Lesson 9
Verb Tense Practice Test
1. You look really great! (You, exercise) _________________ at the fitness center?
2. A: What (you, do) _________________ when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) _________________ to change a light bulb that had burnt out.
3. I (have) _________________ the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one.
4. If it (snow) _________________ this weekend, we (go) _________________ skiing near Lake Tahoe.
5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
B: They (call) _________________ librarians.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return to Australia, I (study) _________________ for nine months and I (be) _________________ in England for exactly one year.
7. Sam (arrive) _________________ in San Diego a week ago.
8. Samantha (live) _________________ in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) _________________ there when the Berlin wall came down.
9. If Vera (keep) _________________ drinking, she (lose, eventually) _________________ her job.
10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) _________________ by the time Europeans first (arrive) _________________ in the New World.
11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) _________________ .
12. It (rain) _________________ all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.
13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) _________________ the bus this morning. You (be) _________________ late to work too many times. You are fired!
14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) _________________ up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) _________________ .
15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit) _________________ the Grand Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.
16. I (see) _________________ many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
17. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) _________________ much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) _________________ two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be) _________________ very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) _________________ a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
18. Joseph's English (improve, really) _________________ , isn't it? He (watch) _________________ American television programs and (study) _________________ his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will be totally fluent.
19. When I (arrive) __________ home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) __________ a beautiful candle-lit dinner.
20. If you (need) _________ to contact me sometime next week, I (stay) _________________ at the Sheraton in San Francisco.
GRAMMAR
The Passive Voice
A. Rewrite the sentences using a passive form.
1. IFL bought Nessafe. a) Nessafe had been bought by IFL. b) Nessafe was bought by IFL. c) Nessafe is bought by IFL. 2. Fred asked Simon. a) Simon was asked by Fred. b) Simon had been asked by Fred c) Simon is asked by Fred. 3. Caroline paid for the meal. a) The meal is paid for by Caroline. b) The meal has been paid for by Caroline. c) The meal was paid for by Caroline 4. Harry will meet you at the airport. a) You will have been met by Harry at the airport. b) You will be met by Harry at the airport. c) You would be met by Harry at the airport. 5. Tom respects Lindsay's opinion. a) Lindsay's opinion would be respected by Tom. b) Lindsay's opinion was respected by Tom. c) Lindsay's opinion is respected by Tom. 6. Jane upset me by what she said. a) I would be upset by what Jane said. b) I was upset by what Jane said. c) I would have been upset by what Jane said. 7. I'm going to inform John later today. a) John would be informed by me later today. b) John was informed by me later today. c) John is going to be informed by me later today. 8. The police arrested 12 people. a) 12 people were arrested by the police. b) 12 people have been arrested by the police. c) 12 people should be arrested by the police. 9. Shiela might come to see you tomorrow. a) You might be visited by Shiela tomorrow. b) You will might be visited by Shiela tomorrow. c) You would be visited by Shiela tomorrow. 10. Frank Sinatra sang My Way.. a) My Way was sung by Frank Sinatra. b) My Way had been sung by Frank Sinatra. c) My Way would be sung by Frank Sinatra. B. Fill in the missing word
1. The factory was ______ in 1953. a) suggested b) told c) built d) permitted 2. The company was ______ in 1983. a) increased b) founded c) left d) written 3. I was ______ to make a presentation at the Conference. a) suggested b) increased c) permitted d) invited 4. The job was ______ to Frank but he turned it down. a) offered b) permitted c) left d) written 5. I was ______ that I wouldn't need to bring my own slide projector. a) told b) increased c) permitted d) written 6. The report was ______ by a leading expert in the field. a) suggested b) increased c) left d) written 7. Smoking is not ______ on these premises. a) suggested b) left c) permitted d) increased 8. Some things are best ______ unsaid. a) suggested b) left c) offered d) increased 9. Taxes are being ______ by 20%. a) suggested b) increased c) offered d) invited 10. It has been ______ that we should delay this decision for a few weeks. a) suggested b) built c) offered d) invited C. Complete the sentences
1. Microsoft was a) invented in Lyon, France. b) founded by Bill Gates. c) bought by Rupert Murdoch. d) written by Elton John. 2. Television was a) invented in Lyon, France. b) written by Charles Dickens. c) won by England. d) invented by John Logie Baird. 3. Penicillin was a) discovered by Alexander Fleming b) written by Charles Dickens. c) bought by Rupert Murdoch. d) founded by Lord Reith. 4. America was a) invented in Lyon, France. b) written by Charles Dickens. c) won by England. d) discovered by Christopher Columbus. 5. The BBC was a) invented in Lyon, France. b) founded by Lord Reith. c) bought by Rupert Murdoch. d) written by Elton John. 6. The Times was a) bought by Rupert Murdoch. b) written by Charles Dickens. c) won by England. d) written by Elton John. 7. The cinema was a) written by Elton John. b) written by Charles Dickens. c) won by England. d) invented in Lyon, France. 8. David Copperfield was a) written by Elton John. b) written by Charles Dickens. c) won by England. d) discovered by Christopher Columbus. 9. The 1966 World Cup was a) written by Elton John. b) discovered by Alexander Fleming c) won by England. d) founded by Lord Reith. 10. Candle In The Wind was a) invented by John Logie Baird. b) discovered by Alexander Fleming c) written by Elton John. d) founded by Lord Reith.
