1.10. Read the stories and reproduce them. Use the Present Indefinite.

1) Little Mary goes to school for the first time. When she comes home, her mother asks her, "Do you like your teacher, Mary?" Mary thinks a bit, and then she says, "Yes, I like her very much, but I don't think she is very clever." "How is that?" asks the mother. "Oh," says Mary, "because she asks us so many questions."

2) An Englishman arrives at a hotel in France. There is a sign on the door of the hotel which says, "All languages spoken here."

He speaks English to the waiter. But he doesn't understand him. Then he tries to speak German and Italian. No answer. Then a little annoyed, he asks in French, "Who is it that speaks all languages here then?" "The hotel guests," answers the waiter quietly.

3) The teacher tells the pupils about the man who always swims across the river three times before breakfast.

Eric laughs.

"Don't you believe that a good swimmer can do that?" the teacher asks Eric. "Yes, I do," answers the boy, "but I don't see how the man gets his clothes if he doesn't cross the river once more."

4) Once a young man applies for a job to the manager of a circus. His name is Terry Black and he is very popular with the public because he can eat six dozen eggs at a single sitting.

The manager informs him that they give four shows a day and adds that on Saturday they give six shows. Terry is glad, he remarks that six shows fetch more money than one.

The manager gives one more detail that on holidays they manage a show every hour. In his reply to this Terry warns the manager that no matter how many shows they give a day, he must have time to go out and have his dinner.

§ 2 The past indefinite

1. F o r m a t i o n

The Past Indefinite in all regular verbs is formed by adding -ed (or -d when the verb ends in -e) to the Infinitive. The form is the same for all persons.

In irregular verbs the Past Indefinite form varies so that the Past Indefinite form of the verb to begin is began, of the verb to go is went, of the verb to do is did. These forms must be learnt, but once this is done there is no other difficulty, as the same form is used for all persons.

The negative (for both regular and irregular verbs) is formed with did not + Infinitive (without to). It is the same for all persons.

The interrogative (for both regular and irregular verbs) is formed with did + subject + Infinitive (without to). It is the same for all persons.

Affirmative		Negative
1) I enjoyed		1) I did not enjoy
You enjoyed	the show last	(= I didn't enjoy)	the show last
He/she/it enjoyed	night.	You did not enjoy	night.
We enjoyed		He/she/it did not enjoy
They enjoyed		We did not enjoy
		They did not enjoy

2) Iwent		2) I did not go
You went		(= I didn't go)
He/she/it went	to France a	You did not go	to France a
We went	year ago.	He/she/it did not go	year ago.
They went		We did not go
		They did not go

Interrogative		Negative Interrogative
1) Did I enjoy		1) Did I not enjoy
Did you enjoy	the show last	(= Didn't I enjoy)	the show
Did he/she/it enjoy	night?	Did you not enjoy	last night?
Did we enjoy		Did he/she/it not enjoy
Did they enjoy		Did we not enjoy
		Did they not enjoy
2) Did I go		2) Did I not go
Did you go	to France a	(= Didn't I go)	to France a
Did he/she/it go	year ago?	Did you not go	year ago?
Did we go		Did he/she/it not go
Did they go		Did we not go
		Did they not go

Remember: Affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences with the verbs to be and to have/have got are formed in the following way:

TO BE

Affirmative		Negative
I was		I was not (= I wasn't)
You were	in London	You were not	in London
He/she/it was	last week.	He/she/it was not	last week.
We were		We were not
They were		They were not

Interrogative		Negative Interrogative
Was I		Was I not (= Wasn't I)
Were you	in London	Were you not	in London
Was he/she/it	last week?	Was he/she/it not	last week?
Were we		Were we not
Were they		Were they not

TO HAVE/HAVE GOT

Affirmative
I had/had got
You had/had got	a nice job
He/she/it had/had got	last summer.
We had/had got
They had/had got

Negative
1) I did not have		2) I had not got
(= I didn't have)		(= I hadn't got)
You did not have	a nice job	You had not got	a nice job
He/she/it did not have	last summer.	He/she/it had not got	last summer.
We did not have		We had not got
They did not have		They had not got

Interrogative
1) Did I have		2) Had I got
Did you have	a nice job	Had you got	a nice job
Did he/she/it have	last summer?	Had he/she/it got	last summer?
Did we have		Had we got
Did they have		Had they got

Negative Interrogative
1) Did I not have		2) Had I not got
(= Didn't I have)		(= Hadn't I got)
Did you not have	a nice job	Had you not got	a nice job
Did he/she/it not have	last	Had he/she/it not got	last summer?
Did we not have	summer?	Had we not got
Did they not have		Had they not got

2. U s a g e