Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please have a look at my answers to this "fill in the blanks" exercise?

A VERY EXPENSIVE PIECE OF FURNITURE. And 1. indeed it was! Mr Boggis saw it at once, and stopped dead in his tracks and gave a little shrill gasp of shock. Then he stood there for five, ten, fifteen seconds at 2. least, staring like an idiot, unable to believe, (not dare) 3. not daring to believe 4. what he saw before him. It (modal + be) 5. could not be true, not possibly! But the longer he stared, the 6. more (?) true it began (seem) 7. to seem. And who in the world (modal + make + possibly) 8. could possibly have made a mistake about a thing like that? Admittedly, it (paint) 9. had been / was painted (?) white, but it made not the slightest difference. Some idiot (do) 10. did / had done (?) that. The paint (modal + strip off + easily) 11. could easily be stripped off.
12. To / up to (?) this point, Boggis became aware of the three men, Rummins, Bert, and Claud, (watch) 12. watching him intently. They (see) 13. had seen him stop and gasp and stare, and they (modal + see) 14. must have seen his face turning red, or maybe it was white, but in any event it was enough (spoil) 15. spoiling the whole goddamn business if he (not do) 16. did not do something about it quick.
[…] He (modal + have) 17. had to have (?) time to compose himself thoroughly before he (say) 18. said (?) another word. Take it gently, Boggis. And 19. whatever you do, keep calm. These people (modal + be) 20. are ignorant, but they are not stupid. They are suspicious, wary and sly.
What he saw was a piece of furniture that any expert (give) 21. would give anything to acquire. To a layman, it (modal + not + appear) 22. might not appear particularly impressive but to Mr Boggis it was a dealer's dream.

Roald Dahl

I just want to say that this is not a homework.

Thank you for your help.
Best regards,
Hela

[bud]

Hi Hela,

You did a great job on it. It's a little tricky to understand, but these are my best guesses at the only comments/corrections needed:

5. Correct, but "couldn't be" (contracted) is more likely.

6. This sounds awkward, but I can't think of a better choice.

9. "had been." - That verb tense, in the context of this story, is the one that implies a change from the original color.

10. "had done" - in keeping with #9

12. I think "At this point" is correct.

15. "to spoil"

17. Your answer is correct grammar, but it does not contain a modal. My guess: "He must have time..."

20. Again, correct but no modal. I think: "might be" or "may be" - both work well there.

Keep up the good work!

[hela]

Dear teachers,

A/ 1st text

12 Would you accept “to / up to this point” here? What about “at this point”? What is the difference between these 3 expressions?

18 If we use “must have” under which category would should it appear? It is not really an obligation neither a deduction. What is it then?


Here is another "Fill in the blanks" exercise:

2nd text:

Miss Samantha Fox, the 20-year-old runaway student now reunited 1 with her family, said yesterday that she (modal + face) 2 couldn’t face telling (?) (is it possible to have the affirmative form here?) her parents that she (expel) 3 had been expelled from Swansea University.
“I was just scared that everybody (disappoint) 4 would be disappointed,” she said. “The longer it went 5 on (?) the harder it was. I really didn’t know what I (do) 6 was doing (?)”

Mis Fox was asked (leave) 7 to leave the university three months after failing (attend) 8 to attend lectures. But, 9 too ashamed to tell her family, she continued (live) 10 to live in her rooms as if 11 nothing had happened.

The stress of keeping up the pretence finally showed last week, 12 when (?) Miss Fox was supposed to return to Swansea after a short holiday 13 in the family home. 14 Then (?) she went to London where she started to look for work.

Her anxious parents telephoned the police after university friends rang (say) 15 to say Samantha hadn’t turned up. A nation-wide appeal was launched.
(Spend) 16 Having spent a week around north London, Miss Fox contacted her brother on Monday night and asked (take) 17 to be taken home.

She (modal + not + remember + clearly) 18 couldn’t clearly remember how she spent the last three months 19 after receiving the expulsion note. “It’s all a bit vague. Believe it or not, I (do + still) 20 was still doing college work in my room, I hardly went 21 out at all.” She said she found the transition from home to university life very hard: “At school I was a model student.” She said she had not received 22 any counselling from the university to help her (cope) 23 cope with the burden of work and the stress of being 24 away / far (?) from home.

