Looking at Structures

The Old Days

Ex.50 Read the text and answer the questions following it.

My Pa used to play the violin. Us children5 would gather around the potbelly stove in the kitchen during those long, freezing-cold winter nights in Wisconsin, and we would be glued to the sounds of that old violin. My Pa made that violin sing.

That violin gave us our best entertainment because my Pa used to play for dances around the county. We would get so excited when he told us that we were going to go to a dance. About one Saturday night a month, he would hitch the horses, pack the entire family into the wagon, and take us off to the dance. Now that was real excitement!

I still have that violin. It has got to be at least a hundred and fifty years old now. I've played it on and off through the years, and others have picked it from time to time. But nobody has made it sing the way my Pa used to.

1. What is the verb in the first sentence? Is there any difference in meaning between that sentence and "My Pa played the violin"?

2. Notice the verb forms in the second sentence. Do these verbs indicate that the event happened only once, or more than once?

3. Look at the sentences in Lines 6 and 7. What is the time frame of "we were going"?

4. What verb tenses are used in the third paragraph? Is any specific time mentioned? When did these actions take place?

Ex.51 Some of the sentences below contain common verb form mistakes. Find the sentences with errors and correct them using either "Simple Past," "Used to" or "Would Always."

EXAMPLE:

used to

A) I would always be unhealthy as a child.

1. When I was a child, I rode my bike every day.

2. She would always be beautiful when she was young.

3. I used to go to the beach yesterday.

4. Margie loves horses because she used to have one as a child.

5. James would always have a very important test last week.

6. Jerry always used to cook dinner for himself, but now his wife prepares dinner.

7. Jamie would always have a dog when she was a child, but now she has a cat.

8. Laura would always bake cookies for us when we were kids.

9. I used to graduate from Georgetown University in 1992.

10. He would constantly embarrass himself by asking stupid questions in class.

11. They would spend Easter with us every year until we moved.

12. They used to spend Easter with us every year until we moved.

13. They spent Easter with us every year until we moved.

14. I used to be fat, but I lost a lot of weight in high school.

15. I would always be fat, but I lost a lot of weight in high school.

Ex.52 Using would or used to, change the following sentences from the simple past tense to the habitual past. Note any cases where would cannot be used.

Example: We lived in a small town.

We used to live in a small town. (Would is not possible.)

1. Our family had a television, but we seldom watched it.

2. We always found other ways to pass the time.

3. All of the children in the neighborhood were friends.

4. In the summer, we always played games, rode our bicycles, and went swimming.

5. All of us liked to swim.

6. In autumn, we always made big piles of leaves to jump in.

7. In winter, we skated and skied all the time.

8. We built snow slides through the back yards and sledded down them every day after school.

9. Finally springtime came after months of winter.

10. We waited for summer to arrive again.

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITY: What are some things that you used to do as a child? Give at least four sentences of your own about childhood pastimes.

Ex.53 Using used to and adding not anymore, show a change in habits from the past to the present.

Example: My cousin lived in Hawaii.

My cousin used to live in Hawaii, but he doesn't anymore.

1. He went to the university there.

2. He cut classes often.

3. He swam in the ocean every day.

4. He had fun all the time.

5. He always got a good suntan.

6. He also failed all of his exams.

COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITY: Based on the preceding example, make at least four statements about yourself, your friends, or your family.

Ex.54 Translate the following sentences into English using the verb to be in Present or Past Simple.

1. Він водій.

2. Ми школярі.

3. Вони були в театрі.

4. Він був робітником. Зараз він інженер.

5. Мої батьки вдома.

6. Мій брат не був у школі вчора.

7. Його мати молода. Вона студентка.

8. Моя бабуся вчителька. Вона не на роботі. Вона зараз вдома.

9. Мій дядько був льотчиком.

10. Ви були у театрі вчора? — Ні, не були.

11. Його сестра була студенткою минулого року. Зараз вона лікар.

12. Він хворий? — Так, він зараз хворіє.

13. Погода сьогодні ясна, але вчора погода була поганою.

14. Де ти був? — Я був на роботі.

15. Вона в театрі? — Ні, в кіно.

16. Це парк. Парк дуже старий.

17. Минулого місяця ми були в театрі.

18. Де вони були? - На роботі.

19. Мій дідусь старий.

20. Його сестри немає в школі.

21. Він не хворий.

22. Де мої речі? — Вони були на столі.

23. Вона була вчителькою.

24. Ви були льотчиком? — Ні, я був водієм.

25. Ці хлопці моряки?

Ex.55 Translate the following sentences into English using the verbs in Past Simple or Present Continuous.

1. Що ти робив, коли прийшли твої батьки? Я робив уроки.

2. Коли він дивився телевізор, задзвонив телефон.

3. Він спав, коли до нього прийшли друзі.

4. Ти знайшов гриби, коли гуляв у лісі?

5. Коли вона йшла на роботу, вона зустріла свою по­другу.

6. Хто допомагав тобі прибирати в кімнаті?

7. Він розповів тобі цю історію? — Так, він розповів її мені о третій годині.

8. Коли ми вийшли з дому, йшов сильний дощ.

9. Я думав над дуже складним питанням, коли раптом задзвонив телефон.

10. Коли я зустрів її, вона поспішала на роботу. 11_; Що він робив вчора о сьомій? — Він працював над доповіддю.

12. Ми побачили білку, коли гуляли у лісі.

13. Вона була хворою і лежала у ліжку, коли ми прийшли провідати її.

14. Він керував автомобілем, коли відчув біль.

15. Діти переходили дорогу в недозволеному місці, коли міліціонер зупинив їх.

16. Я чистив зуби, коли задзвонив телефон.

17. Вчора о шостій годині я робив уроки, а мама читала газети.

18. Коли він прийшов додому, його сім'я обідала.

19. Бабуся побачила, що онук грає у дворі, коли виглянула у вікно.

20. Вчора о сьомій ми обговорювали це питання.

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