Grammar exercises

Grammar Revision:

• Modal verbs and their functions

Exercise 1. Correct or not correct?

1. Can you to sing? 2. I may not be here this evening. 3. You don’t must open that door. 4. Could you pass the orange juice? 5. Chris may to be here at the weekend. 6. Must I go?

Exercise 2. Add -s or nothing.

1. Ann play__ tennis. 2. Bill can__ swim. 3. Our cat like__ fish. 4. It may__ rain. 5. She must__ pay now. 6. Harry work__ in London. 7. Sue should___ phone her mother. 8. The train seem__ to be late. 9. Bill might__ come__ and see us. 10. Joe want__ to go home.

Exercise 3. Make questions or negatives.

Ann can’t speak French. / English (?) – Can she speak English?

Mary must wash her clothes. / do it now (-) – She mustn’t do it now.

1. Mike can’t swim. / ski (?)

2. John can play football. / tennis ()

3. Marta must play the piano. / sing ()

4. Robert may go to Italy. / go this week ()

5. Ann must work on Saturday. / Sunday (?)

Exercise 4. Write three things that you can do, and three things that you can’t do.

1. I can ___. 2. I can’t ___.

Exercise 5. Make questions with can.

‘Little Mary is ten months old now.’‘ (walk) ‘Can she walk?’

‘John is starting the violin.’ (what/play) ‘What can he play?’

1. ‘My brother wants to work in a restaurant.’ (cook)

2. ‘ My daughter’s going to Spain.’ (speak Spanish)

3. ‘Bill and Lisa want to buy a house.’ (how much/pay)

4. ‘Can I help in any way?’ (drive a bus)

5. ‘Some colours look bad on me.’ (wear red)

7. ‘I want to learn the piano.’ (read music)

8. ‘My brother is looking for a job.’ (what /do)

Exercise 6. Complete the sentences with can, can’t, could, may, and may not.

1. You _____ borrow my car. (giving permission; informal)

2. You _____ borrow my car. (refusing permission, informal)

3. _____ I use your phone? (polite; asking for permission)

4. You _____ use the phone, (formal; giving permission)

5. _____ I speak to Mr Jones, please? (formal; asking permission)

6. I'm afraid you _____ see the patient, (informal; refusing permission)

7. Children _____ be left unaccompanied, (formal; refusing permission - written notice)

Exercise 7. Make sentences offering to:

carry somebody’s bag - Shall I carry your bag?

1. post somebody’s letters

2. do somebody’s shopping

3. make somebody’s bed

4. read to somebody

5. drive somebody to the station

6. make somebody a cup of tea

Exercise 8. Make offers using the words below.

1. Shall I switch off	something to drink?
2. I’ll help	you an umbrella if you like.
3. Would you like me to phone	your coat?
4. Can I take	the light?
5. Would you like	some bags for you?
6. Could I carry	for the doctor?
7. I can lend	you do the washing up.

Exercise 9. What would you advise to the people in the following situations?

Peter’s got a bad cold. - I think he should go to bed. / I don’t think he should go to university.

1. Jenny and Tony are only sixteen, but they say they want to get married.

2. I’ve lost my cheque book and credit cards.

3. Keith wants to drive home, but he hasn’t got his glasses.

4. My tooth hurts.

5. There’s a hole in my shoe. I only bought them last week!

6. Ann’s phone bill was enormous! £300!

7. My children spend all their pocket money on sweets.

8. Kate’s crying because I pushed her. It was an accident.

Exercise 10. David and Sally are talking about Sally’s car. Complete the dialogue with should, shouldn’t, ought to and had better.

D:	You 1) _____ really do something about your car.
S:	What do you mean?
D:	It’s in terrible condition. You 2)___ get a new one before the police stop you.
S:	But I can’t afford a new one!
D:	Well, you 3) _____ at least have the exhaust seen to. And you 4) ____ have the brakes repaired before you kill somebody.
S:	I suppose I 5) _____. But you 6) _____ lend me some money to pay for the repairs.
D:	Sally, have you spent the money I lent you last week? You 7) ___ have spent it all!

Exercise 11. Which of these things do you have to do? Which don’t you have to do? Write true sentences.

I don’t have to wear a uniform.

start at 8.00 in the morning	do a lot of writing
wear a uniform	go to meetings
go to university on Saturdays	make phone calls all day
work/study in the evening	be polite all the time
sit at desk all day	concentrate hard

Exercise 12. Translate into English, using must or have to.

