Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

Name: ___________________; Date:_______________________

1. Present Perfect
1.1. What is the difference between:
(a) I’ve seen him this morning.
(b) I saw him this morning.

1.2. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. Can you see the pattern of tense use in a
news story? What tense do we use for the opening sentence? Why?

2. Past Perfect
2.1. In this extract, a woman describes being invited into the pilot’s cabin on an aeroplane she
was travelling on.

The pilot said, “You can go in the cabin,” you see. Well, my mouth dropped
open…you see…Oh, I’d had a joke with one of the girls, you know, the stewardess
girls, and maybe it was her. Or there was a young man with us who had been in our
hotel, maybe he’d said something. Somebody had, anyway. So they took me right
into where the two pilots were. It was absolutely fantastic.

a. How did the woman react when the pilot told her she could visit the cabin?
b. The woman says “Somebody had, anyway.” Can you expand her sentence to help you
explain the story.

c. Which tense is used to try to explain why she was invited to see the pilot’s cabin?

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Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

2.2. Decide which tense to put the verbs into the following stories.
(a) There was this guy who (1. go) _______ to work on the South Coast and when he first
(2. arrive) _______ he (3. stay) _______ in this hotel that (4. be) _______ badly built
and one day he (5. turn) _______ on the tap and there was this terrible noise … he
thought he (6. start) _______ an earthquake.
(b) Well, I got on better with David recently. Last time we (7. stay) _______ in London
we (8. share) _______ a flat because Ben (9. go) _______ to America.

2.3. Change the following examples using the verb indicated in the same way as the examlpe.
Imagine that the context is in written English, not informal conversation.
Example:
“Mr. Jones arranged a mortgage for me.”
→ He said Mr Jones had arranged a mortgage for him.
a. “I don’t believe that the tax loops have been closed.”
→ She didn’t believe_______________________________________________.
b. “They hired investigators to find the information.”
→ He claimed _____________________________________________________.
c. “The pay settlement was linked to the previous two years’ productivity.”
→ It emerged _____________________________________________________.

2.4. Join the two pieces of information. Put the information from the second sentence into a
relative clause following a noun. Notice the tense used in the relative clause.
a. The baby became ill again. The baby was ill from birth.
→ The baby, ___________________________, became ill again.
b. The tennis champion gave an interview. The tennis champion won three tournaments in
successive years.
→ The tennis champion, ___________________________, gave an interview.

3. Present Continuous
3.1. Explain:
(a) A student arrived in Britain to study for a degree. He was asked to write a journal of his
experiences, in English, by his English tutor. Which of the following comes from his
journal?
(1) It takes time for me to get used to British English.
(2) It’s taking time for me to get used to British English.

(b) This speaker is talking about Health Service. Choose between present simple and
present continuous for each verb.
(1) People (live) _______ longer, and treatment (get) _______ more expensive.
(2) It (cost) _______ thousands of pounds to give people heart surgery.
(3) More and more people (buy) _______ private health insurance, because, if you
(suffer) _______, you can’t wait even a short time.

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Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

(c) Analyze the structure of the three kinds of sentence. What is the different effect of the
three kinds of sentence? When might a speaker choose one kind but not another?
(1) “The proposal is not practical.”
(2) “I’m suggesting that the proposal is not practical.”
(3) “What I’m suggesting is that the proposal is not practical.”

3.2. Look at the extract below and answer:

1. Where do you think this extract is from? (e.g. a book, newspaper, magazine, real people
speaking)
2. Decide what tense is best for each of the verbs in brackets. In some cases, either tense is
possible.

(a) Nowadays people [use / are using] the Internet to do their shopping and banking.
Roger Hawkins of Auctions On-line [says / is saying], ‘We [find / are finding] more
and more people taking part each month. Some even [enter / are entering] their cars
or houses at auction and [sell / are selling] them”
(b) I think it [makes/ is making] me realize how much of the time that I spend with my
family is spent doing, you know, chores where I [don’t have / ’m not having] quality
time with another person … I [do / ’m doing] the washing, and I [do / ’m doing] the
cooking, I [tidy / ’m tidying] up.

