Exercise 4. Insert the Past Simple, Past Progressive, Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Progressive
1. He .... no sooner ..... the rooms than he ..... to engage them ( to see, to decide).
2. His eyes opened wearily when his wife and children..... the bed ( to approach).
3. He rose to his feet, he......on the edge of the desk ( to sit).
4. He told me that an American Signore ....... there for three months.( to stay)
5. It was true that we...... one another almost intimately for five and twenty years.( to know).
6. She .... mortally with my husband only ten minutes ago ( to quarrel).
7. He .....scarcely ..... outside the door when he heard Wardle’s voice talking loudly (to get).
8. Susan thought that her father looked years older than when she ..... last.....him in the Easter holidays.( to see)
9. He ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the key. He..... the front door with it for almost twenty-one years.( to open).
10. A few seconds after the stranger .... to lead Mrs.Budger to her carriage, he darted swiftly from the room (to disappear).
11. It was in this direction that her mind..... when her father sent for her to come to him in his room. He...... home from his office early in the afternoon and by good luck found her in. She ....no desire to go out into the world these last few days ( to run, to come, to have).
12. He.... about half an hour ago ( to arrive).
13. I do not stop to say what adventures he began to imagine, or what career to devise for himself before he .... three miles from home ( to ride).
14. The sun .... a long way up and it .... to get really hot( to move, to begin).
15. When she .... alone for a few minutes , her strength began to come back.( to be).
16. Mr. Smith .... in a chair by the wide living-room window and .... a cigar from his pocket ( to sit down, to take).
Exercise 5. Insert the Future Simple, Future Progressive, Future Perfect.
1. I haven’t visited the place yet. I..... there tomorrow.(to go)
2. Our train starts at 8 p.m. tomorrow, so if you come at 5 o’clock we .... still...(to pack).
3. At 4 o’clock tomorrow we..... packing and by 6 we ....with ease. (to begin, to finish).
4. ......you..... dinner by the time I come back?(to have)
5. Ring me up at 11, I .... yet ( to sleep –negative).
6. I..... on my round by the time you go, so I’ll say good-bye to you now ( to start out).
7. “I think you ....him”, said Elinor,” when you know more of him”.(to like)
8. “Shall we go downstairs and meet the man?” “Let us stay here; he... at our door in a moment, you will see,” said Sylviane ( to knock).
9. I shall need you. I .... my breast stroke by tomorrow ( to forget).
ENJOY YOURSELF
The English Language
We’ll begin with box and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
The one fowl is agoose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of mouse should never be meese.
You may find one mouse, or a whole nest of mice,
But the plural of house is houses not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?
The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,
But a bow, if repeated, is never called bine;
And the plural of vow is vows, never vine.
If I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this and the plural is these,
Should the plural of kiss ever be nicknamed keese?
Than one may be that and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
WE speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren
Then the masculine pronounces are he, his, him.
But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim.
So English, I think you all agree,
Is the greatest language you ever see.
UNIT VI CONDITIONALS
Finite adverbial clauses of condition are introduced chiefly by the subordinators if (positive condition) and unless ( negative condition).
He must be lying if he told you that.
Unless the strike has been called off, there will be no trains tomorrow.
The latter means roughly “ if the strike has not been called off...”. But there is a slight difference between an unless-clause and a negative if-clause in that unless has the more exclusive meaning of “only if.... not” or “ except on condition that...”. It is thus the opposite of the compound conjunction provided (that) or providing (that) which means “ if and only if...”.
Provided that no objection is raised , we shall hold the meeting here.
Other compound conditional conjunctions approximately synonymous with provided (that) are as long as, so long as, and on condition that.
If and unless often introduce non-finite and verbless clauses: if ready; unless expressly forbidden, etc. Also to be noted are the residual positive and negative conditionals pro-clauses if so and if not.
Conditional clauses can show real and unreal conditions.
A real condition leaves unresolved the question of the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of the condition, and hence also the truth of the proposition expressed by the main clause. In an unreal condition, on the other hand, it is clearly expected that the condition will not be fulfilled. Thus:
Real: If he comes, I’ll see him. If she was awake, she certainly heard the noise.
Unreal: If he came, I’d see him. If she’d been awake, she would have heard the noise.
If-clauses are like questions in implying uncertainty. They tend therefore to contain non-assertive forms such as any, ever:
If you ever have any trouble, let me know.
