Lumiere English Academy; How to use Verbs and their Tenses Correctly (8) - The Perfect Continuous Tense

Lumiere English academy

A Basic Grammar

PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

I have been loving

You use this when you indicate that the situation is still continuing.

An example of this is: "I have been saving for years but I still can't afford to go on a trip overseas."

Using the perfect: "have been" in conjunction with the present participle "loving" gives you the present continuous tense.

1. I (struggle) ................... to pay off my accounts for the past two years

(have been struggling)

2. We (pray) .............. for your recovery ever since we heard of your illness 

(have been praying)

3. Ever since her wedding her husband's brother (annoy) ................. her 

(has been annoying)

4. From the first day he started school that boy (do) ................ his level best

(has been doing)

5. They (struggle) ................ to survive because of the husband's retrenchment

(have been struggling)

6. They (work) .......... hard on their radical change of management style

(have been working)

7. Whereas the older son (work) ............. for years, the younger is very lazy

(has been working)

8. Because she (run) ................. several shops,she has been making money

(has been running)

9. Jack (date) ............ Penny for years, yet he does not want to marry her

(has been dating)

10. Though Jane (spend) ................. a fortune on clothes, she still looks untidy 

(has been spending)

11. Mary (save) ................ for a car for two years now (has been saving)

12. I (try) ......................... to reach you on the phone all afternoon (have been trying)

13. Joe and Pete (battle) ..................... all day to get the car started (have been battling)

14. The indigent woman (wait) ........................ for a pension (has been waiting)

15. For the past three months she (bake) ....................... biscuits to raise school funds

(has been baking)

16. Isaac (fish) ................ for hours but has caught nothing (has been fishing)

17. The students know their teacher (plan) ...................... a surprise for them all

(has been planning)

18. Ever since he wrote maths, he (await) ..................... his results (has been awaiting)

19. You (irritate) ............................ the life out of me with your constant demands

(have been irritating)

20. Now the news is out, Jake (competing) .................. for the award 

(has been competing)

21. She (sing) .................... professionally ever since completing her training 

(has been singing)

22. The car she (drive) ....................... for fifteen years is now failing (has been driving)

23. Anne (strive) ...................... to come first in class to please her parents 

(has been striving)

24. Bella (hope) ................... to speak to explain her mistake

(has been hoping)

Dr Luky Whittle

Lumiere English Academy; How to use Verbs and their Tenses Correctly (7) - The Future Perfect Tense

Lumiere English academy

A Basic Grammar

THE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

I shall have loved

You're not going to use that in normal speech very often, unless you say: "Next month I shall have been at university for three years."

And, of course, the week before your silver wedding anniversary you'll be able to say to your spouse: "I shall have served you faithfully as your spouse for twenty-five years next week."

Combining the future "shall/will" with the present of "have" and the past participle of love gives you the future perfect tense.
We use;
I shall
We shall
The word we use with you singular and plural is will
They will
He, she and it will
It is also permitted to use 'will' with I and we

EXERCISE

1. By this time next year I (pay) .................. off my car (shall have paid off)

2. When Mother comes home from town, Dad (to have/cook) ............ the meal 
(will have cooked)

3. By the time you read this, I (leave) .............. for Cape Town (shall have left)

4. In two hours from now, the bank (close) .................. (will have closed)

5. They (forget)  ....................... all about us after so many years (will have forgotten)

6. Unless the doctor comes soon, the patient (worsen) ....... by the time he does arrive 
(will have worsened)

7. You (finish) ................ reading the book by Monday (will have finished)

8. In an hour from now the church service (start)  ................. (will have started)

9. ..... she (begin) ..................... reading that book yet, do you think? 

