Past Continuous Tense and Past Perfect Tense Examples

Past Continuous Tense

When the sentence in past continuous tense or perfect tence

The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past. The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing word).

There are many situations in which this verb tense might be used in a sentence. For example, it is often used to describe conditions that existed in the past.

The sun was shining every day that summer.

As I spoke, the children were laughing at my cleverness.

It can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it.

The audience was applauding until he fell off the stage.

I was making dinner when she arrived.

The past continuous can shed light on what was happening at a precise time in the past.

At 6 o’clock, I was eating dinner.

It can also refer to a habitual action in the past.

She was talking constantly in class in those days.

One final caution: Though the irregularities are few, not every verb is suited to describing a continuous action. Certain verbs can’t be used in the past continuous tense. One common example is the verb to arrive.

At noon, he was arriving.     = This is wrong

At noon, he arrived.     = This is correct

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past.

We were shocked to discover that someone had graffitied “Tootles was here” on our front door. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint.

The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else. Imagine waking up one morning and stepping outside to grab the newspaper. On your way back in, you notice a mysterious message scrawled across your front door: Tootles was here. When you’re telling this story to your friends later, how would you describe this moment? You might say something like:

I turned back to the house and saw that some someone named Tootles had defacedmy front door!

In addition to feeling indignant on your behalf, your friends will also be able to understand that Tootles graffitied the door at some point in the past before the moment this morning when you saw his handiwork, because you used the past perfect tense to describe the misdeed.

The Past Perfect Formula

The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t change.

When to Use the Past Perfect

So what’s the difference between past perfect and simple past? When you’re talking about some point in the past and want to reference an event that happened even earlier, using the past perfect allows you to convey the sequence of the events. It’s also clearer and more specific. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

We were relieved that Tootles used washable paint. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint.

It’s a subtle difference, but the first sentence doesn’t tie Tootles’s act of using washable paint to any particular moment in time; readers might interpret it as “We were relieved that Tootles was in the habit of using washable paint.” In the second sentence, the past perfect makes it clear that you’re talking about a specific instance of using washable paint.

Another time to use the past perfect is when you are expressing a condition and a result:

If I had woken up earlier this morning, I would have caught Tootles red-handed.

The past perfect is used in the part of the sentence that explains the condition (the if-clause).

Most often, the reason to write a verb in the past perfect tense is to show that it happened before other actions in the same sentence that are described by verbs in the simple past tense. Writing an entire paragraph with every verb in the past perfect tense is unusual.

When Not to Use the Past Perfect

Don’t use the past perfect when you’re not trying to convey some sequence of events. If your friends asked what you did after you discovered the graffiti, they would be confused if you said:

I had cleaned it off the door.

They’d likely be wondering what happened next because using the past perfect implies that your action of cleaning the door occurred before something else happened, but you don’t say what that something else is. The “something else” doesn’t always have to be explicitly mentioned, but context needs to make it clear. In this case there’s no context, so the past perfect doesn’t make sense.

How to Make the Past Perfect Negative

Making the past perfect negative is simple! Just insert not between had and [past participle].

We looked for witnesses, but the neighbors had not seen Tootles in the act. If Tootles had not included his own name in the message, we would have no idea who was behind it.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the past perfect tense is had + [subject] + [past participle].

Had Tootles caused trouble in other neighborhoods before he struck ours?

Common Regular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense

*The past participle of “to get” is “gotten” in American English. In British English, the past participle is “got.”

Noun Clauses and its rules in English Grammar

Question from Mr.Chandicharan Pahari : Mam, Please explain about noun clause I have problems about it's 5 rules.

Answer from Open School :

 Definition:

A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as a noun. It can be used as the subject, direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition, subject complement, or appositive. 

 

 A noun clause serves the same purpose as a noun. It can be the subject or object of a verb. It can also be the object of a preposition. Noun clauses are usually introduced by the subordinating conjunctions that, if and whether. Question words like what, how, when etc., can also be used to introduce noun clauses.

 

 Read the examples given below.

That he is a diligent boy is known to everybody.

Can you identify the subject?

