Ознакомление с Past Indefinite Tense необходимо начинать с раскрытия его инвариантного значения в сопоставлении с прошедшим временем русского глагола и Present Perfect. Для этого во вводной беседе с учащимися повторяется форма The Present Perfect Tense и предъявляются речевые ситуации, с помощью которых раскрывается основное значение The Past Indefinite Tense. Завершается ознакомление с новой временной формой сравнением случаев употребления Present Perfect и Past Indefinite:
I see, you are good pupils. You have got ready for the lessons today. You have done your homework, haven't you? Have you brought your books, exercise-books and vocabularies? Now, let's discuss what useful things we have done this week and we are going to do. As for me, I have read the English book «Key to the Door» by A. Sillitoe and I am going to read his other books. And what about you?
Now listen to the following situations and try to understand what I say.
a) Look at the picture and listen to what John did yesterday morning: John often gets up early and he got up early yesterday. He opened the window, did his morning exercises, made his bed, washed his face and hands. He had breakfast. He did not wash all the dishes. He washed only some of them. He did not have very much time this morning.
b) P., stand up, please. Come to the blackboard, take a piece of chalk, write a word, and go to your seat. Sit down, please... Some seconds ago Peter stood up, came to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, wrote a word and then went to his seat.
Для того чтобы не было ложной ассоциации с Present Perfect, последнее действие (Не sat down) не комментируется совсем.
c) And now listen to what I did yesterday morning.
Yesterday I got up at 7 o'clock. I did my morning exercises. After that I went to the bathroom. There I brushed my teeth and washed my face and hands.
Did I get up at 7 o'clock? Yes, I did.
Did I get up at 9 o'clock? No, I didn't.
I got up at 7 o'clock, didn't I?
Did I get up at 7 or 9 o'clock?
I got up at 7 o'clock.
Чтобы сопоставление было убедительным, целесообразно обратиться к таблице:
| Present Perfect | Past Indefinite |
| I have cleaned my room The room is clean now | I cleaned my room It was yesterday |
Ознакомив учащихся с таблицей, можно предложить им прочитать предложения из таблицы и перевести их; прослушать пары предложений и указать те, в которых говорится о действии, имевшем место в прошлом, и предложения, в которых речь идет о действии, совершившемся к моменту речи, и т. д.
Когда упражнения выполнены учащимися, учитель делает резюме:
«Таким образом, если нужно рассказать о событиях, которые уже совершились, и при этом необходимо подчеркнуть их важность, в английском языке используется форма Present Perfect; если же говорящего больше интересует само событие и время его совершения, то употребляется форма Past Indefinite.»
Для тренировки Past Indefinite в речи учащимся можно предложить упражнения типа:
1. Form Past Indefinite from the following verbs: bring, begin, do, go, meet, read, write, speak, tell, say.
2. Agree with me if you did the action yesterday.
e.g.: Yesterday I wanted to go to the park but I couldn't, etc.
3. Expand the following statements. Use the words given in brackets. e.g.: Pete brought flowers last week (beautiful, for Mary,
etc).
4. Say what you or anybody else did it yesterday. e.g.: Every day I begin lessons at 3 o'clock.
Yesterday I began lessons at 2 o'clock.
5. Say what you usually do in the morning (in the afternoon, at night).
6. Say what you did yesterday (last morning, last afternoon, last night).
7. Listen to the situation. Ask and answer questions about Arthur:
Arthur is back from London. He went there this morning. Julia is at the station to meet him. «Did you have a good time in London?» she asks. «Yes, I did, and I met an old friend on the train this morning».
«Did the train get into London on time?»
«No, it didn't. It was late again!»
a) When / London d) Where
b) a good time e) train on time
c) When / old friend
8. Read the following questions and select the proper answer from the given four.
9. Listen to the dialogue and practise it: A. Did you stay at home last night?
В.: Yes, I did.
A.: What did you do?
В.: I watched TV.
10. Arrange the following the last day of Lena's holidays.
sentences so as to have a story about
11. Speak about your winter holidays. Use the given word-combinations as a guide:
to go to the forest, to skate and ski, etc.
Автоматизация навыка употребления Present Perfect и Past Indefinite должна проходить на основе их противопоставления. Речевой грамматический навык совершенствуется путем активизации в учебном разговоре форм Present Perfect и Past Indefinite в составе диалогических и монологических высказываний:
1. Read the following conversation. Observe where Present Perfect and Past Indefinite are used.
A.: Have you ever seen that film?
В.: Yes, I have.
A.: When did you see it?
В.: I saw it last week.
2. Listen to the English sentences and practise the ones translated on your cards. (Используется раздаточный материал.)
1). Tom has opened the window, and it is cold now.
2). During the break Tom opened the window.
3. Look at the picture and say which sentence is right. Why? (Используется рисунок, на котором изображена дочь, встречающая отца с работы.)
1). Father has come home from work.
2). Father came home from work at 7 o'clock yesterday, etc.
4. Select the proper tense-form of the verb:
— Where is Jack? went
— He (to go) to the library. has gone
— When... he (to go) there?
— He (to go) there 10 minutes ago.
5. Agree or disagree using «I've just done it» or «I did it yesterday»:
6. Listen and answer, using the words in brackets as a guide: Т.: Robert was in London two years ago. And Alice (never).
P1.: Alice has never been to London. Т.: And Jack? (last year). P2 Jack was there last year.
7. Do and say: a) what you did some minutes ago; b) what you have just done.
8. Tell your deskmate what you have finished to do, let him ask you when you did it.
9. Answer the questions. Note the difference between Past Indefinite and Present Perfect:
1). Have you had breakfast?
2). Did you have breakfast at 9 o'clock?
3). When did you have breakfast?
10. Answer the questions and add some more information. eg.: — It rained yesterday, didn't it?
— No, it didn't. It has just rained and it is very wet in the streets.
11. Say what you (your friend) did a year (a week, a month) ago and haven't (hasn't) done it since.
12. Make sure of alt the details making use of Present Perfect or Past Indefinite.
e.g.: T: I have been to the theatre.
P1: What theatre have you been to?
P2: Who has been to the theatre?
P3: When were you at the theatre? etc.
13. Make up dialogues on the following situations:
You meet your friend in the school library. He has already taken a book. You want to leave the book you've read and take another one. Ask your friend for a good piece of advice.
14. Let's talk on your being on duty:
a) Who's on duty today? Would you tell us what you've done to prepare the classroom for the lesson?
b) Who was on duty yesterday? Would you tell us about your last being on duty?
c) Please, tell us what the pupil on duty usually does to prepare the classroom for the lesson.