(Will she have begun)

10.The nurse (take)  ...................... his temperature by now, surely? (will have taken)

11. At our silver wedding our children (grow) ..................... up (will have grown)

12. If I come back tomorrow, (finish) .......... you .............. mending my shoes? 

(will you have finished)

13. (receive) .................... he ............... my letter by now? (Will he have received)

14. If he releases the pigeons in Virginia they (return) .......... to Kroonstad half an hour before he does

 (will have returned)

15. Do you think the potatoes I left in the garage (rot) .............. by now (will have rotted)

16. By now they (forgot) ........ long .................. about their silly quarrel

(will have long forgotten)

17. By next Tuesday, all the potatoes (eat) ................... (will have been eaten)

18. In a year's time from now they (forget) ............. they ever met us (will have forgotten)

19. In another five years time, half the new paint (blister) .............. off

(will have blistered off)

20. Tomorrow this time the newlyweds (arrive) .................. at their destination

(will have arrived)

21. Eric (pass) ................... Bloemfontein on his way to Port Elizabeth by now

(will have passed)

22. By the end of the year his work (complete)..................... (will have been completed)

23. In another five years' time I hope I (finish) ................. my tertiary studies 

(shalll have finished)

Dr Luky Whittle

Lumiere English Academy; How to use Verbs and their Tenses Correctly (6) - The Past Perfect Tense

Lumiere English academy

A Basic Grammar

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

I had loved

The past tense of both the auxiliary (help) verb and the verb describing the action is given when someone is speaking, thinking or writing in the past tense and is describing a situation that happened even earlier. 

Examples are: He said that he had bought the souvenirs while on holiday, she said that she had paid off her account. 

NB: If you say or write: He said that he has (instead of had) bought the souvenirs, you immediately betray the fact that English is not your mother tongue.
When the auxiliary verb is 'to have', and the main verb is also 'to have', you can use one 'had' as in number 12.
But if you use 'have' in 'have to' (used in the sense of meaning 'must'), then you will use 'had had to'.
Example of this is; She said that she had had to put in petrol.

EXERCISE

1          Mother remembered that she (leave) …… the iron on at home (had left)

2          Father was pleased to discover that he (win) …......  a lotto prize (had won)

3         The babysitter told the parents that the infant (sleep) ……… all evening (had slept)

4          When Joe failed, he regretted the fact that he (be) …… so lazy (had been)

5          The bridegroom gave the bride a ring he (buy) ………… her (had bought)

6          Flushed with anger, the man held the thief who (rob) ………him (had robbed)

7          Smiling cheerfully, Joan gave me the book she (buy) ………me (had bought)

8          The passenger first ate food four days after the ship (leave) ……Port (had left)

9          There was a mess in the room she (tidy)…… already…… (had already tidied)

10      The doctor was thanked by the patient he (treat) …… for bronchitis (had treated)

11      The people were insulted by those they (help)…… in great need (had helped)

12      The war killed many soldiers who still (have) ……… youth on their side (had)

13      Not enough that she (buy)…… them a house, she cleaned it too (had bought)

14      She never slept because the baby (be)  ………… crying all night (had been)

15      She took his part because she knew what he (be) ……… through (had been)

16      They cheered at their victory because they (lose) ……… many games (had lost)

17      He complained that he (fill) …………… in the forms incorrectly (had filled)

18      The traffic officer found that the driver (be) …… drinking heavily (had been)

19      Jealousy was rife when they found out that he (inherit) ……… the money (had inherited)

20      Jack said that Jill (fall)……… down and (break) ………… her crown (had fallen down and broken her crown)

21      Jill said that Jack (have/push) ………… her (had pushed)

22      Peter said that he (make) ……… up his quarrel with Mary (had made)

23      Sean told us that previously he (make) …… very little money (had made)

Dr Luky Whittle

Blog post created by Tuhin Bagi

Breaking News; We stand for Life

Protesters against abortion being introduced into Ireland thronged the streets of Dublin today

Pledges continue to be signed at Rally today

Choose Life

Breaking News; Protesters at Vigil for Life in Dublin

Protesters thronged the streets and choked traffic.

People came from every corner of Ireland in support of the right to life of the unborn child.

Breaking News; Dynamic Vigil for Life - Vox Populi speaks on behalf of the Unborn Child

Protestors - Women and Babies deserve better

Massive protest in the heart of Dublin
Today in Dublin Ireland, Protesters at a massive Rally for Life stretched as far as the eye could see in Merrion Square as the people of Ireland came together in support of the Unborn Child. 
The message was clear; Abortion is not wanted in Ireland.

