The Tenses: Present Simple (A) Form [PDF]

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THE TENSES PRESENT SIMPLE (a) Form •affirmative: V (inf); 3 rd pers. sg. : V+s ex: I walk John walks •negative: do not/don’t + V (inf); 3 rd pers. sg. : does not/doesn’t + V ex. I don’t walk John does not walk •interrogative: Do + sub. + V (inf) ; 3rd pers. sg. : Does + sub + V (inf) ex. Do you walk? Does John walk? (b) Uses •habitual actions in the present (with adverbs such as: always, every day, every Monday, never, usually etc.) ex. My grandmother always goes to Spain in winter. •in temporal and conditional clauses, instead of the future (i.e. in clauses that begin with when, after, before, as soon as, while, if etc.) ex. When he comes he will find out the truth. Când va veni, va afla adevărul. PRESENT CONTINUOUS (a) Form •affirmative: to be (am, are, is) + V + ing ex. I am sleeping You are sleeping etc. •negative: to be + not + V + ing ex. I am not sleeping (I’m not sleeping) You are not sleeping (You aren’t sleeping) etc. •interrogative: to be + sub + V + ing ex. Are you sleeping? (b) Uses •actions in progress at the moment of speaking or actions that happen over a limited period of time ex. I am learning English now. My brother is studying law. •personal plans for future actions ex. Where are you going during the winter holidays? EXERCICES: 1) Put the verbs in brackets into the simple present or the present continuous tense: a) I won’t go out now as it (rain) and I (not have) an umbrella.



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b) In the evenings she (play) cards or (watch) TV. c) What the cat (do)? (Taste) your pudding. d) You (know) why an apple (fall) down and not up? e) This car (make) a very strange noise. You (think) it is all right? f) The kettle (boil) now. Shall I make the tea? 2) Translate into English: 1) De ce te uiţi aşa la mine? Semeni foarte mult cu un prieten al meu. 2) Crezi ce spun ziarele? Câtuşi de puţin. Atunci de ce citeşti ziarul? 3) Unde merge Mary în weekend? Nu ştiu. De obicei stă acasă şi citeşte.



PAST TENSE SIMPLE (a) Form: •affirmative - regular verbs: vb. (infinitive) + -ed - irregular verbs: the 2nd form in the dictionary ex. walked went •negative: did not/didn’t + vb. (infinitive) ex. did not walk didn’t go •interrogative: Did + sub. + vb. (infinitive) ex. Did he walk? Did she go? (b) Uses: •to refer to actions that happened at a specific moment in the past ex. Yesterday I met George at the theatre. •to refer to actions that were habitual in the past ex. When I was a kid I went to the movies every day. EXERCISE Complete the following with the verbs in the box (‘see (2)’ means use ‘see’ twice) go eat see(2) be(2) ring sing speak drink come take Hello, Jane ._________ you ________ to that party for the choir last night? Yes, I did. I _________ Tom with me. What _________ it like?



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Oh, very quiet indeed. We __________ anything except coffee and orange juice, and we ______ much either except for a few little cakes. And we ________ any songs, even though it was a choir party! How strange! _________ you ________ Nigel there? Yes, I ________ him and I waved to him but I ________ to him. Why not? Well, he and his girlfriend __________ too far away and just then the front door bell _______ and a policeman ________ in. The people next door said we were making too much noise! PAST TENSE CONTINUOUS (a) Form •affirmative: I sg. , III sg. : was + vb. (infinitive) + ing II sg. , I, II, III pl. : were + vb. (infinitive) + ing ex. I was sleeping They were eating •negative : was not/were not + vb. + ing ex. He was not reading We weren’t laughing •interrogative: was/were + sub. + vb. + ing ex. Were you crying? Was he working? (b) Uses: •to refer to actions in progress at a certain moment in the past ex. While I was writing letters, my brother was playing the piano. EXERCICES (1) Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous tense: a) As I (cross) the road I (step) on a banana skin and (fall) heavily. I still (lie) on the road when I (see) a lorry approaching. Luckily the driver (see) me and (stop) the lorry in time. b) When I came in they (sit) round the fire. Mr. Pitt (do) a crossword puzzle, Mrs. Pitt (knit), the others (read). Mrs. Pitt (smile) at me and (say), ‘Come and sit down’. c) While the guests (dance) thieves (break) into the house and (steal) a lot of fur coat. d) She was very extravagant. She always (buy) herself new clothes. (2) Translate into English: a) În timp ce încerca să repare maşina, telefonul a sunat de câteva ori. b) De ce m-ai întrerupt? Discutam ceva foarte important cu fratele tău. c) Când l-am întâlnit ultima dată mi-a spus că se gândeşte să emigreze în Canada. d) Ce au făcut prietenii tăi în vacanţă? e) Toată lumea asculta cu atenţie când a început furtuna. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE



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(a) Form •affirmative: regular verbs: have/ has (III sg.) + vb. + ed irregular verbs: have/has + the 3rd form of the verb (V3) ex. I have walked She has seen •negative: have not/has not + vb+ed V3 ex. have not kissed hasn’t drunk •interrogative: have/has + sub. + vb. + ed V3 ex. Have you seen ....? Has George arrived? (b) Uses •actions that started in the past but continue up to the present (+for, since, always, ever, never etc.) ex. I haven’t seen Paula for two weeks. It has rained for three days. Have you ever seen such a beautiful painting? •actions that happened at an unspecified moment in the past ex. I have bought a new car. •actions that happened during an unfinished period of time (+today, this morning, this week etc.) ex. I haven’t met Peter today. EXERCISE Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or the simple past tense: 1.This is my house. How long you (live) here? I (live) here since 1970. 2. He (live) in London for two years and then (go) to Edinburgh. 3. Shakespeare (write) a lot of plays. 4. I (not see) him for three years. I wonder where he is. 5. He (not smoke) for two weeks. He is trying to give it up. 6. Chopin (compose) some of his music in Majorca. 7. You (lock) the door before you left the house? PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (a) Form •affirmative: have/has + been + vb. + ing ex. She has been crying •negative: have/has + not + been + vb. + ing ex. haven’t been listening •interrogative: have/has + sub. + been + ing ex. Have you been waiting long?



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(b) Uses •to insist on the uninterrupted continuity of the action ex. I have been waiting for two hours.



PAST PERFECT (a) Form •affirmative: had + ex. had walked had slept •negative: had + not + ex. had not known •interrogative: had + sub+



vb. + ed (regular vbs) the 3rd form of irregular vbs vb. + ed V3 vb. + ed V3



ex. Had he received...? (b) Uses •to refer to a past action that happened before another past action ex. When I found out the news Mary had already left. EXERCISES 1) Translate into English: a) Când am sosit acasă, tata plecase. b) Cei doi fraţi nu se văzuseră de 5 ani când s-au întâlnit la Paris. c) Când au ajuns la aeroport, avionul decolase deja. 2) Chose the appropriate forms of the verbs to complete the letter below: Dear Mary, haven’t written was being I am sorry that I __ didn’t write __ to you since Christmas. I __ am __ don’t write have been have sent very busy until today. Thank you very much for the book that you _ sent __ me in were sending was was only just finishing December. It __ has been __ very interesting. In fact, I _ only just finish __ it is being have only just finished was happening have walked By the way, a strange thing _ happened _to me last week. I _ was walking _ down has happened walked



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Oxford Street when suddenly I ___ She___



met have met



___ our old friend, Mrs. Wickers.



was meeting hasn’t looked didn’t look __ doesn’t look



did have last seen __ a day older now than she _ was __ when I_ last saw



her in 1967! Don’t forget we week.



