EXERCISES

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO GRAMMAR

I. EXERCISES ON LEVELS OF GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS

1.
a) In the following sentences, put all clauses between square brackets.
b) Say whether the sentence is simple or compound.

1. He saw her but he did not recognize her. compound

2. How can we become skillful in the exercise of an art? simple
3. She laughs at my jokes, but she never tells one herself. compound
4. Shall we go to the Chinese restaurant, or shall we go to a take-away? compound
5. In spite of the terribly bad weather, we could hardly have had a more splendid excursion.
simp
le
6. Better houses, especially in stone districts, were of stone, but brick was gradually
coming in as a major building material. Indeed, in some regions no quarries were being
compound-
simple exploited.
7. To the Indians, the land was their mother - and one does not sell one’s mother. compound
8. Yet their notions of property were gradually abandoned; they became more and more
like the Europeans. compound
9. After a while, the land was no longer theirs. simple
10. In a story by Raymond Chandler, a detective loops a wire around his interlocutor’s
throat, then jerks it taut. compound

2.
a) Analyse the following sentences into [clauses] and /phrases/ which are clause
constituents.

1. Chimpanzees apparently live in small troops.

2. Mother and offspring live together consistently.
3. The mother teaches the young all the complicated acquired behaviours of chimpanzee
adult life.
4. Daughters stay with their mothers for the rest of their lives.
5. Sons occasionally return to their mothers, too.
6. They scrape the termite hill with their long fingers, insert a twig and pull out the termites.
7. Why did he never ask me?
8. The separate document on arms transfers contains many fine statements of intent, and
its proposed UN register of arms sales is long overdue.
9. Some say he thought Star Wars was a documentary.

1
b) Of the underlined words, what is the next higher unit (i.e. what are they an
immediate constituent of)?

1. Chimpanzees apparently live in small troops.

2. Mother and offspring live together consistently.
3. The mother teaches the young all the complicated acquired behaviours of chimpanzee
adult life.
4. Daughters stay with their mothers for the rest of their lives.
5. Sons occasionally return to their mothers, too.
6. Why did he never ask me?
7. As enthusiasts have discovered, it's not all that difficult to make your own 3D camera.
Just strap two regular 2D cameras together and you're ready.

3.
a) Analyse the following sentences into [clauses] and /phrases/ which are clause
constituents.
b) Are they simple, compound, complex, complex compound or compound complex?

1. A long time ago, when Mouk was about sixteen, his father died and left him nothing but
his clothes.
2. Only a few weeks ago my colleague James May went for a pee in a Romanian wood;
the event was captured on a phone and now it’s on the internet.
3. However, I’m afraid we must consider collateral damage and possible injuries.

4.

a) Underline the verb phrases.

b) Put [square brackets] round the subclauses.

c) Are the subclauses finite (F), non-finite (NF) or verbless (V)?

d) Are the sentences simple (S), compound (Cd), complex (Cx), compound-complex (Cd-Cx) or
complex-compound (Cx-Cd)?

1. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any

direction you choose.

2. Trust but verify.

2
3. Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

4. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others (cause happiness) whenever they go.

5. Love the life you live. Live the life you love.

6. The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and

literature is not read.

7. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown

at him.

8. If you cannot write well, you cannot think well; if you cannot think well, others will do your

thinking for you.

9. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but

people will never forget how you made them feel.

10. When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off

against the wind.

11. When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always

happy.

12. They promised that dreams can come true - but didn’t mention that nightmares are

dreams, too.

13. With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.

14. Would you be in any way offended if I said that you seem to me to be in every way the

visible personification of absolute perfection?

15. It is so easy to convince others; it is so difficult to convince oneself.

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16. My experience is that as soon as people are old enough to know better, they don't know

anything at all.

17. Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

18. All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.

19. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are

disappointed.

20. Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.

21. Women, as some witty Frenchman once put it, inspire us with the desire to do

masterpieces and always prevent us from carrying them out.

22. If one plays good music, people don't listen, and if one plays bad music people don't talk.

23. We live in an age that reads too much to be wise, and that thinks too much to be

beautiful.

24. You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread

and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition,

and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you. You may go too far.

25. The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and

measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there

still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?

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II. EXERCISES ON THE FORMAL AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF CLAUSES

1. Analyse the following clauses into phrases that are clause constituents, and say to
which class of phrase they belong. (formal analysis)
np vp pp

1. The prime minister is speculating about all the EU’s dangerous notions of coordinated
social and regional policies.
pp np vp adj p
2. Like the other payments, this partial payment is long overdue.
3. A clear-headed aristocrat of choral sound, master of crystalline enunciation, of precise
np
musical accentuation, Henry Washington demanded, above all other musical standards,
vp pp
poise and balance.
np

2. Indicate whether the underlined parts are DIRECT/INDIRECT OBJECT or

COMPLEMENT to the SUBJECT/OBJECT

1. Will someone get a doctor, quickly!

2. George and Paul both became famous doctors.
3. Do you call yourself a doctor?
4. May I call you a taxi?
5. It's so cold. I can't get warm.
6. I can't get my hands warm.
7. Keep quiet! Keep those children quiet.
8. Can't you give them something to keep them quiet?
9. The driver turned the corner too quickly.
10. The weather is turning warmer.
11. The hot weather turned all the milk sour.
12. Did you see anyone? Did you say anything?
13. I didn't tell anybody anything.
14. His in-laws had simply made him their servant.
15. This only made him more miserable.

3. Describe the underlined items in the following clauses in terms of their function
within the clause.

1. I bought some lilies as well.

2. Well, who do you like most?
3. They treated the new students in the dorm to a party.
4. This one was as big as a star.
5. He took out his pocket-book and handed her a card.
6. This, too, is vastly overrated.

5
7. I don’t feel well.
8. Yesterday was the last day of the project.
9. Sometimes people addressed letters mistakenly to Lady Muriel Selvedge, and on these
occasions she imagined herself the daughter of an earl, a marquess, or even a duke.
10. According to David Innes, the problem lies in the confusing nature of the sources
available.

4. Analyse the following clauses in terms of function within the clause.

1. Serena Williams, the ruling world-champion, was beaten at the prestigious Wimbledon
tournament by young Kim Clijsters.
2. He, however, was considered lazy.
3. She did not have to account for the deficit.
4. All these topics and many others are discussed in George Miller’s new book on the
preservation of wildlife.
5. He made her scrambled eggs, and more tea.
6. Surprisingly enough, my stay in hospital was one of the more cheerful and sociable
patches of my life.
7. He wore his nicely curled hair long.
8. The long-term political consequences are still unsure.
9. For unknown reasons, though, he applied for the job.
10. Fortunately, he had booked her a seat by the door.
11. George Miller, the famous conservationist, has published a new book, and he will appear
in many talk-shows.
12. Would you care for a drink?

5. Underline all Adverbials in the following clauses and specify their meaning. Be as
specific as possible.

1. Every now and then Mrs. Ramsay looked over her spectacles and smiled at them.
2. He whizzed his plate through the window.
3. Then he would turn as smooth as silk, affable, urbane, and try to win her so.
4. Clearly, Lee and I have never had a tougher week, but I’m not a beaten man.
5. Due to popular demand, he has prepared the film.
6. The boat had been privately chartered by a modelling agency for a birthday party.
7. The girls especially objected to his manners.
8. Linguistically, these islands are closer to the mainland than to their neighbouring
islands.

6
9. He turned Evans’ primitive path into a usable road with a work gang of only thirty
convicts in less than six months.
10. I’ve never felt the voters really cared about either one of those things, frankly.
11. Weatherwise, we are going to have a bad time this winter.

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III. FORMAL AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PHRASES

1.
a) To which phrase do the underlined items belong? Indicate boundaries with () and
give phrase type.
b) What is their function in the phrase?

When my mother was being raised there in a flat right across her father’s grocery store,
Elizabeth, New Jersey, was an industrial port a quarter the size of Newark, dominated by the
Irish working class and their politicians and the tightly knit parish life that revolved around the
town’s many churches, and though I never heard her complain of having been pointedly ill-
treated in Elizabeth as a girl, it was not until she married and moved to Newark’s new Jewish
neighbourhood that she discovered the confidence that led her to become first a PTA “grade
mother,” then a PTA vice president in charge of establishing a Kindergarten Mothers’ Club,
and finally the PTA president, who, after attending a conference in Trenton on infantile
paralysis, proposed an annual March of Dimes dance on January 30 that was accepted by
most schools.

my: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
flat: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
father’s: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
Newark’s: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
finally: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
most: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
For the first time, a major interpretative musician has equipped himself with the necessary
skills to mastermind his own visualization of the music he conducts, which allows him, in the
process, to offer a new generation of music-lovers a sophisticated set of options for the study
and appreciation of music in performance.

he conducts: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
music-lovers: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..

8
performance: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..

The A4 Allroad feels almost like a stock A4 - except slightly nicer-riding. Yes, there is an
element of body roll if you go mental in comfort mode, but it still hangs together very nicely.
Stick it in dynamic mode and you'll manage to keep up with a saloon A4 without any problem
at all – and even though the ride gets a tad harsh over really bad bumps, the car stays very
stable.

almost: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
a stock A4: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
nicely: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
any: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
at all: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
really: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..

Timberlake makes Sean every inch the brazen opportunist, but his never-do-well grin is
positively infectious; Garfield movingly lends the film a strong moral counterweight as the
sensible superego to Mark's raging id.

never-do-well: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
infectious: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
movingly: ……………………………………………..
……………………………………………..
Mark’s: ………………………………….………….
……………………………………………..

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IV. ANALYSIS ON (PHRASE AND) WORD CLASS LEVEL

1. Give the WORD CLASS of the underlined words.

a) If you want to go, you'd better do so quickly.

I had broken my leg, so I couldn't come.
Is this really so?
We're so glad you could come!

b) That house over there ...

Who told you that?
How much do you want? Not that much!
Is it true that he's ill?

c) We'll leave after breakfast.

They arrive soon after.
I saw it after they'd left.
This is the after deck of the boat.

d) I'll feel at home here.

I'm going home.
He works at the Home Office.
Do pigeons home?

2. To which word class do the underlined words in the following sentences belong?

his: ................................................... 1. His whole being revolted at the idea.

being: ..............................................
the: ...................................................
him: ................................................. 2. I cannot order him about.
slightly: ........................................... 3. I am only slightly older than him.
than: ................................................
my: .................................................. 4. My, that is well done.
that: .................................................
well:.................................................
well:................................................. 5. This is not a very good well.
good: ............................................... 6. The water doesn’t taste good at all.
faster: .............................................. 7. My car may not be faster than yours, but it
expensive: ...................................... seems more expensive.
who: ................................................ 8. Who can run as fast as me?
herself: ............................................ 9. She herself dresses expensively, though.
expensively: ...................................
when: .............................................. 10. When will they start the fortieth game?

10
will: .................................................
fortieth: ...........................................
certainly: ......................................... 11. That certainly does sound like a nice idea but
a: ...................................................... you need to develop it.
nice: .................................................
to: .....................................................
friendly: .......................................... 12. He is friendly but speaks harshly to
harshly: ........................................... everybody.
everybody: .....................................
Africa: ............................................. 13. In Africa, witch doctors use a magic language
witch: .............................................. for their spells, and you listen to them,
magic: ............................................. full of fear and hope, and presently you feel
their: ................................................ better, or die.
spells: ..............................................
to: .....................................................
full: ..................................................
and: .................................................
presently: ........................................
better: ..............................................
die: ...................................................
is: ..................................................... 14. In America, the doctor’s magic language is
called: .............................................. called English.
off: ................................................... 15. Call off the party or I will jump off the wall.
off: ...................................................

3. To which class do the underlined items belong?

1 ........................................................ 1. All the pupils of this class1 must prepare a

question.
2 ........................................................ 2. The woman and her sister had been married2
to the same man.
3 ........................................................ 3. He did not3 win a place in the affection of the
4 ........................................................ American people; nor4 did he win a fortune.
5 ........................................................ 4. Mr. Gorbachev may already have surpassed
6 ........................................................ the early5 Khrushchev as an innovator6.
7 ........................................................ 5. It7 will be a less good week for some MPs.

11
4. To which class do the underlined items belong? Specify all levels which are
relevant.

1 ........................................................ 1. At the end of his life1, John Ford had given

2 ........................................................ away all his possessions2 to charities3.
3 ........................................................
4 ........................................................ 2. This4 is certainly5 the best6 cup final match
5 ........................................................ ever7.
6 ........................................................
7 ........................................................
8 ........................................................ 3. She8 put9 the orchids in her most precious10
9 ........................................................ vase.
10 .......................................................
11 ....................................................... 4. The workers at the new oil refinery in the
12 ....................................................... harbour of Amsterdam11 have received a
premium of £ 25 on their first day at work12.
13 ....................................................... 5. Yet13, this cannot very well14 be true15, can
14 ....................................................... it?
15 .......................................................

5. To which class do the underlined words belong?

1 ........................................................ 1. The1 girl took off2 her hat.

2 ........................................................
3 ........................................................ 2. The complaints that television plays too3 big a
4 ........................................................ part in Chinese4 life continue.
5 ........................................................ 3. What on earth did she do that5 for6?
6 ........................................................
7 ........................................................ 4. The situation seems7 pretty8 hopeless.
8 ........................................................
9 ........................................................ 5. I don’t think it’s likely9 to10 happen, of course.
10 .......................................................
11 ....................................................... 6. I was not11 expecting anyone12.
12 .......................................................
13 ....................................................... 7. I tried unnaturally hard13 to impose order
14 ....................................................... upon14 it.
15 ....................................................... 8. He snorted and15 said ‘Ha16!’
16 .......................................................

12
17 ....................................................... 9. That’s17 where I used to18 live when I was a
18 ....................................................... child.
19 ....................................................... 10. The girl with19 the hat took it20 off.
20 .......................................................
21 ....................................................... 11. His visit and mine21 overlapped.
22 ....................................................... 12. He works in an old-fashioned firm, where
23 ........................................................ they play everything22 by23 the books
24 ....................................................... 13. “This is our24 doctrine: that every soul ought
to be subject to King and magistrates”.
25 ....................................................... 14. Do you happen to know which school he
goes to25?
26 ....................................................... 15. He made a fool of himself26.

6. Adjectives & adverbs: to which class do the underlined words belong?

......................................................... 1. It is hard to please her.

......................................................... 2. We have a hard day’s work ahead of us.
......................................................... 3. I hit him hard on the nose.
......................................................... 4. What happens at the very end?
......................................................... 5. I’m truly very sorry.
......................................................... 6. Well, let’s not wait any longer.
......................................................... 7. Well done, old chap!
......................................................... 8. She loves driving fast cars.
......................................................... 9. The colours aren’t fast.
......................................................... 10. He was driving very fast.

7. Prepositions & particles: to which class do the underlined words belong?

......................................................... 1. Could you repeat that? I didn’t catch on.

......................................................... 2. I will not comment on your clothes.
......................................................... 3. Let me congratulate you on your exam.
......................................................... 4. He was sitting on the roof.
......................................................... 5. Turn off that switch.
......................................................... 6. I disapprove of smoking.
......................................................... 7. Let me check up on this.
......................................................... 8. Don’t do away with your beliefs.
......................................................... 9. Make up your mind.

