GRAMMAR

I. Word order: adverbs with the verb.

Mid position is the usual position for adverbs of indefinite frequency, adverbs of
degree, adverbs of certainty, one-word adverbs of time, even and only:

Adverbs of Always, frequently, generally, hardly ever, never,

indefinite frequency normally, occasionally, often, rarely, seldom,
sometimes, usually
Adverbs of degree Absolutely, almost, completely, entirely, just,
hardly, partly, quite, rather, really, slightly, totally
Adverbs of certainty Certainly, definitely, probably
One-word adverbs Already, finally, immediately, just, now, no longer,
of time soon, still, then

With a simple verb we put the adverb between the subject and the verb, but with
simple forms of be the adverb goes after the verb:

e.g. She always arrives by taxi and she is always on time.

If there is a modal verb or an auxiliary verb we put the adverb after the (first)
auxiliary verb.

e.g. You can just see the coast. Sea eagles have occasionally been seen around
Loch Lomond.

These adverbs go after do or not:

e.g. They don’t really understand my point of view.

NB But we put sometimes, still, certainly, definitely and probably before a

negative auxiliary:

e.g. I sometimes don’t understand his arguments. He still hasn’t convinced me.

In spoken English, if we want to emphasise an auxiliary verb or a simple form of

be, we can put a mid position adverb before it. The auxiliary verb (underlined) is
usually stressed. Compare:

e.g. I don’t really like him. (unmarked position = I slightly dislike him.)
I really don’t like him. (emphatic position = I hate him.)
 NB We do not use other time adverbs (definite time or frequency) in mid position.
They go in front or final position:

e.g. These days I take my health much more seriously. We buy our lunch at that
sandwich bar on the corner every day.

If there are several adverbs in final position, we usually follow a sequence of

adverbs of manner, then place, and finally time:

e.g. The statue was lifted (carefully) (onto the plinth) (before the ceremony).

1. These sentences are all taken from real recorded conversations.

Can you put the adverbs in the right places?

1. You are here when something happens, (usually)
2. Her mum cooks a meal in the evening, (always)
3. We book that April holiday in January, (usually)
4. They think that we have got bread, (probably)
5. You should look where you're going, (always)
6. She is going to stay overnight, (probably)
7. Chocolate cakes are the best, (definitely)
8. I will be able to get it cheaper, (probably)
9. I have had an illness in my life, (never)
10. We saw sweets in those days, (never)
11. I remember buying some, (definitely)
12. Do you read upside down? (usually)
13. I can manage to get there, (usually)
14. She has done that before, (never)
15. Something is burning, (definitely)
16. She has been nervous, (always)
17. I feel cold in your house, (never)
18. They were against me. (always)
19. We are going to win. (definitely)
20. February is the worst, (usually)
21. It is very difficult, (sometimes)
22. I buy them in boxes, (always)
23. I have tried to find it. (often)
24. She saw this ghost, (often)
25. You are right, (probably)
2. Say how often you do some of the following things.

Examples:

I sometimes stay in bed late. I don't often go to the doctor.

stay in bed late have bad dreams eat chocolate get headaches play tennis read
poetry fall in love go to concerts play the piano forget people’s names go to the
cinema cook go to the doctor write letters go skiing go swimming get depressed
feel happy

Work with another student:

∙ ask him/her how often he/she does the things in Exercise 3
∙ report his/her answer.

Examples:
1 'How often do you go to concerts-' 'Never.'
2 Maria never goes to concerts.

3. Rewrite each underlined sentence using the adverb in brackets.

Andy and Jane came home from shopping on Saturday to find their house had been
burgled. A police officer has come to investigate the crime.

OFFICER: You say you're not sure how the thieves got in. Before I

look round, can I ask you a few questions about the house?

ANDY: Of course.

OFFICER: (1) Do you lock the front door when you go out? (always)

ANDY: (2) Yes, and I locked it yesterday, (definitely)

OFFICER: OK. What about the windows?

ANDY: (3) Well, the downstairs ones are locked, (always)

JANE: (4) We have a lock on the little one in the hall, (even)

OFFICER: And upstairs?

JANE: (5) Well. I think most of the windows were locked, (probably)

ANDY (6) They were locked on Friday, (all)

JANE: Are you sure?

ANDY: Yes, I checked them all.

OFFICER: And you didn't open any on Friday night?