has were expecting are expecting



last see



___ you for Michael’s party next



have expected Yours,



FUTURE SIMPLE (a) Form: affirmative: will + V1 ex. will be negative: will not /won’t +V1 ex. won’t go interrogative: will + sub. +V1 ex. will you buy (b) Uses: (1) to refer to a future action ex. Next year I will be 20. (2) to refer to an unpremeditated future action ex. ‘I’ve left my glasses upstairs’. ‘I’ll go and bring them for you’. FUTURE CONTINUOUS (a) Form: (1) to refer to an action that will be in progress in the future ex. This time tomorrow I will be having a class. EXERCISES: (A) Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form: 1) I (not wear) glasses when you (see) me next time, I’ll be wearing contact lenses. You probably (not recognize) me. 2) Very soon my parents (retire). 3) The coming election (be) the main topic of conversation for the next fortnight. 4) This time next month the snow (melt) and skiing (be) over. 6



5) ‘I’ve left my umbrella at John’s’. ‘I (go) and (bring) it back’. (B) Translate into English: 1) Dacă voi avea timp voi citi cartea. 2) Mâine pe vremea aceasta voi cânta la pian. 3) Preşedintele va deschide expoziţia vinerea următoare. 4) Dacă va ajunge înainte de zece, va vedea sfârşitul piesei. 5) Nimic nu va schimba prietenia noastră.



FUTURE PERFECT (a) Form: affirmative: will + have + V3 ex. will have finished negative: will + not + have + V3 ex. won’t have read interrogative: will + sub. + have + V3 ex. Will they have arrived…? (b) Uses:  to refer to a future action that happens before another future action ex. By the time you arrive home I will have finished reading the book. BE GOING TO (a) Uses: informal way of expressing future time ex. The weather is going to be worse. to express a present intention about a future action ex. I’m going to buy a new car. to refer to a future action that has its cause in the present ex. It’s going to rain. Look at the clouds! EXERCISES: (A) Put the verbs in brackets into the correct future form: 1) I (buy) a new coat. The weather report says it (be) very cold. 2) Come back in an hour. I (do) my packing by then and we’ll be able to have a talk. 3) You (sell) that beautiful house? 4) By the end of my tour I (give) exactly the same lecture 53 times. 6) Once you (get) used to our methods, you (find) the job a lot easier. (B) Translate into English: 1) Intenţionezi să rămâi acasă ? 2) Până săptămâna viitoare vom fi terminat cu zugrăvitul.



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3) Când ai de gând să-ţi iei permisul de conducere ? 4) Nu-şi va găsi un alt serviciu dacă nu se străduieşte mai mult. 5) Ce vei face în vacanţa de Crăciun? REVISION (I) 1) a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k)



Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the verbs: I (know) him for a very long time. I expect he (go) to Syria as soon as he (get) a visa. He (visit) his friend yesterday and (find out) that she (be) abroad for three months. By the time you get back I (finish) cooking. “Why she (run) away?” “Because she (know) it is time for bed and (not want) to go”. Yesterday I (buy) a new watch as my old one (be stolen). I (lose) my keys. I cannot remember where I last (see) them. My mother (come) to stay with us next weekend. They just (decide) that they (undertake) the job. I (not leave) Paris since we (visit) Louvre three years ago. We (meet) tomorrow after you (finish) your work.



2) Translate into English: a) Ninge de trei zile. b) Ori de câte ori merge în oraş, cheltuieşte foarte mulţi bani. N-am mai cunoscut pe nimeni aşa de neglijent cu banii. c) Ultima dată când l-am întâlnit, se gândea să-şi cumpere o cămilă şi să plece în Maroc. d) Am vrut să-i vorbesc ieri dar alerga în direcţia opusă şi n-am putut să-l opresc. e) Este prima dată când zbor cu avionul. f) Până la sfârşitul anului va fi câştigat toate competiţiile şi va fi devenit chiar mai celebru decât este. g) Dacă îşi va lăsa barbă, nici prietenii cei mai apropriaţi nu-l vor recunoaşte. h) Se uită la televizor de mai multe ore.



MODAL VERBS Modal verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, must, have to, need General rule: modal verb + V (the infinitive) -----> to refer to the present or future modal verb + have + V3 ----> to refer to the past ex. You shouldn’t eat so much. You shouldn’t have eaten so much yesterday.



