UNIT SUMMARY

Time with Dates, Days, Time Periods, etc.

TIME WORD EXAMPLES

from . . . to till until From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was an immigrant processing center. From 1892 till 1954, Ellis Island was an immigrant processing center. From 1892 until 1954, Ellis Island was an immigrant processing center.

during During that time, 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. for New arrivals had to wait for many hours. in In 1905, Einstein wrote about relativity. I became a resident in March. He'll take his citizenship test in six months.

by

ago

on

until Restoration of Ellis Island was finished by 1990. One hundred years ago, new arrivals passed through Ellis Island. We came to the U.S. on Wednesday. Ellis Island remained closed until 1990.

after After class, I saw a movie about immigration. before He became a citizen before his twentieth birthday.

Time Words with Clauses

TIME WORD EXAMPLES

when When my grandfather came to the U.S., he passed through Ellis Island. Henri was working in a hospital when he heard the news about the president.

while While Einstein was traveling, the Nazis took his property in Germany. whenever Whenever you enter the U.S., you have to make a declaration of things you’re bringing in. until Ellis Island remained closed until the restoration was complete.

Uses of the Past Continuous

USE

To describe a past action that was in progress at a specific moment With the simple past, to show the relationship of a longer past action to a shorter past action Einstein was living in New Jersey when he died. While Einstein was living in Switzerland, he developed his theory of relativity.

EXAMPLES

At 9:45 a.m., I was driving to the airport to pick up my brother. Where were you living in December, 2013?