Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

Exercise 1. (Text 1) Answer the following questions.

1. Where did the man meet his neighbour?

2. Why did he say that he felt terrible?

3. What did he suspect at first?

4. Who did the man pass on his way to the office?

5. What conclusion did the man reach?

6. Did his secretary know where he had been?

7. How can you save much time?

8. What should one avoid at all costs? Why?

9. What had happened to “Mike’s family”?

Exercise 2. (Dialogue) Answer the following questions.

1. What are the two men on the beach doing?

2. What does Nancy want to do?

3. Why can’t they get away?

4. Where do they hide?

5. Where do the smugglers hide the drugs?

6. Where do the smugglers take the boxes with drugs?

7. What is the name of the smuggler’s ship?

8. Where do Harold and Nancy decide to go?

9. How did the smugglers go away?

10. Who can help them to catch the smugglers?

Exercise 3. Dictation-translation.

1. По пути домой на обед я встретил в лифте соседа.

2. Я улыбнулся и сказал: «Ужасно, спасибо».

3. Сосед тоже улыбнулся и сказал: «Прекрасно».

4. Он вышел из лифта на 8-ом этаже.

5. Сначала мне показалось, что он или не понял меня, или съязвил.

6. Я пришел к такому выводу: если вы держитесь на ногах и разговариваете, все считают, что у вас все в порядке.

7. Они просто ведут «вежливую беседу».

8. «Я умру через неделю», объявил я, “приклеив” на лицо храбрую улыбку.

9. Я знаю, что ни сосед, ни почтальон ничего не имеют против меня.

Grammar Exercises Exercise 1. Give 4 possible forms of polite requests and an answer for each of the following sentences.

1. to correct / this paper

2. to answer / the telephone

3. to pay / this bill

Exercise 2.			Turn these instructions into polite requests by starting with the words given.
	e.g.	I can’t hear very well. Speak up. I can’t hear very well. Do you think you could speak up? (I wonder if you could speak up.)

1. Give Joan a message. I wonder if …

2. Repeat that. Do you think …

3. Stand up. I wonder if …

4. Give me your full name.

5. Hold this for me.

6. Open the door.

7. Do it again.

8. All of you sit down quietly.

9. Give me a little more time.

Exercise 3.			Change the following sentences according to the model.
	e.g.	Ann thinks Paul will probably start tomorrow. But if he starts tomorrow he’ll be too late.
come begin				decide sign	apply leave	send it post it	tell us pay

Exercise 4.			Make sentences with “if”
	e.g.	 get to work late again If the bus is late, I’ll get to work late again.
		 lose my job If I get to work late again, I’ll lose my job.

1.  not find another job

2.  lose my flat

3.  move back to my parents’ house

4.  get very bored

5.  go swimming every day

6.  look very good

7.  meet interesting people

8.  go to lots of parties

9.  have a wonderful time

Exercise 5.			Recall the superstitions you know and finish the following sentences.
	e.g.	If you talk of the Devil he will … . If you talk of the Devil he will appear.

1. If you walk under a ladder you will … .

2. If a girl catches the bride’s bouquet after a wedding she will … .

3. If you break a mirror you will … .

4. If you see a small spider you will … .

5. If you scratch your left hand you will … .

6. If you touch wood … .

7. If you hear an owl in the night … .

8. If a black cat crosses your path … .

Exercise 6.			Rewrite the following sentences using the Second Conditional.
	e.g.	He lives near his work so he’s always in time. If I lived near my work I would always be in time too.
		His case is light so he carries it himself. If my case were light I would carry it myself too.

1. She is nice and slim, so she looks marvelous in tight jeans.

2. He has plenty of money, so he spends the winters abroad.

3. He works overtime, so he earns a lot of money.

4. His garden gets a lot of sun, so he can grow peaches.

5. He can ski, so he goes skiing at Christmas.

6. She knows a film director, so she gets good parts.

7. He runs round the park every morning, so he keeps very fit.

8. He travels first class, so he enjoys travelling.

Exercise 7.			Put in the correct forms of the verbs.
	e.g.	If people … four arms, life … easier. (have; be) If people had four arms, life would be easier.

1. If dogs … talk, they … some interesting stories. (can; tell)

2. If I … the answer, I … you. (know; tell)

3. If my cat … open the fridge, it … all my food. (can; eat)

4. If Ann and Bill … here, they … what to do. (be; know)

5. If you … read people’s thoughts, what … you …? (can; do)

6. If the programs … better, I … more TV. (be; watch)

7. This … a nice country if it … so much. (be; not rain)

8. If I … you to marry me, what … you …? (ask; say)

Exercise 8.			Which Service would you call? The Fire Brigade, the Ambulance Service or the Police?
	e.g.	An old man falls in the street. He can’t get up. He is seriously hurt. If an old man fell in the street, and he couldn’t get up, I would call the Ambulance.

1. 1. A lorry drives into a shop window. Nobody is hurt.