ANDY: (7) No, I didn't, (certainly)

OFFICER: Well, I can't understand it. Let's look round. Perhaps I'll notice
something you've missed.
4. Rewrite these sentences putting the words and phrases in brackets in the
best order. Note that none of these sentences are emphatic:
1. My parents (allowed/hardly ever) us to (late/ on weekdays/ stay up).
2. Taking advantage of the gap between the players, Owen kicked the ball (into the
net/ just before half time/ skillfully).
3. David behaves quite well when he is at home but he (at school/ causes trouble/
often).
4. Foxes (often/be seen/can) scavenging (on the streets of London/ at night).
5. The post (arrive/ sometimes/ on time/ doesn’t) in this part of the city.
6. Jennifer (immediately/ didn’t/ recognise) the man waving (at the end of the
show/ frantically/ from the balcony).
7. We (unable/ are/ usually) to offer refunds on the spot, but we will examine
(thoroughly/ before the end of the week/ your claim).
8. These children (never/ have/ given/ been/ probably) the opportunities we all take
for granted.
9. Access to the Internet (no longer/ is) available (on weekday mornings/ free of
charge/ at our libraries).
10. Such losses (have/ would/ normally/ avoided/ been) by the use of back-up
devices.
11. Many of the old masters had assistants who would prepare the oil pigments
(each morning/ by hand/ in their studios).
II. Present and past habits. Repeated actions and states.

1. Present Simple vs. Present Continuous.

NB We can use the present continuous with an adverb such as always, forever,
constantly and continually to talk about repeated actions that happen very often,
perhaps too often as far as the speaker is concerned.

5. Use this structure to write sentences describing people you know who often do
some of the things below:

worry about nothing lose their temper lose things complain about their health
forget things cry fall in love change their job buy new clothes quarrel talk nonsense

6. Use one of the sets of notes below to complete each dialogue. Expand the
dialogues using your own ideas, act them out in class.

Forever /lose temper/ people constantly/ interrupt me/ talk

continually/change/mind forever/moan/work always/do/that forever/ slam
doors and shout/ night forever/ask me/money constantly/criticise/driving
1. A:
Can I borrow £10?
B:You're.........................................................................................................

2. A: That was a dangerous thing to do.

B:You're.........................................................................................................

3. A: I think I'll stay here after all.

B:You're.........................................................................................................

4. A: I had a bad day at the office again.

B:You're.........................................................................................................

5. A: Pete is playing his music very loud.

B: Again! He ……………………………………………………………….

6. A: Why are you so sulky?

B: That’s because …………………………………………………………..

7. A: Hey! You look exhausted!

B: I didn’t sleep one wink last night. My neighbours

………………………………………………………………………………

8. A: What’s wrong with Mary?

B: It must be Carlos. They’ve had yet another row. He must learn to calm down.
He…………………………………………………………………..

2. Will, Would, Used to.

NB We often use will/ won’t to talk about actions that have become so routine that
they are predictable:

e.g. Every lesson is the same: he’ll sit down, get his books out and then he’ll start
giving us instructions. He won’t greet us or show any interest in us.

We can extend this use of will to talk about habits and characteristics:

e.g. The public will always side with the nurses in any dispute.

We often use will to talk about the characteristics of capacity or ability:

e.g. The Olympic stadium in Sydney will hold 110,000 people.

We use would/wouldn’t to talk about habits in the past:

 e.g. Every lesson wass the same: he’d sit down, get his books out and then he’d
start giving us instructions. He wouldn’t greet us or show any interest in us.

We use will (would) to describe an annoying habit or to make a criticism:

e.g. We enjoy going out with Frank and Carol, but the will argue in public!

e.g. I miss Dad, even though he would always tell me how to run my life.

We do not contract will (would) when we use it to describe an annoying habit – we

stress it:

e.g. Geoff’ll (’d) leave the lights on when he’s (was) last out of the office!

Geoff will (would) leave the lights on when he’s (was) last out of the office!

7. Here are some laws of nature. Join the beginnings and the ends. Think of
other occurrences of Murphy’s Law.
BEGINNINGS ENDS
After you have bought something
it will.
somebody will.
If anything can go wrong, they will both be on at the same time
If there are two good TV shows,
If you explain so clearly that will always move faster.
will fall asleep first.
nobody can misunderstand,
If you throw something away. you will find it somewhere else
No matter how much you do,
cheaper.
The one who snores you'll need it the next day.
The other queue you'll never do enough.

