Unit VII

1. Read, pronounce the following words and word combinations correctly:

third, jam, Japan, jump, jug, give, agent, philosophy, judge, phase, England, blank, spacing, sphere, here, pure, cure, floor, more, company, among, ton, glove, chance, past, answer, cast;

obtain, again, detail, prevail, delay, maintain, afraid, explain, repair, prepare, compare;

while – quite, win – queen, quad – quarter, halt – tall, stall – install, base – bad – bar – bath, tall –talk – fault – draw, small – stalk – launch;

good quality, what quantity, quite quick, warm liquid, wide world, hard task, vast wall, past call,

long period, by means of, rain waters, erosion of the soil, particle emission.

Grammar Прошедшее длительное время (The Past Continuous Tense)

The Past Continuous Tense (прошедшее длительное время) употребляется:

1. Для выражения действия, протекавшего (длившегося) в определенный момент в прошлом, который обозначен либо обстоятельством, либо другим действием в прошлом. При этом ни начало, ни конец длительного действия неизвестны. Например:

I was writing a letter at 5 o’clock. В пять часов я писал письмо.

I was writing a letter when you came. Я писал письмо, когда ты пришел.

2. Для выражения одновременных действий, протекавших в прошлом в один и тот же момент. Например: While he was having his breakfast, I was reading the newspaper. Пока он завтракал, я читал газету.

3. Для выражения действий, являющихся характеристикой определенного человека в прошлом. Речь говорящего в этом случае приобретает эмоциональный оттенок (раздражение, похвала, осуждение и т.п.). В таких предложениях, как правило, есть наречия always, constantly. Например: She had rather poor health and was constantly complaining of it. У нее слабое здоровье и она постоянно жалуется на него.

В отличие от употребления Past Indefinite, где важен только факт совершения действия, Past Continuous употребляется, чтобы подчеркнуть сам процесс действия, его продолженность.

Past Continuous не употребляется с глаголами чувственного восприятия: to hear, to see и т.д.

Образование Past Continuous

Past Continuous образуется из сочетания вспомогательного глагола to be в Past Indefinite и Participle I смыслового глагола (was / were + Ving).

+

I (he, she, it) was working. We (you, they) were working.

–

I (he, she, it) was not (wasn’t) working. We (you, they) were not (weren’t) working.

?

Was I (he, she, it) working? Yes, I (he, she, it) was. No, he was not (wasn’t).

Were we (you, they) working? Yes, we (you, they) were. No, we (you, they) were not (weren’t).

I was working at the library at 5 o’clock, wasn’t I?

Was I working at the library or at home at 5 o’clock?

Who was working at the library at 5 o’clock? What were you doing at 5 o’clock?

Where were you working at 5 o’clock?

Grammar exercises

2. Open the brackets, put the verbs into the correct form, the Past Continuous.

1. When I arrived, Tom (to lie) on the sofa and (to speak) over the phone. 2. My friend (to drive) too fast, when the police stopped him. 3. The singer (to sing) the song when a man began to make a noise. 4. He (to stand) at the bus stop when I saw him. 5. Somebody stole the money from Dad’s pocket while he (to sleep). 6. It (to rain) cats and dogs as I (to walk) towards their house. 7. At six o’clock I (to wait) for Jennie at the station. 8. On coming up to the house I saw a man who (to try) to unlock the door by force. 9. The student (to reply) to the question when the headmistress came in. 10. The sun (to shine) when I set out on my walk. 11. It (to rain) when I arrived at my destination. 12. I haven’t seen him for ages. When I saw him he (to try) to find a job.