Грамматика

Second edition

Oxford

Practice
Grammar
with answers John Eastwood

Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP

Thanks

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with an associated company in Berlin
Oxford and Oxford English
are trade marks of Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0 19 431369 7 (with answers)
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all the teachers in the United Kingdom and Italy who
discussed this book in the early stages of its
development;
the teachers and students of the following schools
who used and commented on the pilot units of the
first edition:
The Bell School of Languages, Bowthorpe Hall,
Norwich
The Eckersley School of English, Oxford
Eurocentre, Brighton Eurocentre, London
Victoria King's School of English,
Bournemouth Academia Lacunza International House, San Sebastian, Spain

First published 1992 (reprinted nine times)
Second edition 1999
Tenth impression 2002
Printing ref. (last digit): 6 5 4 3 2 1

the teachers and students of the following schools
who used and commented on the first edition of this
book:
Anglo World, Oxford
Central School of English, London
Linguarama, Birmingham

No unauthorized photocopying

Thomas Lavelle for his work on the American
English appendix;

© Oxford University Press 1992, 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of Oxford University Press.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall
not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired
out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior
consent in any form of binding or cover other than that
in which it is published and without a similar condition
including this condition being imposed on the
subsequent purchaser.

Illustrated by Richard Coggan Designed by Richard
Morris, Stonesfield Design Typeset by Tradespools
Ltd., Frome, Somerset Printed in China

Rod Bolitho for his valuable advice on what students
need from a grammar book.

The author would also like to thank:
Stewart Melluish, David Lott and Helen Ward of
Oxford University Press for their expertise and their
commitment in guiding this project from its earliest
stages to the production of this new edition;
Sheila Eastwood for all her help and encouragement.

Contents
Introduction page vi
Key to symbols vii
Starting test viii

Words and sentences
1
2
3

Word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc 2
Sentence structure: subject, verb, object, etc 4
Direct and indirect objects 6

Verbs
4
5
6
7

The present continuous 8
The present simple 10
Present continuous or simple? 12
State verbs and action verbs 14
Test 1: Present tenses 16

8
9
10

The past simple 18
The past continuous 20
Past continuous or simple? 22
Test 2: Past simple and past continuous 24

11
12

The present perfect (1) 26
The present perfect (2): just, already, yet;
for and since 28
The present perfect (3): ever, this week, etc 30
Present perfect or past simple? (1) 32
Present perfect or past simple? (2) 34
Test 3: Present perfect and past simple 36

13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

The present perfect continuous 38
Present perfect continuous or simple? 40
The past perfect 42
Review of the past simple, continuous and
perfect 44
The past perfect continuous 46
Test 4: Past and perfect tenses 48

21

Review of present and past tenses 50
Test 5: Present and past tenses 54

22
23
24
25
26
27

Introduction to the future 56
Will and shall 58
Be going to 60
Will and be going to 62
Present tenses for the future 64
When I get there, before you leave, etc 66
Test 6: The future with will, be going to
and present tenses 68

28
29
30

Will be doing 70
Will have done and was going to 72
Review of the future 74
Test 7: The future 76

31
32
33

The verb have 78
Short forms, e.g it's, don't 80
Emphatic do 82

34
35
36
37
38
39

Yes/no questions 84
Short answers, e.g. Yes, it is. 86
Wh-questions 88
Subject/object questions 90
Prepositions in wh-questions 92
Who, what or which? 94
Test 8: Questions 96

40
41
42
43

Negative statements 98
Negative questions 100
Question tags, e.g. isn't it? 102
So/Neither do I and I think so 104
Test 9: Questions, negatives and answers 106

Questions, negatives and answers

Modal verbs
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53

Ability: can, could and be able to 108
Permission: can, may, could and
be allowed to 110
Possibility and certainty: may, might, could,
must, etc 112
Necessity: must and have to 114
Necessity: mustn't, needn't, etc 116
Should, ought to, had better and
be supposed to 118
Asking people to do things 120
Suggestions, offers and invitations 122
Will, would, shall and should 124
It may/could/must have been, etc 126
Test 10: Modal verbs 128

The passive
54
55
56
57
58
59

Passive verb forms 130
Active and passive (1) 132
Active and passive (2) 134
Special passive structures 136
Have something done 73$
To be done and being done 140
Test 11: The passive 142

This, my, some, a lot of, all, etc

The infinitive and the ing-form
60
61
62
63
64

Verb + to-infinitive 144
Verb + ing-form 146
Verb + to-infinitive or verb + ing-form? 148
Like, start, etc 150
Remember, regret, try, etc 152
Test 12: Verb + to-infinitive or ing-form 154

65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75

Verb + object + to-infinitive or ing-form 156
Question word + to-infinitive 158
Adjective + to-infinitive 160
For with the to-infinitive 162
The infinitive with and without to 164
Verb/Adjective + preposition + ing-form 166
Afraid to do or afraid of doing? 168
Used to do and be used to doing 170
Preposition or linking word + ing-form 172
See it happen or see it happening? 174
Some structures with the ing-form 176
Test 13: The infinitive and the ing-form 178

76

Ship and water: countable and uncountable
nouns 180
A carton of milk, a piece of
information, etc 182
Nouns that can be either countable or
uncountable 184
Agreement 186
Singular or plural? 188
Pair nouns and group nouns 190
Two nouns together 192
Test 14: Nouns and agreement 194

91
92
93
94
95

This, that, these and those 216
My, your, etc and mine, yours, etc 218
The possessive form and of 220
Some and any 222
A lot of, many, much, (a) few
and (a) little 224
96 All, half, most, some, no and none 226
97 Every, each, whole, both, either
and neither 228
Test 16: This, my, some, a lot of, all, etc 230

Pronouns
98
99
100
101
102
103

Nouns and articles (a/an and the)
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90

