Search results for 'tag:Present progressive tag:Past simple' matching tags 'Present progressive' and 'Past simple'

Re: A myriad of grammar problems :(

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:02:52 GMT

Thanks for confirming what I got right, and what I got wrong, appreciated :).

I'll try the answers so, but just to let you bear in mind, when it comes to tenses, I have to choose between the following options:

Present Perfect
Present Simple
Present Progressive
Past Simple

And...obviously Past, present, future for the Time Reference.

Here's my answers so:

Exercise 2
Look through the following sentences and select the TENSE and the time reference used.

E.g. 1. If I won a lot of money, I'd travel the world.	Past Simple	Future
2. I wish I had more time to finish this exercise.
3. When you have finished, you can go home.
4. 'Major calls for peace summit' (headline).
5. I'm meeting some friends at the pub tonight.
6. We've got the next lesson in the language library.
7. I am to give a speech at the conference next week.

Question 2: Past Simple, Present Time Ref.
Question 3: Present Progressive, Future Time Ref.
Question 4: Present Simple, Present Time Ref.
Question 5: Present Progressive, Future Time Ref.
Question 6: Present Perfect, Present Time Ref.
Question 7: Present Simple, Future Time Ref.

Simple past or past simple

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:55:32 GMT

Hi everybody,

Why do all the Grammar books use the expressions "simple present" and "simple past", although all the other tenses start with the tense-marker and add the aspect-marker then: present progressive, present perfect, present perfect progressive, past progressive, past perfect, past perfect progressive.
Couldn't it be more logical to then say "present simple" and "past simple"?

Yours, D.S. Elfers

Simple past or past simple?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:47:13 GMT

Hi everybody,

I'm a teacher of English at a German Grammar School and after 12 years of experience I'm still wondering about the following puzzle:
Why do all the Grammar books stick to the "confusing" expressions simple past and simple present, although it seems quite more logical to say past simple and present simple? I really prefer these expressions in my classes, because all the other tenses just start with the "tense marker" and go on with the "aspect marker": present progressive, present perfect, past progressive, past perfect.
Can I go on using my preferable expressions?

Yours, D.S. Elfers

Function of tenses

gordo604 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:50:06 GMT

Hello,

I need help with checking whether these verb tenses are present perfect, present simple, present progressive, past simple.

I put my answers in (brackets)

2. I wish I had more time to finish this exercise. (present simple)
3. When you have finished, you can go home. (present progressive)
4. 'Major calls for peace summit' (a headline). (present progressive)
5. I'm meeting some friends at the pub tonight. (present progressive)
6. We've got the next lesson in the language library. (present perfect)
7. I am to give a speech at the conference next week. (present simple) Thanks so much.

Re: questions

Newguest — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:14:56 GMT

Grammar Geek wrote:

Use the present progressive if you want to talk about something that happened while you were chatting.

We were having a chat as we waited/while we were waiting, and it occurred to us that...

or We were having a chat, and we realized that...

So, I understand that "We were having a chat while we were waiting, and it occured to us...." is fine? If so, it means that it's possible to use two continuous tenses next to each other in the same sentence and that will be fine, however, I conclude that it's usually better to use past simple and past continuous tense next to each other, or the other way round?

Hi, i need some tasks.

BeginStudent — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:18:06 GMT

Hi,

I'll have exam next week. I am needing to exercise "Rewrite the sentence " with tenses: present progressive,present simple,past simple , past progressive.

can someone give me exercise?

BTW-some one of here have MSN or something else to talk with microphone ? - " All the people said when you talk the language you learn it !".

Thankes for help.

Re: What the difference (Present Perfect Progressive/Past Progressive)?

Ant_222 — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:02:01 GMT

Mister Micawber:

«In the first case, you are finished thinking; in the second case, you are not.»

If to take possible contexts into consideration, I disagree:

Past Simple, but he's still thinking (at the moment of speech):

1. I can't solve this problem! I was thinking yesterday at the lesson, I was thinking in the bus on the way home, I am thinking now. But nothing better than the explanation through the Huygens principle occurs to me.

Perfect Progressive, but he've probably finshed thinking.

2. I have been thinking a lot in the past few weeks, and have come to several solutions: one is to introduce a feedback in order to achieve a negative output resstance at low frequencies, another is...

So, Past Progressive is used to describe what was happening at some past moment (or interval) of time, no matter whether it is still happening or not.

Present Progressive emphasises the importance of the result of a past action for the present, or, is used to indicate an action that has begun but hasn't finished, as in:

«It has been raining since morning.»

