A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (15 page)
Read A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English Online
Authors: Dr. Edward Woods,Rudy Coppieters
7.
I often feel frightened ……….
8.
I can relax best ……….
9.
I intend to visit my dentist ……….
10.
I would like to go on holiday ……….
Task three **
Complete the following sentences, using the most appropriate of the time-when adverbials listed below. Any missing prepositions are still to be added.
again | August | half-past nine | July |
this autumn | three years later | when I get back indoors | |
3.30 a.m | 11 May 1926 | 14 May |
1.
The midnight sun is shining brightly when I climb into a bunk ______________, and equally brightly when I wake _____________.
2.
I ask Jack if the snow ever disappears.
‘Oh yes,’ he assures me, ‘it melts ____________. And starts snowing _______________ ________________.
3.
Roald Amundsen’s airship
Norge
left Ny Alesund ____________ and landed in North America _____________, after a journey of over 3000 miles. ________________ Amundsen died in the Arctic attempting to rescue his friend Nobile.
4.
I stumble outside clutching my toothbrush (…). _____________ Harald is off the phone and preparing coffee. ______________, he tells me, he will be celebrating fifteen years at Kap Wik.
(adapted from Michael Palin,
Pole to Pole
, pp. 4–12)
Time relationships can be indicated by a variety of prepositions, adverbs and conjunctions:
•
before/after
the war;
by
Friday;
before(hand)/afterwards; before/after/when/as
it happened
•
already; still; yet; any more
.
Time measurement expressions include phrases such as:
•
three years ago
;
(in) three years from now
;
in three years
;
in three years’ time
.
Time-when adverbs like
again, now, today
, etc. identify a point or period of time directly, while adverbs like
afterwards, later, next
, etc. do so indirectly.
Time-when clauses are introduced by conjunctions like
when, after, as, before
, etc.
Task one **
Complete the following sentences by inserting one or two of the time–when adverbials listed below. In most cases a pair of (correlating) adverbials are to be added.
a few years from now | after the collapse of communism |
already | before he was succeeded by Bill Clinton |
earlier that month | first |
hours ago | soon |
still | two weeks ago |
1.
I decided to talk to my wife and see my solicitor.
2.
Over 170 nations had signed the non-proliferation treaty.
3.
The European Union may well consist of about twenty-five member states.
4.
George Bush Sr. was President of the United States.
5.
The missing girl left home and has not been seen.
6.
The Boeing 747 took off from Dubai Airport, so it should have landed in Delhi.
7.
The situation in Eastern Europe began to change very fast.
8.
I don’t know whether a solution has been found.
9.
Hostilities had resumed, but fortunately things quietened down.
10.
We were to learn that the suspect had been convicted of drugs trafficking.
Task two **
Combine the following pairs of sentences, turning the second sentence into an adverbial clause and using each of the conjunctions listed below just once. The sentence parts in square brackets are NOT to be included.
after as as soon as before now that once since until when while
Example:
I went to see several specialists [last month]
.
I decided to have a pacemaker implanted [early this week]
.
⇒
I went to see several specialists
before
I decided to have a pacemaker implanted
.
1.
I met Sheila [three years ago].
I was 17 years old [then].
2.
The tourists picnicked in the city’s main park [at noon].
They visited a local museum [at 2 p.m.].
3.
Two wings of the castle were destroyed by fire [early this morning].
It was struck by lightning [around midnight].
4.
I will phone you [soon].
I [have to] finish this repair work [first].
5.
The car crash happened [on Sunday evening].
It was raining heavily [all evening].
6.
We can all heave a sigh of relief [now].
The worst of the storm is over [now].
7.
Steering a canoe is relatively easy.
You [should] get the hang of it [first].
8.
The patient’s condition seemed to stabilize [gradually].
Time passed [gradually].
9.
I do not want to fly to Canada [in the next few weeks].
The international situation [should] have improved [first].
10.
There has only been one single burglary [lately].
A security camera was installed [some time ago].
Duration is normally expressed by adverbials occurring in end-position, though short adverbials can also occur in mid-position.
The commonest time duration adverbials are prepositional phrases, especially those introduced by the preposition
for
: stay
for
the summer/
for
two years (but: all day). Other common prepositions are
over, until/till, up to
and
from … to/until
.
Adverbial clauses of duration can be introduced by the conjunctions
while, since
and
until/till
.
Task one **
Complete the following sentences, using one of the time duration adverbials listed below:
all winter long | briefly |
ever since I’ve known about the health risks involved | for ever |
for millennia | for several years now |
from 1837 to 1901 | temporarily |
until his grasp loosened | up to now |
1.
In Australia time stood still __________________, then the country
suddenly became part of the modern world.
2.
The promise of more food aid ________________ raised hopes among the starving population.
