Advanced English Grammar

Exercise 15. (Chapter 4)

Paying attention to the Adjuncts, find a way to express sentences 1 to 10 using the present perfect. While the point of view will change, each sentence should have the same basic meaning as the original. You will need to make other changes in the sentence. This may include the verb you use, using a negative instead of an affirmative form, etc. (Note that there may be several possibilities. If you can think of more than one possible way to recast the sentence, give all possibilities.)

 

1.          My father stopped driving when he retired.

2.         Their children left home as soon as they finished their studies.

3.         I got here at 5. It’s now half past 6. He’s not here yet, and I’m still waiting.

4.         The last time she celebrated her birthday was when she was a teenager.

5.         My grandmother died more than 40 years ago.

6.         Eva learned how to ride a bike when she was 4 years old.

7.         The last time I saw Martha was in 2016. She hadn’t started university yet.

8.         Harry started working as a researcher 15 years ago.

9.         Kim bought that sports car last December.

10.    My parents left for holiday 3 days ago.

 

Exercise 16 (Chapter 4)

First, identify the present perfect forms in the following sentences and identify the situation type they represent. Then, identify the kind of present perfect it is (continuative, indefinite or repetitive). Finally, identify the verbal aspect of the present perfect (progressive or non-progressive): can it be changed from progressive to non-progressive or from non-progressive to progressive? If not, why? If so, is there any difference in effect?

 

1.         She has only known him for two months and she’s already decided to move in with him.

2.         Their friendship has evolved into love, which is why she decided to move in with him.

3.         Scientists have been shouting for years that we need to be more cautious about what we are doing to our planet.

4.         My neighbour has been crying a lot lately. Do you think he could be depressed?

5.         The jury has awarded her a prize for her short story about a wildebeest.

6.         I’ve never had the slightest doubt about his talent and have always supported him.

7.         I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a long time, but I couldn’t muster up the courage.

8.         I’ve drafted a proposal for the TOEFL conference. Would you mind reading it?

 

Exercise 17. (Chapter 4)

Choose a logical verb from the verbs below and complete the sentences using an appropriate perfect tense (that is, past perfect, present perfect or future perfect). If progressive aspect is possible, choose it. Then, for each sentence, indicate what kind of perfect it is: continuative, indefinite or repetitive.

 

know                  read                    buy                     cost                     teach

call                                    eat                                    lie                        be

 

1.         By the time we get home next week, this trip _______ us nearly 3000 €.

2.         I _______ in the sun for a couple of hours when I started feeling weak and dizzy.

3.         They _______ each other since childhood. They’re best friends.

4.         Prior to his arrest, the suspect _______ the victim’s mobile phone regularly.

5.         She _______ a new computer. All she has to do now is learn how to use it.

6.         We _______ to Egypt twice in the past five years. We should go somewhere else this year.

7.         This time next year, I _______ English at this university for 15 years.

8.         She _______ a big lunch that day, and that’s why she didn’t order dessert after dinner.

9.         I can’t tell you the number of times my daughter _______ the Harry Potter series.

 

Exercise 18. (Chapter 4)

Put verbs in the following sentences into the past tense, the present perfect tense or the past perfect tense. Determine in each case whether progressive or non-progressive aspect (or both) would be used, and comment on any semantic effects that this choice brings about. Finally, complete the adjuncts in brackets ({}) using for, since or ago as appropriate. What generalizations can you make about the use of for, since and ago with respect to these tenses?

 

1.         She (write) that novel {she left college}; do you think she’ll ever finish it?

2.         We (be) neighbours {ages}; I can’t imagine not having them close by.

3.         Frederic (leave) the office {five minutes}; if you run, you might be able to catch him.

4.         The children (watch) TV {2.30 that afternoon} when their dad switched it off.

5.         My cousin (want) to be a model {years} when she landed her first job at an agency.

6.         My parents (not be) back to China {2010}.

7.         His plane (land) {several hours}; if he took a taxi, he should be here soon.

8.         I (not see) my old flatmate {a long time}; I hope we recognise each other.

9.         Widowhood is not easy for my grandpa. He (be) married to my grandma {60 years}.

10.    They (demolish) that old grocery store {years}; the building was going to collapse.

 

Exercise 19. (Chapter 4)

In two of the following sentences, would + verb stem has meaning which, when compared to the other sentences, is more closely associated with straightforward future time reference. In the other sentences, however, would + verb stem has meanings which are less future-like and more modal. These include the following modal meanings:

 

a.         narrative flash-forward

b.        probability

c.         typical behaviour

d.        refusal

e.         promise

f.          willingness

 

Indicate which two sentences are more oriented to future time reference; for the other six sentences, indicate which type of modal meaning comes to the fore, using (a) to (f) above. Each of the modal meanings is used only once.

 

1.         She said that if I would only wait for a moment or two, she could show me the way.

2.         The administration confirmed that the autumn recess would take place in November.

3.         They were convinced they would beat the other team, but that’s not what happened.

4.         They told me that they would be arriving well before the end of the day.

5.         Jack called to cancel again, but then he would, wouldn’t he? He’s so unreliable.

6.         I told them I would help them organize the event. They’re counting on me.

7.         I explained that I’d dropped my computer and that now it wouldn’t start.

8.         The inhabitants of the village sold much of their land to foreign developers in the first part of the century, a decision they would later regret.