The sentence exercises

Exercise 1. Put the words in the necessary order to make a sentence.

1. were, pale, they, men, faces, big, with. 2. New Zealand, were, from, the eight men, divers. 3. to clear the harbour, was brought, of its wrecks, the team, to Rangoon. 4. these, refugees, a lot of, ships, had boarded. 5. climbed, of the ship, hole, in the side, I, through, one. 6. the compartment, the lamp, next, just, in, is being fixed. 7. appeared, the porter’s, in the doorway, face, smiling. 8. a few words, I, to say, companion, was eager, my, to. 9. was born, of, Mark Twain, a, lawyer, in, small town, the family, in 1835. 10. in, he, a bookshop, began, his, to work, home town, at.

Exercise 2. Put the words in the necessary order to make a sentence.

1. You, watch, last night, did, the football, match? 2. English, am, now, I, to, fluent, learning, speak. 3. Fred, you, his, has, to, invited, party, housewarming. 4. She, really, heavy, such, is, a smoker? 5. This photo, Brian, did, when, take, and where? 6. Can, guess, he, never, I, about, is, what, thinking. 7. In Ireland, have been, since 1995, my aunt, living, and uncle. 8. Never, in Africa, warm clothes, people, wear. 9. Rains, in the Himalayas, often, it, in spring, early. 10. Short, so, is, life, and, it, you, always, enjoy, must.

Exercise 3. Name the parts of speech in the following sentences. Analyze the structure of the sentences.

1. My friend’s son was discussing the height of Mount Everest. 2. My young niece was given a very much wanted puppy for a present. 3. It is difficult to find a nice place to stay a night in. 4. I like the idea of going there for a weekend. 5. He was always first to spot interesting things lying on the pavement. 6. Two of us had to ride a horse for the first time in their lives. 7. There’s nothing particular about a woman doing a man’s job nowadays. 8. Our grandfathers must have resented the idea of marrying a chimney-sweeper or a bus-conductor. 9. One afternoon some friends rang up Susan and Derek to invite them out for the evening at Maxim’s at 8 o’clock. 10. By staying away from school we are helping to ease the problem of overcrowded classrooms.

Exercise 4. Expand the following sentences at your option.

1. Mr. Tarry paused. 2. It was dark. 3. They were left. 4. Marcus retreated. 5. Her voice sounded. 6. His cheeks felt hot. 7. I couldn’t remember. 8. The river was shining. 9. Moyra looked up. 10. They kept on working. 11. She gave a shiver. 12. He rode his horse. 13. They began to discuss. 14. The people danced. 15. Mother bought cakes. 16. They moved along. 17. I want to see. 18. Her eyes opened. 19. Take care. 20. We are not afraid.

Exercise 5. Point out the part-of-speech qualification of the artificial word abcid and its derivatives in the following sentences.

1. You are talking like an abcid. 2. The book was so abciding that I read it twice without an interval. 3. Why is Abcid playing the piano now? She should be reading for an exam. 4. To our satisfaction everything was done quite abcidly and we could go on with our task. 5. My friend abcids to his native town every year. 6. She stood abcid, her eyes half closed. 7. From where we stood, we could abcid everything going on in the court. 8. About these abcids, you’ll excuse me, but I am at a loss what to do with them. 9. She was an abcid girl with plump cheeks and big round eyes. 10. Jim was so happy to find her so abcid that day. 11. You are stupid as a child, and that is abciding a great deal. 12. Oh, what’s that? Abcid? 13. Much abcid has been wasted without any definite results obtained.

Exercise 6. Define the sentences according to their structure.

1. I love English. 2. It is a very beautiful language. 3. When I think about you, I feel happy. 4. Come in and we shall have a nice chat. 5. Robert had a cup of milk and went to bed. 6. If you have a strong cough, put a spoon of honey in your tea. 7. The room was warm and comfortable. 8. She is the person who cares for me. 9. There was no moon and the sky was black. 10. She was sure that when she grew up she would become a pop-singer. 11. It was raining heavily though the wind had died down. 12. Make a cup of tea for us while I’m laying the table. 13. Shall we see you again after you come back from London? 14. I have loved you ever since I saw you first. 15. Ted looks unhappy because he got a bad mark.

