· Would rather, would sooner are followed by an Infinitive without to. They mean ‘to prefer’. I would rather do it myself.
· Would…mind…doing in questions means ‘to object’: Would you mind my smoking in? The construction may express a polite request: Would you mind getting me a cup of tea?
E x e r c i s e s
1. Comment on the meaning of the verb will and would. Translate the sentences.
1) If you overcook the pancakes they will be difficult to roll.
2) I will say no more on this matter, important though it was
3) As many as ten million children will have been infected with the virus by the end of the decade.
4) The holidays will have done him the world of good.
5) He expressed the hope that on Monday elementary schools would be reopened.
6) It was half past nine; her mother would be annoyed because she was so late.
7) They said they would give the police their full cooperation.
2. Emma and Sadie are students. They've both got exams tomorrow. Complete their conversation using a modal verb + be + the -ing form of each verb in brackets. Use the modal verbs ought to, might, must and would.
Sadie: – You (1) (do) some work. You ought to be doing some work, Emma.
Emma: - Hello, Sadie. Aren't you doing any work? You (2) (revise) for the exams.
Sadie : – I (3) (read) my notes if I had them, but I've lost them.
Emma: - Good Lord! How awful! Do you want to look at mine?
Sadie: - No, thanks. It's okay. Don't worry, Emma. Exams aren't important.
Emma: -Not important! You (4) (joke)! I (look) everywhere if my notes were lost.
Sadie: - Well, I'll probably find them before tomorrow.
Emma: -Have you seen Lisa? She's got a book of mine.
Sadie: -She was in here not long ago. Perhaps she's outside. She (5) (sit) in the garden.
Emma: – I'll go and have a look. Then I (6) (go). I have to get to the library before it closes.
Sadie: - What are you doing tonight, Emma?
Emma: - Revising, of course. Aren't you?
Sadie: - I (7) (play) tennis with Rebecca if the weather stays fine.
3. Oral Activity.
Say what you would be doing at the moment if today were a different day of the week. Find out what the other members of the class would be doing (or might be doing) if it were a Saturday or a Sunday.
4. Put in appropriate forms of the past used to, will, would. Alternatives are possible. Retell the story.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE.
The thing I remember most about my childhood was my visits to my aunt Charlotte in her lovely country house. She (1) (be) used to be /was a remarkable woman by any standards. She (2) (be) really skilled at water-divining and she (3) (find) water on the most unpromising bits of land. The farmers (4) (love) her, especially as she (5) (never accept) money for water-divining. “Water (6) (always find) its own level” she (7) (say) and “I know exactly where that level is.” “Water-divining is a gift from God and you don't accept payment for that.” She had a gift for noticing changes in the weather, too. “It’s going to rain soon,” she (8) (say). “I can feel it in my bones,” and she (9) (always be) right! In her later years, she developed a bad back and (10) (often visit) her osteopath. She (11) (never tired) of telling us that her osteopath (12) (say) as he massaged her painful back. “It’s going to rain, Charlotte, I can feel it in your bones!”
5. Fill in the blanks with the modal verbs shall/will or should/would.
1) Can you walk as far as the car or shall I bring it round?
2) I … not come down with you. I … go home.
3) If I’ve got him, they can’t take him. He … not go. I … not let him.
4) You’ve asked for my opinion and by God you … have it.
5) No harm … be done to your child. I … see to it.
6) If you … not take any steps you … never got rid of the malady.
7) When he grew blind he … sit hour after hour in those two rooms that he had painted, looking at his works with sightless eyes.
8) I let the young man to go where he … with my box and money.
9) My aunt … not hear of staying to dinner, lest she … by any chance fail to arrive at home.
6. Translate the following sentences into English.
1) Вы этого не сделаете. Запомните это!
2) Я сделаю эту работу к сроку, хотя бы мне и пришлось не спать всю ночь.
3) Магазин, должно быть, еще открыт. Если вы поторопитесь, вы успеете купить хлеб.
4) Он сказал, что ему придется уехать через несколько дней, но мы и слушать не хотели.
5) Не старайтесь доказать ему, что вы правы; его никогда нельзя убедить. Он очень упрямый.
