3 Underline the best verb form.

a It's a pity you haven't got a camera. Perhaps Josle would lend/lends you hers, b Why does/would ice float on the surface of water?

c Diane was annoyed because her parents wouldn't refuse / refused to let her go to the club, d Don't worry about me. I'm sure I’ll be / I'd be all right, e Martin used to woik / would work as a waiter when he was student, f 'Why don't we ask Gerry to pay?' 'No, that would prefer / wouldn't be a good idea.' g Tony isn't really sure what would/will happen next, h You're a good friend. What do I do/ would I do without you? i I'm not very keen on fantasy novels. I would prefer /prefer more serious ones, j Do )vu help/Would you help me carry this case? It's rather heavy.

2. Complete the text using would or wouldn't, or leave the gap blank.

Crime and punishment

1 am one of those people who a iCou\d like to see changes made to current types of punishment in the criminal Justice system. It

b surely be better to sentence minor offenders tu

community service of some kind, c rather than giving

them finps or prison sentences.That way they d at least

do something useful, and the justice system e „ _ also save

money. 1 falso imagine that this g work

better for young offenders, as they h feel 'cool' ur

fashionably 'bad' while they i helped an old person or

cleaned fhe streets. Of course, a system of this kind j work

effectively without some thought being giver, to the tasks which offenders were asked to perform. There k obviously be more benefit

to be gained frurn work which I involved responsibility, and

where offenders had to mix with others and m

communicate with them. Some people also n think that offenders should meet and talk

to their victims, and he more involved with compensating and even helping them.This o certainly help to make offenders p realize the consequence of their actions, and that might

well stop them offending again. Whether it q .. . work for all offenders, and for all offences is

another matter, but aqain I r _ believe that this s stop young offenders from _nv

un-

becoming career criminals. And that t _ be an Important change for the better. o’

2

Extension activity

A Make some comments on the situations in ? heginning with the phrase in 1.

1. It would / wouldn't be a good idea to ... I would... I wouldn't...

2. being trapped in a lift which is out of order being lost in a foieign countcy without any money being arrested by the police for a crime you didn't commit

B Choose ten examples from each section on pages 78 79 and translate them into your language.

V /

Q would

indirect speech

present time

When we report things happening now, or general tacts, or give messages, or report romethmg we are reeding, we use a present tense reporting verb, and do not backshift tenses into the past. Note that for written tpvts we report what the tevt 'says'

Tin going to wait foi you.' He says he's going to wait for os.

'Fifty people were injured. ' It says here that Fifty people were injured.

past time with tense changes

When reporting what people said, we use a past tense reporting verb and we backshift the tenses following into the past.

we're thmkmq it over. ’ She said they were thinking it over.

7. hod on Occident.⁹ He told me he'd had on accident.

‘Weil lei ynti know.' They said they would let me know

Note that both past simple and present perfect become past perfect.

Tve had an idea ' She said she'd had an idea.

facts and states

When wc use o post tense reporting verb, o continuing state is not bock shifted, though if we use back-shift this is not wrong.

'Reindeer can swim really well.' He told us that reindeer can swim really well.

He told us that reindeer could swim really well if we do use back-shift, it may be necessary to use a time phrase to make the time reference dear.

She said she was unhappy in her job at that time. (= unhappy in the past)

She said she was unhappy in her job at the moment ( = unhappy now)

modals and conditionals

• Can. will I shall (future) and may change to could, would and might.

Til be back on triday * He said he would be hack on Friday 7 may he late' She said she might be late

• Shall in requests etc changes to should. See also wh-questions below.

'What shall we do⁷' They wanted to know whnt they should do ’

• Would, should, ought to, could, might, used to remain unchanged. Must is often changed to had to, but can remain unchanged, or be changed to would have to if there is future reference.

'You must be more careful In future '

She told me / must be / had to be / would have to be more caretul in lulure.

• i-lrst conditional sentences are usually changed, but not second or third conditional.

‘If you're late, they won't let you in.' (first conditional)

He said Ihal if I was late, they wouldn't let me in.

'if you'd brought a map. we wouldn't have got lost' (third conditional)

She said that if I had brought a map. we wouldn't have got lost'

changes of viewpoint

• References to time, place and specific reference usually change.

'Brinq this ticket with you tomorrow '

He told me to bring the ticket with me the next day 'Give that to me.' He told me to give it to him.

Til see you here in the morning.'

He said he would see me there the next morning.

©

(See also Unit 18.)

a When 1 got to the office, they told me that Mr Adams already k‘ft/ had already left.

b My teacher warned me that If I writ /had been late, they wouldn't let me Into the examination.

t Harry tnld us he is/wan catching the first hus to New York the next day.

d I he students going on Hie trip wanted to know what time they would/ will gel hack.

e 5am told the police he didn't know / hadn’t Jcrimiu what had happened.

f L says here that the plane crashed / crushes soon after taking off.

g Alan told me lie had no Idea what uyts / is going on.

h The customers said angrily that they weir mtiririjf / had beat wniiinx for more than two It ours, i F.rtca told me she twiu'f /wouldn't he hack until the following Thursday, j The professor told us that the Moon ls/ytas more than jyu,00() km from the Earth.

2 Rewrite the sentence as reported speech, beginning as shown, and bock shifting tenses.

a 'I wouldn't lend my car to just anyone,' Andy said.

Andy said that h& ft'OAldn’+ tend fv£ «tr tfmfjQne,

b 'I'm not very satisfied with my job,' said Peter.

Peter said .. .... ._

c 'I'm not going to worry about the money until 1 hear from the lank,' said Elaine.

F.iaine said

d 'Idoii t know where Bill is living at the moment,' said Nicky. Nicky said _ __ ... . _ —„

e 'Emma hasn't had her oiteratlnrtypf/ her fWoiher told me. Emma's brother. _____

f 'If you eat too much, you'll feel 111' my mother told me,

My mother told me

g 'We'JI be writing to you later this week,' they told Maria.

IIley told Maria _ . — — —

h 'The prices won't rise before the end of tlie year,' Mrs Devlin said,

Mrs neviin said

i 'If the police had noticed Jack's car, they would have arrested him,' explained the lawyer. The lawyer explained that if.... _.. ..

J 'I'll let you know if 1 have any more problems,' Esml told me.

Carol told me _ .. ..

©

c This person said It would be years, and not In their lifetime, before a woman would become British prime minister.

d He said that he thought there was a world market for perhaps five computers.

e He said that television wouldn't stay popular for more than six months, because people would soon get tired of staring at a wooden box every night.

f They said that they didn't like their sound, and that guitar music was on the way out.

g They said that the telephone had too many shortcomings and was of no value to them.

h I le said that the horse was here to stay, but the car was only a novelty.

1

2

3

4

5

3. 7

President of Michigan Savings Bank. 1903, advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to Invest in the Ford Motor Company.

Darryl F/anuck, 1946, Hollywood film producer Dccca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

Albert Einstein's teacher to his lather, 1895

British politician Margaret Thatcher, 1974, before die became prime minister.

Western Union Telegraph Company, 1876 Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1913

O indirect speech