Exercise 7. Define the sentences according to the purpose of utterance.

1. Life is full of surprises. 2. Don’t answer back! Do as I tell you! 3. Can I have a Mars bar, dad? 4. She blew him a kiss and went away. 5. I’ve just had an absolutely brilliant idea. 6. Is there anything interesting on TV tonight? 7. Karate is an art form which comes from the mysterious East. 8. Don’t you recognize me, darling?! 9. My friends never let me down. 10. She is not pleased with her new dress. 11. John is late for class again. What a shame! 12. You have never flown by Concorde, have you? 13. It’s healthy to get up early with the sun. 14. I had a delicious big supper last night. 15. Shall we go for a walk? 16. I don’t like spicy food. 17. The inspector didn’t trust the young man.

Exercise 8. Point out declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentences. Distinguish between affirmative and negative constructions among them. Translate into Russian.

1. Don't repeat these accusations without checking them. 2. I'm sorry — there isn't time to explain. 3. May I speak to your husband, please? 4. Is not everything under control? 5. Don't you dare to ask me such a question another time! 6. Would you mind repeating the telephone number? 7. Let's not become personal. 8. Aren't they glad to see us in their company? 9. Will she not receive me now? 10. I can hardly believe his words. 11. There can't be anything wrong with the com­puter. 12. They shouldn't start without consulting the weath­ermen. 13. I'm not to be talked into consent. 14. Won't she marry Jack? 15. Don't let's break the packets open. 16. Isn't there anything we can do? 17. Don't fail to follow the instruc­tions closely. 18. Has he never flown passenger planes? 19. Go ahead; I'm ready to put down the message. 20. Haven't we been trying to reach you all these days?

Exercise 9. Change the following affirmative sentences into negative ones (give different versions where possible).

1. Some of them have already been there. 2. It was so strange! 3. There is some reason in her words. 4. But she does know Norman. 5. Now the explanation makes sense 6. The topic will lose its significance by that time. 7. This certainly will be great fun. 8. Then he sounded very cheerful, too. 9. Everyone seemed quite perturbed. 10. We were lucky to have caught the five o'clock liner. 11. The text is to be revised, of course. 12. Ann will be coming, too. 13. A ball-pen like this can be found anywhere. 14. I was puzzled by many things.

Exercise 10. State the types of the following questions. Translate into Russian.

1. Can you fly this aircraft and land it? 2. What does he have to say? 3. Wasn't it an adventure? 4. So, they did take part in the reception, after all? 5. Will you do it alone, or will you have someone to help you? 6. Do we read a book for the book's sake? 7. A good deal has been written about the importance of practice, hasn't it? 8. Has it been a monotonous day, or have you come across some diversions? 9. At what range will the plane show on the radar? 10. Do you care to comment or don't you? 11. Is it all over, or do we have to go through the ordeal from the start? 12. Isn't it a lovely bit of jewelry?

Exercise 11. Put general questions to the following sentences.

1. I live in a big city. 2. We are students. 3. She can play chess very well. 4. He knows a lot of people in the town. 5. Tom has an interesting job. 6. He has a lovely time in the country every weekend. 7. It is interesting for me to study English. 8. It’s getting cold outside. 9. I shall help you, don’t worry. 10. I have spoken to the chief. 11. Winter has come. 12. We enjoyed our holiday greatly. 13. I had a bath an hour ago. 14. She is deeply interested in this matter. 15. They got married last December.

Exercise 12. Ask question about the italicized words type.

1. The show didn't amuse us very much. 2. The grand­mother was mending as usual. 3. Margaret cannot keep a secret. 4. We went out through a side door into the dark street. 5. Maria stood in the doorway with a large tray. 6. Any­one would think I was cruel to them. 7. I watched her fasten green leaves in her hair. 8. There was something important in the paper. 9. The dinner was quite a substantial affair. 10. The stewardess opened the door to the passenger deck. 11. The captain was pacing the narrow cabin nervously. 12. You should try to relax as much as you can.

