More Practice with English Verb Tenses

MEANING * FORM * AUXILIARIES * LEXICAL ASPECT * PRACTICE * MORE PRACTICE


LOOK AT THIS HISTORY OF FIFA.
What tenses do you find?

Foundation

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union Française de Sports Athlétiques in Paris on 21 May 1904. The foundation act was signed by the authorised representatives of the following Associations:

  • France - Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques USFSA
  • Belgium - Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports UBSSA
  • Denmark - Dansk Boldspil Union DBU
  • Netherlands - Nederlandsche Voetbal Bond NVB
  • Spain - Madrid Football Club
  • Sweden - Svenska Bollspells Förbundet SBF
  • Switzerland - Association Suisse de Football ASF
FIFA gets its shape

The first FIFA Congress held two days later on 23 May 1904 elected Robert Guérin (FRA) as President. Victor E. Schneider (SUI) and Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann (NED) were made Vice-Presidents. Louis Muhlinghaus (BEL) was appointed Secretary and Treasurer, with the assistance of Ludvig Sylow (DEN). These pioneers were faced with an immense task because FIFA only existed on paper so to speak. One had to give it shape, create Associations as true national representations and get hold of new members. In the first place, the English had to be convinced that their membership to this newly created organisation was indispensable.

FIFA only consisted of European Associations up until 1909. The first members from overseas joined in the following order: South Africa in 1909/1910, Argentina and Chile in 1912, USA in 1913. This was the start of FIFA's international activities. The long path towards full expansion had been sketched out.

More associations to follow

The start of the first World War (1914) caused a major interruption. And yet, all the international relations were not broken, even if they were only maintained on a small scale. Jules Rimet became 3rd President on 1 March 1921. FIFA became the life task of the then 48 year-old Frenchman. When he took over the world football federation, the latter which had been shaken by the I World War, counted 20 members. The British had left in unison and neither Brazil nor Uruguay were present. In the 33 years of his presidency, FIFA experienced an incredible upswing in spite of the II World War. One ought to talk about a "Jules Rimet Era" because he managed to reorganise FIFA and to materialise the dream of a World Cup. On passing on the reins of FIFA in 1954, when he opened his 5th World Cup in Switzerland, FIFA counted 85 members!

These dates are mentioned in the article, in this order. Are they in chronological order? What happened on each date?
What other things in the text change the focus on time?
May 21, 1904
May 23, 1904
1909-1913
1914
March 1, 1921
1921-1954
1954
May 1928
1930
July 18, 1930
(1934)
1942
1938
1942
July 1, 1946
1946
June 21, 1954
October 1955
June 9, 1956
1958
1961
Sept. 28, 1961
June 11, 1974
(1974)
now
(1977-now)
now
June 8, 1998


Planning the first FIFA World Cup

The resonance at the Olympic Games intensified FlFA's wish for its own world championship. Following a remarkable proposal of the Executive Committee, the FIFA Congress in May 1928 decided to stage a world championship organised by FIFA. Now, the organising country had to be chosen. Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Hungary submitted their candidatures. Right from the start, Uruguay was the favourite for important reasons: The country of the twofold Olympic winner (in 1924 and 1928) was celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence in 1930 at great expense.

The first World Cup was opened at the Centenary Stadium in Montevideo on 18 July 1930. A new epoch had begun for world football.

Four years later, the "Father of the World-Cup" Jules Rimet saw his wish fulfilled, when the 3rd World Cup took place in France, his home country.

The FIFA World Cup should have taken place for the 4th time in 1942. However, the appointment of an organiser was renounced at the Congress in Paris in 1938. The 1942 World Cup never took place. One had to wait until 1 July 1946 for the next Congress. There was only one candidate for the next World Cup. Brazil was chosen unanimously.

Return of the British Associations

1946 saw the return of the four British Associations to FIFA. This was again thanks to the diplomatic talent of Jules Rimet who found in Arthur Drewry and Sir Stanley Rous farsighted partners in the other party.

Four years later, at the fifth FIFA World Cup in Switzerland the 80 year-old President retired at the Congress in Bern. He became the first Honorary President on that 21 June 1954. For the last time, the "Father of the World Cup" presented the captain of the victorious German team with the "Jules Rimet Cup" and so departed from the top rank.

50th Anniversary

The Belgian, Rodolphe William Seeldrayers was the fourth President of FIFA. In his new function, he could celebrate the 50th Anniversary of FIFA, which now counted 85 members. After having assisted Jules Rimet as Vice-President for over 25 years, he died in October 1955. His successor was Arthur Drewry who was elected on 9 June 1956, but had already headed FIFA for over half a year on an interim basis. He chaired the Study Committee for the new FIFA Statutes and opened the 6th World Cup in Stockholm in 1958 which proceeded very positively. Arthur Drewry diedin 1961 at 70.

