1
GRAMMAR
I. Word order: adverbs with the verb.
Mid position is the usual position for adverbs of indefinite frequency,
adverbs of degree, adverbs of certainty, one-word adverbs of time, even
and only:
Adverbs of
Always, frequently, generally, hardly ever, never,
indefinite frequency normally, occasionally, often,
rarely, seldom,
sometimes, usually
Adverbs of degree
Absolutely, almost, completely, entirely, just,
hardly, partly, quite, rather, really, slightly, totally
Adverbs of certainty Certainly, definitely, probably
One-word adverbs
of time
Already, finally, immediately, just, now, no longer,
soon, still, then
With a simple verb we put the adverb between the subject and the verb,
but with simple forms of be the adverb goes after the verb:
e.g. She always arrives by taxi and she is always on time.
If there is a modal verb or an auxiliary verb we put the adverb after the
(first) auxiliary verb.
e.g. You can just see the coast. Sea eagles have occasionally been seen
around Loch Lomond.
These adverbs go after do or not:
e.g. They don’t really understand my point of view.
NB But we put sometimes, still, certainly, definitely and probably before a
negative auxiliary:
e.g. I sometimes don’t understand his arguments. He still hasn’t convinced
me.
In spoken English, if we want to emphasise an auxiliary verb or a simple
form of be, we can put a mid position adverb before it. The auxiliary verb
(underlined) is usually stressed. Compare:
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e.g. I don’t really like him. (unmarked position = I slightly dislike him.)
I really don’t like him. (emphatic position = I hate him.)
NB We do not use other time adverbs (definite time or frequency) in mid
position. They go in front or final position:
e.g. These days I take my health much more seriously. We buy our lunch at
that sandwich bar on the corner every day.
If there are several adverbs in final position, we usually follow a sequence
of adverbs of manner, then place, and finally time:
e.g. The statue was lifted (carefully) (onto the plinth) (before the
ceremony).
1. These sentences are all taken from real recorded conversations.
Can you put the adverbs in the right places?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
You are here when something happens, (usually)
Her mum cooks a meal in the evening, (always)
We book that April holiday in January, (usually)
They think that we have got bread, (probably)
You should look where you're going, (always)
She is going to stay overnight, (probably)
Chocolate cakes are the best, (definitely)
I will be able to get it cheaper, (probably)
I have had an illness in my life, (never)
We saw sweets in those days, (never)
I remember buying some, (definitely)
Do you read upside down? (usually)
I can manage to get there, (usually)
She has done that before, (never)
Something is burning, (definitely)
She has been nervous, (always)
I feel cold in your house, (never)
They were against me. (always)
We are going to win. (definitely)
February is the worst, (usually)
It is very difficult, (sometimes)
I buy them in boxes, (always)
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23.
24.
25.
I have tried to find it. (often)
She saw this ghost, (often)
You are right, (probably)
2. Say how often you do some of the following things.
Examples:
I sometimes stay in bed late.
I don't often go to the doctor.
stay in bed late
have bad dreams
eat chocolate get headaches
play tennis
read poetry
fall in love go to concerts
play the
piano
forget people’s names go to the cinema
cook
go to the
doctor
write letters go skiing
go swimming
get depressed
feel happy
Work with another student:
• ask him/her how often he/she does the things in Exercise 3
• report his/her answer.
Examples:
1 'How often do you go to concerts-' 'Never.'
2 Maria never goes to concerts.
3. Rewrite each underlined sentence using the adverb in brackets.
Andy and Jane came home from shopping on Saturday to find their house
had been burgled. A police officer has come to investigate the crime.
OFFICER: You say you're not sure how the thieves got in. Before I
look round, can I ask you a few questions about the house?
ANDY:
Of course.
OFFICER: (1) Do you lock the front door when you go out? (always)
ANDY:
(2) Yes, and I locked it yesterday, (definitely)
OFFICER: OK. What about the windows?
ANDY:
(3) Well, the downstairs ones are locked, (always)
JANE:
(4) We have a lock on the little one in the hall, (even)
OFFICER: And upstairs?
JANE:
(5) Well. I think most of the windows were locked, (probably)
ANDY
(6) They were locked on Friday, (all)
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JANE:
Are you sure?
ANDY:
Yes, I checked them all.
OFFICER: And you didn't open any on Friday night?
ANDY:
(7) No, I didn't, (certainly)
OFFICER:
Well, I can't understand it. Let's look round. Perhaps I'll
notice something you've missed.
4. Rewrite these sentences putting the words and phrases in brackets
in the best order. Note that none of these sentences are emphatic:
1. My parents (allowed/hardly ever) us to (late/ on weekdays/ stay up).
2. Taking advantage of the gap between the players, Owen kicked the ball
(into the net/ just before half time/ skillfully).
3. David behaves quite well when he is at home but he (at school/ causes
trouble/ often).
4. Foxes (often/be seen/can) scavenging (on the streets of London/ at
night).
5. The post (arrive/ sometimes/ on time/ doesn’t) in this part of the city.
6. Jennifer (immediately/ didn’t/ recognise) the man waving (at the end of
the show/ frantically/ from the balcony).
7. We (unable/ are/ usually) to offer refunds on the spot, but we will
examine (thoroughly/ before the end of the week/ your claim).
8. These children (never/ have/ given/ been/ probably) the opportunities
we all take for granted.
9. Access to the Internet (no longer/ is) available (on weekday mornings/
free of charge/ at our libraries).
10.Such losses (have/ would/ normally/ avoided/ been) by the use of backup devices.
11. Many of the old masters had assistants who would prepare the oil
pigments (each morning/ by hand/ in their studios).
II. Present and past habits. Repeated actions and states.
1. Present Simple vs. Present Continuous.
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NB We can use the present continuous with an adverb such as always,
forever, constantly and continually to talk about repeated actions that
happen very often, perhaps too often as far as the speaker is concerned.
5. Use this structure to write sentences describing people you know
who often do some of the things below:
worry about nothing
lose their temper
lose things complain
about their health
forget things
cry
fall in love change their
job
buy new clothes
quarrel
talk nonsense
6. Use one of the sets of notes below to complete each dialogue. Expand
the dialogues using your own ideas, act them out in class.
Forever /lose temper/ people
constantly/ interrupt me/ talk
continually/change/mind
forever/moan/work
always/do/that
forever/ slam doors and shout/ night
forever/ask me/money
constantly/criticise/driving
A: Can I borrow £10?
B:You're.........................................................................................................
1.
2. A: That was a dangerous thing to do.
B:You're.........................................................................................................
3. A: I think I'll stay here after all.
B:You're.........................................................................................................
4. A: I had a bad day at the office again.
B:You're.........................................................................................................
5. A: Pete is playing his music very loud.
B: Again! He ……………………………………………………………….
6. A: Why are you so sulky?
B: That’s because …………………………………………………………..
7. A: Hey! You look exhausted!
B: I didn’t sleep one wink last night. My neighbours
………………………………………………………………………………
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8. A: What’s wrong with Mary?
B: It must be Carlos. They’ve had yet another row. He must learn to calm
down. He…………………………………………………………………..
2. Will, Would, Used to.
NB We often use will/ won’t to talk about actions that have become so
routine that they are predictable:
e.g. Every lesson is the same: he’ll sit down, get his books out and then
he’ll start giving us instructions. He won’t greet us or show any interest in
us.
We can extend this use of will to talk about habits and characteristics:
e.g. The public will always side with the nurses in any dispute.
We often use will to talk about the characteristics of capacity or ability:
e.g. The Olympic stadium in Sydney will hold 110,000 people.
We use would/wouldn’t to talk about habits in the past:
e.g. Every lesson wass the same: he’d sit down, get his books out and then
he’d start giving us instructions. He wouldn’t greet us or show any
interest in us.
We use will (would) to describe an annoying habit or to make a criticism:
e.g. We enjoy going out with Frank and Carol, but the will argue in
public!
e.g. I miss Dad, even though he would always tell me how to run my life.
We do not contract will (would) when we use it to describe an annoying
habit – we stress it:
e.g. Geoff’ll (’d) leave the lights on when he’s (was) last out of the office!
Geoff will (would) leave the lights on when he’s (was) last out of the
office!
7. Here are some laws of nature. Join the beginnings and the ends.
Think of other occurrences of Murphy’s Law.
BEGINNINGS
After you have bought something
ENDS
it will.
If anything can go wrong,
somebody will.
they will both be on at the same time
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If there are two good TV shows,
If you explain so clearly that
nobody can misunderstand,
will always move faster.
will fall asleep first.
If you throw something away.
No matter how much you do,
you will find it somewhere else
cheaper.
The one who snores
The other queue
you'll need it the next day.
you'll never do enough.
8. Complete the sentences with will/would + the verbs below.
Be drive fall keep listen make play ring take talk tell
1 Dad, I've broken my watch.' 'Well, you ______ playing with it.
2 On Sundays when we were kids Mother ______ us pancakes for
breakfast.
3 He's no trouble – he _____by himself for hours.
4 She is nice but she ______ about people behind their backs.
5 People _____ to you if you listen to them.
6 We lived by a lake and sometimes Dad _______ us fishing.
7 I’m not surprised you had an accident – you _____ too fast.
8 If you drop toast it _____ butter side down every time.
9 If you're having a bath, the phone ____. And if you answer it, it
____ a wrong number.
10 He ____ you one thing one minute and the opposite the next – he's
crazy.
NB Used to describes actions which happened regularly in the past but no
longer happen (or vice versa) or now happen with more or less frequency:
e.g. They used to get paid every three months. (Now they get paid weekly.)
Used to is followed by an infinitive. Notice the spelling in questions and
negatives:
e.g. Supermarkets didn’t use to be open on Sundays in Britain.
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Did you use to get free milk at school?
Don’t confuse used to + infinitive with be/get used to (+ verb-ing) which
means “be/become accustomed to”:
e.g. He wasn’t used to living on his own. (= He wasn’t accustomed to it.)
She’s getting used to the new technology. (= She is becoming accustomed
to it).
9. Transform the statements below into negative sentences and questions
making other necessary changes.
1. Every day the young prince used to go hunting in the forest.
2. Wild animals sometimes used to come into the garden at night.
3. I used to enjoy computer games, but I’ve grown tired of them.
4. Brian used to speak Italian quite well, but he’s forgotten it all.
5. Every day Anna used to wake up at 4.00 am and go to work at the
bakery.
6. My mother often used to play the piano and sing after dinner.
7. I used to own a racing bike but I sold it and bought a scooter.
8. Tony used to believe that one day he would be famous.
9. When I was a student I used to go to bed about 1 am.
10. Helen used to live in an old boat on the canal.
11. Mike used to play chess quite often, but he hasn’t played for ages.
12. In those days people used to wash all their clothes by hand.
13. We used to play hide-and-seek when we were children.
14. Every summer they used to stay in a small village in the mountains.
10. Complete the text with words from the box, using used to ...
buy
stand
go
have
take
keep
look after
look at
live
play
Recently we took our 15-year-old son Joe to the place in Paris where we
1 when he was a baby. We showed him the house, with the balcony
where he 2
and make speeches to imaginary crowds. Then we went
inside, and believe it or not, there was Mme Duchene who 3 Joe when
we were working. She didn't look a day older. We couldn't get into the flat,
but we saw the garden where Joe 4 . Then we visited the park where we
5 him for walks, the zoo where he 6 the lions and tigers, and the lake
where we 7 boating. Not much had changed in the area: most of the
shops were still there, including the wonderful old grocer's where we 8
delicacies like cherries in brandy. But the friendly butcher who 9 the
best pieces of meat for us was gone, and so was the restaurant with the
bad-tempered old waitress where we 10 Sunday lunch. I found it strange
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to go back: it made me feel happy and sad at the same time. But Joe was
delighted with the trip.
11. Make sentences with used to and didn't use to about how people
lived hundreds of years ago. Use your own ideas.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
travel / horse
cook / wood fires
live so long
fight / spears
hunt / bows and arrows
believe / ghosts and devils
be able / vote
think / earth was flat
bigger families
children / work, etc.
12. Write some sentences about things that you used to or didn't use to
do/think/ believe when you were younger. Work with other students, find
out what they used to do/think/ believe.
13. Rewrite these sentences, using be/ get used to (doing) smth:
Examples:
I didn’t like the food here at first, but now it’s not so bad. → I’m getting
used to the food here.
1 We found the noise intolerable at first, but now it’s bearable.
2 The humidity was unbearable initially, but now I don’t notice it at
all.
3 At first the pace of life was difficult for us. But now it’s not so bad.
4 When he started his job, Darren hated getting up early, and he still
hates it.
5 Going to work on the underground was an awful shock, and I still
dislike it.
6 Sharing a room was awkward at first, but it doesn’t seem quite so
awkward now.
7 I didn’t like the weather then and I still don’t like it.
8 I can’t eat any more. We never have such big meals at home.
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9 She can’t climb all those steps. She’s not accustomed to so much
exercise.
10 He didn’t like using the computer at first, but now he’s much better
at it.
14. Mary had to move to Italy for her job. At first, she found living in
a foreign country quite difficult, but she is slowly getting used to it.
Use the prompts below to talk about how she is getting along, as in the
example. Add your own ideas.
e.g. She wasn’t used to living by the sea, but she is used to it now.
She still hasn’t got used to living on her own.








live by the sea
live on her own
be away from her family and friends
speak Italian
use a new currency
new customs
drive on the other side of the road
hot weather
+
+
+
+
+
Speak about things you didn’t like at first but then got accustomed to.
NB We can use used to but not would when we talk about past states that
have changed:
The factory used to be over there.
Didn't you use to smoke at
university?
We don't use either used to or would when we say exactly how many
times in total something happened, how long something took, or that a
single event happened at a given past time:
We visited Switzerland four times during the 1970s, (not We would/used to
visit...)
She went to Jamaica last month, (not She would/used to go to Jamaica last
month.)
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15. In the following text, delete any examples of would that are not
acceptable:
When I was young we 1) used to/ would live near a river. We 2) often used
to/ would often go and swim there. It 3) used to/ would be very clean in
those days. There never 4) used to/ would be any factories or houses
nearby. Now it’s changed. It’s no longer safe to swim there. But in those
days we 5) used to/would spend most of the summer there. Sometimes we
6) used to/ would take tents and spend the nights there. We 7) used to/
would light a fire and cook sausages and things. In those days we 8) used
to/ would think that nothing would ever change…
16. If possible, complete these sentences with would (or wouldn't) or
used to. If it is not possible to use would or used to, use a verb in the
past simple.
1 I ……… (enjoy) studying Latin when I was at school.
2 Orwell ………. (spend) winters in Spain and summers in England.
3 We ……….. (live) in a bungalow on the south coast, and then we
moved to a flat in London.
