English for Geographers

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During the 1990s computer scientists were trying to deal with the millennium bug.

2. Describing a background event

We use the past progressive to describe an event which was in progress when it was interrupted by another one. The second, shorter event, is in the past simple:

I was just leaving the office when he arrived.

We were talking about safety procedures when the fire alarm went off.

3. For repeated events

He was visiting clients all last week and didn’t come into the office (a number of different clients).

Last month we were having a lot of problems with the production line (a number of different problems).

However, the past progressive is not normally used for the same action which is repeated, or for habitual past actions:

The production line stopped five times yesterday.

When I was at business school we often worked on case studies.

2. What made these people famous? Write true sentences, and change the form of the verb:

Example: John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in 1926.

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3. Past Simple quick test. How many words can you put in the list below?

4. Read the interview. Complete the conversation. Use the Past Simple form of the verbs in brackets:

Interviewer: So, Doctor Green, you came (come) to London for a medical congress and for a holiday…

Dr. Green: Yes, that’s right.

I: How many days did you spend (spend) in the UK?

D: Eight days. The congress ……… (last) three days and after that

I……… (stay) with friends.

I:Where ……… you ……… (stay)?

D: In a hotel for the congress, and then my friends ……… (invite) me to stay in their London flat.

I: …..…. you ……… (go) to any museums or art galleries in London? D: Yes, I did. I ……… (spend) 2 hours in the British Museum and the

National Gallery, but I ……… (not visit) the Tate Gallery. I: And what ……… you ……… (do) in the evenings?

D: My friends and I ……… (see) the musical Cats, and we ………

(eat) in some very good restaurants, but I ……… (not have) time to go to the theatre or the opera.

I: ……… you ……… (visit) any places outside London?

D: Yes. We ……… (go) to Bath and ……… (visit) the Roman Baths and ……… (take) photos of Bath’s famous architecture.

5. Complete the postcard using the Past Simple form of the verbs in the box below:

Come, have, meet, visit, walk, tour, do, spend, rent, see, understand Dear Louise,

Greetings from Scotland! We ……… to Scotland ten days ago and

………a day in Edinburgh. We ……… some sightseeing there and ………

the Castle, then we ……… a car and ……… the Scottish Highlands. We

………in the mountains and ……… some beautiful places, and ………

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dozens of friendly local people. Sometimes we ……… their Scottish accent!

……… you ……… a good holiday last month?

Love,

Anna and Max

6.Translate into English:

1.Вона підняла трубку і набрала номер телефону Аліси.

2.Коли вони поїхали? - Не знаю. Мене не було вдома.

3.Він повернувся позавчора, так?

4.Він поклав книжки на стіл, вимкнув світло і вийшов з кімнати.

5.Її сім’я переїхала до Канади минулого року.

6.Коли я ходив його відвідати, його не було вдома.

7.Давні єгиптяни будували піраміди для поховання своїх царів.

8. Людина винайшла колесо приблизно десять тисяч років тому. 9. Лікар працював 15 годин без перерви, і був дуже стомлений.

10. Різдво традиційно було часом, коли люди намагалися підбадьорити себе протягом холодних зимових місяців.

7. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past forms:

Last year, Tom and Fiona ……… (decide) to buy a house. They

………(save up) for ages, and by the end of May they ……… (put by) enough for the deposit on a house. They ……… (live) in a tiny flat at the time and Fiona ……… (insist) that she ……… (want) a house with a big garden. They ……… (search) for only a few days when they found exactly what they

………(look for) – a two-bedroom house in nearly an acre of garden.

Unfortunately the owner ……… (ask) much more than they ……… (be) willing to pay, and when they ……… (look) more closely at the interior, they

………(see) that whoever ……… (live) there before, ……… (make) an absolute mess of the walls and floors. Still, Fiona ……… (like) the garden and the location so much that she ……… (manage) to convince Tom that, despite the price, it ……… (be) the perfect house for them.

8. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past forms:

Last summer some friends and I ……… (arrange) to go camping. We

………(look) forward to going for weeks when finally the date of departure

………(arrive). We ……… (load) the car with our luggage and ……… (set off) early in the morning. The weather was perfect, the sun ……… (shine) brightly and the wind ……… (blow) gently. There ……… (not/be) a cloud in the sky! Shortly afterwards, while we ……… (travel) along the motorway, we

………(notice) that the car ……… (make) a strange noise. Pete, who ………

(drive) very fast, suddenly ……… (stop) the car. Everyone ……… (get out)

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and ……… (go) round to the back of the car. To our surprise the boot was wide open – whoever ……… (load) the luggage ……… (not/close) it properly, and everything ……… (fall out)!

9. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past forms:

Christopher Columbus ……… (be/born) in Italy in 1451. He ………

(work) as a woollen cloth weaver with his father before he ……… (begin) his nautical career at the age of 22. After several merchant voyages he ………

(settle) in Lisbon, Portugal in 1478. By this time he ……… (teach) himself Portuguese and Latin and ………. (read) many geographical and navigational books. In 1481 he ………. (marry) Felipa Parestrell. They ……… (have) one son, Diego. They ……… (be/married) for two years when his wife ………

(die). At this time he ……… (work) for John II of Portugal. Columbus

………(always/wish) to sail around the world westward but John II wouldn’t agree. Finally King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain ……… (decide) to finance the voyage. He ……… (set off) for the first time in April 1492. There

………(be) three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria and a crew of

90 men. They ……… (have) many false alarms before they finally ……….

(spot) the “New World” at 02.00 on Friday the 12th of October, 1492. Columbus ……… (make) another three voyages after this. He ……… (retire) to Valladolid 12 years after his first voyage and in 1517 he ……… (die) there.

10. Translate the following sentences into English using appropriate idiomatic phrases. Take care to use the Present or Past Continuous tense. Consult the reference list below:

1.Йому вже сімдесят, але роки не владні над ним.

2.Ви напрошуєтесь на неприємності, як би не довелось потім шкодувати.

3.А вам не спадало на думку, що ви лаєте не того?

4.Її справи йшли добре, і вона була дуже збентежена, коли дізналася, що ситуація погіршується.

5.У кінці роману лиходій отримує по заслугах, і його запроторюють у тюрму.

6.Мені дуже хочеться подивитися цей фільм, але так і не трапилася нагода.

7.Моя сестра так захопилась своїм експериментом, що не знає,

уякому вона світі живе.

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I had not been working You/we/they had not been working He/she/it had not been working

Uses

1. For an action continuing over a period up to a specific time in the past:

She had been saving for a whole year before she bought her ticket to Australia.

He had been waiting for an hour before she arrived.

2. For a continuous, past action which had visible results or effect in the past:

He had been shouting so loudly that he had a sore throat. He was tired. He had been cleaning the house all morning.

3. As the past equivalent of Present Perfect Continuous:

The party was a great success because he had been preparing for it all week. (Present Perfect Continuous: The party is a great success because he has been preparing for it all week.)

He was tired. He had been working hard all morning. (Present Perfect Continuous: He is tired. He has been working hard all morning.)

4. Time expressions used with Past Perfect Continuous: for, since

Practice

1.Fill in the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous:

1.Her feet ached last Monday. She ……… (walk) for six hours.

2.Don was cold. He ……… (swim) in the lake.

3.He couldn’t pay the bill. He ……… (lose) his wallet.

4.He bought a car after he ……… (save) enough money.

5.She signed the letter after she ……… (write) it.

6.Her hair was wet. She ……… (wash) it.

7.He felt sick because he ……… (eat) too much.

8.He was hot. He ……… (run) for an hour.

2.Complete these sentences using the verbs in brackets in Past Perfect:

1.Most of my friends were no longer there. They ……… (leave).

