Grammar: When is the past not the past? - BBC English Masterclass
116,578 views ・ 2016-08-22
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:12
Hi, Sian here for BBC Learning English. Today
we're going to look at past forms - easy right?
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We use past forms to talk about things that
happened in the past?
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Well, it's not that simple! We also use past
forms when we're not talking about past.
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Here are a few ways we do this.
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Number 1: Listen to these two examples. Which one do
you think my plan sounds less definite?
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Number 1: I'm thinking of going to that party
later. Or, number 2: I was thinking of going
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to that party later.
That's right. The second one is less definite.
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We use past here - I was thinking - to show
that the plan isn't certain yet.
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I haven't made up my mind.
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01:09
Number 2: Listen to these two examples. Which one sounds more polite? 1. Is your report ready yet?
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Or 2, I was wondering if your report was ready
yet.
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The second one, of course, is much more polite.
We use past forms here - was wondering/was
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- to make the request less direct and more
formal. You'll be surprised how often British
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people use this structure - we like being
polite!
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Number 3: Which of these two examples sound more urgent?
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It's time to leave. Or It's time we left.
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That's right - the second one sounds more
urgent. The first example just means 'we should
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leave now': It's time to leave - the party
starts in 20 minutes!
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The second example, we use the past form.
This conveys the idea that we should have
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already left! It's time we left - the party
started hours ago.
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Number 4: Which of these do you think sounds correct?
I wish I have more time. Or, I wish I had
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more time.
That's right. The first one is not possible.
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To make wishes about the present we use the
past form - I wish I had more time. We're
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not talking about the past here, we're talking
about an unreal present situation. You could
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also use if only. If only I had more time.
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Number 5: Which of these two examples sound less likely to happen?
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Suppose you lose your job. Or,
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Suppose you lost your job.
That's right. The second one sounds less likely
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to happen. We use the past after suppose or
what if when we don't think something is likely
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to happen in the future.
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That's it for this Masterclass. For more help with using past forms when you're not
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talking about the past, go to our website bbclearningenglish.com.
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03:41
Goodbye!
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