Unit 1 Lesson 3 Teacher’s Notes
HEROES AND VILLAINS: past time clauses
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
• The main grammar focus is on past time clauses: deciding whether to use the past simple, the past
progressive or the past perfect after conjunctions such as when, while, after and before.
• There should be no problems with the concept of an interrupted action in progress since Spanish
follows stricter rules than the English regarding the tenses to be used with while, etc.
• The Spanish equivalents of before and after usually function as prepositions followed by the
infinitive so this can lead to confusions with the English verb forms, causing errors such as
After leave / to leave / he leave, John went home. ✗
ANSWERS
EXERCISE 1 2 Alan had become active in student politics
1 The lecturer had already started the lecture before he graduated from college. (Although became
when we arrived. (started happened before the second active would be possible here, had become emphasises that it had already
action, arrived) happened before he graduated.)
2 Andy met his future wife while he was living 3 After Alan had gotten his law degree, he joined
in Paris. (the second action living was ongoing when the first a law practice. (It would also be possible to use got since this
happened) focuses on the sequence of the actions.)
3 ✓ 4 Alan was working as a junior lawyer when he
4 The workers organized a strike after met his wife. / Alan met his wife while he was
negotiations had broken down. (organized comes after working as a junior lawyer.
the first action—broken down) 5 Alan had worked as a junior lawyer for four
5 ✓ years before he became a partner. / Alan
6 We were marching downtown when the became a partner after he had worked as a
president resigned unexpectedly. (resigned is a short junior lawyer for four years.
action that took place during the first action—were marching) 6 Alan had been involved in local politics for
eight years before he became a politician. /
EXERCISE 2
Alan became a politician after he had been
Note: More than one answer is possible in most cases here. The choice of involved in local politics for eight years.
conjunction will slightly change the relationship between the actions.
EXERCISE 3
If your students find this exercise difficult, give them the conjunctions from the
answers below to help them. Note: In one or two cases more than one answer is possible.
1 Alan became active in student politics while he 1 traveled 2 had been 3 had spent 4 came across
was studying law in college. / Alan was studying 5 died / was dying (both are possible—the first focuses on the
law in college when he became active in student complete action) 6 founded 7 had expanded 8 started
politics. 9 improved 10 had / had had (it is possible to link two past
simples with after) 11 died
PERSONALIZE IT!
• The students can write a few biographical notes like the ones in exercise 2. In pairs, the students
can hand the notes to their partners, who then write three or four sentences based on the notes,
using the time conjunctions. Each student then reads their sentences to their partner (the student
whose life they are describing), who checks whether the times expressed in the sentences are correct
or not.
10 Skyline Grammar Resource Book 5
Unit 1 Lesson 3 Exercises
HEROES AND VILLAINS
EXERCISE 1 3 get his law degree / join a law practice
Four of these sentences contain mistakes with the past
simple, past progressive or past perfect. Check (✓) the two 4 work as a junior lawyer / meet his wife
correct sentences and correct the mistakes in the others.
1 The lecturer already started the lecture when 5 work as a junior lawyer for four years / become
we arrived. a partner
2 Andy met his future wife while he lived
in Paris. 6 be involved in local politics for eight years /
3 We waited until all our guests had arrived become a politician
before we told them the news.
4 The workers had organized a strike after the
negotiations had broken down. EXERCISE 3
5 We went on several demonstrations when we Complete the text by writing the verbs in parentheses in
were living in Cambridge. the correct tense. Use the past simple, past progressive or
past perfect.
6 We were marching downtown when the
president was resigning unexpectedly. Mother Teresa was born
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in
EXERCISE 2 Macedonia in 1910. Her
family was very religious
Look at the biographical details. Make sentences about
and Agnes went to church
Alan from the prompts, using the past progressive or past
almost every day while she
perfect. was growing up (grow
up). In 1928 she left
Alan Stebbings Macedonia and (1)
1985 joined the Democratic Party (travel) to Dublin, in Ireland, to join the Sisters of
1986–91 studied law in college Loretto, where she took the name Teresa.
1988 became very active in student politics Mother Teresa then spent many years as a nun
1991 graduated with a law degree and a teacher, but in 1948 her life changed
completely. By this time she (2) (be) in India
1992 joined a law practice, working as a junior
for nearly twenty years, and (3) (spend)
lawyer
much of that time as a teacher and Principal in
1994 met and married Angela St. Mary’s High School, Calcutta. Then, one day,
1995 started getting involved in local politics she (4) (come across) a poor, dying woman
1996 became a partner in the law practice in the street. Mother Teresa stayed with the
2003 gave up law and became a professional woman as she (5) (die), and decided to
politician dedicate her life to the poorest people. She then
(6) (found) the Missionaries of Charity,
join Democratic Party / go to college
which, by the end of the 20th century, (7)
Alan had joined the Democratic Party before (expand) to about 550 missions worldwide.
© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2004
he went to college.
In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel
1 become active in student politics / study law in Peace Prize, but she (8) (start) to suffer
college from heart problems in the early 1980s. Although
her health (9) (improve) a little after she
(10) (have) a pacemaker fitted in 1989, she
2 become active in student politics / graduate
was then weakened by infections and diseases.
from college
She finally (11 ) (die) in Calcutta on
September 5th, 1997.
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