13
V. EXERCISES ON GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS: ADVANCED (exam) LEVEL

1. Analyse the following fragments. To which class do the underlined items belong?
Be reasonably precise (mention relevant subclasses), e.g. the labels “verb”,
“pronoun” or “determiner” are too vague; you should also mention the specific
type (e.g. “lexical verb”, “personal pronoun”, etc.).

A. There aren't many 550bhp cars you can treat like a Corsican hire car, but the Audi RS7
feels virtually idiot proof. Jam the brakes mid-corner, barrel into a hairpin 50mph quicker than
you meant to, whatever: the big Audi smothers all your stupidity under a great blanket of
electronic cleverness and relentless grip. It's a freakishly effective machine for getting down
just about any road at near-unimaginable pace, instantly transforming you into a far better
driver than you truly are.

you can treat like a Corsican hire car:.……………….…………………..…………………………..

like a Corsican hire car:.………………………………………………………………….....…………
virtually:.…………………………………………………………………………………..…….……….
Jam:....……………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
50mph quicker than you meant to:.…………………………………………………………………..
any:.…………………………………………………………………………………………………..….
It:.…………………………………………………………………………………………………….….
far:..………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..
than:..………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..

B. A luxury cruise operator in the US has announced it will offer a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to
experience the environmental devastation of the Arctic – using a mode of transport that emits
three times more CO2 per passenger per mile than a jumbo jet. The cruise promotion was
criticised by social media users for giving people the opportunity to “see/help ruin the
environment”, “watch the ravages of global warming in person and become a human vulture”
and take a “high-carbon-footprint cruise to watch polar bears drown”.

it:.……………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..
once:....………………………………………………………………………………………..…………
experience:..…………………………………………………………………………………….….…...
that:.………………………………………………………………………………………………………
per:..………………………………………….……………..……………………………………………
than:.……………………………………………………..………………………………………………
by social media users:..………………………………………………………..………………………
and:……………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
to watch polar bears drown:..……………………………………………………….………………...

14
C. To say anything more specific or to convey more than the references to Hitchcock would
take away the authentic surprises and the properly disturbing revelations that Side Effects
has to offer. It isn't a film of any great depth, and the narrative deceptions inevitably involve a
degree of contrivance. But Soderbergh handles his actors with great deftness and gives the
film an air of intelligence and social authority. Throughout he uses his proven skills as
cinematographer and editor to draw us into a story that plays subtle tricks with our moral
allegiances.

To say anything more specific: ……………………………………………………….………………

more than the references to Hitchcock: ………………………………………………….………….
that: ……………………………………………………………………………………………..……….
any:……………………………………………………………………………………………..………..
But Soderbergh handles his actors with great deftness and gives the film an air of
intelligence and social authority:………………………………………………………………………
Throughout: ……………………………………………………………………………………………..
us: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..……
into: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..….
our: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..

2. Are the following sentences simple, complex, compound, compound-complex or

complex-compound?

1. When an outbreak of eternal winter sends Elsa into exile, Anna is in hot pursuit, aided by
talking snowman Olaf who could give Shrek's Donkey a run for his money in the comic
sidekick stakes.

…………………………………………………………………………………..............

2. The movie morphs into a psychiatric thriller of the sort Hitchcock helped launch with
Spellbound in the mid-1940s and that led to a cycle of pictures about good and evil
shrinks and their association with the criminal justice system.

………………………………………………………………………………….................

3. Public health officials have issued an urgent warning to British doctors to watch for signs
of the Ebola virus arriving in the UK, after an infected man was allowed to fly from the
affected countries to a major international travel hub.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

15
4. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they
must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life
forever... Gollum.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Williams worked at odd jobs after flunking out of junior college, then served in India and
Burma in the Army Air Corps during World War II, where he wrote an apprentice novel in
his spare time.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. What is the function of the underlined sequences in the next larger unit?

1. Disney-owned Marvel studios has proven itself an efficient production line for
sumptuously entertaining superhero fare over the past few years, with comic-book titans
Iron Man, Thor and Captain America all showing up in their own movies before coming
together to save the world with wisecracking panache in Joss Whedon's 2012 box-office
smash The Avengers.

Disney-owned: ……………………………………………………………………….…………….
an efficient production line for sumptuously entertaining superhero fare:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
to save the world: ………………………………………………………………………………….
wisecracking panache: ………………………………………..……………………….…………
Joss Whedon’s: ………………………………………………………………………….………..
2012: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2. Does it matter whether standup comedians tell the truth? On some level, it must – why
else do they keep telling us "This is a true story"? The question's been bugging Alex
Horne, who wants to be truthful onstage (he tells us), but frets that his actual life isn't
funny. From this conflict – an honest man trapped in a liar's job – Horne fashions a
terrific, high-concept comedy show, intricately constructed and forever whipping the rug
out from under us as he riffs on truth, fiction and that grey area in between.

whether: ..............................................................................................................................
why else: ……………..…………………………………………………………………………….
“This is a true story”: ...........................................................................................................
Alex Horne: …………………………………………………………………………….………….
funny: …………………………………………………………………………………..…………..

16
 liar’s: ……………………………………………………………………………………….…..….
us:......................................................................................................................................
that: ………………………………………………………………………………………...……..

3. If you don't know the story, it's relatively simple. Except morally. Downtrodden chemistry
teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston, beyond superb throughout) is diagnosed with
inoperable cancer. He decides to put something away for his family, and devotes himself,
to only his mild astonishment, to cooking crystal meth. He's fabulously successful at it,
chiefly due to the quality of his product.

Simple: . ……………………………………………………………………………………….…..
with inoperable cancer:………………………………………………………….…………..…...
To put something away for his family:………………………………………………….……….
To only his mild astonishment: ………………………………………………………………….
To cooking crystal meth: …………………………………………………………………..……..
chiefly: ……………………………………………………………………………………..………

4. Gradually everything the viewer takes on board is wrongly labelled and travelling under a
false passport, and Dr Banks finds himself less the physician than the patient, a
Hitchcockian figure in a familiar transference-of-guilt situation.

Gradually: ………………………………………………………………………………….……….
everything: …………………………………………………………………………………………
wrongly:…………………………………………………………………………………………….
a false passport: …………………………………………………………………………………..
less the physician that the patient: ………………………………………………………………
transference-of-guilt: ……………………………………………………………………….……..

5. Cantet extracts faultless performances from his cast, most of whom are on a film set for
the first time, and evokes the period effortlessly. At well over two hours, Foxfire never
feels long; though it unravels a little in its final act, when a faintly implausible kidnap plot
takes over. Still, the passion and sincerity of the performers carries the day.

whom:................................................................................................................................
At well over two hours:......................................................................................................
long:………………………………………………………………………………………..…….
though:.............................................................................................................................

17
6. Yet through all of this remains the spark of something we remember from the first film –
the vision of two people on the brink of their first kiss, both hesitating to wed their
unutterable dreams to the perishable breath of another, knowing that to do so will result
in both fulfilment and desolation. Although the styles of Linklater's low-key, handheld
shamble and Baz Luhrmann's harrumphing 3D CGI The Great Gatsby could not be more
different, these two releases explore a similar central theme – the question of whether
your "true love" can ever live up to your own expectations, of whether real life can ever
match one's boundless imagination.

we remember from the first film:………………………………………………………………….

to the perishable breath of another:…………………………………………………..………….
to do so: …………………………………………………………………………………………….
Linklater’s: ………………………………………………………………………………………….
and: …………………………………………………………………………………….……………
different:………………………………………………………………………………….………….

7. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival, the 2014 edition of Tomorrowland will be
held over two weekends; 18–20 July and 25–27 July. The line-up for both weekends will
be more or less the same. On April 16, composer Hans Zimmer and Tomorrowland
announced that they combined forces for the creation of a classical hymn that will
premiere during the 10th anniversary edition of Tomorrowland. The 10-minute-long
composition takes listeners on a magical journey that embodies the mythical qualities,
magical atmosphere and international character of Tomorrowland.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival:………………………………………...…….

2014:…………………………………………………………………………………………………
two:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
more or less the same:…………………………………………………………………………...
April 16:……………………………………………………………………………………………..
that will premiere during the 10th anniversary edition of Tomorrowland:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
listeners:…………………………………………………………………………………………….

18
8. What sets out to be an expansive mini-epic, crossing continents, cultures and narrative
forms, manages to keep its many twists and turns intact against the substantial weight of
myriad structural pressures. But despite the novel's ambitious plotting, its clever weaving
of fact with fiction, its satirical stabs at the film and television industry, and some elegant
sentences and set-pieces (the novel written by the American at the hotel contains some
of the most moving writing about war I've read in a while), it fails at being either a fun
page-turner or a more erudite, literary read.

What: ………………………………………………………………………………………………
What sets out to be an expansive mini-epic, crossing continents, cultures and narrative
forms: ………………………………………………………………………………………..…….
continents, cultures and narrative forms:………………………………………………….…...
intact:……………………………………………………………………………………….………
novel's:……………………………………………………………………………………………..
some: ………………………………………………………………………………………………
most:………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I've read in a while:……………………………………………………………………………...

9. “S,” the new mystery novel by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst, may be the best-looking
book I’ve ever seen. From the outside, it looks like an old library book, which the fictitious
author, V.M. Straka, called “Ship of Theseus”. Open it up, though, and you see that the
real story unfolds in Straka’s margins, where two readers, Eric and Jen, have left notes
for each other. Between the pages, they’ve slipped postcards, photographs, newspaper
clippings, letters—even a hand-drawn map written on a napkin from a coffee shop.

the new mystery novel by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst:……………….………….…………

ever:………………………………………………………………………………………..……….
an old library book:………………………………………………………………………………..
Ship of Theseus:…………………………………………………………………………………..
though:…………………………………………………………………………………….……….

19
VI. EXTRA EXERCISES ON GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS: ADVANCED (exam) LEVEL

I. a) What is the form of the underlined items?

b) What is their function in the next higher unit?

1. In a complex world, some things are clear; getting plastered is bad. The Caerphilly study
confirmed that high alcohol intake above recommended limits is one of the lifestyle factors
associated with an increased risk of dementia. Previous studies have shown that being
teetotal is bad too, but that may be because people who don’t drink are less sociable, and
social interaction is an important factor in delaying the onset of clinically significant dementia.

some
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Getting plastered
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
that high alcohol intake above recommended limits is one of the lifestyle factors associated
with an increased risk of dementia
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
too:
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
but:
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
that:
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
because people who don’t drink are less sociable:
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Like a Shakespearean comedy, Wild Tales ends in marriage: a ferocious wedding in which
sexual transgression is made a great deal worse by class rancour. It is a longer tale than the
others, and in my simplistic and mean-spirited way, I would have preferred to see it end in
complete orgiastic dismay, rather than on the more complex note than the film (ingeniously)
finds.

20
Like a Shakespearean comedy
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
a great deal worse
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
class rancour
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
to see it end in complete orgiastic dismay
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Children living near Sellafield are ten times more likely to develop cancer than anywhere
else in Britain, a new government report has found. And it is 'highly unlikely' that this is due to
pure chance, it says. Researchers from the influential Committee on Medical Aspects of
Radiation in the Environment spent four years examining case histories of child deaths in the
area and comparing them with the rest of the country. Their report is the most
comprehensive yet on the extraordinarily high incidence of leukaemia among children living
near the nuclear plant.
Children living near Sellafield are ten times more likely to develop cancer than anywhere else
in Britain
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
living near Sellafield
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
four
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
with the rest of the country
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
their
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….

21
4. Had you asked us 10 years ago for our bet on which manufacturer would be the first to
introduce a viable, fast, practical and competitively priced all-electric luxury saloon to the UK,
we would have looked to Germany or Japan, or even South Korea, for a credible tip. The
fledgling upstart from Palo Alto in the US, only incorporated in 2003, would not even have
been a blip on the radar. But within a decade, Tesla has gone from CEO Elon Musk’s
brainchild to a deadly serious player in the unpredictable business of building – and selling –
zero-emission cars.
us
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
which
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
to the UK
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2003
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
a blip on the radar
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
within a decade
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….
CEO Elon Musk’s
form:……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
function:………………………………………………………………………………………………….

II. Consider the following sentences and answer the questions below.

1. When we road tested the previous generation Jaguar XJ, we concluded that it was “a
great shame this cutting-edge car is wrapped up in a body and interior that hark back to a
different age”.
- Which type of sentence is this (cf. simple, complex, etc.)?
- Identify the DOs, if any.
- What is the word class of that?
- What is the word class and function of this?

22
2. At that time, Duduch married Elijah Nathan, the love of her life, and discovered that
marriage turned her beloved into a different man, a man of sick jealousy who forsook his
calculations and his stars and didn't even allow her to stand at the window or go alone to the
outhouse in the courtyard.

- Which type of sentence is this (cf. simple, complex, etc.)

- What is the function of ‘the love of her life’
- What is the word class and function of her?
- What is the form and function of to stand at the window or go alone to the outhouse in the
courtyard?

3. The peripheral vision and wind-in-the-face feeling of a 3/4 helmet can't be denied, but as
anyone who's ridden in a full face knows, adding a chin bar and some eye protection can
improve not only safety, but can also make long rides a bit less taxing.

- Which type of sentence is this?

- Identify all subclauses.
- Identify all Subjects.
- What is the function of ‘a bit less taxing’.

4. Based on an analysis of graphs in sustainability reports for a sample of 77 U.S. companies

for 2006, we find considerable evidence of favorable selectivity bias in the choice of items
graphed, and moderate evidence that where distortion in graphing occurs, it also has a
favorable bias.

- Which type of sentence is this?

- Identify all subclauses.
- Identify all DOs, if any.
- Identify all Subjects.

5. Whereas we find that graphs of social items in sustainability reports for companies with
worse social performance exhibit more impression management, no significant relation
between environmental performance and impression management in the use of
environmental graphs is found.

- Which type of sentence is this?

- Identify all Subjects.
- Identify all Direct Objects.
- What is the function and word class of whereas?

23
VII. MOCK TEST GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS – EXAM LEVEL

1. Analyse the following fragments. To which class do the underlined items belong?
Be reasonably precise (mention relevant subclasses), e.g. the labels “verb”,
“pronoun” or “determiner” are too vague; you should also mention the specific
type (e.g. “lexical verb”, “personal pronoun”, etc.).

Japanese suicide rates rocketed following the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s and,
despite recent initiatives, Japan has struggled both politically and socially to fully address the
problem. For at least a decade now there have been more than 30,000 annual suicide cases
– equating to almost one every 15 minutes. In 2007, cabinet minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka
killed himself while facing investigation over an expenses scandal. Naoto Kan, who recently
became prime minister, has repeatedly spoken about the suicide rate – seeing it as indicative
of the social decline of the nation. He has stated that his primary political goal is to "minimise
unhappiness" in the country. In 2009, Japan's suicide total rose 2% to 32,845, equating to
nearly 26 suicides per 100,000 people and significantly higher than for any other OECD
country. As a comparison, the UK rate is about nine per 100,000, and the US rate is around
11.