1. Мне приходится вставать очень рано. 2. Ему пришлось вернуться в гостиницу, так как вылет его самолёта задерживался. 3. Тебе надо будет ещё раз позвонить им. 4. Она знала, что должна всё объяснить им. 5. Вам нужно найти специалиста, который мог бы взяться за это дело. 6. Мне не нужно быть там раньше трёх часов. 7. Я должен оставаться здесь весь день? 8. Так как я должен был быть там ровно в пять, мне пришлось взять такси.

Exercise 13. Rephrase the following sentences in as many ways as possible.

It is possible that Sue will be late this evening.

Sue may/might/could be late this evening. / Sue is likely to be late this evening.

1. The guests are supposed to arrive at 8 o’clock.

2. It wasn’t necessary for Toby to go to school today.

3. I advise you to book a table in advance.

4. They are obliged to wear helmets at work.

5. You are to wait here until the manager arrives.

6. Steve managed to repair the bike after trying for two hours.

7. Perhaps we will go to Italy for a holiday next summer.

8. We were obliged to wear uniform for school.

9. You aren’t allowed to run in the corridors.

10. How about inviting some friends over for dinner?

11. It isn’t necessary for you to buy me a present.

12. Do you mind if I use your telephone?

13. Would you like me to clean the windows for you?

14. How about going for a walk this afternoon?

Exercise 14. Answer the questions in A using must or can’t, give a reason from B.

Are they Greek? - They can’t be Greek. They speak Italian.

A		B
Are they Greek? Is he ill? Are they asleep? Is he happy? Is he a doctor?		He’s too young. She’s just passed her driving test. They’re speaking Italian. Their bedroom lights are off. He’s got a high temperature.

Exercise 15. Rephrase the sentences using the correct form of the words in brackets.

I’m sure she is in bed. (must) - She must be in bed.

It’s impossible that they missed the plane. (can’t)- They can’t have missed the plane.

1. We’ll probably arrive before 11 o’clock. (should).

2. Perhaps he was ill. (may).

3. Perhaps she’ll phone later. (might)

4. I’ll probably be at home by 6 o’clock. (should).

5. Perhaps they went home. (could)

6. It’s impossible that he’s telling the truth. (can’t)

7. I’m sure you’ve heard the news. (must)

8. Perhaps I won’t go out this evening. (may)

9. It’s impossible that she saw us. (can’t)

10. I’m sure the bus has left. (must)

11. Perhaps he didn’t apply for the job. (might)

12. She’ll probably be here soon (ought to)

Exercise 16. Complete the sentences using must or can’t, as in the example.

I’m sure she has gone on holiday. She_____.  (She must have gone on holidays).

1. I’m certain he doesn’t know the secret. He _____.

2. I’m certain Mike hasn’t got a new car. Mike _____.

3. I’m sure Susan has paid the phone bill. Susan _____.

4. I’m sure they don’t live here. They _____.

5. I’m sure they left the party early. They _____.

6. I’m certain he didn’t call me. He _____.

7. I’m certain Marie sent you a birthday card. Mary _____.

8. I’m sure she has been keeping secrets from me. She _____.

9. I’m sure David didn’t go to the supermarket. Davis _____.

10. I’m certain he is working at the library. He _____.

Exercise 17. Translate the following sentences into English using suitable modal verbs.

1. Мне пойти и узнать, сделал ли он работу? Он, должно быть, сделал её еще вчера. 2. Тебе долго пришлось дожидаться его? 3. Зря я пришёл. Собрание отменили. 4. Ты должен был сказать нам об этом, а то теперь мы не знаем, что делать. 5. “Неужели она забыла заказать нам номера в гостинице?” – “Она наверное, заказала их на свое имя.” 6. Не может быть, чтобы она сделала такую глупость. 7. Он должен приехать пятичасовым поездом. Неужели он опоздал на него? 8. Он, наверное, не сказал им об этом, и они, наверное, не придут. 9. Он мог бы хотя бы что-нибудь сказать, чтобы поддержать меня. 10. Ты мог бы сказать, что опоздаешь. 11. К сожалению, я не смог поговорить с менеджером. Мне следовало позвонить и договориться о встрече заранее. 12. Тебе следовало бы еще раз прочитать своё сочинение. Там, наверное, есть ошибки. 13. Зря ты так разговаривал с ним. Он мог обидеться. 14. Не может быть, чтобы он забыл о своём обещании.

Thing to do

Task 1. Speaking.

- You are at a fast food restaurant. Take turns to be a waiter and a customer.

Task 2. Speaking and Discussing.

1. Translate, explain and comment on the some traditional Russian dish to your guest:

Olivier salad (Russian potato salad), goluptsi (cabbage rolls), crab stick, salad, pelmeni, vareniki, herring under a fur coat, vinigret salad, draniki, borscht, chicken Kiev, ukha, pirozhki, okroshka, compote.