4. Will or be going to?

4.1. Which of B’s answer seem most natural?
(a)
A: Do you want a sandwich?
B: I’m going to have lunch in ten minutes. Thanks anyway. or B: I’ll have lunch in ten
minutes. Thanks anyway.
(b)
A: I’m going to go home now.
B: Okay. I’ll see you on Saturday. or B: Okay. I’m going to see you on Saturday.

4.2. Why do you think the format of the verb “rain” is different in (a) and (b)?
(a) It’ll rain tomorrow as soon as we get to the beach, I bet you ten pounds.
(b) According to the weather forecast it’s going to rain tomorrow. Maybe we shouldn’t go to
the beach.

4.3. Look at the extracts below and answer:

- In extract (a), what would it have meant if she had used “will break”?
- In extract (b), why doesn’t Helen say “she will eat them?”
(a) [This is taken from a conversation between a group of friends who are just about to
leave the house to go for a drink.]
Susan: I’m going to break a twenty-pound note, if anyone wants a drink.
(b) [Helen is talking about a friend who can’t keep sweets for long without eating them.]
Helen: If she’s got sweets in the house it’s because she’s going to eat them straight away.

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Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

5. Other tenses with future reference.

5.1. Write headlines, using “be+to” forms and the following information. (Note that
headlines are usually short, and so often omit non-essential words.)
a. Hostages will be released tomorrow. → ____________________________.
b. Strong winds will cause damage across the country. → ___________________________.
c. Top band will release a new album in the summer. → ____________________________.
d. Six ministers will have resigned by the weekend. → ____________________________.

5.2. Look at the following horoscopes. In which of the bold references to the future is it
possible to substitute a “be + to” structure?
a. Early in 2023, you’ll be freed from a burden that’s been weighing you down for ages.
You’ve no udea how joyous it’s going to be to discover the new you.
b. The wolf may growl outside your door but he can’t possibly pass the threshold. You’ll
find 2023 stable, profitable and extremely fulfilling.
c. You’ll be so busy in 2023 that you’ll hardly have time to notice whether you’re happy or
not. Slowly, though, you’ll realize you are.

5.3. What do the situations here have in common?

a. If she doesn’t work harder, they’ll ask her to leave the college.
b. The last bus leaves at 15.10 this afternoon.
c. Mary’s arriving tonight. I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen.

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Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

5.4

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Advanced Grammar C1_Week 2_ Tenses in Context

6. Further Practice
6.1. Provide the correct verb forms.
- Don’t disturb your father at the moment – he (1. think) __________ about a problem he’s
got at work.

- The immediate political impact of 1968, the 20th century’s ultimate year of activism, (2. be)
__________ less significant than the wider spirit of revolt it (3. fuel) __________ for a
generation. The civil-rights activism of Martin Luther King and others (4. already, defeat)
__________ racist segregation in the southern US states. In the wake of 1968, campaigns on
race, gender and the environment (5. multiply) __________, while the peace and anti-nuclear
movements (6. peak) __________ in the early 80s.

- When the (7. puzzle) __________ student could not figure out the answer to the (8. puzzle)
__________ problem, she demanded that I (9. give) __________ her the correct answer, but I
insisted that she (10. figure) __________ it out for herself.

- Now, several months after my arrival in the United States, I am able to understand not only
some English but also about different cultures. (11. I, come, not) __________ here, I (12. be,
not) __________ able to attain these insights into other cultures. I wish everyone in the world
(13. have) __________ the same experience. Perhaps if all the people in the world (14. know)
__________ more about cultures different from their own and (15. have) __________ the
opportunity (16. make) __________ friends with people from different countries, peace (17.
be) __________ secure.

- I recommended that he (18. apply) __________ to at least three universities.

6.2. Write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence, but
using the word given.
Example: My original intention was to drive all the way. (going)
→ I was going to drive all the way.
1. It occured to me that you might like to come round this evening. (wondering)
→ ______________________________________________________________.
2. Our arguments over politics go back years. (arguing)
→ ______________________________________________________________.
3. My son has finally come to accept that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. (dawning)
→ ______________________________________________________________.
4. Who is the organizer of this event? (running)
→ ______________________________________________________________.
5. I think he’s at last beginning to agree with me. (round)
→ ______________________________________________________________.