A/an and the (1) 196
A/an and the (2) 198
A/an, one and some 200
Cars or the cars? 202
Prison, school, bed, etc 204
On Friday, for lunch, etc 206
Quite a, such a, what a, etc 208
Place names and the 210
Test 15: A/an and the 214

Personal pronouns, e.g. I, you 232
There and it 234
Reflexive pronouns 236
Emphatic pronouns and each other 238
The pronoun one/ones 240
Everyone, something, etc 242
Test 17: Pronouns 244

Adjectives and adverbs
104
105
106
107
108
109

Adjectives 246
The order of adjectives 248
The old, the rich, etc 250
Interesting and interested 252
Adjective or adverb? (1) 254
Adjective or adverb? (2) 256
Test 18: Adjectives and adverbs 258

110 Comparative and superlative forms 260
111 Comparative and superlative patterns (1) 264
112 Comparative and superlative patterns (2) 266
Test 19: Comparative and superlative 268
113
114
115
116
117

Adverbs and word order 270
Yet, still and already 274
Adverbs of degree, e.g. very, quite 276
Quite and rather 278
Too and enough 280
Test 20: Adverbs and word order 282

Prepositions
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125

Prepositions of place 284
In, on and at (place) 288
In, on and at (time) 290
For, since, ago and before 292
During or while? By or until? As or like? 294
Preposition + noun, e.g. on holiday 296
Noun + preposition, e.g. trouble with 298
Adjective + preposition, e.g. proud of 300
Test 21: Prepositions 302

Verbs with prepositions and adverbs
126
127
128
129
130
131

Prepositional verbs, e.g. wait for 304
Verb + object + preposition 306
Phrasal verbs (1) 308
Phrasal verbs (2) 310
Phrasal verbs (3) 312
Verb + adverb + preposition 314
Test 22: Verbs with prepositions and
adverbs 316

Reported speech
132
133
134
135
136

Direct speech and reported speech 318
Reported speech: person, place and time 320
Reported speech: the tense change 322
Reported questions 324
Reported requests, offers, etc 326
Test 23: Reported speech 328

Relative clauses
137 Relative clauses with who, which
and that 330
138 The relative pronoun as object 332
139 Prepositions in relative clauses 334
140 Relative structures with whose, what
and it 336
141 The use of relative clauses 338
142 Relative pronouns and relative adverbs 340
143 Relative clauses: participle and
to-infinitive 342
Test 24: Relative clauses 344

Conditionals and wish
144
145
146
147
148
149

Conditionals (1) 346
Conditionals (2) 348
Conditionals (3) 350
Review of conditionals 352
If, when, unless and in case 354
Wish and if only 356
Test 25: Conditionals and wish 358

150
151
152
153

But, although and in spite of 360
To, in order to, so that and for 362
Review of linking words 364
Links across sentences 366

1
2
3
4
5
6

Word formation 368
The spelling of endings 370
Punctuation 372
Pronunciation 374 (missing)
American English 377
Irregular verbs 383

Linking words

Appendices

Key to the starting test 385
Key to the exercises 386
Key to the tests 414
Index 425

(missing)

Introduction
Who is this book for?

What's new about this edition?

Oxford Practice Grammar is for students of English
at a middle or 'intermediate' level. This means
students who are no longer beginners but who are
not yet expert in English. The book is suitable for
those studying for the Cambridge First Certificate
in English. It can be used by students attending
classes or by someone working alone.

There have been many changes in both the content
and design of the book.
The number of units has been increased from
120 to 153. There are more two-page units and
fewer four-page units.
The 25 tests are a new feature. There is also a
Starting test to help students find out what
they need to study.
There are many more dialogues and
illustrations on the explanation pages. Many of
the examples and situations are new.

What does the book consist of?
The book consists of 153 units, each on a
grammatical topic. The units cover the main areas
of English grammar. Special attention is given to
those points which are often a problem for learners:
the meaning of the different verb forms, the use of
the passive, conditionals, prepositions and so on.
Many units contrast two or more different
structures such as the present perfect and past
simple (Units 14-15). There are also a number of
review units. The emphasis through the whole
book is on the meaning and use of the forms in
situations. Most units start with a dialogue, or
sometimes a text, which shows how the forms are
used in a realistic context.
There are also 25 tests. These come after each
group of units and cover the area of grammar dealt
with in those units.
Each unit consists of an explanation of the
grammar point followed by a number of exercises.
Almost all units cover two pages. The explanations
are on the left-hand page, and the exercises are on
the right-hand page. There are a few four-page
units, with two pages of explanation and two pages
of exercises.
The examples used to illustrate the
explanations are mostly in everyday conversational
English, except when the structure is more typical
of a formal or written style (e.g. Unit 75B).
There are also appendices on a number of
other topics, including word formation, American
English and irregular verbs.

•

There are many new exercises and more
different types of exercise.
The number of appendices has been increased
from two to six.
This new edition features a group of characters
whose lives are the basis for many of the
situations in both the explanations and the
exercises. (But you can still do the units in any
order.)

How should the book be used?
There are various ways of using the book. If you
know that you have problems with particular
points of grammar, then you can start with the
relevant units. The contents list and index will help
you find what you want. Or you can do the Starting
test (see page viii) and then use the results to decide
which parts of the book to concentrate on. Or you
can start at the beginning of the book and work
through to the end, although the grammar topics
are not ordered according to their level of difficulty.
When you study a unit, start with the
explanation page and then go on to the exercises.
Often you can study a part of the explanation and
then do one of the exercises. The letter after each
exercise title, e.g. (A), tells you which part of the
explanation the exercise relates to. If you have made
mistakes in your answers to the exercises, look back
at the explanation.

What about the tests?
There are 25 tests at intervals through the book. You can do a test after you have
worked through a group of units. At the beginning of each test you are told which
units are being tested.
The tests do two things. Firstly, they enable you to find out how well you have
mastered the grammar. (If you get things wrong, you can go back to the relevant
unit or part of a unit.) Secondly, the tests give you practice in handling exam-type
questions. Many of the test questions are similar to those used in the Cambridge
First Certificate Use of English Paper.

