The Present Perfect Progressive

Ex. 242. Read and translate the sentences Comment on the tenses in them

1. — Can I let you in on a little secret? — Why not? You've been telling me your secrets since you were eight. 2. There's something I've been meaning to ask you. 3. A fine rain has been falling steadily since six o'clock and there is a dark mist on the river. 4. "Are you thinking of selling off one of the hotels?" "I have been toying with the idea," Meredith admitted. 5. She is filling the case with the papers she has been working on all day. 6. Was it gout again? Has it been bothering you lately, Bruce? 7. Blair has been working for days to make this Christmas Day a very special one. 8. Is there someone you've been seeing? 9. For generations, Transamerica has been helping people plan for a comfortable career. 10. In my eyes you can see all the love that I've been feeling. \ 1. Let's talk about that fatigue, the attacks you've been having. When did the first one occur? 12. Her mind is still on her mother who has been seeing psychiatrist for the past few weeks. 13. British Rail has been wanting to close this line down for years on the grounds that it doesn't pay its way. 14. We've been hearing this warped reasoning for so long about so many things that it has become received wisdom. 15. What's been going on? Why haven't you been answering my letters?

Ex, 243. Read the text and retell it Find the cases of the Present Perfect Progressive and comment on them

In the evening Mrs. Dursley told her husband that she had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunshine. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" "Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people were celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks!

But I can promise a wet night tonight."

I Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place?

(from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling)

 

Ex. 244. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets

1. Good gracious, Kit, whatever you (do)? You seem to have all the paint on yourself that there is in the world. 2. I (think) about you all day, Emma. 3. What you (do) since we last (meet)? 4. — You look hot. — Yes, I (play) tennis. 5. I (work) in a bookshop now. I (work) here for about six weeks. 6.1 (do) so for thirty years and I'm not going to change my ways. 7. She (have) toothache since she (get) up this morning. 8. How long you (know) Susan? 9. We (write) invitation cards all morning. We (write) eleven already. And we still not (finish) them all. 10. Mary (go out) with Steve for a year now, and they (plan) to get married soon. 11. I (keep) a watch on the road for the last few days, trying to catch a glimpse of you as you passed. 12. And now, gentlemen, I want to know what (go on) here and how long it (go on). 13. He (chase) this girl for half a year but she wouldn't even look at him. 14. They (think) a lot about this situation these past few days, since they (be) home. 15. There's something I (want) to ask you for the last couple of hours.

 

Ex. 245. Translate into English

1. Мы слушали тебя очень внимательно последние два часа, и теперь мы уверены, что ты говоришь правду. 2. Ты встречаешься с кем-нибудь последнее время? 3. Ты можешь все мне рассказать. Ты доверяла мне все свои секреты с тех пор, как научилась говорить.

4. Мы живем рядом с Романовыми двадцать четыре года. И мы всегда были хорошими соседями. 5. «Я хранила это кольцо много лет и теперь отдаю его тебе», — сказала мне бабушка. 6. Не могу передать, что чувствовали твои родители все то время, пока тебя не было. 7. — Давно мы не встречаем (to see) эту девушку. — Да, мы не видели (to meet) ее с тех пор, как вернулись из Парижа. 8. Мой сын собирает ма­шинки (toy cars) с трех лет. 9. Я с утра готовлю, на­деюсь, обед всем понравится. 10. Всю свою жизнь я работаю как раб для того, чтобы мои дети получили хорошее образование. 11. — Как давно ты носишь эти очки? - Они у меня уже два года. 12. Что это здесь происходит, мальчики? Вы что, дрались? 13. Есть не­что, о чем я уже давно хочу (to mean) спросить тебя. 14. Последние несколько недель она иллюстрирует детскую книжку. 15. — Как давно вы стоите в оче­реди? — Мы здесь с тех пор, как касса открылась. 16. Парламент дебатирует по этому вопросу уже двадцать лет

 

Ex 246. Complete the sentences by using the right tense of the hints

1. Why are your eyes red? a. celebrate something

2. The kitchen smells of fresh b. look for the passport fruit.

c. eat a Mars bar

3. Why is the computer switched on? d. talk about me again?

e. eat honey

4. You both look upset. f. bake a pie?

5. Ben, why are your jeans torn? g. my daughter, try on

h. play football

6. My clothes are all on the bed. i. quarrel again

7. Your hands are in flour. j. look for the programme

8. Why have you all fallen k. make a fruit salad silent?

l. watch television for hours

9. My fingers are sticky.

10. Little Nancy's face is in something brown. m. clean the snow off the doorstep

11. Why is your room in such a mess?

12. There are empty bottles and glasses and

packets all over the place.