8. Complete the sentences with will/would + the verbs below.

Be drive fall keep listen make play ring take talk tell

1 Dad, I've broken my watch.' 'Well, you ______ playing with it.

2 On Sundays when we were kids Mother ______ us pancakes for breakfast.

3 He's no trouble – he _____by himself for hours.

4 She is nice but she ______ about people behind their backs.

5 People _____ to you if you listen to them.

6 We lived by a lake and sometimes Dad _______ us fishing.

7 I’m not surprised you had an accident – you _____ too fast.

8 If you drop toast it _____ butter side down every time.

9 If you're having a bath, the phone ____. And if you answer it, it ____ a wrong
number.

10 He ____ you one thing one minute and the opposite the next – he's crazy.

NB Used to describes actions which happened regularly in the past but no longer
happen (or vice versa) or now happen with more or less frequency:

e.g. They used to get paid every three months. (Now they get paid weekly.)

Used to is followed by an infinitive. Notice the spelling in questions and negatives:

e.g. Supermarkets didn’t use to be open on Sundays in Britain.

Did you use to get free milk at school?

Don’t confuse used to + infinitive with be/get used to (+ verb-ing) which means
“be/become accustomed to”:

e.g. He wasn’t used to living on his own. (= He wasn’t accustomed to it.)

She’s getting used to the new technology. (= She is becoming accustomed to it).

9. Transform the statements below into negative sentences and questions making
other necessary changes.

1. Every day the young prince used to go hunting in the forest.

2. Wild animals sometimes used to come into the garden at night.

3. I used to enjoy computer games, but I’ve grown tired of them.

4. Brian used to speak Italian quite well, but he’s forgotten it all.

5. Every day Anna used to wake up at 4.00 am and go to work at the bakery.

6. My mother often used to play the piano and sing after dinner.

7. I used to own a racing bike but I sold it and bought a scooter.

8. Tony used to believe that one day he would be famous.

9. When I was a student I used to go to bed about 1 am.

10. Helen used to live in an old boat on the canal.

11. Mike used to play chess quite often, but he hasn’t played for ages.

12. In those days people used to wash all their clothes by hand.

13. We used to play hide-and-seek when we were children.

14. Every summer they used to stay in a small village in the mountains.

10. Complete the text with words from the box, using used to ...

buy go have keep look after look at live play stand take

Recently we took our 15-year-old son Joe to the place in Paris where we 1 when he
was a baby. We showed him the house, with the balcony where he 2 and make
speeches to imaginary crowds. Then we went inside, and believe it or not, there
was Mme Duchene who 3 Joe when we were working. She didn't look a day older.
We couldn't get into the flat, but we saw the garden where Joe 4 . Then we visited
the park where we 5 him for walks, the zoo where he 6 the lions and tigers, and the
lake where we 7 boating. Not much had changed in the area: most of the shops
were still there, including the wonderful old grocer's where we 8 delicacies like
cherries in brandy. But the friendly butcher who 9 the best pieces of meat for us
was gone, and so was the restaurant with the bad-tempered old waitress where we
10 Sunday lunch. I found it strange to go back: it made me feel happy and sad at
the same time. But Joe was delighted with the trip.

11. Make sentences with used to and didn't use to about how people lived
hundreds of years ago. Use your own ideas.

1 travel / horse

2 cook / wood fires

3 live so long

4 fight / spears

5 hunt / bows and arrows

6 believe / ghosts and devils

7 be able / vote

8 think / earth was flat

 9 bigger families

10 children / work, etc.

12. Write some sentences about things that you used to or didn't use to do/think/
believe when you were younger. Work with other students, find out what they
used to do/think/ believe.

13. Rewrite these sentences, using be/ get used to (doing) smth:

Examples:

I didn’t like the food here at first, but now it’s not so bad. → I’m getting used to
the food here.

1 We found the noise intolerable at first, but now it’s bearable.

2 The humidity was unbearable initially, but now I don’t notice it at all.

3 At first the pace of life was difficult for us. But now it’s not so bad.

4 When he started his job, Darren hated getting up early, and he still hates it.

5 Going to work on the underground was an awful shock, and I still dislike it.

6 Sharing a room was awkward at first, but it doesn’t seem quite so awkward now.

7 I didn’t like the weather then and I still don’t like it.

8 I can’t eat any more. We never have such big meals at home.

9 She can’t climb all those steps. She’s not accustomed to so much exercise.

10 He didn’t like using the computer at first, but now he’s much better at it.

14. Mary had to move to Italy for her job. At first, she found living in a
foreign country quite difficult, but she is slowly getting used to it. Use the
prompts below to talk about how she is getting along, as in the example. Add
your own ideas.

e.g. She wasn’t used to living by the sea, but she is used to it now.

