Wednesday, April 22, 2009

B2 Final Verb Exercises_May

A. Fill in the blanks using the appropriate tense/form of the 25 verbs in parentheses and incorporating any other words given along with them. Do not add any non-verbal forms. The key to this exercise will be posted in a week’s time. 
 A: Oh, hello, Mum. You’re home at last! I was beginning to think you ________________ (go) away for a few days. I ________________ (try) to phone you all day. B: I was out in the vegetable garden. I’ve spent all day ________________ (dig) up this year’s new potatoes. How are you all? A: Fine. Peter ________________ (just/give) an enormous pay rise, which is wonderful news because now we can ________________ (afford) to move house. We both fancy ________________ (live) in the country. The only problem is that ________________ (commute) to work every day ________________ (be) very tiring, so we’ll have to think about it. It’s a pity neither of us can drive. If we ________________ (have) a car, life would be much easier. B: Why doesn’t Peter take his driving test again? He________________ (probably/fail) last time if he ________________ (stop) at the red light. After all, it was the first time he ________________ (take) the test and hardly anybody ________________ (pass) the first time. A. Yes, I know. I just wish he ________________ (see) that awful car accident last year. He ________________ (be) terrified of ________________ (drive) ever since. Anyway, it’s time I ________________ (go) to pick up the kids from school. I’d better ________________ (get) there late again or they ________________ (be) cross. I was half an hour late yesterday and they threatened ________________ (wait) if I did that again and they suggested I ________________ (buy) a new watch! B: OK, dear. Give my love and congratulations to Peter when he ________________ (come) home... I ________________ (forget) to mention: your father and I are planning to drive down to the coast for the day, provided it ________________ (stay) sunny. I still remember ________________ (teach) you how to swim in the sea when you were only 5… 

B. Fill in the blanks, using the appropriate tense/form of the verbs in parentheses and incorporating any other words given along with them. In this exercise, some modal auxiliaries may be necessary. Do not add any non-verbal forms. 
I had an accident the other day while I ________________ (drive) to the country for the weekend. I ________________ (never/be) involved in an accident before, so I certainly wasn’t expecting it, but I suppose that if I ________________ (ever/stop) (think) about it I would have realized that something was likely ________________ (happen) some day, as I drive a lot. In fact, over that last five years I ________________ (drive) at least 150,000 miles. I’m a commercial traveller, you see, and ________________ (be) for several years now, so ________________ (travel) all over the place is an essential part of my job. Anyway, I suppose you ________________ (like) (know) what ________________ (happen). Well, it was around 11:30, and I ________________ (make) my way to the coast in very heavy traffic. I ________________ (be) at the wheel since 8 o’clock and ________________ (have) very much for breakfast, so I ________________ (probably/lose) a bit of my concentration by then. Suddenly, I realized I ________________ (overtake) by a lunatic: there he was, right beside me, on the wrong side of the road, with another car ________________ (come) towards him. I suppose I ________________ (brake) and let him ________________ (cut) in in front of me, but I was too tired ________________ (react) properly and I just ________________ (keep) going at the same speed, hoping he ________________ (return) to his own lane just behind me. I must admit that my own speed was perhaps a little excessive: I ________________ (do) at least 70 m.p.h. when the accident ________________ (occur). Luckily, however, the driver in the car coming towards him ________________ (can/break) in time, and, although my car collided with the one alongside, the damage was not very serious and nobody ________________ (hurt). Nevertheless, I had to stop and wait for the police ________________ (arrive) to give my version of what had happened. The police, in fact, ________________ (be) very interested in what I had to say. 

KEY A. had gone/might have gone; have been trying; digging; has just been given; can/will be able to afford; living; commuting/having to commute; might/could be; had; probably wouldn’t have failed/would probably not have failed; had stopped; had taken; passes; hadn’t seen; has been; driving; went; not get; will be; not to wait; bought/buy/should buy; comes; forgot; stays; teaching. 

B. was driving; had never been; had ever stopped to think; to happen; must have driven; have been; travelling; would like to know: happened; was making; had been; hadn’t had; had probably lost/must have probably lost; was being overtaken; coming; should have braked; cut; to react; kept; would return; must have been doing; occurred; was able to break; was hurt; to arrive; was.

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