4 You ………… (teach) at Halston University, didn't you?
5 On Saturdays and Sundays the ferry ………. (take) tourists across to
the island.
6 The committee …………… (meet) four times last week, but still no
decision has been reached.
7. Amy worked really hard. Every afternoon she ………. (come) home
from school at 4.15 and do an hour of piano practice.
8. Richard phoned yesterday and ………… (invite) me out for dinner.
9. When Dominic was young he ……….. (eat) any green vegetables.
10. The creaking noises in the old house ……….. (keep) me awake until I
became accustomed to them.
11. Whenever I had a problem with my maths homework, Sam ………..
(help) me.
12. After standing on the bathroom scales, I …………. (decide) that I
needed to lose some weight.
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VOCAB & SPEAKING
1. Try to memorize the following set expressions about habits:
break a habit and break the habit; break one's habit
to end a habit. I was not able to break the habit of snoring. It's hard to break a
habit that you have had for a long time.
by force of habit
owing to a tendency to do something that has become a habit. After I retired, I kept
getting up and getting dressed each morning by force of habit.
kick the habit (informal)
to stop doing something that is difficult to stop doing, especially taking drugs,
smoking, or drinking alcohol No coffee for me, thanks. I'm trying to kick the habit.
'Does she still smoke?' 'No, she kicked the habit a couple of years ago.'
make a habit of something
to do something so often that it becomes a habit. You mustn't make a habit of
interrupting. I make a habit of counting my change.
Old habits die hard.
Prov. People find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior. Joan retired last
year, but she still gets up as early as she used to when she had to go to work. Old
habits die hard.
Why break the habit of a lifetime? (British & Australian humorous)
something that you say which means that you do not believe that someone will
stop doing something bad that they have done all their lives 'I must stop writing my
essays the night before the deadline.' 'Why break the habit of a lifetime?'
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
something that you say which means it is difficult to make someone change the
way they do something when they have been doing it the same way for a long
time
You're never going to teach your father at the age of 79 to use a computer. You
can't teach an old dog new tricks, you know.
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Think of a situation in which you could use each of the expressions above.
2. Render the following text into English using the active grammar constructions
and (for extra points) the active vocabulary (you are welcome to add your own
comments!):
Привычки великих.
Некоторые привычки великих людей не назовешь общепринятыми.








Например, Шиллер почему-то мог творить только тогда, когда на столе
у него лежали гнилые яблоки.
Гайдн не работал без своего кольца с алмазом: он поминутно его
рассматривал.
Вагнер во время сочинения очередного музыкального произведения
раскладывал на стульях и другой мебели яркие куски шелка, имел
обыкновение брать их в руки и теребить.
Эмиль Золя для успешной работы над романом привязывал себя к
стулу.
Шарлотта Бронте постоянно отрывалась от писания очередного романа
и отправлялась чистить картофель.
Эдгар По мог сидеть часами за письменным столом и молча смотреть
на лежащий перед ним лист чистой бумаги.
Дюма-сын для пробуждения вдохновения любил раз пять основательно
поесть.
Жорж Санд ежедневно писала до 11 часов, и если заканчивала роман в
10.30, то тут же начинала новый, над которым работала полчаса.
3. Insert the correct prepositions into the following sentences (you can find a
more comprehensive list of dependent preposition patterns at the end of this
book):
1. He has a very bad attitude ________work.
2. Is there anything you're not sure_______?
3. Marie Curie is famous ________ her contribution to science.
4. His parents were bitterly disappointed ______ him.
5. Were you aware ______ the risks at the time?
6. Are you satisfied _______ the new arrangement?
7. Are you getting excited _____ your holiday?
8. They were absolutely fascinated ______ the game.
9. He didn't seem very interested _______ what I was saying.
10.Let's be realistic ______ this - I just can't afford to pay that much money.
11.Paul is directly responsible _______ the efficient running of the office.
12.She advises the President _______ African policy.
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13.I know that if I start watching a soap opera I immediately become hopelessly
addicted ______ it.
In pairs ask and answer questions about each other’s likes and dislikes using
the active expressions with dependent prepositions.
4. In this unit you will have come across a lot of phrases with the two easily
confused verbs “do” and “make” (e.g. do routine tasks, make demands, do the
ironing – all appear in the text on page 18). Complete the sentences below with
either of the verbs. (There is a list of make/do collocations at the end of this
book).
1 Good morning. I’d like to ______ an appointment with Dr Brown, please.
2 If I cook, will you _____ the washing up?
3 Could you ______ me a favour? Could you post this letter for me on your
way home?
4 If you want to pass your exam this summer, you’ll have to _____ a far
greater effort than now.
5 I can’t come out tonight. I’ve got to stay in and _____ my hair.
6 Last week we _____ a very difficult exercise on prepositions.
7 Stop _____ such a noise! I’m trying to sleep.
8 Most people get nervous when asked to _____ a speech.
9 Everyone knows that smoking _____ you harm.
10 People often used to ______ fun of him because he was so fat.
11 Children should _____ their duty and look after their parents when they are
old.
12 My grandparents always ______ a big fuss of me whenever I go and visit
them.
13 Could I see the manager, please? I wish to _____ a complaint.
14 Our company _____ business with lots of foreign companies.
15 Whenever I’m asked to do something, I always try to _____ a good job.
16 My son is at Cambridge University ______ research.
17 Do you find it easy or difficult to ______ friends.
18 The only way of ______ a lot of money in this country is to win it on the
National Lottery.
19 Many students are afraid to speak English because they don’t like to _____
mistakes.
20 I forgot to _____ my homework last night.
21 They _____ a very long journey from London to Nepal.
22 I’m _____ the Cambridge First certificate exam in the summer.
23 The teacher wished the students good luck for their exam and told them to
_____ their best.
24 He didn’t really feel like going to the party, so he _____ an excuse about not
feeling well.
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READING & SPEAKING.
1. a) Pre-reading. Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.
frugality bankruptcy skip aperitif obsession sluggish forage reel baguette
brasserie
1. If an economy is __________________, it does not perform as well as usual.
2. If you __________________ from the effects of something, you feel shocked,
upset or confused.
3. __________________ is a situation in which a company formally admits it has
no money and cannot pay what it owes.
4. A __________________ is a long, thin loaf of bread made in the French style.
5. __________________ is when people spend very little money and only on
things that are really necessary.
6. If you __________________ for food, you search for it in a wide area, but
especially in rubbish bins.
7. A __________________ is a restaurant or bar, especially one that serves French
food.
8. An __________________ is an emotional state in which something is so
important to you that you are always thinking about it in a way that seems extreme
to other people.
9. An __________________ is an alcoholic drink that is drunk before a meal.
10. If you __________________ a meal, you avoid having it.
b) Read the text and briefly summarise the main points.
Au revoir to long lunch as French tighten belts
• 3,000 restaurants and bars go bust in three months
• Starters and wine out, baguettes and burgers in
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
September 24, 2008
It is seen as the mark of civilized eating, distinguishing well-fed French workers
from the English who wolf prawn sandwiches at their desks. But France’s tradition
of the three-course restaurant lunch is in danger of being killed off by the
economic crisis. Around 3,000 traditional French restaurants, cafés and bars went
bust in the first three months of 2008 and unions predict a further rush of closures
as people worry about making ends meet. The number of French restaurants going
bankrupt rose by 25% from last year, and cafés forced to close were up by 56%.
Le Figaro’s renowned restaurant critic, François Simon, said yesterday that French
consumers’ frugality had changed national eating habits and forced restaurant
owners to the brink. Diners were now skipping the traditional aperitif, avoiding
starters, drinking tap water, passing on wine and coffee and – at most – sharing a
pudding.
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Even the city’s smartest restaurants were getting impatient with smaller orders. In
one restaurant near Paris’ Gare de Lyon, he reported, two couples were asked to
leave by a desperate restaurant owner because they would not order starters. The
restaurant chain Hippopotamus was now running loyalty deals and special-offer
hamburgers, which had become more popular than French steak dishes. Office
workers were increasingly buying take-away baguettes and supermarket lunches.
Making ends meet with low salaries and rising food prices has become a national
obsession as France’s economy continues to be sluggish. Regular TV reports
describe the desperation of people forced to eat cheap tinned vegetables or forage
in bins at markets. The restaurant sector has seen the third highest number of
bankruptcies in France this year, after the construction and building trades,
according to the credit insurance group Euler Hermes SFAC.
The time French people spend on eating meals in restaurants has already gone
down: in 1975, a lunch out would take an average of one and a half hours. By
2005, it had fallen to 32 minutes. Danièle Deleval, vice president of the UMIH
restaurant and hotel union, said: “We’re very worried. Since the start of the year,
the number of restaurant customers has dropped, on average, 20% and we’re
seeing no signs of improvement.”
Jean Guillaume, owner of Le Bouquet brasserie on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris’
smart 8th district, said: “Lunch customers used to order a main course, dessert,
coffee and a bottle of wine. Now they’re limiting themselves to a main course, tap
water, and giving up the rest. Of 75 customers in this lunchtime, none had a bottle
of wine ... It’s the end of a tradition of lunching out and it looks like figures will
stay this low for two to three years.” The nearby bakery, however, was busy selling
take-away baguettes, with queues down the street at midday.
Restaurant and bar owners are reeling from a poor summer with fewer
international tourists visiting Paris, especially Americans and Japanese. And in
Toulouse, cafe owners complained that customers would try to make one drink last
as long as possible. Even in French holiday destinations, like Arcachon in the west
or the Côte d’Azur in the south, restaurant owners said business was down by at
least 10%.
© Guardian News & Media 2008
First published in The Guardian, 24/09/08
c) Choose the best answer according to the text.
1. The number of people dining in restaurants in France is falling because…
a. … there are fewer international tourists, especially Americans and Japanese.
b. … there are fewer and fewer restaurants to eat in.
c. … the economic crisis means people have less money to spend.
2. Why is the summer described as ‘poor’?
a. Because there were fewer international tourists.
17
b. Because the weather was bad so people stayed at home.
c. Because most French people were away on holiday.
3. Why were two couples ordered to leave a restaurant near the Gare de Lyon?
a. Because they only wanted to order starters.
b. Because they didn’t want to order starters.
c. Because they asked for tap water with their meal.
4. By how much has the time French people spend on eating restaurant meals
fallen since 1975?
a. By about one third.
b. By about 50%.
c. It has shown almost a threefold decrease.
d) Retell the text using the active grammar patterns and at least 15 active
vocabulary units.
e) Which prepositions follow these words? Check your answers in the text.
1. distinguish _______2. impatient _______3. limit oneself _______4. in danger
_______5. worry _______6. spend time _______7. reel _______8. pass _______
f) Discussion
How many ways of saving money in difficult economic times can you think of?
2. Comment on the following quotes about habits. Use the active vocabulary:
First we make our habits, then our habits make us.
Charles C. Noble
Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.
Proverb
Habit converts luxurious enjoyments into dull and daily necessities.
Aldous Huxley
Where can I find a man governed by reason instead of habits and urges?
Kahlil Gibran
You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to
live to be a hundred.
Woody Allen
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
Mark Twain
18
A man who gives his children habits of industry provides for them better than by
giving them a fortune.
Richard Whately
It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing,
but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.
Fyodor Dostoevski
Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.
Vince Lombardi
19
TEST YOURSELF.
1. Grammar. Choose the correct answer.
1 'Sharon looks different now, doesn't she?'
'Yes. She ...... to have long dark hair, didn't she?'
A is used
В used
С would
2 'I have never driven an automatic car before.'
'You will soon ....... to it.'
A get used
В be used С used
3 'How is Sarah?'
'She's fine. She ........ to life in the countryside.'
A got used
В used
С is getting used
4 'Have you always worked as a nurse?'
'No. I ............ a childminder.'
A was used to being
В used to be
С am used to being
5 'Do you remember when we were little?'
'Yes. Dad .......... always read us a bedtime story.'
A was used to
В would С got used to
6 'Aren't you tired?'
'No. I............ to walking long distances.'
A am used
В got used С used
7 'Jane had trouble with her job at first.'
'Yes. She ........... to working on her own.'
A used
В got used
С wasn't used
8 'Did you find your degree course difficult?'
'Yes, but I soon........ to it.'
A used
В got used С was used
9 'Do you remember Uncle Danny?'
'Yes. He ........... always bring us presents.'
20
A would
В was used С used
10 'Have you ever lived in a flat before?'
'No, but I will ........to it.'
A be used
В get used
С used
11 'Why are you so tired?'
'Because I .......... to getting up early in the morning.
A am used
В used
С am not used
12 'Do you know that man?'
'Yes. He ........... to work for me.'
A was used
В used
С is used
2. Vocab. Suggest active vocabulary units corresponding to the following
definitions:
a) the substances that you take into your body as food and the way that they
influence your health
b)
to feel angry because you have been forced to accept someone or something that
you do not like
c) a serious medical condition in which the heart does not get enough blood,
causing great pain and often leading to death
d) to make someone extremely annoyed
e) the amount of a particular substance contained in something
f) a person who is walking, especially in an area where vehicles go
g) the busy part of the day when towns and cities are crowded, either in the morning
when people are travelling to work, or in the evening when people are travelling
home
h) the speed at which someone or something moves, or with which something
happens or changes
i) a time or day by which something must be done
j) to watch a person or activity to make certain that everything is done correctly,
safely, etc.
21
k) a person's ability to do more than one thing at a time
l) a set of red, yellow and green lights which control the movement of vehicles,
usually at a point where two or more roads join
m)
from the start of smth
n)
a person who buys goods or a service from the same shop/ company
o) before a particular time, or before doing a particular thing
p)
describes a person who becomes angry and annoyed easily
22
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
p. 14
- nutrition
- food labels
- eating habits
- give up (doing smth)
R2.1
- resent doing smth
- change one’s mind about
- heart attack
- eat/ feed smb (a high fat) diet
- I watch what I eat
- a (fat) content
- drive smb crazy
p. 15
- more often than not
- every so often
- once in a while
- every now and again
p. 16
- the rush hour
- a pedestrian
- back home
- pace of life
23
- don’t get me wrong
- traffic lights/ stop at red lights
- educational
p. 18
- first thing in the morning
- a deadline (for)
- routine tasks
- say no to smth (never say no to smth)
- put effort into
- recognize/ know when enough is enough
- multitasking (to multitask)
R2.4
- delivery service
- print smth off
- regular customers
- in advance
- urgent
- in class/ outside of class
- no way!
R2.6
- right from the word go
- meal times
- get into bad habits
- send smb out of somewhere
- supervise
24
- slow smth down
- learn valuable life lessons
- give smth a go
R2.7
- get bad-tempered
Try to keep in mind the following dependent prepositions:
p. 14
Attitude to, be worried about, advise smb on smth
R2.1
Be addicted to
p. 16
(memorize the prepositions from ex. 1 + those on p. 116), different from
p. 18
rely on, decide on, on the list, responsible for
R2.4
Be late with smth, be realistic about, argue with (I can’t argue with that!), interested
in
25
UNIT 3.
GRAMMAR
I. Zero & First Conditional sentences.
NB. Zero and First Conditional sentences refer to real situations. Zero Conditional
sentences are used to talk about present and past events as well as about general
truths and facts. Tenses here are used in the same way as in other kinds of sentence:
e.g. If I feel like some exercise, I take the dog for a walk.
If I missed the last train, I just stayed over with friends.
If steel is exposed to air and water, it resists rust for a considerable length of time.
First conditional sentences express a possible condition and its probable result in the
future. In the if-clause we normally use a present tense to speak about the future.
e.g. I’ll give her your love if I see her.
We can use other present tenses in the if-clause and other future forms in the main
clause:
e.g. If you’re coming on the motorway, you’ll need change for the tolls.
If the results of the customer survey are favourable, the supermarket is going to
introduce a new range.
We can use modal verbs in either clause, especially can, may and should.
e.g. If the regime can keep the loyalty of the army, they may retain power.
1. Join the beginnings and ends, putting in if.
BEGIINNINGS
ENDS
26
A) wash woolen clothes in hot water
Put food in the fridge
Don’t water plants
Put water in the freezer
Leave metal out in the rain
Drop something
Throw a pebble into the sea
Mix blue and yellow
They die.
It becomes ice.
It gets rusty.
They shrink.
It falls to the ground.
It stays fresh for longer.
You get green.
It sinks.
B) anybody asks you what you're doing. I'll take it back to the shop.
you're not feeling up to it.
How can you make decisions
say you're with me.
I buy three kilos.
that'll do for a few weeks.
I don't get up till nine.
I never get anything done.
I can't fix the video,
we can catch the early train.
I’ll go with you
you want to learn a musical
The shops are easy to get to
instrument.
you don't know what's going
We don't have to go out
on?
you're ready before eight.
you like.
You have to practice
you park near the station.
2. Choose the correct tenses (present or will...).
1. If you (my) that again, I (scream).
2. 1 (be) surprised if she (manage) to sell that ear.
3. If the boys (come) to supper, I (cook) chicken breasts.
4. I (need) some money if we (go) out tonight.
5. I (miss) you if we (move) to Wales.
6. If you (wash) up, I (dry).
7. Ann (fee) sorry if Helen (not come).
8. If you (get) lonely, I hope you (phone) me - any time.
9. If you (look) in the top drawer, you (find) your passport.
10. It (be) funny if Norman (get) the job.
11 I’ve hung out the clothes. It’s lovely and sunny. If it (stay) like this they (be)
dry in two hours.
12 If the pain (return) you’d better take another pill.
13 Tell him to bring his bicycle inside. If he (leave) it outside someone (steal) it.
14 If you (bathe) in this pond you (be) ill for a fortnight.
15 Be careful about the time. If you (spend) too long on the first question you (not
have) enough time to do the others properly.
27
3. Complete these sentences any way you like.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
I’ll be surprised if _______.
I’ll be very happy if ______.
I’ll be sorry if______ .
I’ll be angry if ______.
I’ll be annoyed if ______.
I’ll be shocked if _____.
I’ll be terrified if _____.
I’ll be very lucky if _____.
II. Second Conditional sentences.
NB The second conditional is used to express imaginary situations which are
contrary to facts in the present and, therefore, are unlikely to happen in the present or
future. We normally use past simple or past continuous in the if-clause and would
(could, might) + infinitive in the main clause.
e.g. If they wanted to make an offer, she would listen and think it over.
If a celebrity were staying in the hotel, security arrangements would be tightened.
We use the second conditional to express a variety of functions:
- Giving advice (with were): If I were you, I would take her out of that school.
- Polite requests: If you could deal with this matter, I’d be very grateful.
- Desires/ regrets: If we didn’t have to work so hard, we could spend more time
together.
4. Transform the sentences into the second conditional making them hypothetical,
and translate them into Russian.
E.g. If I can I’ll help you. – If I could I would help you.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
If you fall, you will hurt yourself.
If you become a millionaire you will be unhappy.
If they offer me the job, I’ll turn it down.
If you try harder, you will succeed.
If John studies more, he will get better marks.
If it rains, we’ll play football indoors instead.
If she falls, she will land in the safety net.
If we work hard, we’ll finish the project on time.
28
9.
If I win the money, I’ll buy a new car.
10. If we go for a walk, we will take the dog with us.
11. If she invites us to her party, we will go.
12. If Mark lends me some money, I’ll buy that jacket.
5. Put in the correct verb forms.
1 The kitchen (look) better If we (have) red curtains.
2 I (be) sorry if we (not see), her again.
3 It (be) a pity if Andy (not get) the job.
4 If I (know) his address, I (go) round and see him.
5 What (you do) if you (win) the lottery?
6 It (be) quicker if you (use) a computer.
7 If you (not be) so busy, I (show) you how to play.
8 If we (have) some eggs, I (make) you a cake.
9 If you really (love) me, you (buy) me those diamonds.
10 I'm sure Moira (help) you if you (ask) her.
11 If it (not be) so cold, I (tidy) up the garden.
12 If I (have) the keys, I (show) you the cellar.
13 If I (have) children like hers, I (send) them to boarding school.
14 Where (you go) if you (need) to buy a picture frame?
15 (you mind) if I (go) first?
16 If all of us (come), (you have) room in your car?
17 It (be) nice if you (spend) some time with the children,
18 I (not do) this if I (not have) to.
6. Complete the sentence with a suitable form of the verb in brackets.
The Earth after humans
If all the people on Earth 1) (disappear) tomorrow, nature 2)(begin) to reclaim the
planet. For a start, if people no longer 3) (pollute) the atmosphere, the air 4) (soon
become) clean again. If there 5) (be) no people to maintain buildings, they 6) (soon
begin) to decay, but more solid parts 7) (take) thousands of years to disappear. In
general, if the 6.5 billion humans no longer 8) (compete) with other species on Earth,
most species 9) (benefit) For example, if humans no longer 10) (catch) fish, the
numbers of fish worldwide 11) (eventually increase) However, if humans 12) (vanish)
from the Earth, endangered species of animals 13) (not necessarily recover), as some
are already too few in number. Some endangered species 14) (have) greater difficulty
surviving if no humans 15) (take) the trouble to protect them from other species.
Even if we no longer 16) (poison) the planet, several decades 17) (go by) before all
dangerous chemicals 18) (disappear) And even if the burning of fossil fuels 19)
(cease) tomorrow, the oceans 20) (not absorb) all the C02 in the atmosphere for
thousands of years. In the end, though, if alien visitors 21) (land) on the Earth in
29
100,000 years time, they 22) (find) no signs that an advanced civilization had ever
lived here.
7. NB As well as would, we can use could (= 'would be able to') and might ( = 'would
perhaps').
e.g. I could lend you my car if you wanted.
He might change his mind if we talked to him.
Complete these sentences using could or might.
1 If it wasn't raining, we (play) tennis.
2 If she asked me politely, I (feel) like helping her.
3 If he wasn't so bad-tempered. I (go) out with him.
4 If I had more money, I (get) a small flat
5 If you spoke more slowly, I (understand.) you better.
6 If you cooked it to butter, it (taste) better.
7 If she wasn’t so shy, she (enjoy) parties.
8 If I had the right change, we (get)tickets from the machine.
9 If he worked overtime, he (earn) as much as I do.
10 If he paid his staff properly, they (work) better.
11 If I knew his address, I (write) to him.
12 If I had a map, I (direct) you.
13 If people didn’t drive so fast, there (be) fewer accidents.
14 If English people didn’t speak so quickly, I (understand) them.
15 If we had a ladder, we (get) over the wall.
8. NB. After if, we often use were instead of was. In a formal style, were is considered more
correct. In colloquial English we still prefer were if I is the subject.
If I were rich, I would spend all my time travelling
Put the beginnings and ends together, using if... were.
Example:
If he were a better dancer, her feet wouldn't hurt
Beginnings
he / a better dancer
I / a rabbit
I / forty years younger
I/Moroccan
I /the manager
it/not so cold
Ends
her feet wouldn't hurt.
I wouldn't be working.
I’d be quite pretty,
I'd give everybody ten weeks' holiday.
I'd go dancing all night,
I'd go for a walk.
30
it/Sunday
my nose / shorter
people / more sensible
she / better-tempered
I’d live in a hole.
I'd speak Arabic.
life in the office would be easier.
there wouldn't be any wars.
9. NB We often use the structure I should(n't)... if I were you to give advice.
I shouldn't worry if I were you.
If I were you, I’d get that car serviced.
Write some sentences beginning If I were you... to: other students / your
teacher / your mother / your father / the President / the Pope/...
III. First & Second Conditional compared.
10. NB The difference between, for example, if I go... I will and if I went...
I would
or between if I speak... and if I spoke...., is NOT a difference of TIME. They can both
refer to the present or future. The past tense (and would) usually suggests that the
situation is less probable, or less definite, or impossible, or imaginary.
Compare:
If I become President, I’ll... (said by a candidate in an election)
If I became President, I’d... (said by a schoolgirl)
If I win this race. I'll... (said by the fastest runner) If I won this race, I'd... (said by the
slowest runner)
Is it all right if I invite John to supper? (direct request)
Would it be all right if I invited
John to supper? (polite request)
Put each verb in brackets into a suitable verb form.
1. If I (have) my phone here with me, I (be able) to call a taxi now, but I left it at
home.
2. If you (not help) me, I (not pass) the exam.
3. It’s a beautiful house, and I (buy) it if I (have) the money, but I can’t afford it.
4. I can’t imagine what I (do) with the money if I (win) the lottery.
5. If Mark (train) harder, he (be) a good runner.
6. I can’t understand what he sees in her! If anyone (treat) me like that, I (be)
extremely angry.
7. If you (help) me with this exercise, I (do) the same for you one day.
8. According to the timetable, if the train (leave) on time, we (arrive) at 5.30.
9. If we (find) a taxi, we (get) there before the play starts.
31
10. I don’t like this flat. I think I (be) happier if I (live) in a house in the country.
11. I don’t know how to play baseball, but I’m sure that if I (do), I (play) a lot better
than anyone in this awful team.
12. If I (phone) you tonight, you (be) at home?
11. Choose the most sensible verb form and complete the sentences.
1 If I (live/lived) to be 70...
2 If I (live/lived) to be 150...
3 If I (am/were) better looking...
4 If I (wake/woke) up early tomorrow ...
5 If Scotland (declares/declared) war on Switzerland ...
6 If we (have/had) the same government in five years' time ...
7 If everybody (gives/gave) ten per cent of their income to charity...
8 If everybody (thinks/thought) like me...
9 If there (is/was) nothing good on TV tonight...
10 If my English (is/was) better next year ...
11 If the government (bans/banned) cars from city centres next year...
12 If I (have/had) bad dreams tonight...
IV. Third Conditional sentences.
The third conditional is also known as the past or impossible conditional. We use the
past perfect in the if-clause and would/wouldn’t have + past participle in the main
clause. The third conditional describes a hypothetical situation or event in the past.
The past situation or event is contrary to known facts, i.e. it is an unreal or
impossible situation:
e.g. If we had paid our cleaner more, she wouldn’t have left us. (but we didn’t pay
her more, so she left).
We can use continuous forms in either or both clauses of this conditional:
e.g. If someone had been teasing your child so nastily, you would have behaved in
the same way.
We can use a modal in the main clause, usually might or could:
e.g. It might have been easier to break the news if I had known her a bit better.
We can use the third conditional to express criticism:
e.g. If you’d been driving more slowly, you could have stopped in time.
12. Transform the sentences into the third conditional.
E.g. It I saw him, I would tell him everything. (Hypothetical, present or future)
If I had seen him, I would have told him everything. (Unreal, past)
32
1.
If the spy intercepted the message, he would avert the crisis.
2.
If the printer broke down within the first year, we would repair it at our
expense.
3.
If you listened more carefully, you would understand a little more.
4.
If you accepted our offer, we could avoid the costs of a court case.
5.
If the builders finished the work to schedule, they would receive a bonus.
6.
The blockades wouldn’t happen if the police were firmer with the strikers.
7.
If you asked him nicely, he would agree.
8.
I wouldn’t accept if you asked me to marry you.
9.
If you fell, I wouldn’t be able to catch you.
10. If he got this job, he would be able to buy his own flat.
11. Emily would call me if she changed her mind.
12. If I met Brad Pitt, I would ask for his autograph.
13.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Put in the correct verb forms.
If I (know) you were coming, I (invite): some friends in.
He (go) to university if his father (not be) ill.
If you (say) you weren't hungry, I (not cook) such a big meal
The team (win) if Jones (play) better.
If they (not cut) off the electricity, I (finish) my work.
If Bell (not invent) the telephone, somebody else (do) it.
If you (not spend) so much time making up, we (not be) late.
The burglars (not get) in it you (remember) to lock the door.
If he (not be) a film star, he (not become) President.
If she (have) more sense, she (sell) her car years ago.
If he (not spend) so much on his holiday, he (have) enough to pay for the house repairs.
You (not catch) cold if you (take) your coat.
You (win) if you (run) a bit faster.
We (get) better tickets if we (book) earlier.
It (be) better if you (ask) me for help.
‘If Cleopatra's nose (be) shorter, the whole history of the world (be) different." (Pascal)
14. NB Instead of would have… we can use could have... (= 'would have been able to') and
might have …( = ‘would perhaps have…’).
If he'd run a bit faster, he could have won.
If I hadn't been so tired, I might have realised what was happening.
Write sentence chains with If to show how things could have been different. Use
could and might if possible.
Example:
I If he hadn't worked so hard, he wouldn't have passed his exams. If he hadn’t passed his
exams, he wouldn’t have gone to university. If he hadn’t gone to university...
33
1 He worked hard → passed exams → went to university → studied languages →
learnt Chinese → went to China → went climbing in Tibet →tried to climb Everest
→disappeared in a snowstorm
2 He bought a bicycle → went for a ride in country → fell off → woke up in hospital →
met a beautiful nurse → wrote a bestselling novel about her → got rich → married the
beautiful nurse and had three charming children → lived happily ever after If he hadn't
bought a bicycle....
3 Mary's mother went out that evening → Mary cooked for herself → got interested in
cooking → opened a very successful restaurant → had Prime Minister as a customer → the
PM ordered mussels → the mussels poisoned PM → the PM died → Mary went to prison
for life
Work with other students. Make a sentence chain for them.