Clauses beginning with unless, on the other hand, lay stress on the excluded positive option, and so normally contain assertive forms:
I won’t phone you, unless something unforeseen happens ( = I’ll phone you when something unforeseen happens – but we can exclude this as unlikely).
For the same reason , unless –clauses are not usually unreal conditions. Hence the negative unreal conditional clause “ If I had not arrived “ isn’t equivalent to “unless-clause”.
The combination if only is an intensified equivalent of if, typically used in preposed unreal conditions ( with non-assertive requirement) to express a wish:
If only somebody had told us, we could have warned you.
The subjunctive or should is sometimes used in formal real conditions:
If he be found( should be found) guilty, his wife will suffer terribly.
The infinitive clause can be used conditionally:
You have to be strong to lift a table like that (=if you are going to lift).
He’d be stupid not to accept that offer(= if he didn’t accept).
Such clauses contain an element of purpositive meaning.
Conditional clauses (especially unreal) may have subject-operator inversion without a conjunction.
Had I known, I would not have gone.
Conditional clauses have a number of uses.
- stating a general rule
Ifcan be used to say what generally happens when something else happens. Both verbs in this type of sentences are in the present simple tense:
If you order in bulk you usually get a discount.
If the paperwork is incomplete the goods are often held up.
- speculating about the future
If can also be used to speculate about the future consequences of a specific event. In this case, the verb in the second part of the sentence is preceded by will:
If I do an MBA I’ll improve my job prospects.
If we break into the Indian market, our turnoverwill increase substantially.
If our main competitor goes bankrupt, we’ll increase our market share.
The use of the present tense in the first part of the sentence indicates that the situation is possible;
Doing an MBA is feasible, breaking into the Indian market is seen as quite likely, the competitor may well go bankrupt.
- ‘Unless’ often replaces ‘if ...+ negative expression’:
If you don’t wear a suit and tie you won’t be allowed into the club.
You won’t be allowed into the club unless you wear a suit and a tie.
We’ll stop the meeting now if there is nothing else to discuss.
We’ll stop the meeting now unless there is something else to discuss.
- promising and threatening
Conditional statements can function as either promises, warnings or threats. ( But note thatunless cannot be used to make a promise).
Ifyou order now you’ll get a free gift.
We won’t be able to do business with youunless you comply with our ethical policy.(warning).
Unless we receive payment by the end of the week we will be forced to consider legal action.(threat).
- imagining
If + past simple is used to refer to less probable situations.
Would/ should/ could/ might are used in the principal clause.
Ifevery piece of mail was personalized with your company logo or message, your customers might be very impressed.
Imagine whatwould happen if all the world’s stock exchanges crashed
If we hired a factoring agency we could recover our debts more easily.
It is possible to use if I were orif I was in both formal and informal styles.
IfIwas rich I would buy a Ferrari.
- bargaining
It is common to make hypothetical statements in negotiations. Compare:
a) If you give us a 5% discount we’ll make a firm order of 5,000 units( this is almost a promise)
b) If you gave us a 5% discount we’d make a firm order of 5,000 units( this is a more tentative offer).
You may therefore want to useif+past verb +would as an opening move in a negotiation in order to test the ground.
- provided that / so long as/ on condition that
When stating a condition it is also possible to use provided (that), so long as or on condition (that). It is not necessary to say or writethat:
Provided (that)they don’t go back on their offer, we’ll sign the agreement next week.
We’ll be happy to work with youso long asyou pay half of the advertising costs.
We might be able to reduce the number of hours worked oncondition (that) there is an increase in productivity.
- speculating about the past
When talking about the things which didn’t happen in the past ( and the consequences if they had happened) we useif + past perfect together withwould/ could/ might +have + past participle:
If the price/earnings had been higher, I would have bought some shares.
If we had anticipatedthe crash, we wouldn’t have lost so much money.
The mergercould have been succeeded if the management styleshadn’t been so different.
The presentation might have been better if she had felt more confident.
Note that in American English would have is possible in both cases:
Iwould have toldyouif Iwould have knownearlier.
Not all sentences containing if follow the same patterns as those presented. The sequence of tenses depends on the meaning that has to be conveyed.
If Robertwasn’tso lazy hecould have been promoted ( he is permanently lazy which explains why he failed to get promotion).
