1. Isabel Allende grew up in South America and attended private school in Bolivia in the 1950s. She worked for the United Nations and various magazines before publishing her famous novel House of Spirits. 2. Allende was married twice, first in 1962 and again in 1988. She has lived in several South American countries as well as the US. 3. Allende had to flee Chile after the 1973 military coup. She was going to stay in the country but had to leave.

1. 1 Past Time
Isabel Allende:
Precious Past
Focus on Grammar 5
Moments
Part I, Unit 2
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Simple Past
Use the simple past to describe actions,
events, or states at a specific past time.
Isabel Allende grew up in
South America.
In the 1950s, she attended a
private school in Bolivia.
now
past future

3. Past Progressive
Use the past progressive to express an action that
was in progress (not finished) in the past.
Allende was working for the United Nations. . .
. . . when she married her first husband in 1962.
1962
now
past future

4. Present Perfect
Use present perfect to express actions, events,
or states completed at an indefinite time in the
past.
Isabel Allende has lived in Peru, Chile,
and Venezuela.
She has done numerous lecture tours
in America and Europe.
now
past future

5. Simple Past vs. Present Perfect
Present perfect: for events at an indefinite time in the past
Simple past: for events at a definite time in the past
Isabel Allende has traveled all over
Europe.
In 1964, she traveled all over
Europe with her husband and daughter.
1964 now
past future

6. Form sentences with
Practice 1 present perfect or
simple past.
now
past future
Example: She has lived in the U.S.
4. (live) in the U.S. for
She had her
(have) her forover 15 years
over 15 years.
1963.
daughter in 1963
She married her second
3. (marry) her second
She has for several
1. (work) worked for husband in 1988.
husband in 1988
several magazines.
magazines
She moved to Venezuela
2. (move) to Venezuela
with her family in 1975.
with her family in 1975

7. Past with Used To
Use used to + base form to show habitual
events that were true in the past but not today.
She used to be on the editorial staff
of a Chilean magazine called Paula.
She used to write many humorous
and feminist articles for that magazine.
now
past future

8. Past Perfect 1
Use the past perfect to express events that
happened before a past event.
Allende had published many magazine articles . . .
. . . before she wrote her famous novel House of Spirits.
now
past future
before past
past event event

9. Past Perfect 2
The past perfect is often used with by or by the time.
The by clause may precede or follow the main clause.
By the time Isabel Allende returned to Chile in 1991 . . .
. . . fifteen years had gone by.
fifteen years now
past future
1976 1991

10. Form sentences with simple
Practice 2 past and past perfect using
before.
She hadthe
(work) for worked for
Example: the United Nations
United Nations
before she had her
(have) her
son Nicolas.
son Nicolas now
past future
She had been a
1. (be) a contributor
to Mampato
contributor to
Magazine Isabel had published
2. Isabel (publish)
Mampato several novels before she
several novels
magazine before
(direct) the
started a trilogy for young
(start) a
magazine
she directed the adults. trilogy for
magazine. young adults

11. Past with Was / Were Going To
Use was / were going to + base form to describe
events that were supposed to happen but did not.
Isabel Allende was going to stay in Chile, but after the
military coup in 1973, she had to leave the country.
In 1978, they were going to separate, but Allende
soon returned to her husband.
now
past did not future
happen

12. Form sentences with
Practice 3 was / were going to.
Allende planned
Allende was going She had to flee
to live in Chile,
Example:
butlive in had to flee the country.
to she Chile. the country.
She planned to to writeletter turned
She was going The a letter,
1
but theletter. turned into novel.
write a letter into a a novel.
2 They planned to to staydivorced in
They were going They together,
stay together. 1987.
but they divorced in 1987.

13. References
Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education
and its licensors. All rights reserved.
Photo Credits:
Isabel Allende © Loria Barra