Her father was delighted (have) 25 to have his daughter home. “We love our daughter,” he said. “We would support and understand her 26 whatever happened.”


B/ 1) Are the following sentences correct? If yes, what do they mean?

a) He decided that the house should be built.
b) He decided that the house be built.

c) She may not feel like doing it.
d) She cannot feel like doing it.

2) When do we use the gerund and when do we use the infinitive after the verb “like”?

C/ In a book I read that there are 2 meanings to “You shall come with me”, what are they?
a) meaning 1 = it expresses command (?)
b) meaning 2 = ???

D/ Is there a rule about the position of objects with phrasal verbs?

ex: a) put it up / hang the coat up / ring them up / look it u
b) bring it down / write it down
c) Any other examples with other prepositions?

When do we insert the object between the verb and its preposition and when do we have to put the object after the verb phrase?


Many thanks.
Best regards,
Hela[/b]

[bud]

Hi Hela,

1-12. - No, neither of your choices work in this context:

Up to this point is a clause that is usually followed by (or follows) what has happened previously. Ex.: Up to this point, Boggis had been staring in disbelief at the repainted piece of furniture.

At this point is a clause that is usually follwed by (or follows) what is happening right now. Ex.: At this point, Boggis realized that three men were staring at him.

To this point could be used as a short form for up to this point, but up to this point is probably better in most cases.

1-17. - I like had to have better here, but I don't think it contains a modal. That's why I suggested must have, the only modal I can think of that works here. This would have the same meaning as your choice of phrase. It's a necessity.

2nd text:

2. Do you mean can you use the affirmative in this particular example? Yes, but you would have to add an adverb: She could hardly (or never) face telling...

5,6,12,14. - Correct.

24. away

26. I'm not sure on this one. It might be correct, but it sounds funny to me. A phrase I know is correct is no matter what. (support her no matter what happened)

Excellent work!

Questions:

1. All correct.

1a. He has judged that the house should be built, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be built - he might not have the power to make the decision, there might not be enough money, etc.

1b. He has made the decision that the house will be built.

1c. We don't know whether or not she will feel like doing it.

1d. To me, this is an exclamation, not a statement. Thus, it could be saying that she will not possibly feel like doing it, or it could be expressing wonder that she is doing it (or has committed to doing it) since it is known that she'd rather not do it. The context would sort out the intended meaning.

2. I wish I knew.

C.a. - Correct

C.b. - I don't know.

D. Unfortunately, no. These just have to be learned individually. With some phrasal verbs, you can never place the object in between. They must be maddening for English learners. Here's a website that lists many of them, gives a brief definition, and tells whether or not you can move the object:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslphrasal.html

Very good work!

[hela]

Dear Bud,

My very warm thanks for answering my questions. I really do appreciate.
I'll study your answers and I'll send you another exercise if you don't mind.

Do you know where I can get some help for my translation work (English-French) ? The teacher has to be versed in translation studies because I'm asking for a university (graduate or post-graduate) level.

Thank you again for your kindness and devotion.
Best regards,
Hela

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Could you please tell me if my answers are correct?

1) Sentence Transformation:

He cannot go skiing with them. He has not recovered from the operation.
They wished …

= They wished he would / could come skiing with them, but he hadn't recovered from the operation. (correct ?)

2) a) 1sr text on modals: "Avery expensive piece of furniture":

1 He MUST HAVE time to compose himself thoroughly before he said another word.

Does “Must Have” express a necessity in the past here? Is it also called an “emphatic MUST”?

“Had to have”: isn’t “Had to” the past form of “Must”?

b) 2nd text:

Are 1) = with; and 2) = couldn’t face telling; correct?


