Past Continuous
Past Continuous
Form - Positive sentences -
Subject + was or were + verb(ing).
Negative sentences -
Subject + wasn’t or weren’t + verb(ing).
Question sentences -
Was or Were or Wasn’t or Weren’t + Subject + verb(ing)?
Read about it HERE.
Uses
- for something which happened before and after another action in the past:
The children were doing their homework when I got home.
- for something that happened before and after a specific time:
It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.
- to show that something continued for some time:
Everyone was shouting.
- for something that happened again and again:
I was practising every day, three times a day.
Time expressions: when, for, since, quickly, always.
Examples. Please write 4 examples of each, (on the left side):
4 examples of an action happening before another action in the past. (when)
4 examples of negative past continuous.
4 examples of past continuous that happened again and again. (always)
4 examples of past continuous questions.Present Perfect Continuous Theory and Practise
Present Perfect Continuous Forms
The present perfect continuous is formed using has/have + been + present participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and has/have. Negatives are made with not.
- Statement: You have been waiting here for two hours.
- Question: Have you been waiting here for two hours?
- Negative: You have not been waiting here for two hours.
Present Perfect Continuous Uses
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
We use the present perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the present perfect continuous.
Examples:
- They have been talking for the last hour.
- She has been working at that company for three years.
- What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
- James has been teaching at the university since June.
- We have been waiting here for over two hours!
- Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?
USE 2 Recently, Lately
You can also use the present perfect continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.
Examples:
- Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
- She has been watching too much television lately.
- Have you been exercising lately?
- Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
- Lisa has not been practicing her English.
- What have you been doing?
FORMS:
Positive Sentence:
(Sometimes recently or lately) + Subject + have or has + been (past participle of be) + verb(ing) + sometime for or since ) optional descriptors. (sometimes recently or lately)
Negative Sentence:
Subject + hasn’t or haven’t + been + verb(ing).
Question Sentence:
Have or Has or Hasn’t or Haven’t + Subject + been + verb(ing) ?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)