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CAN, COULD Uses: (1) physical or mental ability ex. They can lift that box. She can play the piano. Obs: could will sometimes be replaced by was able to when one refers to the past ex. He was finally able to pass his exam. (2) permission (informal English) ex. Can I take your car? (3) logical impossibility ex. Mary has refused to lend me money. She can’t be so selfish! John couldn’t have broken the window because he wasn’t at home at the time. MAY, MIGHT Uses: (1) permission (formal English) ex. May I take a piece of fruit, please? (2) possibility ex. He may come tomorrow. S-ar putea să vină mâine. I might have lost my keys. S-ar putea să-mi fi pierdut cheile. Exercises: (A) Add the necessary modals to the following verbs: 1) Accept his offer now. He (change) his mind later. 2) I (tell) him your address because I didn’t know it myself at the time. 3) You’d better tell him again. He (misunderstand) what you said. 4) I (use) your pen, please? 6) John (say) such a thing! He is too much of a gentleman. (B) Translate into English: 1) Ce bine că nu i s-a întâmplat nimic. Şi-ar fi putut rupe gâtul. 2) L-ai văzut pe Greg astăzi? Nu. S-ar putea să fie la birou. 3) Nu se poate să se fi rătăcit. Aveau o hartă la ei. 4) S-ar putea să se fi răzgândit. 5) Pot pleca acum? 6) Ştie să bată la maşină foarte bine. SHOULD Uses: 1) advisability (to refer to something that is/is not recommended) ex. You should drink more milk. You shouldn’t have lied to them.



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2) logical expectation ex. They should be here by now. Exercises 1) Add the right modal to the verbs in brackets: a) It’s your fault, Tom. You (ask) for an estimate before letting the workers start painting your house. b) My car won’t start. Something (go) wrong with the engine. c) He failed the exam but he (pass) it. He can only blame himself. He (work) much harder during the term. d) Why didn’t you wait for me yesterday? I waited five minutes. You (wait) a little longer. e) The meeting (be) over by now. f) Why are you so late? Yon (be) here two hours ago! 2) Translate into English: a) N-ar fi trebuit să-i împrumuţi maşina. b) S-ar putea să ningă mâine. c) Nu se poate să fi fost aşa de neatent. d) Ar trebui să dormi mai mult. e) Nick n-ar fi trebuit să se răzgândească în ultimul moment. f) S-ar putea să fi greşit numărul de telefon. MUST Uses: (1) obligation (coming from the speaker) ex. The teacher: John, you must come to school every day. (2) logical expectation ex. He must be very tired. (Trebuie că e foarte obosit) They must have lost their patience. (3) must not = interdiction ex. You must not feed that cat! HAVE TO Uses: (1) obligation (because of external circumstances) ex. I have to walk to my office this week. The buses are on strike. Exercises: (A) Add the necessary modals to the following verbs: 1) I can never remember people’s phone numbers. I always (look) them up. 2) I found that everything I said on the phone had been reported to the police. Your phone (be) tapped. 3) You (not touch) that button. The whole house might explode.



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4) I simply (tell) him what happened. 5) The unexpected death of his wife (be) a great shock to him. 6) On Saturday morning I (not get up) at 7 o’clock. (B) Translate into English: 1) Trebuie să fumezi mai puţin. 2) Este interzisă intrarea în această cameră. 3) Trebuie că sunt foarte bucuroşi. 4) Trebuie să beau ceai pentru că mi s-a terminat cafeaua. 5) Probabil că prietena ta s-a supărat foarte tare.