V. Second & Third conditional compared
15. Match the beginning of each sentence with the most suitable ending.
1 If you had been promoted,
2 If you were rude to the
boss,
3 If you were promoted,
4 If you hadn't been
promoted,
5 If you had lost your job,
6 If you apologised,
7 If you were fired,
a you'd be able to change the
system.
b would you have left the firm?
c you wouldn't be sacked.
d you wouldn't get a reference.
e would you have made any
changes?
f you'd probably regret it later.
g you'd have been very upset
34
Put the verbs into the correct tenses.
My brother Kevin has always been a fitness fanatic. He believes that if you 1)
(look after) your body, it will look after you. Whenever anyone is ill, he 2) (say),
'If they had taken care of themselves, they 3) (get) ill. And the same thing 4)
happens /will happen to me if I 5) (keep fit).' I would often say to him, 'If I were
you, Kevin, I 6) (try) to slow down a little bit. You will wear yourself out,'
Last month, however, I went to the doctor's and he told me that I was unfit. He
said that if I 7) (start) taking regular exercise, I 8) (be) in danger of becoming ill.
I started going to the gym with Kevin and, after a week, I said to him, 'I feel
better already. If I 9) (know) how good it feels to exercise, I 10) (start) years
ago!'
Put the verb in brackets in a suitable form, using a negative where necessary.
The extinction of the dinosaurs
The dinosaurs probably became extinct after a giant asteroid hit the Earth about
65 million years ago. But what 1) (happen) if this asteroid 2) (miss)? Scientists
believe that in this case, dinosaurs 3) (continue) to dominate the Earth, and that
modern animals 4) (probably exist). Instead of elephants and lions and so on,
there 5) (be) different types of dinosaurs, because the animals we have now
simply 6) (be able) to evolve. Some scientists have even suggested that dinosaurs
7) (develop) along the same lines as human beings, but this is a minority view.
The general view is that perhaps dinosaur brains h (grow) larger, but if they 8)
(exist) today, dinosaurs 9) (change) very much in general, and 10) (look) much
the same. The prospects for human beings would not be so good, however. If the
asteroid 11) (collide) with the Earth, there 12) (probably be) any humans alive
today. When the asteroid disaster wiped out the dinosaurs, it gave mammals the
advantage. Without that space collision, mammals 13) (stand) much chance
against the dominant dinosaur species.
14. Complete the conversations:
1. SEAN: Why didn’t you go to the party last night?
JIM: I wasn’t invited.
SEAN: So, would you have gone if you ___________?
2. JILL: Jane’s got a university degree, hasn’t she?
MILLY: Yeah, I don’t know how she can work here. I _________ a job doing
something exciting if I _____________ her qualifications.
JILL: What kind of job would you want?
MILLY: Oh, I don’t know exactly. But if I __________ Jane, I ___________
to meet interesting people and visit interesting places.
35
3. SAM: Why did you ask Veronica about her boyfriend? It really upset her.
MICK: Well, I didn’t realize they’d split up.
SAM: You didn’t know then?
MICK: Of course not. If I ___________, I ___________ her about him.
4. TIM: Hey, look at that motorbike. What a beauty!
PAT: Look out! Mind that litter bin.
TIM: Ouch! I’ve hurt my leg!
PAT: Well, you _____________it if you ______________ where you were
going.
5. JOHN: Do you love me?
ROSE: You know I do.
JOHN: Would you _________ if I ___________ poor?
ROSE: Probably. But fortunately you’re rich.
JOHN: Well, yes, I am. But if I ___________all my money, what
____________?
ROSE: I’d say goodbye.
JOHN: Now you’re joking.
ROSE: Oh no, I’m not!
16. You are going to read about six different legal cases. Imagine you were a
judge. Decide what sentence – if any – would be appropriate in each case.
Explain your reasoning and reach unanimous decisions. Use second and third
conditional sentences.
1. In the dock: Chariot
The parents of two troubled teenagers who took their own fives are seeking unspecified damages
from their favourite band - heavy metal outfit Chariot. It is alleged that the group glorify suicide
and that their songs contain subliminal messages which prompted the death pact. One song, "Life is
Death", features the lyrics "Do yourself in. Do it now". On the night of their deaths, the pair drank
a 12-pack of beer and smoked marijuana whilst listening repeatedly to this track, before shooting
themselves. In their defence, Chariot point to the teenagers’ turbulent home lives and long-standing
history of drug abuse.
2. In the dock: One man (and his dog)
A pensioner who recruited a friend to drive him home after a long night's drinking has landed him
in court. Whilst James Murray was well over the legal limit, having "admittedly had eight or nine
beers", driver Bear McLagan was stone cold sober. This was not the problem, legally speaking.
What led to him being charged with reckless driving was the fact that Mr. McLagan is completely
blind. Despite being accompanied by his guide dog, it was Mr. Murray who somehow managed to
provide directions on the two-mile journey from The Green Moose bar home. Nobody was injured
during the trip.
3. In the dock: The Internet service provider
36
An eminent nuclear physicist is suing the Internet provider Smartline Internet, for allowing libellous
material to be posted on their service. Professor Juan Baptista claims that three messages posted
anonymously on a newsgroup site were potentially damaging to his professional reputation and that,
as a result, the ISP should have removed them. Smartline claim they are not the publishers of the
comments and thus not responsible in the same way as a newspaper would be for an article and that
the case represents "an assault on freedom of speech".
4. In the dock: The jilted lover
A 34-year-old woman, left seething after her boyfriend left her for another woman, is in court today
facing charges of breaking and entering, cruelty to animals and criminal damage. Melissa Marlins
drove to her former lover's house six days after their three-month relationship had ended, kicked in
his back door and then proceeded to slash his wardrobe. Shirts and trousers were left in shreds and
Ms. Martins also cut the ends off all the socks in the house. Finally, she kicked her ex's prized
Persian cat, Nobby, so hard it later died of internal bleeding. In her defence, Ms. Martins claims she
was not in her right mind at the time.
5. In the dock: The government
The Benet people, an indigenous minority group, took the Ugandan government to court over a
land dispute, which they claimed represented a gross violation of their basic human rights. The
Benets are native to the Mount Elgon area in the east of the country, but were forced off their land
and left destitute when the region was designated a national park. The move was intended to help
boost tourism. The Benets are dependent on agriculture and argue that their displacement
challenges their very existence as a tribal people.
6. In the dock: The superhacker
A man dubbed '"the worst hacker of all time" has been granted bail. Gary McKinnon, 39, is facing
possible extradition to the United States following claims that he gained illegal access to numerous
US military and NASA computers, and deleted crucial information. It is alleged that McKinnon's
actions led to certain state computers being disabled on occasion and resulted in a tracing operation
that cost over $1 million. McKinnon plans to contest the charges and believes they are the result of
post-9/11 paranoia. He portrays himself more as a curious voyeur than a threat to national security
and says he was stunned at how easy the systems were to break into.
VI. Mixed Conditional sentences.
NB Mixed conditionals include the verb forms from two different conditional
patterns. These are the two most common mixed patterns.
a) main clause – third conditional
if-clause – second conditional
This conditional describes a hypothetical situation or event in the present, which
is contrary to known facts. The result in the main clause refers to the past:
e.g. If the island were still a tourist attraction, last week’s earthquake would
have caused far more deaths. (= The island is no longer a tourist attraction so the
earthquake didn’t cause a huge number of deaths).
37
b) main clause – second conditional
if-clause – third conditional
This conditional describes a hypothetical situation or event in the past, which is
contrary to known facts. The result in the main clause refers to the present:
e.g. If Fleming hadn’t discovered penicillin, there would be far more fatalities
every year than there actually are. (= Fleming did discover penicillin so there are
fewer fatalities now.)
17. Put the words in brackets into the correct tenses.
1
If he (not take) his gloves off, his hands (be) cold now.
2
She was sent to prison only because she refused to pay the fine. If she
(pay) the fine, she (be) in prison.
3
If he (be) so proud, he (turn) to his father for help long ago.
4
It was the drug, not the disease, that killed him. He still (be) alive today if
he (not take) that drug.
5
This room is freezing because the fire has only just been lit. if it (light) this
morning, the room (be) warm enough to sit in now.
6
If my phone (not ring) at nine o’clock, I still (be) in bed.
7
When the weather got bad the climbing party turned back, all except Tom
and his brothers. If only they (turn) back with the others they (be) alive today.
8
Why are you in such a bad temper? - I’ve been waiting for 40 minutes in
an icy wind. If you (wait) 40 minutes in an icy wind, you (be) bad-tempered too.
9
If I (know) your number, I (ring) you yesterday.
10
If she (not be) so shy, she (speak) to him at the party.
11
I (like) country life if I (bring up) in the country.
12
If they (not use) closed-circuit television, they (not spot) the shoplifter.
13
If the streets here (be) clearly marked, it (not take) us such a long time to
find his house.
14
If he (go) into the greengrocery business when he left school, he (be)
comfortably well off now instead of being poor.
15
The headmaster decided that Peter was the culprit and expelled him from
the school. If the headmaster (be) more intelligent, he (realize) that Peter couldn’t
have been guilty.
Rewrite the following as mixed conditional
1 She didn't study hard. She won't pass the exams. ...If she had studied hard,
she would pass the exams....
38
2 You didn't wake me up. Now I'm late for my appointment.
3 She isn't well-qualified. She didn't get the job.
4 We didn't go to the restaurant. We don't like fast food.
5 She didn't bring her umbrella. Now, she's getting wet.
6 I don't know them very well, so I didn't go to the party,
7 He isn't at the lecture because he wasn't told about it.
8 They didn't take a map with them. They're lost now.
9 The driver isn't careful. He crashed his car into a wall.
10 I didn't buy tickets. We can't go to the theatre tonight.
11 He didn't reserve a table. He has to wait for an hour.
12 Sue forgot to go to the bank. Now she can't go shopping.
13 They missed their flight. They won't arrive until tomorrow
39
VOCAB & SPEAKING
Here we are looking at six idioms which are linked to the topic of crime.
These idioms are not necessarily about crime; they just use the language of
crime to describe other situations. Find out what they mean, how you can use
them and then do the quiz:
A steal
A steal is anything that is much cheaper to buy than you would expect. The
item is a real bargain and great value for money. It is so cheap, that is almost
like we have stolen it!
'I only paid 20 dollars for this dress and it's a designer brand. It was a real
steal!'
Highway robbery
Highway robbery (also known as daylight robbery) means that you feel
something is much more expensive than it should be. You feel you are paying
way too much.
'The soft drinks in the cinema are really expensive. I paid 10 dollars for a cola.
It's highway robbery!'
Thick as thieves
When people are thick as thieves they have a very close relationship. They're
probably best friends who are always together and never keep secrets from each
other.
'Lee and Mike have been as thick as thieves since they met in junior school.
They do everything together.'
On the case
When someone is on the case they are doing what needs to be done in a
particular situation. They are dealing with the task or problem.
'Don't worry about it. I'll have the report done by Friday. I'm on the case.'
Get away with murder
When someone gets away with murder they are not punished for bad
behavior. They did something bad or wrong and did not get into trouble for it.
40
'She never does her homework and she's always late for class. Our teacher lets
her get away with murder! He never punishes her.'
Partner in crime
A partner in crime is a person who helps you to make a secret plan to do
something wrong or dishonest. They help you to do something bad or naughty.
'Tom made sure nobody was looking as I set off the fire-alarm in our school. He
was my partner in crime.'

How much? There's no way I'm going to pay so much. That's ___.
highway robbery
partner in crime
get away with murder
on the case
thick as thieves
a steal

Paul helped me to break open the door. He was my ___.
a steal
highway robbery
thick as thieves
on the case
get away with murder
partner in crime

He's a badly behaved boy, but his parents never do anything. They let
him ___.
on the case
get away with murder
thick as thieves
highway robbery
a steal
partner in crime
41

James said that he would get the tickets. He said he was ___.
partner in crime
thick as thieves
on the case
a steal
get away with murder
highway robbery

Because I'm so generous, I'll let you have it for half price. That's ___
for you.
get away with murder
highway robbery
a steal
thick as thieves
partner in crime
on the case

You never see Emma without Jenny. Those two are as ___.
thick as thieves
get away with murder
on the case
highway robbery
partner in crime
a steal
1. Arrange the following expressions in the appropriate gaps in the exercise
below. Change the form of the expression according to the context.
convict smb of a number of years in prison arrest smb for committing an
offence give evidence acquit smb of guilty as charged the Counsel for
the Defence charge smb with the offence not guilty the Counsel for the
Prosecution plead guilty or not guilty to pay a fine barristers Crown
Court
42
When someone is _____1______ he is taken to the police station for
interrogation. If the police decide there is a case against him, he is _____2_____,
that is to say the police formally accuse him of committing it.
Serious criminal cases are passed up to the _____3_____, where the accused is
tried for the offence by a judge and usually a jury.
At the trial the accused _____ 4_____. If he pleads not guilty, the jury, composed
of twelve ordinary citizens, has to decide if he is guilty or not. The judge directs
proceedings, and decides what punishment to give if any. The lawyers who try to
persuade the jury are called _____5_____ . In court, the one on the side of the
accused is known as _____6_____, and the one against him is called
_____7____. Each barrister calls witnesses to _____8_____ in support of his
case. When all the evidence has been heard, the jury retire to another room,
where they try to reach a verdict. If they find the accused ____9_____, we say he
has been ____10_____ the offence. The judge then passes sentence. He may
sentence the guilty person ____11____ or to _____12_____. If the verdict is
“_____13_____” we say the accused has been _____14_____ the offence, and he
goes free.
Now learn the text by heart.
2. Render the following text into English. Use at least 15 active vocabulary
units.
Срок без давности. Ивана Демьянюка будут судить в Германии
Свершилось. После долгих юридических проволочек 89-летний Джон
Демьянюк был доставлен из США в Мюнхен.
Он, нареченный при рождении Иваном, получил кличку "Иван Грозный" за
жестокость, проявленную к узникам нацистских концлагерей. Демьянюка
обвиняют в причастности к уничтожению 29 тысяч заключенных.
"Ивану Грозному" долгое время удавалось избегать правосудия. В 1952
году он из Баварии эмигрировал в США, где через шесть лет получил
американское гражданство, не сообщив иммиграционным службам о своем
нацистском прошлом. Сам он утверждал, что служил в рядах Красной
Армии и в 1942 году попал в плен.
В середине 70-х годов Советский Союз передал США список, состоящий из
имен 70 военных преступников, живущих на территории Соединенных
43
Штатов. Среди них было и имя Ивана Демьянюка. В 1986 году он был
экстрадирован в Израиль, где его приговорили к смертной казни за
преступления против человечности. Однако доказательств, что Демьянюк и
"Иван Грозный" - одно и то же лицо израильскому суду не хватило. И
Демьянюк вернулся в Америку.
Убедительно доказать виновность Демьянюка попытались сотрудники
немецкого Центрального ведомства по расследованию нацистских
преступлений. Они собрали 17 объемных папок с документами,
свидетельствующими против Демьянюка. В том числе разыскали
служебное удостоверение, выданное ему эсэсовцами как работнику
концлагеря Собибор.