What is known to everybody?

The answer to this question is the subject of the sentence

–          that he is a diligent boy.

Since this clause serves as the subject of the verb ‘is known’, it is considered as a noun clause.
Note that when the subject is a noun clause we are more likely to write the sentence with a preparatory it.

 

That he is a diligent boy is known to everybody. à It is known to everybody that he is a diligent boy.

Another example is given below.

Picasso was a great artist. Nobody can challenge this fact.

What cannot be challenged? The fact that Picasso was a great artist

Replace the question word with the that-clause and we will get the following complex sentence:

The fact that Picasso was a great artist cannot be challenged.

More examples of noun clauses are given below.

He is an honest boy. Everybody knows it.

Everybody knows that he is an honest boy.

Here the noun clause ‘that he is an honest boy’ is the object of the verb knows.

Why he is late? Ask him.

Ask him why he is late.

Here the noun clause ‘why he is late’ is the direct object of the verb ask.

Noun clauses are important devices because they help us to combine two or more simple sentences into a single complex sentence.

 

How to report WH and Yes/No questions

Question from Manikantaraghu : I had watched the English grammar video it's good. But 'How do we convert Wh questions into indirect speech.'

Open School Answer:

There are mainly two types of questions – Wh-questions and Yes/No questions.

When we report a Wh-question, we use a reporting verb like asked or enquired.

Study the example given below.

Direct: He said to me, ‘Where do you live?’

Indirect: He asked me where I lived.

Direct: Mother said to me, ‘What are you doing there?’

Indirect: Mother asked me what I was doing there.

When we report a Yes/No question, we usewhether or if.

Direct: Suma said to me, ‘Are you interested in this offer?’

Indirect: Suma asked me if I was interestedin that offer.

Direct: The teacher said to me, ‘Do you know the answer?’

Indirect: The teacher asked me if / whether I knew the answer.

Direct: Martha said to Susie, ‘Will you trust a guy like Martin?’

Indirect: Martha asked Susie if she would trust a guy like Martin.

Direct: ‘Do you think you know better than your dad?’ the angry mother jeered.

Indirect: The angry mother jeered at her son and asked if he thought that he knew better than his dad.

Exercise

Change the following direct speech into indirect speech.

1. ‘What do you want?’ he said to her.

2. He said, ‘How’s your mother.’

3. He enquired, ‘When do you intend to pay me?’

4. ‘Do you really come from China?’ the prince asked.

5. ‘Do you speak English?’ he said.

Answers

1. He asked her what she wanted.

2. He asked me how my mother was.

3. He enquired when I intended to pay him.

4. The prince asked if I really came from China.

5. He asked if I spoke English.

Which vs. That: How to Choose

• In a defining clause, use that.
• In non-defining clauses, use which.

• Remember, which is as disposable as a sandwich bag. If you can remove the clause without destroying the meaning of the sentence, the clause is nonessential and you can use which.

People use which and that every day. Just because these words are common doesn’t mean they’re easy to use. In particular, clauses cause a lot of confusion, but there’s an easy way to remember which one to choose.

Which vs. That: What’s the Difference in Usage?
To understand when to use that or which, it’s important to understand clauses. A defining clause (also called an essential clause or a restrictive clause) gives information essential to the meaning of the sentence. That is used in defining clauses. Here’s an example:
My bike that has a broken seat is in the garage.

In this sentence, you understand that the speaker has at least one other bike. Specifically, the bike he’s talking about is distinguished from his other bikes by its broken seat. If you removed the clause “that has a broken seat,” you would lose the implication that he owns more than one bicycle, and even if you somehow knew about the other bikes, you wouldn’t know which one was in the garage.
Which introduces non-defining clauses. Unlike defining clauses, non-defining clauses (also called nonessential or nonrestrictive clauses) don’t limit the meaning of the sentence. You might lose interesting details if you remove them, but the meaning of the sentence wouldn’t change. Sometimes, these phrases are set off by commas.
My bike, which has a broken seat, is in the garage.
Here, the broken seat is simply a description of the bike in the garage. There’s no implication that the speaker owns more than one bike. Do you see the difference? Perhaps a little mnemonic device will help you to remember how to choose between that or which.