13. Mary, your hands are so cold!

 

Ex 247. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets

Tanya: Julia, what you (do)? It's already 2.00. Aren't we going shopping?

Julia: I know, but everything takes twice as long to do as I expected. I (have) a lot of problems since I (move) into this apartment.

T: How long you (paint) those (abiriets?

J: I started at 8.00 this morning.

T: You mean you (paint) for six hours!

J: I really don't know what I (do). I never (paint) before. Besides, nothing (go) right today. The man from the phone company still not (corne). I (wait) for him all day.

Т: What's that strange noise I hear?

J: Oh, that! That's the toilet. It (run) like that since last night. And the refrigerator not (work)

properly since I moved in.

T: Well, just call the superintendent to fix those things.

J: I don't know. Maybe I (make) a mistake. I (think) things over lately. Maybe I shouldn't have moved into this apartment. It (need) too much work.

T: It's not that bad. Your apartment will be great in a few weeks.

J: Maybe. All I know is that I (have) nothing but headaches ever since I moved in.

T: But don't forget that you (have) a lot of fun, too.

Ex. 248. Answer the questions

1. Have you made any change in your life recently? What have you been doing since that change took place?

2. Choose a person that you know whose life-style has changed. What change took place in this person's life? What was his or her life like before? What has he or she been doing since the change took place?

3. Do you have a particular hobby? Have you ever had one? How long have you been interested in this? How did you become interested in it? Why do you enjoy it? Why are hobbies important to people? What are some typical hobbies that people in this country enjoy?

 

Ex. 249. Translate into English.

1. Когда падает звезда, нужно загадать желание. 2. — Посмотри, падает звезда. — Ты загадала желание? — Да. 3. Мода в наши дни постоянно меняется. 4. — Мой друг работает в компании, которая производит компь­ютеры. — Давно он там работает? — Он работает со дня основания этой фирмы. 5. Пришел сентябрь. Мно гие люди готовятся к зиме. 6. В наше время все боль­ше женщин водят машины. Да, облик женщины очень

изменился за последние годы (over the years). 7. На­стя опять поссорилась со своим парнем, потому что он постоянно названивает ей после полуночи. 8. У нас была не очень-то продуктивная неделя. Мы практи­чески ничего не сделали. Мы попусту тратим время. Какая досада! 9. Полиция работает, но она пока не обнаружила возможного мотива для преступления. 10. Я так устала от этого шума! Соседи уже неделю сверлят стены. 11. — В доме пахнет краской. — Да, мы уже месяц ремонтируем дом. Мы закончили ком­наты, но пока еще не начали красить кухню. 12. Мои родственники собираются купить загородный дом. Они планируют и говорят об этом уже два года, но пока что не нашли подходящий вариант. 13. Сколько я ее знаю, она всегда была такой привередливой. 14. — Уже много лет мой дедушка владеет кусочком земли в деревне. Он всегда увлекался садоводством и превра­тил свою землю в чудесный сад. 15. — Как давно у тебя этот компьютер? — Он принадлежит мне уже пять лет. 16. С самого детства он обладает тонким чувством юмора.

 

The Past Tenses

The Past Simple

Ex. 250. Give the Past Simple of the following verbs.

Be, bear, begin, become, bring, buy, broadcast, cut, do, eat, fall, feel, find, found, give, go, have, read, rise, set, shine, sing, strike, stroke, swing, spring, throw, wear, win, write.

Ex.251. Make the following sentences interrogative and negative.

