§15. Willingness, intention, determination : will

We can use will to express willingness, strong inten­tions, for example in promises and threats.

I will be careful with the car, I promise. I will be there to help. I can and will learn it. I promise I won't be late tomorrow. Stop making that noise or I'll scream!

Refusals: won't, wouldn't

We use won't (= will not) to say that people or things refuse to do something.

Anne won't do her homework. (= She refuses to

do it.)

This machine won't work. (= It refuses to work.)

We use wouldn't (= would not) to say that people or things refused to do something in the past.

This machine wouldn't work yesterday. (= It refused to work.)

He wouldn't answer my question. (= He refused to answer my question.)

Activities

/. Complete each sentence using will or won't and a verb from the box. Then say if the sentence is a promise or a threat.

I leave do come tell hit throw lend pay speak

1. Don't touch my camera or I ... you!

2. It's getting late. If you don't hurry up, I ... without you.

3. I ... anyone what you said. Don't worry.

4. I'm very sorry I shouted at you. I ... it again.

5. Get out of my room or I ... you out!

6. If you don't help me, I ... to you again.

7. I ... you my typewriter if you need it.

8. I ... as soon as I can.

II. Make promises using the cues in brackets.

1. There's someone on the phone who wants to speak to your mother, (call her)

I'll call her.

2. I haven't got any money, (pay for it)

3. Don't forget to write, (send/postcard)

4. I'm frightened, (be all right)

5. I can't carry it. (carry/for you)

6. When will I get my ticket? (when arrive/airport)

III. Study and practise.

Mrs Price: Have you got a map of Provence?

Jane: No, but don't worry. We'll get one in Calais.

Mark: When are we going, Dad?

Bob: We won't be long now. Come on, let's go.

There'll be a lot of traffic on the M 25. Mrs Price: Don't worry about the house. I'll look after it. Jane: Thanks, Mum. I'll phone you as soon as we get

to France.

Mrs Price: Bye! Have a lovely time! Bob: Thanks. We'll send you a postcard.

Jane: Bye, Mum. See you in two weeks.

IV. Replace the words in italics with ... won't ... or ... wouldn't ... as in the examples.

Example I asked my father, but he refused to lend me the money.

I asked my father, but he wouldn't lend me the money.

Example-. I've decided to take the job and I refuse to change my mind.

I've decided to take the job and I won't change my mind.

1. I pushed hard, but the window refused to open. 2. He's proposed to her, but she refuses to marry him. 3. I switched on the machine, but it refused to work. 4. I've warned her several times about leaving the windows unlocked, but she refuses to listen to me. 5. We've asked him, but he refuses to help us. 6. We couldn't drive to the country last weekend because my parents refused to let me use their car.

V. The first time Mr and Mrs Wilson went abroad, they were on their honeymoon — lots of things went wrong. They still laugh about it, though at the time it was not so funny! Complete Mrs Wilson's description of her honeymoon to her children with won't or wouldn't and these verbs:

accept let light move start stay stop

'We were going to leave at 6 am on the day after our wedding, to get the 9 o'clock ferry from Dover to France. Then the

first thing went wrong — the car____________! Dad got

quite angry, and kept shouting: "Why______it______?"

In the end he had to call a garage, and the mechanic wanted £ 20. We'd changed all our money into foreign currency,

and in those days people______normally______cheques

from someone they didn't know.

"What shall I do?" Dad cried. "He_____________a cheque!"

At last the mechanic agreed, and we just got to Dover in time for the boat.'

'And why______ the car______?' asked Stephen. 'Your

Dad had forgotten to buy petrol,' Mrs Wilson replied. 'Anyway, we got to a campsite in France and tried to put up our tent, but it was so windy that it_____________up. We

ended up sleeping in the car. Next morning, we found that

all our cooking things were wet. "The stove_____________I"

your Dad kept saying. So, we had a cold breakfast!

But the funniest thing was a few days later, when we were

in the mountains. There was a flock of sheep in the road,

and they ______ ______ us pass. "Sheep_____________

unless you make a loud noise!" Dad said, and he pressed the

horn. But the horn got stuck, and it_____________! It was

terribly embarrassing, but at least the sheep got out of our way!'

VI. Translate from Russian into English.

I. Я сделаю работу в срок. Я обещаю вам. 2. Я заставлю тебя работать. 3. Если ты сделаешь это еще раз, я накажу тебя. 4. Перестаньте ругаться или я позову полицию. 5. Я закончу печатать документы, даже если мне придется не спать всю ночь. 6. Я обязательно последую вашему сове­ту. 7. Я не уйду, пока вы не выслушаете меня. 8. Он по­пытался объясниться, но я не стал его слушать. 9. Прине­си другой кусочек мела. Этот мел никак не пишет. 10. Я попытался открыть окно, но оно никак не открывалось.

II. Этот нож не режет. 12. Ручка не пишет. 13. Чайник никак не кипит. 14. Он несколько раз чиркнул зажигал­кой, но она не сработала. 15. Я спросил его жену, что с ним, но она не пожелала отвечать. 16. Я заплатил деньги, и я останусь здесь. 17. Он погасил свет, но сон к нему не шел. 18. Я не буду делать то, о чем вы меня просите. 19. У нее что-то с желудком, а она ни за что не хочет обратить-ся к врачу. 20. Мы с надеждой смотрели на небо, но сол­нце все не всходило. 21. В чем дело? — Ключ не входит в замочную скважину. 22. Несмотря на все наши усилия, машина все не двигалась с места.