2. A little boy has been playing with matches. The whole house is on fire.

3. There has been a robbery in the bank. The robbers are just driving away.

4. There has been an accident outside the school. Two pupils are lying in the street.

5. The bank is burning. Everybody is running out into the street.

6. You come home late at night. You see somebody smashing a window at the back of your house.

7. You wake up in the middle of the night. You think you can hear somebody in the house. You are afraid.

8. You come into the house. You can smell smoke. The rest of the family is sleeping.

9. Smoke is coming from the motor of your car. You stop at a garage. You go into the garage. When you come out of the garage your car is not there. Perhaps it is stolen!

Exercise 9.			Fill in the blanks in each sentence with the appropriate tense forms.
	e.g.	Peter ___ go to the cinema every week if he ___ (have) enough money. Peter would go to the cinema every week if he had enough money.

1. If he ___ (be) rich, he ___ never cook at home, and he ___ always go out to eat.

2. He ___ buy anything he wanted if he ___ (be) rich.

3. If he ___ (have) a girlfriend, he ___ also buy her whatever she wanted.

4. If he ___ (buy) his girlfriend whatever she wanted, she ___ want to buy more and more.

5. If she ___ (buy) more and more, she ___ eventually run out of things to buy.

6. She ___ fall out of love with Peter if she ___ (run out) of things to buy.

7. If she ___ (fall) out of love with him, he ___ be miserable.

8. If he ___ (be) miserable, he ___ go to the cinema every week to forget about his troubles.

Exercise 10.			Put in the correct verb forms.
	e.g.	If you … me, I would have helped you. (ask) If you had asked me, I would have helped you.

1. If I … here yesterday, I would have come to see you. (be)

2. If Joe … harder, he would have passed his exams. (work)

3. If you … a map with you, you wouldn’t have got lost. (take)

4. We would have won the game if we … so badly. (not play)

5. If I had gone to university, I … medicine and become a doctor. (study)

6. … you … if you had driven more slowly? (crash)

7. You … badly if you hadn’t drunk all that coffee. (not sleep)

8. If you … on holiday with us, you … a wonderful time. (come; have)

9. If my car …, I … here at 8 o’clock. (not break down; be)

10. … you … harder at school last year if you … the teachers? (study; like)

Exercise 11.				Read the text and complete the sentences.
		e.g.	If it hadn’t been hot, my mother wouldn’t have opened the door.
	It was hot, so my mother opened the door. A cat came in and ate her supper, so she went to the shop to buy food. In the shop she saw an advertisement for a secretary. So she got a new job, and met my father. I’m glad it was a hot day!

1. If she hadn’t opened the door, the cat ………. her supper.

2. ………. her supper, ………. the shop.

3. ………. the shop, ………. the advertisement.

4. ………. the advertisement, ………. a new job.

5. ………. a new job, ………. my father.

Exercise 12.			Rewrite the following sentences.
	e.g.	He left his suitcase unattended at an airport. It got stolen. If he hadn’t left his suitcase unattended, it wouldn’t have got stolen.

1. She forgot to lock the car. Her camera got stolen. (If she hadn’t forgotten …)

2. He left his wallet in a restaurant. It disappeared.

3. She left her watch lying about. It got broken.

4. He didn’t lock the door of his flat. Thieves broke in.

5. She knocked her glasses off the table. They broke.

6. She didn’t put her name on her suitcase. Someone took it by mistake.

7. He parked his car without lights. Another car ran into it.

8. He didn’t look after his bicycle. It went rusty.

9. She left her parcels on a bus. Someone took them.

10. He didn’t keep his passport in a safe place. It got lost.

Exercise 13.

Complete the sentences putting the verbs in the correct form.

1. If I ….. coffee last night, I ….. better. (not drink; sleep)

2. I ….. Mary you ….. if I ….. her this afternoon. (tell; call; see)

3. If you ….. to my party next Saturday I ….. to introduce you to our new neighbours. (come; be able)

4. It was a pity you ….. on Saturday. If you ….. I ….. introduce you to our new neighbours. (not come; come; introduce)

5. If my parents … more money, I .... to university after I left school. (have; go)

6. Your radio is very old. I’m sure you ….. better reception if you ….. a new one. (get; buy)

7. Annie ….. to Brazil last year if she ….. Pete. (go; not meet)

Exercise 14.				Give attribute phrases using Participle I and explain them according to the model. Translate the phrases into Russian.
		e.g.	a child; to sleep a sleeping child (a child that is sleeping)
			a fish; to fly a flying fish (a fish that can fly)
	a woman; to smile children; to laugh a look; to understand a building; to burn a lamp; to stand a man; to know a ship; to sink				a story; to touch winter; to come a bus; to pass a thought; to disturb interest; to grow a page; to miss light; to blind

Exercise 15.		Replace the parts in bold type by Participle I.
	e.g.	She looked down at her son who was sleeping on the sofa. She looked down at her son sleeping on the sofa.