NEED Uses: 1) can be used as a modal verb or as on ordinary verb ex. Need I tell you what to do? Do I need to tell you what to do? 2) needn’t have + V3: to refer to a past action that was not necessary but was performed didn’t need to + V1: to refer to a past action that was not necessary and was not performed ex. You needn’t have brought an umbrella. It never rains in this country. (but you did bring an umbrella) We didn’t need to buy milk because we had plenty at home. (and we didn’t buy it) Exercises: (A) Fill in the blanks using the appropriate modal verb: 1) You (run) home for my glasses. I have a spare pair in my bag. 2) We (buy) tickets because we all had a monthly pass. 3) The mystery (be solved) in the future. 4) He (be) at home right now. I phoned two minutes ago and nobody answered. 5) You (bring) me so many flowers! 6) We (write) the essays. The teacher didn’t even ask to see them. (B) Translate into English: 1) S-ar putea să nu fi înţeles ce i-ai spus. 2) N-ar fi trebuit să pleci fără să le spui. 3) N-ar fi fost nevoie să gătesc atâta. Oricum, musafirii n-au rămas la masă. 4) Trebuie să dormi mai mult. 5) S-ar putea să ningă mâine. (C) Complete the following sentences using the appropriate modal: 1) The weather is very changeable and it (rain), so take an umbrella. 2) ‘The window’s broken; somebody (throw) a brick through it’. ‘Not necessarily, he (use) a hammer’.



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3) 4) 5) 6)



Mozart (play) the piano expertly when he was only five. If you were in trouble you (tell) we. I would have arrived immediately. John (take) that raincoat with him – it was a lovely day. I (hand in) this report today. It’s urgent.



(D) Translate into English: 1) S-ar putea să-i fi trimis o scrisoare. 2) Ar fi trebuit să schimbe roata. 3) Probabil că s-au mutat la ţară. Nu i-am văzut de mai bine de doi ani. 4) N-am putut traduce textul pe loc dar cred că, dacă îmi vei da un dicţionar, îl voi putea traduce. 5) Ar fi trebuit să vândă casa anul trecut. Acum preţurile sunt mult mai mici. (E) Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the word or words underlined and so that the meaning stays the same. Other changes may be necessary. a. It would have been a good idea to take your umbrella. ................................................................................................................................... b. It’s certain to rain tomorrow. ................................................................................................................................... c. I know you’re tired, but that’s no reason to be so irritable. ................................................................................................................................... d. The hotel was as comfortable as possible. ................................................................................................................................... e. It’s possible that Ann is out. ................................................................................................................................... f. You are quite wrong to eat so much chocolate. ................................................................................................................................... g. I’m sure that isn’t the road to Canterbury. ................................................................................................................................... h. Connie’s mother was wrong to let the children watch so much television. ................................................................................................................................... IF CLAUSES (CONDITIONALS) If Clause present simple ’past tense’ ’past perfect’



Main Clause future/ present simple Would + infinitive Would + have + V3



Ex.: If I win the prize, I will call you. If I won the prize, I would call you. (Dacă aş câştiga premiul, te-aş suna.) If I had won the prize, I would have called you. (Dacă aş fi câştigat premiul, te-aş fi sunat.)



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Exercises: 1. Complete the following conditionals: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.



If she (have) more time, she would read the book. They will visit the town if …. If the film (not be) so boring, I wouldn’t have left before it ended. If my brother lived in town, he (lend) me his car. I would have told you the truth if… What would you do if…? If we met him, we (ask) him about his book. They wouldn’t have returned if…



2. Complete the following sentences: 1. The cake would have been burnt if ____________ . 2. You will get into trouble if ______________ . 3. You dress would look better if _____________ . 4. She would not have married him if _______________ . 5. Don’t give him anything unless ________________ . 6. If I had time, ________________ . 7. If it hadn’t been raining _________________ . 8. I might have learnt more English if ______________ . 9. The teacher would not be angry with you if ________________ . 10. You will lose your money if ______________ . 3. Match the columns to make correct conditional sentences. 1. If the weather is good, ____________ a. I would need to take the bus. 2. If my coworkers were friendlier, ___________ b. I’ll go to the beach this weekend. 3. If I had known you would be there, _________ c. I would enjoy my work more. 4. If I’m late for work, _______________ d. I have to stay at the office until I finish. 5. If I didn’t have a car, ______________ e. I would have gotten a job by now. 6. If I had graduated last year, _______________ f. I would have gone to the party.