Despite recent initiatives: ……………………………………………………………………………

For at least a decade now:…………………………………………………………………………..
equating: ………………………………………………………………………………………………
every: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..
himself: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
while facing investigation over an expenses scandal: ……………………………………………
who: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
that: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
to: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
about: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
Japan’s:………………………………………………………………………………………………..
As a comparison, the UK rate is about nine per 100,000, and the US rate is around 11:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

24
2. a. Is the following sentence simple, compound, complex, compound-complex (i.e.
compound at the highest level and complex at a lower level) or complex-compound
(i.e. complex at the highest level and compound at a lower level)?
b. Give the number of clauses.
c. Underline the non-finite verb phrases.

Having worked hard to break down the negative stereotypes it has enjoyed over the years,
London now assumes the mantle of one of the world’s great cities with ease, crowning itself
Napoleon-style by hosting its third Olympic games in 2012.

a. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. What is the function of the following sequences in the next higher unit?

1. The Food Standards Agency has admitted that it does not know how many embryos
from cloned animals have been imported into Britain, after it was revealed that meat
from one had already entered the food chain and been eaten.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. I was going into Israel from the Kingdom of Jordan, via the Allenby bridge border
crossing built by British soldiers in 1917.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. There's no need to stay on the Khao San Road should you not wish to.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Jamie Oliver spoke out after data from the government's School Food Trust showed the
number of pupils in England eating a hot lunch at school had risen by 320,000 in the
past year – an increase for the third consecutive year.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. Meanwhile silver medallist Emma Green matches Vlasic's beauty-counter face,

brushstroke for brushstroke. Clearly the plaits and giant stud earrings are a micro-trend,
with Green following the Croatian's lead, though her earrings are a striking Swedish blue
to chime with the rest of the national kit.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

25
6. Typically, the inspectors found that junior members of staff were working hard to comply
with the PNC Code of Practice, but using outdated and often costly working processes.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. Getting back into the rhythm of dialysis did not turn out to be as irksome as I thought it
might.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

8. The US Environmental Protection Agency has come under attack in Congress and from
independent scientists for allowing BP to spray almost 2m gallons of the dispersant
Corexit on to the slick and, even more controversially, into the leak site 5,000ft below the
sea.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. Using the Freedom of Information Act can take too long and is sometimes overly
cumbersome for members of the public.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

10. A set of false teeth belonging to Winston Churchill, sold by the son of the dental
technician who made them, had been expected to fetch a maximum of £5,000, but they
were bought for more than three times that by a British collector of Churchill
memorabilia.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. I've been embracing pale pastel jeans for a while now, but what possessed me to buy a
pair of vivid lemon-yellow chinos is anyone's guess.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. Saudi Arabia first raised the idea of compensation for lost oil revenues at climate talks in
Bangkok last year, in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate summit.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

13. Drax, Britain's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, could stop burning coal by the end of the
decade.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

26
14. The government should further develop the idea of a "people's bank" using the post
office network, and ensure greater support for local credit unions, community
development financial institutions, co-operatives and mutuals. Furthermore, all banks
should be obliged to provide a universal banking service.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

15. Critics cite many reasons in their dismissal of chick-lit, reasons that ostensibly aren't
rooted in literary snobbery.

Their: ……………………………………………………………………………………………..
Chick-lit: …………………………………………………………………………………………..

4. Underline the following items in the sentences below:

1. Prepositional complement
A book that sets out to explain the different printing techniques that have been developed
since the Renaissance sounds potentially dry, wordy and technical.

2. Adverb particle
If you're soaking up the rays this summer with the aim of getting a perfect all-over tan,
you're likely to be disappointed.

3. Copula verb
Different parts of the body go brown at different speeds, according to researchers at
Edinburgh University, so achieving that idealised image of beauty is not going to happen.

4. Subordinating conjunction
I had a thriving career back then, but once a serious illness takes grip, your ambitions
shrivel up.

5. Apposition
This month, the former Perrier Awards for Comedy on the Edinburgh Fringe have been
taken over by Foster's, the beer company.

6. Postmodifier in AdjP
Reading Harry Potter falls into the category of childish things which grown-ups can get
away with - along with flying kites, eating Marmite sandwiches, liking cartoons, having
friends round to play games and being afraid of spiders.

27
 EXERCISES
PART TWO: THE VERB PHRASE

I. EXERCISES ON PRESENT TENSES

A. SIMPLE PRESENT / PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. Identify the tenses and say why they are used.

INTERCARPET plc
178 London Road Peterborough PE2 98P
Telephone (01733) 28 14 45 Fax (01733) 25 18 99
_____________________________________________________________________

The Prudential Assurance

142 Holborn Bars
London
EC1N 2NH

12 February 2016

Your Ref.: PA/15-16; letter Feb 1st

Our Ref.: Acc./JMD

Dear Sirs

In answer to your recent request I am sending you further particulars concerning our
driver's accident on August 19th.

Mr Alan Davies usually parks his car in the company's private car park. As he was
driving onto the car park on the morning of August 19th, he noticed that it was full. It
was as he was backing out of the company's premises that he hit the car driven by
Mrs Turner, who was also trying to get onto our car park.

I understand that, as you write, you are anxious to know whether the accident took
place on our private premises or on the public road. Mr Davies is positive that,
although his front wheels may have been in the car park, the accident itself took place
on the road.

I hope that the above information will enable you to settle the matter quickly.

Yours sincerely

J. McDonald
Personnel Manager

28
2. Change the infinitives in parentheses into the simple present or present progressive
in the following text fragments.

A. The lion (hunt)____________ by night and (spend)____________ the day lying up in

cover or under the shade of trees or rocks. After patiently stalking its prey, the lion
(make)____________ a lightning-fast charge for the kill. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. lion)

B. Across town on the same cold March evening a very different social event (take)
___________ place in the apartment of Linda Sliski, Wendy’s nominal room-mate. Danielle’s
party (be) ____________ brightly lit and everyone (stand up) ____________. Here it (be)
__________ smokily dim; the few guests (sit) ___________ or (lie) __________ silent on
the floor, passing round a joint. When it (reach) _________ Brian he does not take a drag,
but (hand – it – on) ____________ to Wendy, who (lean) ____________ against his leg
with her head on his raised knee. (Alison Lurie, The War between the Tates, p. 280)

C. ‘We (be)___________ a small party, but I (gather) ____________ that one of us (present)
______________ a bottle. I (be prepared) ________________ to bet another bottle that we
(owe) ________________ this to the worthy Brown. I (wonder) _____________ what
remarkable event he (celebrate) _______________ now.’ (C.P. Snow, The Masters, p. 23)

3. Change the infinitives into the simple present or present progressive.

1. Grapes (not grow) _______________________ in northern climates, unless one

(keep) _________________ them in a hot-house.
2. John (travel) _____________ to England in four or five days from now.
3. Look, a man (run) ___________ after the bus. He (want) _________ to catch it.
4. Stop making that fuss. You (be) _______ childish. You usually (behave)
______________ so well.
5. I won’t go out as it (rain) ____________ and I (not have) _____________ an umbrella.
6. The examination (begin) _______________ at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
7. Ann (make) ________________ a dress for herself at the moment. She (make)
_________________ all her own clothes.
8. In the West women (usually not wear) _____________________ veils.
9. I (wear) _____________ a hat today because the sun is very hot.
10. I can’t answer the phone now because I (make) ________________ an omelette.
11. They (not go) to the cinema very often but when they________________ (go) they
________________ (prefer) comedies.
12. My dog usually (bark) ________________ at the postman - but look at that. For once, he
(be) _______________ friendly to the poor man!

29
4. Same exercise.

1. They left for England this morning. I (wonder) ______________ whether they
(travel) __________________ by air or by train.
2. I usually (write) _____________ my letters on Sunday but I (write) _______________ this
week’s letters today because this coming Sunday we (go) ______________ out.
3. The house (smell) ______________ unpleasant because we (have it repainted)
_______________.
4. She (have) _______________ her birthday party tomorrow and she (look forward)
_______________ to it very much.
5. He _____________ (walk) very slowly because the bottle which he________________
(carry) ________________ (hold) nitroglycerine, and this (explode) _____________ if it
(be shaken) _____________.
6. Whenever he _____________ (go) to London, he _____________ (stay) with his sister,
who _____________ (be) married to an Englishman.
7. I ________________ (see) that you ________________ (become) impatient with me, but I
try ________________ my best to do it properly.

5. Same exercise.

1. Imagine that you (travel) ___________ by train, in a crowded compartment. One of the
passengers (read)____________ a newspaper; another (do)____________ a crossword
puzzle; another (look out)____________ of the window. Suddenly the train
(stop)____________ with a jerk and your suitcase (fall)____________ off the rack on to
somebody’s toes.
2. “___________________ (you + hear) anything?” “I (listen)____________ hard but I can’t
hear anything.”
3. Fred: “What (you + do)______________________ at weekends?” Frieda: “It
(depend)____________ on the weather”.
4. “How ____________________(you + get) to work as a rule?” “I usually (go)____________
by bus but tomorrow I (go)____________ in Tom’s car.
5. “Why __________________(you + put) on your coat? “I (go)____________ for a walk.
___________________ (you + come) with me?” “Yes, I’d love to come.
___________________ (you + mind) if I bring my dog?”
6. “How much ______________(you + owe) him?” “I (owe)_________________ him £ 10.”
“_____________________ (you + intend) to pay him?”
“Yes, I ____________.”
7. “James and Co. (have)____________ a sale at the moment. Shall we look in?”

30
6. Same exercise.

1. What ________________________ (you + do) for a living? I ____________________

(be) a pilot, but ________________________ (not + fly) at the moment because I
________________________ (feel) ill.

2. The food ________________________ (taste) worse now. You’ve put too much salt in.

3. I ________________________ (gradually + forget) all the physics I ever learnt at school.

4. _________________________ (you + see) that house over there? No, not there! You
_____________________ (not + look) where my finger _____________________
(point).

5. I ______________________ (just + smell) your roses. _________________________

(they + not + smell) wonderful?
I _______________________ (just +taste) the cocktail to see if there’s enough gin in it.
How ______________________ (it + taste) to you?

6. I ______________________ (not + hear) anything. You ______________________ (just

+ imagine) things.

7. The court ______________________ (hear) this particular part of the evidence in private.

8. The monument ____________________ (stand) on a hill overlooking the town.

______________________ (you + realize) that you ______________________ (stand)
on my toe?

7. Same exercise.

1. What ______________________________ (all those people + do) in the middle of the

street? And why _________________________ (they + wear) such extraordinary
clothes? They ______________________ (make) a film. Most of the crowd are local
people who ______________________ (work) as extras.

2. It ______________________ (sound) great fun. ____________________________ (you

+ think) I could get a job as a film extra?
I ______________________ (not + know) but I ______________________ (see) Ann
over there; when they ______________________ (finish) I’ll ask her if they
______________________ (still + take on) extras.

3. _________________________ (Ann + act) in the film?

She has a small part. She ______________________ (not + act) very well. I
____________________ (imagine) she got the part because she knows the director.

31
4. I ______________________ (not + think) your brother ______________________
(enjoy) the party. He ______________________ (keep) looking at his watch.
Oh, I’m sure he ______________________ (enjoy) it. But I ____________________
(know) he ______________________ (want) to be home early tonight because he
______________________ (expect) an important telephone call.

8. Same exercise.

1. My next-door neighbour ______________________ (always + knock) on my door and

______________________ (ask) me to lend her 20p pieces.
What ______________________ (she + do) with them?
She ______________________ (put) them in her gas meter. I really
_____________________ (not + mind) lending her a few 20p pieces but what
______________________ (annoy) me is that she ______________________ (know)
how many she ______________________ (need) each week but never
______________________ (take) the trouble to bring the right number home.

2. What ______________________ (she + do) if she ______________________ (run out)

of them when you’re away?
Oh, she ______________________ (borrow) from her other neighbour, Mrs White; but
this ____________________ (take) longer because she _________________________
(always + want) her to stay and chat and she ______________________ (find) it quite
hard to get away from her.

3. How much ______________________ (she + owe) you?

I ______________________ (not + know); I ______________________ (not + keep) an
account.
Anyway she ______________________ (leave) next week; she
______________________ (get) married.

4. Why ______________________ (you + not + offer) to cancel her debt?

That ______________________ (sound) rather a mean sort of present. Anyway she
probably ______________________ (not + realise) that she ______________________
(owe) me money.

9. Same exercise.

1. My brother ______________________ (say) that people who _____________________

(owe) him money ____________________________ (always + seem) to forget about it,

32
 but people he ______________________ (owe) money to _____________________
(always + remember) exactly.

2. Keegan ______________________ (pass) to Smith, who ______________________

(run) straight at the central defence and ______________________ (shoot), and Gomez
______________________ (push) it over the bar for a corner. (spoken commentary on a
football match on TV or radio)

3. The play is set in London in 1890. The action ______________________ (take) place in
Sir Don Wyatt’s mansion. When the curtain ______________________ (go) up, the hero
and heroine ______________________ (sit) in the lounge. They
______________________ (argue). (review of a play in a newspaper or on the radio)

4. Paul: I ______________________ (leave) tomorrow night. I ______________________

(go) to Holland for two weeks.
Jack: And ______________________ (you + come) back to England after that or not
Jack: How much longer ______________________ (you + stay) in England?
Paul: Only one more day.

10. Same exercise.

1. "And where (you live) ___________________ " said the policeman. "To tell you the truth,
I (live) __________________ in Texas," said Bill "but at the moment I (stay)
____________________ with a friend here in Kent".

2. Sorry we (not have) ____________________ any wine to offer you. In fact, we (not
drink) ______________________ it ourselves. Moreover, our vicar (say)
_________________, "Wine after beer and you'll feel queer"!

3. - Joan (have) ______________________ a bath.

- I (bet) ___________________ she (have) _________________ it in champagne. Joan

(get)_____________________ richer by the day; she (now, own)
__________________________ virtually half the town.

4. - What (her father, do) ________________________ for a living?

- He (run) __________________________ a publishing business.

- (It, do) _______________________ well?

- Oh, yes. The reading public (get) _______________________ bigger and bigger. The
company (sell) ______________________________ about two hundred thousand
paperbacks every year.

33
11. Complete the conversation between two students called Steve and Paul. Put in the
present simple or continuous of the verbs.

Steve: _______________________ (you + wait) for anyone?

Paul: Yes – for Neil. We _________________________ (walk) home together most days.
We ______________________ (live) in the same street.
Steve: I’m not sure, but I _____________________ (think) he ______________________
(talk) to Mr Davis about something.
Paul: Yes, I _________________________ (know). He told me. What about you? What
________________________ (you + do) here?
Steve: I ______________________ (look) for the secretary. I can’t find her anywhere.
Paul: She isn’t here today. She _______________________ (only + work) two days a
week.
Steve: Oh, of course. I _____________________ (waste) my time then.

12. Anna and Bertrand are students in a language school. They are just getting to
know each other. Read part of their conversation. Write the correct form of the
verbs in italics (simple present or present progressive, positive or negative,
question or statement). If the verb is already correct, write ‘no change’.