What's the best way to learn grammar?
It is usually more effective to look at examples of English rather than to read
statements about it. The explanations of grammar in this book are descriptions of
how English works; they are a guide to help you understand, not 'rules' to be
memorized. The important thing is the language itself. If you are learning about the
present perfect continuous, for example, it is helpful to memorize a sentence like
We've been waiting here for twenty minutes and to imagine a situation at a bus stop
like the one in Unit 16A. The explanation - that the action happens over a period of
time lasting up to the present - is designed to help towards an understanding of the
grammar point. It is not intended that you should write it down or memorize it.
Active learning will help you more than passive reading, so it is important
to do the exercises and to check your answers.
Another way of actively learning grammar is to write down sentences you see
or hear which contain examples of the grammar you are studying. You may come
across such sentences in English books or newspapers, on television or on the
Internet. You may meet English speakers. For example, someone may ask you How
long have you been living here? Later you could note down this sentence as a useful
example of the present perfect continuous. It is also a good idea to collect examples
with a personal relevance like I've been learning English for three years.

Key to symbols
The symbol / (oblique stroke) between two words means that either word is
possible. I may/might go means that / may go and I might go are both possible. In
exercise questions this symbol is also used to separate words or phrases which need
to be used in the answer.
Brackets ( ) around a word or phrase mean that it can be left out. There's (some)
milk in the fridge means that there are two possible sentences: There's some milk in
the fridge and There's milk in the fridge.
The symbol ~ means that there is a change of speaker. In the example How are you?
~ I'm fine, thanks, the two sentences are spoken by different people.
The symbol > means that you can go to another place in the book for more
information. > 7 means that you can find out more in Unit 7.
The symbol ► in an exercise means an example.

Starting test
This test will help you to find out which parts of the book you need to spend most
time on. You don't have to do the whole test at once - you could do numbers 2 to 22
first to test your knowledge of verbs. Choose the correct answer - a), b), c) or d).
Some of the questions are quite difficult, so don't worry if you get them wrong.
This book was written to help you get them right in future!

Words and sentences
1

We gave ................................ a meal.
a) at the visitors b) for the visitors c) the visitors d) to the visitors

Verbs
2

I'm busy at the moment........................................on the computer.
a) I work b) I'm work c) I'm working d) I working

3

My friend ................................ the answer to the question.
a) is know b) know c) knowing d) knows

4

I think I'll buy these shoes........................................really well.
a) They fit b) They have fit c) They're fitting d) They were fitting

5

Where .................................... the car?
a) did you park b) did you parked c) parked you d) you parked

6

At nine o'clock yesterday morning we
....................... for the bus.
a) wait b) waiting c) was waiting d) were waiting

7

When I looked round the door, the baby.........
a) is sleeping b) slept c) was sleeping d) were sleeping

8

Here's my report...................................... it at last.
a) I finish b) I finished c) I'm finished d) I've finished

9

I've
........ made some coffee. It's in the kitchen.
a) ever b) just c) never d) yet

......... quietly.

10 We...................................... to Ireland for our holidays last year.
a) goes b) going c) have gone d) went
11 Robert...
... ill for three weeks. He's still in hospital.
a) had been b) has been c) is d) was
12 My arms are aching now because
........ since two o'clock.
a) I'm swimming b) I swam c) I swim d) I've been swimming
13 I'm very tired.
over four hundred miles today.
a) I drive b) I'm driving c) I've been driving d) I've driven
14 When Martin
the car, he took it out for a drive.
a) had repaired b) has repaired c) repaired d) was repairing
15 Janet was out of breath because ...
a) she'd been running b) she did run c) she's been running d) she's run
16 Don't worry. I
a) not b) shall c) willn't d) won't

be here to help you.

1. Word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc
A Introduction

Look at the different kinds of word in this sentence.
Pronoun Verb Determiner Adjective
I
have an
important

Noun
conference

Preposition Noun Adverb
at
work tomorrow,

Linking word Pronoun Verb Adverb Adjective
So
I
am
rather busy.

B What kind of word?
There are eight different kinds of word in English. They are called 'word classes' or 'parts of speech'. Here are
some examples from the conversations in the cafe. The numbers after the examples tell you which units in
the book give you more information. 1 Verb: have, am, is, would, like, come, are, sitting, look 4-75
Noun: conference, work, coffee, party, Saturday, Jessica, friends, corner 76-82
Adjective: important, busy, good, cheap 104-109
Adverb: tomorrow, rather, really, here 113-117
Preposition: at, to, on, in 118-125
Determiner: an, this, our, the 83-97
Pronoun: I, it, you 98-103
Linking word: so, and 150-153

C Words in sentences
Some words can belong to different classes depending on how they are used in a sentence.
VERBS

Can I look at your photos? We
work on Saturday morning.

NOUNS

I like the look of that coat.
I'll be at work tomorrow.

1 Exercises
1 What kind of word? (B)
Read this paragraph and then say which word class each underlined word belongs to. To help you decide,
you can look back at the examples in B.
Andrew didn't go to the cafe with the other students. Rachel told him they were going there, but he wanted
to finish his work. Andrew isn't very sociable. He stays in his room and concentrates totally on his studies.
He's an excellent student, but he doesn't have much fun.
?
?
1
2
3
4
5
6

to
preposition
cafe noun
the………………………….
told…………………………
they……………………….
there …………………….
he …………………………
finish ……………………

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

sociable ...............................
in
………………………
and
…………………….
totally
…………………….
an
………………………
excellent …………………….
but
……………………
fun
…………………..