If you had set earlier you would be there by now. ( this is true at the moment of speaking; the second part of the sentence does not refer to the past sowould have been is incorrect).
If you will come this way I’ll show you to his office( will can be used after if in polite requests).
I’ll lend you 1000 euros if I’ll help you set up your business.(there is nothing conditional about this sentence; the advantage is the result of the gift of money. Here if means if it is true that).
We would be gratefulif you would send us your payment made out to the order of “informant”.( a polite request)
Ifthe red lightcomes on then turn off the machine immediately.
If Mrs. Olsencalls, tell her I’m in a meeting.
If youneed it,ask for help( the verbs in both parts of the sentence are in the present simple tense when giving a warning or instruction or when making an invitation).
PRACTICE
1.Match the sentence halves.
1. If the government lowers interest rate a) it loses market share
2. If you want to play golf well b) people tend not to save
3. If inflation is high c) it is more difficult to export
4. If the national currency is strong d) you get monkeys
5. If you have an offshore bank account e) you have to practice regularly
6. If you pay people peanuts f) it makes borrowings easier
7. If a firm doesn’t advertise g) you don’t pay income tax.
2.Write what you will or may do in the following situations.
1. if your car is stolen
2. if a close colleague gets married
3. if you are offered a better-paid job abroad
4. if your firm is taken over by a competitor
5. if you have to give a presentation in English
6. if your computer is infected with a virus.
3. Complete each sentence with either if or unless
1. .......you don’t have persistence, you can’t be a good salesman.
2. We don’t employ people ..... they are flexible and keen to work hard.
3. ....... you do business abroad, it’s a good idea to learn about the local culture.
4. ....you encounter any problems with your mobile phone, we will provide a complete rapid service.
5. .....you call to tell me you’re not coming, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.
6. Don’t promise anything...... you’re completely sure.
7. Your presentation will be better...... you make good eye contact with the audience.
8. ..... you increase sales by over 20%, the company will pay you a performance bonus.
4.Imagine what would happen in the following (unlikely) situations.
1. if the world was governed by a hunta
2. if your husband or wife was offered a good position in Iceland
3. if you stood for the presidential elections
4. if the sale of alcohol was banned in Europe
5. if you were accused of selling your company’s military secrets
5.Change the verbs in the brackets as in the example.
1. If you (give) me 90 days to pay I (buy) right now. – If you give me 90 days to pay I’ll buy...
2. If you (give) me a special price I(put in) a bigger order.
3. I(take) last year’s stock if you (take off) 15%.
4. I(purchase) the equipment If you (throw in) the accessories.
5. How long (you hold) your prices if we (order) today?
6. If I(pay) cash how much discount you (allow)?
6.Expand the prompts to make conditional sentences as in the example.
1.Firm orders in advance for 1 year reduce the price by 10%
If I gave you firm orders in advance for 1 year would you reduce the price by 10%?
2. make a firm order agree to split the transport costs 50-50?
3. ensure free maintenance buy a new photocopier from us?
4. buy the turbo-diesel model install air conditioning and a CD-player free of charge?
7.Complete the following sentences , using provided(that), so long as, on condition (that).
1. I agree to work 7 days a week....
2. I agree to take a cut in salary....
3. We agree to make a special delivery.....
8.Read the following story and indicate how you would react if you had been in John Dee’s or Mrs. Han’s position.
John Dee imports microwave ovens from Korea and has been working satisfactorily with the same supplier for five years. Recently he traveled to Korea to meet the supplier and negotiate a reimbursement for a shipment of appliances that John’s customers had sent back because of a serious manufacturing defect.
He met the Korean company’s representative Mrs. Han who insisted she could not compensate John financially but would replace the defective appliances. John refused this offer saying that this gesture would not in itself be sufficient to restore the reputation with his customers.
John was booked on a plane leaving that afternoon and could see little point in continuing the discussion. He was getting more impatient with the apparent lack of progress and stood up angrily and walked out of the discussion. Mrs. Han was embarrassed and did not wish to lose face by asking him to return to the room.
John Dee now buys his microwaves from Taiwan at a higher unit price.
9. Read the text and say if you had been director-general of Sola-Soda Enterprises what would you have done to restore consumer confidence.
In June 1999 more than 100 people in Spain and two in Italy complained of headaches, dizziness and stomach upsets after drinking canned soft drinks manufactured by Sola-Soda.
