Teaching Order of the Tenses;
Backshift
Anett Fellner
9 May 2014
Beginner
SpeakUp Series
New Opportunities
Present Simple
Present Simple
Present Continuous
Past Simple (+be going to)
Past Simple (+be going to)
Elementary
Present Perfect
Present Perfect
Present Continuous
Future Simple
PreIntermediate
Past Continuous
Past Continuous
Intermediate
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous
UpperIntermediate
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect
Future Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect
Future Perfect Continuous
Advanced
Future Continuous
Future Continuous
Future Simple
Beginner:
Present Simple (Unit 4 ,5 – Life, Routines):
+
-
I
You
We
They
like
sport
_____
live
in a
house
1. He/She/It + verb + ___
2. With have: use he/she/it + ______
3. With verbs ending –ch and –o: use verb + ___
4A Complete the sentences with a verb in the
positive or negative.
I live with a friend. (+)
I __________ two sisters. (+)
I __________ a camera. (-)
I __________ English five hours a week. (+)
I __________ in an office. (-)
Past Simple (Unit 7,8 – Past,
Places)
3A Read the article again and find
the past form of the verbs below.
start started – dance, move, cry,
laugh, walk, arrive, stop, talk, listen,
wait, play
2A Write the past forms of the
verbs. Use the text in exercise
1B to help. Check the meaning
of any new words.
meet met – come, take, think,
become, break, go, have, sit,
say
Elementary:
Present Continuous (Unit 8– Now):
I
We
He
___ ly ___
___listen___
___sing____
on the beach.
to live jazz.
My Way
Rules:
1.Use the present simple/present
continuous for something we do every
day or usually.
2.Use the present simple/present
continuous for something we’re doing
now or at this moment.
Present Perfect (Unit 12–
Experiences)
3A Look at the sentence and
underline the correct alternative
to complete the rule.
I’ve been to Guatemala and I’ve
climbed that volcano.
Rules:
1.Use the present perfect to talk
about past events when you
know the exact time/don’t know
when the event happened.
Practice
A Have you ever met a famous person?
B Yes, I have. I met a famous actor last year.
A Really? Who did you meet?
Pre-Intermediate:
Past Continuous (Unit 5 – Travel)
7A Make sentences with the prompts.
I/run/start to snow. So....
I was running when it started to snow.
So I went home.
1.I/wait for a bus/meet my boss.
2.I/watch TV/recognise my best friend.
Intermediate:
Future Simple (Unit 3)
Present Perfect Continuous (Unit 7 – Success)
6A Read the sentences below.
Underline examples of the present
perfect simple and present perfect
continuous.
Rules:
1.Use the present perfect continuous to emphasize
that an action has been long and repeated.
2.With state verbs (e.g. like, love, understand,
remember, know, etc.) we cannot use the present
perfect continuous.
3. We often use for/since and How long have you...?
with the present perfect and the present perfect
continues.
Upper-Intermediate:
Past Perfect and Past Perfect
Continuous (Unit 4– Stories):
3A Read the first paragraph of Starfish
again and underline examples of the past
simple; the past continuous; the past
perfect and the past perfect continuous.
Future Perfect and Future Perfect
Continues (Unit 6 – Age)
4A Look at the sentences from Laura’s
letter. Which one talks about.
•things that will be completed before she
opens the letter?
•things that will be in progress around the
time that she opens the letter?
a, I’ll have changed a lot.
b, I bet when I get this, it’ll be raining
Rules:
1.To talk about something that will finish
before a specific time in the future, use will +
___ +___.
2.To talk about something that will be in
progress at or around a specific time in the
future, use will + ___ + ___.
Backshift:
Practice
7 Put the paragraph below into reported speech. Begin
each sentence with He told me or He said.
Pre-Intermediate
I’m an actor. I can play any
role, but I don’t like playing
criminals. I’m moving to
Hollywood and I am going to
be a big star. I’ll stay in touch.’
‘
6 Compare the words spoken to the
reported sentences and answer
questions 1-2 below.
direct speech
‘I’s my last film’.’
‘Sign language is
speaking.’
‘They don’t have
speaking roles.’
‘They are badly
treated.’
reported speech
He told everyone it was his
last film.
They told the union that sign
language was speaking.
The studio said they didn’t
have speaking roles.’
He said that workers were
badly treated.