Which and that are common words, but they are important. By identifying your clauses as defining or non-defining, you can easily remember when to use which and when to use that. If you are ready to learn more, study up on defining and non-defining clauses.

by
Srini

Usage of Upon and Yet with examples

Upon

… upon… used to emphasize that there is a large number or amount of somethingmile upon mile of dusty roadthousands upon thousands of letters

The preposition upon is generally much more formal than on but can be used to replace it in certain situations.

It can be used instead of on after several common verbs, such as happen, depend, insist and congratulate. Examples are ‘He insisted upon seeing you even though I told him you were busy’, ‘A police patrolhappened upon the robbers as they were running out of the bank’ and  ‘My whole future depended upon the decision of one manager’.

Upon is also used to mean ‘immediately after’, as in ‘Upon his release from prison, Davis went immediately to his mother’s house’. It can also mean ‘happening soon’ and in this case it is not normally replaceable with on, as in ‘Christmas is almost upon us again’ and ‘It’s June already and the exams will soon be uponus’.
When used between two nouns that are the same, upon emphasizes the large number or amount of the thing that has been mentioned, as in ‘I’ve written to you year upon year but I have never received a reply’ and ‘They drove for days across mile upon mile of open desert’.

Upon is also used in a small number of phrasal verbs, notably set, put and chance. Set upon is often passive and means ‘attack’, as in ‘He was walking through the park when he was set upon by a gang of youths’. If you feel put upon, you feel exploited because you are doing all the work while others relax. If youchance upon (or chance on) someone or something you come across them or it unexpectedly, as in ‘I was browsing in a second-hand bookshop when I chanced upon a rare first edition’.


Yet
adverb
1. Yet means at this time, up to now or at a future time.

conjunction
1. Yet is defined as nevertheless or but.





Examples:
He is my worst enemy, and yet, I admire him as the wisest man in the world.

It requires the labor of thousands to make a pencil, and yet they are so inexpensive as to be almost free.

Yet as powerful as this concept is, it has a logical limit.

And yet, I remain very optimistic.

The boy was only four years old, and the girl was not yet six.

Dependent and Independent Clauses with Examples

https://www.bitteaser.com/?pid=34283


Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence.

Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz.

Independent clauses have three components:

1. They have a subject - they tell the reader what the sentence is about.
2. They have an action or predicate - they tell the reader what the subject is doing.
3. They express a complete thought - something happened or was said.

An independent clause can be as simple as a subject and a verb:

• Jim reads.

Jim is the subject. Reads is the action or verb. A complete thought was expressed - something was said, and the reader now knows that Jim likes to read.

Independent clauses can also be joined to other independent clauses, if the independent clauses are related. However, they MUST be joined using the proper punctuation.

• Jim read a book; he really enjoyed the book.

The first clause is an independent clause. Jim is the subject, read is the action, book is the object.

The second clause is an independent clause. He is the subject, enjoyed is the action and the book is the object.

The independent clauses are related, so they can be joined to create a complex sentence. They are correctly joined by a semicolon. 

• Jim read a book, he really enjoyed the book.

Again, we have two independent clauses, but the independent clauses are not joined properly. When two independent clauses are joined only be a comma, it is a grammatical error called a comma splice.

Independent clauses can be quite complex, but the important thing to remember is that they stand on their own and make sense alone.

Dependent Clause

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker word.

When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)

A dependent clause is a clause that does not express a complete thought.

A clause can be dependent because of the presence of a:

• Marker Word (Before, after, because, since, in order to, although, though, whenever, wherever, whether, while, even though, even if)
• Conjunction (And, or, nor, but, yet)

Dependent clauses MUST be joined to another clause, in order to avoid creating a sentence fragment.

• Because I forgot my homework.

This is a sentence fragment. We have a "because" but not a "why" or anything accompanying and following what happened "because" they forgot.

• Because I forgot my homework, I got sent home.

Here, the error is corrected. "I got sent home" is an independent clause. "I" is the subject, "got" is the verb, "sent home" is the object. A complete thought is expressed.

