Focus on Grammar 5Part I, Unit 2By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ WellsCopyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

1Isabel Allende:Precious Past Moments

Past Time

In the 1950s, she attended a private school in Bolivia.

Use the simple past to describe actions, events, or states at a specific past time.

Simple Past

past

now

future

Isabel Allende grew up in South America.

Past Progressive

Use the past progressive to express an action that was in progress (not finished) in the past.

past

now

future

1962

Allende was working for the United Nations. . .

. . . when she married her first husband in 1962.

She has done numerous lecture tours in America and Europe.

Isabel Allende has lived in Peru, Chile, and Venezuela.

past

now

future

Use present perfect to express actions, events, or states completed at an indefinite time in the past.

Present Perfect

Isabel Allende has traveled all over Europe.

In 1964, she traveled all over Europe with her husband and daughter.

past

now

future

1964

Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Present perfect: for events at an indefinite time in the past

Simple past: for events at a definite time in the past

Form sentences with present perfect orsimple past.

Practice 1

pastnow

future

(have) her daughter in 1963

1. (work) for several magazines

2. (move) to Venezuela with her family in 1975

3. (marry) her second husband in 1988

Example:

She had her daughter in 1963.

4. (live) in the U.S. for over 15 years

She has worked for several magazines.

She moved to Venezuela with her family in 1975.

She married her second husband in 1988.

She has lived in the U.S. for over 15 years.

Past with Used To

Use used to + base form to show habitual events that were true in the past but not today.

past

now

future

She used to be on the editorial staff of a Chilean magazine called Paula.

She used to write many humorous and feminist articles for that magazine.

Past Perfect 1

past

now

future

before past event

past event

Use the past perfect to express events that happened before a past event.

Allende had published many magazine articles . . .

. . . before she wrote her famous novel House of Spirits.

Past Perfect 2

The past perfect is often used with by or by the time. The by clause may precede or follow the main clause.

past

now

future

1976 1991

fifteen years

By the time Isabel Allende returned to Chile in 1991 . . .

. . . fifteen years had gone by.

Form sentences with simple past and past perfect using before.

Practice 2

past

now

future

1. (be) a contributor to Mampato Magazine

Example:(work) for the United Nations

2. Isabel (publish)several novels

(have) her son Nicolas

(direct) the magazine

(start) a trilogy for young adults

Isabel had published several novels before she started a trilogy for young adults.

She had been a contributor to Mampato magazine before she directed the magazine.

She had worked for the United Nations before she had her son Nicolas.

Past with Was / Were Going To

Use was / were going to + base form to describe events that were supposed to happen but did not.

past

now

future

Isabel Allende was going to stay in Chile, but after the military coup in 1973, she had to leave the country.

In 1978, they were going to separate, but Allende soon returned to her husband.

did not happen

Form sentences with was / were going to.Practice 3

Allende planned to live in Chile.

Example:

1

2

She had to flee the country.

Allende was going to live in Chile, but she had to flee the country.

She planned to write a letter.

The letter turned into a novel.

She was going to write a letter, but the letter turned into a novel.

They divorced in 1987.

They planned to stay together.They were going to stay together, but they divorced in 1987.

References

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Photo Credits:

Isabel Allende © Loria Barra