FIFA operations were then controlled by the Swiss, Ernst B. Thommen until the Extraordinary Congress on 28 September 1961. As Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 1954, 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cups, he did a great deal for the world football federation. Sir Stanley Rous was elected 6th President of FIFA.

Among the first steps taken by newly independent nations was their affiliation to FIFA. So, the number of members grew steadily. The TV transmission of the World Cup also considerably contributed towards the worldwide expansion. As a private institution, FIFA received neither governmental subsidies nor funds from other sources. Funds strictly came from profits from the FIFA World Cup. It hardly seemed possible to accomplish more without taking risks. Thus, with a great deal of self-sacrifice, one went about consolidating and maintaining the work. Sir Stanley Rous achieved all this. In recognition of his merits, he was made Honorary President of FIFA in Frankfurt on 11 June 1974. On that day, the Brazilian Dr. João Havelange took over the reins of FIFA.

A New Era

When Dr. João Havelange was elected at the 39th Congress in 1974, he was ready to consider football not only as a competition, but also to try and find new ways and means to worldwide technical development and to prepare new generations for this.

Havelange's installation in FIFA's headquarters heralded the dawn of a new era. Previously, with survival depending almost exclusively on limited resources from World Championships in four-yearly intervals, FIFA had been somewhat conservative and reserved when it came to taking decisions. Administrative energy had been concentrated on consolidating and maintaining the status quo. In no time, Havelange transformed an administration-oriented institution into a dynamic enterprise brimming with new ideas and the will to see them through. The actual address in Zurich has not altered but instead of the romantic Derwald Villa on the Zurichberg, where in 1974 a staff of twelve used to coordinate the fate of world football, there are now five different office buildings housing more than 120 employees coming to grips with an ever increasing workload.

Globalisation

Over the past 25 years football has not only taken root as the world's major game in an ephemeral world but has also blossomed in other branches of society, commerce and politics. Football, more than any other factor, has enveloped whole regions, people and nations. With approximately two hundred million active players it now constitutes a substantial chunk of the leisure industry, having opened up new markets for itself and for the rest of the business world.

204 Member Associations

On 8 June 1998 Joseph S. Blatter (SUI) was elected as the successor to João Havelange as the eighth FIFA President. This victory at the 51st FIFA Ordinary Congress in Paris elevated Blatter, who had already served FIFA in various positions for 23 years, onto the highest rang in international football.


NOTE:
a. What TIME are most of the verbs? Where does the time change?
b. Note the verbs in the progressive and perfect ASPECTS. Can you see why the writer chose to use these aspects?


NOW TRY THIS:

INSTRUCTIONS
  • Identify the main time frame (focus) for each section. How do you know? Note places where the time frame switches.
  • For each verb, decide what time and aspect you think is best. (A few have been done for you.) Is there any reason to choose a time that is different from the main time frame of the section? If you choose a perfect or progressive verb, can you explain why?
  • When you have finished the article, look at the verbs you have written: What "aspect" have you used most? (simple? progressive? perfect?) How often does the main time frame switch from one time to another? Is there a clear signal to the reader? How often are there individual verbs that have a different time from the others in the section?

To compare your answers with the original when you are finished, click here. (A new browser window will appear with this document. With both windows open, you can adjust them so that part of each is always visible, and you can easily move back and forth between them.)

Of course, in many cases more than one verb tense would be possible. If your answer differs from the author's, can you see why he chose the one he did? Are you sure yours would also be possible? Would there be any difference in meaning?


History of the FIFA World Cup

No other sporting event captures the world's imagination like the FIFA World CupŠ. Ever since the first tentative competition in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA's flagship in popularity and prestige. A group of visionary French football administrators, led in the 1920s by the innovative Jules Rimet, credited with the original idea of bringing the world's strongest national football teams together to compete for the title of World Champions. The original gold trophy Jules Rimet's name and contested three times in the 1930s, before the Second World War a 12-year stop to the competition.

When it , the FIFA World Cup rapidly to its undisputed status as the greatest single sporting event of the modern world. Held since 1958 alternately in Europe and the Americas, the World Cup new ground with the Executive Committee's decision in May 1996 to select Korea and Japan as co-hosts for the 2002 edition.

Since 1930, the 16 tournaments only seven different winners. However, the FIFA World Cup punctuated by dramatic upsets that create footballing history - the United States defeating England in 1950, North Korea's defeat of Italy in 1966, Cameroon's emergence in the 1980s and their opening match defeat of the Argentinean cup-holders in 1990 ...

Today, the FIFA World Cup the entire global public under its spell. An accumulated audience of over 37 billion people the France 98 tournament, including approximately 1.3 billion for the final alone, while over 2.7 million people to watch the 64 matches in the French stadia

After all these years and so many changes, however, the main focus of the FIFA World Cup the same - the glistening golden trophy, which the embodiment of every footballer's ambition. (Copyright FIFA)


NOW TRY THESE ARTICLES ABOUT FATHERS' DAY


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Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois