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From Kansas City to Tulsa : What for? (1/2)

Once again, I'll be telling you a story: remember, the tense of narration is the   simple past.

ex: Jesse arrived in Tulsa after a painful two weeks' walk.

    * If an action started in the past and is still taking place (or has a result)  in the present, the verb must be in the present perfect : Have/has + verb in the  past participle

ex: Jesse has hoped to be given a job for 6 years.

    * IMPORTANT !  If an action happened before a simple past, it must be in the past perfect simple (or in -ing if the speaker wants to insist on the duration of the action.) 

              had + verb in the past participle  or  had + been + verb + ing  

ex  In order to give Tom a good impression, Jesse had washed a little at a water fountain.

ex: He had been walking for two weeks from Kansas City to Tulsa.

* The - ing  forms express:
-  an action which is in progress, in the present ( present in -ing), or in the past (preterite or past perfect in -ing)
ex: When Jesse arrived, Tom was working at his desk.

- the positions of the body:
ex: Jesse was standing, exhausted by his long walk, while Tom was sitting.

* If you need to use a future, remember that it doesn't get on well with the past ... You should use : a conditional : would + verb

*   Yet, here,  in the test, you'll need a future in the particular context of  ' potential if clauses ' : if the verb of the main clause is in the future, the verb in the subordinate introduced by 'if' will be in the present ( simple present or present perfect).

ex: I'll be so happy if you give me the job ! Jesse said.

     *   You'll use  the conditional : would + verb  and the past conditional  : would + have + past participle   if the main clauses are in the preterite, or in the past perfect.

ex: If Tom gave Jesse a job, it would be a real relief for the whole family ...

    *  Don't forget that there may be .... one or two present tenses !

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Suddenly, when Jesse had arrivedwas arrivingarrivedhas arrivedI don't know at last, tall and skinny, tousled-haired, exhausted, his clothes looking shabby, sloppy and dusty, he would feelhad feelinghad felthas feltfeltI don't know strangely happy and even relieved … Here, at last, he hoped he had foundhe will findhe has foundhe would findI don't know a solution ...
Jesse had been walkingwould walkhas been walkingwas walkingI don't know for two weeks from Kansas City to Tulsa (250 miles /400 km) in pouring rain and scorching heat. He sat down to rest his injured feet.
Losing job after job, he now looked like a real tramp, a bum, a 'down and out' ... The Depression and the New Deal, which 'dealt' nothing to him, had finally killedhas finally killedfinally killedI don't know his hope and dignity. He would beg if he had to, but he'd gethe gottenhe'd gothe gethe gotI don't know that job ! Would have toHe has toHe would toHe had toI don't know !
He had comewould have comewould comehad cameI don't know this long way to put an end to his appalling situation and ask Tom, his brother-in-law, for some help ... He has forgethad forgottenhas forgottenwould forgotI don't know his pride and his honour ... Destitution and humiliation has destroyedwould destroywould not destroyhad destroyingI don't know his whole family ...
1O years before, Tom had runwill runwould runhad ranhas runI don't know a shop, which the Depression had taken from him. At present, he had workedhas workingworkshe was working's workingI don't know in the oil business and Egbert had told Jesse that any man should findcould findcouldn't findwouldn't findI don't know work, here ...
He hoped Tom had recognizerecognizewill recognizewould recognizeI don't know him ... He didn't, not at first ... The 6 years when he couldn’t feed himself, his wife and family has changingwas changinghas changedhad changedI don't know the man … But in him there wasthere had beingthere has beenI don't know still, the same desire and determination, the same compulsion to get by and provide for those he loved so much ...
- 'No, Jesse,' Tom denied, 'there's no job here!' - 'Of course there is! Egbert told me so!' Jesse replied. '
Tom exclaimed :'Do you meantDo you meanDid you meanMean youI don't know you want a job in MY department ?! You CAN'T HAVE ONE!'

(to be continued ...)