2 What kind of word? (B)
Read this paragraph and then write the words in the spaces below. Write the first three verbs under 'Verb', and
so on. Do not write the same word more than once.
Henry thinks Claire is wonderful. He loves her madly, and he dreams of marrying her, but unfortunately he
is rather old for her. Today they are at a cafe with their friends Sarah and Mark, so Henry can't get romantic
with Claire. But he might buy her some flowers later.
Verb
think

Noun
Henry

Adjective
.

Adverb

Preposition

Determiner

Pronoun

Linking word

3 Words in sentences (C)
Is the underlined word a verb, a noun or an adjective?
?
?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Shall we go for a walk?
Shall we walk into town?
Laura wanted to talk to Rita.
Laura wanted a talk with Rita.
The windows aren't very clean.
Doesn't anyone clean the windows?
We went to a fabulous show in New York.
Laura wanted to show Rita her photos.
Henry thought Claire looked beautiful.
A strange thought came into Emma's head.
Sarah is feeling quite tired now.
Studying all night had tired Andrew out.

noun
verb

2. Sentence structure: subject, verb, object, etc
Sentence structure
The parts of a sentence are the subject, verb,
object, complement and adverbial. A statement
begins with the subject and the verb. There are
five main structures which we can use to make
a simple statement.
1

SUBJECT VERB
My arms
are aching.
Something happened.

2

SUBJECT VERB
OBJECT
/
need
a rest.
Five people are moving the piano.
The subject and object can be a pronoun
(e.g. I) or a noun phrase (e.g. the piano).

3

SUBJECT VERB COMPLEMENT
This piano is
heavy.
It
was a big problem.
The complement can be an adjective (e.g.
heavy) or a noun phrase (e.g. a big problem).
The complement often comes after be. It can
also come after appear, become, get, feel, look,
seem, stay or sound. For adjectives and word
order see Unit 104B.
4

SUBJECT
VERB ADVERBIAL
It
is
on my foot.
Their house is
nearby.
An adverbial can be a prepositional phrase
(e.g. on my foot) or an adverb (e.g. nearby).

5

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT OBJECT
It
s giving me
backache.
David bought Melanie a present.
We use two objects after verbs like give and
send (see Unit 3).

B Adverbials
We can add adverbials to all the five main structures. My arms are aching
terribly. I really need a rest. Of course this piano is heavy. Fortunately
their house is nearby. To everyone's surprise, David actually bought Melanie
a present yesterday.
34, 36 Word order in questions

113 Adverbs and word order

page 377 Seem, look etc in American English

2 Exercises
1 Parts of the sentence (A)
Mike and Harriet are on holiday. They have written a postcard to David and Melanie. Look at each
underlined phrase and say what part of the sentence it is: subject, verb, object, complement or adverbial.
► We're having a great time. object
1 The weather is marvellous.
4 We're on a farm.
2 We really enjoy camping.
5 We like this place.
3 It's great fun.
6 The scenery is beautiful.

2 Sentence structure (A)
After moving the piano, the five friends had a rest and a cup of tea.
Look at this part of their conversation and then write the letters a)- e) in the correct place.
a David: That was a difficult job.
I agree.
b Tom:
I'm on my deathbed.
c Mike:
d David: Someone should give us a medal.
e Harriet: I've made some more tea.
►
1
2
3
4

Subject + verb
Subject + verb + object
Subject + verb + complement
Subject + verb + adverbial
Subject + verb + object + object

b

...........

3 Word order (A)
Put the words in the correct order and write the statements.
► is / Melanie / very nice
Melanie is very nice.
1 football / likes / Tom
………………………………………………
2 an accident / David / had
………………………………………………
3 moved / the piano / we
………………………………………………..
4 a tall woman / Harriet / is
………………………………………………..
5 sat / on the floor / everyone
………………………………………………..
6 gave / some help / Mike's friends / him .............................................................................

4 Adverbials (B)
These sentences are from a news report. Write down the two adverbials in each sentence.
Each adverbial is a prepositional phrase or an adverb.
► Prince Charles opened a new sports
in Stoke
centre in Stoke yesterday.
yesterday
1 He also spoke with several young
people.
2 The sports centre was first
planned in 1994.
3 Naturally, the local council could not
finance the project without help.
4 Fortunately, they managed to obtain
money from the National Lottery.

3 Direct and indirect objects

A Introduction
Henry gave Claire some flowers. Here the verb
give has two objects. Claire is the indirect object,
the person receiving something. Some flowers is
the direct object, the thing that someone gives.

Henry gave some flowers to Claire. Here give
has a direct object (some flowers) and a phrase
with to. To comes before Claire, the person
receiving something.

Here are some more examples of the two structures.
INDIRECT OBJECT DIRECT OBJECT

Emma gave Rachel
I'll send
my cousin
We bought all the children

a CD.
a postcard.
an ice-cream.

DIRECT OBJECT

Emma gave the CD I'll
send
a postcard We
bought ice-creams

PHRASE WITH TO/FOR

to Rachel.
to my cousin.
for all the children.

B To or for?
We give something to someone, and we buy something for someone.
We can use to with these verbs: bring, feed, give, hand, lend, offer, owe, pass, pay,
post, promise, read, sell, send, show, take, teach, tell, throw, write
Vicky paid the money to the cashier, OR Vicky paid the cashier the money. Let
me read this news item to you. OR Let me read you this news item. We showed
the photos to David, OR We showed David the photos.
We can use for with these verbs: book, bring, build, buy, choose, cook,
fetch, find, get, leave, make, order, pick, reserve, save
They found a spare ticket for me. OR They found me a spare ticket.
I've saved a seat for you. OR I've saved you a seat.
Melanie is making a cake for David, OR Melanie is making David a cake.

C Give + pronoun
Sometimes there is a pronoun and a noun after a verb such as give.
The pronoun usually comes before the noun.
Henry is very fond of Claire. He gave
her some flowers.
We use her because Claire is mentioned earlier. Her
comes before some flowers.

