TIME - PRESENT & PAST An essential function of language is sequencing events - organizing data chronologically. The tenses are often accompanied by characteristic.

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1 TIME - PRESENT & PAST An essential function of language is sequencing events - organizing data chronologically. The tenses are often accompanied by characteristic time markers - that is to say, adverbs and other expressions which give supplementary information confirming the choice of tense. There are four present tenses and four past tenses.

2 A. Present Time Present simple: Typical Time Markers
The newspaper says... She likes chocolate. He leaves the lab at 7 pm. Water freezes at 0°C. The "general" present. Opinions and habits. Habitual actions. Scientific facts. Typical Time Markers • every day • usually • often • sometimes

3 A. Present Time 2. Present continuous: Time Markers
Look! It is raining. Mary is trying to finish her work. At the moment, he is working in London. On-going present time. Actions happening now. Temporary actions in the present.. Time Markers • now • at the moment - currently • at present • temporarily

4 A. Present Time Time Markers 3. Present perfect:
He has broken his leg. I have just finished. I have never been to Miami. He has worked in Madrid since 1999. I have seen him twice this week The result is important - he can't walk now. The finishing is part of the present. In my life - up to now. From then till now - it is not history. The time span is the present this week - not last week Time Markers • just • recently • already • not yet • ever – never • so far • up to now • since • for 3 years • this week • this month

5 A. Present Time 4. Present perfect continuous: Typical Time Markers
He has been living in Paris for several months. They have been studying the question for years. She has been working in Cold Spring Labs. An on-going situation - not yet completed. Non-stop - up to the present. Temporary present - up to now. Typical Time Markers • for 10 years • for a long time • since 1999

6 B. Past Time 1. Past Simple: Time Markers
I went to the cinema last week. In 1865, Pasteur discovered the theory of microbes. I saw her briefly a couple of hours ago. When I was a child ... Past, finished actions. Dates - "History" Past action considered as no longer important Memories Time Markers • yesterday • two days ago • last week •in 1970 • in the 18th century • during the war…

7 •while • when • At the same time
B. Past Time 2. Past Continous: She was trying to finish a letter. While he was eating the meal, the TV imploded. At the time, he was living in London. Past duration. Two past actions - one interrupted by another. Temporary past. Time Markers •while • when • At the same time

8 B. Past Time 3. Past Perfect: Time Markers after • as soon as • when
As soon as he had finished his meal, he went out. The first of two past events. Time Markers after • as soon as • when

9 •when • after • for a long time • during this period
B. Past Time 4. Past Perfect Continous: They had been living in Algiers for about ten years when the war broke out. He had been working on the problem for years. The first of two actions - past action with duration. Stress on the action. Time Markers •when • after • for a long time • during this period

10 • over the last 20 years • recently
Exercise Insert the time markers into the sentences (some can be used in more than one place): It is a fact that• while • currently • previously • this year• nowadays • over the last 20 years • recently 1. A major problem for health authorities is that ………………………………………………………. rats and mice are becoming increasingly resistant to poisons designed to kill them. 2. Two balloonists were killed ………………………………….. they were carrying out tests in Australia. 3. Britain has …………………………………………………………………… decided to relax its restriction on carbon dioxide pollution from 150 to 200 parts per billion. 4. …………………………………………………………Victor Lorenzo from the National Centre of Biotechnology in Madrid has been trying to develop genetically engineered plants to combat toxic metal pollution. Nowadays / currently while recently over the last 20 years

11 • over the last 20 years • recently
Insert the time markers into the sentences (some can be used in more than one place): It is a fact that• while • currently • previously • this year• nowadays • over the last 20 years • recently 5. The theory of plate tectonics suggested that the world was older than scientists had ………………………………………..………………………. thought. 6. ………………………………………………………………….. detergents dissolve hydrocarbons, thereby making it easier for bacteria to break them down. 7. The government is ……………………………………………………………. considering whether to ban the use of depleted uranium in weapons. 8. There have been more than 20 cases of cholera reported in the Philippines ……………………………………………………………………………………. 9. ……………………………………………………………………… weather forecasts have been gradually becoming more accurate thanks to enhanced computers. previously It is a fact that currently this year / Over the last 20 years over the last 20 years

12 Exercise Put the verbs in brackets into the appropriate tense.
Have known 1. Biologists …………………………………………………………….for a long time that there is some kind of electrical communication system in plants. (to know) 2. The researchers …………………………………………………………………………….. for the results of the clinical trials. (now , to wait) 3. Fermi …………………………………………………………. as professor of theoretical physics at Rome University for more than 10 years when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. (to work) 4. Several attempts ………………………………………………………………………. to identify the virus. (already to be made) 5. Slowly but surely, the world's rain forests ………………………………………………………… irrevocably damaged by global warming.(to be) 6. As soon as I ………………………………………………………………. I will telephone you. (to finish) 7. Einstein ………………………………………………………………… in the Soviet Union (never, to work). are now waiting has been working have already been made Are being Finish/have finished Never worked

13 suffer 8. Victims of Alzheimer's disease ……………………………………………………… from a loss of memory and judgement. (to suffer) 9. By 1400 BC, the earliest geographers ……………………………………………… the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. (already- to map) 10. It is alleged that the Roman emperor Nero played the violin while the city ………………………………………………… (to burn). 11. Throughout history, society …………………………….. the existence of mental disorders (to recognize) The government ……………………………………………what action to take when the first soldiers were killed. (to wonder) 13. You can see the results already. It is quite obvious that the new technology …………………………………………………….the way people think. (to influence) 14. At last, after all these years and thanks to satellite photographs, scientists ………………………………………. the spot where the meteorite fell. (to identify) 15. Predators ………………….. (to eat) prey and prey …………………………… (to be eaten) by predators – that is the law of nature. Had already mapped Was burning Has recognized Was wondering Is influencing/has influenced Have identified eat Is eaten