3.
Fortunately, the world has been spared a major nuclear conflict ______________________.
4.
The cold spell that began in December 1962 lasted ___________________.
5.
The failure of living in flats has been generally recognized _____________________.
6.
Lisa let Simon hold her hand ______________________.
7.
I’ve abstained from smoking ________________________.
8.
The present income disparities cannot go on _________________.
9.
Queen Victoria reigned __________________________.
10.
Two lanes are _________________ closed for resurfacing purposes.
Task two **
Replace the underlined part in each of the following sentences by an adverbial of duration expressing (roughly) the same meaning. Sentences 9 and 10 should be slightly changed in other ways as well.
Example:
I stayed in Scotland
from Monday morning to Sunday evening
.
⇒
I stayed in Scotland
for a week
.
1.
The First World War lasted
from 1914 to 1918
.
2.
Humans may not be able to live on another planet
before the beginning of the next century
.
3.
It was quite obvious that we couldn’t wait
eternally
.
4.
I haven’t been feeling too well
in the past few weeks
.
5.
We stayed on the Bahamas
until the day before Easter
.
6.
Fighting in the area has been going on
all day long
.
7.
We’ve been receiving nuisance calls
since a short time ago
.
8.
The Olympic team did a lot of training on
Saturday and Sunday
.
9.
The heatwave
began on 21 June and ended around 20 September
.
10.
Several reporters were present
and
police officers were combing the woods for the missing girl
at the same time
.
Frequency, both indefinite and definite, is expressed by adverbials, which normally occur in mid- and end-position respectively.
•
Most
indefinite frequency adverbials
are adverbs, ranging in meaning from an upper to a lower limit of frequency:
– We
always/sometimes/never
drink wine.
– We eat meat
on numerous/some/few occasions
.
•
Definite frequency adverbials
usually take one of the following (equivalent) forms:
– I visit the local bar
once a week/every week/weekly
.
Task one **
Replace the expressions of frequency in the following sentences by alternative adverbials having more or less the same meaning.
1.
I’ve met this famous comedian
several times
.
2.
I used to see Mum
every two days
.
3.
Even hardened soldiers
sometimes
become sentimental.
4.
I go to the sauna
once a month
.
5.
I’ve been to the United States
many times
.
6.
Our neighbours have a barbecue
most weekends
.
7.
Mr Sweethome travels abroad
on very few occasions
.
8.
Some people go for a walk
every day of the year
.
9.
We
usually
have breakfast at 7.30.
10.
My elder brother is
almost never
at home.
11.
I borrow books from the library
every other week
.
12.
Bossy people are
often
difficult to communicate with.
Task two ***
Complete the following sentences by adding a frequency adverbial which makes sense in the context.
Example:
Labour delegates meet at their party conference
.
⇒
Labour delegates meet
annually
at their party conference
.
⇒
Labour delegates meet at their party conference
once a year
.
1.
True vegetarians eat meat.
2.
A footballer performing a hat-trick is a player who scores.
3.
Gypsies are people who are on the move.
4.
Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States.
5.
Drunk-driving is a serious offence.
6.
The Olympic Games take place.
7.
Even the best actors forget their lines.
8.
A bimonthly journal is published.
9.
Most adults go to bed between 10 p.m. and midnight.
10.
Astronauts have orbited our planet.
11.
People aged over 100 live on their own.
12.
Commuters travel to work.
7.7. Place, direction and distance
Expressions of place and direction are chiefly adverbials and post-modifiers. Place adverbials usually have end-position. When there are two adverbials in this position, the smaller location normally comes first: Many people eat
in Chinese restaurants in London
.
The range of grammatical structures includes adverbs and adverb phrases, prepositional phrases, noun phrases followed by
away, back
etc., and adverbial clauses.
Task one **
Underline the expressions of place, direction and distance in the following texts.
1.
Nowhere in Chester is the delightful impact of the River Dee so evident than when strolling on the north bank and enjoying the splendid sight of the many boats which can always be found there. Indeed, regattas have been held on the Dee since the early nineteenth century. It is also possible to hire boats from various companies situated on the Groves and there are some cruises which sail past Eaton Estate, home of the Duke of Westminster.
(from
Chester, Cathedral and City
, p. 20)
2.
Having crossed Australia from north to south we must now head east again, back to the Pacific coast and on to New Zealand, the most southerly landfall on this side of the Rim. There is a train, suitably called the ‘Indian Pacific’ which winds its way in leisurely fashion across flat plains, past Broken Hill, where an Aboriginal by the name of Charlie Rasp came across one of the richest seams of silver, lead and zinc found anywhere in the world, through the Blue Mountains and into Sydney twenty-four and a half hours later.
(from Michael Palin,
Full Circle
, p. 195)