Dependent clauses can become more complex if we add subjects, objects, and modifying phrases:

• Jim, who likes books, read a book.

Jim is the subject.

"Who likes to read" is a dependent clause that modifies Jim. It contains "likes" which is a verb.

Read is a verb.

A book is the object.

Like independent clauses, a dependent clause can also be complex. The important thing to remember is that the dependent clause does not stand on its own as a complete thought.

Read more at http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/independent-and-dependent-clauses.html#HQK9v5TDQh0MrMhk.99

Active and Passive Voice: Tense-wise Rules

Simple Present tense

An Active sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Subject + first form of the verb + object

A passive sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Object of the active sentence + is/am/are + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active sentence

Changing an assertive sentence into the passive

Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I help you.
Passive: You are helped by me.
Active: I love my parents.
Passive: My parents are loved by me.
Active: We love our country.
Passive: Our country is loved by us.

Changing a negative sentence into the passive

Active: I do not write a letter.
Passive: A letter is not written by me.
Active: I do not abuse my servants.
Passive: My servants are not abused by me.
Active: I do not write novels.
Passive: Novels are not written by me.
Active: He does not tease her.
Passive: She is not teased by him.

Changing an interrogative sentence into the passive

Structure: Is/are/am + object of the active verb + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the passive verb

Active: Do you write a letter?
Passive: Is a letter written by you?
Active: Do you write stories?
Passive: Are stories written by you?
Active: Does she make candles?
Passive: Are candles made by her?
Active: Who does not obey you?
Passive: By whom are you not obeyed?
Active: Which newspaper do you read?
Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
Active: Does she do her duty?
Passive: Is her duty done by her?

Notes:

The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects.

The old man sat in a corner.
The child sleeps.
The wind blows.
The dog barks.
The fire burns.
He laughed aloud.

Read more at http://www.englishpractice.com/improve/active-passive-voice-tensewise-rules/#bQFMXQy1zsoTlib0.99

PASSIVE VOICE FOR ALL TENSES RULES

• The places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
• 3rd form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive voice.
• Auxiliary verbs for each tense are given below in the table.

Present Simple Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am/is/are
Active voice: He sings a song. He does not sing a song.Does he sing asong?	Passive voice: A song is sung by him. A song is not sung by him. Is a song sung by him?

Present Continuous Tense (passive Voice)Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am being/is being/are being
Active voice: I am writing a letter I am not writing a letter. Am I writing a letter?	Passive voice: A letter is being written by me. A letter is not being written by me. Is a letter being written by me?

Present Perfect Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: has been/have been
Active voice: She has finished his work She has not finished her work. Has she finished her work?	Passive voice: Her work has been finished by her. Her work has not been finished by her. Has her work been finished by her?

Past Simple Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was/were
Active voice: I killed a snake I did not kill a snake. Did I kill a snake?	Passive voice: A snake was killed by me. A snake was not killed by me. Was a snake killed by me?

Past Continuous Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was being/were being
Active voice: He was driving a car. He was not driving a car. Was he driving a car?	Passive voice: A car was being driven by him. A car was not being driven by him. Was a car being driven by him?

Past Perfect Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: had been
Active voice: They had completed the assignment. They had not completed the assignment. Had they completed the assignment?	Passive voice: The assignment had been completed by them. The assignment had not been complete by them. Had the assignment been completed by them?

Future Simple Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will be
Active voice: She will buy a car. She will not buy a car. Will she buy a car?	Passive voice: A car will be bought by her. A car will not be bought by her. Will a car be bought by her?

Future Perfect Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will have been
Active voice: You will have started the job. You will have not started the job. Will you have started the job?	Passive voice: The job will have been started by you. The job will not have been started by you. Will the job have been started by you?

Note: The following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice.

1. Present perfect continuous tense
2. Past perfect continuous tense
3. Future continuous tense
4. Future perfect continuous tense
5. Sentence having Intransitive verbs

Fundamental Rules

• The places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
• 3rd form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive voice.
• Auxiliary verbs for each tense are given below in the table.

