A Workbook to Communicative Grammar of English (46 page)

1a.

The applicants were (probably) not interviewed at all. (scope of ‘not’: interviewed)

1b.

The applicants were interviewed by someone else. (scope of ‘not’: interviewed by the human resources officer)

2a.

I (probably) haven’t discussed the children’s future with anyone at all. (scope: discussed the children’s future)

2b.

I have discussed the children’s future with someone else. (scope: discussed the children’s future with my wife)

3a.

There (probably) isn’t going to be a demonstration at all. (scope: going to stage a demonstration)

3b.

There’s going to be a demonstration at another time. (scope: going to stage a demonstration next week)

4a.

I (probably) didn’t offend Patricia at all. (scope: offend Patricia)

4b.

I offended Patricia in some other way. (scope: offend Patricia by telling her she looked a bit under the weather)

5a.

I don’t vote for them and the reason is that I want to please my dad. (scope: vote for the New Democrats)

5b.

I vote for them but the reason is not that I want to please my dad. (scope: vote for the New Democrats to please my dad)

6a.

The patient (probably) didn’t suffer any pain anywhere. (scope: suffer any pain)

6b.

She suffered pain while she was somewhere else. (scope: suffer any pain while she was in hospital)

7a.

The party leader was not re-elected and the reason was the smear campaign. (scope: re-elected)

7b.

The party leader was re-elected but the smear campaign was not the reason. (scope: re-elected as a result of a smear campaign)

8a.

Monica collided with the van but she didn’t get injured. (scope: get injured)

8b.

Monica was injured by something else. (scope: get injured when she collided with the van)

9a.

I (probably) haven’t been able to contact Jack at all. (scope: been able to contact Jack)

9b.

I’ve been able to contact Jack by some other means. (scope: been able to contact Jack on my mobile phone)

10a.

I didn’t want to see Sylvia and the reason was that I felt depressed. (scope: want to see Sylvia).

10b.

I wanted to see Sylvia but the reason was not that I felt depressed. (scope: want to see Sylvia because I felt depressed)

1a.

outside; 1b. I have seen some of the famous Walt Disney films, but not all.

2a.

inside; 2b. Alice hasn’t visited the Taj Mahal up to now, but she may in the future.

3a.

inside; 3b. We’d never been notified of the health risks involved.

4a.

outside; 4b. Young Mr Plimsoll sometimes attends Professor Barnaby’s lectures, but not always.

5a.

inside; 5b. Nobody was around to show me the way to the boardroom.

6a.

outside; 6b. Look, we’ve already got enough problems.

7a.

outside; 7b. The problem with Terry is that there are times when he doesn’t listen to what I’m saying.

8a.

inside; 8b. The suspect said he wasn’t involved in the recent spate of burglaries.

9a.

inside; 9b. There is no sign so far that relations between the two countries are improving, but there may be in the future.

10a.

inside; 10b. This untalented and boorish ‘artist’ should never be allowed in here again.

11a.

outside – inside; 11b. There are some more applicants to see.

12a.

outside – inside; 12b. It’s not possible that the bus has arrived and none of the stranded passengers have been picked up.

Amy:

Boris, I DON’T think I’LL be coming to your party after all.

Boris:

No problem. I DON’T suppose ANYBODY will miss you.

Amy:

What a rude thing to say! I DON’T believe you REALISE how badly some of your guests behaved last month.

Boris:

Well, I DON’T expect that bunch of lager louts WILL show up this time. They haven’t been invited.

Amy:

Oh, good. You see, I DIDN’T THINK I would have ANY chance at all of enjoying myself with them around.

Boris:

Look, I’m sorry about what I said. I DON’T suppose you WOULD be willing to change your mind?

Amy:

Hmm. I DON’T feel I SHOULD give in too easily. I can be very stubborn, you know.

Boris:

Yes, I do know that. Still, I WOULDN’T expect you TO BE too stubborn, just for my sake.

Amy:

Turning on the old charm again? OK, you win. I DON’T think I SHOULD make you feel miserable for the rest of your life.

Boris:

Great! I DIDN’T believe I could EVER win you over. Thanks for proving me wrong.

Lynn:

Mark, are
YOU
interested in history?

Mark:

NO, I’M NOT, I think it’s extremely boring.

Lynn:

You are not being serious.

Mark:

YES, I AM. People should be interested in the future, not in the past.

Lynn:

I hope you understand that
SOME
people take an interest in the past.

Mark:

YES, I DO. It’s just that I’ve always disliked the subject.

Lynn:

You probably had teachers who insisted on students remembering lots of dates.

Mark:

NO, I DIDN’T, as a matter of fact. One of them even got the dates wrong himself.

Lynn:

Well, he can’t have been fully qualified for the job.

Mark:

NO, HE WASN’T. He told us one day that Napoleon had died in 1812.

Lynn:

Oh, he should have said 1821, of course.

Mark:

YES, HE SHOULD. And he claimed that the Battle of Waterloo had taken place in 1805.

Lynn:

That was an even more stupid thing to say.

Mark:

YES, IT WAS. So I became convinced that history was a subject for nerds.

Lynn:

And you didn’t want to become a nerd yourself.

Mark:

NO, I DIDN’T. That’s why I started reading science fiction novels instead. They are the most interesting books I can think of.

Lynn:

THEY ARE NOT. Nothing’s more boring than sci-fi. Anyway, librarians will take such unscientific books off the shelves in the years to come.

Mark:

NO, THEY WON’T. Some of those books are works of literature. You’ve never read Wells, Huxley … Orwell, I suppose.

Lynn:

YES, I HAVE.

Mark:

Well, there you are! We seem to agree at last.