In situations, when in focus is a state rather than an action (like the state of being friends), Present Perfect is used:

«We have been friends since childhood»

«My family has owned this castle for ages.»
(the state of owning a castle doesn't imply an active process...)

Though, as I understand, the same can be said by a guy who has just had a _very serious_ quarrel with a friend and doesn't consider him a friend anymore.

The same about the owner, standing before the ruins of his castle, just destroyed by an earthquake.

I'd call them "right-up-to-the-present" actions.

Re: Present Participle and Past Participle Tenses....

User_gary — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:37:38 GMT

Tanglish wrote:

Hi all,

I can easily indentified the present, past , future tenses, but I don't know anything about Present Participle and Past Participle Tenses. Could anyone explain me with example and when I have to use that tenses????

Thanks!!!!

[I don't understand exactly what you mean]

Here is some basics that might help you.

Verb has four forms :

prsent simple : Break, hold, make, drink, write

Past simple: Broke, held, made, drank, wrote

Past participle: broken, held, made, drunk, written

Present participle: breaking, holding, making, drinking, writing.

Note : sometimes `simple past' and `past participle' has same forms. e.g. held-held, made-made.

As I told you above, Present participle is `ing' form of verbs.

Present participle is used to write `present progressive', `present perfect progressive', `past progressive', `past perfect progressive, `future progressive', `future perfect progressive'.

E.g. I am reading books. [Here `reading' is present participle] [It is present progressive sentence]

I have been playing football for five hours. [Here `playing is present participle, `been' is past participle] [It is present perfect progressive sentence]

Past participle is used to write `perfect tenses' e.g. (Present perfect, present perfect progressive, past perfect, past perfect progressive, future perfect, future perfect progressive)

e.g. I have made this book. [here `made' is past participle] [It is present perfect sentence]

I have been asking questions for 7 hours. [here `been' is past participle, `asking' is present participle] [It is present perfect progressive sentence]

Put the verb in brackets into a suitable active and passive verb form.

maxmouse — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:32:34 GMT

This is a serios problem for me. When we use active or passive ?

Dear Mrs Patel,
We are delighted to inform you that you 1 (select)for a free holiday. According to our information, you 2(answer) a telephone survey last month, as a result of which your name 3( enter)in the holiday draw.Now our computer 4(choose) your name, so you and your family5.(invite) to spend a week in a European destination of your choice.This offer 6(make) on the condition that you attend a special promotions day with other lucky families in your region who 7(offer) a similar deal.You 8.(ask) to attend on any Saturday next month at the Royal Hotel,Manchester.If you 9(interest) in attending and taking up this offer, please 10(detach) the slip below and return it to us as soon as possible.

In my opinion
1)have been selected - this is the example ( I can't understand why this is the correct form. Why not you are selected.
2) answered (because of last month )
3) has been entered ( present perfect beacuse it's a result of something and passive because we don't understand who entered this name.
4)First I thought that it must be past simple but I saw NOW and then decided that it should be has chosen
5)are invited (I decided to be in this way because of the translation which seems to be the very best way !
6)makes ( I think that it is active form because we know that the OFFER makes it not somebody else. and present simple because the other verb in the sentence ''Attend'' is also in present simple.After deep thinking I think that it can also be is made. It depends on the translation.
7)offers - active because we know who offers and the present simple because of that it is regular activity
8)are asked ( passive form because somebody who is not mentioned asked us and about present progressive because it is something already decided ''Saturday next month'' I think that ''are going to be asked'' is also possible but I am not sure. I'd be glad to understand if it is possible.
9)are interested - because interested is almost always used in passive and the transation clearly show us that it must be passive
10)detach - I am not sure about this but I think it is active ''it can not be passive'' and is present simple because of''return''
If somebody spots some mistakes let's show them to me please!

Re: Help!!!

Miche — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 11:36:31 GMT

John is working (PRESENT PROGRESSIVE) hard.
I saw (PAST SIMPLE) him last week.
I was having (PAST PROGRESSIVE) a bath when the phone rang (PAST SIMPLE).
Isabel had finished (PAST PERFECT) her lunch when I arrived (PAST SIMPLE).
Nigel lives (PRESENT SIMPLE) in London.
Iâve had (PRESENT PERFECT) a cold for five days.
They discussed (PAST SIMPLE) the problem for three hours.
Iâll give (FUTURE SIMPLE) him the message when I see (PRESENT SIMPLE, FUTURE REFERENCE) him.
Iâm going to teach in Mongolia next year. - Sorry, I don't know how to define this. I would say its "going to" with a future reference. It's probably present progressive but I'm not sure. Hope somebody will know.