Wishes and Regrets
English Grammar
Wishes:
Imagine you are in the situations below. Write three wishes for each: (a) with would (b) with could (c) with the Past tense.
1. You’re in bed with flu.
a. If only my temperature would go down.
b. I wish I could get up.
c. I wish there wasn’t so much traffic outside.
2. You’re lost.
a. I wish my friend would meet me on the way.
b. If only I could find the way.
c. I wish I had a map.
3. You’re out of work.
a. I wish somebody would offer me a job.
b. If only I could get a job.
c. I wish I had a job.
4. You’re trying to communicate with a foreigner who doesn’t speak your language.
a. I wish he would understand my language
b. If only I could understand this language
c. I wish I knew his language
5. You’re in love.
a. I wish he would love only.
b. If only I could express my love.
c. I wish our parents fixed our marriage.
1. You’re in bed with flu.
a. If only my temperature would go down.
b. I wish I could get up.
c. I wish there wasn’t so much traffic outside.
2. You’re lost.
a. I wish my friend would meet me on the way.
b. If only I could find the way.
c. I wish I had a map.
3. You’re out of work.
a. I wish somebody would offer me a job.
b. If only I could get a job.
c. I wish I had a job.
4. You’re trying to communicate with a foreigner who doesn’t speak your language.
a. I wish he would understand my language
b. If only I could understand this language
c. I wish I knew his language
5. You’re in love.
a. I wish he would love only.
b. If only I could express my love.
c. I wish our parents fixed our marriage.
Antasizing
Write short paragraphs beginning as follows:
- It could have any job I wanted, I would be the greatest politician I would fight against racial Prejudice and discrimination. I would sacrifice all the pleasures of my life for the achievement of love, unity and humanity. I would bring drastic change is the field of education.
- If I had six months’ paid holiday, I would go to London. I would stand 1 an hour in London bridge .I would go to backing ham palace. I would go to Hyde park to play hide and seek and then I would observed the rural areas of London.
- If I only had three months to live, I would go back to my house. I would visit my friends and relatives I would go to Pokhara I would enjoy a lot. I would finish all my money.
- If I was the Minister of Education, I would change the policy of education, I encourage people to establish different schools and universities. I would bring drastic change in curriculum.
Could Have and Needn’t Have
Add two sentences to the remarks below: (a) with could have (b) with needn’t have.
1. You didn’t tell me you could do electrical repairs.
a. You could have mended my radio for me.
b. I needn’t have taken my radio to the shop to be repaired.
2. I wish I’d known their telephone had been repaired.
a. I could have telephoned them
b. I needn’t have sent them letter.
3. If only you’d told me you were ill.
a. I could have taken you to hospital.
b. You needn’t have gone to hospital alone.
4. I didn’t realize I still had $10 in my pocket.
a. I could have brought a packet of biscuits.
b. I needn’t have borrowed money from my friends.
5. I didn’t know I was going to win all that money.
a. I could have bought a car.
b. I needn’t have worked on the road.
6. I had no idea it would be so warm here.
a. I could have bought cotton clothes
b. I needn’t have bought so many sweaters.
1. You didn’t tell me you could do electrical repairs.
a. You could have mended my radio for me.
b. I needn’t have taken my radio to the shop to be repaired.
2. I wish I’d known their telephone had been repaired.
a. I could have telephoned them
b. I needn’t have sent them letter.
3. If only you’d told me you were ill.
a. I could have taken you to hospital.
b. You needn’t have gone to hospital alone.
4. I didn’t realize I still had $10 in my pocket.
a. I could have brought a packet of biscuits.
b. I needn’t have borrowed money from my friends.
5. I didn’t know I was going to win all that money.
a. I could have bought a car.
b. I needn’t have worked on the road.
6. I had no idea it would be so warm here.
a. I could have bought cotton clothes
b. I needn’t have bought so many sweaters.
Events in Sequence
English Grammar
The Right Order
Write two sentences for each pair of events below, showing that the person did them in the right order.
1. read the instructions/ switch on the machine
a. Very sensibly, he read the instructions before he switched on the machine.
b. Very sensibly, he didn’t switch on the machine until he’d read the instructions.
2. Measure the room/ order the carpet
a. Very wisely, he measured the room before he ordered the carpet
b. Very wisely, he didn’t order the carpet until he had measured the room.
3. Check his answers/ leave the exam room
a. Sensibly, he checked the answers before the left he exam room.
b. Sensibly, he didn’t leave the exam room until he had checked the answer.