She still hasn’t got used to living on her own.

 live by the sea +
 live on her own -
 be away from her family and friends -
 speak Italian +
  use a new currency +
 new customs +
 drive on the other side of the road -
 hot weather +

Speak about things you didn’t like at first but then got accustomed to.

NB We can use used to but not would when we talk about past states that have
changed:

The factory used to be over there. Didn't you use to smoke at university?

We don't use either used to or would when we say exactly how many times in total
something happened, how long something took, or that a single event happened at
a given past time:

We visited Switzerland four times during the 1970s, (not We would/used to visit...)

She went to Jamaica last month, (not She would/used to go to Jamaica last month.)

15. In the following text, delete any examples of would that are not acceptable:

When I was young we 1) used to/ would live near a river. We 2) often used to/
would often go and swim there. It 3) used to/ would be very clean in those days.
There never 4) used to/ would be any factories or houses nearby. Now it’s changed.
It’s no longer safe to swim there. But in those days we 5) used to/would spend
most of the summer there. Sometimes we 6) used to/ would take tents and spend
the nights there. We 7) used to/ would light a fire and cook sausages and things. In
those days we 8) used to/ would think that nothing would ever change…

16. If possible, complete these sentences with would (or wouldn't) or used to. If
it is not possible to use would or used to, use a verb in the past simple.

1 I ……… (enjoy) studying Latin when I was at school.

2 Orwell ………. (spend) winters in Spain and summers in England.

3 We ……….. (live) in a bungalow on the south coast, and then we moved to a flat
in London.

4 You ………… (teach) at Halston University, didn't you?

5 On Saturdays and Sundays the ferry ………. (take) tourists across to the island.

6 The committee …………… (meet) four times last week, but still no decision has
been reached.
7. Amy worked really hard. Every afternoon she ………. (come) home from
school at 4.15 and do an hour of piano practice.

8. Richard phoned yesterday and ………… (invite) me out for dinner.

9. When Dominic was young he ……….. (eat) any green vegetables.

10. The creaking noises in the old house ……….. (keep) me awake until I became
accustomed to them.

11. Whenever I had a problem with my maths homework, Sam ……….. (help) me.

12. After standing on the bathroom scales, I …………. (decide) that I needed to
lose some weight.
 3. Insert the correct prepositions into the following sentences (you can find a
more comprehensive list of dependent preposition patterns at the end of this
book):

1. He has a very bad attitude ________work.

2. Is there anything you're not sure_______?

3. Marie Curie is famous ________ her contribution to science.

4. His parents were bitterly disappointed ______ him.

5. Were you aware ______ the risks at the time?

6. Are you satisfied _______ the new arrangement?

7. Are you getting excited _____ your holiday?

8. They were absolutely fascinated ______ the game.

9. He didn't seem very interested _______ what I was saying.

10. Let's be realistic ______ this - I just can't afford to pay that much money.

11. Paul is directly responsible _______ the efficient running of the office.

12. She advises the President _______ African policy.

13. I know that if I start watching a soap opera I immediately become hopelessly
addicted ______ it.

In pairs ask and answer questions about each other’s likes and dislikes using
the active expressions with dependent prepositions.

4. In this unit you will have come across a lot of phrases with the two easily
confused verbs “do” and “make” (e.g. do routine tasks, make demands, do the
ironing – all appear in the text on page 18). Complete the sentences below with
either of the verbs. (There is a list of make/do collocations at the end of this
book).

1 Good morning. I’d like to ______ an appointment with Dr Brown, please.

2 If I cook, will you _____ the washing up?

3 Could you ______ me a favour? Could you post this letter for me on your way
home?
4 If you want to pass your exam this summer, you’ll have to _____ a far greater effort
than now.

