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Surprise ...Surprise!... 1/2 - English lesson

 Well well ... I haven't been telling you a story for long ... and I miss it ! Are you ready ?

Remember, the tense of narration is still the simple past .

      ex: Congressman Quinn, who lived in Washington DC, was a very well-known and respected man.

     * As usual, if  two simultaneous past actions happened (at the same time), then : 

  the long (and important one) is in the -ing preterite and the short action interrupting it , is in the  simple past.

   ex: The Congressman was reading an important file when his phone rang.

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

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

   ex:  Quinn had been working for hours when he felt someone was in his study, behind him.

*   If you have to use the simple future, remember that it doesn't get on well with the past

Rather use the 'conditional' =>  would + verb

    ex: It was sure that when Quinn finished working on that file that night, he'd(would) have a rest.

    *  If you need to use a  modal  auxiliary  : can => could and  may=> might    and  must => have to

    ex: Quinn can't understand why he has so much work to do just now ...   

* Some easy constructions will be very useful to you :

     - to let somebody do something =>  Remember that to let is followed by the infinitive without to.

   ex:  Quinn won't let his opponents spoil his life!

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Congressman Quinn was satwas sittingsitsis sittingwill sitI don't know at his desk and the sun was comingis comingcomescameI don't know in through the open French window.
Suddenly, while he was working, he heardhearedwas heardwas hearingI don't know a slight noise and turned round. In front of him, an old acquaintance was standing, one of those he would have preferredhad preferringwould preferwill have preferI don't know never to see again ....
- 'Laverty, what for I camehave you comeyou will comedo you comeI don't know here for? You must do anythingcan't do nothingcan't do anythingmight do somethingI don't know against me... What do you want?'
- It's time I haveI havingI will haveI hadI don't know my revenge, Congressman! You've ruined my life ! I had warned you that I'd doI'm doingI doI didI'll doI don't know this! Laverty was holding a gun with a silencer... I leaveI'm leavingI've leftI don't know a letter explaining what happened ...
-Don't be stupid, Laverty, in a letter you've incriminatedyou'd incriminateyou'll incriminateyou incriminatedI don't know yourself right away! You'd be lost! Your name would be blackened forever!'...
Laverty didn't answer, smiled, shot the Congressman six times, went home and slept like a log.

On the following morning, Laverty was still lying in bed when the door bell rang... After slippedhe had slippedhe was slippedI don't know on a robe, he went to the door light heartedly and opened it... At that moment, his heart stood still and stayed like that... He was deadwas deathwas diedhas dyingI don't know...

(...to be continued ...)