Practice and Improve Your Grammar part 2
.pdf4.People asked us the way four times.
5.They pick the apples early in the morning.
6.It’s time the authorities did something about this problem.
7.A lot of people had parked their cars on the pavement.
8.You have to fill in an application form.
9.They don’t know what happened to the ship.
EXERCISE 57. Put each verb in brackets into an appropriate passive verb form.
1.The boxes … (not/pack) yet.
2.Our food … (still/prepare).
3.The new ship … (launch) next month.
4.By the time I got there the painting … (not/sell).
5.We had to go on holiday because our house … (decorate).
6.I want to inform you that next week’s meeting … (cancel).
7.If we don’t hurry, all the tickets … (sell) by the time we get there.
8.All main courses … (serve) with vegetables or salad.
9.The first goal … (score) by Hughes in the 31st minute.
10.This cathedral … (build) in the 15th century.
11.Nothing … (see) of Jane since her car … (find) abandoned in the forest last week.
12.As our new furniture … (deliver) on Friday morning I’ll have to stay at home to check that it … (not/damage) during transit.
13.For the past few days I have been working in Kate’s office, as my own office … (redecorate).
14.It … (announce) that the new office block … (now/not/build) because of the current economic situation.
61
15.A new deposit of oil … (discover) in the North Sea. It … (think) to become the largest field in the world.
16.Pictures of the surface of the planet Venus … (receive) yesterday from the space probe “Explorer” which … (launch) last year.
17.A large sum … (raise) for the Fund by a recent charity concert but the target of $200,000 … (still/not/reach).
18.No decision … (make) about any future appointment until all suitable candidates … (interview).
EXERCISE 58. Underline the correct word in each sentence.
1.The busy street was thronged by/with people.
2.The emergency exit was concealed by/from a red curtain.
3.The price of excursions is included in/with the cost of the holiday.
4.All through December, the fields were covered by/from snow.
5.The room was crammed by/with furniture.
6.Two of the men were injured by/with falling rocks.
7.This island is inhabited by/from people of mainly Chinese origin.
8.The shop was quickly surrounded from/with armed police.
9.The window had been smashed from/with a hammer.
10.The stadium was packed from/with cheering fans.
EXERCISE 59. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.
1.His hair needs cutting. (get) He … cut.
62
2.My parents are making me study hard. (made) I … my parents.
3.Apparently the ship did not sustain any damage. (appears) The ship … any damage.
4.It is thought that the two injured men were repairing a car. (have) The two injured men … a car.
5.There is a rumour that the escaped prisoner is living in London. (be) The escaped prisoner … living in London.
6.We have agreed to meet again in a month. (will) It has … meet again in a month.
7.They decided to try again later. (would) It was … try again later.
8.There is confirmation of Mr White’s intended resignation. (that) It is … to resign.
9.Most of us thought it was not a viable solution. (not) It was thought … by most of us.
EXERCISE 60. Complete each sentence with a suitable preposition.
1.The room had been decorated … coloured balls.
2.The answers have been included … the book.
3.After the match, my shorts were covered … mud.
4.The woman was struck from behind … a heavy object.
5.The house was built … money that we borrowed from the bank.
6.The dog narrowly escaped being run over … a car.
7.When the accident happened, Sam was struck … flying glass.
8.The turkey was stuffed … chestnuts.
9.No one knew that Jim had been involved … the investigation.
10.When I left the casino, my pockets were crammed … money.
63
Modal Verbs
General Information
The modals are a group of auxiliary verbs (can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, would) that we can use with other verbs to say what is possible, permitted, necessary, etc. They are single words that always have the same form:
She may arrive soon. NOT She mays arrive soon.
Modal auxiliary verbs are used before the base forms of other verbs:
I can help you.
We must leave immediately. Ought is always followed by to:
You ought to go home.
Do is not used with modals in questions or negatives:
Will it do?
Can you play football? I can’t drive a car.
The modals shall, will and would are usually contracted unless they are being emphasized:
I’ll make you a cup of coffee. He’ll be there, won’t he?
Remember that we will leave at 9 a.m. precisely. We will not wait for latecomers.
The forms could, might and would are usually used in clauses after past tense verbs, especially in indirect speech:
We didn’t know she could swim well.
I was hoping you might give me a piece of advice. He said he would bring me that book.
Two modals are not put together before a verb:
64
We can finish the project and we will finish it! We will can finish the project!
The phrasal modals are a group of verb phrases (be able to, be allowed to, be going to, be supposed to, have to, have got to) that can be used instead of modals. They begin with be or have (be able to=can; have to=must, should; be allowed to=can, may; be going to=will; be supposed to=should; have got to=must):
Most old people are able to (=can) look after themselves.
I have to (=must/should) ensure that they can cope with the task.
Phrasal modals are always used instead of modals modals in the following structures:
● after a modal:
They will be able to finish the project in time. She may be going to change her job.
● where an infinitive is needed:
He seems to be able to finish the project in time. We hope to be allowed to go for a walk.
● where a gerund is needed:
I hate having to put up with all this.
● in perfect forms:
We have had to wait for 6 hours.
I haven’t been allowed to play with my friends.
● in continuous forms:
I am having to pay extra.
Two phrasal modals can be used together:
She is going to have to take this exam again.
