Making Sense of English Tenses - brief overview for adult learners
-
Upload
independent -
Category
Documents
-
view
1 -
download
0
Transcript of Making Sense of English Tenses - brief overview for adult learners
MAKING SENSE OF ENGLISH
TENSES Do they make sense at all?
Simona Petrescu Oct 2013 [email protected]
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Anchors:
Event:
Activity:
An important moment we
are looking at
Something happening at
a point in time
Something happening
and taking time
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
SO THERE ARE SIMPLE TENSES, FIRST:
I usually follow the news on the internet, but sometimes I
watch it on TV.
When I got home I started the TV and the news came in about
the crash.
In this presentation I will first talk about basic meanings of
tenses, then I will give you some examples and in the end we
will have some practice.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
AND SOME CONTINUOUS TENSES:
Economy is growing slowly.
When I turned on the TV, they were reporting on the US
crisis.
In ten years‘ time everybody will be driving an e-car.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
BUT THE TRICKIEST OF ALL ARE THE
PERFECT ONES:
We‘ve started a new course.
The US have shut down the state services sector.
When I got home last night the movie had already started.
By 2040 the world population will have reached about 9 billion.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
AND AS IF THAT WASN‘T ENOUGH:
PERFECT AND CONTINUOUS
I‘ve been waiting here for two hours.
It‘s been raining heavily, so drive carefully!
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
BEFORE WE GO DEEPER, LET‘S LOOK AT
THE FORMS:
Examples So the rule is…
Simple
follow, watch
got, started,
will talk
Continuous is growing,
were reporting
will be driving
Perfect have started, have
shut
had started
will have reached
Perfect +
continuous
has been raining,
have been waiting
V1
V2
Will V1
BE + Ving
HAVE + V3
HAVE +
BEEN + Ving
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
NOW LET‘S GO DEEPER…
What do the simple tenses do?
They match one event to one anchor (one-to-one). The event is
like a closed book. You see the cover, the title, but you‘re not
interested to look inside. You just have one book after another
and another and another. You collect books – and events. The
simple tenses SIMPLY tell a story.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
SO FOR INSTANCE…
I always have black coffee in the morning, but
when I go out with friends I often take a
cappuccino.
Inflation rises every time the government prints
more money than there are goods on the markets.
He heard the bell but he didn‘t move.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
IN CONTRAST…
The continuous tenses zoom in on a PARTICULAR
time anchor: When you zoom in,
you actually open
the book and look
inside
Your events now take
time, they have a
beginning and an
ending, and you are
looking at them while
they are running.
They are no longer
events, they become
activities.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
SO COMPARE:
I always have black coffee in the morning, but
when I go out with friends I often take a
cappuccino. We see these events from outside, like points in time
(anchors)
Hi, I‘m just having a cappuccino with Carla so I‘ll
be a bit late, OK? We see the cappuccino event as taking longer, we are just in
the middle of it. The cappuccino event has a beginning and
a finish, and we are zooming in on a PARTICULAR
cappucino-drinking event.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
THERE ARE SOME PHILOSOPHICAL
PROBLEMS HERE
What is general, what is particular?
Whenever it‘s raining, I prefer to take the train.
In this picture, the woman is reading a book.
What can take time at all?
I‘m not understanding this.
He thinks English is difficult. He‘s thinking of
taking private lessons.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
AND IN CONTRAST TO THE SIMPLE AND TO
THE CONTINUOUS…
The perfect tenses look back over the shoulder
and say that at the anchor point we‘re interested
in, a specific event is already completed.
When you look
back over your
shoulder, you
are looking at
the book behind
you. It‘s closed,
and you are
finished with it.
You could be
happy,
disappointed
etc.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
COMPARE:
I tried that trick long ago and it didn‘t work. You‘re simply telling a story.
I‘ve tried this trick and it‘s worked! Hurrah! At the anchor point „present“ you‘re happy about something
completed. So you‘re looking back from NOW to something
that is finished and that makes you happy.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
AND SOME MORE LOOKING BACK:
Looking back from a present anchor:
I‘ve passed the exam. Eric has got married.
Autumn has set in.
Looking back from a past anchor:
When I told him the truth, he answered that he‘d
heard that before. At 3 a.m. they‘d finally
finished their party and gone to bed.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
AND SOME PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS
HERE TOO:
What is SIMPLY at an anchor before another
anchor (a simple tense), and what is before a
particular anchor (perfect tense)?
I‘ve finished the book. (anchor NOW)
I finished the book last week and I took it back to the library. (two
past anchors)
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
WELL, THAT‘S UP TO YOU REALLY…
Simple tenses are objective ways of placing
events in time (past, present, or future).
Continuous and perfect tenses are subjective
ways of looking at the events.
You use a continuous when you are zooming in (that‘s
YOUR view of the event).
You use a perfect when you are looking back from an
anchor point (that‘s YOUR view of the event).
Whichever decision you make, the time words you
use will have to match your vision.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
SO USE SUCH TIME WORDS…
With simple forms: usually, always, every…; last
night, yesterday, …ago, in 1989; in 2050, next
week etc.
With continuous forms: right now, today, this
week, this year, currently, at the moment etc.
With perfect forms: since, in the last…, recently,
already, yet, so far, until now / then, before (in
my life), ever, never, by that time; this week, this
morning etc.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com
MOST OF ALL, TENSES MAKE SENSE FOR
THE GOAL YOU HAVE WHEN SPEAKING…
Simple present: talk about routines, job
descriptions, company activities (in general),
describe permanent facts, situations
Simple past: tell stories as a chain of events
Present perfect: give news, point out
achievements, talk about life experience etc
Present continuous: talk about a current project,
a temporary evolution in the economy, a specific
activity for today etc.
Sim
on
a P
etre
scu
sim.p
etre
scu@
ma
il.com