To sound as natural as native speakers there are certain expressions and phrases we can use as fillers to gain time to think and to be vague, in case we need to.
Have a look at all the possibilities the language holds for us.
What were your family doing on Sunday at six o'clock in the evening? Make correct sentences to answer the question.
1. My mum / cook dinner 2. My dad / watch football 3. My grandmother / water the plants 4. My grandfather / read the newspaper & smoke a cigar 5. My sister / have a shower 6. My two little brothers / play computer games 7. My cat / sleep 8. I / study English & listen to music
What about YOUR family? What were they doing on Sunday at six pm?
ANSWER KEY: 1. My mum was cooking dinner 2. My dad was watching football 3. My grandmother was watering the plants 4. My grandfather was reading the newspaper and smoking a cigar 5. My sister was having a shower 6. My two little brothers were playing computer games 7. My cat was sleeping 8. I was studying English and listening to music
Read the grammar theory and do the activity below. Narrative Tenses
NARRATIVE TENSES
Fill the gaps with the
correct tense of the verb in brackets.
James Bond 1. (need)
a drink. The fight in the carpark with the dwarf 2. (make) him thirsty. He walked quickly along 46th Street in
search of an air-conditioned bar where he could get out of the heat and think.
He 3. (walk)
for only a few minutes, when it suddenly 4.
(occur) to him that somebody 5. (follow) him. There was no evidence for it except for a slight itchy feeling on the top of
his head. But he had faith in his sixth sense. It 6. (never / fail) him. He 7.
(stop) in front of the shop window he 8.
(pass) and 9. (look) casually
back along the street. He 10. (examine)
the Swiss watches in the window and then 11.
(turn) and walked on.
After a few yards he turned into a shop doorway where
a man 12. (look) at Japanese
cameras. As he did so, something grabbed his right arm and a voice snarled,
'All right, Limey*. Take it easy unless you want lead for lunch', He 13. (feel) something press into his
back just above his kidneys. Bond 14. (try)
to swing his arm to hit whoever it was that 15. (hold) him, but a strong hand 16. (catch) his fist**. An amused voice , 17. (say) "No good, James. The angels have got you."
He turned his head to find
himself looking into the grinning hawk-like*** face of Felix Leiter. A face he last 18. ( see) covered in bandages in
a hospital bed in Cairo nine months earlier. The face of the American secret
agent with whom he 19. (share) so
many adventures.
* limey - an old fashioned
American slang expression for an British person.
** fist - the shape of
your hand when you hold your fingers and thumb tightly together when you want
to hit someone.
*** hawk-like - like a hawk, a kind of hunting bird.
SOURCE:
www.eltbase.com
ANSWER KEY:
1. needed 2. had made 3. had been walking 4. occurred 5. was following 6. had never failed 7. stopped 8. was passing 9. looked 10. examined 11. turned 12. was looking 13. felt 14. tried 15. was holding 16. caught 17. said 18. saw 19. had shared
We all like talking about what we did last weekend, yesterday, last summer or when we were children. To be able to talk about our past we need the past simple tense. The past simple tense in English needs studying since there are many irregular verbs. Take your time, go through the notes, watch the video and study the irregular verbs. Then do the activity and check your answers with the list of verbs.
Fill in the blanks
with the past simple of the verbs in bold.
1.Did
you have a nice trip? Yes, I
________ a very nice trip, thanks. 2.What
time did you leave the house? I
________ at 8.30. 3.Did
you fly from Heathrow? No, we
________ from Gatwick. 4.Did
you see the Jacksons? Yes, we
________ them last week. 5.Did
you think about me? Of course I
________ about you. 6.Did
you take a coat? No, but I ________
a sweater. 7.Did
you give her my address? Yes, and I
________ her your telephone number. 8.Where
did you go on holidays? We ________
to Italy. 9.What
time did you wake up? I ________ at
8.00 a.m. 10.Did
you get up early yesterday? No, I
________ at 11 o’clock. 11.When
did they come back? They ________
back two days ago. 12.What
did you eat for breakfast? I
________ cornflakes. 13.Would
you like to drink something? No,
thanks, I ________ some coffee earlier. 14.Did
you write the report? Yes, I
________ it yesterday. 15.Did
you read the newspaper? No, I just
________ a magazine. 16.Where
did you put the tickets? I ________
in my bag. 17.He
always loses his car keys, once he
almost ________ his car! 18.He
doesn’t speak English, so he
________ to me in Chinese. 19.What
did you say? I ________ his name. 20.I
don’t usually run, but I ________ 5
kilometres yesterday. 21.Did
I tell you about my holidays? Yes,
you ________me yesterday. 22.Did
you buy a new suit? No, I just
________ a new tie. 23.I
don’t often break plates, but
yesterday I ________ two. 24.Why
did you fall down the stairs? Because you ________ (push) me! 25.Why
did you hit me? I ________ you
because I was angry. 26.Where
did you sit? We ________ at the
front. 27.Did
you have to stand on the train? Yes,
I ________ near the doors. 28.What
did you wear last night? I ________
a black dress. 29.How
did you tear your jeans? I ________
them on my car door. 30.Did you draw
that picture? No, my son ________ it.