Теперь Демьянюка будут судить в Германии. На суде в качестве истца
выступит и последний оставшийся в живых бывший узник концлагеря
Собибор 82-летний Томас Блатт.
Как заявил "РГ" директор израильского Центра Симона Визенталя Эфраим
Зурофф, суду не следует делать скидку на преклонный возраст Демьянюка.
Лучше представить, как он, тогда полный сил молодой человек, отправлял
на смерть тысячи и тысячи невинных.
Discuss the following statement:
“There has never been and never should be a statute of limitations1 on those who
practice or support genocide”
3. The verb get is used in a variety of expressions. There are a lot of them in
this Unit. For more practice do the following exercise.
Scott’s Terrible Life.
Scott’s my friend. No one can now remember at what point he hit a vicious
spiral, but here he is, as unlucky as one can be. Is there light at the end of the
tunnel? I wonder…
Your teacher will give you a random choice of the following phrases. Arrange
them in a sequence which describes Scott’s Terrible Life.
1
A statute of limitations – срок давности совершения преступления
44
Got worse
Got divorced
Got angry
Got depressed
Got fired
Got nervous
Got into trouble
Got lost
Got sleepy
Got arrested
Got on a train
Couldn’t get on
with his life
Got into an
accident
Got shot
Got drunk
Got desperate
Got away with
Got fat
Got addicted to
drugs
Got behind at
work
Got careless
Got involved in
a crime
Got old
Got sick
Got into debt
Got lonely
Got stressed out
Got evicted
Got bored
Got caught
4. Complete the following sentences with the correct prepositions.
12.
It must be difficult to cope ____ three small children and a job.
13.
She insisted _____ seeing her lawyer
14.
We've applied ____ a charitable organization ____ a grant for the project
15. Trains may be subject to delay on the northern line - we apologize _____
any inconvenience caused.
16. We have concerns about whether the government will be able to provide
poorer families _____ viable social services.
17.
It's silly worrying _____ things which are outside your control.
18.
The teacher explained the rules ______ the children.
19.
We've just spent £1.9 million _____ improving our computer network.
20.
If the service was so bad why didn't you complain ______ the manager?
21.
Elaine depends ______ Bob completely _______ her happiness.
22. He shouted abuse _______ the judge after being sentenced to five years
imprisonment.
23.
We only deal _______ companies which have a good credit record.
24.
The success of this project relies ________ everyone making an effort.
25. The paper charged her _____ using the company's money for her own
purposes.
26.
The Labour party are supposed to be sympathetic _______ the unions.
READING & SPEAKING
1. Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
45
defamation damages saga demeaned sue ramifications tenacity
appeal massive writ
1. If a decision, process or event has __________________, it affects other
things in a complicated or unexpected way.
2. If you feel __________________, you think that people will have less
respect for you than before
3. If a person displays __________________, they are determined and not
willing to stop when they are trying to achieve something.
4. A __________________ is an official document that tells someone to do
something or stop doing something.
5. The money that a court orders you to pay someone because you have
harmed them or their property is known as __________________.
6. If you __________________ someone, you make a legal claim against
them, usually to get money from them because they have done something
bad to you.
7. __________________ is the offence of writing or saying something bad
about someone that is not true and makes people have a bad opinion of
them.
8. A __________________ is a long series of events or a description of them.
9. An __________________ is a formal request for a court of law to change
its decision.
10.__________________ means very large in amount or degree.
2. Read the article.
Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Amelia Hill
27 July, 2010
The author of the publishing sensation The Bookseller of Kabul was found
guilty of defamation and “negligent journalistic practices” last week after
losing a case brought by a woman who claimed the bestseller depicted her in a
humiliating, untruthful way that left her feeling “violated”. (1)
Legal experts say the ruling by Oslo district court will transform the way in
which western journalists and authors write about people from poor countries.
Åsne Seierstad was ordered to pay more than £26,000 in damages to Suraia
Rais, the second wife of bookseller Shah Muhammad Rais, with whose family
the Norwegian writer lived for five months while researching her book. (2)
The saga may have some way to go. For yesterday, the rest of the Rais family
revealed the full extent of their fury over a book they say is an insult not just to
46
them but to the whole Afghan culture. Now that Suraia’s case has been
accepted by the Norwegian judge, seven other members of the family have
announced that they too will sue the author. Shah Muhammad Rais, his first
wife, his mother, his two sons and his two daughters have already prepared
their cases with the same lawyer who secured victory for Suraia. Seierstad and
her publishers could find themselves back in the dock in two to three months’
time, facing further claims of up to £250,000. (3)
“Suraia’s success is a green light to the other members of my family,” said
Rais. “The penalties that my mother and my first wife will ask for will be
higher than that demanded by my second wife because the defamation against
them was much greater. The money is not important to us, though,” added
Rais. “Seierstad has offered us lots of money to settle this out of court. She
even offered to write a second book containing the truth about our family and
about Afghanistan but we turned all those offers down. We want this book to
be discredited in a court of law for all to see because it is the honour of the
Afghanistan people it has insulted.” (4)
Seierstad and her Norwegian publisher, Cappelen Damm, have also been told
they must pay legal fees, expected to be at least £63,000. Seierstad has
indicated that she intends to appeal. Her lawyer has said the case could end up
in the European Court of Human Rights. (5)
All this from a book that was a massive international, critical and commercial
success. In 2002, Seierstad contacted Rais and asked if she could live with his
family in Kabul. She wanted, she said, to write a book about Afghan culture
and the story of one family’s experience of surviving the tragedy of civil war.
(6)
The author was, said Rais, treated as an honoured guest: given precedence at
social gatherings and taken to private family ceremonies. “We trusted her,” he
said. “We didn’t ask for any contract. We didn’t even ask to see her book
before it was published. She was a VIP. “The only thing I asked her to do was
to open her eyes to my family and friends, and give a clear and clean picture of
Afghan culture,” he said. “There is so much told about our culture that is
wrong. I wanted her to show the truth.” (7)
Instead, Seierstad wrote a thinly-veiled story of a family that, according to the
book’s preface, was “based on true incidents I have participated in or stories I
have been told”. This claim, Suraia said in her writ, was a lie. Instead, 31
members of the Rais family and their neighbours say the author misrepresented
their lives. They say they have been insulted and, in some cases, left feeling
“demeaned” and “violated”. (8)
The writ points to inconsistencies in the book. But most damagingly to
Seierstad’s reputation as a journalist, it gives examples of passages where she
revealed secrets about the family’s “forbidden loves” – sometimes using their
real names and, in one case, an actual address. The behaviour revealed is so
47
prohibited in Afghan culture that several family members were forced to
emigrate: Rais’s first wife now lives in Canada with three of her children.
Several other family members moved to Pakistan. (9)
Seierstad was unavailable for comment but her publisher in London, Time
Warner, has pledged its support. However, Per Danielson, the Rais’s lawyer,
says the case has wider ramifications for the publishing world. (10)
If Åsne does appeal, this case could go on for another five years but the Rais
family have shown through their tenacity so far, that they are not going to let
this drop. “This case will definitely be the start of a new, international trend
because it proves that people can be sued across borders. It shows that even a
poor person from Afghanistan can stand up and pursue a case in a different
country,” Danielson said. (11)
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 27/07/10
3. Retell the text using the active grammar patterns and at least 15 active
vocabulary units.
4. Choose the best answer according to the text.
Why did Suraia Rais sue Åsne Seierstad?
a. because Seierstad wrote about the Rais family without permission
b. because Seierstad lied to the family and their neighbours
c. because Seierstad misrepresented the lives of the family and their neighbours
Why could this case have ramifications for publishers?
a. because it could be the start of an international trend that allows people to sue
across borders
b. because people will no longer be able to use the real names of people they
write about
c. because poor people will now be able to sue rich people
How, according to Rais, did the family treat Seierstad?
a. They gave her a clear and clean picture of Afghan culture.
b. They told her all the family secrets.
c. They treated her as an honoured guest and took her to private family
ceremonies.
Why could the case continue for another five years?
a. because hundreds of other people want to sue Seierstad
b. because it takes a long time for judges to make up their minds in defamation
cases
c. because Seierstad may appeal against the judgement and this will take time
48
5. Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1. an adjective meaning failing to give care or attention, especially when this
causes harm or damage (para 1)
2. a three-word expression meaning on trial (para 3)
3. a five-word expression meaning to end a legal argument without asking a
court to decide (para 4)
4. an acronym meaning very important person (para 7)
5. a two-word expression meaning done in a way that makes it easy to
recognize what the true situation really is (para 8)
6. a noun meaning things that do not match other things (para 9)
7. a three-word expression meaning not wanting to be interviewed by a
journalist (para 10)
8. a three-word expression meaning to stop talking about or pursuing
something, especially because it is embarrassing someone (para 11)
6. Discussion.
- Do you think such cases may further destabilize the strained relations
between the East and the West?
- Will this case make it more difficult for authors to write books about
people in other countries?
7. Comment on the following quotes about crime and punishment. Use the
active vocabulary:
It is fairly obvious that those who are in favour of the death penalty have more
affinity with assassins than those who are not.
Remy de Gourmont
Prisons don't rehabilitate, they don't punish, they don't protect, so what the hell
do they do?
Jerry Brown
The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly, I think,
because it is so satisfying to our sadistic impulses.
Bertrand Russell
A small demerit extinguishes a long service.
Thomas Fuller
49
Crime and bad lives are the measure of a State's failure, all crime in the end is the
crime of the community.
H.G. Wells
Crime generally punishes itself.
Oliver Goldsmith
Great thieves punish little ones.
Proverb
Many commit the same crime with a different destiny; one bears a cross as the
price of his villainy, another wears a crown.
Juvenal (Decimus Junius Juvenalis)
50
TEST YOURSELF
1. Grammar. Choose the correct answer.
1 'I can't find my wallet.'
'If I were you, I ........ in my jacket pocket.'
A would look В will look С am looking
2 'Where is my bank book?' 'If you……..in the drawer, you'll find it
A had looked В look
С looked
3 '.........we get up on time, we will catch the train.' 'I will set my alarm clock.'
В Providing
A Supposing
С Unless
4 'Can I go and play football, please, Mum?' 'If you………your homework, you
can go and play.'
В had finished С have finished
A finished
5 'Dad shouted at me today.' 'Well, if you ………. the window, he wouldn't
have shouted at you.'
A didn't break
В hadn't broken
С don't break
6 'Why is the baby crying?' '………babies are tired or hungry, they cry.'
A When
В Providing
С Supposing
7 'When ice melts, it………water.' 'Everyone knows that!'
A becomes
В will become С would become
8 'I'm going to a party tonight.' 'If I wasn't ill, I…………..with you.'
A come
В will come
С would come
9 '......... we miss the bus, what will we do?' 'Call a taxi.'
A Supposing В Providing
С When
10 'If I were rich, I…………..around the world.' 'Perhaps you will one day.'
A will sail
В can sail
С could sail
11 'Have you seen Daniel recently?'
'No. If I have time, I..... ……..him tomorrow.'
A would visit В might visit
С visit
12 'Paul lost his watch.' 'Well, if he had looked after it, he……..it.'
A wouldn't lose В won't lose С wouldn't have lost
13 ' ........ you hurry, you will be late for school.' 'I'm nearly ready now.'
A Unless
В Providing
С Supposing
14 'If you hadn't watched that film, you
nightmares.' 'You're right.'
51
A wouldn't have had В won't have С don't have
2. Vocab. Suggest active vocabulary units corresponding to the following
definitions:
13. an unattended device (outside some banks) that dispenses money when a
personal coded card is used
14. a business machine that indicates to customers the amounts of individual
sales, has a money drawer from which to make change, records and totals
receipts, and may automatically calculate the change due.
15. the act, system, or business of providing financial protection for property,
life, health, etc, against specified contingencies, such as death, loss, or damage,
and involving payment of regular premiums in return for a policy guaranteeing
such protection
16. a person employed to protect buildings, people, etc, and to collect and
deliver large sums of money
17.
a sum of money imposed as a penalty for an offense
18. an area, usually divided into individual spaces, intended for parking motor
vehicles.
19.
the amount of moneys credited or debited to a depositor at a bank
20. a notice about transactions in a bank account, esp one of a series sent at
regular intervals to the depositor
21.
a document authorizing the bearer to drive a motor vehicle
22. a comprehensive collection of information organized for convenient
access, generally in a computer.
23.
deliberate destruction or damage of property
24.
an assault or threat of violence upon a person, esp. with intent to rob
25. to rob esp. during or following a catastrophe (as war, riot, or natural
disaster)
26.
a person who deliberately deceives others in order to gain an advantage
52
27. the malicious burning of another's house or property, or in some statutes,
the burning of one's own house or property, as to collect insurance
53
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
p. 22
(learn the words for the types of crime, criminals and the crime verbs in V3.1 on
p. 118), be due (back), pay a fine, a cash machine, find out, a security guard
p. 23
on the way home, a car park/ a parking lot, full (medical) insurance
p. 24
(learn the words and phrases from V3.3 on page 118), gun crime, own guns/
carry guns
R3.1
Apparently, get out of a car/ get into a car (BUT get off a train, a bus/ get on a
train, a bus), get this, tyres (of a car), go off (e.g. the alarm kept going off), drive
smb crazy, violent crimes (involving guns)
p. 25
a salesgirl (a salesperson), a cash register, get lost, get directions, interview smb
p. 26
on the Internet, a victim of a crime, occur every (six minutes), take money from a
bank account, a bank (credit card) statement, in smb’s name, commit a crime,
contact smb, end up doing smth, sort smth out, look into smth, threatening letters,
in today’s world, over the phone, make a copy of smth, a driving licence, a
database, bank account details, within minutes
p. 27
comprehensive, hold information about, make inquiries, end up in prison, take
time off work
R3.5
Get legal advice, get on with one’s life, experience smth, take (unpaid) leave
from work, make phone calls, open/close an account, check into (things), run up
huge bills, overdraw bank accounts, basically, be in touch with, obviously, stop
smb doing smth
54
p. 28
ask smb for help
R3.7
Call back, come round, spend (two hours) on the phone to smb, give smb a ring,
order smth by (date, size, colour, etc), look forward to doing smth, go through
smth, How are things with you?, be off, put smb to bed, pick smb up from
(school)
Try to keep in mind the following dependent prepositions:
R3.1
Be horrified at, complain about, be charged with, a licence for
p. 26
(memorise the verbs and prepositions from V3.4 on p. 118), add up to, rely on,
safeguard smb from smth, give smb access to
p. 27
deal with, sympathetic to
R3.7
Be impressed with
55
UNIT 4.
GRAMMAR.
I. Past Simple vs. Past Continuous.
NB We use the past simple
- for finished events in the past which have a definite time.
e.g. In 1969 the first man landed on the Moon.