Exercise 13. Make up an alternative question out of each of the given pairs of statements.

1. These decisions were based on ignorance. These decisions were based on competence. 2. This satellite can be seen with a naked eye. This satellite can't be seen with a naked eye. 3. The liner will take off in half an hour. The liner will be taking off in a few moments. 4. She felt quite secure. She felt somewhat insecure. 5. Anybody can say so. Nobody can say so. 6. Those people desire possessions. Those people desire the well-being of others. 7. The truth is always beautiful. The truth may sometimes be very ugly. 8. They drove back with the car ra­dio playing. They drove back with the car radio turned off. 9. The nurse tucked in her blanket and fetched her hot-wa­ter bottle. The nurse passed by without paying attention to her. 10. The information came from the Colonial Office files. The information came from the Ministry of Defence.

Exercise 14. Make up questions of various kinds to suit the following answers.

1. Well, it depends. 2. It's hard to say. 3. Not me. 4. Sure I will. 5. Wise of him. 6. So do I. 7. Next door. 8. Not in the least. 9. Nothing of the kind. 10. You may take my word for it. 11. Some other time. 12. Why not? 13. What nonsense! 14. I think I do. 15. Hardly so. 16. Of course not. 17. Who else could it be! 18. None. 19. Neither of them. 20. Not yet. 21. By all means. 22. I believe you are right. 23. Yes, I think so. 24. That's too bad. 25. Why should he? 26. More or less.

Exercise 15. Change the following statements into disjunctive questions.

1. You cannot give me a definite answer. 2. They were mar­ried several weeks later. 3. The inspector made an affirmative gesture. 4. The tower clock chimed the hour. 5. There are no oranges left in the vase. 6. Mr. Raymond shrugged his shoulders. 7. There is no motive behind their decision. 8. The woman was becoming a nervous wreck. 9. The situation became strained. 10. The TV set has been turned on all the time. 11. The car bomb didn't go off. 12. The West European attitude has fuelled the arms race in the region. 13. There was an amusement in the girl's eyes. 14. Police has uncovered plenty of evidence.

Exercise 16. Put disjunctive questions to the following sentences.

1. You are Mary Smith, …? 2. He isn’t a student, …? 3. She lives in New York, …? 4. He knows a lot of people in the city, …? 5. You have a big family, …? 6. They have lunch at one o’clock, …? 7. My father has to drive to his office, …? 8. He doesn’t have to get up early, …? 9. German isn’t difficult, …? 10. There is a lot of light in this hall, …? 11. There are no stars in the sky, …? 12. Ted didn’t come to class yesterday, …? 13. Our teacher gave us much homework to do, …? 14. You didn’t have to lie to her, …? 15. It snows a lot in Siberia, …? 16. It never rains in the Gobi, …? 17. Those are your gloves, …? 18. I am a fool, …? 19. We haven’t met before, …? 20. He has never been to Jamaica, …? 21. The Browns will never sell their house, …? 22. He can cook well, …? 23. You can’t buy happiness, …? 24. Rob must keep his word, …? 25. You mustn’t smoke here, …? 26. Let’s start working, …? 27. Let’s not argue, …? 28. Make him take his word back, …? 29. Don’t shout at me, …? 30. Nothing ever happens to me, …? 31. Everything depends on the situation, …? 32. Everyone will be present at the conference, …? 33. Nobody has ever thought about it, …? 34. Something should be done to help them, …? 35. I used to live in the street, …? 36. He never used to drink coffee, …? 37. Everyone is infirmed about it, …? 38. Nobody phoned me today, …? 39. No one agrees with him, …? 40. You needn’t worry about it, …?

Exercise 17. Answer the following disjunctive questions confirming the speaker's supposition.