The front of the crowd seen from the podium

Speakers greeted with deafening cheers
Speakers against abortion being introduced into Ireland were greeted with deafening cheers, a roar of strength on behalf of the unborn child.
Protesters chanted, 'Kill the bill, not the child.'
The heat of the Dublin summer shimmered, and personnel in tents dispensed water to children and adults as the protesters braved the threat of dehydration in order to make their protest known.
Crowds turned out in numbers on buses, transport and by foot to add their voice in support for the unborn child's right to life in Ireland.

Greeted with deafening cheers

Overcome by horror
Yvonne Hartnett stood bearing a poster of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Preborn.
Information pamphlets were given to protesters and interested passersby, apprising 100,000 Pro-Life Pledges have been gathered. 
Within the crowd many people who had travelled at personal cost and time from all corners of Ireland listened to the speakers.
Some sobbed as they were overcome by their horror of the thought that abortion - the killing of defenceless children within the womb - was even being considered in Ireland.

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Mother of the Preborn

Yvonne Hartnett and Our Lady of Guadalupe poster

Almost fainting
Some who had travelled long distances and braved the heat were almost fainting in the raised temperature.
Some sat, needing assistance and water. But once they felt a little better, they continued their protest.
Today was a powerful and moving testimony to the strength of the Irish spirit, and the deep reverence for life of the unborn child.

Braving the heat, voting Pro-Life

Protest continues to gain momentum
The numbers today were breathtaking. The protest, which Lumiere began to follow in Belfast, which moved to Castlebar and then to Dublin, continues to gain momentum and in numbers.
A massive All-Ireland Rally for Life will be the next protest on Saturday July 6th 2013 at Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
Traffic was affected and streets were blocked off in Dublin today due to the protest.
This is one issue that is just not going away, but gathering momentum.
People continue to picket outside TD offices, phone in to TD's, write letters, sign petitions in increasing numbers and with increasing determination.

Vox Populi

Message is clear
The message is clear;
The life of the unborn child in Ireland is held sacred.

Small portion of massive crowd

Lumiere English Academy; How to use Verbs and their Tenses correctly (5) - The Present Perfect Tense

Lumiere English academy

A Basic Grammar

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE  

    

I have loved

Here you will see we use the auxiliary (help) verb “to have” in conjunction (together) with the past participle of the verb to love. 

Do you see now why it was so important to study your principal parts? 

So the forms of "to have" change according to the person who is performing the action – I have, he has – but loved stays the same. 

The same would go for the past perfect (had loved) and the future tenses (shall have loved) but doesn’t because in the past tense “had” is unchanging.

EXERCISE

1. She says she (love) .............. her husband since they were at school (has loved)
2. .  I think I (understand) ............ what you have been trying to explain (have understood)
3. I (be) ………………… faithful to my wife throughout our lives together (have been)
4.  I (see) ………..... many flower arrangements but this is the loveliest (have seen)
5.  (be) …… you ever …… inside the Joane Pim Park? (Have you ever been)
6.  I (fight) …………… for the privilege of being mayor for years (have fought)
7. I (choose) ……… the brown carpet because it doesn’t show the dirt (have chosen)
8. I (sing) ………………in the school choir since Standard Seven (have sung)
9. He (repair) …………… the broken roof tiles on the house but not on the garage (has repaired)
10. He (receive) …………. a letter requesting him to come for an interview (has received)
11. (see) ………you already …… the new class teacher? (Have you already seen)
12. (meet) ………you not ……… the new student yet? (Have you not met)
13. As soon as he (reach) ………Kroonstad, he will phone to tell us so (has reached)
14.  (wash) ……… you …………  the dishes yet? (Have you washed)
15.  I (smoke) ……… not …………… a single cigarette since 1971 (I have not smoked)
16. Because I (give) ………up smoking, my emphysema has improved somewhat (Because I have given up)  
17.  She says she (wish) …………for a gold watch since she was small (has wished)
18.  Father (buy) ……………Mother a brand new car out of the box (has bought)
19. Mother …… never (look) ……… back since Father bought her a new car (Mother has never looked)
20. The employer (lose) ………… all patience with the lazy employee (has lost)
21.  (pass) ……… Richard ………… his first year at University? (Has Richard passed)
22. They (see) ……… not yet ………………. the movie of the book (They have not yet seen)
23. (choose) …………Craig …………his partner yet? (Has Craig chosen)

Dr. Luky Whittle

Blog post created by Tuhin Bagi