mine. Anyway, one really hot summer day, Harry and I decided/ were deciding to invite a whole group of people to his house for a barbecue, and Julia arrived/ was arriving first. Actually she was really early and we weren’t ready at all. I can still remember she was a bit embarrassed… so, anyway, I started/ was starting talking to her, asking her lots of questions, and, you know, I thought/ was thinking we had/ were having a good conversation when the other guests began/ were beginning to arrive. In fact, much later, she told/ was telling me that when we spoke/ were speaking, she thought/ was thinking I was a bit rude. Australians are much more direct than English people, and she hated/ was hating all the questions. I liked/ was liking her immediately… the only problem was the dress she wore/ was wearing – it was this awful yellow colour that didn’t suit/ wasn’t suiting her at all. Luckily, though, I didn’t tell/ wasn’t telling her that!

Ex.64 Context: Write the verbs in the Past Simple or Past Continuous.

Last night Angela (relax) ………………… at home in front of the TV. She (not/watch) ………………….. the news because she (paint) ………………… her nails, drinking tea and eating chocolate biscuits. Suddenly she (hear) ………………… the name Bettina Markham. She (look) ………………….. up at the TV and (see) ………………… her best friend, Bettina.

“Bettina Markham (stop) ……………….. two bank robbers outside the First Savers Bank in Bridge Street today,” the TV presenter said. “How (you/stop) ………………. The thieves Bettina?” the TV presenter asked her.

“It (be) ………………… a lucky accident,” Bettina answered. “I (drive) ……………….. up Bridge Street slowly when suddenly these two men (come) ……………….. down it in a black car. I (not/know) ………………….. it but they were bank robbers. I was in the middle of the road, turning right, and they (go) …………………… very fast. They (crash) ………………… into my car and (start) ………………… to shout at me. They (tell) …………………….. me to move my car immediately, but I didn’t. While they (shout) ………………….. at me, I quietly (phone) ………………… the police on my mobile phone. You see, I (not/think) ………………….. the crash was my fault. And I (not/like) …………………… the way they (shout) …………………. At me.”

“(the robbers/ still shout) ……………………………… at you when the police (arrive) ………………?” the presenter asked.

“No,” Bettina answered. “They were out of the car and they (run) …………………. Down the hill with a bag of money from the bank. One of the police officers (run) ……………….. after them and (catch) …………………. Them.”

“What (the police/say) ……………………… to you?” the presenter asked Bettina.

“They (be) ………………….. angry with me because I (not/wear) …………………… my seatbelt when the robbers (crash) …………………. into my car.”

Ex.65 Read the following passage and complete the gaps using the correct tense of the verb in brackets (the Past Simple and the Past Continuous).

I remember very clearly the day that my youngest brother was born. I (1) ________ (be) eight at the time and I (2) ________ (look) forward to helping my mum with the new baby. It (3) ________ (snow) very heavily when my mum (4) ________ (leave) for the hospital. We (5) ________ (stay) at home with our grandmother, and had great fun playing in the snow outside. We (6) ________ (make) a snowman, and (7) ________(call) it baby! Our grandmother (8) _______ (cook) us some homemade soup while we (9) ________ (tidy) the house ready for the new baby.

We (10) ________ (have) a bath when the phone (11) ________ (ring) with the news of the baby. He (12) ________ (be) a beautiful baby boy called Cameron, and he (13) ________(cry) loudly at that moment! Whilst my grandmother (14) ________ (read) us our bedtime story, I (15) ______ (keep) interrupting her to ask questions about the new baby!

Ex.66 Ask your partner the following questions. Make sure the Past Simple and Past Continuous is used in the replies.

1 What is the funniest thing you remember happening to you at school or work?

2 What has been your best sporting moment?

3 What was the best result you got at school? How did you feel? Did you celebrate?

4 Has there been a moment when you were very proud of a family member?

5 What’s the best holiday you’ve been on? Why, what happened?

6 What was your first job? Do you have good or bad memories?

Ex.67 Many of science's greatest findings or events have come as a result of good luck as well as hard work. Complete the following passages by using simple past or past continuous forms of the verbs in parentheses.

1. In the late 1800s, Louis Pasteur ____________ (experiment) with bacteria. When Pasteur __________ (give) chickens old bacteria by accident, they ___________ (become) sick but they __________ (die / not). When he __________ (repeat) the injections several times, the chickens __________ (develop) a resistance to infection. This discovery __________ (begin) his work on immunization.

2. While von Mering and Minkowski __________ (study) the pancreas (which helps to metabolize sugar), they __________ (remove) the organ from several dogs. Subsequently, a laboratory assistant __________ (notice) something unusual. Flies __________ (swarm) around the cages of these dogs, but they __________ (go / not) near the cages of other dogs. When the two researchers __________ (test) the dogs without pancreases, they __________ (discover) that the dogs __________(have) the symptoms of diabetes. This incident __________ (give) medical science the first information connecting the pancreas to the cause of diabetes.

3. A Danish researcher, Henrik Dam, __________ (do) experiments with chickens when he __________ (find) that certain diets __________ (cause) internal bleeding. When he __________ (change) the diet, the bleeding __________ (stop). Through his work, he __________ (discover) the importance of vitamin K, especially for patients undergoing surgery.

4, In 1929, the English bacteriologist, Alexander Fleming, __________ (experiment) with a bacteria culture when it __________ (become) contaminated by a mold. When the mold __________ (touch) the bacteria, the bacteria __________ (die). Fleming __________ (save) this mold and __________ (let) it continue to grow in a liquid. While this mold __________ (grow), it __________ (produce) a substance that __________ (be) able to kill a number of bacteria. Moreover, the substance __________ (harm/ not) animals. This substance later __________ (become) known as penicillin.

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITY

Ex.68 Do you have clear memories of a particular time in your childhood or youth? Perhaps you remember a series of events, pleasant or unpleasant. Or, perhaps it was a party, a celebration, a trip, or an accident. Briefly tell your story by answering the following questions. You may want to add other details.

1. How old were you?

2. Where were you living (staying, and so forth)?

3. What happened?

4. What were you doing when this happened?

5. What were other people around you (family, friends, and so forth) doing when this took place?

6. How did you feel?

7. What did you do?

8. What did others do then?

9. What was the result?