Bertrand: And where (1) (you + come from) _______________ in Finland, Anna?
Anna: (2) I (come from)_______________ Helsinki. But (3) I (not live- _______________
there anymore. (4) My company, Finn-Sport (have)_______________ an office in
Tampere, so I’ve moved there.
Bertrand: I’ve heard of Finn-Sport. (5) They (make) _______________skiing equipment?
Anna: That’s right – in fact, all kind of sports equipment. Actually, the company (6) (pay)
_______________for me to study here.
Bertrand: Really? You’re lucky. (7) My company (not send) _______________anyone on
language courses. (8) I (pay)_______________ for this course out of my own
pocket.
Anna: What course (9) you (take) _______________here? Business English?
Bertrand: No, (10) I (not do) _______________Business English yet. (11) I (try)
_______________to improve my general English – especially conversation.
Anna: Well, (12) there (not seem) _______________to be anything wrong with your
conversation.
Bertrand: (13) I (improve) _______________ By the way, (14) you (know)_______________
about the disco (15) the school (organise)_______________?
Anna: No. When is it?

34
Bertrand: Tonight at 9 o’clock. It’s at The Magnet Club, in Holland Road.
Anna: Unfortunately, (16) I (not know) _______________where that is.
Bertrand: It’s near where (17) I (live)_______________. Look, why (18) we (not
meet)_______________ before the disco somewhere and have dinner? Then we
can go to the disco together.
Anna: Great! I (19) (feel) ____________ like a party and I (20) (look forward)
________________to it!

13. Translate.

1. We denken er nu ernstig aan om de voorraden uit te verkopen.

(Maintenant nous considérons sérieusement à liquider les stocks)
(Ahora estamos considerando la liquidación de las reservas)
(Мы серьезно намереваемся распродать запасы.)

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Nu voeg ik nog een halve liter water bij het mengsel. De pan bevat nu één liter vocht.
(Maintenant j'ajoute encore un demi-litre d'eau au mélange. A présent, la casserole
contient un litre de liquide.)
(Añado otro medio litro de agua a la mezcla. La olla ahora contiene un litro de
líquido.)
(Теперь я добавляю еще пол-литра воды к смеси. Кастрюля сейчас содержит
один литр жидкости. )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Ik geloof dat ik stilaan mijn sterke werkwoorden aan het vergeten ben.
(Je crois que petit à petit je suis en train d'oublier mes verbes irréguliers)
(Me parece que poco a poco estoy olvidando mis verbos irregulares)
(Мне кажется, что я потихоньку забываю неправильные глаголы.)

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

35
4 a. The doctor is feeling his pulse.
b. I feel a nail in my shoe.
c. I'm feeling sick/I feel sick.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

B. PRESENT PERFECT / PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect simple or the present perfect
progressive tense.

1. You ____________________ (telephone) for ages. ____________________________

(you + not + nearly + finish)?
I ____________________ (not + get) through yet. I ____________________ (try) to get
our Paris office but the line ____________________ (be) engaged all morning.

2. Ann ____________________ (fail) her driving test three times because she’s so bad at
reversing. But she ______________________ (practise) reversing for the last week and
I think she ____________________ (get) a bit better at it.

3. I ______________________ (often + wonder) why Bill left the country so suddenly.

Actually, I ____________________ (just + find) out.

4. He ______________________ (play) the piano since 6 o’clock this morning. He

__________________________ (only just + stop).
5. The police ______________________ (not + find) the murderer yet, but the dead man’s
brother ______________________ (be) in the station all day. The police say that he
______________________ (help) them with their enquiries.

6. What _______________________ (you + do) with the corkscrew? The point is broken
off.
I’m afraid I ______________________ (use) it to make holes in this tin.

7. They are throwing crockery at each other in the next flat.

____________________________ (this + happen) before?
Well, they ______________________ (have) a good many rows but this is the first time
they ______________________ (throw) crockery.

36
2. Complete the dialogue. Put the verbs in the present perfect or the present perfect
progressive.

Linda: What are you doing, Jeff? You __________________________ (be) in here for ages
and you’re making an awful mess.
Jeff: I _______________________ (clear) out this cupboard most of the afternoon.
There’s a lot of old stuff in here. I ______________________ (find) this, look.
Linda: You _________________________ (read) that book for the last five minutes. I
________________________ (watch) you.
Jeff: It’s my old diary. I ________________________ (not + see) it since I was about
sixteen. It ________________________ (be) in here for years.
Linda: And what about that old tennis racket? Is that yours?
Jeff: No, it must be yours. I ________________________ (never + have) a tennis racket.

I ______________________ (wait) for the price of the houses to come down before
buying a house, but I think I _______________________ (wait) too long and the
prices are beginning to go up again.

3. Mrs Ellis is writing to her son, Thomas, who is a student. Write the most suitable
present perfect form (simple or progressive) using the words in brackets.

Dear Thomas,

It _________________________ (be) several weeks since we last had a letter from you. We
_________________________ (hope) to hear from you. Why
_________________________ (you + not + write) to us? You know how much your letters
_________________________ (always + mean) to us.

I _________________________ (send) a parcel to you with some food and warm clothes.
Your father _________________________ (save) the weekly sports magazines you like to
read, and we _________________________ (put) these in the parcel too.

Life ___________________________ (go on) as usual here. Mr Jones next door, who
___________________________ (not + enjoy) good health recently,
_________________________ (have) to go into hospital. He _________________________
(have) an operation and will be home again soon. Meanwhile, his cat
_________________________ (come) to us for food and milk. I think we
_________________________ (manage) to look after it quite well.

37
___________________________ (you + see) anything of Mark Andrews? Apparently he
_________________________ (leave) school now and is at the same college as you. We
_________________________ (get) news of him regularly from his mother. But, of course,
he’s two years younger than you. He (write) __________________ a lot recently. He
__________________________ (not + say) whether he ___________________________
(meet) you or not.

By now your first exams will be over. We hope you _________________________ (do) well
in them. Do write soon.

Lots of love,
Mum.

4. Complete the sentences below.

1. I _________________________ (darn) socks all the morning.

How many pairs you _________________________ (darn)?
I _________________________ (darn) six.
2. The boy _________________________ (eat) three ice creams.
3. He _________________________ (eat) ice creams all day.
4. The driver _________________________ (drink)! I think someone else ought to
drive.
5. What you _________________________ (do)?
We _________________________ (pick) apples.
How many you _________________________ (pick)?
We _________________________ (pick) ten baskets.
6. The students _________________________ (work) very well this term.
7. I only _________________________ (hear) from him twice since he went away.
8. I _________________________ (hear) from her regularly; she’s a very good
correspondent.
9. I _________________________ (polish) this table all the morning.
10. He _________________________ (teach) in this school for five years.
11. I _________________________ (teach) hundreds of students but I’ve never met
such a hopeless class as this.
12. He _________________________ (cough) a lot lately. He ought to give up smoking.
13. It _________________________ (rain) for two hours and the ground is too wet to
play on.
14. What a lovely smell: Mary _________________________ (make) jam!
15. I _________________________ (sit) here all afternoon and I (not see) anyone.

38
5. Use FOR / SINCE and the appropriate form of the verb.

1. We (fish) _________________________ ________ two hours.

2. I (work) _________________________ in this office________ a month.
3. They (live) in France_________________________ ________ 1945.
4. He (be) in prison_________________________ ________a year.
5. I (know) that_________________________ ________a long time.
6. That man (stand) _________________________ there ________six o’clock.
7. She (wear) _________________________ the same hat________1960.
8. Things (change) _________________________ ________I was a child.
9. The kettle (boil) _________________________ ________a quarter of an hour.
10. The radio (be) _________________________ on________7 a.m.
11. That trunk (be) _________________________ in the hall________ a year.
12. He (be) _________________________ very ill ________ the last month.
13. I (use) this machine_________________________ ________twelve years.
14. We (wait) _________________________ ________half an hour.
15. Mr Cooper (be) _________________________ in hospital________ his accident.

39
II. EXERCISES ON PAST TENSES AND MIXED EXERCISES

A. SIMPLE PAST / PAST CONTINUOUS

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous tense.

1. Peter and Ann ______________________ (decide) to redecorate their sitting-room

themselves. They ______________________ (choose) cream paint for the woodwork and
apricot for the walls. When John ______________________ (look) in to see how they
______________________ (get on), Ann ______________________ (mix) the paint, and
Peter _______________________ (wash down) the walls. They ______________ (be)
glad to see John and ______________________ (ask) if he ____________________ (do)
anything special that day. He hastily ____________________ (reply) he
______________________ (go) to the theatre and ___________________ (go) away at
once, because he _____________________ (know) they _____________________
(look) for someone to help them.

2. They ______________________ (begin) painting, but ______________________ (find)

the walls __________________ (be) too wet. While they _____________________ (wait)
for the walls to dry, Ann ______________________ (remember) she
______________________ (have) a phone call to make.

3. Peter ____________________ (start) painting while she ______________________

(telephone), and ______________________ (do) a whole wall before Ann
______________________ (come back). He __________________ (grumble) that she
_____________________ (always + telephone). Ann ______________________ (retort)
that Peter ______________________ (always + complain).

4. They ______________________ (work) in silence for some time. Just as they

______________________ (start) the third wall, the doorbell _____________________
(ring). It ________________ (be) a friend of Peter’s, who ______________________
(want) to know if Peter ______________________ (play) golf the following weekend. He
______________________ (stay) talking to Peter in the hall while Ann
______________________ (go) on painting. At last he ______________________
(leave). Peter ______________________ (return), expecting Ann to say something about
friends who ______________________ (come) and ______________________ (waste)
valuable time talking about golf.

40
5. Then Peter ______________________ (think) he would do the ceiling. He
______________________ (just + climb) the stepladder when the doorbell
______________________ (ring) again. Ann ______________________ (say) she
______________________ (get) tired of interruptions but ______________________ (go)
and ______________________ (open) the door. It ______________________ (be) a
telegram from her aunt Mary, saying she ______________________ (come) to spend the
weekend with them and ______________________ (arrive) that evening at 6.30.

2. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: simple past or continuous.

1. I ______________________ (meet) Paul at the university. We _____________________

(be) in the same year. He ______________________ (study) law, but he
____________________ (not + be) very interested in it and ______________________
(spend) most of his time practising the violin.

2. My neighbour ____________________ (look in) last night and ____________________

(say) that she ______________________ (leave) the district and
______________________ (go) to Yorkshire, to a new job. I _____________________
(say) that I ___________________ (be) very sorry that she _____________________
(go), and ______________________ (tell) her to write to me from Yorkshire and tell me
how she ______________________ (get) on.

3. What ______________________ (you + do) before you -______________________

(get) this job? I ______________________ (work) for Brown and Company. And how
long ______________________ (you + stay) with them? I ______________________ for
about six months. I ______________________ (leave) because the men
______________________ (always + go) on strike.

3. Same exercise.

1. While Jane (pump) ________________________________ up her bicycle tires, a boy

(look) ____________________________ over the fence and (ask)
_______________________ her the way to the nearest butcher’s.

2. While we (stay) ____________________________ in London the dome of St Paul’s

(repair) __________________________________. It (still + repair)
___________________________ when I (return) _____________________________ to
London eight months later.

41
3. Napoleon III (live) _____________________ in England when he (die)
___________________ .

4. I (see) ___________________________ your sister this morning. She (wear)

________________ a blue hat. She (tell) ______________________________ me she
(think) _____________________ of emigrating to Canada.

5. It (seem) _____________________________ to me that they (have)

_________________________ trouble explaining their situation to the policeman.

4. Complete this description of the life of a musician, using the verbs given. Use either
the past simple or the past continuous.

Colin Boyle was born in 1973 near Dublin, Ireland. In 1983 he ______________________
(become) seriously ill. While he ______________________ (recover) his uncle
______________________ (give) him an old violin. He ______________________ (enjoy)
playing and ______________________ (practise) at his school every day after lessons. One
day in 1987, John Leaf, the manager of several successful musicians, __________________
(have) a meeting with the headmaster when he ______________________ (hear) Colin
practising. He immediately ______________________ (contact) Colin’s teacher and
______________________ (invite) Colin to appear in one of the concerts he
______________________ (organise) that year. Colin, however, ______________________
(refuse) Leaf’s invitation, because just then he ______________________ (prepare) for
some important school exams. Colin ______________________ (pass) his exams and
________________ (go) to college to study engineering. At college he
__________________ (meet) Kim O’Malley, who ______________________ (study)
chemistry. Kim was also a keen amateur musician. Being students, they
______________________ (rarely + have) much money and they
______________________ (usually + work) as waiters at weekends. One evening in April
1992, while Colin and Kim ______________________ (serve) customers, the manager
______________________ (announce) that there would be no live music in the restaurant
that night as the regular band could not come. Colin and Kim ___________________
(persuade) him to let them play to the customers. Everyone ______________________ (be)
amazed to hear how good they ______________________ (be). Six months later they
______________________ (decide) to leave college because they
_____________________ (earn) so much money as musicians. Their success has
continued ever since.

42
5. Translate

Terwijl ik in bed lag, hoorde ik iemand bewegen in de kamer onder mij. Ik aarzelde een tijdje,
maar werd alsmaar nerveuzer. Uiteindelijk kroop ik de trap af naar mijn studeerkamer en zag
er een man. Hij was mijn bureauladen aan het doorzoeken en zag er erg zenuwachtig uit.
Vlug trok ik mijn regenjas aan, ging door de voordeur naar buiten en stak de straat over naar
het politiebureau. Toen de agent met wachtdienst me zag, vroeg hij of ik me misschien
onpasselijk voelde, en ik vertelde hem over de inbreker.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

43
B. PAST PERFECT / PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

1. Kate is telling Gina about some of the difficulties she had on her wedding day. Write
the verbs in italics in a suitable past perfect form (positive or negative, simple or
progressive). If the verb is already correct, write ‘no change’.

Kate: Well, first of all, I couldn’t get my wedding dress to fit. The dressmaker (1) had made
a mistake in the measurements.
Gina: (2) You had tried it on in the dressmaker’s before that?
Kate: (3) I’d had a first fitting two weeks before, but (4) I had not tried on the final version.
There hadn’t been time. (5) I had made so many other arrangements for the wedding.
Anyway, after my sister (6) had altered the dress with her sewing machine, Dave
phoned to say he couldn’t go ahead with the wedding. He said he wasn’t well. (7)
He’d been sick that morning.
Gina: (8) He had celebrated the night before?
Kate: Oh yes. (9) He had had a good time with some of the men from his work. And I
suppose with all the excitement he (10) had slept well.

(1) ________________________________
(2) ________________________________
(3) ________________________________
(4) ________________________________
(5) ________________________________
(6) _________________________________
(7) _________________________________
(8) ________________________________
(9) ________________________________
(10) ________________________________

C. SIMPLE PAST / PAST PERFECT (SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS)

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.

1. He ___________________ (give) me back the book, ________________ (thank) me for

lending it to him and __________________ (say) he ___________ (enjoy) it very much;
but I ___________________ (know) that he ________________________ (not + read) it
because most of the pages ________________________ (be) still uncut.

44
2. When he ________________________ (see) his wife off at the station, he
________________________ (return) home as he ______________________ (not +
have) to be at the airport till 9.30. He _______________________ (not + have) to pack,
for his wife ________________________ (already + do) that for him and his case
________________________ (be) ready in the hall. He ______________________ (not
+ have) to check the doors and the windows either, for his wife
______________________ (always + do) that before she ________________________
(leave) the house. All he ______________________ (have) to do
______________________ (be) to decide whether or not to take his overcoat with him. In
the end he ________________________ (decide) not to and _______________ (leave)
just wearing a t-shirt.

