At the turn of the 20th century, the automobile was a complicated machine and a luxury toy just for

the rich. But in the 1910s, Henry Ford came up with two innovations which revolutionized American society. First, he created the Model T, a simple car that the average American worker could afford. A few years later, he introduced the first moving assembly line which increased the speed of car-production and decreased its cost. From then on, cars were mass-produced and a new era of car industry began. The 1950s were the golden age of car culture. Big cars, homely roadside diners, cosy motels and numerous gas stations became part of the American landscape. But little by little, the friendly roadside stops were replaced by franchised fast food outlets. The oil crisis of the 1970s triggered the decline of the American car industry but it is only at the beginning of the 21st century that car sales of the Big Three fell dramatically. While Chrysler was taken over by a German company, Ford and GMs market share dropped as consumers gave up their American gas guzzlers and turned to smaller Japanese cars. Is the future of car-making in green cars? Even though electric vehicles were invented as early as the 19th century, the electric car has not really caught on yet. Ford announced it was going to mass-produce hybrid cars but it had to give up the project because the production costs were too high.

GRAMMAIRE : LE PRESENT PERFECT, FOR, SINCE ET AGO

1) Le complment en ago (a century ago) exprime : un point de repre dans le pass . Il est associ au prtrit. il y a un sicle . 2) a. Les complments en FOR (1. For most of the last century 2. for about twenty years now) expriment : une dure . Le complment en SINCE (since 1990) exprime : le point de dpart dune action. b. Cest lnonc 1 qui dsigne une priode rvolue. Complment de temps : For most of the last century. Traduction : Pendant la majeure partie du sicle dernier, lautomobile a reprsent. c. Lnonc 2 signifie que laction se poursuit au moment prsent . Le verbe est au present perfect. Complments de temps associs ces noncs : for about twenty years now / since 1990. Traduction : 2. Nous produisons ce modle depuis peu prs vingt ans maintenant. 3. La demande de ptrole sest accrue de 22 % depuis 1990. Remarque : on pourra souligner que cest donc lassociation du present perfect aux complments de temps en for et since qui signifie que laction dure encore. Le present perfect lui seul nexprime pas lide de continuit de laction (ex. : Ive lost my bag). d. FOR peut tre associ au prtrit ; il se traduit dans ce cas par pendant . Il peut galement tre associ au present perfect ; il se traduit alors par depuis . SINCE est toujours associ au present perfect ; il se traduit toujours par depuis . 3) Les complments qui expriment une activit continue sont : regularly et continuously. Ils sont associs au present perfect BE+ING. Ceux qui expriment le rsultat (mesurable) dune action sont : by twenty-two per cent et two thousand cars. Ils sont associs au present perfect simple. Remarque : cest une des diffrences entre present perfect simple et present perfect BE+ING. La forme BE+ING dsigne une activit (cest--dire une action qui peut tre vue en continu). Ds quune mesure quantifie (20%, ten times) est mentionne, le present perfect BE+ING devient impossible, car seule lide de rsultat est alors exprime. On emploie alors obligatoirement le present perfect simple (voir prcis 5.C, p.172).

Faisons le point ! Il y a : complment en ago. Depuis : complment en since ou for associs au present perfect (simple ou BE+ING). Pendant : complment en for associ au prtrit. Remarque : FOR, signifiant pendant , peut galement tre associ au prsent simple ou au futur (He usually sits there for hours. / Hell stay there for a week.). Lorsquil est associ FOR et SINCE le present perfect BE+ING exprime la continuit dune action sur une priode qui stend du pass au prsent. Pratiquer a. have been producing b. designed c. started / have been working d. hired / have been using. a. They have been selling this model for a long time. b. For many years, he lived in the United States. c. Sales have been rising regularly since 2000. d. They invented this / that concept a century ago. e. They left two months ago.

GRAMMAIRE : LE PRESENT PERFECT, FOR, SINCE ET AGO

Observe les phrases suivantes a) b) c) d) e) f) g) The Model T was built in Michigan a century ago. For most of the last century, the automobile represented what it meant to be American. We have produced this model for about twenty years now. Demand for oil has grown by twenty-two per cent since 1990. Demand for oil has been growing regularly since 1990 / for several decades. Prices have been increasing continuously since 1990. They have already produced two thousand cars.

