Fill in the blanks.
1Don't go deep into water ............... you can swim.
Wrong!
"Unless" means "if not" and is correct in this warning about swimming ability.
2Rip Van Winkle was in a deep sleep ............... many years.
Wrong!
"For" is used with a period of time such as many years.
3Politicians ............... each other in an election year.
Wrong!
"Defame" is the simple present form for a general statement.
4The television ............... returned last week because it was defective.
Wrong!
"Was" forms the simple past passive for this completed past action; "last week" rules out the present perfect.
5The company ............... expect employees to work hard for no money.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
"Cannot" and "must not" both show that expecting unpaid hard work is unacceptable.
6The storm blew our roof ...............
Wrong!
"Off" completes the phrasal verb meaning removed by the wind.
7I told her that I ............... to leave.
Wrong!
"Had decided" shows that the decision happened before the past reporting verb.
8She said that she ............... not coming.
Wrong!
"Was" is the correct backshifted form after the past reporting verb.
9He is very late. He ............... have missed the train.
Select 3 answers.
Wrong!
"May", "might", and "could" all express possibility about the past here; "can have" is not used in affirmative sentences about past possibility.
10It is getting dark. We ............... go home now.
Wrong!
"Must" expresses necessity in this situation.
11They went skiing last week. That ............... have been great fun.
Wrong!
"Must" expresses a strong inference about the past here.
12They would have rusticated me if I ...............
Wrong!
"Had not apologized" is the past perfect form used in this third conditional sentence.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- Don’t go deep into water unless you can swim.
- Rip Van Winkle was in a deep sleep for many years.
- Politicians defame each other in an election year.
- The television was returned last week because it was defective.
- The company cannot / must not expect employees to work hard for no money.
- The storm blew our roof off.
- I told her that I had decided to leave.
- She said that she was not coming.
- He is very late. He may / might / could have missed the train.
- It is getting dark. We must go home now.
- They went skiing last week. That must have been great fun.
- They would have rusticated me if I had not apologized.