D2. A Night caller
past perfect continuous
Sarah Robinson was well-known among her friends for being extremely well-mannered. When the telephone rang at half past three one morning, she spoke calmly into the receiver, even though she had been sleeping soundly. On the other end of the line was an angry male voice. He complained that her dog had been barking all night and that it had been keeping him and his wife awake. Sarah thanked the caller for telling her and politely asked him for his name and number before hanging up. The next morning at precisely half past three, Sarah called her neighbour back.
‘Good morning, Mr Grant. I just called to let you know that I don't have a dog.’
Grammar: past perfect continuous
To talk about a process or activity which took place over a period of time, before another event, you can use the past perfect continuous form. The structure of this form is had + been + gerund.GRAPHIC OF TIMELINE HERE
Match the broken sentences.
| 1. The roads were blocked because… | A. I had been cycling for hours the day before. |
| 2. My legs were aching because… | B. he had been sleeping in an uncomfortable position. |
| 3. We were pleased when the parcel arrived because… | C. we had been watching TV with the volume turned up. |
| 4. His neck hurt when he woke up because… | D. it had been snowing heavily all night. |
| 5. We didn’t hear the door bell because… | E. she had been crying before we came in. |
| 6. Her eyes were red because… | F. we had been waiting for it for weeks. |
Choose a verb to complete these sentences. Use the past perfect continuous form.
sunbathe
bake
snow
smoke
work
fight
7. When I looked out of the window last Friday, I saw that all the streets were white. It __________________.
8. I felt so tired last night when I got back home. I __________________ hard all day.
9. Fred had a broken nose and Harry had a black eye. They __________________about something.
10. I asked to change my hotel room because of the smell. Someone __________________ in there.
11. Did you see how brown Helen was yesterday? She __________________ on her holiday the week before.
12. I noticed a delicious smell as soon as I walked in. Somebody __________________ cakes.
Vocabulary exercises
Choose the best adverb to complete these sentences.
calmly
soundly
politely
extremely
precisely
1.
The child was sleeping
________ after the long journey.
2. You shouldn’t interrupt like that. It’s ________ rude.
3. If you hear a fire alarm, please leave the building ________ and without running.
4. We left at midday and we arrived ________ six hours later
5. He ________ asked the assistant for directions.
2. You shouldn’t interrupt like that. It’s ________ rude.
3. If you hear a fire alarm, please leave the building ________ and without running.
4. We left at midday and we arrived ________ six hours later
5. He ________ asked the assistant for directions.
Match the broken sentences.
| 6. I don’t want to complain… | A. back in a few minutes. |
| 7. The caller was very rude so I decided to hang… | B. me awake most of the night. |
| 8. I’m busy at the moment, but I can call you… | C. about my neighbours, but they aren’t very well-mannered. |
| 9. The noise of the traffic kept… | D. me know your phone number. |
| 10. Don’t forget to let… | E. up the receiver. |