1) Quexprime le complment de temps AGO dans la phrase a? A quel temps est-il associ ? Traduis ce complment.

2) Quexprime les complments de temps en FOR et SINCE dans les phrases b, c et d ?

3) Quel nonc de b d dsigne une priode rvolue ? Quel est le complment associ cet nonc ?

4) Quel(s) nonc(s) de b d signifie(nt) que laction se poursuit au moment prsent ? Quel est le temps du verbe dans ce cas? Quels complments de temps sont associs cet /ces nonc(s) ? Traduisez.

5) Dduisez : quels temps FOR peut-il tre associ ? se traduit-il toujours de la mme faon ? Rponds aux mmes questions pour SINCE.

6) Quexpriment dans les phrases de d g les complments surligns ? Indique pour chacun de ces complments sil est associ au present perfect
simple ou present perfect Be+ ing

Lets practice !
1) Mets les verbes entre parenthses au prtrit simple ou au present perfect BE +V-ING. a. b. c. d. They .......................................... (produce) these cars since January. They .......................................... (design) this model twenty years ago. I .......................................... (start) this new job in July. I.......................................... (work) here for two months now. We .......................................... (hire) these engineers two years ago. We .................................(use) their expertise since then. 2) Traduis laide de FOR, SINCE ou AGO et du prtrit ou du present perfect BE +V-ING. a. Ils vendent ce modle depuis longtemps. b. Pendant de nombreuses annes, il a vcu aux Etats-Unis. c. Les ventes ont augment rgulirement depuis 2000. d. Ils ont invent ce concept il y a un sicle. e. Ils sont partis il y a deux mois.

3) Transforme les phrases suivantes comme dans le modle suivant; Ex: Ive been working here for a long time. its a long time since Ive been working here. a. Ive known him for ages. b. Its been snowing for 2 days; c. Theyve been mending the roof for 1 month now;

Lets practice !
1) Mets les verbes entre parenthses au prtrit simple ou au present perfect BE +V-ING. a. They .......................................... (produce) these cars since January. b. They .......................................... (design) this model twenty years ago. c. I .......................................... (start) this new job in July. I.......................................... (work) here for two months now. d. We .......................................... (hire) these engineers two years ago. We .................................(use) their expertise since then. 2) Traduis laide de FOR, SINCE ou AGO et du prtrit ou du present perfect BE +V-ING. a. Ils vendent ce modle depuis longtemps. b. Pendant de nombreuses annes, il a vcu aux Etats-Unis. c. Les ventes ont augment rgulirement depuis 2000. d. Ils ont invent ce concept il y a un sicle. e. Ils sont partis il y a deux mois.

Lets practice !
1) Mets les verbes entre parenthses au prtrit simple ou au present perfect BE +V-ING. a. They .......................................... (produce) these cars since January. b. They .......................................... (design) this model twenty years ago. c. I .......................................... (start) this new job in July. I.......................................... (work) here for two months now. d. We .......................................... (hire) these engineers two years ago. We .................................(use) their expertise since then. 2) Traduis laide de FOR, SINCE ou AGO et du prtrit ou du present perfect BE +V-ING. a. Ils vendent ce modle depuis longtemps. b. Pendant de nombreuses annes, il a vcu aux Etats-Unis. c. Les ventes ont augment rgulirement depuis 2000. d. Ils ont invent ce concept il y a un sicle. e. Ils sont partis il y a deux mois.

3) Transforme les phrases suivantes comme dans le modle suivant;

Ex: Ive been working here for a long time. its a long time since Ive been working here.
a. Ive known him for ages. b. Its been snowing for 2 days; c. Theyve been mending the roof for 1 month now;

3) Transforme les phrases suivantes comme dans le modle suivant;

Ex: Ive been working here for a long time. Its a long time since Ive been working here.
a. Ive known him for ages. b. Its been snowing for 2 days. c. Theyve been mending the roof for 1 month now;