A Trekking JournalVerb Tense Exercise 2 Simple Present / Present Continuous A trekking journal November 12, 1997 Today (be)

is the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake) are shaking ; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My feet (kill, really) are really killing me and my toes (bleed) are bleeding, but I (want, still) still want to continue. Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) is so I (learn, not) do not learn foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) do not understand much yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually) am gradually improving. I (travel, currently) am currently travelling with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England. He (be) is a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always) is always walking ahead of me and (complain) complaining that I am too slow. I (do) am doing my best to keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am getting old. Right now, Liam (sit) is sitting with the owner of the inn. They (discuss) are discussing the differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) do not know the real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just) just calls him Tam. Tam (speak) speaks English very well and he (try) is trying to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say) says a new word, Liam (try) tries to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also) also seems to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost and have to ask for directions.

Verb Tense Exercise 3

Simple Past / Past Continuous Correct! Well done. Your score is 8%. 1. A: What (you, do) were you doing when the accident occurred? B: I (try) was trying to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find) found the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately) immediately went to the police and (turn)turned it in.

3. The doctor (say) said that Tom (be) was too sick to go to work and that he (need) needed to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian (arrive) arrived at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she (be, not) was not there. She (study, at the library) was studying at the library for her final examination in French.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also) was also watchingtelevision. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I (call) called you last night after dinner, but you (be, not) were not there. Where were you? B: I (work) was working out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk) walked into the busy office, the secretary (talk) was talking on the

phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily) were busily working at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly) were quietly discussing methods to improve customer service.

8. I (watch) was watching a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends.

9. Sharon (be) was in the room when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything because she (listen, not) was not listening.

10. It's strange that you (call) called because I (think, just) was just thinking about you.

11. The Titanic (cross) was crossing the Atlantic when it (strike) struck an iceberg.

12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily) were busily bargaining and (try)trying to sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt) were hunting for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)were leading their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue) were arguing over the price of a leather belt. I (walk) walked over to a man who (sell) was selling fruit and (buy)bought a banana.

13. The firemen (rescue) rescued the old woman who (be) was trapped on the third

floor of the burning building.

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always) was always leaving her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she (expect, actually) actually expected me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live) lived in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) was living there when the Berlin Wall came down.

Types of Verbs Before you begin the verb tense lessons, it is extremely important to understand that NOT all English verbs are the same. English verbs are divided into three groups: Normal Verbs, Non-Continuous Verbs, and Mixed Verbs. Group I Normal Verbs Most verbs are "Normal Verbs." These verbs are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing. These verbs can be used in all tenses. Normal Verbs to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc. Examples:
y I eat dinner every day. y I am eating dinner now.

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs The second group, called "Non-Continuous Verbs," is smaller. These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. They include: Abstract Verbs to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist... Possession Verbs to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind... Examples:
y He is needing help now. Not Correct y He needs help now. Correct y He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct y He wants a drink now. Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs The third group, called "Mixed Verbs," is the smallest group. These verbs have more than one meaning. In a way, each meaning is a unique verb. Some meanings behave like "Non-Continuous Verbs," while other meanings behave like "Normal Verbs." Mixed Verbs to appear, to feel, to have, to hear, to look, to see, to weigh... List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions: to appear:
y Donna appears confused. Non-Continuous Verb DONNA SEEMS CONFUSED. y My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Normal Verb MY FAVORITE SINGER IS GIVING A PERFORMANCE AT THE JAZZ CLUB TONIGHT.

to have:
y I have a dollar now. Non-Continuous Verb I POSSESS A DOLLAR. y I am having fun now. Normal Verb I AM EXPERIENCING FUN NOW.

to hear:
y She hears the music. Non-Continuous Verb SHE HEARS THE MUSIC WITH HER EARS. y She is hearing voices. Normal Verb SHE HEARS SOMETHING OTHERS CANNOT HEAR. SHE IS HEARING VOICES IN HER MIND.

to look:
y Nancy looks tired. Non-Continuous Verb SHE SEEMS TIRED. y Farah is looking at the pictures. Normal Verb SHE IS LOOKING WITH HER EYES.

to miss:
y John misses Sally. Non-Continuous Verb HE IS SAD BECAUSE SHE IS NOT THERE. y Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Normal Verb SHE IS NOT THERE TO SEE HER FAVORITE PROGRAM.

to see:
y I see her. Non-Continuous Verb I SEE HER WITH MY EYES. y I am seeing the doctor. Normal Verb I AM VISITING OR CONSULTING WITH A DOCTOR. (ALSO USED WITH DENTIST AND LAWYER.) y I am seeing her. Normal Verb I AM HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER. y He is seeing ghosts at night. Normal Verb HE SEES SOMETHING OTHERS CANNOT SEE. FOR EXAMPLE GHOSTS, AURA, A VISION OF THE FUTURE, ETC.

to smell:
y The coffee smells good. Non-Continuous Verb THE COFFEE HAS A GOOD SMELL. y I am smelling the flowers. Normal Verb I AM SNIFFING THE FLOWERS TO SEE WHAT THEIR SMELL IS LIKE.

to taste:
y The coffee tastes good. Non-Continuous Verb THE COFFEE HAS A GOOD TASTE. y I am tasting the cake. Normal Verb I AM TRYING THE CAKE TO SEE WHAT IT TASTES LIKE.

to think:

y He thinks the test is easy. Non-Continuous Verb HE CONSIDERS THE TEST TO BE EASY. y She is thinking about the question. Normal Verb SHE IS PONDERING THE QUESTION, GOING OVER IT IN HER MIND.

to weigh:
y The table weighs a lot. Non-Continuous Verb THE TABLE IS HEAVY. y She is weighing herself. Normal Verb SHE IS DETERMINING HER WEIGHT.

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing: to be:

y Joe is American. Non-Continuous Verb JOE IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. y Joe is being very American. Normal Verb JOE IS BEHAVING LIKE A STEREOTYPICAL AMERICAN. y Joe is being very rude. Normal Verb JOE IS BEHAVING VERY RUDELY. USUALLY HE IS NOT RUDE. y Joe is being very formal. Normal Verb JOE IS BEHAVING VERY FORMALLY. USUALLY HE IS NOT FORMAL.

NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behavior is noticeably different. to feel:
y The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb THE MASSAGE HAS A PLEASING FEELING. y I don't feel well today. Sometimes used as Non-Continuous Verb I AM A LITTLE SICK.

I am not feeling well today. Sometimes used as Normal Verb I AM A LITTLE SICK. NOTICE: The second meaning of "feel" is very flexible and there is no real difference in meaning between "I don't feel well today" and "I am not feeling well today."