Have a look at the notes below and check all the structures you can use to talk about your habits either in the present or in the past. Note that you can also talk about someone else's habits and you can even express your annoyance.
Now complete the sentences with ONE word. 1. I have a _____________ to forget people's birthdays. 2. As a child I _____________ to be very mischievous. 3. As a _____________, I never make arrangements for Sunday morning because we like to sleep in. 4. I _____________ to panic if I don't feel I'll be able to hand in the projects by the deadline. 5. She _____________ talk incessantly for hours and tell you all about her husband and kids. 6. He _____________ on making the same mistakes, he's a lost cause. 7. After school, I _____________ get home, have something to eat and do my homework. 8. She _____________ always texting me silly things. I'm fed up! 9. He had always been _____________ to headaches, even as a child. 10. Nine _____________ out of ten, she would get it wrong. She can't be trusted! ANSWER KEY 1. tendency 2. used 3. rule 4. tend 5. will 6. keeps 7. would 8. is 9. prone 10. times
1. Look for 2. Look after 3. Look forward to 4. Look up 5. Look up to 6. Look down on 7. Look like 8. Look into A. to regard with a feeling of superiority B. to investigate C. to resemble OR to be probable D. to take care of E. to look for information in a reference book F. to regard with admiration or respect G. to seek H. to wait or hope for something with excitement ANSWER KEY: 1.G 2.D 3.H 4.E 5.F 6.A 7.C 8.B 2. Now complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb. Put the verbs in the correct form. 1. I'm __________ to my holidays, I've already made all the necessary arrangements. 2. I don't want to have children, but I don't mind __________ my nephew. 3. I can't be bothered to __________ the new words when I'm watching my favourite TV series in English. 4. Thank you for the present! It's exactly what I was __________. 5. It __________ it's gonna rain tomorrow. 6. He's so arrogant I can't stand him. He's the kind of person who's always __________ others. 7. You should be proud of your achievements, a lot of people __________ you!
8. I can't come up with an answer now, but I'll __________ it and I'll call you back later. ANSWER KEY: 1. I'm looking forward to my holidays, I've already made all the necessary arrangements. 2. I don't want to have children, but I don't mind looking after my nephew. 3. I can't be bothered to look up the new words when I'm watching my favourite TV series in English. 4. Thank you for the present! It's exactly what I was looking for. 5. It looks like it's gonna rain tomorrow. 6. He's so arrogant I can't stand him. He's the kind of person who's always looking downon others. 7. You should be proud of your achievements, a lot of people look up to you! 8. I can't come up with an answer now, but I'll look into it and I'll call you back later.
Watch the video from the British Council, it will help you understand the use of the present perfect.
Analyse the following sentences and decide where can you put the words yet, already and just. 1. I have done the washing-up. 2. Have you finished your breakfast? 3. I have seen your sister. 4. She hasn't tidied up her clothes. 5. Have you lain the table? 6. We've cleaned all the house. 7. They've made the beds. 8. You haven't picked up your clothes. 9. Has he taken out the rubbish? 10. Have you made your homework? ANSWER KEY: 1. I've already/just done the washing-up. 2. Have you finished your breakfast yet? 3. I have already/just seen your sister. 4. She hasn't tidied up her clothes yet. 5. Have you lain the table yet? 6. We've just/already cleaned the house. 7. They just/already made the beds. 8. You haven't picked up your clothes yet. 9. Has he taken out the rubbish yet? 10. Have you made your homework yet.
