Search results for 'tag:Simple past tag:Perfect progressive' matching tags 'Simple past' and 'Perfect progressive'

Re: tense

Skrej — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:42:27 GMT

You can use a specific time (yesterday, Monday, etc.) with the present perfect progressive as long as you've got 'since' or 'for' right before that specific time.

"She's been calling me since yesterday/Monday" or "She's been calling me for 48 hours straight" are both okay.

If you say "She called me yesterday", then that would be simple past. You can't say "She has been calling me yesterday/Monday".

Unless your name happens to be Yesterday or Monday.

PAST PERFECT AND PAST SIMPLE...................

Dreamdream — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:16:14 GMT

I WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE IS CORRECT: WHILE HE WAS READING THE BOOK, HIS UNCLE CAME BACK.

WHILE HE HAD BEEN READING THE BOOK, HIS UNCLE CAME BACK.

AND TELL ME ANY WEBSITE WHERE I COULD POST MINE QUESTIONS REAGARDING ENGLISH .................AND I CAN GET THE ANSWERS OF THOSE QUICKLY............................

Magic79

I am not a native speaker of English...but I dont think I agree with your use of the past perfect progressive!!!!!!!!

1. While he had been reading the book, his uncle came back.

past perfect progressive + simple past

What do you think of the following sentence:

a. While he was reading the book, his uncle came back home.
past contiuous + simple past

I think the timeline for both sentences is the same:

__________***++++*** _______now____

*** = reading a book

++++ = came back

now = moment of speech utterance

I might be wrong after all since none of the members replied to this thread with my comment.

I would like to know the uses of past progressive

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:06:40 GMT

Dear Teachers,

I would like to know how the past progressive tense works, and when it is correct to use it, in contradiction to the simple past tense?
Moreover, I would like to get a terse explanation about 'present perfect progressive', I'm not even sure about the tense's name.
I'm convined that it is somehow called 'present perfect progressive'.
Thanks!

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

Kooyeen — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:21:11 GMT

Onh1986 wrote:
So what the difference between:

- I was thinking.

- I have thought.

Hi,
it is difficult to answer, because you should put verbs in example sentences in order to understand how to use them.

I am thinking now. That's what I'm doing now. I'm thinking about my new invention. Please don't disturb me, leave me alone.
When you came in my room, I was thinking. I was thinking about my new invention. I told you to leave me alone.

- Mark? Are you ok? You don't seem to be paying attention to the explanation...
- Oh, sorry Mrs. Evilteacher, I was thinking. I was still thinking about that exercise we did earlier.

As for "I have thought", it is just a present perfect. It is one of the most difficult things to master. You have to understand the basic difference between the present perfect and the simple past, and then it'll take time and practice to use those verbs correctly.
To understand the basic difference, you can search this forum, there is an avalanche of threads about that. Or read about it in a good grammar book for learners.

PS: I saw you keep on asking "What the difference". It's "What is the difference" or "What's the difference", you are forgetting the verb "is".

Re: By the end of next month, he will have been teaching at this school.

Marius Hancu — Sat, 26 May 2007 10:38:33 GMT

Cool Breeze is right.

And by the way, B has perfection, had been waiting is past perfect progressive.
Without perfection would be the simple past progressive of was waiting.

How many tenses are there in English language?

Jackson6612 — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:03:33 GMT

I was told that there are twelve tenses in English:

1: Simple Present Tense

2: Present Perfect Tense

3: Present Progressive Tense

4: Present Perfect Progressive Tense

5: Simple Past Tense

6: Past Perfect Tense

7: Past Progressive Tense

8: Past Perfect Progressive Tense

9: Simple Future Tense

10: Future Perfect Tense

11: Future Progressive Tense

12: Future Perfect Progressive Tense

But I read somewhere that total number of tenses in English is six or seven. Is this true?

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]

Re: Past perfect X simple past X past perfect continuous

Magic79 — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:09:17 GMT

Pemmican wrote:

The Past Perfect Progressive is used to express an action that had been in progress (in the past) when another event in the past took place, so it expresses the background action:
While he had been reading the book, his uncle came back home.
While I had been doing my homework, it started to rain.

If I am wrong, then Pemmican is too!!!! And that is why I raised the red flag.

So is Pemmican wrong??? (no body said he was...and that is why I am ((((((

Re: Past perfect X simple past X past perfect continuous

MrPedantic — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:51:57 GMT

Magic79 wrote:

1. While he had been reading the book, his uncle came back.

past perfect progressive + simple past

What do you think of the following sentence:

a. While he was reading the book, his uncle came back home.
past contiuous + simple past

Hello Magic

I'm inclined to agree that the first sentence does sound a little strange; the second ("While he was...") sounds more natural.

Here are some typical examples of the progressive past perfect:

1. Mr Blunkett said he had been preparing to sacrifice his political career in order to pursue his paternity claim to Mrs Quinn's son.

â here, the PPP is a reported version of "I was preparing".

2. The impossibility of her quitting her father, Mr. Knightley felt as strongly as herself; but the inadmissibility of any other change, he could not agree to. He had been thinking it over most deeply, most intently...

â here, the PPP denotes a continuous activity that is past from the point of view of a later past activity.

3. If he hadn't been sitting in the back seat, where the drugs were found, would he have been arrested?

â here, the PPP occurs in a "type III" conditional: it denotes an imaginary past.

MrP

Re: Past perfect X simple past X past perfect continuous

Magic79 — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 13:28:47 GMT

I am not a native speaker of English...but I dont think I agree with your use of the past perfect progressive!!!!!!!!

1. While he had been reading the book, his uncle came back.

past perfect progressive + simple past

What do you think of the following sentence:

a. While he was reading the book, his uncle came back home.
past contiuous + simple past

I think the timeline for both sentences is the same:

__________***++++*** _______now____

*** = reading a book

++++ = came back

now = moment of speech utterance

I might be wrong after all since none of the members replied to this thread with my comment.