Henry bought some flowers. He gave
them to Claire.
We use them because the flowers are mentioned
earlier. Them comes before Claire.

3

3 Exercises
l Give (A)
Look at the Christmas presents and write sentences about them.
Put one of these words at the end of each sentence: necklace, scarf, sweater, tennis racket, watch

► Harriet gave Mike a watch.

Indirect object or to? (A)
Write the information in one sentence. Put the underlined part at the end of the sentence.
Sometimes you need to.
? Daniel lent something to Vicky. It was his calculator. —> Daniel lent Vicky his calculator.
? Mark sent a message. It was to his boss.
—> Mark sent a message to his boss.
1 Emma sold her bike. Her sister bought it.
—> Emma
2 Tom told the joke. He told all his friends.
—> Tom ...................
3 Melanie gave some help. She helped her neighbour.
—► Melanie
4 Ilona wrote to her teacher. She wrote a letter.
—> Ilona ................................................

3 To or for? (B)
Mark's boss at Zedco is Mr Atkins. He is telling people to
? Give these papers to my secretary.
3
? Could you make some coffee for us?
4
1 Book a flight
me, could you?
5
2 Can you post this cheque
. . t h e hotel?
6

do things. Put in to or for.
Don't show these plans
Leave a message
Fetch the file
Write a memo

anyone.
my secretary.
me, could you?
all managers.

4, Give + pronoun (C)
Complete each answer using the words in brackets. Sometimes you need to use to or for.
? Matthew: Why is everyone laughing? (a funny story / us)
Vicky:
Daniel told us a funny story.
? Trevor:
There's some fish left over, (it / the cat)
Laura:
I'll feed it to the cat.
1 Mark:
What are you doing with those bottles? (them / the bottle bank)
Sarah:
I'm taking
.......................................................................................................
2 Trevor:
How are things with you, Daniel? (a job / me)
Daniel:
Fine. Someone has offered .......................................................................................................
3 David:
What about those papers you found? (them / the police)
Tom:
Oh, I handed
4 Emma:
It's pouring with rain, look, (my umbrella / you)
Rachel:
It's OK. I'll lend ..........................................................................................................

4 The present continuous
A Introduction
The present continuous means that
we are in the middle of an action.

B Form
The present continuous is the present tense of be + an ing-form.
/ am looking OR I'm looking
you/we/they are looking OR you/we/they're looking
he/she/it is looking OR he/she/it's looking
NEGATIVE

QUESTION

I'm not looking
you/we/they aren't looking
he/she/it isn't looking

am I looking?
are you/we/they looking?
is he/she/it looking?

I'm getting the lunch ready. The train is coming, look.
We're looking for a post office. Rachel isn't wearing her new dress.
What are you doing? Who is Vicky dancing with?
For rules about the spelling of the ing-form see page 370.
C Use
We use the present continuous to say that we are in the middle of an action.
I'm waiting for the train. (I'm at the station now.)
I'm getting the lunch ready. (I'm in the kitchen now.) I'm waiting means that I am in the
middle of a period of waiting. The wait is not yet over.
We can also use the present continuous when we are in the middle of something but not actually doing it at
the moment of speaking.
/ must get hack to the office. We're working on a new project.
I'm quite busy these days. I'm doing a course at college.
We can use the present continuous when things are changing over a long period. The
number of cars on the road is increasing. The earth is slowly getting warmer.
For the future meaning of the present continuous see Unit 26A. I'm
playing badminton with Matthew tomorrow.
6 Present continuous or simple?

7 State verbs and action verbs

3 Exercises
1 Form (B)
Look at the pictures and say what people are doing.
Use these verbs: carry, paint, play, ride, take
Use these objects: a bicycle, a parcel, a photo, a picture, basketball

► He's riding a bicycle.
1
2

3
4

2 Form (B)
Rachel is in the computer room at college. Complete her conversation with Andrew. Put in
a present continuous form of the verb.
Andrew: What (►) are you doing? (you / do)
Rachel: (►) I'm writing (I / write) a letter to a friend. He's a disc jockey. Vicky and I
(1) ........................... (try) to organize a disco.
Andrew: That sounds a lot of work. How (2)….
(you / find) time for your studies?
Rachel: Well, as I said, Vicky (3) ...................................(help) me.
(4)
(we / get) on all right. (5)
(we / not / spend)
too much time on it. (6) ................................. (it / not / take) me away from my studies,
don't worry about that. Oh, sorry, (7) .......
.. (you / wait) for this computer?
Andrew: Yes, but there's no hurry.
Rachel: (8)
(I / correct) the last bit of the letter. I've nearly finished.
3 Use(C)
What can you say in these situations? Add a sentence with the present continuous.
► A friend rings you up in the middle of 'Neighbours', your favourite soap opera. Is it
important? I'm watching 'Neighbours'.
1 A friend is at your flat and suggests going out, but you can see rain outside.
I don't want to go out now. Look,.........................................................
2 A friend rings you up at work.
Sorry, I can't talk now. .............................................................................................................
3 You want to get off the bus, but the man next to you is sitting on your coat.
Excuse me, ..............................................................................................................
4 A friend wants to talk to you, but you have just started to write an important letter.
Can I talk to you later? .......................................................................................................
5 You have been ill, but you're better now than you were.
I'm OK now ..........................................................................................................................................

4 The present simple
A Use
We use the present simple for
• thoughts and feelings: / think so, I like it.
• states, things staying the same, facts and
things that are true for a long time:
We live quite near (see Unit 7).
• repeated actions: We come here every week.
and also
• in phrases like I promise, I agree, etc:
I promise I'll pay you back.
• in a negative question with why to make a
suggestion: Why don't we go out?
For the future meaning of the present simple
see Units 26 and 27.
The new term starts next week.