6) Вы ответите за ваши действия.
7) Вам придется держать экзамен еще раз. Вам надо обратить большое внимание на грамматику.
8) Какое упражнение мне читать? – Можете начать с любого.
9) Я полагаю, это и есть твой дом!
10) Я не допущу, чтобы вы разговаривали со мной в таком тоне.
11) Дети – всегда дети.
12) Я скорее сделаю это сама, чем оставлю это своей сестре.
Review Exercises
1. Peter, Jan and Lima are foreign students at an English-speaking university. Put each verb in brackets into the simple present, simple past or present perfect. What rules do governments usually make about people entering their country? Are there different rules for tourists, for students, and for people who want to live and work there? Discuss with other members of your class.
| Peter: | - I'll be sad to leave here. But I (1) (have to) leave at the end of my course. |
| Jan: | - I still don't know if I can stay longer or not. I (2) (not be able to) make any plans during the last two years, Lima. My problem was getting in here. I (3) (have to) get a visa before I left home. I wanted to come here a year earlier, but I (4) (not allowed to) |
| Peter: | - Money is a problem, too. I (5) (not be allowed to) work since I came here. |
| Jan: | - Ever since I came here, I (6) (have to) report to the police every week. |
2. Choose the most suitable words underlined.
1) I don’t think you could/should tell anyone yet.
2) I couldn’t/shouldn’t possibly leave without pain.
3) That mustn’t/can’t be the place Patrick told us about.
4) There are times when the traffic here can/could be really heavy.
5) We are enjoying our holiday though the weather could/must be better.
6) You couldn’t/shouldn’t really be sitting here.
7) You could/may be older than me, but that doesn’t mean you are cleverer.
8) I might/should suppose your job is rather difficult.
9) No member of the association must/shall remove official documents from these premises without written permission.
10) You may/can be in charge, but it doesn’t give you the right to be rude.
11) Although I tried hard I couldn’t/mightn’t lift the suitcase.
12) This beach should be/shall be deserted.
13) I think you should/must go to Brighton for a week.
3. Oral Activity
Imagine that tomorrow you plan to go on a 15-mile walk in the country with three or four other people in your class. Discuss with them what you ought to wear and what you ought to take with you. Give reasons for your suggestions.
4. Put in will have to, must, having to, has to, should, had to, have to, should have. Retell the story.
ARIJABA!
The Post Office in Britain is famous for getting letters and parcels to their destinations. The problem is that we the public (1) have to observe the rules. For example, we (2) ...... put a stamp on a letter. If we don’t, the recipient (3) ....... pay double. We often see the sign ALL LETTERS (4) ......... BE CORRECTLY ADDRESSED. These days, this means (5) ......... use postcodes. If you didn’t use a postcode, it’s no good complaining that your letter (6) ......... arrived sooner. Parcels are a problem because they (7) ........ be correctly packaged. If Aunt Sophia is going to send you a jar of your favourite jam, she (8) ........ wrap it up well. The most important thing we (9) ........ do is to address our letters and parcels legibly and correctly. This means clear handwriting and correct spelling. What we (10) ........ do and what we actually do are often miles apart. Recently, the Post Office (11) …….. deliver a letter which showed a name followed by the word ARIJABA. What is this, do you think? Arabic? Hindustani? Wrong both times! Say it out loud and you will see it is just plain (misspelt!) English: HARWICH HARBOUR!
5. Complete the sentences with appropriate modals (can, must, may).
1) It’s a beautiful dress. It ... (cost) a lot of money.
2) There’s been a terrible accident. We ... (ring) for an ambulance.
3) You ... (eat) between meals. You’ll get fat.
4) You ... (let) the children get their hands on those bottles. The contents are poisonous.
5) You ... (finish) the job this evening. There is no hurry.
6) I ... (go) to work by bus but since the fares went up I’ve been going on foot.
7) He had to go by train because he ... (not afford) the air fare.
8) You’d better take an umbrella. It’s cloudy and it ... (rain).
9) I think we’ve probably missed the train but we ... (catch) it if we run all the way to the station.
10) Anyone ... (make) a mistake. No one is perfect.
11) She ... (not take) the money. She wasn’t in the office that day.
