SCG Language Tutorials English Grammar - English Verbs

MY DAY OUT

A Past Continuous Verb Tense Example

“On Saturday I WAS SLEEPING when my dreams were disturbed.

The morning sun WAS SHINING across my bed...

...and woke me just as the alarm clock WAS RINGING.

Over breakfast I checked my computer to see what WAS HAPPENING during the day.

I saw that the movie ‘Despicable Me 2’ WAS SHOWING in 3D...

...at the IMAX cinema in Greenwich.

It WAS STARTING at 3pm.

I looked on the TFL website to check what time the trains WERE RUNNING and booked my ticket.

At the cinema a lot of people WERE QUEUING for tickets at the box office...

...but I could walk past the queues as I WAS COLLECTING my ticket from one of the machines.

The cinema was almost full...

...everyone WAS WAITING for the movie to start.

Some people WERE EATING popcorn...

...others WERE LICKING ice creams,...

DRINKING colas, or TALKING on their phones.

The last few people came in as the lights WERE DIMMING and the trailers began.

During the movie, everyone WAS LAUGHING because it was so funny, and I WAS CRYING because I laughed so hard.

The funniest scenes were when the Minions WERE SPEAKING because they have funny voices.

At the end we waited as the credits WERE ROLLING...

...because the cast and their characters WERE SINGING ‘You Should Be Dancing’ by the Bee Gees”.

Notice how the Continuous Past Tense of the verbs are used, and also where Perfect Tenses are used in the same sentences.

QUESTIONS

When I WAS SLEEPING, what WAS the sun DOING?

While I WAS EATING my breakfast, what else WAS I DOING?

How did I find out what WAS HAPPENING?

Where WAS the movie SHOWING?

What time WAS the movie STARTING?

How did I check what time the trains WERE RUNNING?

Why WERE the people QUEUING?

Where WAS I COLLECTING my tickets?

What WAS everyone DOING while they WERE WAITING for the movie to start?

What WERE they EATING?

What WERE they DRINKING?

Why WAS everyone LAUGHING?

Why WAS I CRYING?

What WERE the actors SINGING?

Notice how the same verbs can be used to ask questions about the experience. Also note that “everyone” takes the 3^rd person singular not plural case [‘He/she/it’ not ‘They’].

Now we will re-write this same example in other continuous tenses:

A Present Continuous Example

“It is Saturday morning and I AM DREAMING when the morning sun wakes me just as the alarm clock IS RINGING. The sunlight IS SHINING across my bed and into my eyes.

As I AM EATING my breakfast I wonder what IS HAPPENING nearby today. On my computer I see that ‘Despicable Me 2’ WILL BE SHOWING in 3D at the Greenwich IMAX cinema at 3pm.

I AM LOOKING for the train times on the TFL website, before I book my ticket.

It is 2:55pm as I walk into the IMAX Cinema and people ARE QUEUING at the box office for tickets. I walk past the queues because I AM COLLECTING my ticket from one of the machines.

Inside, the cinema is almost full. While the audience ARE WAITING for the movie to start, they ARE EATING popcorn and ice creams and DRINKING cola and DISCUSSING the first movie in the series.

I take my seat and as the lights ARE DIMMING the last few people take their seats.

The movie is so funny that everyone IS LAUGHING. I AM LAUGHING so hard that I AM CRYING.

The Minions are the funniest characters, because they ARE SPEAKING in these funny voices.

The film ends but we all remain in our seats. As the credits ARE ROLLING, the characters and the actors who gave them their voices ARE SINGING the song ’You Should Be Dancing’ by the Bee Gees on the screen.”

Notice how we can use the Present Continuous Tense to tell the same story.

How do we ask questions about this in the Present Continuous Tense?

1] What AM I DOING when the alarm clock rings?

2] Where IS THE SUNLIGHT SHINING?

3] As I eat my breakfast, what AM I WONDERING?

4] Where AM I LOOKING for the train times?

5] What is the time AS I AM WALKING into the IMAX cinema?

6] Where ARE THE PEOPLE QUEUING?

7] Where AM I COLLECTING my ticket from?