1. We went for a stroll down "Alphabet Street" to Ginger Street. 2. In the 1950s, television cut deeply into the movie-going audience. 3. He did a tremendous amount of work. 4. They carried out a huge survey. 5. There were a lot of disasters in the 20th century. ^ 6. The actress gave a bravura performance in the Aldwych in London. 7. He failed to appear before the magistrate. 8. Hobbs was a founding partner in the Atlantic Financial Markets. 9. They couldn't get out of the place. 10. We had absolutely nothing to do last weekend. 11. When they saw me, they shut up. 12. She began the examination on time. 13. She had a problem on her mind. 14. My friend taught English for twenty-five years. 15. The old man used to take a long walk every morning.

Ex. 252. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets.

I. Hilary Benson let Melanie (weep). She handed her patient a box of tissues in silence. Then she (pour) a glass of water, and (bring) it to the crying woman. Meredith (take) it from her, (sip) the water, and (say) after a moment, "I'm sorry for my outburst." 2. "Listen, you two, before we have supper I want to show you my finds." "Finds? What you (mean)?" Andrew asked, smiling at me fondly. "I (poke) around in the library this afternoon, and I (find) a diary by one of your ancestors, Lettice Keswick, which she (write) in the seventeenth century." "Good Lord! So that's what you (do) all afternoon, digging amongst those old books," Diana (cut) in, "but you (say) finds, Mai, in the plural. What else you (discover)?" "Let me (go) and (get) them. Once you (see) the books, you (understand) what I (talk) about."

Ex. 253. A. Read the dialogue between Jimmy and Nelly and retell it in indirect speech

The Doctor

- Hello, how are you?

- I feel terrible.

- Oh, dear! What's the matter?

- Well, I went to the doctor's on Wednesday.

- Was it serious?

- Well, I felt fine on Tuesday, but now I feel dreadful.

- Poor you. What happened? 146

- Yes, poor me. He looked into my eyes, then he shone a light down my throat.

- Oh, dear!

- And he felt my chest, and hit me on the knee with a little hammer.

- Was it painful?

- It was murder! And he poked my stomach with his fingers, and gave me an X-ray.

- He gave you a thorough exam then.

- Oh, yes. Then he gave me two bottles of pills and a bottle of medicine. And now I feel terrible.

- Oh, dear! What a shame!

- Yes, it was! After all I only went to make an appointment for my sister!

B. Speak about your last visit to the doctor.

Ex. 254. Read the joke and retell it.

An absent-minded professor moved to a new house further along the same street. His wife knew that he was prone to forgetting things and so she wrote down the new address on a piece of paper before he went off to college. She handed him the paper and the key to the new house and reminded him not to go back to the old address. That morning, one of his students asked him a complex question and the professor wrote the answer down on the back of the slip of paper. The student asked whether he could keep the paper. Forgetting what was on the

other side, the professor said, "Certainly." In the evening, he returned out of habit to the old house, tried the key and couldn't get in. Realizing his mistake, he searched in his pockets for the slip of paper with the new address, but of course there was no sign of it. So he wandered along the street and stopped the first reasonable-looking lad he saw. "Excuse me, I'm Professor Galbraith. You wouldn't happen to know where I live, would you?" "Sure, Dad," said the boy.

 

Ex. 255. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets

1. As Emma walked, she (do) a little window shopping. From time to time she (stop) arid (look) at the beautiful clothes in the chic boutiques. Milan (be) the fashion centre of the world and she (decide) to do some shopping later if she (have) time.

2. At nine Jack (stop) working, (shut) off the lights, (leave) the barn, and (go) back to the house. He (find) a cold beer in the refrigerator, (make) himself a cheese-and-tomato sandwich, and (take) his evening snack into the living-room. After turning on the television, he (sit) down in the chair, (eat) his sandwich, (drink) his beer, and channel (surf) absent-mindedly.

3. The days passed quietly, uneventfully. I (do) very little. I (read) occasionally, (watch) television, sometimes I (listen) to music, but for the most part I (sit) in the front of the fire, lost in my own world. I (have) no one and nothing I (can) live for. I simply (exist).

4. After dinner Molly (busy) herself at the sink. She (pull) apart several heads of lettuce, and (wash) the leaves scrupulously. Her thoughts (be) on her mother, but then they (take) an unexpected turn, and (zero) in on her father.