3. At 8.30 he ________________________ (pick) up his case,

________________________ (go) out of the house and ______________________
(slam) the door behind him. Then he ______________________ (feel) in his pockets for
the key, for his wife ______________________ (remind) him to double-lock the front
door. When he _______________________ (search) all his pockets and
_______________________ (find) no key he ________________________ (remember)
where it ______________________ (be). He ______________________ (leave) it in his
overcoat pocket. Then he ______________________ (remember) something else; his
passport and tickets ______________________ (be) in his overcoat as well.

4. When the old lady _________________ (return) to her flat she __________________
(see) at once that burglars ______________________ (break in) during her absence,
because the front door _______________________ (be) open and everything in the flat
________________________ (be) upside down. The burglars themselves
________________________ (be) no longer there, but they probably
______________________ (only just + leave) because a cigarette was still burning on an
ornamental table. Probably they ______________________ (hear) the lift coming up and
______________________ (run) down the fire escape. They ______________________
(help) themselves to her whisky too but there ______________________ (be) a little left,
so she ______________________ (pour) herself out a drink. She
______________________ (wonder) if they ______________________ (find) her
jewellery and rather ______________________ (hope) that they
______________________ (have). The jewellery, which in fact she did not really like
______________________ (give) her by her aunt, who ______________________ (die)
some years before.

45
2. Use the simple past or the past perfect.

The worst holiday of my life

Last year I _________________ (have) the worst holiday of my life. I
____________________ (book) a hotel near the beach in Florida.

The problems ______________________ (begin) before the plane

______________________ (even + take off). The departure lounge __________________
(be) very hot and I ______________________ (be up) since five o’clock that morning, so I
__________________ (decide) to close my eyes and have a short nap. Suddenly I
____________________ (wake up) to find the lounge __________________ (be) empty.
Everyone ____________________ (go). I ____________________ (rush) to the departure
gate and _________________________ (only just + be) in time to catch the plane.

When the plane ____________________ (land), we ______________________ (take +

passive) straight to the hotel. As soon as I ___________________ (get) to my room I
_________________ (go) to bed. I _______________________ (just + fall) asleep when I
____________________ (wake + passive) by the disco downstairs starting up. It
__________________ (be) very loud and ____________________ (go on) until 3 a.m. I
__________________ (be) still tired when I ____________________ (get up) the next
morning. I ____________________ (decide) to sit by the swimming pool and relax in the
sun. Because I ______________________ (not + sleep) very well, I
______________________ (nod off) in my chair. When I ____________________ (wake up)
two hours later I ____________________ (find) that my back and shoulders
__________________ (be) red because I ____________________ (stay) too long in the
sun.

That evening, when I ____________________ (recover) a bit from my sunburn, I

____________________ (go out) to a fish restaurant.

D. SIMPLE PAST / PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT

1. Put the verbs in brackets into their correct form, using a simple past or a
present/past perfect. Pay special attention to the meaning differences where more
than one answer is possible.

1. This year the cost of living (rise)____________ to a new peak.

2. You’d better not drive. You (already drink)____________ quite a lot.
3. Last year the Government (introduce)____________ new legislation.

46
4. Yesterday the police (catch)____________ a thief in Fleet Street, but
I (not hear)____________ anything more about the event so far.
5. It (be)____________ only last week that I (tell)____________ you not to breathe a word
about that matter and yet I (hear)____________ from a colleague what you
(say)____________ about it to him.
6. The mayor (leave)____________ before we (have)____________ time to discuss the
problems thoroughly.
7. He (ring)____________ me up a few minutes ago to let me know that he
(buy)____________ a new car but that he (pass)____________ not his driving test yet.
8. The eldest Jones girl (take)____________ the exam three times and (fail)____________[
every time.
9. Danny (work)____________ hard on his land last week and (not yet finish)____________
the work of sowing and planting.
10. Time and again Eric (tell)____________ me that his teacher (think)____________his
pupils (be)____________ stupid.
11. On the first of June we (arrive)____________ in York and we (be)____________ due to
be back in Hull exactly one week later.

2. Same exercise.

1. In his last letter to her he (write)____________ how sorry he (feel)____________ that

she (leave)____________ America.
2. During our summer vacation last year we (mean)____________ to visit our friends in
Norwich, but owing to circumstances everything (be)____________ abandoned.
3. Why (she fry)____________ the fish? She (fry)____________ it because I
(ask)____________ her to do so.
4. That night Dinah (make)____________ her way through the bedroom,
(fling)____________ herself on the dreadful bed, and (weep)____________.
5. While Mrs Day (attempt)____________ to stem the blood flowing from his battered face,
he (stride)____________ across the courtyard to where his comrade (lie)____________
, now surrounded by interested bystanders. At 5am on Tuesday 4 April 1899, PC John
Charlton, popular village constable, loving husband and father of four young children,
(pass away)____________ without regaining consciousness.
6. Media Action, formerly known as Forth Action, is the social action broadcasting team
attached to the two Radio Forth group stations, Max-Am and RFM. Over the past 12
years, Media Action (broadcast)____________ on a wide range of health issues. In the
first few years, these campaigns (deal with)____________ topics such as mental health,
alcohol abuse, health and fitness, eating disorders and HIV/AIDS.

47
7. The church (lie)_____________ in ruins since its destruction, a potent reminder of the
virtual razing of Dresden during World War II. Over the past two years the debate
(veer)____________ between consolidating the remains as a war memorial and
reconstructing the church (see The Art Newspaper No. 9, June 1991, p.14).
8. Between the wars the Longhorn (become)____________ valued for its large size and
late maturity but after the Second World War the fashion in Britain (swing)____________
to smaller, earlier maturing breeds. Recently the trend (swing)____________ back in
favour of large carcasses and the Longhorn, able to make meat from grass and hardy
enough to live out without pampering, is ready for the challenge.

3. Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or simple past tense.

1. ______________________ (you + wear) your hair long when you _________________

(be) at school? Yes, my mother ______________________ (insist) on it.

2. But when I ______________________ (leave) school I ______________________ (cut)

my hair and ______________________ (wear) it short ever since.

3. Shakespeare ______________________ (write) a lot of plays.

My brother ____________________ (write) several plays. He _____________________
(just + finish) his second tragedy.

4. I can’t go out because I ______________________ (not + finish) my work.

5. I ______________________ (not + know) that you ______________________ (to be)

here. ______________________ (you + be) here long?
Yes, I ______________________ (be) here two months.
______________________ (you + be) to the Cathedral?
Yes, I ______________________ (go) there last Sunday.

6. We can’t go ahead with the meeting because very few people

______________________ (show) any interest.

7. How long ____________________________________ (that horrible monument + be)

there? It ______________________ (be) there for six months. Lots of people
______________________ (write) to the Town Council asking them to take it away but
so far nothing ______________________ (be) done.

8. ______________________ (you + like) your last job?

I ______________________ (like) it at first but then I ______________________
(quarrel) with my employer and he ______________________ (dismiss) me.
How long ______________________ (you + be) there?
I ______________________ (be) there for two weeks.

48
9. ______________________ (you + ever + try) to give up smoking?
Yes, I ______________________ (try) last year, but then I ______________________
(find) that I was getting fat so I ______________________ (start) again.

10. Science ______________________ (make) many major advances this century.

Scientists ______________________ (make) some fundamental discoveries in the 18th
century.
The French revolution ______________________ (influence) every popular radical
movement in Europe since 1800.
Scientists ______________________ (discover) that, all over the world, millions of frogs
are dying.
Chinese craftsmen ______________________ (invent) both paper and printing.
The research is now complete and the experiment ______________________ (be) a
success.

11. Thompson ______________________ (make) 13 films and I think her latest is the best.
Thompson ______________________ (make) 13 films before she was tragically killed in
a car accident.

12. Since Mr Obama ______________________ (become) president, both taxes and

unemployment ______________________ (increase).

4. Alex wants to go to an art college and is being interviewed by Tom Smith, one of the
lecturers. Complete the conversation.

Tom: Right, Alex, let’s find out something about you. You’re obviously not a teenager, so
when ______________________ (you + leave) school?
Alex: Five years ago, actually.
Tom: And where ______________________ (you + be) since then?
Alex: Well, I ______________________ (have) several jobs.
Tom: What ______________________ (you + do) first?
Alex: I ______________________ (work) in a café for about a year. I needed to save some
money.
Tom: Why ______________________ (you + need) money?
Alex: I ______________________ (want) to travel a bit before I _____________________
(start) studying.
Tom: Where ______________________ (you + want) to go?
Alex: Well, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia –
Tom: Good Lord! And ______________________ (you + be) to all those places?

49
Alex: No, not yet. I ______________________ (be) to Brazil and Peru so far. And I
______________________ (spend) some months in Turkey last year.
Tom: What ______________________ (you + do) there?
Alex: I ___________________ (stay) with some friends near Izmir. It _________________
(be) wonderful.
Tom: You’re very lucky. And now you want to come to college. ______________________
(you + bring) some pictures to show me?
Alex: Um, yes, I have a small portfolio here.
Tom: Where ______________________ (you + do) this work?
Alex: Mostly in Turkey.
Tom: Why ______________________ (not + you + do) any in South America?
Alex: I ______________________ (not + have) time really. And I was travelling light, I
______________________ (just + do) some pencil sketches.

5. Complete the passage below, using the correct form of the verb in brackets (simple
past or present perfect, passive or active).

The Olympic Games

The original Olympic Games ______________________ (begin) around 800 BC in Ancient
Greece and, ______________________ (continue) until they ______________________
(be) abolished by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in AD 393. The first modern Olympics
______________________ (take place) in Athens in 1896, and since then, more than a
dozen different countries ______________________ (stage) the Summer Olympics. The
cities of Paris, London, Berlin and Los Angeles ______________________ (stage) the
Olympics twice.
In 1956, Australia ______________________ (become) the first country outside Europe and
America to stage the Olympics, while Mexico ______________________ (be) the first Latin
American country to stage the Olympics, in 1968. Many of the greatest athletes in the world
______________________ (take part) in the Olympic Games, but no one
______________________ (equal) the achievements of the great Finnish athlete, Paavo
Nurmi, who between 1920 and 1928 ______________________ (win) nine gold and three
silver medals.
The Olympic Games ______________________ (see) many tragedies and triumphs. For
example, in the marathon of 1908, the little Italian, Dorando Pietri,
______________________ (collapse) five times in the last part of the race, but
______________________ (come) first – only to be disqualified because spectators
______________________ (help) him over the finishing line. And in 1936, the famous black

50
American athlete Jesse Owens, ______________________ (break) six world records in a
single day, a record which (break -not) ____________ since then.
From the first modern Olympics in Athens, when only fourteen countries
______________________ (participate), the Olympics ______________________ (grow) to
include over 140 countries. Gold, silver and bronze medals ______________________ (go)
to over 8,000 men and women.

E. MIXED TENSES: SIMPLE PRESENT, PRESENT PROGRESSIVE, SIMPLE PAST,

PAST PROGRESSIVE

1. Put the verbs in the correct tense, simple present, present continuous, simple past
or past continuous.

Adam: Hello, Mike. What______________________ (you + do) in this part of London?

Mike: Well, actually, I ______________________ (look) at flats round here.
Adam: Flats? ______________________ (you + want) to move?
Mike: Yes, in fact, believe it or not, Mandy and I ______________________ (get) married.
Adam: That’s great! Congratulations. When ______________________ (you + decide)?
Mike: Only last week. It _____________________ (be) while we
_______________________ (stay) with Mandy’s family in Scotland. Now we
________________________ (try) to find a suitable flat.
Adam: It’ll be great to have you as neighbours. I hope you manage to buy one soon.
Mike: Oh we ________________________ (not + look) for one to buy. We
_____________________ (not + have) enough money yet. We
___________________ (want) to find somewhere to rent.
Adam: Yes, of course. That’s what we ______________________ (do) at first. Actually, in
the end, my brother ______________________ (lend) us some money. That’s how
we ______________________ (manage) to buy ours.
Mike: Really? Perhaps I’ll talk to my family before we ________________________
(choose) a flat.
Adam: That’s not a bad idea. My family _______________________ (give) us quite a lot of
helpful advice. Now, what about a coffee? There’s a good place just around the
corner.
Mike: Oh, yes, I ______________________ (look) for somewhere to sit down when I
______________________ (bump) into you. Let’s go.
Adam: By the way, that is a nice hat.
Mike: I know, but unfortunately it ______________________ (not + belong) to me.
______________________ (I+ just + borrow) it for a few days.

51
2. Fill the gaps in this letter with suitable verbs. Use the present simple or continuous,
or the past simple or continuous.

Dear Anita,

Thank you for your entertaining letter, which ______________________ yesterday. I

______________________ to feel much better now although my leg still________________
if I ______________________ too far. Last weekend I ______________________ some
friends who ______________________ their summer holidays just up the road from here.
They’re very nice – I hope you’ll meet them when you come here next month. I
______________________ to their house quite easily, but while I______________________
home, my leg ______________________ to ache really badly. So this week I
______________________ more careful.

I’m very pleased you ______________________ to find that book about Indian music that
you ______________________ for. I ______________________ some cassettes you can
borrow if you ______________________.

I must stop now, because I ______________________ rather tired. Please write again soon
and send me some books.

With much love,

Alice

3. Complete each sentence with a suitable form of the verb given. Use the present
simple or continuous, or the past simple or continuous.

1. What have you put in this sauce? It ______________________ (taste) absolutely

disgusting.

2. Why ______________________ (you + wear) that thin dress? You’ll freeze to death in
this cold wind!

3. Look! ______________________ (you + see) that man standing beside the cash desk?
I’m sure he ______________________ (plan) to steal something.

4. Molly ______________________ (be) fed up because she ______________________

(injure) her ankle when she ______________________ (jog) this morning, so she can’t
dance.

5. Would you like to go to the cinema? They ______________________ (give) two tickets
for the price of one this afternoon.

6. I’d like to go and see a horror film. How about it?

Definitely not. You know I ______________________ (have) nightmares when I
______________________ (see) horror films. We ______________________ (go) to
see one last year and by the end I ______________________ (shake) with terror.

52
7. As a historian, I ________________ (be) interested in how people
___________________ (live) in the past.

8. What’s the matter with John? He ______________________ (look) awful.

9. The reason I ______________________ (get) fat is that I ______________________

(always + taste) things while I______________________ (cook).

10. Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ve spilt some tea. Where ______________________ (you + keep) the
paper towels?

11. The children ______________________ (love) having Jean stay with us.

F. MIXED TENSES. PAST / PRESENT / PERFECT TENSES

1. Explain the use of the simple past, present perfect and past perfect tenses in the
text. In one case the present perfect progressive/continuous is used. Why?

ASSUNTA: PANIC AFTER QUAKE

UPI/REUTER. Assunta Island has lived through many earthquakes, but the one that hit it
last Friday was particularly devastating. It has left some 5,000 people homeless (on a
population of 12,500), and although the damage done has not been officially assessed yet, it
is certain to run into billions of dollars.

It is the first time since 1870 that the capital, Assunta City, has been severely hit.

Tremors had been felt throughout Thursday, but the giant blow came early on Friday, a few
minutes past five (local time). Water and electricity supplies were cut off and have not been
restored yet. There have been reports of looting and people have been warned to cook
drinking water before use. Many people spent last night in the open, some because they
were roofless, others because they were afraid of further tremors.