A. Wishes
B. Wishes
C.
1
I live in a small house. I wish I ______ in a big one.
lived
would live
had lived
2
I drive a Renault. It's nice but I wish I ______ a Rolls Royce.
had
would have
had had
3
you're the best teacher I've ever had. I wish you ______ my teacher last year as well.
were
would be
had been
4
I don't like these shoes very much. I wish I ______ them.
didn't buy
wouldn't buy
hadn't bought
5
You're not listening to me. I wish you ______ to me.
listened
would listen
had listened
6
The weather is awful. I wish it ______ raining.
stopped
would stop
had stopped
7
I can't come. I wish I ______ come.
could
would be able to
had been able to
8
I'd love to live in Paris. I wish I ______ in Paris.
lived
would live
had lived
9
All my friends are very rich. I wish I ______ rich.
was
would be
had been
10
I'm not very good-looking. I wish I ______ good-looking.
were
would be
had been
11
He's not arrived yet. I wish he ______ up.
hurried
would hurry
had hurried
12
I'm cold and miserable. I wish I ______ at home in bed.
was
would be
had been
13
I hate this war. I wish it ______ .
ended
would end
had ended
14
He's a very rude man. I wish he ______ more polite.
were
would be
had been
15
I studied English at school but I never listened to the teacher. I wish I ______ more attention.
paid
would pay
had paid
16
I've no time to see you. I wish you ______ me you were coming.
told
would tell
had told
17
My husband always comes home late. I wish he ______ home early for a change.
came
would come
had come
18
I cannot concentrate. I wish you ______ making so much noise.
stopped
would stop
had stopped
19
I'd love to visit Orlando. I wish I ______ enough money to go there.
had
would have
had had
20
I hate my job. I wish I ______ something more interesting.
did
would do
had done
Reading
Everybody agrees I’m just ordinary. My face is ordinary. Everything about me is ordinary. “What’s Frank like?” they say. “Frank, of, you know, ordinary”, they say.
Now look at that man who rose in front. He’s not ordinary. In fact I can’t see anybody, apart from me, who is. Even this fellow next to me. Quite ordinary on the whole, I suppose, but there’s something a bit...something a bit odd about his mouth. Mustn’t catch his eye. Might start a conversation. Don’t want that. Interesting that he was just in front of me in the queue. They looked in his bag, they looked in his pockets, made him even take his socks off.
Mmmm...they have nearly finish with the food...yet she didn’t take my glass when she collected my tray. This one has pressed her button again. Probably another gin and tonic. Had four already. Or is it five? Not bad though. At least, not in this light. Good...some of them are getting their blankets down now. I reckon that in about half an hour it’ll be quiet. And then...of course they looked in my briefcase too. Didn’t look here though, did they? Oh, no, though they think otherwise, I know very well how those two in the back are. Noticed them when I went to the toilet. But they won’t shout. Not as long as I have this in my hand, they won’t. And it’s so small. Marvelous what they can do these days! Just about now, if I were sitting in funny mouth’s seat, I could probably look down and see the mountains shimming in the moonlight. I like that...well, now I must go over my speech again. Mustn’t forget what my demands are, must I?
- Who’s the speaker?
- What is he talking about?
- Who is s/he talking to?
- Where is s/he?
- Your opinion: what is s/he doing there? Give a description of him/ her.
Philosophy class...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two mugs of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things--your family, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and
energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple cups of coffee."
A Mime in the Zoo
One day an out of work mime is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. Unfortunately, as soon as he starts to draw a crowd, a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office.The zoo-keeper explains to the mime that the zoo's most popular attraction, a gorilla, has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mime a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mime accepts.
So the next morning the mime puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants, play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mime.
However, eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on tires.He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience, he climbs to the top of his cage, crawls across a partition, and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course, this makes the lion furious, but the crowd loves it. At the end of the day the zoo-keeper comes and gives the mime a raise for being such a good attraction.
Well, this goes on for some time, the mime keeps taunting the lion, the crowds grow larger, and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the furious lion, he slips and falls. The mime is terrified. The lion gathers itself and prepares to pounce.
The mime is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally, the mime starts screaming and yelling, "Help, Help me!" but the lion is quick and pounces.
The mime soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says, "Shut up you idiot! Do you want to get us both fired?"