Exercise 32. Comment on the use of the Past Indefinite, Past Continuous, Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

1. The cook used to snatch away the letters from home, before she [Ma Parker] had readthem. (Mansfield) 2. As she neared the kitchen, Chris came from the garage where he'd been attendingto a lorry with a magneto trouble, wiping his hands on some waste. (Lindsay) 3. She was always telling herself that the only rational course was to make Edward a final statement of her intentions, then break off all communications. (Maugham) 4. I realized that he had come awaywith me in order to discuss once more what he had beenalready discussing for hours with his sister-in-law. (Maugham) 5. I saw that it was 2 o'clock. We had beensittingthere an hour and a half. (Du Maurier) 6. It had long been dark when Arthur rang at the front door of the.great house in the Via Borra. (Voynich) 7. It was three o'clock. The wind had fallen, the moon was shiningover the quiet sea. (Christie) 8. Every Sunday morning Ethel would readaloud while Ma Parker did her washing. (Mansfield) 9. We'd gotto Ruby's room by then. She wasn't there, of course, but she'd beenthere, because the dress she had been wearing was lyingacross a chair. (Christie) 10. To take off her boots or to put them on was an agony to her, but it had beenan agony for years. (Mansfield) 11. Here I saw this man, whom I had lost sightof some time; for I had been travellingin the provinces. (Dickens) 12. When the Gadfly raised his head the sun had set, and the red glow was dyingin the west. (Voynich) 13. It was Sunday morning and they had all been back at Grayhallock for three days. (Murdoch) 14. Rainborough noticed that she had been crying, her face was stained with tears... (Murdoch) 15. Ann was certainly being bravely cheerful in a way which both exasperated Hugh and half compelled his admiration. (Murdoch) 16. The moment the noise ceased, she glided from the room; ascended the stairs with incredible softnees and silence; and was lost in the gloom above. (Dickens) 17. We hadn't been marrieda month before 1 was out of love with him. He was in Lincolnshire at the time, and I was livingnear him. (Hansford Johnson),18. When Cowperwood reached the jail, Jasper was there. (Dreiser) 19. Susan Nipper stood opposite to her young mistress one morning, as she folded and sealed a note she had been writing. (Dickens) 20. The whole party arrived in safety at the Bush before Mr. Pickwick had recoveredhis breath. (Dickens) 21. He [Hugh] jumped to feel Ann's clasp upon his arm. She had been sayingsomething to him. (Murdoch) 22. He had scarcely had timeto form this conclusion, when a window above stairs was thrown up. (Dickens) 23. The door was just going to be closed...when an inquisitive boarder, who had been peepingbetween the hinges, set up a fearful screaming. (Dickens) 24. Mr. Pecksniff and his fair daughters had not stoodwarming themselves at the fire ten minutes, when the sound of feet was heard upon the stairs. (Dickens) 25. He [Cowperwood]... was forever asking questions with a keen desire for an intelligent reply. (Dreiser) 26. He turned off the electric light. The electric light had been burningall night. (Hemingway) 27....she would go ondiscussing a book she said she had read but manifestly hadn'tor she would break upa dull conversation with some fantastic irrelevance for which everyone was secretly grateful. (Hilton) 28. When Katie brought in the tea-tray, the boy opened his eyes and sat upwith a bewildered air. (Voynich) 29. When we were boy and girl we used tocall each other by our Christian names. (Maugham) 30. There were bits of the work that, because I had been doingthem so long, I knew better than anyone else. (Snow) 31. He had sat downwith the child on his knees, and was helpingher to put the flowers in order. (Voynich) 32. He had satruminating about the matter for some time, when the voice of Roker demanded whether he might come in. (Dickens) 33. He seemed to be quietly and carefully deciding what he was goingto say. (Murdoch) 34. There was no doubt that their arrival had transformedthe factory for her. Rosa had been workingin the factory for about two years. Before that she had beena journalist. (Murdoch) 35. After dinner Ruby came and sat with us in the lounge. She remained even after the dancing had started. We had arrangedto play bridge later, but we were waitingfor Mark... and also for Josie. She was goingto make a fourth with us. (Christie) 36. She used tosit with him and his family a lot. He used totake her for drives sometimes. (Christie) 37. George made no answer, and we found... that he had beenasleep for some time. (Jerome K. Jerome) 38. She talked and laughed and positively forgot until he had comein... that Pearl Fulton had not turned up.(Mansfield) 39. Some years ago, when I was the Editor of a Correspondence Column, Iused toreceive heartbroken letters from young men asking for advice and sympathy. (Leacock) 40. 1 took the sculls. I had not been pullingfor more than a minute or so, when George noticed something black floating on the water. (Jerome K. Jerome) 41. The voice had no sooner ceased than the room was shaken with such violence that the windows rattled in their frames. (Dickens) 42. The figure had suddenly retreated from the gate, and was runningback hastily to the mill. (Ch. Bronte) 43. As he was in dinner dress, Fanny asked where he bad been dining. (Dickens)