GRAMMAR 2- VERBS
Ellie Cavalcanti

TASK 1 - FORM
Complete the following tables:

Comment on 'will' -

Comment on 'used to' and 'would' -

TASK 2 - USE
Comment on the use of these tenses.
Give examples where possible.

TASK 3 - TIMELINES
Identify the tense or tenses in the following sentences and illustrate them using time-lines.
(Note: provide a key for the symbols you use)

1. I get up early.

2. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. I'm working in Dubai this week.

4. We've been working for hours.

5. I've lived in Abu Dhabi for 3 years.

6. I was having a shower when the phone rang.

7. He died in 1964.

8. When Sylvia arrived home at 6pm, Tim had cooked the dinner.

9. When Sylvia arrived home at 6pm, Tim had been cooking the dinner for 3 hours.

10. We were working from morning to night.

TASK 4 - DIFFERENCES IN MEANING
Explain the differences in meaning between the sentences in each of the following groups.
Refer where appropriate to contexts in which one or the other might be preferred.
(Timelines may help you explain.)

The Present

1. She smokes / she's smoking.

2. Are you wanting to go home? / Do you want to go home?

3. Are you liking the concert? / Do you like the concert?

4. How long are you staying here? / How long have you been staying here?

5. I've lived here for 60 years. / I've been living here for 60 years.

6. She always brings me flowers. / She's always bringing me flowers.

7. He's got a bath. / He has a bath. / He's having a bath.

The Past

1. I left when he arrived. / I had left when he arrived. / I was leaving when he arrived.

2. She pointed out he spoke English. / She pointed out he had spoken English. / She pointed out he was speaking English.

3. She'd been painting the room when she was taken into hospital. / She'd painted the room when she was taken into hospital. / She was painting the room when she was taken into hospital.

TASK 5 - USED TO / WOULD
Comment on 'used to' and 'would' under the following headings : -

Key considerations:

Form:

Meaning:

Pronunciation:

Teaching considerations:

Typical difficulties for learners:

Read the following extract.
Some of the verbs have been printed in their infinitive form.

1. The narrator of a novel is describing a woman he is obsessed with.

When she was home from her boarding-school I see (1) her almost every day sometimes, because their house be (2) opposite the Town Hall Annexe. She and her younger sister go (3) in and out quite a lot, often with young men, which of course I didn't like. When I have (4) a free moment from the files and ledgers I stand (5) by the window and look (6) down over the road over the frosting and sometimes I see (7) her.

a. Try to work out what verb form would have been used in the original.
b. Give reasons for this or explain what alternatives would be possible. How might these alter the meaning expressed or the effect created?