3) 3rd text:

When Harry Collins murdered his aunt, he was convinced that his crime (never + detect) 1 would never be detected. His plan (lay) 2 had been laid with great care and precision. He (not employ) 3 had been employed as an accountant for the past twenty years without acquiring a passion 4 of / about (?) details. He prided himself on being a methodical man. His bills were paid regularly, he (have) 5 had his hair (cut) 6 cut once a fortnight, his car (service) 7 was serviced every six months, everything in fact 8 that / which (?) in his dull and orderly life needed (do) 9 to be done, Harry saw to it that it was done. It was entirely in character 10 that he had decided to rid himself of his aunt. She had become a nuisance who (modal + remove) 11 had to be removed as quickly and decently as possible. Besides she was rich, and Harry was well aware that her fortune (leave) 12 had to be / ought to be / should be left (something else ?) to him. 'It's unfortunate,' he told himself, 'that she (modal + kill) 13 has to be / is to be / should be killed (something else ?) rather 14 than die naturally in her bed, but the important thing is to make it look as if it was done 15 while I was out.'
Indeed, Harry's crime (probably + never + discover) 16 would probably never have been discovered if it hadn't stopped raining just before he came home and if his aunt's window (not break) 17 had not been broken with a flower pot. Nor did he 18 ever suppose Inspector Harvey would guess that the ladder had been put outside the bedroom window after his aunt (murder) 19 was murdered. But then, as Harry himself said to the Inspector, the criminal always (get + catch) 20 gets caught in the end.

Thank you very much for your help and patience.
Best regards,
Hela

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Regarding text n� 1

Is it possible to use in :

17. He (modal + have) must have / had better have time to compose himself thoroughly before he said another word.

20. These people (modal + be) 20. may be / might be / can be / could be ignorant, but they are not stupid. They are suspicious, wary and sly.

22. : To a layman, it (modal + not + appear) may not / might not / would not appear particularly impressive but to Mr Boggis it was a dealer's dream.

Thank you for your help.
Hela

[bud]

Hi Hela,

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Do you know where I can get some help for my translation work (English-French) ? The teacher has to be versed in translation studies because I'm asking for a university (graduate or post-graduate) level.

I'm sorry, but all I know of is Google or Yahoo. I suspect that you're looking for something more advanced.


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1) Sentence Transformation:

He cannot go skiing with them. He has not recovered from the operation.
They wished �

= They wished he would / could come skiing with them, but he hadn't recovered from the operation. (correct ?)

------------- I think so.

2) a) 1sr text on modals: "Avery expensive piece of furniture":

1 He MUST HAVE time to compose himself thoroughly before he said another word.

Does �Must Have� express a necessity in the past here? Is it also called an �emphatic MUST�?

�Had to have�: isn�t �Had to� the past form of �Must�?

------------- This is way beyond my grammar knowledge, Hela. Let me give you some layman's thoughts: 1) 'Must' don't have tenses. (Am I right?) 2) 'Had to [main verb]' is the past tense of 'have to [main verb]' 3) 'have/had to [main verb]' has the same meaning as 'must [main verb].' 4) I cannot figure out the tense of that first clause, but I know that when I first read it, it seemed like the present tense to me. I took it to be similar to a quote - and similar to two following sentences which are his thoughts and in the present tense: "Take it gently, Boggis. And whatever you do, keep calm."

b) 2nd text:

Are 1) = with; and 2) = couldn�t face telling; correct?

------------- Yes!

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3rd text:

3) had not been employed ("had not been... without" - It means that he had been employed as an accountant for twenty years, and he did acquire a passion about details. A more literal meaning: It would have been hard to be employed as an accountant for twenty years without having acquired a passion for details.)

4.) 'about' works ok. 'For' is more usual with 'passion.' Ex: To have a passion for wine. To have a passion for fast cars.

8.) I think the technical answer is 'which.' In everyday usage, though, you will hear people use 'that' as much as 'which.'

11.) Is 'had to" considered a modal? If it isn't, I think the answer is 'must be removed.'

12.) Hmm... probably 'would be left to him.'

13.) I like 'should be' best. A close second is 'would be.'


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Regarding text n� 1

17) I like your new phrasing a lot, but does it contain a modal?

20) Both 'may be' and 'might be' are correct. That construction means (although it may not seem to): Even though these people are ignorant, they are not stupid.

22) 'Might not' and 'may not' are the same. They mean that there is a possibility that a layman would be impressed, and a possibility that he would not. 'Would not' means that a layman would certainly not be impressed. Grammatically, all three work fine. In the context of this story, 'would not' is probably best.


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Hope that helps! There are some tough grammatical issues there.