Infinitive Verb Explanation

Question From : Indar Vishnoi

mama , what is infinite verb

Answer From Open School

Infinitive Verb

Do you know the difference between an infinitive verb and a base verb? Or, do you know when and how do you use infinitive verbs? These questions, and their answers are the key to understanding the uses of an infinitive verb.

Defining an Infinitive Verb

Basically, an infinitive verb is a verb with the word “to” in front of it.

·         to be

·         to have

·         to hold

·         to sleep

·         to dream

When you use an infinitive verb, the “to” is a part of the verb. It is not acting as a preposition in this case. And the verb is always just the verb. It’s not conjugated in anyway – no -ed, no -ing, no -s on the end. Sometimes you’ll see sentences like this:

·         She went from kissing him to slapping him in no time.

You see “to slapping,” and it’s easy to think that’s an infinitive verb, but it isn’t. It’s a preposition (to) and a gerund (slapping). You can tell it’s not an infinitive because of the -ing on the end of the verb. Infinitives never have an -ing ending.

Infinitive Verb vs. Base Verb

A lot of people think that the infinitive is the most basic form of a verb, but it isn’t. The most basic form is the base form. The base form is just the verb, without the “to.” Some people also call this a bare infinitive.

·         be

·         have

·         hold

·         sleep

·         dream

Using an Infinitive Verb

There are several possible ways to use infinitive verbs. You can use them:

1.      as the subject of a sentence – To err is human; to forgive, divine.

2.      like an adjective or adverb phrase that expresses purpose or intent – My instructions are to press this button every hour.

3.      following an indirect object – He told me to give this to you.

4.      following certain other verbs:

·         afford – We can’t afford to eat out every night.

·         agree – Let’s agree to disagree.

·         aim – I aim to please.

·         appear – She appears to have the chicken pox.

·         arrange – I’ll arrange to meet you at 3:00.

·         attempt – We attempted to contact him several times.

·         determined – They are determined to finish the race.

·         beg – She begged to stay up past her bed time.

·         care – Would you care to dance?

·         choose – He’ll always choose to eat pizza if given the choice.

·         claim – They claim to have been home all night.

·         dare – Do you dare to approach me?

·         decide – We decided to get married in a hot air balloon.

·         demand – I demand to know who said that!

·         deserve – You deserve to have all you want in life.

·         expect – Do you expect to see her any time soon?

·         fail – She failed to achieve any of her goals.

·         happen – I happen to have all the things you need.

·         help – It would help to be able to swim.

·         hesitate – He hesitated to ask for the day off.

·         hope – She hopes to be engaged by the end of the summer.

·         learn – We’re learning to communicate better.

·         long – Oh how he longed to hold her in his arms!

·         manage – Have you managed to complete your work on time for once?

·         mean – I didn’t mean to hurt you.

·         need – You need to think before you speak.

·         neglect – He neglected to tell his parents about the accident.

·         offer – Jim offered to help me pack.

·         plan – What do you plan to do after college?

·         prepare – I’m preparing to run away.

·         pretend – Don’t pretend to sleep when I’m talking to you.

·         proceed – We then proceeded to drink until we blacked out.

·         promise – I promise to love you forever.

·         refuse – She refused to sign the documents.

·         resolve – He has resolved never to fight again.

·         seem – They seem to be having some sort of argument.

·         stop – We stopped to use the restroom and stretch.

·         swear – Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

·         tend – I tend to laugh when I’m nervous.

·         threaten – He threatened to shoot me if I didn’t give him my wallet.

·         use – She gave MacGeyver her cigarettes and an earring, which he used to make a bomb.

·         volunteer – They volunteered to paint kids’ faces at the fair.

·         vow – We vowed to love and cherish one another.

·         want – Do you really want to hurt me?

·         wish – Do you wish to see me cry?

·         would hate – I would hate to be in his shoes.

·         would like – The gentleman would like to accompany the lady home.

·         would love – I would love to dance!

·         would prefer – He would prefer to go bowling, but she wants to see a movie.

As you can see, the infinitive verb has many uses, both functional (We need to leave now) and philosophical (To be, or not to be? That is the question).