2.My best friend, Kevin, was no longer there. He ……… (go) away.

3.The local cinema was no longer open. It ……… (close) down.

4.Mr. Johnson was no longer alive. He ……… (die).

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5.I didn’t recognise Mrs. Johnson. She ……… (change) a lot.

6.Bill no longer had his car. He ……… (sell) it.

7.Mr. and Mrs. Davis were in an aeroplane. They were very nervous as the plane took off because they never ……… (fly) before.

8.The woman was a complete stranger to me. I never ……… (see)

before.

9.Margaret was late for work. Her boss was very surprised. She never

………(be/late) before.

10.Jane played tennis yesterday – at least she tried to play tennis. She wasn’t very good at it because she never ……… (play) before.

11.It was Keith’s first driving lesson. He was very nervous and did not know what to do. He never ……… (drive) before.

12.When I arrived at the station, the train ……… (leave).

13.We lit the candles because the lights ……… (go off).

14.When I got home I discovered that somebody ……… (break into)

my flat.

3.Join the sentences using the words in brackets:

1.She cleaned the house. Then, she watched TV. (after)

2.I found a solution to my problem. Then, I felt happier. (when)

3.The boys finished their homework. Then, they went out to play.

(before)

4.He locked the door. Then, the phone rang. (after)

5.Sarah washed the dishes. Then, her husband arrived. (by the time)

6.The concert finished. Then, the fans left the stadium. (when)

7.They play started. Then, Henry arrived at the theatre. (already …

when)

4.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of the Past Perfect:

1.Jason ……… (return) home before the storm broke out.

2.Lucy ……… (pack) her suitcase by the time you called her?

3.The children ……… (finish) doing their homework by nine o’clock.

4.Julie ……… (type) the letters by the time her boss came to the

office?

5.I ……… (not/finish) my lunch when uncle Bill came.

6.After Sarah ……… (do) the shopping, she had coffee with her friends at a café.

7.When I got to the garage, the mechanic ……… (not/repair) my car.

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8.The boys were frightened because they ……… (not/be) on a plane

before.

5.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of the Past Perfect Continuous:

1.Sophie ……… (paint) the walls all day before she finished them.

2.You ……… (wait) long when the boss announced that he couldn’t

see you?

3.Tom ……… (look) for a job for six months when he found one.

4.We ……… (watch) TV for half an hour when the doorbell rang.

5.They ……… (sunbathe) for an hour when it started to rain.

6.Stan ……… (work) as a postman for forty years when he retired.

7.I ……… (live) in France for ten years when I met my husband.

8.The two boys came into the house. One had a black eye and the other had a cut lip. They ……… (fight).

9.Tom was watching television. He was feeling very tired. He ………

(study) hard all day.

10.Tom was leaning against the wall, out of breath. He ……… (run).

11.We ……… (walk) along the road for about 20 minutes when a car stopped and the driver offered us a lift.

12.When I arrived, everyone was sitting round the table and talking.

Their mouths were empty but their stomachs were full. They ……… (eat).

13.When I arrived, Ann was waiting for me. She was rather annoyed with me because I was late and she ……… (wait) for a very long time.

6.Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, Past Perfect or Past Continuous:

1.A: Where 1) ……… (be) you last night?

B: I 2) ……… (be) at the cinema. I 3) ……… (watch) a great film when a fire 4) ……… (break out).

A:Oh gosh! How it 5) ……… (happen)?

B:Someone 6) ……… (drop) a match into a waste-paper basket. 2. A: 1) You ……… (go) to the beach on Saturday?

B:No, I 2) ……… (go) on Sunday instead.

A:You 3) ……… (have) a good time?

B:No, I didn’t. I 4) ……… (sunbathe) when it 5) ……… (start)

raining, so I 6) ……… (leave) in a hurry.

3. A: I 1) ……… (lose) my keys yesterday. B: Where you 2) ……… (lose) them?

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A: I don’t know. I 3) ……… (go) shopping and when I got back, I 4) ……… (realise) that I 5) ……… (leave) my keys somewhere.

7. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past forms:

Last year, Tom and Fiona 1) ……… (decide) to buy a house. They 2) ……… (save up) for ages, and by the end of May they 3) ……… (put by) enough for the deposit on a house. They 4) ……… (live) in a tiny flat at the time and Fiona 5) ……… (insist) that she 6) ……… (want) a house with a big garden. They 7) ……… (search) for only a few days when they found exactly what they 8) ……… (look for) – a two bedroomed house in nearly an acre of garden. Unfortunately the owner 9) ……… (ask) much more than they 10) ……… (be) willing to pay, and when they 11) ……… (look) more closely at the interior, they 12) ……… that whoever 13) ……… (live) there before, 14) ……… (make) an absolute mess of the walls and floors. Still, Fiona 15) ……… (like) the garden and the location so much that she 16) ……… (manage) to convince Tom that, despite the price, it 17) ………

(be) the perfect house for them.

8.Fill in the gaps with one of the verbs from the list in the Past Perfect Continuous:

play, work, walk, wait, discuss, sit

1.She was wet. She ……… in the rain.

2.They were happy. They ……… together for hours.

3.He was irritated. He ……… for the bus for half an hour.

4.He was hot. He ……… in the barn.

5.She was sunbathed. She ……… in the sun for hours.

6.They were tired. They ……… business problems for four hours.

9.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past forms:

Last summer some friends and I 1) ……… (arrange) to go camping.

We 2) ……… (look) forward to going for weeks when finally the date of departure 3) ……… (arrive). We 4) ……… (load) the car with our luggage and 5) ……… (set off) early in the morning. The weather was perfect, the sun 6) ……… (shine) brightly and the wind 7) ……… (blow) gently. There 8) ……… (not/be) a cloud in the sky! Shortly afterwards, while we 9) ………

(travel) along the motorway, we 10) ……… notice that the car 11) ………

(make) a strange noise. Pete, who 12) ……… (drive) very fast, suddenly 13) ……… (stop) the car. Everyone 14) ……… (get out) and 15) ……… (go) round to the back of the car. To our surprise the boot was wide open –

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whoever 16) ……… (load) the luggage 17) ……… (not/close) it properly,

and everything 18) ……… (fall out).

10. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous:

1. A: Are you all right? You look tired.

B: Yes, I am. I didn’t sleep very well. I just 1) ……… (go) to sleep last night when a lot of noise outside woke me up. I got up and went to the window. I 2) ……… (stand) there for a few minutes when two police cars stopped outside my house. I went downstairs and a policeman told me that two prisoners 3) ……… (escape) from prison and were hiding in the area.

A:Did they catch them again?

B:Yes, but I didn’t sleep very well after that.

2. A: Did you do anything exciting at the weekend?

B: Not really. By the time I 1) ……… (do) my shopping and cleaned the house, Saturday was nearly over. What about you?

A:Well, I 2) ……… (plan) to go out with my friend but she was late and I 3) ……… (wait) for nearly two hours before she phoned me to say she couldn’t come after all.

B:That’s a shame. Next weekend, we should go somewhere nice

together.

11.Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous:

Yesterday was a bad day for Andrew. He 1) ……… (not/sleep) well because there was a terrible storm at night. After he 2) ……… (have) a shower, he made breakfast. After he 3) ……… (eat), he got into his car and drove to work. He only 4) ……… (drive) for five minutes when he remembered that he 5) ……… (leave) his briefcase at home. He turned the car around and went home again. Then, he realised that he 6) ……… (lock) himself out. The keys were still inside the house! Andrew was already late for work, so he decided to leave the briefcase and go to work. When he arrived, his secretary told him that his boss 7) ……… (try) to call him at home.

Unit 5

Future Tenses. Future Simple. Future Continuous

Futures

Form

There are a number of ways of making reference to future time. These indicate:

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