OTHER CASES WHEN A CONDITIONAL IS USUALLY REQUIRED: WISH + ‘past tense’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the present) + ‘past prefect’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the past) Ex:



I wish Mary were here now. (Aş vrea ca Mary să fie acum aici.) I wish I had met him last year, when I so much needed an expert like him. (Aş vrea să-l fi întâlnit anul trecut…)



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AS IF + ‘past tense’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the present) + ‘past prefect’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the past) Ex:



He behaves as if he owned this place. (Se poartă de parcă ar fi proprietarul...) He behaved as if he had owned that place. (Se purta de parcă ar fi fost proprietarul...) IF ONLY + ‘past tense’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the present) + ‘past prefect’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the past) Ex: If only I had more free time! (Numai de-aş avea mai mult timp liber!) If only he hadn’t forgotten to bring a map! (Numai de n-ar fi uitat să aducă o hartă!) IT’S TIME…+ ‘past tense’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the present) + ‘past prefect’ (to refer to a hypothetical situation in the past) Ex: It’s time we left. It was about time they had made up their minds. WOULD RATHER + infinitive (same subject in both sentences) + ‘past tense’ (different subjects; to refer to a hypothetical situation in the present) + ‘past prefect’ (different subjects; to refer to a hypothetical situation in the past) Ex: I’d rather translate the whole text. (Aş prefera să traduc...) I’d rather you translated the whole text. (Aş prefera ca tu să traduci…) I’d rather they had translated the whole text yesterday. (Aş prefera ca ei să fi tradus…) Exercises: 1. Supply a suitable tense of the verbs in brackets: 1. I wish I (know) his name. 2. It’s time we all (go) home. 3. I’d rather you (leave) now. 4. Don’t you wish you (come) earlier? 5. He acts as if he (know) English perfectly. 6. If only he (not drink) so much last night! 7. He said he wished he (never see) me. 8. I feel as if my head (be) on fire. 9. It’s about time you (get) the tea ready. 10. If only he (tell) me the whole story! 11. I’d rather they (buy) the house now.



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12. I wish I (not break) the vase. 2. Finish each of the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the one written before it: 1. They didn’t catch the plane. That’s why they didn’t arrive yet. If _________________________________________________ 2. It’s my opinion that you should cut down on smoking. If I ________________________________________________ 3. My brother doesn’t like movies so he never goes to the cinema. If my brother________________________________________ 4. He left the town without telling me. If only _____________________________________________ 5. I’m sorry I don’t know the answer. I wish ______________________________________________ 6. But for his presence of mind there might have been a serious accident. If it ________________________________________________ 7. You won’t get a loan if you can’t prove that you are trustworthy. Unless _____________________________________________ 8. I would have liked John to stay at home last night. I’d rather John ______________________________________ 3. Read the following sentences and make all the necessary corrections: 1. He acts as if he knows English perfectly. 2. If he had worked harder as a student he wouldn’t be unemployed now. 3. I would help you if I had heard about your trouble. 4. I wish I know what is wrong with my car. 5. I’d rather you don’t tell them about our change of plans. 4. Complete each sentence so that it means the same as the sentence above it: a. Without this medicine, the patient would have got worse. If she ________________________________________________ b. I’m sure it wasn’t the meat that made you ill. It couldn’t _______________________________________________ c. Although she is old, Mrs. Logan rides her bicycle long distances. In spite _______________________________________________ d. It’s a pity I ate those last two cream cakes! I wish ________________________________________________ e. I started jogging two years ago. It’s two years __________________________________________ f. Please leave the classroom immediately after the bell rings. As soon as ____________________________________________ g. Please don’t tell the doctor that I have been eating chocolates. I’d rather _____________________________________________ h. If jogging is new to you, you may find it tiring at first. If you are not __________________________________________



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i. I think you’d better not take too much exercise. If I were ______________________________________________



REPORTED SPEECH STATEMENTS When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, no tense change is necessary. e.g.



“I am very tired”. She often says she is very tired.



When the reporting verb is in the past, the following changes occur: e.g.



present simple becomes past tense simple present continuous becomes past tense continuous present perfect becomes past perfect future becomes future in the past “I don’t like English” He said he didn’t like English. “I’m watching the film, I cannot help you” She said she was watching the film and could not help me. “I haven’t seen my brother for a long time” He said he hadn’t seen his brother for a long time. “I’ll call you tomorrow”. She said she would call me the next day.