- in narrative (for sequences of actions).
e.g. The door opened and two boys came into the room.
- for past habits and routines (repeated actions) usually with time
expressions.
e.g. Few people in Victorian times took a bath every day.
We use the past continuous:
- to describe a continuing unfinished action in the past.
e.g. I looked out of the window and saw that it was raining.
- for a continuing unfinished action interrupted by a sudden past action.
e.g. While I was getting ready for bed, the doorbell rang.
- for activities as background description.
e.g. Darkness was descending over the hushed city as James staggered
back to college.
- for two continuing events happening at the same time.
e.g. We were watching the sky and listening for the first sounds of the
dawn chorus.
1. Complete the text with the verbs in the box (there is one verb too many). You
will need five past progressives and three simple pasts.
ask
come
dance
order
play throw
grin
hold
not dance
On the dance floor half a dozen couples (1) themselves around. Most of
them (2) cheek to cheek, if dancing is the word. The men wore white tuxedos and
the girls wore bright eyes, ruby lips, and tennis or golf muscles. One couple (3)
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cheek to cheek. Mitchell's mouth was open, he (4), his face was red and shiny,
and his eyes had that glazed look. Betty (5) her head as far as she could get away
from him without breaking her neck. It was very obvious that she had had about
all of Mr Larry Mitchell that she could take.
A Mexican waiter in a short green jacket and white pants with a green
stripe down the side (6) up and I (7) a double Gibson and (8) if I could have a
club sandwich. Raymond Chandler: Playback
2. Complete each paragraph with one set of verbs, using the past simple or past
continuous.
miss /not get / wonder break / see / steal / teach
come / listen / make / say
explain / talk / understand
1. We (1) ......................to music when one of the neighbours (2) ...... to the door
and (3) .......................... she couldn't sleep because we (4) ........ too much noise.
2. Someone (5)…..….into Barbara's office and (6).................... her computer
yesterday afternoon while she (7)………her history class. No one
(8)............................. the thief.
3. Because he never (9)……..anything very clearly, none of us (10)……..
what the science teacher (11) ................ about most of the time.
4. I'm sorry. I (12) .................. here on time and I (13) ............. the beginning of
your presentation, but I (14) .................. if you might have an extra handout left.
NB. Other uses of the Past Continuous.
- We use the Past Continuous to emphasise the temporary character of the action:
e.g. When I learned to drive, I was living with my parents.
- We use the Past Continuous with verbs describing change and development:
e.g. She was feeling much better after the surgery.
57
- We use the Past Continuous to speak about something that happens surprisingly
often and to complain about annoying habits (See Unit 2):
e.g. When the builders were here I was making them cups of tea all the time.
He was always making snide remarks about my cooking. (other possible adverbs
are constantly, continually, forever).
- We can use either the Past Continuous or the Past Simple to talk about things we
intended to do but didn’t:
e.g. We were meaning/ meant to call in and see you, but Jane wasn’t feeling well.
3. Complete the sentences using these pairs of verbs. Use the past simple in one
space and the past continuous in the other.
come - show
get—go
hope - give
live - spend
look - see
start - check in
1. Just as I was............... into the bath all the lights ……...... off.
2. I ……….to go away this weekend, but my boss ................ me some work that I
have to finish by Monday.
3. When I ..................... in Paris, I .............. three hours a day travelling to and
from work.
4. A friendly American couple ..............chatting to him as he ........... at the hotel
reception.
5. I bumped into Mary last week. She ........... a lot better than when I last ........ her.
6. My boss...................... into the office just as I .......... everyone my holiday
photos.
This time, use the same tense in both spaces.
add - taste
go off - light
not listen - explain
push - run
not watch - dream
8. The smoke alarm .................. when he............... a cigarette underneath it.
9. I can't remember how to answer this question. I must confess that
I………while the teacher ......... it to us.
10. She .................... more salt to the soup, and then it ....... much better.
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11. Although the television was on, I ........... it. Instead I .............. about my
holidays.
12. She .................... open the door and ............. into the room.
4. Complete this text with either the past simple or the past continuous form of
the verbs in brackets. Where alternatives are possible, think about any
difference in meaning.
A. I 1) (buy) a new alarm clock the other day in Taylor's the jewellers, when I
actually 2) (see) somebody shoplifting. I'd just finished paying for my clock and
as I 3) (turn) round, an elderly woman 4) (slowly put) a silver plate into a bag
that she 5) (carry). Then she 6) walk) over to another part of the shop and 7) (pick
up) an expensive-looking watch a number of times. When she 8) (think) that
nobody 9) (look), she 10) (drop) it into the bag. Before I 11) (have) a chance to
tell the staff in the shop, she 12) (notice) that I 13) (watch) her and 14) (hurry) out.
Unfortunately for her, two police officers 15) (walk) past just at that moment and
she (16) (run) straight into them.
B. The sun 1) (shine) and the birds 2) (sing) as Mike 3) (drive) down the country
lane. He 4) (smile), because he 5) (look forward) to the journey ahead. Mike 6)
(enjoy) driving, especially when he 7) (go) somewhere new. Then, suddenly, the
engine 8) (begin) to make a strange noise and the car 9) (stop) dead in the middle
of the road. Mike 10) (try) to start it, but nothing 11) (happen). He 12) (sigh),
then 13) (get out) of the car. As he 14)(push) the car to the side of the road, Mike
15) (start) to wish he had stayed at home.
C. John 1) (enter) his flat and 2) (close) the door. He 3) (hang up) his coat when
he 4) (hear) a strange noise. A tap 5) (run) in the kitchen. He (6) (walk) into the
kitchen and 7) (turn) it off. Then, he 8) (freeze). Someone 9) (stand) behind him.
He 10) (take) a deep breath and 11) (turn) around. His flatmate, Steve, 12) (lean)
in the doorway. 'You 13) (give) me a fright!' John exclaimed. Steve 14) (laugh) at
him. John 15) (start) to laugh, too. 'I 16) (think) you had gone to London today,'
he said. 'No,' 17) (reply) Steve. 'Unfortunately, I 18) (miss) the train.'
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II Past Simple vs. Past Perfect.
NB We use the past perfect:
- for an action which is completed before a time in the past (we can include a
specific time reference).
e.g. By the time the UN task force arrived, the rebel forces had taken the
province.
- for repeated actions which took place before a time in the past.
e.g. The new owners found that the timbers had been patched up several times.
- to describe a state which existed before a past event (with state verbs instead
of the past perfect continuous).
e.g. At the time of her trial last year Hinkley had been in prison for eight
months.
- to describe the cause of a past event.
e.g. David didn’t join the band as he’d signed up with a rival label.
- with verbs such as hope, expect, want plan, think about, wish to describe past
intentions which were unfulfilled.
e.g. They had hoped to get to the summit but Travers fell ill at base camp.
We can use the past perfect to make a sequence of events clear. We use the
past perfect for the earlier action and the past simple for the later. Compare:
e.g. When we got back the babysitter went home (1 we got back, 2 the
babysitter went home).
When we got back the babysitter had gone home (1 the babysitter went home,
2 we got back).
If the order of past events is clear from the context (for example, if time
expressions make the order clear) we can use either the Past Perfect or the Past
Simple:
e.g. After John had finished/ finished reading, he put out the light.
With before + past perfect the action in the past simple happens first.
e.g. I left university before I’d taken the final exams.
60
We can use it for a past action which prevented a later action from happening.
e.g. She sacked him before he’d had a chance to explain his behavior.
However, when we report what was originally said or thought in the Present
Perfect only the Past Perfect is used:
e.g. “I have met him before” → I was sure that I had met him before (NOT
…I met …).
5. Use the Past Simple or the Past Perfect to complete the sentences:
When I (1 go) to Paris last spring for a job interview, I (2 not be) there for five
years. I (3 arrive) the evening before the interview, and (4 spend) a happy hour
walking round thinking about the good times I (5 have) there as a student.
As I was strolling by the Seine, I suddenly (6 see) a familiar face - it was
Nedjma, the woman I (7 share) a flat with when I was a student, and whose
address I (8 lose) after leaving Paris. I could tell she (9 not see) me, so I (10
call) her name and she (11 look) up. As she (12 turn) towards me, I (13 realise)
that she (14 have) an ugly scar on the side of her face. She (15 see) the shock in
my eyes, and her hand (16 go) up to touch the scar; she (17 explain) that she
(18 get) it when she was a journalist reporting on a war in Africa.
1 She (19 not be) uncomfortable telling me this; we (20 feel) as if the years (21
not pass), as if we (22 say) goodbye the week before. She (23 arrive) in Paris
that morning, and she (24 have) a hospital appointment the next day. The
doctors (25 think) that they could remove the scar, but she would have to stay
in Paris for several months. Both of us (26 have) the idea at the same time: if I
(27 get) the job, we could share a flat again. And we could start by having a
coffee while we (28 begin) to tell one another everything that (29 happen) to us
in the past five years.
6. Underline the correct answers. In some cases only one is correct, and in
others both are correct.
61
2 As Geoff was introduced to Mrs Snape, he realised that he had met/ met her
before.
3 During the previous week, I had been/ went to the gym every evening.
4 He denied that he had taken/ took the money from the office.
5 I didn't know the marking would take so long until I had read/ read the first
couple of essays.
6 The boy told me that he had lost/ lost his train ticket and didn't know how he
would get home.
7 At the conference, scientists reported that they had found/ found a cure for
malaria.
8 The teacher guessed that some of the children had cheated/ cheated in the
exam.
9 Thomas explained that he had gone/ went home early because he felt ill.
The waiter took my plate away before I had finished/ finished eating. 10 Jane
didn't want any dinner. She had eaten/ ate already.
7. Complete this text with these verbs.
was (x2)
explained
eaten were
didn't eat
went
have gone
didn't lock
had cooked
have heard
hadn't
had reached
hadn't locked
One of the four-year-olds in the reading group suddenly said, 'This is the
silliest story I (l)…..ever……!' I (2)……in the middle of reading Goldilocks
and the Three Bears to the group. We (3)……just the part in the story where
Goldilocks goes into the bears' house and eats some of the food from bowls on
the table.
'Where (4) .................... the bears?' he asked.
'Maybe outside or playing in the woods,' I suggested.
'And their house was wide open? They (5) ....... even……….the door before
going out?'
'Well, in the old days, people (6)........... their doors.'
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'And their food was on the table, but they (7) ....... it before they (8)………
outside?'
'Maybe they (9) ................... it because it (10) ...............too hot.'
'If you (11) .................... that meal, you wouldn't (12) .......... out and left it,
would you?'
'Probably not, but it's just a story,' I (13).........rather weakly.
III Past Perfect vs. Past Perfect Continuous.
NB We use the past perfect continuous:
- to describe an ongoing situation or action which continued up to, or stopped
just before a time in the past.
e.g. We had been working for over an hour before the auditors turned up.
- to explain a past result, e.g. a situation or an appearance.
e.g. The few survivors looked painfully thin. They had been living on meager
rations since the accident. (=They looked thin because they had been living on
meager rations).
- when we want to focus on duration.
e.g. The eager fans had been waiting in line for over six hours.
8. Complete the sentences with one of these verbs, using the same verb for
each sentence in the pair. Use the past perfect continuous if possible; if not,
use the past perfect.
apply
carry
fly
smoke
work
1. a She ..................... for the company since she left school, so I wasn't
surprised when she took a new job in London.
b She ......................... finally ................her way up from trainee to a
management position, and she celebrated her promotion with a big party.
2. a The avalanche .................. them 500 metres down the mountain but no-one
was hurt.
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b She took a bottle from the bag she ............... …..all the way from home.
3. a Michael .................... all his cigarettes and had to borrow some from Kate.
b
By the smell in the room and his guilty expression I could tell that
Alex………..
4.
a We .................for visas early, but still hadn't got them by the week
before the holiday.
b
5.
She ................ for jobs, without success, since leaving university.
a He ................ all the way from New York to be at yesterday's meeting.
b When the plane was diverted, shortly after take-off, it ………… from
London to Frankfurt.
NB. Remember that we don’t describe states with continuous tenses, and we
use the Past Perfect, not the Past Perfect Continuous, even when we focus on
the length of a situation up to a particular past time.
9. Choose the past perfect continuous form of the verb if appropriate; if not,
use the past perfect.
1. Mrs Bishop ....................to have children for years; then she finally became
pregnant at the age of 45. (try)
2 This was the first time we had been to the castle, even though we ………
Edinburgh a few times before, (visit)
3 She bought her first watch at the age of 8. It ……… two pounds. (cost)
4 Meg James ..................... children's stories for 10 years when she got her first
book published. (write)
5. For some time Mark ……….. about passing the exams and eventually
decided to change the course he was taking, (worry)
6. My teacher was really annoyed with me. It was the third time I …………
late for school that week, (arrive)
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7. I
always ....... it would be easy to get a job, and was disappointed to be
rejected, (believe)
8. We about Sue when, to our amazement, she walked through the door, (talk)
10. Study this conversation extract. If the underlined verbs are correct, write
“V”. If they are wrong, correct them using either the past perfect (active or
passive) or past perfect continuous.
A: How was your weekend?
B: Not great, actually. I (1) 'd really been looking forward to a relaxing couple
of days. But early on Saturday morning Mum phoned to say that Dad (2) had
been taking ill.
A: Oh, no! What (3) had happened?
B: She (4) had just been hearing that he (5) had been flown by helicopter to
hospital in Edinburgh from a village called Contin where he (6) had fished with
my Uncle Mark.
A: And is he okay? What's wrong with him?
B: Well, Uncle Mark said that Dad (7) had been complaining of a bad
headache most of yesterday, but he (8) hadn't been wanting to go back to the
hotel and spoil the day. But then in the evening, just as they (9) had stopped
fishing for the day, he (10) had been collapsing...
11. Complete this text with these verbs in the past perfect or past perfect
continuous.
Be
catch
live
plan
take break
have
make
remove
worry
The telephone call from the police was a shock, but not a complete surprise.
Molly (1)
constantly about the old house lying empty during the two months
since her mother went into hospital. She (2) to go round and check the empty
place, but she (3) extra busy at work recently.
65
According to the police, a homeless man (4) into the house. They (5) him one
morning as he was leaving the building with one of her mother's large
paintings. When Molly walked into the house, it was obvious that the man (6)
there for quite a while. He (7) food from the cupboards and throwing empty
tins and packages all over the floor. He (8) quite a mess. He (9) also several
paintings from the walls. Molly decided not to tell her mother because she (10)
already enough pain in recent weeks and really didn't need any more bad news.
IV Tense Revision.