The general atmosphere is one of panic. Two hundred people have been waiting at Assunta
Airport since Friday afternoon, hoping for a flight to the mainland.

2. Use the appropriate past/present/perfect tenses.

1. If you (be) __________________________ to Scotland you will know that the Scots are
very hospitable.
2. Since I (have) ___________________________ anti-freeze put in the radiator, it (leak)
__________________________ incessantly. Yesterday I (try)
_______________________ using chewing-gum to stop the stuff escaping, but it (not
make) ____________________________ any difference.
3. Never before (I, watch) _________________________ a sillier show.

53
4. Judith (go to see) ___________________________ another James Bond film in London.
This (be) ___________________________ the third JB film that she (see)
_____________________________________ in two weeks' time.
(You, see) ____________________________ the latest James Bond? Oh, yes, I (see)
___________________________ it at the Odeon.
5. Look at my brushes! What (you, do) ________________________ with them? I (have)
______________________ over a dozen apprentices in all those years but you (be)
______________________ the first that (make) _______________________ such a
mess of things!
6. A new ceasefire (agree) _________________________ in Bosnia. It (now, be)
__________________________ five weeks since the Serbs and the Muslims (declare)
________________________ another truce but fighting (go
on)____________________________ all the time.

3. Explain the use of the tenses in the conversation below.

James: That was splendid, Geoffrey. I haven't eaten so well for a long time.

Geoffrey (pompously): Well, I've never had any reason to complain of Margaret's cooking.
We went out to dinner a few days ago to celebrate our wedding anniversary but, to be
honest, I'd much rather have stayed at home.

James: How long have you been married?

Geoffrey: Thirteen years. It's a funny thing. I used to have a shocking memory for dates and
that sort of thing, but Margaret's done quite a good job on me over the years. It's ages since I
forgot her birthday or anything like that. But the extraordinary thing is that I could easily have
married someone else, someone quite different.

James: Really? You've never told me about that.

Geoffrey: oh, yes. Let me fill your glass, old chap. Well, I've always had an eye for girls.
When I first met Margaret, I was knocking about with a girl called Karen Stewart - a redhead,
actually. Margaret's family had just moved into the house next door to me and I'd ask her out
now and then. Usually it would be a Thursday because Karen was never free that evening.

One week, I must have asked her out for Thursday as usual. She was going to meet me
outside the cinema in the West End. Well, I was on the point of leaving the office when Karen
rang. She was free and without thinking - I don't suppose I remembered it was Thursday - I
asked her out - to the same film! It wasn't until I was on my way to the cinema that I realised
Margaret would be there, too. So I went into a coffee bar opposite and waited for them to
arrive and for one of them to give up in disgust. Karen left first. So I crossed the road and told
Margaret I'd been held up. A few months later I proposed to her.

(From: W.S. Fowler, Proficiency English)

54
4. Translate

1. Heeft de minister van financiën het over de loonmatiging gehad toen hij de pers toesprak?

(Est ce que le ministre des finances a parlé des restrictions salariales quand il s'est
adressé à la presse?)

(¿El Ministro de Hacienda habló de la moderación salarial al dirigirse a la prensa?)

(Говорил ли министр финансов о сдерживании роста зарплаты, когда он

выступал перед прессой? )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. 't Is jaren geleden dat ik je nog gezien heb! Ik heb je eigenlijk niet meer gezien sedert de
dag dat we samen naar Brighton gefietst zijn.

(Cela fait des années qu'on ne s'est pas vu! En fait je ne t'ai plus revu depuis ce jour
quand nous avons fait notre promenade à vélo à Brighton ensemble.)

(¡Cuantos años sin verte! En realidad no te volví a ver desde el dia en que fuimos
juntos en bicicleta hasta Brighton.)

(Прошло много лет с тех пор, как я последний раз видел тебя. Собственно
говоря, мы не виделись с того дня, когда мы вместе ездили в Брайтон на
велосипеде. )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Hij beweert dat hij in een bed gelegen heeft waar Shakespeare ooit in geslapen heeft.

(Il affirme qu'il s’est allongé sur un lit où Shakespeare a dormi)

(Afirma que ha estado tumbado en una cama en la que una vez durmió
Shakespeare)

(Он утверждает, что он лежал в кровати, в которой когда-то спал Шекспир. )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

55
4. Kijk! De straten en de huizen - alles is wit! Het heeft gesneeuwd!

(Regarde! Les rues et les maisons - tout est blanc! Il a neigé!)

(¡Mira! Las calles y las casas: todo está blanco. Ha nevado.)

(Смотри! Улицы и дома – все белое. Шел снег! )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

5. Het is tijd dat we naar huis gaan. Sinds we naar die repetities zijn beginnen komen, zijn
we al elke avond laat thuis geweest.

(Il est temps qu'on rentre. Depuis qu'on a commencé à venir à ces répétitions, nous
rentrons tard chaque soir.)

(Ya es la hora de que vayamos a casa. Desde que empezamos a assistir a los
ensayos, cada noche regresamos tarde a casa.)

(Пора идти домой. С тех пор, как мы начали ходить на эти репетиции, мы
каждый вечер поздно приходим домой. )

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

56
III. MIXED TENSES

1. Fill in the most appropriate form (tense, aspect, voice) of the verbs between
brackets. All sentences are examples of formal language. Change the word order if
necessary, paying particular attention to short words. Do not add any other words.

1. Since 1987, the Comité Colbert (to organize)____________ a yearly contest, and this
year, more than a hundred candidates have enrolled.
2. Spartak G Akhmetov (to elect)____________ mayor of Sterlitamak in 1988 on an
environmental platform.
3. A boorish good old boy, Williams’s locker-room humour finally (to begin)____________ to
make the public uneasy.
4. He told reporters that priests (to authorize)____________ to perform two exorcisms in his
archdiocese over the past year.
5. (to lay)____________ the books on the table there!
6. You saw him ten minutes ago. (you + tell)____________ him?
7. Before he came here his courage (to try)____________ severely.
8. The accident (to occur)____________ when he lifted the ladder.
9. A few years ago, a surge of environmental politics (to arise)____________ to challenge
the obvious culprit of the disaster.
10. To the north and east, careless processing of nuclear fuel (to poison)____________
huge tracts of land for generations, so it is normal that the population wants to migrate.
11. She donated all the money that she (to raise)____________ the two previous days.
12. Exorcisms (not to conduct)____________ unless psychological or medical possibilities
are first ruled out as explanations for extreme behaviour.
13. Since it is generally accepted that the poll tax is incapable of reform, Mr Heseltine (to
examine)____________ (still) alternative systems, mostly based on property values.
14. (not to lie)____________ in bed all morning!
15. Suddenly, he (to fancy)____________ he heard footsteps behind him.
16. (you + to rehearse)____________ all evening last Friday?

2. Fill in the blanks with a correct form of the verb between brackets.

The fruits of an unusual example of Anglo-French co-operation can be seen at the Design
Museum in London from September 25 to October 14. Fourteen original fashion, textile,
product and graphic designs by British art students (be)____________ on display; all
winners of a competition set by some of France’s most famous companies.

57
The firms (be)____________ members of the Comité Colbert, an organisation that
(provide)____________ a common voice for 70 of the best-known names in luxury retailing.
Despite the fact that they (manufacture)____________ and (sell)____________ widely
differing products, companies such as Champagne Bollinger, Chanel, Hermès, Hotel Ritz
and Van Cleef & Arpels together (represent)____________ 47 per cent of the worldwide-
trade in luxury goods.
Their combined income (be)____________ £2.7 billion last year. An increase of about 25 per
cent on 1988. The Comité Colbert (ensure)____________ that the companies
(play)____________ by the same rules, and that they (be)____________ as one in the
promotion of what the French call l’Art de Vivre.
Since 1987, it (organise)____________ a yearly contest, Comité Colbert Promotions, for
students of art and design. In past years, this (set)____________ in French art schools and
at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. This year, the Comité
(approach)____________ British art schools. Fourteen companies set a brief to design
products that (reflect)____________ their corporate characters. Hermès, with its outdoor,
horsy image, (ask)____________ for a picnic hamper while Nina Ricci, the fashion house,
(request)____________ an haute couture cocktail or evening dress.
(The European, Weekend, Sept. 28-30, 1990)
But this is a game of high stakes — the theme park so far (cost)____________ £250 million
— and, judging by the roller-coaster performance of the share price on the Paris Bourse,
Euro Disney is by no means certain it (put)____________ its money on a winner.

3. Use the most appropriate verb form in the following sentences.

1. I (feel)____________ much better ever since I (give up)____________

(smoke)____________. At one time I (smoke)____________ twenty cigarettes a day. It
(be)____________ now well over six months since I last (touch)____________ one.
2. The bricklayers (go)____________ on strike yesterday. When I (look)____________ out
of the window, they (all + stand)____________ about in the street with their hands in their
pockets. They (wait)____________ for the mass meeting that (take)____________ place
that afternoon.
3. While I (lie)____________ in bed, I (hear)____________ someone moving in the room
below. I (creep)____________ downstairs and (see)____________ a man there. He
(look)____________ through the drawers of my desk.. He (look)____________ very
nervous.

58
4. Use the most appropriate verb form in the following sentences.

1. - What (your father + do)____________ for a living?

- He (run)____________ a publishing firm.
- It (do)____________ well?
- Oh yes. The reading public (get)____________ bigger and bigger, you know. The firm
(sell)____________ about three hundred thousand paperbacks every year.
2. When the clock (strike)____________ one and Brian still (not arrive)____________ I
(begin) ____________to wonder if he (meet)____________ with an accident.
3. It (be)____________ October now. Three months (pass)____________ since the
preceding scene. The refreshment room (be)____________ empty except for Myrtle, who
(bend)____________ down to put coal into the stove. (Noel Coward, Still Life, Scene III).

5. Mixed Tenses: Fill in the correct form

1. Sam_________________________ (not + receive) the parcel the last time

I________________________ (speak) to him.

2. I_____________________ (consider) buying a house but now I____________________

(change) my mind.

3. I______________________ (hope) to meet you ever since I______________________

(read) your first novel.

4. We had a terrible time looking after your dog. It_________________________

(constantly + chase) the cats next door.

5. John Cage’s professional career as a composer really _____________________ (not +

begin) until 1938 – the year he ______________________ (organize) a percussion
ensemble at the Cornish School in Seattle. However, he ________________________
(compose) for about six years prior to this, most of that time as a student of various
teachers. While these early compositions ______________________ (be) only of
passing interest, the story of how Cage _____________________ (come) to be a
composer _____________________ (need) to be presented here, if only briefly.

6. After the service at the funeral home, after we____________________ (move) outside,
some woman _____________________ (come) over to me and said, “He
______________________ (be) happier where he ____________________ (be) now.” I
_____________________ (stare) at this woman until she _____________________
(move) away. I ____________________ (still + remember) the little knob of a hat
she______________________ (wear). Then one of my dad’s cousins
__________________ (reach) out and ___________________ (take) my hand.

59
6. Mixed tenses. Complete the conversation. Choose the correct form.

Sarah: How______________________ (you + get on) in your new job, Nick?

Nick: Oh, so you ______________________ (know) about my job as a car salesman.
Sarah: David ______________________ (tell) me yesterday.
Nick: Well, I _____________________ (not + be) in the job long. I __________________
(start) on Monday.
Sarah: And how many cars ______________________ (you + sell) so far?
Nick: Well, none yet. Give me a chance. Up to now I ______________________ (learn) all
the time.
Sarah: David says you ______________________ (have) a sports car once.
Nick: I ________________ (still + have) it. I ______________________ (have) it for about
five years. I _________________ (not + often + drive) it because I -
____________________ (not + like) getting it dirty. Normally I ________________
(ride) my motor bike. And the car ______________________ (be) expensive to run. I
______________________ (buy) it on impulse. I ______________________ (work)
on a building site at the time. For several months before I ___________________
(buy) it, I ______________________ (do) overtime, and when I
______________________ (earn) enough to buy a car, it______________________
(be) a really magical moment. Maybe you’d like a ride in it some time?
Sarah: Oh, yes please. That would be lovely.

7. Put each verb in brackets into an appropriate tense.

Farmers, as we ______________________ (all + know), ______________________ (have)

a hard time of it in Britain lately, and ______________________ (turn) to new ways of
earning income from their land. This ______________________ (not only + involve) planting
new kinds of crops, but some strange ways of making money, the most unusual of which has
got to be sheep racing. Yes, you ______________________ (hear) me correctly. A farmer in
the West of England ______________________ (now + hold) sheep races on a regular
basis, and during the past year over 100,000 people ______________________ (turn) up to
watch the proceedings. ‘I ______________________ (pass) the farm on my way to the sea
for a holiday,’ one punter told me,’ and I ______________________ (think) I’d have a look. I
______________________ (not + believe) it was serious, to tell you the truth.’ According to a
regular visitor, betting on sheep is more interesting than betting on horses. ‘At proper horse
races everyone ______________________ (already + study) the form of the horses in
advance, and there are clear favourites. But nobody ______________________ (hear)
anything about these sheep! Most people ______________________ (find) it difficult to tell

60
one from another in any case.’ I ______________________ (stay) to watch the races, and I
must admit that I ______________________ (find) it quite exciting. In a typical race, half a
dozen sheep ______________________ (race) downhill over a course of about a mile. Food
______________________ (wait) for them at the other end of the track, I ought to add! The
sheep ______________________ (run) surprisingly fast, although presumably they
______________________ (not + eat) for a while just to give them some motivation. At any
rate, the crowd around me ______________________ (obviously + enjoy) their day out at
the races, judging by their happy faces and the sense of excitement.

8. Complete the following news report. Fill in the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Soldiers _____________________________ (desperately + fight) a fire that

_________________________ (start) 13 days ago on the largest of the Galapagos islands.
The island _________________________ (be) the last home of a rare species of giant
tortoise. Helicopters _________________________ (lift) tortoises to safety since Monday but
the operation _________________________ (be) very slow because the animals
_________________________ (weigh) over 250 kg. The tortoises can live for up to 200
years and it _________________________ (be) therefore quite possible that some
individuals _________________________ (live) on the island since 1835 when Charles
Darwin, famous for his theory of evolution, _________________________ (visit) it.

9. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable tense.

Cartoon character

Asterix the Gaul _________________________ (conquer) most of the world. The brave
warrior and his big friend Obelix _________________________ (delight) millions of comic-
reading children and adults from all over the world for more than 30 years. Only Americans
_________________________ (so far + resist) their charms and the latest film, appropriately
called ‘Asterix Conquers America’, _________________________ (hope) to do just that. 162
million people _________________________ (see) the six cartoon films, set in Roman
times, that ________________________ (make) to date.

The cartoon books, set in Roman times, _________________________ (write + and + draw)
by the French duo of Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny and _________________________
(first + publish) in the 1960s. Since then they _________________________ (sell) more than
200 copies world wide and _________________________ (appear) in over 200 languages.

61
10. Same exercise.

Telephone conversation

Tom: Could I speak to Ann, please?

Ann: Ann speaking.
Tom: Tom here. Where __________________________ (you + be), Ann? I
________________________ (try) to get on to you for the last half hour.
__________________________ (not + you + leave) your office at 5.00?