OTHER CHANGES in reported speech when the reporting verb is in the past: -



now becomes then here becomes there today becomes that day yesterday becomes the day before tomorrow becomes the next day next week becomes the next/following week etc. IMPERATIVES



Imperatives become infinitives in reported speech.



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e.g.



“Stop crying!” He told me to stop crying. “Don’t go there.” She told me not to go there. QUESTIONS



All changes that apply to statements also apply to questions. In addition to these, the word order of reported questions is the same as that of simple statements; there is no inversion as in a simple question. e.g.



“What is the matter?” He asked me what the matter was. “Do you speak German?” She asked me if I spoke German. “Did Paul give you the book?” He asked me if Paul had given me the book.



Exercises: 1. Put the following sentences into reported speech, introducing them with a verb in the past tense: 1. I’m sorry I’m late. 2. I am very stupid. 3. She is quite charming but hasn’t much sense. 4. He can come in when I have finished my work. 5. The clock will never work again if you try to mend it. 6. I lost my temper yesterday morning. 7. I’ll come as soon as I can. 8. I’ve sold all those you gave me yesterday. 9. I was very ill yesterday. 10. He learnt all this nonsense a long time ago. 11. I have been here before. 12. She has done her homework well. 13. We are living in another house now. 14. I have been shopping all the morning. 15. I have not told you anything yet. 16. You may see the photographs if you like. 17. She has written me a long letter. 18. I am giving a party this week to all my friends.



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2. Put the following sentences into reported speech with the introducing verb in the past tense. Vary the introducing verb: he asked, enquired, wondered, wanted to know, etc. 1. Where are you going? (He asked me ...) 2. How will you do that? (They wanted to know ... ) 3. Who will come to the pictures with me? 4. When was your dress finished? 5. Why are you so sad? 6. What is the matter? 7. Which book are you taking? 8. Where should we meet tonight? 9. Who showed you my work? 10. How could you be so unkind? 11. When did they tell you that? 12. Why has she not eaten anything? 13. What am I to do? 14. What is the time? 3. Put the following sentences into reported speech with the introducing verb in the past tense. Vary the introducing verb. 1. Are you enjoying yourself? 2. Did you see the King yesterday? 3. Does she always wear a hat? 4. Have you seen my new hat? 5. Do I look all right? 6. Are the grapes sour? 7. Is it time to go? 8. Will the taxi be here at eight o’clock? PASSIVE VOICE Passive construction: the appropriate form of the verb + the past participle (the past participle = vb. + ed for regular verbs; 3rd form of the verb for irregular verbs) e.g.



Someone has stolen my books. My books have been stolen. They gave my sister an orange. My sister was given an orange. An orange was given to my sister. We must look into this matter. This matter must be looked into.



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They left the wounded behind. The wounded were left behind. Exercises: 1. Complete the following passive voice sentences in the tenses suggested: 1. This picture (always admire). – Present 2. His leg (hurt) very badly in an accident. – Past 3. This exercise (do) very carefully. – Present Continuous 4. The box (not open) for the last hundred years. – Present Perfect 5. The Tower of London (formerly use) as a prison. – Past 6. Two of my dinner plates (break). – Present Perfect 7. A big battle (fight) here 200 years ago. – Past 8. You (invite) to lunch tomorrow. – Present Continuous 9. This play (forget) in a few years’ time. – Future 10. The bridge (built) last year. – Past 11. My brother (never beat) at tennis. – Present Perfect 12. English (speak) all over the world. – Present 2. Put the following sentences into the passive voice with a personal subject: 1. They gave my little sister a ticket, too. 2. People will show the visitors the new buildings. 3. Someone has already paid the electrician for his work. 4. They promise us higher wages. 5. Somebody will tell you what time the train leaves. 6. Someone ordered the prisoners to stand up. 3. Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the words underlined and so that it contains a passive form: a. Someone left the phone off the hook all night. ................................................................................................................................... b. The government has announced that petrol prices will rise tomorrow. ................................................................................................................................... c. A burglar broke into house last week. ................................................................................................................................... d. People asked me the way three times. ................................................................................................................................... e. The fruit-pickers pick the apples early in the morning. ................................................................................................................................... f. It’s time the authorities did something about this problem. ................................................................................................................................... g. Lots of people had parked their cars on the pavement. ................................................................................................................................... h. The government agreed with the report and so they changed the law. ................................................................................................................................... i. You have to fill in an application from.