8] As the AUDIENCE ARE WAITING for the movie to begin, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

9] AS THE LIGHTS ARE DIMMING, WHAT IS HAPPENING?

10] WHY IS EVERYONE LAUGHING?

11] WHY AM I CRYING?

12] Why are the Minions the funniest characters?

13] WHAT IS HAPPENING WHILE THE CREDITS ARE ROLLING?

Answers:

1] I AM DREAMING.

2] IT IS SHINING across my bed and into my eyes.

3] I AM WONDERING WHAT IS HAPPENING nearby.

4] I AM LOOKING on line.

5] It is 2:55 pm.

6] THEY ARE QUEUING at the box office.

7] I AM COLLECTING it from the ticket machine.

8] THEY ARE EATING popcorn and ice creams, DRINKING colas and DISCUSSING the first movie.

9] The last few PEOPLE ARE ARRIVING.

10] THEY ARE LAUGHING because the movie is so funny.

11] I AM CRYING because I AM LAUGHING so hard.

12] They are the funniest because THEY ARE SPEAKING in funny voices.

13] The characters and actors ARE SINGING.

A Future Continuous Example

“Tomorrow morning I AM GOING TO BE DREAMING when the sun wakes me, just as the alarm clock rings. The sunlight WILL BE SHINING across my bed and into my eyes.

I AM GOING TO BE EATING my breakfast and WONDERING what WILL BE HAPPENING nearby during the day. I will check my computer to see what WILL BE SHOWING at the Greenwich IMAX cinema.

If ‘Despicable Me 2’ IS GOING TO BE SHOWING I will check to see what time the trains WILL BE RUNNING and book my ticket on line.

That means that when I arrive at the cinema, I can walk past the box office where the crowds ARE GOING TO BE QUEUING, because I WILL BE COLLECTING my tickets from one of the machines.

It is a popular movie, so the cinema will be filled with people who ARE GOING TO BE EATING popcorn and ice creams, or DRINKING colas as they wait for it to start. It is the second movie in the series so it is likely to be noisy as everyone IS GOING TO BE DISCUSSING the first one.

If my previous experience is repeated, people WILL still BE ARRIVING as the lights dim.

I hope that it is as funny as the first one, and that everyone IS GOING TO BE LAUGHING or CRYING with laughter.

I expect that the Minions WILL BE SPEAKING in their funny voices. They are the funniest characters.

At the end of the movie I will wait to watch the end credits to see if the characters and the actors who gave them their voices WILL BE SINGING on screen as they did in the first one.”

Note how the Future Continuous Tense changes much of the story. Notice also that some sentences contain both versions of this tense, to avoid repetition.

Try using the Future Continuous Tense to talk about your holiday plans, or ask questions about this story.

1] WHAT WILL I BE DOING tomorrow morning as the alarm clock rings?

2] WHERE WILL THE SUNLIGHT BE SHINING?

3] How will I check to see if the movie ‘Despicable Me 2’ IS GOING TO BE SHOWING tomorrow?

4] How will I ensure that I WILL BE AVOIDING the queues of people waiting to collect their tickets from the box office?

5] What WILL PEOPLE BE DOING as they wait for the movie to begin?

6] What do you think PEOPLE WILL BE DISCUSSING before the movie starts?

7] Do you think PEOPLE WILL still BE ARRIVING as the lights dim?

8] Why are the Minions likely to be the funniest characters?

9] WILL the characters and the actors who gave them their voices BE SINGING while the credits ARE ROLLING?

Answers:

1] I WILL BE DREAMING.

2] IT WILL BE SHINING across the bed and into my eyes.

3] I WILL BE CHECKING on line.

4] I WILL BE COLLECTING my tickets from one of the machines.

5] THEY WILL BE EATING, DRINKING and DISCUSSING the first movie.

6] THEY WILL BE DISCUSSING the first movie in the series.

7] Yes, THEY WILL.

8] Because THEY WILL BE SPEAKING in funny voices.

9] I WILL BE WATCHING to see if they do.

Exercise

Those were three ways of telling the same story. Can you tell a story about your day out using the three Continuous Tenses of English verbs?