12. Choose the right tenses:
Last weekend, Cathy 1) (hire) a car and 2) (drive) to the seaside. When she 3)
(arrive) the wind 4) (blow) and the sky 5) (be) cloudy. She 6) (get out) of the
car and 7) (take) a walk along the seafront. Then she 8) (decide) to go for fish
and chips at a nearby restaurant that she 9) (see) earlier and liked the look of.
By the time she 10) (leave) the restaurant, it 11) (already/grow) dark. As she
12) (walk) to her car it 13) (begin) to rain. However, Cathy 14) (not/mind)
because she 15) (have) a wonderful day.
The Little Girl and the Wolf
One afternoon a big wolf (1 wait) in a dark forest for a little girl to come along
carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally a little girl did come along
and she (2 carry) a basket of food. 'Are you carrying that basket to your
grandmother?' asked the wolf. The little girl said yes, she was. So the wolf (3 ask)
her where her grandmother lived and the little girl (4 tell) him and he (5
disappear) into the wood.
When the little girl (6 open) the door of her grandmother's house she (7 see) that
there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on. She (8 approach)
no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she (9 see) that it was not her
grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap a wolf does not look in the least
66
like anybody's grandmother. So the little girl (10 take) an automatic pistol out of her
basket and (11 shoot) the wolf dead.
Moral: It is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be.
James Thurber: Fables for Our Time
Rioting students battle against police
May 7 (1968). In the last two days, Paris (12 see) the worst street-fighting since
the Liberation in 1944. Up to 30,000 students, locked out of their own campus
yesterday by the Sorbonne rector, Jean Roche, (13 fight) the tear gas of the riot
police with barricades, bricks, paving stones and Molotov cocktails.
The trouble (14 ferment) for some time. On March 20, six students (15 arrest) after
an anti-American demonstration; the next day, a mass sit-in at the Nanterre
campus (16 begin). Last Friday, the police – whose alleged brutality is said to
have sparked off the violence - forcibly evicted the students, who (17 lead) by
Daniel Cohn-Bendit.
All day yesterday, the Latin Quarter (17 be) the arena for running street fights
centred on the Boulevard St Germain. Chronicle of the 20th Century
13. Complete the two texts about World War I with the correct form of the verb
in brackets.
The condition of Britain in 1917
The government also (1) (need) to ensure that Britain was fed. Under the
Defence of the Realm Act it was able to take over land and turn it over to food
production. In February 1917 it (2) (set up) the Women's Land Army to recruit
women as farm workers. By then, however, the food supply in Britain (3)
(became) desperate. German U-boats (4) (sink) one in every four British
merchant ships and Britain had only six weeks' supply of wheat left. As food
supplies (5) (run) short, so prices (6) (rise).Wages (7) (hardly rise) during the
war because people were mostly prepared to sacrifice better pay to support the
war effort, but prices were now almost double what they (8) (be) in 1914.
67
Poorer people could not even afford basic supplies such as bread. Shops (9)
(close) early each afternoon as they (10) (run out) of goods to sell.
German reactions to the Treaty of Versailles 1919
The overall reaction of Germans was horror and outrage. They certainly
(11) (not believe) they (12) (start) the war. They (13) (not even think) they (14)
(lose) the war. In 1919 many Germans (15) (not really understand) how bad
Germany's military situation (16) (be) at the end of the war in 1918. They
believed that the German government (17) (simply agree) to a ceasefire, and
that therefore Germany should have been at the Paris Peace Conference to
negotiate peace. They were angry that their government was not represented at
the talks and that the Allies (18) (force) them to accept a harsh treaty without
any choice or even a comment. At first, the new government (19) (refuse) to
sign the treaty and at one point it (20) (look) as though war might break out
again. However, Ebert, the new German leader, was in an impossible position.
Reluctantly, he (21) (agree) to accept the terms of the treaty and it (22) (sign)
on 28 June 1919.
14. Underline the correct form.
1 When Dora went / had gone to pay for the petrol she was putting / had
put in her car, she realized / was realizing that she lost/had lost her credit card.
2 While I was waiting / had waited for my meal to arrive, I saw /was
seeing that the two men who had followed me into the restaurant were staring/
had been staring at me from a nearby table.
3 When I heard / was hearing the noise at the window, I knew / had
known that someone tried / was trying to break into the house.
4 Maria didn't remember / wasn't remembering anything about the
accident, except that she didn't drive / had not been driving too fast and in fact
had almost stopped / was almost stopping before she reached the crossroads.
68
5 By the time the fire engines arrived / was arriving at the cottage, Tom
and his neighbours already put out / had already put out the fire and were
carrying / had been carrying furniture out of the blackened building.
6 'What did you do / were you doing in the High Street at that time of
night, and why did you run away / had you run away when the officer told /
was telling you to stop?' asked the lawyer.
7 While Sally painted / was painting the ceiling, she fell off / was falling
off the ladder but luckily she didn't break / wasn't breaking any bones.
8 Our taxi to the airport didn't turn up / wasn't turning up on time, and so
by the time we got / were getting to the check-in desk, the flight already closed
/ had already closed.
9 Marlowe walked slowly into the room. He didn't forget / hadn't
forgotten his last visit to the house, when Miss LaPorte had fired / was firing
two shots at him, so he had taken / was taking no chances this time.
10 Alice could see that the tall boy had / was having difficulty making
himself understood, but she decided / was deciding not to help him. After all,
nobody had helped /was helping her during her first days in this country!
15. Choose a novel or story, and select one or two pages. Make a list of
the past tenses used on these pages. Are these the only tenses possible, or are
others also acceptable?
15. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. Read through the whole text before
you begin as you may need to use passive forms and used to/ would in your answers.
THE TRUE STORY OF TREASURE ISLAND
Treasure Island is one of the best known and most loved children's
adventure stories. It (1) (be) first published in 1883 but remains popular to this
day. People (2) (think) that the story was solely the work of Stevenson's
imagination, but recent research has uncovered the true origin of this thrilling
tale of hidden treasure and bloodthirsty pirates.
69
Treasure Island's author, Robert Louis Stevenson, (3) (be) a Scotsman
born in Edinburgh in 1850. Although he (4) (live) abroad for many years, in
1881 he returned to the land of his birth for a holiday. With him (5) (be) his
American wife Fanny, whom he (6) (meet) five years earlier in France, and his
stepchildren from Fanny's first marriage. The location of their holiday was
Braemar in the rugged Scottish Highlands.
The family soon settled into a relaxing routine. Each morning Stevenson
(7) (get up) early and take them out for long walks over the hills. They (8)
(enjoy) this for several days when the weather suddenly took a turn for the
worse. Trapped indoors by the heavy rain, Robert's twelve-year-old stepson,
Lloyd, (9) (become) increasingly bored and restless. Desperate to keep the boy
amused, Robert (10) ......................................................................... (get out)
some drawing paper and asked the boy to do some painting.
After he (11) (paint) for several hours the boy (12)
(return) to his
stepfather with a beautiful coloured map of a tropical island. Robert noticed
that his stepson (13) (draw) a large cross in the middle of the island. 'What's
that?' he asked. 'That's the buried treasure,' said the boy. The thirty-one-yearold author suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He (14) (recently ask) to
contribute stories to a children's magazine published by his friend W E Henley
and he (15) (begin) to see the germ of an adventure story in the boy's picture.
"While the rain (16) ................................................... (beat down) on the roof of
his rented holiday cottage the author (17) (sit down) by the fire to write a story.
He would make the hero a twelve-year-old boy, just like his own stepson. But
who would be the villain of the piece?
For the last four years Henley (18) (publish) Robert's stories in his
magazine, and the two had become good friends. But there was something
unusual about Henley; as a young man one of his legs (19)
(amputate) and
he walked around with the aid of an artificial wooden leg Robert (20) (always
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want) to include such character in a story and thus Long John Silver, the pirate
with a wooden leg, was born.
So, thanks to a rainy September in Scotland, a publisher with a wooden
leg, and the inventiveness of a twelve-year-old American boy, we have one of
the greatest adventure stories in the English language.
17. In the following text there are 11 mistakes in the use of past forms,
used to or would. Find the mistakes and correct them. The first mistake is
found for you.
Anne Frank
Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who was living with her family in
Amsterdam when the Germans were invading Holland in 1940. The German
authorities introduced harsh anti-Jewish laws and started to deport Jews to
concentration camps in Eastern Europe. In July 1942 Anne's father did hear a
rumour that he was going to be arrested by the police and the family resolved
to find a hiding place. They moved into an attic above Mr Frank's office and
build a bookcase to disguise the entrance to the secret apartment. Friends
would bring food to the family each morning, and they use to keep up to date
with the news by listening to the BBC on a small radio. Anne would have no
friends her own age, so she confided her feelings to a diary. In August another
Jewish family joined the Franks with their sixteen-year-old son Peter. Peter
was telling Anne that the Germans had been sending Jews to concentration
camps and killing them. Anne and Peter were becoming very fond of each
other in the cramped conditions of the secret apartment and had helped each
other with their lessons. But somebody had given away the family's secret. The
German police had been watched the
hiding
place for several days and on August 14th 1944 they burst in and arrested all
the occupants. The Germans were sending Anne to the Belsen concentration
camp and she was killed in February or March 1945, only a month or six
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weeks before the British army arrived. Anne's father was taken to Auschwitz
and survived the war. He found Anne's diary and had published it in 1947.
16. Read the synopsis of a famous short story. Render the story into English.
Последний лист
Две молодые художницы, Сью и Джонси, снимали квартирку на верхнем этаже дома
в нью-йоркском квартале Гринвич-Виллидж, где издавна селятся люди искусства. В
ноябре Джонси заболела пневмонией. Вердикт врача был неутешителен: «У нее один
шанс из десяти. И то, если она сама захочет жить». Но Джонси как раз потеряла
интерес к жизни. Она лежала в постели, смотрела в окно и считала, сколько листьев
осталось на старом плюще, который обвил своими побегами стену напротив. Джонси
была убеждена: когда упадет последний лист, она умрет.
Сью рассказала о мрачных мыслях подруги старому художнику Берману, который
жил внизу. Он давно собирался создать шедевр, но пока у него что-то не клеилось.
Услышав про Джонси, старик Берман страшно расстроился.
На следующее утро оказалось, что на плюще остался один-единственный лист.
Джонси следила за тем, как он сопротивлялся порывам ветра. Стемнело, пошел
дождь, еще сильнее задул ветер, и Джонси не сомневалась, что наутро она уже
не увидит этот лист. Но она ошибалась: к её великому удивлению, лист-храбрец
продолжал сражаться с ненастьем. Это произвело на Джонси сильное впечатление.
Ей стало стыдно своего малодушия, и она вновь обрела желание жить. Посетивший её
доктор отметил улучшение. Он упомянул, что сосед снизу тоже подхватил воспаление
легких, но у бедняги шансов на выздоровление нет. Еще через день доктор заявил, что
теперь жизнь Джонси вне опасности. Вечером Сью сообщила подруге грустную весть:
в больнице скончался старик Берман. Он простудился в ту ненастную ночь, когда
плющ потерял последний лист и художник нарисовал новый и под проливным
дождем и ледяным ветром прикрепил его к ветке. Берман все-таки создал свой
шедевр.
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VOCAB & SPEAKING
1. Idioms
a turn-up for the book
a surprising situation Well, there’s a turn-up for the book- I never thought he’d get a
girlfriend.
be a closed book
to be something that you know or understand nothing about (usually + to ) I'm afraid
physics will always be a closed book to me.
be an open book
1. if a person's life is an open book, you can discover everything about it because
none of the details are kept secret Like many film stars, he wants to keep his private
life private - he doesn't want it becoming an open book.
2. if someone is an open book, it is easy to know what they are thinking and feeling
Sarah's an open book, so you'll know right away if she doesn't like the present you've
bought her.
be in somebody's good books (informal)
if you are in someone's good books, they are pleased with you I cleaned the bathroom
yesterday so I'm in Mum's good books. (informal)
close the books on someone or something
Fig. to declare that a matter concerning someone or something is finished. (The books
here originally referred to financial accounting records.) It's time to close the books on
Fred. He's had enough time to apologize to us.
crack a book
Fig. to open a book to study. (Usually used with a negative.) I never cracked a book
and still passed the course. Sally didn't crack a book all semester.
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cuddle up with a (good) book and curl up (with a (good) book)
to snuggle into a chair or bed comfortably to read a book. I want to go home and
cuddle up with a good book. She went home and curled up with a good book.
hit the books and pound the books
Inf. Fig. to study hard. I spent the weekend pounding the books. I gotta go home and
hit the books. I have finals next week.
not judge a book by its cover
to not be able to really know about someone or something by simply looking at them
She doesn't look very bright, but you can't judge a book by its cover.
take a leaf out of someone's book and take a page from someone's book
Fig. to behave or to do something in a way that someone else would. Don't take a leaf
out of my book. I don't do it well.
the oldest trick in the book
a way of tricking someone which is still effective although it has been used a lot
before It was the oldest trick in the book - one man distracted me while another stole
my wallet.
throw the book at someone
Fig. to charge or convict someone with as many crimes as is possible. I made the
police officer angry, so he took me to the station and threw the book at me. The judge
threatened to throw the book at me if I didn't stop insulting the police officer.
wrote the book on something
Fig. to be very authoritative about something; to know enough about something to
write the definitive book on it. (Always in past tense.) Do I know about misery? I
wrote the book on misery!
Complete each sentence with one of the idioms.
1. Ted ……………… unemployment. He's been looking for work in three states
for two years.
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2. Once the police have arrested you, or so it seemed to us, they will
……………..you in order to make something stick.
3. Surely she hadn't almost fallen for …………………….!
4. Lowestoft College was not very eye catching, in fact it looked a dump but as
they say ‘never……………………..’.
5. John did not …………………… until the night before the exam.
6. Thursday's annual Census Bureau report on income, poverty and access to
health care ………………….. the economic record of George W. Bush.
7. When it was finally time to board, we got on the train to find out that we’d been
put in business class. This was……………………, reclining seats and room to
stretch out a little.
8. When you act like that, you're ……………….your sister's…………., and I
don't like it! You had better do it your way.
Now use the idioms in your own sentences.
2. LIFE WITHOUT PHRASAL VERBS
This text was deliberately written without any phrasal verbs. What is your
impression of it? Rewrite the text trying to use phrasal verbs wherever possible (you
can find a possible solution at the end of the unit).
I awakened when my alarm clock rang at 7.15. I didn't in fact arise until 7.30. I
dressed myself in my dressing gown, descended the stairs and allowed the cat to enter
the house. Then I raised the receiver of the telephone and called work. I asked the
switchboard operator to pass me my boss. She asked me to wait a minute as the line was busy.
When I was connected, I told my boss that I wouldn't be going to work as I wasn't well
She told me not to come to work for a few days.
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3. Complete the sentences with the corresponding prepositions.
1. My dad was always really good at making ___ stories.
2. The black lettering really stands ___ on that orange background.
3. I'm afraid we've just run a rabbit ___.
4. Investigators needed several months to work ___ that a fraud had been
committed.