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................................................................................................................................... j. They don’t know what happened to the ship. ................................................................................................................................... 4. Rewrite each sentence so that the meaning stays the same: a. They have decided to cancel the match. It ____________________________________________________ b. We thought it was necessary to send a telegram It ____________________________________________________ c. We have agreed to meet again in a fortnight. It ____________________________________________________ d. There is a rumour that the couple are to seek a divorce. It ____________________________________________________ e. There is confirmation of Mr. Jackson’s resignation. It ____________________________________________________ f. We believe that the ship has sunk. It ____________________________________________________ REVISION (II) 1. Complete each sentence beginning as shown, so that it means the same as the sentence above it. a. The film director made the actor do the scene again. The actors ____________________________________________ b. ‘Don’t forget to collect the theatre tickets, Peter’, his friend said. Peter’s friend reminded _________________________________ c. I don’t want him to stay out so late. I’d rather he ___________________________________________ d. I think the play should have started by now. I think it’s ____________________________________________ e. ‘I’m sorry I ruined the performance’, said the actor to the director. The actor apologised ____________________________________ f. Only a talented author could have written a play like that. That play _____________________________________________ g. There is not much likelihood of such a thing happening again. I don’t _______________________________________________ h. My painting still needs framing. I haven’t _____________________________________________ i. How long is her new film? How long does ________________________________________ j. He is appearing in a musical for the first time. This is first time _______________________________________ 2. The word in capitals at the end of each of the following sentences can be used to form a word that fits suitably in the blank space. Fill each blank in this way.



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a. When I tried to learn Chinese, I found it ____________ . (POSSIBLE) b. During my last holiday in France I used my French very ___________ . (SUCCESS) c. As a result of being ______________ , I bought the wrong ticket. (UNDERSTAND) d. I asked the _________ for the bill, but she didn’t understand me. (WAIT) e. Failing the exam was a great _____________ . (DISAPPOINT) f. My teacher told me my spelling was far too ____________ . (ACCURATE) g. The arrival of my Swedish friend was quite ____________ . (EXPECT) h. Jean is rather untidy and her work is _________________ . (ORGANISE) i. I find I can learn with a lot of ________________ . (REPEAT) j. I’m afraid this paragraph is ______________ ; rewrite it please. (GRAMMAR) 3. Complete each sentence so that it means the same as the sentence above it. a. Where’s the theatre? Could you ____________________________________________ ? b. How far is the bus stop? Would you mind _______________________________________ ? c. I don’t want to go to London. I’d rather ______________________________________________ . d. Turn left at the first turning. Take __________________________________________________ . e. Few people like living here. Not ___________________________________________________ . f. You can’t swim anywhere here. There is ________________________________________________ . g. Can you describe Norwich? What is ________________________________________________ ? h. It would be nice to live in Leeds. I’d _____________________________________________________ . 4. The word in capitals at the end of each the following sentences can be used to form a word that suitably in the blank space. Fill each blank in this way. a. We gave up eating sugar because it is ______________ . (HEALTH) b. He decided to buy a new ____________ book and learn new recipes. (COOK) c. We threw the wine away as it was _____________ . (DRINK) d. She complained to the nurse _________ about her back. (END) e. Although he fell heavily, he was ____________ . (INJURE) f. When I said I would stop smoking, he stared at me in ____________ . (BELIEVE) g. The pain in her foot gave her another ___________ night. (SLEEP) h. We sent the steak back as it was ________ ; almost raw in fact. (DO) i. The doctor said there was no ___________ of my getting worse. (LIKELY) j. He made a rapid _____________ from his attack of ‘flu. (RECOVER)



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