B Positive forms
I/you/we/they get
he/she/it gets
In the present simple we use the verb without an ending.
I get the lunch ready at one o'clock, usually. We always do our shopping at Greenway.
Most children like ice-cream.
You know the answer.
But in the third person singular (after he, she, it, your friend, etc), the verb ends in s or es. For spelling
rules see page 370.
It gets busy at weekends. My husband thinks so, too.
Sarah catches the early train. She faxes messages all over the world.

C Negatives and questions
NEGATIVE

QUESTION

I/you/we/they do not get OR don't get
he/she/it does not get OR doesn't get

do I/we/you/they get?
does he/she/it get?

We use a form of do in negatives and questions (but see Unit 37). We use do and don't except in the third
person singular, where we use does and doesn't.
We don't live far away. He doesn't want to go shopping.
Do you live here? ~ Yes, 1 do. What does he want? ~ Money.
We do not add s to the verb in negatives and questions.
NOT He-doesn't gets and NOT Does he gets?
6 Present continuous or simple?

7 State verbs and action verbs

4 Exercises
1 Use (A)
Look at each underlined verb and say what kind of meaning it expresses. Is it a thought, a feeling, a fact or a
repeated action?
? Matthew loves sport.
a feeling
? Sarah often works late at the office.
a repeated action
1 1 hate quiz programmes.
2 We play table tennis every Thursday.
3 The computer belongs to Emma.
4 These plates cost £20 each.
5 I believe it's the right thing to do.
6 I'm hungry. I want something to eat.
7 I usually go to work by bus.
8 It's OK. I understand your problem.

2 Forms (B-C)
Complete the sentences by putting in the verbs. Use the present simple. You have to decide if the verb is
positive or negative.
? Claire is very sociable. She knows (know) lots of people.
? We've got plenty of chairs, thanks. We don't want (want) any more.
1 My friend is finding life in Paris a bit difficult. He............
(speak) French.
2 Most students live quite close to the college, so they ..................
.......... (walk) there.
3 My sports kit is really muddy. This shirt ............................................... (need) a good wash.
4 I've got four cats and two dogs. I ........................................... (love) animals.
5 No breakfast for Mark, thanks. He ...............................................(eat) breakfast.
6 What's the matter? You ............................................(look) very happy.
7 Don't try to ring the bell. It .............................................. (work).
8 I hate telephone answering machines. I just............................................. (like) talking to them.
9 Matthew is good at badminton. He ............................................ (win) every game.
10 We always travel by bus. We .......................................... (own) a car.

3 Forms (B-C)
Complete the conversation. Put in the present simple forms.
Rita: (►) Do you like (you / like) football, Tom?
Tom: (►) / love (1 / love) it. I'm a United fan. (1)………………………… …… (I / go) to all their games.
Nick usually (2) ................................................. (come) with me.
And (3) ............................................... (we / travel) to away games, too.
Why (4) ............................................. (you / not / come) to a match some time?
Rita: I'm afraid football (5)………………………………….. (not / make) sense to me — men running after
a ball. Why (6) ...................................................... (you / take) it so seriously?
Tom: It's a wonderful game. (7) ................................................
(I / love) it. United are my whole life.
Rita: How much (8)………………………………….. (it / cost) to buy the tickets and pay for the travel?
Tom: A lot. (9)
............................. (I / not / know) exactly how much.
But (10)
(that / not / matter) to me.
(11)
............................ (I / not / want) to do anything else.
(12)
.......................... (that / annoy) you?
Rita: No, (13)
.......................... (it / not / annoy) me.
I just (14)
(find) it a bit sad.

5 Present continuous or simple?

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT SIMPLE

We use the present continuous for something
happening now. / am speaking to you live means
that Kitty is in the middle of a live broadcast.
Here are some more examples.
It's raining at the moment.
I'm watching this programme.
Look. That man is taking a photo of you.

We use the present simple for repeated actions. /
often speak live to the camera means that she does
it again and again.
It always rains at the weekend.
I watch television most weekends.
He's a photographer. He takes lots of photos.

B Thoughts, feelings and states
We normally use the present simple to talk about thoughts and feelings.
/ think it's a good programme. Kitty likes her job. We also use it
to talk about states (see Unit 7) and permanent facts.
Reporting means a lot to her. Paper burns easily. We also use
the present simple in I promise, I agree, I refuse, etc.
I promise I'll write to you. It's all right. I forgive you.

C Temporary or permanent?
PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT SIMPLE

We use the present continuous for a routine or
situation that we see as temporary (for a short
period).
I'm working at a sports shop for six weeks.
At the moment they're living in a very small flat.

We use the present simple for a routine or
situation that we see as permanent.
/ work at a sports shop. It's a permanent job.
They live in a very nice flat.

D Always
PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT SIMPLE

We can use always with the present continuous to
mean 'very often', usually with the added meaning
of too often'.
Tom is always inviting friends here.
(= He invites them very often.)
I'm always making silly mistakes.
(= I make silly mistakes too often.)

Always with the present simple means 'every
time'.
Tom always invites us to stay at Christmas.
(= He invites us every Christmas.) / always
make silly mistakes in exams. (= I make
mistakes in every exam.)

5 Exercises
1 Present continuous or simple? (A-B)
At work Mark is talking to Alan in the corridor. Complete their conversation.
Put in the present continuous or simple of the verbs.
Mark: (►) Are you looking (you / look) for someone?
Alan: Yes, (►) / need (I / need) to speak to Neil. He isn't in his office.
Mark: (1)……………………………. (he / talk) to the boss at the moment.
(2)…………………………….. (I / think) (3)…………………………… (they / discuss) money.
Alan: Oh, right. And what about you? (4)…………………………….. (you / look) for someone too?
Mark: Yes, Linda. (5) ......................................... (you / know) where she is?
Alan: Oh, she isn't here today. She only (6)
(work) four days a week.
(7)
................ (she / not / work) on Fridays. She'll be here on Monday.
Mark: Thank you. (8) .......................................... (you / know) a lot about Linda.
Alan: Well, most days (9) ....................................... (I / give) her a lift,
or(10)
............... (she / give) me one. (11) ……………………..(she / live)
quite close to me. (12) .......................................(it / save) petrol.
Mark: Yes, of course. Good idea. Yes, (13) ........................................(1/ agree).
Well, (14) ...........
............... (I / waste) my time here then. I'll get back to my computer.

