The Toys Party
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
HOMEWORK
Copy 10 sentences in Past simple tense, use the following web pages
Past Simple Tense
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
- I saw a movie yesterday.
- I didn't see a play yesterday.
- Last year, I traveled to Japan.
- Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
- Did you have dinner last night?
- She washed her car.
- He didn't wash his car.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
- I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
- He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
- Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?
USE 3 Duration in Past
The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
- I lived in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
- They sat at the beach all day.
- They did not stay at the party the entire time.
- We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
- A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for one hour.
USE 4 Habits in the Past
The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
- I studied French when I was a child.
- He played the violin.
- He didn't play the piano.
- Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
- She worked at the movie theater after school.
- They never went to school, they always skipped class.
USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."
Examples:
- She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
- He didn't like tomatoes before.
- Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
- People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
| Simple Present | Present Continuous |
|---|---|
infinitive
(3rd person singular: infinitive + 's')
I speak
you speak he / she / it speaks we speak they speak |
form of 'be' and verb + ing
I am speaking
you are speaking he / she / it is speaking we are speaking they are speaking |
| Exceptions | |
Exceptions when adding 's' :
| Exceptions when adding 'ing' :
|
USE
In general or right now?
Do you want to express that something happens in general or that something is happening right now?
| Simple Present | Present Progressive |
|---|---|
in general (regularly, often, never)
Colin plays football every Tuesday.
present actions happening one after another
First Colin plays football, then he watches TV.
|
right now
Look! Colin is playing football now.
also for several actions happening at the same time
Colin is playing football and Anne is watching.
|
| Signal words | |
|
|
Note: The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Present:
be, have, hear, know, like, love, see, smell, think, want | |
Timetable / Schedule or arrangement?
Do you want to express that something is arranged for the near future? Or do you refer to a time set by a timetable or schedule?
| Simple Present | Present Progressive |
|---|---|
| action set by a timetable or schedule
The film starts at 8 pm.
| arrangement for the near future
I am going to the cinema tonight.
|
Daily routine or just for a limited period of time?
Do you want to talk about a daily routine? Or do you want to emphasis that something is only going on for a limited (rather short) period of time?
| Simple Present | Present Progressive |
|---|---|
| daily routine
Bob works in a restaurant.
| only for a limited period of time (does not have to happen directly at the moment of speaking)
Jenny is working in a restaurant this week.
|
Certain Verbs
The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Present (not in the progressive form).
- state: be, cost, fit, mean, suitExample: We are on holiday.
- possession: belong, haveExample: Sam has a cat.
- senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touchExample: He feels the cold.
- feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wishExample: Jane loves pizza.
- brain work: believe, know, think, understandExample: I believe you.
- Introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, sayExample: “I am watching TV,“ he says.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
The boy in the woods
New words
wood
this way
Who are you?
Me, too.
Come with me
Willow Cottage
hungry
tomorrow
where
here
strange
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