12) They are all taking photographs of the person getting off the plane. It ... (be) someone famous.
13) I’m sorry. I don’t seem to have brought the papers with me. I ... (leave) them in my office.
14) I don’t think they know one another but they come from the same town, so they ... (meet) when they were children.
6. Choose the sentence closest in meaning to the sentences given.
1) It’s possible that we’ll know the answers tomorrow.
a) We may know all the answers tomorrow.
b) We should know all the answers tomorrow.
2) I don’t think you should ring him now. It’s rather late.
a) You might not ring him now. It’s rather late.
b) You’d better not ring him now. It’s rather late.
3) You needn’t come if you don’t want to.
a) You won’t come if you don’t want to.
b) You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.
4) I think it’s wrong for you to work so hard.
a) You don’t have to work so hard.
b) You shouldn’t work so hard.
5) I hope one day we can meet again in more favourable circumstances.
a) It’s possible that we’ll meet again in more favourable circumstances.
b) I hope to meet you again in more favourable circumstances.
6) In the end we succeeded in communicating with sign language.
a) In the end we might communicate with sign language.
b) In the end we were able to communicate with sign language.
7. Rewrite each of the following sentences using the modal verb should and one of the words listed: important, normal, odd, insisted, warned, incredible.
1) The new trainer wants to hand in his notice already. I just don’t believe it.
2) Some students tend to feel a little homesick in their first week here. I can understand that.
3) Why has he complained now, right at the end of his course? I just can’t work it out.
4) Children must be taught the difference between right and wrong. I believe that strongly.
5) I wonder why she left without saying anything. I’d really like to know.
6) ‘Don’t let your feelings run away with you, will you?’ said the youth club leader.
7) ‘We simply must go to the police about this latest attack’, said a bystander.
8. Adam, Lisa, Don and Melanie are students. They were on their way to visit some friends last week in Adam's car when it broke down. Complete the conversation by putting in one of the following modal verbs: can, can't, could, must, mustn't, needn't, ought to, should, might, 'II, will, won't, shall, would. (Sometimes more than one answer is correct.)
Activity: Act out the conversation in groups of four.
| Lisa: | - What's the matter? Why have you stopped? |
| Adam: | - There’s something wrong. It isn’t going properly. |
| Don: | - Let’s have a look. |
| Lisa: | - We (1) ... be out of petrol, I suppose. |
| Adam: | - We (2) ... be out of petrol. We only got some half an hour ago. |
| Lisa: | - Well, if there is something wrong, (3) ... you put it right, do you think? |
| Adam: | - Give me a chance. I don’t know what the trouble is yet. |
| Melanie: | - Look at this steam. The engine (4) ... be too hot. |
| Don: | - Don’t take the cap off the radiator. You (5) ... do that. You (6) ... get boiling water all over you. |
| Adam: | - If it’s too hot, we (7) ... have to wait until it cools down. |
| Lisa: | - And how long (8) ... that take? |
| Don: | - We (9) ... wait about half an hour before we go on. |
| Melanie: | – I suppose there (10) ... be something else wrong with it. |
| Lisa: | – We passed a garage about a mile back. I suppose they (11) ... come and have a look at it if we ask them. |
| Adam: | - The car (12) ... be all right. Our local garage has just serviced it. I paid £30 for a full service. |
| Don: | - You (13) ... worry. I’m sure it’s just got too hot. Let’s wait a bit. |
| Lisa: | - We (14) ... be late now, I expect. |
| Melanie: | - There’s some coffee in the back of the car. (15) ... we have some while we’re waiting? There are some sandwiches, too. |
| Don: | -I’m starving. I (16) ... have something to eat. |
| Melanie: | – (17) ... you like a sandwich, Lisa? Lisa No, thanks. I (18) ... eat bread. I’m on a diet. |
| Adam: | - We (19) ... phone Matthew if we’re going to be late. |
| Don: | - We (20) ... be very late, I don’t think. |
| Melanie: | - You (21) ... buy a new car, Adam. |
| Adam: | - Well, it (22) ... be nice if I had the money. But I’m afraid we (23) ... have to put up with this old thing for a little longer. |
9. Translate these sentences from Russian into English.