1. They passed a group of workers who were repairing the road.

2. The windows that face the garden were open.

3. She got on the train that was going to London.

4. He threw aside the letter that was lying on top and picked up the next.

5. The plane which is flying overhead is travelling north.

6. What can you do about a dog which is barking all night?

7. The woman who is waiting to see you has applied for a job here.

8. Passengers who travel on planes shouldn’t smoke.

9. There’s someone who is knocking at the door.

10. Customers who complain about the service should see the manager.

Exercise 16.		Join each of the following pairs of sentences using constructions with Participle I.
	e.g.	We smiled and drove away. Smiling, we drove away.

1. I paused, I didn’t quite know how to express myself.

2. She lifted the telephone, she answered, “Yes?”

3. I didn’t hear what he said and asked him to repeat it.

4. I was short of money, I couldn’t afford to buy it.

5. She got worried and thought we had had an accident.

6. He went to his room and closed the door behind him.

7. After we looked at the map, we tried to find the right street.

Exercise 17.		Join the sentences using an -ing clause, as in the examples.
	A. e.g.	Who is that man? He’s playing tennis with Maria. Who is that man playing tennis with Maria?

1. That woman is my boss. She’s talking to Peter.

2. That woman is Kate Robinson. She’s wearing the green coat.

3. That boy is Sally’s brother. He’s sitting over there.

4. Who is that girl? She’s looking at us.

5. All those people want to see you. They’re waiting outside.

B. e.g.

I was sitting in the park. I was writing a letter. I was sitting in the park writing a letter.

1. The woman was driving along. She was listening to her car radio.

2. I arrived at the examination hall. I was feeling very nervous.

3. He came into the room. He was carrying a suitcase.

4. They were walking down the street. They were folding hands.

5. I walked out of the room. I was smiling to myself.

Exercise 18.			Join the sentences using the words in brackets.
	e.g.	Fred doesn’t like lemonade. Bill doesn’t like lemonade. (neither…nor) Neither Fred nor Bill likes lemonade.

1. It’s very expensive. It’s very poor quality. (not only … but … as well)

2. He doesn’t drink a lot. He doesn’t eat a lot. (neither … nor)

3. They would like fruit. They would like ice-cream. (both … and)

4. John will give you the book. John will lend you the book. (either … or)

5. She doesn’t eat bread. She doesn’t eat potatoes. (neither … nor)

6. John will help you. Mary will help you. (either … or)

7. They understand Chinese. They speak Chinese. (both … and)

8. I don’t know Peter. I don’t know John. (either … or)

Exercise 19.

Translate into English.

1. Вы могли бы передать мне меню? – Конечно. 2. Вы могли бы перевести письмо для меня? – Извините, сейчас не могу. 3. Можно мне взглянуть на вашу газету? – Боюсь, что нет. 4. Вы не против того, чтобы подождать немного? – Конечно, нет. 5. Давайте пойдем искупаться. – Давайте. 6. Может, мы проведем отпуск в Египте? – Лучше бы нет. 7. На твоем месте я бы не поехал в Африку. 8. Если бы я был в отпуске, я бы сидел сейчас на пляже. 9. Они говорят и на английском, и на немецком. 10. Она не ест ни хлеба, ни картошки.

SOME MORE PRACTICE

Task 1.				Read the expressions in the box and complete the sentences to make a story.
			e.g. If I had got up early, I would have caught the 8.15 train. If I had caught the 8.15 train, I would have sat by a beautiful foreign girl.
	get up early  catch the 8.15 train  sit by a beautiful foreign girl  fall in love and marry her  go to live in her country  work in her father’s diamond business  become very rich  go into politics  die in a revolution.

1. ………. and married her.

2. ………. in her country.

3. ………. diamond business.

4. ………. very rich.

5. ………. in a revolution.

So getting early is bad for me.

Task 2. Read the text and answer the questions:

1. Why was Robin Hood loved by the poor people of England?

2. Where did the contest take place?

3. Who won the Golden Arrow?

“Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow”

Robin Hood was a legendary hero whom the poor people of England knew well and loved. He lived in a forest far from the towns and he helped the poor giving them food and shelter. The sheriffs tried to arrest him but they were not able to do so. Once, the sheriff of Nottingham decided to organize a shooting contest. He wanted to catch Robin Hood as he knew that he was a very good shot. He was sure that Robin Hood would take part in the contest. The prize was a golden arrow.

When Robin Hood and his men learnt about the contest they decided to take part in it. The day of the contest was fine and clear. The town was decorated with flags and there were a lot of people on the field for contest. The sheriff looked for Robin Hood and his men everywhere. He knew that they were always dressed in green. But he could not find anybody who looked like them.

The contest was won by a fellow from a village dressed in red, who came with his friends. After receiving the prize, the young man left the town, and nobody ever thought that it was Robin Hood. While leaving the town Robin Hood shot an arrow through the sheriff’s open window. There was also a paper with the following words: “Robin Hood thanks the sheriff for the Golden Arrow

Task 3.