1. Isabel Allende grew up in South America and attended private school in Bolivia in the 1950s. She has lived in several South American countries and has extensively traveled throughout Europe and America. 2. Allende worked for magazines and the United Nations before writing her famous novel House of Spirits. She had published many articles and started a young adult trilogy before moving to Venezuela in 1975. 3. Allende was going to stay in Chile but had to flee after the 1973 military coup. She was going to write a letter that instead turned into her first novel. Allende and her husband were going to separate but she returned to him in 1978.

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

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
past
now
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
past
now
future

6. Practice 1
past
Example:
She had her
(have) her
1963.
daughter in 1963
She has for several
1. (work) worked for
several magazines.
magazines
Form sentences with
present perfect or
simple past.
now
future
She has lived in the U.S.
4. (live) in the U.S. for
forover 15 years
over 15 years.
She married her second
3. (marry) her second
husband in 1988.
husband in 1988
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 event
past
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
past
now
future
1976
1991

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

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