Complex modals:
1)the modal perfect is formed with a modal before have plus a past participle:
She may have watched the film.
65
I must have lost my key.
2)the modal continuous is formed with a modal before be plus a present participle:
You should be studying.
3)the modal perfect continuous is formed with a modal before have been plus a present participle:
They look exhausted. They must have been working all day long.
4)modal passives are formed with a modal before be or have been plus a past participle:
This dress should be washed by hand.
Sam could have been injured by falling branches.
can
This modal verb has two forms: can for the present tense and could for the past tense and for the subjunctive mood:
I can speak English.
I could swim very well when I was young. I wish I could go to the party.
Can followed by the Indefinite Infinitive expresses: 1) physical or mental ability or capacity:
Kate can drive a car. (=Kate knows how to drive a car.)
The notion of ability is also expressed by be able to:
She could swim well when she was ten.
She was able to swim well when she was ten.
Can is interchangeable with be able to when it denotes mere capacity:
Kate couldn’t/wasn’t able to cope with the project. It was too difficult.
The meaning of ability is expressed only by be able to when the reference is to the future because can has no future tense form as this verb has no infinitive:
66
Soon I will be able to speak French very well.
Be able to is also used in modal structures where can/could can’t be used (in infinitives, in gerunds, after modals, in the perfect):
I want to be able to play tennis.
She left without being able to talk to her friend. We have already been able to increase our profits.
Be able to isn’t used in the continuous.
Only be able to is used to emphasize that a difficulty has been overcome. In this case was/were able to means “managed to” or “succeeded in”. Could is impossible.
2)possibility:
You can hardly blame her for this mistake.
In old days one could be burnt at the stake for heresy.
3)permission:
Our mother told us that we could go for a walk. Could we leave early today?
4)prohibition (only with the negative form of the modal verb):
You can’t swim here.
5)request:
Can I leave early?
Can followed by any form of the infinitive expresses:
1) impossibility, doubt, incredulity (with hardly or the negative form of the modal verb):
It can/could hardly be Sam. He’s in the USA now. Helen can’t/couldn’t be telling the truth.
Kate can’t/couldn’t have done this task.
2) astonishment (in questions):
67
Can/Could he be telling us the truth? |
неужели |
Can/Could Frank have sold his house? |
разве |
The verb can expressing astonishment is not used in the negative form. In such cases complex sentences or different lexical means are used to express this idea:
Can it be that you haven’t met Jane? Can you have failed to pass the exam? Can you dislike this dish?
Can nobody have noticed her engagement ring?
3)reproach (when a person should have done something but didn’t do it; only with the form could):
You could at least have tried to do this task.
4)purpose (only with the form could in clauses of purpose):
I asked the shop assistant to keep that dress for me so that I could buy it later.
may
This modal verb has two forms: may for the present tense and might for the past tense and for the subjunctive mood:
May I go out?
I wish I might go there with my friends.
May followed by the Indefinite Infinitive expresses:
1)permission (might is used in polite requests):
May I come in?
Might I use your laptop, please?
The expression was/were allowed to is preferable when talking about permitted and performed actions:
We were allowed to use dictionaries when we were taking our exam in English. So we took big ones in order to be able to find everything we didn’t know.
68
2) prohibition (only with the negative form of the modal verb):
You may not go swimming.
The contracted form mayn’t is very rare.
3)possibility of a fact (only in affirmative sentences):
You may find him in our local library. (=It is possible that you will find him in
our local library.)
May expressing possibility is not used in negative and interrogative sentences, instead can is used.
May followed by any form of the infinitive expresses:
1)uncertainty (as supposition):
She may be at home now. (Perhaps she is at home now. But it is possible that she is somewhere else.)
John is not here. He may have forgotten about our meeting. (Perhaps he has forgotten about it. But it is possible that he hasn’t come due to some other reason.)
Mary may be watching TV now. (Perhaps she is watching TV now. But it is possible that she is doing something else.)
2)reproach (only in affirmative sentences and only with might):
You might at least call me.
You might have arranged everything.
must
Must has only one form that is also used in reported speech after the verb in the past tense in the principal clause.
Must followed by the Indefinite Infinitive expresses:
1)obligation or necessity (in affirmative and interrogative sentences):
I must visit my granny. She is ill. Must you really leave so soon?
69
2)a command:
You must be more careful!
3)prohibition (in negative sentences):
You mustn’t behave in such a way.
4)a strong recommendation:
You really must go and see this picture.
5)emphasizing an intention:
I must lend you this book.
Must followed by any form of the infinitive expresses certainty/probability (only in affirmative sentences):
He must be at home now. (It seems certain that he is at home now.) He must be lonely. (Probably he is lonely.)
My friend isn’t here. He must be reading professional literature in our local library. (He is probably reading professional literature in our local library.) I can’t find my key. I must have lost it.
You look exhausted. You must have been working hard all day long.
Must expressing certainty is not used in the future. The adverb probably or the modal expressions be likely and be sure are used instead of must:
She will probably take up jogging.
Kate is not likely to pass her exam in German because she doesn’t learn anything.
Must expressing certainty is also not used in negative and interrogative forms. Negative affixes, pronouns and lexical means are used to express this idea:
They must have failed to pass the exam. You must have misunderstood everything. She must be inexperienced.
Harry must have had no chance to contact his boss. Nobody must have known about this.
70