Времена английского глагола

when we talk about what has already been arranged.
But when

we talk about timetables for transport, programmes for cinemas, we use present simple.
2. Present progressive is used when we talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking, but not necessarily at the time of speaking.
3. Present progressive is used in emotionally coloured sentences, expressing negative emotions:
4. Present simple of the verbs to forget, to hear and the passive construction to be told is used to denote completed actions:

 

please! The boat (sails/is sailing) in a few minutes." 2. Look

at the timetable, our boat (sails/is sailing) at 6.15. 3. Who (comes/is coming) to dinner tonight? 4. (Is Joanna Rowling writing/Does Joanna Rowling write) a new Harry Potter book? 5. The timetable shows the next train, the 10.45 to Dover (leaves/is leav­ing) from platform 15. 6. When (does the concert begin/is the concert beginning)! 7. We (play/are playing) a tennis match on Sunday. 8. I (get/am getting) a new computer for my birthday. 9. Harry (always forgets/is always forgetting) his things at home! 10. Little Lillie (always fights/is always fighting) for independence! Just think of it! 11. We can't go to the sea. We (have/are having) our exams in the first week of June.  

which are not usually used in the progressive form (to

be, to hear, to see, to understand, to love) to characterize a person's unusual behaviour.
2. Past progressive can also be used with such verbs to charac­ terize a person's unusual behaviour at the given past moment.
3. Past simple is used to denote an action which occupied a whole period of time which is now over, especially with the prepositions for or during.
But: with the phrases all day long, from 2 (3) to 5 (6 etc.), the whole day past progressive is generally used.

 

Potter ... on the bench. It was so quiet around.

a) sat b) was sitting
2. Mr. Potter ... on a bench for half an hour and then began reading a paper.
a) sat b) was sitting
3. I ... for Ann for an hour and a half and then left. It was useless to wait longer.
a) waited b) was waiting
4. We ... all day long. a) walked b) were walking
5. We ... for ten minutes and then saw the palace. a) walked b) were walking
6. Whenever I met Tom he ... constantly about his grandson. a) talked b) was talking
7. Something is wrong. Billy ... so quiet! a) is b) is being
8. The Thompsons couldn't understand why George ... so rude to them. He was generally nice to his clients. a) was b) was being
9. The children didn't go skiing as it ... from noon till evening. a) snowed b) was snowing
10. Nobody could recognize Polly. She ... so nice trying to charm the guests.
a) was b) was being
Don't argue, please. I feel that you don't really mean it. You ... difficult.
a) are just b) are just being

conjunctions of time (when, after, as soon as).
2. The past perfect tense

is often used with the expressions hardly ... when; scarcely ... when; no sooner ... than (не успели ... как, едва ... как). These expressions can be used to begin sentences in which we say that one thing happened immediately after another.
3. The past perfect tense is often used together with past pro­ gressive to express an action which was over before the second one began.

test. Then I left the classroom.
I left the classroom after

(as soon as) I had written the test.
1. Mr. Loveday went out of the room. Then they started discussing the news.
2. Jenny finished her composition. Then she took her dog Chase out.
3. Paul arrived at the gallery. Then he made a call to Lucy.
4. Grace laid the child on the bed. Then she went to the living room.
5. I selected a pair of fash­ionable gloves. Then I paid for them.
6. Mr Harry Gras got a loan at his bank. Then he bought a Ford.
7. Fred lost his mobile. Then his mother gave him her own.
8. Kelly got into a snowstorm. Then she caught a cold.
9. Gwen listened to Charlie's reciting of the poem. Then she prepared a cup of tea for him.
10. Mrs. Ray came to the teacher's desk and opened her papers. Then she began delivering her lecture.
11. Alice translated the article. Then she went out to meet her friend Wendy.
12. Fred paid for his purchase. Then he left the shop.