Ann: Yes, I ____________________ but today I ______________________ (go) shopping

and ______________________ (only just + get) in. It __________________ (be) nice
to hear your voice, Tom. I _____________________ (not + know) you
__________________ (be) in London.

Tom: I ______________________ (only + arrive) this morning. I would have rung you
before but I ____________________ (be) terribly busy all day covering a conference.
It _______________________ (only just + end). _______________________ (you +
do) anything tonight, Ann?

Ann: Yes, I ____________________ (go) to the theatre.

Tom: But that _________________ (be) terrible! I ____________________ (only + be)

here for one night!

Ann: I _________________ (be) sorry, Tom. If you ____________________ (tell) me you

______________________ (come up), I would have kept the evening free. But you
______________________ (tell) me.

11. Same exercise.

(1) Corpus linguistics

In the past several years, on-line corpora and analysis tools ___________________
(become) increasingly accessible, and corpus-based studies ___________________
(become) increasingly common. However, many aspects of corpus-based research
________________ (remain) mysterious for readers, since research articles can rarely afford
the space to discuss methodological considerations or analytical procedures in complete
detail. In addition, researchers ___________________ (just now + learn) how to fully exploit
the resources of representative text corpora, and as a result, they ___________________
(also + become) aware of the many research questions that can be investigated through
corpus-based research. For these reasons, we __________________ (see) the need for a
textbook such as this one: presenting explicit discussions of the methodological issues and
techniques used in corpus-based work, with a primary emphasis on the interesting
investigations of language use possible through this approach.

62
(2) Recognition, at last!
Following the recognition earlier this year of Cornish, a Celtic language spoken by about 300
enthusiasts in the extreme south-west of England, a far more widespread minority language
_______________________ (at last + win) recognition from the British government. British
Sign Language (BSL) __________________ (be) the preferred means of communication for
about 70,000 people.
Until now, users of BSL ______________________ (have) no right to public support. In
some cases, they _________________________ (even + discriminate) against, some
education authorities outlawing its use by children in school. The new ruling
__________________ (mean) that these authorities ____________________ (require) by
law to provide better opportunities for deaf children to learn communication skills. In principle,
it ____________________ (also + mean) that monolingual users of BSL should have access
to interpretation services in medical consultations, job interviews, court cases and other
public settings. However, this ____________________________ (just + not + happen) for a
while yet, for the simple reason that there _________________ (be) only 182 fully qualified
BSL-English interpreters in Britain.

(3) Making babies

Doctors ______________________ (try) for centuries to improve on nature’s way of
perpetuating the human species. The first successful artificial insemination
_____________________ (take) place in 1970. And since 1978, when the world’s first test-
tube baby ________________________ (bear), researchers ______________________
(assemble) a battery of medicines and high-tech procedures that
________________________ (to transform + utterly) the treatment of infertility. More than
33,000 babies _______________________ (bear) in the U.S. thanks to in-vitro fertilization,
or IVF-nearly 7,000 in 1994 alone. IVF, fertility drugs and other techniques
______________________________ (revolutionize + in short) conception. And the
revolution __________________ (be) far from over. In the R.B.A. (Reproductive Biology
Associates) laboratories and in a handful of other research labs around the world, scientists
______________________ (push) the technology of assisted reproduction even further,
offering new hope to childless couples and new opportunity to women who
______________________ (want) to postpone childbearing.

63
(4) Newborn
The moment a newborn ____________________ (open) its eyes, discovery
____________________ (begin). I ____________________ (learn) this with a laugh after
delivering a calf. When it ____________________ (lift) up its fluffy head and
____________________ (look) at me, its eyes ____________________ (hold) the absolute
bewilderment of the newly born. A moment before it ____________________ (enjoy) the
black nowhere of the womb, and suddenly its world ____________________ (be) full of
colour, movement and noise. I ____________________ (never + see) anything so shocked
to be alive.

(5) Proust
A new generation of readers ______________________ (fall) under the powerful spell cast
by Marcel Proust’s 3,000-page masterpiece “A la recherche du temps perdu”. C.K. Scott
Montcrieff’s durable translation, fully revised and updated by D.J. Enright,
______________________ (sell) well. Proust reading groups ___________________ (be)
fashionable in London and New York. Harold Pinter’s screenplay in 1972 but
______________________ (never + film) ______________________ (publish) in America
for the first time. In France, the definitive Pléiade edition of La recherche, as the novel
_______________________ (know) to its fans, ______________________ (appear) in
1989. It ____________________ (weigh in), with its expanded scholarly apparatus, at
__________________________ 7,000 pages:
__________________________________________ . At the other end of the spectrum, a
comic-strip version of the first volume ____________________________________
______________________ (sell) 12,000 copies in just three weeks.

(6) Bubble
When The Economist ____________________ (describe) America’s economy as a bubble in
April 1998 and ____________________ (advise) Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve’s
chairman to raise interest rates to pop it, many people _____________________ (dismiss)
our warnings. Today, the Dow Jones _______________________ (be) even higher than it
___________________ (be), the economy ____________________ (enjoy) robust growth
and the core rate of consumer-price inflation ____________________ (fall) to a 33-year low.
So ____________________ (we + be) wrong?

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(7) Japan
The Japanese prime minister ____________________ (visit) Washington on 15 June:: the
trip _____________________ (mark) another stage in his ritual face-saving exit. Meanwhile,
the economy ____________________ (teeter) on the brink of recession, with the stock
market reaching its lowest levels for nearly 17 years. Japan desperately
_____________________ (need) someone to lead it out of its decade-long economic crisis,
but none of the likely candidates for prime minister ____________________ (inspire) much
confidence.

(8) The rebirth of Italian film

Forget Italy’s minister of culture, who says his country’s films ___________________ (stink).
A new generation of Italian directors _____________________ (emerge) that
______________________ (recall) the golden age of neo-realism 50 years ago, and some
film makers who ___________________ (come) to the fore then or soon after
___________________ (stage) remarkable comebacks. Luciano Emmer, who
____________ (be) 84, ______________________ (just + make) his first film in ten years,
while in “Il mestiere delle armi” (“The Profession of Arms”), the 70-year-old Ermanno Olmi
____________________ (deliver) one of the most majestic pictures of his career.

Nanni Moretti, who __________________ (win) the top prize at the Cannes film festival last
year for “La stanza del figlio” (“The Son’s Room”), ________________ (be) only one of
several promising young Italian directors. No less powerful _______________ (be) Giuseppe
Piccioni. “Chiedi la luna” (“Ask for the Moon”, 1991) and “Fuori dal mondo” (“Not of This
World”, 1999) __________________ (establish) him as a realist with a profoundly human
touch. “Luce dei miei occhi” (“Light of My Eyes”), his latest film, _________________ (be) his
finest so far.

Successful women directors, too, ___________________ (surface) again in Italy. In

“Domani” (“Tomorrow”), Francesca Archibugi ____________________ (offer) a poignant
study of the impact of an earthquake in a small Umbrian town. Though a little soft-centred in
its closing stages, it ____________________ (show) movingly how new love and friendship
can be forged among strangers in adversity.

Mr Olmi, whose first film “Il posto” (“The Job”, 1961), __________________ (be) also in the
neo-realist vein, ____________________ (evolve) into an artist of quite a different order.
“The Profession of Arms” __________________ (be) a 16th-century epic with modern
overtones. In the story of Giovanni Medici, head of the papal army, who

65
__________________ (die) in 1526 of cannon wounds on the banks of the Po, Mr Olmi
___________________ (to find) a portent for the destructive power of warfare today. The
world of war, he ___________________ (seem) to be saying, ____________________
(take) a quantum leap in that period—the kind of blind technological advance in
destructiveness that we ___________________ (become) all too accustomed to. Not since
1974 and Robert Bresson’s “Lancelot du lac” (“Lancelot of the Lake”)
_______________________ (historical film + make) its point with such concentrated power.
On screen, the Italians ________________ (be) back.

(9) Food and mouth

After countries around the world ____________________ (ban) food imports from Europe, a
mass slaughter of farm animals ____________________ (begin) in Britain. As health officials
____________________ (defend) their drastic policy to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth
disease, the debate about the future of intensive farming and cheap food production
____________________ (become) even more intense.

The disease ____________________ (spread) rapidly through the British countryside since
it _____________________ (discover) on 19 February. More than 300 farms
____________________ (confirm) as having foot-and-mouth, including a farm in France
which ________________________ (seem) to have caught the disease from sheep
imported from Britain before a ban ____________________ (impose) on exports and the
movement of animals.

(10) MIT Interfaces

Hiroshi Ishii, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) Media
Lab in Cambridge, Mass., ___________________ (discover) his first personal digital
assistant at the age of two: an abacus. He ________________ (like) its texture, its smooth
feel, the clear “clink” sound it ________________ (make) when the beads
_____________________ (remove). Inspired by that childhood experience, Ishii
_________________________ (devise) ways to make the wealth of digital information inside
computers as tangible and pleasant to the touch as the abacus of his youth. “I
_______________ (want) to use objects that we can touch to manipulate digital information,
to join the richness of the physical world with digital technology”, he ______________ (say).
To this end, Ishii’s Tangible Media Group at M.I.T. ________________________ (develop)
haptic interfaces: programs that _______________ (allow) you to reach out and touch
someone through a computer.

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12. Use the most appropriate verb form in the following sentences.

1. A new screwdriver (invent: passive) ________________________. It (work)

________________________ as follows: you (stick) ________________________ the
screw on one end and (push) ________________________ a button on the other end. It (be)
________________________ the second automatic screw driver of this type that (come)
________________________ on the market since B&D Tools (launch)
________________________ theirs in 1991, but in the few weeks that it (try out: passive)
________________________ since it (be, first) ________________________ on sale, the
new tool (prove) ________________________ to be superior to the previous contraptions.

2. A method (find: passive) ________________________ to breed fish without the use of

water. This (try: passive) ________________________ with little success in the past, until a
Japanese professor (lay down) ________________________ the first principles of
dehydrated aquaria in 1992. Since then, progress (be) ________________________ fast,
and an Oxford team (be finally) ________________________ able to show the first couple of
healthy fish in an empty fish bowl at a press conference earlier this week.

67
IV. EXERCISES ON TENSES: ADVANCED (exam level)

1. Use the appropriate tense and aspect. You may have to use the passive.

1. There was one further consideration, which we _______________________ (to bear) in

mind at all times when we were studying the various possibilities for economic
development.
2. I _______________________ (to dry) clothes on the radiators all winter – don't you hate
that? Can’t wait till it gets warm outside, so I can hang my laundry out in the sun.
3. (From the Daily News.) Wednesday, January 30th 2008, 12:55 PM Russia's most
famous female bodyguard Anna Loginova _______________________ (to slay) in a
shocking carjacking. The glamorous 29-year-old died from head injuries after clinging to
the door handle of her Porsche and being dragged along the street as the carjackers
sped away.
4. My keys were in my house, along with the spare keys that I _______________________
(to lend) to one of the musicians.
5. The three of us were sitting there sobbing and alone with our feelings when the door
_______________________ (to fling) open.
6. We completed the interview while my shoes _______________________(to shine).

2. Put the verbs in brackets in the right tense and aspect. You may have to use the
passive. Don’t forget to provide a position for the accompanying adverb, if any.

1. It _______________________ (say + often) that celebrities

_______________________ (live) life in a bubble.
2. When I _______________________ (get) up to him I _______________________
(think) his eyes _______________________ (look) red and shiny as if
_______________________ (cry). He denied it though.
3. I know she_______________________ (be + just) nice towards him at the moment,
but she really needs to scare him off now, or he’ll just become even more smothering
and stalker-like.
4. She was passing the Hunter's Arms when she _______________________
(remember) that Pascal Le Gros _______________________ (tell + forever) Bill to
seize the future and become a rainbow person.
5. I _______________________ (love) writing since I _______________________
(win) an award in 5th grade for my short story, Journey Through The Dark.
6. Sure, I_______________________ (have) a Smirnoff Ice or 3 by the time we
_______________________ (hit) the club, but I was still sober by my standards.

68
7. Today is my birthday, and it's the first time I _______________________ (see) snow
on my birthday.
8. My husband and I _______________________ (celebrate) our Wedding Anniversary
next week.
9. Don’t you think it’s time you _______________________ (go) to bed, my little one?
10. I _______________________ (live) in New York for ten years, from when I was born
to when I was ten.
11. My great-grandfather’s first wife _______________________ (be) much older than
him; various kings and princes through the ages _______________________ (be)
happy to marry much older queens for their money and armies. In fact, it's surprising that
it's still a surprise. Women have often preferred younger men, and why not, when so
many of these men _______________________ (bring up) by women my age, who
encouraged them to cook, to clean, to care and to chat?

3. Use the appropriate tense. Do not use the progressive, but you may have to use
the passive!

1. She wore faded jeans that _______________________ (to cling) tightly to her thighs.
2. On July 18 1933 the body of Bernadette Soubirous, clothed in a new habit and outfitted
with the wax mask and gloves made for her in Paris by the firm of Pierre Imans,
_______________________ (to bear) to the Hall of Novices on a white stretcher.
3. All but one of the stones were furred at their perimeters and partly on their surfaces with
green weed. Burden was pointing to the only one that looked bare, as if until very
recently it _______________________ (to lie or to lay?) with its exposed area
embedded in the river's gravelly floor. He squatted precariously and lifted the stone in
both hands. Then he eased himself to his feet and scrambled back to Wexford.
4. In percentage terms, Russia's economy _______________________ (to shrink) by a
larger amount in the 1990s than the American economy during the Great Depression.
5. In the pocket of her coat, she found the flier that the Salvation Army woman
_______________________ (to thrust) into her hand. It was badly printed on cheap
stock, and the letters were smeared where her fingers had rubbed them.
6. Technically, Mountain House is a state-formed community services district, which means
it has some infrastructure, including water, and it collects property taxes. The high water
bills, which result in part from the costs to build the necessary infrastructure,
_______________________ (to offset) by lower housing costs, Sensibaugh said.

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4. Put the verbs in brackets in the right tense and aspect. Again, you may have to
use the passive.

1. I was once married to a woman who _______________________ (always + nag) me to

buy a new sofa, a new TV, and so on.
2. Lately there _______________________ (be) three fatal small plane crashes in the Los
Angeles area.
3. It was a horrifying sight: the head _______________________ (lay) upon the block by the
executioner, the rope let go, and the axe came down and separated the head from the
body, the one falling on one side, the other on the other side.
4. Ever since they _______________________ (forbid) smoking in restaurants, I
_______________________ (eat) at home.
5. The ceremony _______________________ (usually + hold) at the Bijloke Concert Hall.
6. _______________________ (you + have) a nice weekend in Paris?
7. It _______________________ (be) ages since I _______________________ (lie) in a comfy
tree shade just taking in the world around me.
8. These World War I documentaries are surprisingly compelling; motion record cameras
_______________________ (develop) by that time and cameras
_______________________ (take) into battle.
9. I remember once someone complained there was a labrador in the restaurant and the
owner said: “Madam, I'd rather you _______________________ (leave) than the dog.”
10. I stopped using hair dye regularly about three years ago when I got pregnant. I wanted
to give my hair a much-needed "rest" because I _______________________ (dye) my hair
for 6 years consecutively and could hardly remember what it _______________________
(feel) like to have my natural hair colour back!