1. He didn't expect us so early, did he? 2. Our little experiment proved the point, didn't it? 3. There isn't much to be regretted, is there? 4. The telephone call came just in time, didn't it? 5. You're hinting that the letter hasn't been posted, aren't you? 6. We shall see her among the guests, shan't we? 7. The rally was held on Tuesday, wasn't it? 8. I am a total stranger here, aren't I? 9. They oughtn't to have suspected him, ought they? 10. You won't keep me in the dark, will you? 11. She's in mind something else, hasn't she? 12. His blun­der remained unnoticed, didn't it? 13. The man is to be the first to speak, isn't he? 14. There must be a simpler explana­tion, mustn't there? 15. This won't be a great pleasure, will it?

Exercise 18. Contradict the following statements (presented as such or in the form of questions) by using intent affirmative or negative constructions.

Model: 1. You know this man very well, don't you? — Oh no, I don't know him at all.

2. He can't speak French, can he? — But yes, he can. He speaks French fluently.

1. Talent doesn't want any schooling, does it? 2. Oranges taste bitter, don't they? 3. You don't like portraiture. 4. O. Henry's stories make you drowsy. 5. Playing chess doesn't require much skill, does it? 6. Little Tommy has never been to the Zoo, has he? 7. Using computers makes our mind lazy, doesn't it? 8. Anyone can be a poet. 9. Aren't heart and mind the same thing? 10. An exception to a rule is its proof, isn't it? 11. Reading books makes our own experience unnecessary, doesn't it? 12. Knowl­edge is more important than wisdom. 13. Law is always just, isn't it? 14. A good beginning is all the battle. 15. A tree can be judged by its bark, can't it? 16. Easier done than said, isn't it?

Exercise 19. Translate into English paying attention to interrogative sentences.

1. Какой писатель вам больше нравится — Диккенс или Теккерей? — Я предпочитаю Теккерея. 2. Значит, Маша совсем не любит музыку? Не может быть! — Представь себе, это так! 3. Неужели эта невзрачная брошь стоит так доро­го? — Вы находите ее невзрачной? 4. Когда можно погово­рить с директором? — В понедельник с часу до трех. 5. По­чему они еще не ушли? — Они хотят еще о чем-то спросить. 6. Когда приезжает Семен? — Кажется, завтра утром. 7. Он уже совершеннолетний? — По-моему, да. 8. Будет ли продол­жение? — Конечно, будет. 9. Федор Петрович не делает док­лада на конференции. — Не делает? Вы уверены? 10. Сколь­ко времени еще продлится собрание? — Думаю, полчаса, не больше. 11. Почему транзистор не работает? — Наверное, истощились батарейки. Давай, я заменю их. 12. Слыхал? Только что мы запустили новую космическую лаборато­рию. — Здорово! 13. Почему Гриша такой грустный сего­дня? — Он кажется тебе грустным? 14. Куда ты положила словарь? — Он под грамматикой, вон там, на открытой пол­ке. 15. Какое расстояние от Иркутска до Абакана? — А за­чем тебе? 16. Как зовут Петрищева? — Имя самое обыкновенное, но я его всегда забываю. Спроса у Бори. 17. Когда же наконец ты будешь готова? Мы опаздываем. 18. Неужели ты еще не понял? — Чего не понял? 19. Сколько раз я должна повторять тебе, что нельзя есть конфеты до завтрака? — Больше не буду. 20. Сколько денег тебе нужно? — Тысяч пятьдесят, думаю, хватит.

Exercise 20. Distinguish between commands, requests of various kinds, and wishes. Translate into Russian.

1. Have a lovely time. 2. Don't, for goodness sake, let us interrupt the singing. 3. Get back to your seat, won't you? 4. Will you have a look into my notes? 5. Keep calling. She may come any time. 6. May their travel be safe and happy. 7. Tell him to report to the assistant manager. 8. Have a cigarette, will you? 9. Hear him play this piece, Nellie! 10. Pray, believe me. 11. Do understand the course of events if you are a man! 12. You had better take a little time to think, darling. 13. Let them join us tomorrow, too. 14. Do be quiet, Jane. 15. Let's not start our discussion anew. I've had enough of arguing. 16. You should do your duty.