5. She hasn't come ____ from the anaesthetic yet.
6. She'd fallen ___ ___ her boyfriend over his ex-girlfriend.
7. Passengers are requested to check ___ two hours before the flight.
8. She thinks they look ____ ____ her because she didn't go to university.
9. I hope it clears ___ in time for the picnic.
10.Moving parts in engines wear ___ much more quickly than stationary parts.
11.Kate's already agreed, but it's going to be harder persuading Mike to go ___
___ it.
12.Their dog had to be put to sleep after it went ___ the postwoman.
13.A car pulled right ___ in front of me.
14.My patience is beginning to run ___.
15.This bacon smells a bit funny - do you think it's gone ___?
16.We're getting ___ much better now that we don't live together.
17.Workers are threatening to walk ___.
18.We broke ___ ___ the holidays in June.
19. What a lovely dress - why don't you try it ___ for size?
20. I can get ___ a lot more work when I'm on my own.
21.Sort ___ any clothes you want to throw away and give them to me.
4. Nationality adjectives.
In this unit you will have come across a few nationality adjectives
(Colombian, Chilean, Brazilian). Names of nationalities and related nouns do not
always comply with one regular pattern, which is why it is particularly important to
try and memorize them. Complete the chart. Use a dictionary if necessary. Add other
countries of your choice.
Country
adjective
Person
People
Language(s)
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Britain
British
a Brit (infml)
the British
English,
Welsh, Gaelic
Scotland
France
Belgium
The
Netherlands/
Holland
Denmark
Sweden
Poland
Turkey
Spain
Switzerland
Argentina
Peru
Iceland
New Zealand
Afghanistan
READING & SPEAKING
1. Pre-reading
1. What kind of thing do you enjoy reading most?
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2. Make a short list of five before you read the article below.
2. Look at the following lists (which are not in the right order!). One is the
top ten favourites of young British teenagers; the other is the kind of thing they
hate reading most. Which do you think is which?
Facebook
The Beano2
Magazine articles about skinny celebrities
Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions
Shakespeare
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Financial Times / anything in another language
Books of over 100 pages
Books assigned by school/teachers
Homework
Books by Anthony Horowitz3
Film scripts
My own blog or fan fiction
Bliss magazine4 / online song lyrics
2
a British children's comic
3
an English author and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider
and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television,
adapting many of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels for the ITV series. He is the creator and writer of the ITV
series Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and Collision.
4
a monthly British magazine aimed at teenage girls which currently retails at £2.50 and often comes with a gift such as
make-up or a bag. The content covers candid celebrity gossip, latest fashions, hair and make-up looks, a problem page
on puberty, boyfriends, friends and sex, interview with the female celebrity cover girl, entertainment reviews, romance
advice, psychology for friendships and real life stories.
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Online computer game cheats
The Harry Potter series
BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison5
Anne Frank’s diary6
Heat magazine7
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis8
Well, the second list shows the top ten favourites. Which order do you think
they came in?
3. Now read the text and see if you were right.
Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank: the reading diary of British
teenagers
Shakespeare and homework lose out as Internet competes with books and
magazines for attention of young readers
It may not make all parents leap for joy but a report published today shows the
favourite reading material of young teenagers is Heat magazine. Parents may be more
5
an English author and comedienne. She is the author of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series for teenage girls.
This series records the exploits of a teenage girl, Georgia Nicolson, and her best friends, the Ace Gang.
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (12 June 1929 in Frankfurt am Main – early March 1945 in Bergen Belsen) was one
of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing,
her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.
6
7
a British entertainment magazine published by German company Bauer Media Group. As of 2004 it is one of the
biggest selling magazines in the UK, with a regular circulation over half a million. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip and
fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in other women's magazines. It also features movie and
music reviews, TV listings and major celebrity interviews.
8
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irishborn British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist. He is also
known for his fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy.
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pleased to note that Anne Frank’s diary, books by Anthony Horowitz and CS Lewis’
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also in the top ten.
The celebrity gossip and news magazine comes top when 11 to 14-year-olds are
asked to name their favourite read, followed by teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, which
comes joint second with reading song lyrics online. They are followed by reading
computer game cheats advice online, and then reading your own blog or fan fiction.
The first books in the list are the Harry Potter series at number five. Proving
what a contrary lot teenagers are, Harry Potter is also number eight in the most
loathed reading material top ten.
The results are contained in a report called Read Up, Fed Up: Exploring
Teenage Reading Habits in the UK Today, which was commissioned by organizers of
the National Year of Reading, which Gordon Brown launched in January.
Other books on the favourites list are Anne Frank’s diary at number six,
Anthony Horowitz novels at eight, the CS Lewis classic at number nine and books by
Louise Rennison – author of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series – in joint
tenth place with BBC Online.
Honor Wilson-Fletcher, director of the National Year of Reading, said she was
more interested in the shape of the list than the rankings. “I think the diversity of the
list is really encouraging. I read everything from Jane Austen to Grazia magazine and
if you asked adults the same question we’ve asked teenagers you wouldn’t expect
James Joyce and Dostoevsky to be there.”
Predictably, the most loathed read is homework. It is followed by Shakespeare,
books of over 100 pages and stories about skinny celebrities in magazines – although
the cover and pages six to 12 of this week’s favourite read Heat are devoted to the
subject.
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Evidence that the Facebook phenomenon may be over is perhaps reflected by it
being the ninth most hated read, although the report shows a big rise in online
reading.
It also reveals that 45% of young teenagers have been told off by parents for
reading something considered improper. Wilson-Fletcher said: “One of the
fundamental problems we’ve got is that we end up being pejorative about certain
kinds of reading. Parents should realize reading is not just about books.”
She said the amount of online reading should be celebrated. “Young people are
web natives – exposed to a wider variety of reading material than any previous
generation through the explosion of digital media. It seems not all adults are
comfortable with this shift and are often discouraging teens from taking advantage of
this new reading landscape.”
The schools minister, Jim Knight, said: “It is vital that young people have the
opportunity to read widely. It is wonderful that 80% of the teenagers surveyed write
their own stories and keep up-to-date with current affairs by using sites like BBC
Online.”
Also revealed is a gender divide. Among boys, 41% listed online computer
game cheats as their favourite read, while online song lyrics came second. Nearly a
third of boys said they loved reading because it helped them get better at hobbies.
Girls took a different approach, with 39% saying they loved reading because it
provided an escape, or quiet time to enjoy on their own.
The survey was compiled by using focus groups from which the 20 most loved
and 20 most loathed reads were assembled. From this, a ‘national conversation about
reading’ was launched, with teenagers logging on to the teen website Pizco to have
their say. A total of 1,340 teenagers were surveyed.
© Guardian News & Media
Most loved reads
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Heat magazine
Bliss magazine / online song lyrics
Online computer game cheats
My own blog or fan fiction
The Harry Potter series
Anne Frank’s diary
Film scripts
Books by Anthony Horowitz
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis
BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison
Most loathed reads
Homework
Shakespeare
Books of over 100 pages
Magazine articles about skinny celebrities
Books set by school/teachers
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
The Beano
Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions
Facebook
Financial Times / anything in another language
4. Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers
are given to help you.
1. ______________________: jump (1)
2. ______________________: inconsistent and difficult to please (3)
3. ______________________: hated (3)
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4. ______________________: order in which they are placed (6)
5. ______________________: variety (6)
6. ______________________: very thin (7)
7. ______________________: surprising thing that happens (8)
8. ______________________: unsuitable (9)
9. ______________________: very critical (9)
10. ______________________: move, change (10)
5. Are the following statements True (T) or False (F)? If they are false, say
why.
1. The writer thinks most parents would approve of the writer CS Lewis.
2. The teenagers questioned prefer books to magazines.
3. Harry Potter books are both loved and hated.
4. Honor Wilson-Fletcher is not surprised by the results.
5. She thinks reading something is better than reading nothing.
6. Jim Knight is discouraged by the results.
7. Boys and girls read for the same reasons.
8. The survey was conducted online.
6. Retell the article. Use at least 15 active vocabulary units.
7. Some words are often found together. Match the words on the left with
their collocations on the right.
1. reading
a. problems
2. joint
b. fiction
3. song
c. game
4. computer
d. approach
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5. fan
e. divide
6. fundamental
f. second
7. current
g. groups
8. gender
h. lyrics
9. different
i. affairs
10. focus
j. material
8. Now match nine of the collocations with their meaning.
a. ____________________: several people brought together to find out their
opinions
b. ____________________: important things that are happening now
c. ____________________: basic difficulties
d. ____________________: stories made up about popular stars
e. ____________________: the big difference between boys and girls
f. ____________________: the words of songs
g. ____________________: shared second place
h. ____________________: things you can read
i. ____________________: another attitude
9. Discussion
1. Do the results of the survey surprise you?
2. How similar is the situation in your country?
3. What do you think explains the situation?
4. How much does it matter what young people read? Why?
6. What would you do to change the situation?
10. Comment on the following quotes on books and reading. Use the active
vocabulary:
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A book is a mirror: If an ass peers into it, you can't expect an apostle to look out.
Georg C. Lichtenberg
A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.
Mark Twain
A dose of poison can do its work but once. A bad book can go on poisoning minds for
generations.
William Murray
A man ought to read just as his inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will
do him little good.
Samuel Johnson
A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.
W. H. Auden
A person who publishes a book appears willfully in public with his pants down.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
All the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books.
Voltaire
Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and
character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter.
Paxton Hood
Books are divided into two classes, the books of the hour and the books of all time.
John Ruskin
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and
digested.
Francis Bacon
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The only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have
gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.
E.M. Forster
The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in
the entire history of television.
Andrew Ross
I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in
the other room and read a book.
Groucho Marx
86
TEST YOURSELF.
1. Grammar. Choose the correct answer.
1 'Were you expecting James and Paul to stay for
dinner?'
'No, but I ........ a lot of food, so it didn't matter.'
A had prepared
В was preparing
С had been preparing
2 Tony has been singing for years, hasn't he?'
'Yes. He............ his first record when he was sixteen.'
A made
В was making
С had made
3 There was a power cut last night.'
'I know. I ........... some paperwork when the lights
went out.'
A had been doing В was doing
С had done
4 'Did you see Paul Simon in concert?'
'No. I was hoping to get tickets, but they
'
A had sold out
В sold out
С were selling out
5 The restaurant was packed last night.'
'Yes. Luckily, I ...... a table in advance.'
A was booking
В had booked
С had been booking
6 'Did you watch the film yesterday?'
'No. It ........... by the time we got home.'
A finished
В was finishing
С had finished
7 'Did you stay up late last night?'
'No. I ........... all day, so I went to bed early.'
A had been working В worked
С was working
8 'Did you enjoy your holiday?'
'Yes. We .......... most of our time on the beach.'
A had spent В were spending С spent
9 'Kim looked tired this morning.'
'I know. She .........all night long.'
A studied
В had studied
С had been studying
10 'So what happened?'
'We ............ through the woods when we heard a
gunshot.'
A had walked В walked
С were walking
2. Vocab. Translate parts of the following sentences using the active vocabulary.
1. It is very important that everyone knows how (вызывать скорую).
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2. Now the sights and sounds of this ceremony are (транслируются)
instantaneously to billions around the world.
3. Pirate DVDs, fake designer clothing and counterfeit computer games were all
found on market stalls in Hounslow, and trading standards officers warned
consumers to (остерегаться) merchandise at cheap prices.
4. We wanted to (избавиться от него), but he was very much attached to us, and
wouldn't go.
5. The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it (стоило целое состояние).
6. We (пошли искупаться) in the in-house hot bath before setting off to Nagano
City.
7. General Motors Co. generated $1 billion (наличными) last year after leaving
bankruptcy in July as Chief Executive Officer Ed Whitacre cut half of the U.S.
brands and shuffled management to push for a profit in 2010
8. Those who know each other well are often the best candidates to be participants
in (розыгрышах).
9. (Документальное кино) is a broad category of visual expression that is based
on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality.
10.Sons who have fond (детские воспоминания) of their fathers are more likely
to be emotionally stable in the face of day-to-day stresses.
11. White had a habit of playing his trumpet (с самого утра), which really irritated
his neighbors
12.I want more for my son than a career running a photocopying machine, and
(представляешь?) - so does my son.
13.I worked hard to (заработать деньги) for college, and then decided not to go
14. For the first time Martin's glorious sleep was interrupted by (бессонницей),
and he tossed through long, restless nights.
15. There's been a (переворот) in one of the African republics.
16. Not only were they exceeding the speed limit but their purpose in exceeding
that speed limit was to (ехать наперегонки).
17. Five countries today signed a number of international conventions (связанных
с) human rights on the sidelines of the General Assembly’s annual high-level
debate.
18.If you (будете фотографировать) of the Sun at the same time each day, would
it remain in the same position?
19.The European Union makes a big effort to (поддерживать связь с) its citizens
and to keep them informed.
20.(Ты слышал анекдот про) the 'Responsible Lenders'?
21.Can you recall the last time you had to (иметь дело с) a negative or difficult
person?
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ACTIVE VOCABULARY.
p. 30 (learn the phrasal verbs in exercise 1), Have you heard the one about...?
R4.1 yacht, go for a drive (a walk, a dip, a ride etc.), lean smth against smth, take a
picture, in cash, crew, sail in calm waters, eventually, bug, spread (insecticide) over,
(…$) worth of damage, get rid of
p. 31 call an ambulance, help smb to their feet
p. 32 (learn the words and expressions to speak about books and reading), Where is
the story set?, supernatural, insomnia, dozens of, be related to, childhood memories,
landowner, deal with, battle for (control of the country), a bloody coup ([ku:])
p. 33 shepherd, turn (lead) into (gold)
p. play practical jokes on smb, beware of, do one’s best, fool smb, an ad, rotate, drip,
a supermarket chain, genetically engineered, whistle, hoax, documentary, harvest, on
the news, broadcast
p. 35 convert, call off
R4.4 raise money, race each other (down the street), a flatmate, do smth first thing in
the morning, a payphone, a stunt, the local council, hilarious, I bet…, be in touch with
smb
p. 36 (study the informal sentences for exaggerating in ex. 1)
R4.5 turn up, cancel (the order), cost a fortune, on the Internet, install software, drive
smb crazy, stay out of trouble, ask smb round, Guess what?
89
Life without phrasal verbs (a possible answer).
I woke up when my alarm clock went off at 7.15. I didn't in fact get up until
7.30. I got dressed in my dressing gown, went down the stairs and let the cat in.
Then I picked up the telephone and called work. I asked the switchboard operator to put
me through to my boss. She asked me to hang on as the line was busy. When I got
through, I told my boss that I wouldn't be coming in as I wasn't well. She told me to
rest up for a few days.