4. Have their hours decorated/ put it up for sale
a. Wisely, they had their house decorated before they put it up for sale.
b. Wisely, they didn’t put their house up for sale until they had had it decorated.
5. Turn of the electric blanket/ get into bed
a. Sensibly, he turned off the electric blanket before he got into bed.
b. Sensibly, he didn’t get into bed until he had turned off the electric blanket.
1. read the instructions/ switch on the machine
a. Very sensibly, he read the instructions before he switched on the machine.
b. Very sensibly, he didn’t switch on the machine until he’d read the instructions.
2. Measure the room/ order the carpet
a. Very wisely, he measured the room before he ordered the carpet
b. Very wisely, he didn’t order the carpet until he had measured the room.
3. Check his answers/ leave the exam room
a. Sensibly, he checked the answers before the left he exam room.
b. Sensibly, he didn’t leave the exam room until he had checked the answer.
4. Have their hours decorated/ put it up for sale
a. Wisely, they had their house decorated before they put it up for sale.
b. Wisely, they didn’t put their house up for sale until they had had it decorated.
5. Turn of the electric blanket/ get into bed
a. Sensibly, he turned off the electric blanket before he got into bed.
b. Sensibly, he didn’t get into bed until he had turned off the electric blanket.
The Wrong Order
Imagine the people in exercise 2 above did things in the wrong order, write two sentences for each, showing what they did wrong.
1. a. Stupidly, he didn’t read the instructions before he switched on the machine.
b. Stupidly, he switched on the machine before he’d read the instructions.
2. a. Foolishly, he ordered the carpet before he had measured the room.
b. Foolishly, he didn’t measure the carpet before the ordered the blanket.
3. a, Very unwisely, he didn’t his answer before he left the exam room.
b. Very unwisely, he left the exam room before he had checked his answer.
4. a. Rather unwisely, they didn’t have their house decorated before they put it up for sale.
b. Rather unwisely, they put the house up for sale before they had had it decorated.
5. a. Very stupidly, he didn’t turn off the electric blanked before he got into bed.
c. Very stupidly, he got into bed before he had turned off the electric blanket.
1. a. Stupidly, he didn’t read the instructions before he switched on the machine.
b. Stupidly, he switched on the machine before he’d read the instructions.
2. a. Foolishly, he ordered the carpet before he had measured the room.
b. Foolishly, he didn’t measure the carpet before the ordered the blanket.
3. a, Very unwisely, he didn’t his answer before he left the exam room.
b. Very unwisely, he left the exam room before he had checked his answer.
4. a. Rather unwisely, they didn’t have their house decorated before they put it up for sale.
b. Rather unwisely, they put the house up for sale before they had had it decorated.
5. a. Very stupidly, he didn’t turn off the electric blanked before he got into bed.
c. Very stupidly, he got into bed before he had turned off the electric blanket.
Comparison
English Grammar
Comparisons Involving Verbs
Express the meanings of the sentences below with another comparative sentence, beginning with the words given.
1. Those children ought to go to bed much earlier than they do.
Those children go to bed much later than they ought to.
2. He’s not supposed to drink quite as much as he does.
He drinks much more than he’s supposed to .
3. We hadn’t expected them to arrive as early as they did.
They arrived much earlier than we had expected them to.
4. I’ve never been as frightened as I was during that flight.
During that flight, I was much more frightened than I have ever been.
a. I had thought the room would be more expensive than it actually was. the room was actually cheaper than I had thought it would be.
5. There are more foreign tourists this year than there have ever been before.
There have never been as many foreign tourists they are this year.
You didn’t need to get up nearly as early as you did.
You got up much earlier than you needed to.
I would have liked to stay longer than I was able to.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay as long as I would have liked to.
It was quite unnecessary for you to tell them as much as you did.
You told them much more than it was necessary for you to do so.
1. Those children ought to go to bed much earlier than they do.
Those children go to bed much later than they ought to.
2. He’s not supposed to drink quite as much as he does.
He drinks much more than he’s supposed to .
3. We hadn’t expected them to arrive as early as they did.
They arrived much earlier than we had expected them to.
4. I’ve never been as frightened as I was during that flight.
During that flight, I was much more frightened than I have ever been.
a. I had thought the room would be more expensive than it actually was. the room was actually cheaper than I had thought it would be.
5. There are more foreign tourists this year than there have ever been before.
There have never been as many foreign tourists they are this year.
You didn’t need to get up nearly as early as you did.
You got up much earlier than you needed to.
I would have liked to stay longer than I was able to.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay as long as I would have liked to.
It was quite unnecessary for you to tell them as much as you did.
You told them much more than it was necessary for you to do so.
