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

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, have been sharingsharedhad sharedwere sharingI don't know a small and inexpensive studio. They were kind, helpful, hardworking and everyone was lovingwere lovinglovedI don't know them in the neighbourhood ... Life was hard and people helped them survivinghelped other to survivehelped one another to survivehelped us surviveI don't know .
One freezing winter, an unexpected stranger, Mr Pneumonia, invited himself into the district, strikedstrikingstrokedstrokeI don't know one victim here, and many others there ... Joanna was hittingwas hitwas hittedhitI don't know so seriously that Sue was terribly worried ... She hasn't leftdidn't leftdidn't leavehasn't leavedI don't know her friend's bedside foragosincewhileduringI don't know hours on end, giving her herb teas and watching her fever ... She really was fearinghad feared reallywas fearing reallywas really 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 must dependwill depend onshould dependwould depend onI 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 was sadly watchingwatched sadlysadly was watchingI 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 becomealmost had becomedhad almost becameI don't know naked ... Joanna was absolutely persuaded that when the last leaf falledfellfallfallenhas fallenI don't know, she dieswill diewould diediedI don't know too ...
Why to haveWhy haveWhy to havingWhy havingI don't know such a stupid idea in mind ? Nobody should tellcould tellcan tellcan have toldI don't know ! Sue was watching her friend withering away and she despaired ... Three leaves had been leftleftwere lefthad leftI don't know on the vine ... Sue pulled down the blinds so that Joanna should no longer seecannot any longer seecould no longer seecould any longer seeI don't know the leaves ...
(to be continued...)