September 11th, Memories, Verb Forms
2021-09-10
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Saturday, September 11, is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
2Around 3000 people were killed on that day in 2001, when al-Qaida agents hijacked and crashed airplanes in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
3People across the U.S. will share their thoughts and feelings about that day on the anniversary.
4News shows and other media will observe the day with special programming.
5People will talk about what they remember about the day, the effects the attacks had on them, the U.S. reaction, and more.
6Such discussions often use verbs in simple and progressive forms.
7In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore the grammar behind such structures.
8Let's begin with a few important terms and ideas.
9English has several verb forms; two of them are the simple and progressive forms.
10The simple verb form is often the first verb form that English learners study.
11Consider the following statements:
12I want to read about English grammar.
13I love English grammar.
14Here, the verbs want and love are in their simple present forms.
15Their past forms are wanted and loved.
16Now consider a person who is in the middle of an action - reading a grammar book. That person might say,
17I am reading about English grammar.
18Here the verb read is in its progressive form - I am reading.
19The past progressive form is I was reading.
20In general, English speakers are more likely to use simple verbs than progressive verbs in everyday discussions.
21But discussions about memories and past experiences will likely involve verb forms of both kinds, as we will see.
22Let's first explore how simple forms might appear in discussions about September 11.
23Consider this example. Imagine you are listening to an American news program.
24You might hear something like the following discussion:
25Do you remember where you were on September 11?
26I was at work. I heard about the attacks during my morning coffee break.
27Or you might hear a discussion with a person who is not old enough to remember the day:
28Do you remember where you were on September 11?
29No, I don't know what it was like - but I believe it was very frightening.
30Notice that the examples included simple present and simple past forms of verbs such as remember, believe, hear, know, be.
31Many of these might be called 'non-action' verbs.
32Such verbs are mostly used to express ideas, memories, or states of being.
33Such verbs are less common or not used in the progressive form.
34Now consider how progressive verb forms might appear in a discussion about September 11.
35Imagine you are watching another news broadcast. You might hear the following:
36Do you remember what you were doing on September 11 when you first heard the news?
37I was listening to the radio, and the regular program was interrupted.
38Or:
39I was watching television at home.
40Or:
41I was sitting at my desk when a coworker ran over to me and told me the news.
42In the examples, verbs such as listen, watch, and sit appeared in their past progressive form.
43In other words, these actions were in progress when the person learned about the news.
44When you hear news broadcasts or read internet discussions about September 11 - or any other kind of important event - pay careful attention to how the speakers or writers use simple and progressive verb forms.
45Pay careful attention to the kinds of verbs that are used in the simple form, and the kinds of verbs that are used in the progressive form.
46Over time, you will improve your understanding of how and when to use these verbs and verb forms.
47I'm John Russell.
1Saturday, September 11, is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States. Around 3000 people were killed on that day in 2001, when al-Qaida agents hijacked and crashed airplanes in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. 2People across the U.S. will share their thoughts and feelings about that day on the anniversary. News shows and other media will observe the day with special programming. People will talk about what they remember about the day, the effects the attacks had on them, the U.S. reaction, and more. 3Such discussions often use verbs in simple and progressive forms. 4In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore the grammar behind such structures. 5Let's begin with a few important terms and ideas. 6Verb Forms 7English has several verb forms; two of them are the simple and progressive forms. 8The simple verb form is often the first verb form that English learners study. 9Consider the following statements: 10I want to read about English grammar. 11I love English grammar. 12Here, the verbs want and love are in their simple present forms. Their past forms are wanted and loved. 13Now consider a person who is in the middle of an action - reading a grammar book. That person might say, 14I am reading about English grammar. 15Here the verb read is in its progressive form - I am reading. The past progressive form is I was reading. 16In general, English speakers are more likely to use simple verbs than progressive verbs in everyday discussions. 17But discussions about memories and past experiences will likely involve verb forms of both kinds, as we will see. 18Discussions about September 11th - Simple Form of Verb 19Let's first explore how simple forms might appear in discussions about September 11. 20Consider this example. Imagine you are listening to an American news program. You might hear something like the following discussion: 21Do you remember where you were on September 11? 22I was at work. I heard about the attacks during my morning coffee break. 23Or you might hear a discussion with a person who is not old enough to remember the day: 24Do you remember where you were on September 11? 25No, I don't know what it was like - but I believe it was very frightening. 26Notice that the examples included simple present and simple past forms of verbs such as remember, believe, hear, know, be. 27Many of these might be called 'non-action' verbs. Such verbs are mostly used to express ideas, memories, or states of being. 28Such verbs are less common or not used in the progressive form. 29Discussions about September 11th - Progressive Form of Verb 30Now consider how progressive verb forms might appear in a discussion about September 11. 31Imagine you are watching another news broadcast. You might hear the following: 32Do you remember what you were doing on September 11 when you first heard the news? 33I was listening to the radio, and the regular program was interrupted. 34Or: 35I was watching television at home. 36Or: 37I was sitting at my desk when a coworker ran over to me and told me the news. 38In the examples, verbs such as listen, watch, and sit appeared in their past progressive form. In other words, these actions were in progress when the person learned about the news. 39Closing Thoughts 40When you hear news broadcasts or read internet discussions about September 11 - or any other kind of important event - pay careful attention to how the speakers or writers use simple and progressive verb forms. 41Pay careful attention to the kinds of verbs that are used in the simple form, and the kinds of verbs that are used in the progressive form. Over time, you will improve your understanding of how and when to use these verbs and verb forms. 42I'm John Russell. 43John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 44__________________________________________________________ 45Words in This Story 46progressive -n. A progressive verb form in English consists of a form of the verb "be" followed by the main verb's present participle. 47frightening - adj. scary or causing fear 48interrupt - v. to cause (something) to stop happening for a time