2 Present continuous or simple? (A-C)
Complete the sentences. Put in the present continuous or simple of the verbs.
► I'm writing (I / write) to my parents. / write (I / write) to them every weekend.
1
....... (it / snow) outside. ......................................... (it / come) down quite hard,
look.
2 Normally
.......................
(I / start) work at eight o'clock,
but
.................. (I / start) at seven this week. We're very busy at the moment.
3 I haven't got a car at the moment, so...........................................(I / go) to work on the bus this week.
Usually
.............................. (I / drive) to work.
4 The sun
....................... (rise) in the east, remember. It's behind us so
........ (we / travel) west.
5 I'm afraid I have no time to help just now .......................................... (I / write) a report. But
....................... (I / promise) I'll give you some help later.
6
.................. (I / want) a new car ............................................(I / save) up to buy one.

3 Always (D)
Complete the sentences. Use always and the present continuous or simple.
► Melanie: Tom talks too much, doesn't he?
Rita:
Yes, and he's always talking about football.
► Laura:
You forget your keys every time.
Trevor: I try to remember them, but / always forget.
1 Claire:
Sarah takes the train every day, doesn't she?
Mark:
Yes, .....................................................................................................................
the train.
2 Vicky:
Rachel misses lectures much too often in my opinion.
Emma: I agree...............................................................................................................
lectures.
3 Mike:
Every time I drive along here, I go the wrong way.
Harriet: But it's very simple, isn't it? Why.........................
the wrong way?
4 David:
Trevor and Laura argue much too often, I think.
Melanie: I know ....................................................................................................................................

7 State verbs and action verbs
A States and actions
STATES

ACTIONS

A state means something staying the same.
The flat is clean.
The farmer owns the land.
The box contained old books. State
verbs cannot usually be continuous. NOT
The farmer is owning the land.

An action means something happening.
I'm cleaning the flat.
The farmer is buying the land.
He put the books in the box. Action verbs
can be simple or continuous.
He put I He was putting everything away.

Some state verbs: be, believe, belong, consist of, contain, depend on, deserve, exist, hate, know, like, love,
matter, mean, own, need, prefer, remember, resemble, seem, understand

B I think/I'm thinking etc
Sometimes we can use a verb either for a state or for an action.
STATES (simple tenses)

I think you're right. (= believe) We
have three cars. (= own) I come
from Sweden. (= live in)
I see your problem. (= understand)
Do you see that house? (= have in sight)
This picture looks nice.
She appears very nervous. (= seems)
The bag weighed five kilos.
The coat fits. (= is the right size)

ACTIONS (simple

or continuous)
I'm thinking about the problem.
We're having lunch. (— eating)
I'm coming from Sweden. (= travelling)
/ usually come on the plane.
Mark is seeing his boss. {= meeting)
I see Daniel quite often.
I'm looking at this picture.
She appeared/was appearing in a film.
They weighed/were weighing my bag.
I'm fitting a lock to the window.

These examples with the verb be are about how people behave.
PERMANENT QUALITY

TEMPORARY BEHAVIOUR

Claire is a very sociable person.
That man is an idiot. being very sociable today.

Andrew is
You are being an idiot this morning.
(= You are behaving like an idiot.)

We use am/are/is being only to talk about behaviour, not about other things. I'm
better now, thanks. Are you ready? Is anyone interested?

I like/I'm liking etc
We can use some state verbs in the continuous to talk about a short period of time.
PERMANENT STATE (simple tenses)

/ love/enjoy parties.
I like school.
Holidays cost a lot of money.

SHORT PERIOD (continuous)

I'm loving/enjoying this party. I'm
liking school much better now. This
trip is costing me a lot of money.

Sometimes we can use either the simple or the continuous with no difference in meaning.
You look well, OR You're looking well. We feel a bit sad. OR We're feeling a bit sad.

7 Exercises
1 States and actions (A)
Tom is on the Internet. He's telling people about himself.
Say which verbs express states and which express actions.
►
1
2
3
4
5

I surf the Net most evenings, action
My flat is in the town centre................................
I drive a taxi in the daytime .................................
I own two cars.
.........................
I go to lots of parties.
I love football.
..........................

2 I think/I'm thinking etc (B)
Complete the conversation. Choose the correct form of the verb.
Emma:
Hi, Matthew. What (►) do you look/are you looking at?
Matthew:
Oh, hi. These are photos of me when I was a child.
Emma:
Oh, look at this one. (1) I think/I'm thinking you look lovely, Matthew.
Matthew:
(2) I have/I'm having some more photos here.
Emma:
Look at this. Why such a big coat?
Matthew:
It was my brother's. That's why (3) it didn't fit/it wasn't fitting properly.
Emma:
Oh, (4) I see/I'm seeing. And (5) you have/you're having your tea here. And in this one
(6) you think/you're thinking about something very serious.
Matthew:
This is a photo of the village (7) I come/I'm coming from.
Emma:
Oh, that's nice.
Matthew:
And I caught this fish, look. (8) It weighed/It was weighing about half a kilo.
Emma:
What a nice little boy! And what a sentimental old thing you are now!

3 The verb be (B)
Put in the correct form of be.
? Daniel is doing some of the work. He s being very helpful at the moment.
? I 'm tired. I want to go home.
1 The children......................................... very polite today. They don't usually behave so well.
2 I'm afraid Melanie can't come because she .......................................ill.
3 Of course you can understand it. You ...........................................stupid, that's all.
4 We
.......................... interested in doing a course here.
5 Vicky ...................................... very lazy at the moment. She's done no work at all today.

