Grammar exercises

I.

1) have been working; 2) wash; 3) is studying; 4) have you sent, am going; 5) have eaten; 6) have been playing; 7) looks; 8) arrives; 9) is singing; 10) have broken; 11) are becoming; 12) live, have heard; 13) have been reading, have not finished; 14) am leaving, does….start; 15) have been washing/have washed; 16) add, mix; 17) has used/has been using; 18) is always doing; 19) have lived/have been living; 20) have you made, am going; 21) has taught/has been teaching; 22) have already bought; 23) are constantly meeting; 24) are losing; 25) have just received, are getting married.

III.

1. My mother looks very young and she feels young.

2. Tom entered the kitchen and said: ‘Mm… (It) smells delicious!’ ‘I have already tasted the soup, it really tastes good’, said Angela.

3. Mike was / felt so awkward that I felt sorry for him. He always feels shy in the presence of people he doesn’t know.

4. Anna looks very pale. I think she is unwell, she should see a doctor.

5. After her husband’s death Mary felt stressed and depressed.

6. Your remark sounded pretty rude. Please, try to be polite, will you / won’t you?

7. – How do you feel as a student? – I feel great/excellent/perfect/wonderful!

IV.

1) Are you smelling, smells; 2) are you tasting, it tastes; 3) feel; 4) am seeing, see; 5) does….weigh, is weighing; 6) am thinking, think; 7) are you looking, looks; 8) enjoy, am enjoying; 9) are you feeling, feels; 10) is appearing, appears; 11) is, is being; 12) is fitting, does it fit.

V.

1. James has been working/has worked here for more than a year.

2. The bookshop is over there near the bakery.

3. I believe what she says.

4. She has been living in London for the last two years.

5. We haven’t been to that restaurant for a long time.

6. Laura is visiting her grandparents at the weekend.

7. Sally has already found a beautiful new flat.

8. What are you doing tomorrow night?

UNIT II

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

III.

1. Starting school is one of the first stressful life events. Children feel excited and scared before meeting their first teacher who can greatly influence their life. For adults stressful life events are related to their work/jobs and family life. Changing jobs or having trouble at work people worry that they will run out of money, they won’t be able to survive financially and support their families. Marriage, divorce, bringing up children, moving house, retirement which means changing life style – our life seems to consist of stressful events!

2. Because of a childhood illness Jane lost her hearing and consequently the ability to speak. At the age of five her parents sent her to a school for deaf mutes. Experts in the fields of speech and sounds who worked there had created a form of sign language called “visible speech”. Jane was determined, persistent and hardworking and her teachers were patient. They did not give up and achieved amazing results. Jane achieved her goal and learnt to speak. Later she even opened her own school to help people with speech problems.

3. Louis Braille invented a system of reading and writing for blind people. In 1819 Charles Barbier, a French soldier, created a form of writing letters with the help of raised dots called “night writing”. Braille immediately realized the importance of this amazing invention and started to develop this idea. He was totally absorbed in his work and spent a lot of time and energy on his invention. In 1852 Louis Braille died of the white plague which used to be a fatal disease spread through Europe. He never learnt that his system came into usage all over the world.

4. John Baird, a Scottish engineer, is one of the pioneers in the field of television. Many people thought that his plan to invent an image transmitter was a waste of time. However, John did not give up his dream. He spent all his free time in the workshop and carried on with/continued with his experiments. In 1925 when John Baird transmitted the first picture through his device he realized that he had achieved his goal and his dream had come true.

5. In 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis registered a new model of trousers for miners and prospector with the patent office. The trousers were registered as “waist overalls” and the name “jeans” came much later, in the 1930s.

V.

1. Peter is a firefighter. He is in his late twenties. He is a handsome / good-looking young man. He is tall, slim and broad-shouldered. He has got wavy fair hair, bushy/thick eyebrows and blue eyes. He has a lean face, a straight nose and a pointed chin.

2. Lee is a middle-aged woman, she is in her early forties. She is short and plump. She has long straight dark hair and slanting brown / hazel eyes. She has a round face, high cheekbones and a button/snub/up-turned nose. Lee has got full lips and a friendly smile.

3. Mike is in his mid seventies. He is tall and stout. He has a wrinkled face, a wide forehead, grey eyes, a big nose and a dimpled chin. Mike has grey hair and he is going bald.

4. Nick is in his teens. He is short, thin with spiky hair. He has big green eyes and dimpled cheeks when he is smiling. Now he has uneven / crooked teeth, that is why he will have to wear braces. In the future he is dreaming of becoming a footballer.

5. Mary is a pretty/beautiful young girl in her early twenties. She works as a check out clerk in a supermarket. She is well-built. She has straight brown hair, big almond-shaped blue eyes, long thick / bushy eyelashes, and thin arched black eyebrows.

6. Tom is in his late forties, he is a carpenter. He is of medium height and muscular build. Tom has a dark complexion. He has frizzy hair, a square jaw, sideburns, a beard and a moustache.

7. Anna is a teacher of Russian. She is a young woman in her early thirties. She has an oval freckled face, cropped chestnut / chestnut-coloured hair, big grey eyes, upturned nose and a wide / big mouth. Anna has a charming smile. Every time she smiles, one can see her white even teeth.

8. Little Daisy is 12 months. She is a toddler and looks really funny. Daisy is a plump girl with a round face, rosy cheeks and curly red hair.

VI.

in, to, from, of, to;

up to;

to;

of, for;

to;

to, at, of, in, for;

about, of, in, of;

to, at, of;

up to / till, at, about;

at;

at, of, of, to.

VII.

1. nervous; 2. furious; 3. delighted; 4. easy-going; 5. terrified; 6. eager; 7. pathetic.

X.

1. Yesterday I talked to Ann. She looked depressed because the day before she had been dismissed from her job. Ann complained about her boss who had said that she did not concentrate on the tasks, was not capable of making independent decisions and one could not depend on / rely on her. Ann does not understand her boss and does not know how to cope with the situation because in fact she is very dedicated to her work, is involved in a number of projects and is an expert in the field.

2. Like a child, he is curious about everything new and spends a lot on gadgets though his family consider it a waste of the family budget.

3. When we moved to a new residential area, at first we complained about the underdeveloped infrastructure. But soon we got used to doing the shopping at a supermarket not far from the underground station.

XIV.

1. He came across a very interesting book on martial arts while he was browsing in the local bookshop.

2. I didn’t intend to buy so many Christmas presents, but once I started, I just got carried away.

3. Why don’t you come round to see us one evening? We could play a game of chess or listen to music. We’ve got a fine CD collection.

4. It was rather a daring attempt but he carried it off.

5. Sarah must have come down with (the) flu. She’s running a temperature and aching all over.

6. I hope you’ll carry on with the project while I’m away on a business trip. (or: I hope you’ll carry on working on the project ... .)

7. After his father’s death Alex came into most of his fortune.

8. The scientists suggested carrying out an additional series of tests on animals, which provoked a public outcry.

9. My son was very happy when the next Harry Potter book came out.

10. My younger sister’s a very creative person. She’s always coming up with some interesting ideas and unexpected solutions.

XVI.

1. I am looking forward to the beginning of the competition. I’m as keen as mustard.

2. Although Nick and Peter are brothers, they are as different as chalk and cheese. Nick is absorbed in studying French poetry and often has his head in the clouds while Peter is as tough as old boots. His promotion is on the cards.

3. Don’t worry, I’ll look after your children. They are as good as gold.

4. When we entered the house it was empty. It was as quiet as the grave in there.

5. It was just a joke but Tom got hot under the collar.