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Use of tenses : The worst enemy ? The best friend ? 1/2 - English lesson

Once again, I'm going to tell you a story, a sad one, still, but aren't sad stories the most beautiful ones ?

Remember, the tense you use to tell a story is the simple  past .

     * How to build the simple past ? Very easy :  

   - for regular verbs : you simply add - ed to the verbal : ex : he walked =    VERBAL+ ED

         - for irregular verbs, it's even easier :  2nd column of the list of irregular verbs (to be known BY HEART!)

ex : The two girls lived in a very modest studio and painted for a living (= to earn enough money ...)

    * If two past actions happened simultaneously (at the same time), then :

the long (and important)action is in the preterit in -ing and the short action which interrupts it, is in the  simple past.

ex: While Sue was doing her best to take care of her friend, Joanna decided not to fight ...

    * If a past action happened before a simple past, it must be in the past perfect simple (or en -ing if you want to insist on the length of the action ) :

              had + verb in the past participle   or  had + been + verb + ing  

ex: The two friends had always shared the same tastes and interests?

 If you need to use the future, remember that it doesn't get on well with the past ...  Remember too that  after a temporal conjunction (after, before, when, while,

once, as long as, as soon as,) the future and the 'conditional' are impossible: they're replaced by the simple present (and the simple past).

ex : When I'm feeling better, we will go to paint the Bay of Naples.

You will also have to use  the  'conditional' : would + verb

    ex : Sue wouldn't like her friend to let go, and die !

    * If you need to use a modal auxiliary  can => could   indicate a physical or intellectual ability, and permission in informal language.

   and  may(=> might) express either a permission or a possibility.

   must(=> have to) indicate either an obligation, a duty, or near certainty.

      should   expresses advice given or 'what would be good to exist' ...

    ex: The doctor explained that Joanna could survive if she decided to ! 

    * Besides, you'll have to think about the irregular forms of comparatives and superlatives  of two adjectives  :

Good =>  ... better than ...=> the best ...  .

Bad =>   ... worse than ... => the worst ... .

Are you ready ? Here's a wonderful story ... Please, give it the tenses it deserves ...  Good luck ! 

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Once, in a very pleasant and quaint district of New York City, Joanna and Sue, two young artists, had sharedsharedwere sharinghave been sharingI don't know a small and inexpensive studio. They were kind, helpful, hardworking and everyone were lovingwas lovinglovedI don't know them in the neighbourhood ... Life was hard and people helped us survivehelped one another to survivehelped other to survivehelped them survivingI don't know .
One freezing winter, an unexpected stranger, Mr Pneumonia, invited himself into the district, strokedstrikedstrikingstrokeI don't know one victim here, and many others there ... Joanna was hittingwas hithitwas hittedI don't know so seriously that Sue was terribly worried ... She didn't leavedidn't lefthasn't lefthasn't leavedI don't know her friend's bedside foragoduringsincewhileI don't know hours on end, giving her herb teas and watching her fever ... She was really fearingwas fearing reallyhad feared reallyreally was fearingI don't know for her friend's life.
The medicines looked inefficient and the doctor had toldused to tellwould telltellI don't know Sue that her friend's survival would depend onmust dependwill depend onshould dependI don't know her willpower to fight for her own life. Yet, Joanna was weaker and weaker and quite resigned to let go ... Through the window, she sadly was watchingwas sadly watchingwatched sadlyI don't know the leaves of an ivy vine falling and shrivelling in the winter storm. The young woman was busy to countwas busy countedwas busy countwas busy countingI don't know down the surviving leaves : twenty ... fifteen ... twelve ... eleven ...
The fall was accelerating with the storm, and the ivy vine had almost becamealmost had becomedhad almost becomeI don't know naked ... Joanna was absolutely persuaded that when the last leaf has fallenfellfalledfallenfallI don't know, she dieswould diediedwill dieI don't know too ...
Why haveWhy to havingWhy to haveWhy havingI don't know such a stupid idea in mind ? Nobody should tellcan have toldcould tellcan tellI don't know ! Sue was watching her friend withering away and she despaired ... Three leaves had been leftwere leftlefthad leftI don't know on the vine ... Sue pulled down the blinds so that Joanna could no longer seeshould no longer seecannot any longer seecould any longer seeI don't know the leaves ...
(to be continued...)