Now complete the sentences with the idioms. In some cases you will need to put the verb in the correct form. A. hold your breath B. kiss someone goodbye C. hit the roof D. think twice (about something) E. kick the habit F. drop someone a line 1. The best way to stop hiccups is to _____________________ and count to ten. 2. My parents _____________________ when I said I'd been to an all-night party. 3. I've tried so many times to stop biting my nails, but I just can't ______________________. 4. I almost bought a new sports car, but then I _______________________ about it and realised it wasn't such a great idea. 5. A: I lost my purse with 2000$ in it. B: Well you can _________ that money ________! 6. _______ me ___________ when you know what time you're coming, and I'll meet you at the station. ANSWER KEY: 1. A 2. C 3. E 4. D 5. B 6. F
Listen to the song and put the verbs in the correct verb tense past simple or past continuous.
Bob Dylan - Hurricane
Pistols shots ring out in the barroom
night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper
hall
She sees the bartender in a pool of
blood
Cries out "My God they killed them
all"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities (1)__________ to blame (COME)
For something that he never done
(2)__________ him in a prison cell but one time he
could-a been (PUT)
The champion of the world.
Three bodies lying there does Patty see
And another man named Bello moving
around mysteriously
"I didn't do it" he says and
he throws up his hands
"I (3)__________ only the register I hope you understand (ROB)
I (4)__________
them leaving" he says and he stops (SEE)
"One of us had better call up the
cops"
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their
red lights flashing
In the hot New Jersey night.
Meanwhile far away in another part of
town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are
driving around
Number one contender for the
middleweight crown
(5)__________ no idea what kind of shit was about to
go down (HAVE)
When a cop pulled him over to the side
of the road
Just like the time before and the time
before that
In Patterson that's just the way things
go
If you're black you might as well not
shown up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a
rap for the corps
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just
out prowling around
He (6)__________
"I saw two men running out they looked like middleweights (SAY)
They (7)__________ into a white car with out-of-state plates" (JUMP)
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her
head
Cop said "Wait a minute boys this
one's not dead"
So they (8)__________ him to the infirmary (TAKE)
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the
guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin
in
Take him to the hospital and they bring
him upstairs
The wounded man looks up through his one
dying eye
Says "What do you bring him in here
for ? He ain't the guy !"
Yes here comes the story of the
Hurricane
The man the authorities (9)__________ to blame (COME)
For something that he never done
(10)__________ in a prison cell but one time he
could-a been (PUT)
The champion of the world.
Four months later the ghettos are in
flame
Rubin's in South America fighting for
his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in
the robbery game
And the cops are putting the screws to
him looking for somebody to blame
"Remember that murder that (11)__________ in a bar ?" (HAPPEN)
"Remember you said you saw the
getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball
with the law ?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter
you (12)__________ running that
night ?" (SEE)
"Don't forget that you are white".
Arthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm
really not sure"
Cops said "A boy like you (13)__________ use a break (CAN)
We got you for the motel job and we're
talking to your friend Bello
Now you don't want to have to go back to
jail be a nice fellow
You'll be doing society a favour
That son of a bitch is brave and getting
braver
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim".
Rubin could take a man out with just one
punch
But he never (14)__________ like to talk about it all that much (DO)
It's my work he'd say and I do it for
pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go
on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air
is nice
And ride a horse along a trail
But then they (15)__________ him to the jailhouse (TAKE)
Where they try to turn a man into a
mouse.
All of Rubin's cards (16)__________ marked in advance (BE)
The trial was a pig-circus he never had
a chance
The judge made Rubin's witnesses
drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who (17)__________ he was a revolutionary
bum (WATCH)
And to the black folks he was just a
crazy nigger
No one doubted that he pulled the
trigger
And though they could not produce the
gun
The DA said he was the one who did the
deed
And the all-white jury agreed.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried
The crime was murder 'one' guess who
testified
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly
lied
And the newspapers they all (18)__________ along for the ride (GO)
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed
to live in a land
Where justice is a game.
Now all the criminals in their coats and
their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the
sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot
cell
An innocent man in a living hell
That's the story of the Hurricane
But it won't be over till they clear his
name
And give him back the time he's done
Put him in a prison cell but one time he
could-a been
The
champion of the world
ANSWER KEY:
1. came 2. put 3. was (only) robbing 4. saw 5. had 6. said 7. jumped 8. took 9. came 10. put 11. happened 12. saw 13. could 14. did 15. took 16. were 17. watched 18. went