5. Use the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may have to be used. Do not
use the progressive!

1. There were continuing reports of others at work on a similar invention, both in the United
States and abroad, but by mid-February 1838, Morse and Vail were at the Capitol in
Washington ready to demonstrate the machine that could "write at a distance”. They set
up their apparatus and _______________________ (to string) ten miles of wire on big
spools around a room reserved for the House Committee on Commerce.
2. This is the CBS MORNING NEWS. In southern Afghanistan, officials
_______________________ (to say) that rebels _______________________ (to
kidnap) an eight-year-old boy on Friday.

70
3. If there is one rule that authors should observe above all others, it is this: keep out of the
story. Of course, everybody now understands that is impossible - indeed naive - and so
the rule _______________________(to recast).
4. Traditionally, the USA _______________________ (to build) by private enterprise and
_______________________ (to embrace) what the President calls social Darwinism.
The strong prosper. But in the past 20 years, America _______________________ (to
undergo) a great change and we now have millions of citizens who are not very well
educated, not very motivated to work all that hard and who have a strong sense of
entitlement.
5. Not long after his return from Israel, Robert overheard two men in the changing room at
the gym where he worked off the effects of too many business lunches. They were
saying that hundreds of decent people _______________________(to catch) (1) in
Bernard Madoff’s net. A Ponzi scheme, like pyramid selling, a con man on the biggest
scale. They risk losing billions.
(1) Motivate the tense you’ve used
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Emily Covington had managed to slip into the house and down the hall to her bedroom
without waking her mother, a major feat since her mom slept lightly when Emily was out.
Emily _______________________ (not – to mean) to stay out so late tonight without
calling, but one thing _______________________ (to lead) to another, and she
_______________________ (to wind up) coming in at 2:00 a.m., tiptoeing like a high-
school kid who'd broken curfew.

6. Put the verbs in brackets in the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may
have to be used. Use a progressive if possible or refrain from doing so if
indicated.

1. Mrs. Bruce looked down at Jam and saw his drumsticks poking out of his socks. She
immediately took them out and stuffed them into her jacket. Jam didn’t even move. “No
son of mine is going to be a career musician. It's about time you
_______________________ (give up) on that stupid dream once and for all”, she said.
2. AKP's efforts to increase Turkish influence in the Middle East found unexpected support
in the Turkish cinema and music industries. At least forty Turkish soap operas
_______________________ (broadcast) in the Arab world since 2000.

71
3. Since the 1980s, zoos _______________________ (develop) coordinated breeding
programs that _______________________ (bring) dozens of animals, like the golden lion
tamarin of Brazil, back from the brink.
4. In May 2005, I responded to a donation solicitation from the Republican National
Committee with a letter denouncing the party, expressing my dissatisfaction and
requesting to be removed from their mailing list. Since that request, I
_______________________ (continue) to be steadily bombarded with solicitations for
contributions and I _______________________ (respond) each time by enclosing a copy
of the original letter to Ken Mehlman, national party chairman, and including a
sequentially numbered handwritten note, the most recent being: " This is the 28th time,
since writing this letter on May 12, 2005 that I _______________________ (1) (mail) a
copy in your ‘postage paid' return envelope." This _______________________ (become)
such a joke that I want to share it with others who may be as disgusted as I am with
politics and political parties.
(1) Motivate the tense you’ve used
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
5. The huge, shaggy bison not only can damage fences; about half the Yellowstone herd is
also thought to carry brucellosis, an infectious disease that can cause cows to abort their
calves. Montana cattle _______________________ (certify)brucellosis-free since 1983,
but ranchers fear that if the sick bison infect their herds, the result could be quarantine,
slaughter and economic ruin. But the policy of hunting down the stray bison has been a
public relations disaster. Of the park's 2,700 bison, 700 _______________________ (kill)
last spring, and an additional eleven _______________________ (slay) this winter.
6. I never once envisioned that wide old-looking bed with anybody but me in it. Not until I
walked back in the room and found Ernest sleeping like he _______________________
(2) (hoe) rows of cotton all day instead of just playing out there in the chalk mines.
(2) Motivate the tense you’ve used
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. Since that first investigation years ago, more and more people
_______________________ (3) (turn) to bikes as a healthier, more environmentally
friendly way to get around.
(3) Motivate the tense you’ve used
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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7. Use the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may have to be used. Do not
use the progressive!

1. The whiteness of the Virgin's skin, her wounded heart, the reverberating drums and
clapping, combined to fill Jean Patrick with terror. He _______________ (to shut) his eyes
and tumbled back in time until he arrived at the moment when he ________________ (to
lie/to lay?) warm inside his bed and wished his father a safe journey.
2. Before going to bed he _________________ (to lie/to lay?) out his travelling clothes, and
when he emerged from the shower, freshly shaven and smelling of bay rum, he dressed
with maximum efficiency and trotted downstairs, flipping on more lights as he went.
3. Simultaneously, the US is training Iraqi troops to fill the security vacuum that persists in
the centre and north of the country. By any metric of tactical military success, it's working,
say analysts. US forces _______________________ (to string) together victory after
victory: Marine and Army operations have ended with tons of enemy munitions destroyed
with minimal US casualties.
4. Many computer assisted design, operation, and maintenance tools
_______________________ (to develop) over the past two decades and at last,
engineers _______________________ (to begin) incorporating "self-healing" processes,
involving embedded detection, feedback, and correction, in a number of systems. These
can provide both designer and on-site engineer with key knowledge to help limit the
possibility of failure.
5. These are very tight-knit communities indeed, nearly every man taking part in this
ceremony. They face Mecca, bring their hands together and pray. And today it is obvious
that the strongest earthquake to strike Pakistan in more than 70 years
_______________________(to bind) them closer than ever before.
6. Minos's daughter Ariadne fell in love with him and gave him a ball of string to unwind on
his way to the creature's lair at the centre of the maze. All he had to do was wind it up
again to find the way out. Theseus _______________________ (to slay) the Minotaur
and with Ariadne _______________________ (to set) sail for home, stopping at Naxos,
where, after a night of love, he slipped away at dawn without her.
6. The only solution was to relocate the entire town. All the burning coal
_______________________ (to cut) out and a trench _______________________ (to
dig) around the perimeter of the old fire. So far, there have been no injuries from the fire.
The nearest accident came in February 1981 when a 12-year old boy was nearly
swallowed by a sudden opening as he walked across his grandmother's lawn. He
_______________________ (to cling) to a tree root until his cousin saved him from
slipping into the abyss.

73
8. Put the verbs in brackets in the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may
have to be used. Use a progressive if possible or refrain from doing so if
indicated.

1. The engineers at Audi, too, _______________________ (to cast) an eye to the

environment. As with all Audi models, the V8 comes with the latest 3-way catalytic
converter technology as standard, which reduces toxic pollutants by up to 95%. For the
past year they _______________________ (to spend) time perfecting the revolutionary
3.6 litre, 32 valve, V8 engine and the result is arguably the quietest, smoothest, most
advanced engine in any saloon today.
2. Reports showed that the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which
_______________________ (to lead) by Colonel John Garang,
_______________________ (to catch) off guard by the military build-up. “We never
expected that they would attack us from behind -- from Ethiopia,” said Dr Justin Arop,
SPLA representative in Nairobi.
3. Its country folk are very much at one with the land. There used to be two small hamlets
just outside but part of the village, known as Mill Cottages and Pry Cottages. They both
made a contribution to the village and the school, but sadly of late these
_______________________ (to demolish), so shrinking village life. The population
_______________________ (diminish) still, due to the advancement of the machine on
the farm, so very few men are needed on the land, and many of the young folk have to go
elsewhere to find work.
4. “Ferguson is under contract to us for another year and is going nowhere. He finished the
season as our top scorer with 23 goals and is an integral part of my plans for next
season. It is true though, that Glentoran _______________________ (to eye) him for
some time now, but I can reassure you: he’s staying with us.
5. Intel from the CIA has shown that for the longest time, the LA police
_______________________ (to traffic) drugs themselves!
6. Don’t you think it is about time you _______________________ (to take) care of yourself
a bit more? You _______________________ (to undergo) two bypass surgeries so far
and yet, this must be the third time that I _______________________ (to catch) you
smoking since! Do you have a death wish or something?
7. Regular relaxation and meditation should become part of your lives, especially if you live
far from nature in a fuzz of constant activity, and if you _______________________
(forever + to strive) to meet deadlines.

74
9. Use the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may have to be used. Do not
use the progressive!

1. A nuclear expert has told the BBC that he believes the current water leaks at Fukushima
are much worse than the authorities have stated. “It is much worse than we
_______________________ (to lead) to believe, much worse,” says Mr Schneider, who
is lead author for the World Nuclear Industry status reports.
2. Mr Haywood was pretending to be blind when he went for a walk near his home and fell
into the water-filled ditch, where his body was found by searchers. The coroner
described it as the most extraordinary case he _______________________ (to deal)
with in more than 30 years.
3. The first credible confirmation of Masood Janjua's abduction came in 2007, when
Malaysian doctor Imran Munir - who obviously _______________________ (to undergo)
severe torture - _______________________ (to bring) to trial.'
4. The U Boat menace continued, bitter battles were fought on the Atlantic in 1941. The
USA did not enforce a blackout on its eastern coastline and, as a consequence, the
coast of Florida _______________________ (to light up) with miles of lighting, making it
easy for the U Boats. By June 1942 they _______________________ (to sink) (1) no
less than 505 ships, many of which within sight of the Florida beaches.
(1) Motivate the tense you have used:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
5. Would you know it, 70-year-old Robert Lisle _______________________ (to find) a
silver cup on a North Sea dive, 72 years after it _______________________ (to go)
missing with a wrecked ship. The MS Oslofjord _______________________ (to hit) a
mine in the River Tyne on December 1, 1940, and _______________________ (to lie or
to lay?) rusting deep beneath the waves ever since. Robert, who has been diving for 15
years, was out diving with skipper Allan Lopez in his boat Spellbinder II when he spotted
the aging cup. "I _______________________ (to dive) on the wreck many, many times
and never found anything but this time I was lucky, " said Robert, who lives in
Monkseaton, North Tyneside.
6. In recent months, Turkey -- once considered an ally of Israel --
_______________________ (to slide) (1) back into vicious anti-Israeli discourse as
Islamism tightens its grip on the country.
(1) Motivate the tense you have used:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

75
10. Put the verbs in brackets in the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may
have to be used. Use a progressive if possible.

1. When the economy is down, the need for courage goes up. It’s the lifeblood of
leadership, innovation, sales, and many other important business concepts. So if you
have no backbone, it’s high time you _______________________ (to build) one.
2. 65 journalists _______________________ (to kill) (1) in Syria since the war
_______________________ (to begin). The last incident dates from 19 April 2014 when
four underfed men _______________________ (to find) in a field in a no man's land on
the Turkish border with Syria. Killed. They _______________________ (to hold) for
more than 10 months by a radical Muslim group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(Isis), the current objective of which _______________________ (to be) to establish an
Islamic state in the northern Syrian land which it _______________________ (to pry)
from Bashar al-Assad's regime.
(1) Motivate the tense you have used:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Since 2006, honeybees in the United States _______________________ (2) (to die) at
alarmingly high rates. But beekeepers _______________________ (to respond) each
year by working hard to rebuild their lost colonies. Sometimes this
_______________________ (to do) by splitting healthy hives into multiple parts and
repopulating the new hives with queen bees purchased from commercial breeders. In
addition, commercial beekeepers also _______________________ (to transport) bees
around the country to pollinate crops for a fee — particularly in places like California
where colonies _______________________ (to plummet). This past February and
March some 1.6 million hives _______________________ (to bring) (3) to the Central
Valley to supplement the honeybee shortage and pollinate 800,000 acres of almonds.
(2) Motivate the tense you have used:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(3) Motivate the tense you have used
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. “This must be the 100th time I _______________________ (to cast) as the bad guy”,
Vinnie Jones said, “but with a face like mine, that doesn’t come as much of a surprise”.

76
5. Changing attitudes of society towards domestic violence may have added to the rise in
the number of family offences recorded over the period. Since the late 1980s police
_______________________ (to develop) a practice of arresting perpetrators of family
violence, thereby leading to an increase in recorded family related offences.

11. Use the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may have to be used. Do not
use the progressive!

Jules Bianchi: F1 driver ___________________________ (to die) from Suzuka

crash injuries (18/07/2015, headline)

French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi ___________________________(1) (to pass)

away, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese
Grand Prix. Bianchi, 25, ___________________________ (to lie or to lay?) in a coma
since crashing his Marussia into a recovery vehicle at October's rain-hit race. He is the
first F1 driver to die from injuries sustained in a grand prix since Brazilian triple world
champion Ayrton Senna ___________________________ (to kill) at the San Marino
Grand Prix in Imola in 1994.
F1's governing body, the FIA, said the sport ___________________________(2) (to
lose) one of its most talented drivers. The accident ___________________________ (to
occur) when Bianchi's car ___________________________ (to slide) off the track and
into a crane picking up the Sauber of German driver Adrian Sutil, who
___________________________ (to total) his car at the same spot one lap earlier.
Shortly after the crash, a working group of the FIA ___________________________ (to
find) that as Bianchi went off the track into the run-off area, the torque coordinator, which
___________________________ (to control) the rear brake-by-wire system,
___________________________ (to override) a fail-safe mechanism that should have
cut the engine.
(1) Name and motivate the tense:
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(2) Name and motivate the tense:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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12. Put the verbs in brackets in the most appropriate tense and aspect. Passives may
have to be used. Use a progressive if possible or refrain from doing so if
indicated.

1. My mother in law was the same way. She was a great Italian cook. I miss her
gravy/sauce. I wish she ___________________________* (to teach) me how to make it.
* Name and motivate the tense:
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

2. Mrs Pring, of Mynydd Isa, near Mold, ___________________________ (to make) her
first 999 call at 1.09am on March 21 last year and ___________________________ (to
tell) to give her husband four aspirin to chew as an ambulance from the Welsh
Ambulance Service ___________________________ (to organise). The second call was
10 minutes later and Mrs Pring told the operator: “My husband is getting worse.”. In her
final call at 1.51am, the inquest heard Mrs Pring say: “This is the fourth time I
___________________________ (to ring) for an ambulance. It’s too late now, he’s gone,
he was 74.”
3. Mr. Jay was born on a small farm near Harrison in northwest Arkansas in 1919. A book
written about his life says that his mother ___________________________ (to hoe)
cotton when she ___________________________ (to begin) having labor pains.
4. The twins ___________________________ (to charge) last May with involuntary sexual
servitude of a minor. According to a Cook Country Sheriff’s Office report released last
year, the Lockett brothers ___________________________ (to traffic) teenage girls at
various suburban hotels, selling sexual acts for money.
5. We ___________________________ (to cost) the project and
___________________________ (to raise) the money, through the great generosity of
many donors. Then the hard part started. We wanted a lead author who had an easy
writing style, was a good taxonomist, and understood the difficulties of growing trees.
6. From an interview with David Attenborough
Q. ___________________________ (to sting + ever + you) by anything?
A. No, but I ___________________________ (to bite) by a python. Not a very big one. I
___________________________ (to be) silly, saying: ‘Oh, it’s not poisonous…’ Then,
wallop! But you have fear around animals.

*****

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