5 I can’t come out tonight. I’ve got to stay in and _____ my hair.

6 Last week we _____ a very difficult exercise on prepositions.

7 Stop _____ such a noise! I’m trying to sleep.

8 Most people get nervous when asked to _____ a speech.

9 Everyone knows that smoking _____ you harm.

10 People often used to ______ fun of him because he was so fat.

11 Children should _____ their duty and look after their parents when they are old.

12 My grandparents always ______ a big fuss of me whenever I go and visit them.

13 Could I see the manager, please? I wish to _____ a complaint.

14 Our company _____ business with lots of foreign companies.

15 Whenever I’m asked to do something, I always try to _____ a good job.

16 My son is at Cambridge University ______ research.

17 Do you find it easy or difficult to ______ friends.

18 The only way of ______ a lot of money in this country is to win it on the National
Lottery.

19 Many students are afraid to speak English because they don’t like to _____
mistakes.

20 I forgot to _____ my homework last night.

21 They _____ a very long journey from London to Nepal.

22 I’m _____ the Cambridge First certificate exam in the summer.

23 The teacher wished the students good luck for their exam and told them to _____
their best.

24 He didn’t really feel like going to the party, so he _____ an excuse about not
feeling well.
TEST YOURSELF.

1. Grammar. Choose the correct answer.

1 'Sharon looks different now, doesn't she?'

'Yes. She ...... to have long dark hair, didn't she?'

A is used В used С would

2 'I have never driven an automatic car before.'

'You will soon...... to it.'

A get used В be used С used

3 'How is Sarah?'

'She's fine. She....... to life in the countryside.'

A got used В used С is getting used

4 'Have you always worked as a nurse?'

'No. I.......... a childminder.'

A was used to being В used to be

С am used to being

5 'Do you remember when we were little?'

'Yes. Dad......... always read us a bedtime story.'

A was used to В would С got used to

6 'Aren't you tired?'

'No. I.......... to walking long distances.'

A am used В got used С used

7 'Jane had trouble with her job at first.'

'Yes. She......... to working on her own.'

A used В got used С wasn't used

8 'Did you find your degree course difficult?'

'Yes, but I soon...... to it.'

A used В got used С was used

9 'Do you remember Uncle Danny?'

'Yes. He......... always bring us presents.'

A would В was used С used

10 'Have you ever lived in a flat before?'

'No, but I will...... to it.'

A be used В get used С used

11 'Why are you so tired?'

'Because I......... to getting up early in the morning.

A am used В used С am not used

12 'Do you know that man?'

'Yes. He......... to work for me.'

A was used В used С is used

2. Vocab. Suggest active vocabulary units corresponding to the following

definitions:
a) the substances that you take into your body as food and the way that
they influence your health

b) to feel angry because you have been forced to accept someone or

something that you do not like

c) a serious medical condition in which the heart does not get enough blood,
causing great pain and often leading to death

d) to make someone extremely annoyed

e) the amount of a particular substance contained in something

f) a person who is walking, especially in an area where vehicles go

g) the busy part of the day when towns and cities are crowded, either in the
morning when people are travelling to work, or in the evening when
people are travelling home

h) the speed at which someone or something moves, or with which

something happens or changes

i) a time or day by which something must be done

j) to watch a person or activity to make certain that everything is done

correctly, safely, etc.

k) a person's ability to do more than one thing at a time

l) a set of red, yellow and green lights which control the movement of
vehicles, usually at a point where two or more roads join

m) from the start of smth

n) a person who buys goods or a service from the same shop/ company

o) before a particular time, or before doing a particular thing

p) describes a person who becomes angry and annoyed easily

  ACTIVE VOCABULARY


 p. 14

- nutrition

- food labels

- eating habits

- give up (doing smth)

 R2.1

- resent doing smth

- change one’s mind about

- heart attack

- eat/ feed smb (a high fat) diet

- I watch what I eat

- a (fat) content

- drive smb crazy

 p. 15

- more often than not

- every so often

- once in a while

- every now and again

 p. 16

- the rush hour

- a pedestrian

- back home
- pace of life

- don’t get me wrong

- traffic lights/ stop at red lights

- educational

 p. 18

- first thing in the morning

- a deadline (for)

- routine tasks

- say no to smth (never say no to smth)

- put effort into

- recognize/ know when enough is enough

- multitasking (to multitask)

 R2.4

- delivery service

- print smth off

- regular customers

- in advance

- urgent

- in class/ outside of class

- no way!

 R2.6

- right from the word go

- meal times

- get into bad habits

- send smb out of somewhere

- supervise

- slow smth down

- learn valuable life lessons

- give smth a go

 R2.7

- get bad-tempered

 Try to keep in mind the following dependent prepositions:

 p. 14

 Attitude to, be worried about, advise smb on smth

 R2.1

 Be addicted to

 p. 16

 (memorize the prepositions from ex. 1 + those on p. 116), different from

 p. 18

 rely on, decide on, on the list, responsible for

 R2.4

 Be late with smth, be realistic about, argue with (I can’t argue with that!), interested
in