GRAMMAR-TENSES.

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Mariachh

Lengua B I: Inglés

1º Grado en Traducción e Interpretación

Facultad de Humanidades
Universidad Pablo de Olavide

Reservados todos los derechos.

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
 1. PRESENT SIMPLE

To talk about habitual events and fixed truths.

Most authors write about 1,000 words a day.

Violins have four strings.
always, usually, often,
sometimes, never
To talk about how often you do something. (adverbs)
Carla checks her text messages every few minutes.

For startes that imply permanence or for those that are true for a long time.

The president of the United States Works in the White House

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

For temporary states

He is acting as manager while his boss is away

To talk about an activity that is taking place when you speak or around the time of speaking

Listen! This computer is making a strage noise.

He’s studying at evening class at the momento/now

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Reservados todos los derechos. No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
 PAST TENSES

3. PAST SIMPLE

Single completed actions, to express an event that took place at a definite past time.
When did you last write a letter? – I think it was a year ago

Reservados todos los derechos. No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
When, yesterday, last week,
Sony invented the CD in the early 1980s.
three months ago

Repead or habitual actions in the past in a period of time in the past or finished at a fixed time in the past
Henry ran 15 kilometres every day for 60 days.

He moved house a lot when he was Young.

He gave up running in June and died in July.

After wish, it’s time, would rather, etc

I’d rather he didn’t waste too much time playing videogames

General truths about the past

Early clocks were usually very unreliable

4. PAST CONTINUOUS

To talk about actions that were in progress at a particular moment in the past. Thay may or may not be
finished. After while

Last week, the police were watching the house on the corner.

Were you chatting to Matt online at midnight last night?

Actions in progress around a particular moment in the past

At the turn of the twentieth century, many discoveries were being made in physics and other sciences

I was singing when she arrived WHEN + Past simple

She arrived while I was singing WHILE + Past continuous

To talk about a background activity or information

It was raining outside and people were making their way home after work
We were lying on our backs looking at the starts

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Lengua B I: Inglés
Banco de apuntes de la
 PAST CONTINUOUS VS PAST SIMPLE

- We often used the past continuous to discrete background events in progress and the past simple for the Main
Events.
We were talking about mp3 when Andrea mentioned her music website

- We normally used the past simple to described or repeat action in the past, not the past continuous
When I was a child, I visited my grandmother every week.

Reservados todos los derechos. No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
5. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

When there is a connection between the past and the present

Have/Has + participio
She's lost a lot of weight in the last few months

Explorers have just reached the north pole

For things that have just happened or when the event is still relevant or is still news.

present perfect simple when you mention the number of times

That train had broken down three times so far this week.

the event might have started at some time in the past and still continues:

I have known about the problem for a long time, but I haven't done anything about it yet.

To give general news or information (it is followed by more detail using the past simple)

A New zoo for endangered species has opened in the Lake District. It took five years to build and run
entirely on solar energy.

6. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

For events that being in the past and continues in to the present. It's often used with since (+ starting point)
for (period of time) and how long (also with present perfect simple)

They have been going out with each other since Christmas.

That dog has been chasing its tail for about ten minutes
Have/Has been + participio

To talk about long orbit actions that have just finished but where the consequence is still clear:

- You are late for the meeting

- Sorry! I have been trying to park my car

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 7. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

Situation and states before the past

Had you had your computer long before it broke down? Had + participio

Complete action before a moment in the past

When talking things appeared, desfile Manhart already become a popular form of entertainment.
When she called I had managed to fix her computer

A series of actions continuing up to a moment in the past

By the time of his death, Thomas Edison had invented a number of things that changed everyday life

Complete action where important thing is the result at a moment in the past

I beat Jason at international Captain because I'd played it a lot with my brother

8. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Action and situation continuing up to a moment in the past or just before a moment in the past.
Used to enphasise a longer action.

She has been writing computer games for over 10 years before she finally had a hit.

But we use the past perfect simple to say how many times
By the time he was 25, he had already been married twice Had been + participio

PAST CONTINUOUS VS PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

In general, the past continuous is used to refer to actions in progress during period of time or at moment which are
finished.

The present perfect continuous is used to refer to actions in progress during period of time which continues up to the
present

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Reservados todos los derechos. No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
 9. USED TO/WOULD

We use used to + infinitive to talk about past habit. SOLÍA…

In the past, people used to write letter by hand and send them to their friends.

Reservados todos los derechos. No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
To ask questions, use did + name/pronoun + use to (NOT USED TO)

Did your parents use to allow you ride a motorbike?

The negative form is didn't use to (not didn't used to)

Policemen didn't use to carry firearms

Use USED TO for past situations and states that are no longer true or no longer exist
(WOULD CANNO BE USED)
Did Shakespeare use to live in London?

Don’t use used to to say how long something lasted in the past. Use the past simple:

I did the national lottery for a long time, but I didn’t have any luck

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si lees esto me debes un besito