4 I like/I'm liking etc (C)
Write a sentence which follows on. Choose from these sentences.
/ think it's going to be perfect for me.
And I've still got a chance to win.
I've never wanted to change it.
It uses so much petrol.
It's too expensive to buy.
I play it every weekend.
► I enjoy the game. 1 play it every weekend.
1 I'm enjoying the game. ...................................................................................................................................
2 The car costs a lot of money. ..........................................................................................
3 The car is costing a lot of money. ........................................................................................................
4 I'm liking my new job ....................................................................................................................
5 I like my job..........................................................................................................................................................

Test 1 Present tenses (Units 4-7)
Test1A
Read the conversation between two students. Then look at the answers below
and write the correct answer in each space.
Lisa: Who (►) is Michelle talking to?
Amy: I can't see Michelle.
Lisa: You(l)…………………………… looking in the right place. She's over there.
Amy: Oh, that's Adrian. He's new here.
Lisa: Really? Where (2)…………………. ........... he live? (3)……………………………..you know?
Amy: No, 1(4)...........................................know anything else about him.
Lisa: What (5)
.................................... they talking about, I wonder?
Amy: Well, he (6)
............................... look very interested. He's got a very bored expression on
his
face. And he (7)
saying anything.
► a) are
1 a) aren't
2 a) are
3 a) Are
4 a) aren't
5 a) are
6 a) aren't
7 a) aren't

b) do
b) doesn't
b) do
b) Do
b) doesn't
b) do
b) doesn't
b) doesn't

c) does
c) don't
c) does
c) Does
c) don't
c) does
c) don't
c) don't

d) is
d) isn't
d) is
d) Is
d) 'm not
d) is
d) isn't
d) isn't

Test lB
Read Tessa's postcard to Angela and write the missing words. Use one word only in each space.
We're (►) having a great time here. It's beautiful, and the sun (1) ...........................
Yesterday I went water-skiing! What (2)
you think of that?

shining.

I'm (3)
at a table in our hotel room and writing a few postcards. The room is
fine, but we (4) ......................................like the food very much. But it (5)
matter because we (6)
out to a restaurant every evening.
We're both (7)
very lazy at the moment. I (8) ………………………………….. up quite
late in the morning, and Nigel (9) ………………………..up even later. You know of course how much
Nigel's work (10)
to him and how he's (11)
talking
about it. Well, the holiday is so good that he's forgotten all about work. So it's the perfect holiday. The
only problem is that it's (12)
us a lot of money. But we'll worry about that later.

Test l C
Each of these sentences has a mistake in it. Write the correct
sentence. ► The children is doing their homework now. The
children are doing their homework now.
1 The girls are play tennis at the moment.
……………………………………………
2 Both my brothers likes sport.
…………………………………………..
3 Anna wearing her new coat today
…………………………………………..

4 What colour you like best?
……………………………………..
5 My suit case is weighing ten kilos?
……………………………………..
6 At the moment I stay at a hotel.
………………………………………
7 Robert catсh the same bus every month
……………………………………..
8 What is this word mean here
……………………………………

Test lD
Complete the conversations. Put in the correct form of each verb.
Use the present continuous or the present simple. ► A: Is Janet
in, please?
B: Yes, but / think (I / think) she's busy at the moment. She's washing (she / wash) her hair.
1 A:
..............(I / think) of buying a new computer.
B: But computers
(cost) so much money. What's wrong with the one we've
got?
A:
... (it / get) out of date now.
2 A: Your new trousers ........................................ (look) nice.
B: Thank you. The trouble is . . . (they / not / fit) properly.
.......... (I / not / know) why I bought them, really.
3 A: What
( y o u/ d o) ?
B:…………………….
(I / weigh) this letter..................
(I / need) to know how
many stamps to put on it.
4 A:
........... (I / think) this road is really dangerous. Look how fast that lorry
B:
5 A:
B:
6 A:
B:
A:
7 A:
B:
A:
B:
8 A:
B:
A:

............. ( 1 / agree). People shouldn't go so fast.
………………….. (I / like) musicals. And this is a great show, isn't it?
....................... (you / enjoy) it?
Yes, I am.
......................................(I / love) every minute of it.
...........................(I / always / fall) asleep. I just can't keep awake.
What time ............................................ (you / go) to bed?
About ten o'clock usually. But .......................................
(it / not / make) any difference.
Could you post the goods to me, please?
Yes, certainly.
...............(I / live) at a guest house at the moment as ...........
(1 /
look) for a flat. So could you send it to my work address?
Yes, of course. And you'll have the goods by the end of the week,.... .. .... .. ... .... .. .. .. . (1 / promise).
Why
................. (you / want) to change the whole plan?
I'm just not happy with it.
And
......................... (1 / not / understand) why ...............................
(you / be) so
difficult about it.

8 The past simple
A Introduction

B
Positive forms
A regular past form
ends in ed.
It happened very
quickly. The van
crashed into the cat I posted the letter yesterday.
once owned a caravan
For spelling rules, see page 370.

We

Some verbs have an irregular past form.
The car came out of a side road. Vicky rang earlier.
I won the game.
I had breakfast at six. The train left on time. We took some photos.
For a list of irregular verbs, see page 383.
The past simple is the same in all persons except in the past tense of be.
I/he/she/it was
you/we/they were

C

I was ill last week,
Those cakes were nice.

Negatives and questions
We use did in negatives and questions (but see Unit 37).
NEGATIVE

QUESTION

I/you/he/she/it/we/they did not stop
OR didn't stop

did I/you/he/she/it/we/they stop?

The car did not stop. The driver didn't look to his right.
What did you tell the police? ~ Nothing. Did you ring home? ~ Yes, I did.
We do not use a past form such as stopped or rang in negatives and questions.
NOT The- car didn't stopped