Subsequently, the authorities in Spain and Italy ordered Spla-Soda products to be withdrawn as a precaution.
10. Look at the following pairs of sentences and answer the questions about each one.
1. If he hadn’t bought a second home in the country he wouldn’t be so short of money now.
2. If he had bought a second home in the country he would be short of money now.
a) Did he buy a second home?
b) Is he short of money?
3. If she weren’t so busy she would have given you a hand.
4. If she had been busy she wouldn’t have given you a hand.
a) Is she busy?
b) Did she help?
11. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct forms.
1. I’ve hung out the clothes. It’s lovely and sunny. If it (stay) like this they (be ) dry in two hours.
2. French is essential in this job. All the telephonists speak it. If they (not know) French they (not understand) half the callers.
3. How did you do in the car rally? – We came in last actually; but only because we got lost. If we ( not got) lost we ( come) in somewhere in the middle. We certainly (not be ) last.
4. I was not really surprised that we got lost because I knew that the navigator couldn’t map-read. – But if you (know) that why you (take) him as navigator?
5. This flat would be all right if the people above us (not be) so noisy.
6. A group of spectators , including myself, left the stand just before the end of the game. When we were half way down the stairs a goal was scored and there was a great cheer from the spectators. If there (not be) a goal the crowd (not cheer).
7. If the crowd (not cheer) we (not run) back up the stairs to see what had happened.
8. If we (not run) back we (not crash) into the rest of the spectators on their way down, and there (not be) this frightful accident.
9. If the pain (return) you’d better take another pill.
10. If you aren’t going to live in the house why you (not sell) it? If I (have) a house I couldn’t use I(sell) at once.
11. No, I didn’t know any Russian at that time. - But if you (not know) Russian why you (offer) to give him Russian lessons? - Because I knew that he (refuse). He always rejected the offers.
12. Tell him to bring his bicycle inside. If he (leave) it outside someone (steal) it.
13. Why do people always wear dark clothes at night? If pedestrians (wear) light colored clothes drivers( see) them much more easily.
14. She must have loved him very much because she waited for him for fifteen years. If she ( not love) him she (not wait) so long.
15. He looked so small and weak that nobody asked him to do anything. If he (look) strong he (be) expected to dig all day like everyone else.
16. The government are talking of pulling the village down to make room for an airport. – If they (start) doing it the village people (resist)?
17. If you are catching an early train tomorrow you (like) to have breakfast at 7.00?
18. We’ll have to break the ice on the pond; otherwise the ducks (not be able ) to swim. And if they ( not be able) to swim they (not be able) to get food. ( Use can/could forms where possible).
19. When he left school he became a fisherman. His family didn’t like it at all. They (be) much happier if he (become) a greengrocer like his father.
20. They still say that if he (go) into the greengrocery business when he left school he (be) comfortably off instead of being poor.
21. But he says that if he (have ) his life again he (make) the same choice.
22. So many parcels and no baskets! If I (know) that we are going to buy so much I (bring) a basket.
ENJOY YOURSELF
The English Language
Some words have different meanings, and yet they’re spelt the same.
A cricket is an insect, to play it is a game.
On every hand, in every land, it’s thoroughly agreed,
The English Language to explain is very hard indeed.
Some people say that you are dear, yet dear is far from cheap.
A jumper is a thing you wear, yet a jumper has to leap.
It’s very clear, it’s very queer, and pray who is to blame
For different meanings to some words, pronounced and spelt the same?
A little journey is a trip, a trip is when you fall.
It doesn’t mean you have to dance whenever you hold a ball.
Now here’s a thing that puzzles me: musicians of good taste
Will very often form a band- I’ve one round my waist.
You spin a top, go for a spin, or spin a yarn may be-
Yet every spin’s a different spin, as you can plainly see.
Now here’s a most peculiar thing- ‘twas told me a joke –
A dumb man wouldn’t speak a word, yet seized a wheel and spoke.
A wall may often be ajar, but give the door a slam,
And then your nerves receive a jar – and then there’s jars of jam.
You’ve heard, of course, of traffic jams, and jams you give your thumbs.
And adders , too, one is a snake, and other adds up sums.
A policeman is a copper, it’s a nickname (impolite) yet a copper in the kitchen is an article you light.
On every hand ,in every land, it’s thoroughly agreed –
The English Language to explain is very hard indeed.
Harry Hemsley