RUE Episode 92: Comparing Perfect Verb Tenses

In this Episode we’re comparing Perfect Verb Tenses, using facts from the Video we saw in the previous episode. Welcome to Episode 92 of Ramping Up your English.

Episode Summary

Welcome to Episode 92 of Ramping Up your English. In this episode, we roll up our sleeves to do some detailed work of Verb Tenses. Using facts from our Native American content, we explore the subtle differences between the Past Perfect Verb tense and the Past Perfect Progressive. The difference is often subtle, so you really have to know just what message you want to put out. We compare using sentence from the video clips we’ve seen.

This is also the episode where I give a tour of my website. Well, you’re already here, but if you need a refresher in navigating LetzCreate.org, the tour may help.

Watching Episode 92

While we normally post episodes of Ramping Up your English on archive.org, we’re experiencing some problems. Hence, the link that follows will take you to my You Tube Channel – Ramp Up your English. Click here to see Episode 92 on You Tube.

Viewing is Segments

Segment viewing is not available at this time. I may be discontinuing this feature, as I find it’s seldom used by viewers. If you do view by shorter segments, please drop me a line at [email protected]. If I know you rely on this, that may be my incentive to keep doing it.

Language Objectives

Relate past events in relation to other past events using the Past Perfect verb tense.

Relate Past Events in relation to ongoing past events using the Past Perfect Progressive Verb Tense.

Academic Content Objectives

Explain how America was populated over 14 thousand years ago.

Describe the changing climate conditions that allowed the peopling of America and the interruption of migration to America during pre-historic times.

List the main food sources believed to be using by paleo-Americans.

Describe how changes to megafauna resulted in a change to food sources and the technology for securing those sources of food.

Explain how changes in climate affected the settlement patterns of early Americans.

Describe the various settlement and trade patterns on early Americans, including the development of cities.

Identify crops that resulted in urban settlements and the results of such on population density in Mississippian Culture cities.

Links for this episode

At the end of Episode 92, we featured Taste of Dream by Carla Harvey. Here’s a link to that artistic work on You Tube. Click here to see it.

Have you ever struggled with the way some English words are not pronounced the way they are written? Here’s a link to a short video featuring 10 English words and the way they are actually pronounced by English speakers. Click here to see the video on You Tube. There may be ads.

Learning Materials

We use these notes from previous videos to compare and contrast the use of Past Perfect and Past Perfect Progressive Verb tenses
The Past Progressive serves best here.
Here it depends what you really want to say. The difference is subtle.
The Past Perfect is probably the best choice, unless you want to emphasize what happened to interrupt the settling.
Again, it depends what you want to emphasize.
Don’t use “..had been becoming… You can say “had been farming.”

In summary, each tense has its strength and can convey what you want to say with accuracy when you choose the tense that does that.

Next Episode

To watch Episode 93, click here to go to the Episode 93 page.