When PAST is NOT REALLY PAST

fet_Learning_Enhancement

fet_ANL_A01: Reading Drill (3 times)

Read the fet_Tense Table of the verb to do.

The simple/indefinite tense forms are:

do/does - did - shall do / will do - should do /would do 

fet_ANL_A02: Reading Drill (3 times)

The continuous/progressive forms are:

am doing/is doing/are doing - was doing/were doing - shall be doing/will be doing - should be doing/would be doing

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fet_ANL_A03: Reading Drill (3 times)

The simple/indefinite tense forms of the verb to be are:

am/is/are - was/were - shall be / will be - should be /would be 

fet_ANL_A04: Reading Drill (3 times)

The continuous/progressive forms of the verb to be are:

am being/is being/are being - was being/were being - shall be being/will be being - should be being/would be being

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The BBC MASTERCLASS viewers will be enjoying BBC Masterclass videos.
BBC English Masterclass: with Sian

past is not the past - UPU_WS

1) U for UNCERTAINTY  - WAS thinking - (past progressive) - (was DOING)

• I was thinking of going to that party later.

2) P for POLITENESS - WAS wondering - (past progressive) - (was DOING)

• I was wondering if your report was ready.

3) U for URGENCY - left - (past simple) - (DOING)

• It's time we left.

4) W for WISH, if only 

I wish I had more time.

If only I had more time

5) S for SUPPOSE, what if

• Suppose we went on holiday to Thailand.
• What if we finished before the deadline?
• 
  
• https://youtu.be/xdodZEttvSY

BBC MASTERCLASS
When the past is not the past
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fet_Learning_Empowerment rules:
Instructions:
1. content viewing: Make plans for watching the BBC MASTERCLASS video as many times as INSTRUCTED - THIS VIDEO must be viewed at least 5 times. Content viewing is done at a stretch.

2. pausal viewing: aka segmented viewing: pausal viewing is for absorbing study material.

3. practice viewing: revision viewing for pivotal analysis

4. reference viewing: reinforcement learning takes place

5. ingested viewing: masterclass gets fully under control in this viewing.

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fet_Rule_1: First view: OVERVIEW of the 4-minutes video. Note the points mentioned.

fet_Rule_2: pausal viewing: stop at segments indicated by fet_DLX_drills.
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fet_DLX_A01: Reading Drill
Normally we use past forms to talk about things that happened in the past.
Example_1: When did you come?
Example_2: I came yesterday?
Both sentences refer to the past tense.

fet_DLX_A02: Reading Drill Compare the two sets of sentences:
1. PRESENT CONTINUOUS - MORE CERTAIN
i. I'm thinking of going to that party later.
ii. I am thinking of going to London.
iii. I am thinking of doing it.

fet_DLX_A03: Reading Drill 2. PAST CONTINUOUS - PLAN NOT CERTAIN. I haven't made up my mind yet.

i. I was thinking of going to that party later.
ii. I was thinking of going to London. iii. I was thinking of doing it.

fet_DLX_A04: Sentence_Completion_Drill
Use a PAST progressive (CONTINUOUS) tense to COMPLETE the sentences.
1. I ___ thinking of going to that party later today. (was)
2. I ___ thinking of going to London tomorrow morning. (was)
3. I ___ thinking of doing it on my own. (was)

fet_DLX_A05: Sentence_Completion_Drill - present continuous - AM_doing

Use a PRESENT progressive (CONTINUOUS) tense to COMPLETE the sentences.
1. I ___ thinking of going to that party later today. (am)
2. I ___ thinking of going to London tomorrow morning. (am)
3. I ___ thinking of doing it on my own. (am)

fet_DLX_A06: Sentence_Completion_Drill - Past continuous  - WAS doing

Use a PRESENT progressive (CONTINUOUS) tense to COMPLETE the sentences.

1. I ___ wondering if your report ___ ready. (was/was)

2. I ___ wondering if you ___ coming to the party.  (was/were)
3. I ___ wondering if you ___ going to join us.  (was/were)

fet_DLX_A07: Sentence_Transformation_Drill - Past continuous  - WAS doing

Use a polite form for the following sentences:

1. I am wondering if you are coming with them. => I was wondering if you were coming with them.

2. I am wondering if you are all set to go. => I was wondering if you were all set to go.

3. I am wondering if it is OK with you. => I was wondering if it was/were OK with you.

4. I am wondering if it is acceptable to you. => I was wondering if it was/were acceptable to you.

5. I am wondering if he can make it on his own. => I was wondering if he could make it on his own.

fet_DLX_A08: Sentence_Transformation_Drill - Past indefinite  - it's time I DID 

Use a polite form for the following sentences:
1. It's time to go. => It's time we went.
2. It's time to leave. => It's time we left..
3. It's time to set out. => It's time we set out.
4. It's time to stop here. => It's time we stopped here.
5. It's time to protest. => It's time we protested.

fet_DLX_A09: Sentence_Transformation_Drill - Past indefinite  - it's time I DID 
Use a polite form for the following sentences:
1. It's time to go. => It's time we went.
2. It's time to leave. => It's time we left..
3. It's time to set out. => It's time we set out.
4. It's time to stop here. => It's time we stopped here.
5. It's time to protest. => It's time we protested.

Here is an extract of the transcript already given below the video on the YouTube video page.

If you want to make the most of the video, follow the following fet_rules:

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Transcript:

Sian Hi, Sian here for BBC Learning English. Today we're going to look at past forms - easy right? We use past forms to talk about things that happened in the past? Well, it's not that simple! We also use past forms when we're not talking about the past. Here a few ways we do this. Number 1 Listen to these two examples. Which one do you think my plan sounds less definite? Number 1: I'm thinking of going to that party later. Or, number 2: I was thinking of going to that party later. That's right. The second one is less definite. We use past here – I was thinking - to show that the plan isn't certain yet. I haven't made up my mind. Number 2 Listen to these two examples. Which one sounds more polite? 1. Is your report ready yet? Or 2, I was wondering if your report was ready yet. The second one, of course, is much more polite. We use past forms here – was wondering/was – to make the request less direct and more formal. You'll be surprised how often British people use this structure – we like being polite! Number 3 Which of these two examples sound more urgent? It's time to leave. Or It's time we left. That's right – the second one sounds more urgent. The first example just means 'we should leave now': It's time to leave – the party starts in 20 minutes! The second example, we use the past form. This conveys the idea that we should have already left! It's time we left – the party started hours ago. Number 4 Which of these do you think sounds correct? I wish I have more time. Or, I wish I had more time. That's right. The first one is not possible. To make wishes about the present we use the past form – I wish I had more time. We're not talking about the past here, we're talking about an unreal present situation. You could also use if only. If only I had more time. Number 5 Which of these two examples sound less likely to happen? Suppose you lose your job. Or, Suppose you lost your job. That's right. The second one sounds less likely to happen. We use the past after suppose or what if when we don't think something is likely to happen in the future. That's it for this Masterclass. For more help with using past forms when you're not talking about the past, go to our website bbclearningenglish.com. Goodbye!