Ex. 256. A. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets

1. The office hours were over at last. Jake (head) in tl о direction of the district where he lived. He (think) what a glorious day it (be), the way you always hoped an April day would be. It was crisp and dry, with bright sunlight and a vivid blue sky. It was the kind of day that (make) him (feel) good (be alive). He (open) the window of the pickup and (take) a few deep breaths of the clean air. Jake was finally feeling better in spirits. The light was crystalline today. Perfect.

2. As he (get) into the cottage, Jake opened the fridge and took out a cold beer. After swallowing a few gulps, he (go) into the living room, (sit) down, (pick) up the remote control and (flick on) the television. He (drink) his beer, staring at the set. He wasn't paying much attention to the sitcom on one of the networks. Suddenly impatient with the television, he (flick off) the set and (lean) back in the chair, taking an occasional swallow of beer. 3. Half an hour later, as he (step) out of the shower, Jake (hear) the phone ringing. Maggie's voice (say) good-bye. The answering machine (click off); he (depress) the button and (play) the message back. Pulling the phone toward him, he (dial) Maggie's number. They (talk) for good twenty minutes and (decide) to meet the next day.

B. Describe your after-work hours Use the words and phrases in bold type from the above text

Ex. 257. Comment on the use of tenses

1.1 can't come to your party because I've broken my leg. 2. Some fool has let the cat in and now I can't catch it. 3. Who let that cat in? 4. Look what Victor has given me! 5. Who gave you that watch? 6. — Why are you crying? — Granny hit me. 7. That's a nice picture. Did you paint it yourself? 8. How did you get that scar? 9. Have you seen Irene this week? 10. We saw Jack this week, and he says he's leaving the city soon. 11. What did you do then? 12. You've done a lot for me, thank you. 13. My grandfather did a lot for me. 14. — Where did you actually meet? — At some party. 15. — When did you leave the city? — Last Tuesday.

Ex. 258. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets

1. "Don't worry! She'll book your flight and get you a ticket before you even (say) Jack Robinson." Catherine (begin) to laugh. "I not (hear) you use that expression for years, not since I (be) a kid. You (tell) me once where it (come) from, but now can't (remember). It (be) such an odd expression!" "Yet, it is. I (think) it (originate) in England and the Pommies (bring) it to Australia. Australians (start) to use it, and I guess it (become) part of our idiomatic speech. Sort of slang, really."

2. Maggie put the receiver in its cradle and (turn) around, (stand) leaning against the desk, staring at Samantha. "You not (be going) to believe it, but that snake in the grass just (have) the temerity to call me honey."

3. I looked at my mother and, and (see) the tears rising in her eyes. She (push) them back, and (take) a deep breath. "Mai, you (be) really all right? I (feel) that you (push) me away recently. You not (say) a word since 1 (be) here. You (feel) a bit better, darling? Tell me the truth." "Yes, I (do) fine," I (lie). A few days after that visit of my mother's, I (fall) into a deep depression. I (feel) listless, without energy. I (be) helpless, almost an invalid.

Ex. 259. Translate into English.

1. Это случилось много веков назад. 2. — Где и ког­да вы впервые встретились? — Это было в прошлом году у одного из друзей Дениса. 3. Я звонил ей на днях, и все было хорошо. 4. Ломоносов основал Мос­ковский университет в 1725 году. 5. Мы посадили эти яблони в нашем саду несколько лет назад. 6. Михаил вылетел в Нидерланды две недели назад. 7. Мой брат родился в 1995 году. 8. Когда был за­пущен первый спутник Земли? 9. Они видели свою родину последний раз девять лет назад. 10. — Ты был вчера в университете? — Я не был там с тех пор, как сдал последний экзамен. 11. — Прошлым летом часто шел дождь, не правда ли? — Да, но как правило, летом здесь редко идет дождь. 12. На про­шлой неделе шел сильный снег, и мы не могли сра­зу открыть дверь гаража. 13. — Кто ходил вчера за покупками? — Мама сделала это. 14. — Кто расска­зал тебе эти новости? — Никто. Все уже их знали. 15.—Я вижу, что ты переставила мебель, и твоя квартира совершенно преобразилась. Когда ты это сделала? Кто-нибудь тебе помогал? — Мои сыновья все сделали сами.