Refer the following actions to the past.

Model: At the moment Ted is taking his exam. (to prepare for)

At this time yesterday Ted was preparing for his exam.

1) Ann is working as a secretary at the moment. (to train for secretarial work)

2) At the moment Susan is having no job. (to work in an art gallery)

3) At the moment we are having a class in English Grammar. (to have a class in Russian)

4) At the moment Andrew is showing the foreign students the main building of our University. (to meet them at the airport)

5) Jill and Ben are breeding pigeons this year. (to breed rabbits)

6) Max is working overtime this month. (to have a rest in Torino)

7) Ted is now learning to drive a car. (to go to classes in computer programming)

8) At the moment she is finishing doing her paperwork. (to report on the project to her boss)

9) We are now putting the project into practice. (to work out its main points only)

10) We are producing a new type of boiler which is 25% more efficient. (to develop)

11) At the moment my fellow-students are working hard at their pronunciation in the language laboratory. (to play basketball in the gymnasium)

12) At the moment the executive manager is having talks with our Australian partners. (to analyse the information on the activities of their company)

13) We are returning home. (to swim in the sea)

14) The students are correcting their mistakes. (to write a test)

15) At the moment the teacher is dictating some sentences. (to explain the rule)

 

2.4. Ask your fellow-student:

1) what report he/she was making when you entered the hall;

2) if he/she was doing his/her grammar exercises from 9 to 10 yesterday;

3) when he/she was going to write a letter to his/her parents;

4) who was always making mistakes last term;

5) if the students were asking or answering questions during the lesson;

6) what the students were doing all the time while the teacher was marking their dictations;

7) why he/she was hurrying to the University when you saw him/her;

8) what time he/she was taking his/her exam in Latin yesterday morning;

9) whom he/she was practising the intonation patterns with while you were reading an article;

10) why Ann was constantly lagging behind the group in Grammar;

11) what games they were playing the whole day yesterday;

12) whom he/she was having some practice in spelling with between 5 and 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon;

13) if he/she was reading something interesting when you saw him/her;

14) why he/she wasn't doing anything in the language laboratory while his/her fellow-students were listening to the new poem;

15) why he/she was constantly complaining of being ill.

 

2.5. Combine the two sentences into one compound sentence each time saying that:

(A) one action was interrupted by another action.

Model: I watched TV. I fell asleep.

I fell asleep when I was watching TV.

1) Maison went out. I came in.

2) We waited for the bus. We saw an accident.

3) The doorbell rang. Jack left the house.

4) Mike had an accident. He drove too fast.

5) I ate dinner. Jim came.

6) He fell asleep last night. He heard a strange noise.

7) Eric studied. Amanda called him on the phone.

8) I didn't hear you. I listened to the radio.

9) He bought a ticket. The train left.

10) We played cards. The light went out.

(B) two actions were going on at the same time.

Model: I shaved. The children had breakfast.

I was shaving while the children were having breakfast.

1) You had a bath. The girls washed the dishes.

2) She planted flowers in the garden. The children played with a ball in the yard.

3) You talked to Mary. I talked to John.

4) Alison got ready. Eric fetched the car.

5) I made the tea. Jimmy cleaned the car.

6) The children enjoyed playing chess. Their mothers chatted in another room.

7) It rained. He walked up the hill.

8) The house burnt. We slept.

9) We listened to the teacher very attentively. Pete and Jane whispered.

10) I read up for my exam. My younger sister watched TV.

 

How did it happen?

Model: How did Alex hurt himself? (play soccer)

He hurt himself while he was playing soccer.

1) How did Martin burn himself? (iron his clothes)

2) How did Helen cut herself? (slice onions)

3) How did Jennifer meet her husband? (repair the car)

4) How did Martin break his arm? (skate)

5) How did you lose your wallet? (ride my bicycle)

6) How did Bob get a black eye? (fight with his brother)

7) How did Martha injure her leg? (dance)

8) How did Eric fall off the ladder? (paint the ceiling)

9) How did Ann break the plate? (do the washing-up)

10) How did Susan and Ben get acquainted? (breed pigeons in the park)