Exercise 21. Make the following requests more urgent or polite.

1. Tell me now. 2. Sign your name. 3. Clear the desk. 4. Take off your overcoats. 5. Switch on the vacuum-cleaner. 6. Boil the water. 7. Stand to one side. 8. Mind the clock. 9. Don't let's postpone it. 10. Tell her to come. 11. Connect me with the chief operator. 12. Do me a favour. 13. Remember me to your parents. 14. Stop arguing with me. 15. Don't interrupt me. 16. Repeat your words. 17. Call another time. 18. Press the knob on your left. 19. Change the batteries. 20. Get it started. 21. Relax. 22. Give it a push. 23. Help me with this job. 24. Fix the carpet right there. 25. Forget it. 3. Change the bed-clothes.

Exercise 22. Forbid the action expressed in the following statements and request by using sentences of various kinds.

1. Nancy is shutting the door to the nursery. 2. Let's speak to him now. 3. I want to take your bike. 4. Now I'll switch on the washing machine. 5. Peter is staring at us open-mouthed. 6. Baking in the sun a bit will be a pleasure, Dad. 7. I'll order two more ices. 8. The handle should be turned counter clockwise, should it not? 9. Let her stay in the country. 10. Floy will be watering the flower-beds, won't she? 11. Sam is preparing to make a detailed report. 12. Now I'll be putting the parcels into the carry-all. 13. Will you let me fill in the form!

Exercise 23. Distinguish between exclamatory and non-exclamatory constructions of different communicative purposes. Translate into Russian.

1. What a nuisance he is! 2. How can I know about her intentions! 3. Oh, stop it! Please, stop it! 4. Oh, that Jane were not so touchy! 5. Do believe me, Madam. 6. You did want to ask me something, didn't you? 7. How do you know? 8. How very clever you've become! And so unexpected, too! 9. How kind of her! 10. No more of that, pray! 11. Phil? That early! 12. Can't stand his provocations any longer. 13. I'm so sor­ry, Jack! 14. If only I could speak to her now! 15. Just fancy this happening to the Old Man! 16. Oh, what a beautiful day! 17. How wonderfully she dances! 18. That was a crazy idea from the very start. 19. God forbid, I didn't mean to offend them! 20. But Tommy is such a bore!

Exercise 24. Change the following non-exclamatory sentences into ex­clamatory.

1. We couldn't see him on that occasion. 2. The music is lovely. 3. It was naughty of her. 4. Don't repeat such silly words. 5. The sight is disgusting. 6. Listening to that man is tiresome. 7. Her green frock is becoming her. 8. Read it again. 9. Who told you I don't like the opera? 10. It will be a pleasure to see her among us. 11. The plane is tossing horri­bly in the storm. 12. She is doing the sonata wonderfully. 13. Don't open the window; it's too cold in here. 14. It is time the performance was over. 15. How can he know so many languages? 16. The sun is shining brightly again.

Exercise 25. Change the following non-exclamatory sentences into ex­clamatory.

1. He is a good singer. 2. The singer is good. 3. He is a fine athlete. 4. This athlete is good. 5. She is a pretty girl. 6. This girl is pretty. 7. She has beautiful hair. 8. Her hair is beautiful. 9. It’s a cool night. 10. The night is cool. 11. He speaks English well. 12. Everything was quiet. 13. They understood each other perfectly. 14. She plays the piano well. 15. It is noisy here. 16. This place is beautiful. 17. It is stuffy here. 18. She sings beautifully. 19. It’s fine weather we are having. 20. She is wearing smart clothes. 21. The cake smells delicious. 22. You have brought us sad news. 23. They are laughing very loudly. 24. You have given me a lot of money. 25. You are wrong. 26. She looks fine in this new dress. 27. The child has grown very tall. 28. April is usually cold. 29. The flowers smell nice. 30. He seems to be a nice man.