THE SEQUENCE OF TENSES

Ex. 309. A. Change the sentences into reported speech according to the model

Model. Miranda says, "I work for a small publishing house." — Miranda says (that) she works for a small publishing house.

1. I'm going to work in England next year. 2. I'm their marketing manager. 3. The company has opened an office in London. 4. Up till now I've been very successful in my career. 5. I've been chosen to run the new office in London. 6. I'm studying English in the evenings. 7.1 don't have much time to enjoy myself. 8.1 haven't had lunch with a friend for ages. 9.1 hope my friends will come and visit me in London. 10.1 went there last week with my secretary. 11. We didn't have much time for sightseeing. 12.1 have to get back to work now.

B. Tell your friend what Miranda said

Ex 310. You are being interviewed for a job and are asked the owing questions When you come back home, tell your parents fiat questions you were asked

1. How old are you? 2. Where do you live? 3. What's your address? 4. What school did you go to? 5. When did you leave school? 6. Where are you working now? 7. Who are you working for? 8. How long have you been working? 9. Are you enjoying your present job? How big is your salary? 10. Why do you want to leave?

Ex 311. Translate into English

I. Интересно, который сейчас час. 2. Кто-нибудь мо­жет сказать мне, в чем дело? 3. Сейчас уже никто не может вспомнить, чья это ^5ыла идея. 4. Пожалуйста, скажите мне, куда идет этот автобус. 5. Интересно, чем он зарабатывает на жизнь. 6. Мы должны спросить кого-нибудь, где находится вокзал. 7. Тебе придется сказать нам, каковы твои ближайшие планы. 8. Ты можешь объяснить-мне, что тебе нужно? 9. В деканате вам скажут, когда заканчивается семестр. 10. Поли­ция не знает, чья это машина. Она без номеров.

II. Спроси кого-нибудь, какой сегодня день. 12. Вы не понимаете, как это серьезно.

Ex.312. Read the jokes and retell them in indirect speech

1. If an Englishman gets run down by a truck, he apologizes to the truck.

2. A foreign visitor to England is completely baffled by the language and struggles with the pronunciation of words such as "enough", "bough" and "though". He usually gives up altogether when he reads a local newspaper headline "Fete Pronounced Success".

3. An American tourist comes to London to stay at a top hotel. He picks up the phone one morning and asks for room service. He says, "I want three overdone fried eggs that are hard as a rock, toast that is burnt to a cinder and a cup of black coffee that tastes like mud."

"I'm sorry, sir," replies room service, "we don't serve breakfast like that." "Well, you did yesterday!"

4. An old woman from the country is visiting the big city for the first time in her life. She checks in at a smart hotel and lets the bellboy take her bags. She follows him but as the door closes, her face falls. "Young man," she says angrily. "I may be old and straight from the hills, but I ain't stupid. I paid good money and this room won't do at all. It's short of what I expected. It's too small and there's no proper ventilation. Why, there's not even a bed!"

"Ma'am," replies the bellboy, "this isn't your room. It's the elevator!"

 

Ex. 313. Read and translate the sentences Comment on the use of the Future in the Past

1. He knew that their paths would cross again. 2. Emma hoped that the baby would be a girl. 3.1 promised Edwina I would help her to dress the tree. 4. I knew you would do the right thing. I trusted you. 5. Maggie was a kind of woman a man wouldn't look at twice. 6. And he often thought that if he was lucky he would meet another woman one day and fall in love. He would get married again. And hopefully there would be a wife, a home, a family, and his own business. 7. He knew that with Frank in Venice, for a few days he would be able to shake his depression, and recharge his batteries completely. 8. The knowledge that she would have to leave him was an agony. She prayed to God every night that Sigi would succeed in getting the child out of Germany.

Ex. 314. Change the sentences into indirect speech Use the verbs in brackets

1. Smile, and say Cheese! (ask) 2. Now then, darling, don't cry! (beg) 3. Never trust a stranger! (advise) 4. Freeze! Dismiss! (command) 5. Never, never answer me back! (order) 6. Don't let's stand here in the middle of the road, (offer) 7. Open your mouth wide and say R! (ask) 182

8. Don't cheat like a crook, (warn) 9. Don't pull the cat's tail! He may scratch you. (order) 10. Make haste slowly, (advise) 11. Relax, it's not the end of the world, (recommend) 12. Now don't get me wrong, (warn) 13. Never say "never", (advise) 14. Welcome to Jurassic Park, (invite)

 

Ex 315. Change the sentences into indirect speech

1.1 confess that I'm a shopaholic. 2. Let me tell you that every time I see you, I'm shining like a candle in the night. 3. He is terribly sorry for the things he has done. 4. It's a beautiful fish, we shall let it go. 5. I'm sorry to say that I don't believe you and I never will. 6. The inspector worked hard, but it didn't get him anywhere. 7. This film is a work of fiction. 8. Can you kiss me goodbye? 9. We are having a very lazy time. 10. David saw a flying saucer last summer. 11. — I have a chronic headache. My organism needs a painkiller. — Take this pill. It will have an immediate effect. Though it may have some side effects as well.

 

Ex 316. Retell the following jokes in indirect speech

1. Dentist: Stop screaming! I haven't touched your tooth yet.

Barry: I know, but you're standing on my foot.

2. What are two reasons why men don't mind their own business? 1. no mind 2. no business.

3. Bill: Why the glum look?

Stan: I just don't understand today's world. My son wears an earring. My daughter has a tattoo. My wife makes twice what I do.

Bill: So what are you going to do?

Stan: I'm going home to my father.

4. When he found a six-year-old shoe-repair ticket in the pocket of an old suit, Brown called the shop to see if the shoes were still around.

"Were they black wing tips needing half soles?" asked a clerk.

"Yes," said Brown. "We'll have them ready in a week."

5. Mother to daughter:

— What kind of person is your new boyfriend? Is he respectable?

— Of course he is, Mom. He's thrifty, doesn't drink or smoke, has a very nice wife and three well-behaved children.

(from "Stupid Men's Jokes")

Ex. 317. Read and translate the sentences. Comment on the sequence of tenses in them.

1. Our Geography teacher told us at the last lesson that there aren't any unknown islands left on the Earth. 2. My Grandmother used to say that tastes differ and that I shouldn't be so choosy. 3. Don't leave, Katya. Ann said that we'll be having tea soon. 4. Melanie said she hadn't met Eddie since she (had) left the town. 5.1 replied that she should not be so noisy. 6. Bruno remarked that when he came in, Sonya was crying. 7. She noticed that the child ought to be more well-behaved. 8. Grace explained that when she left school, Donald was already studying at University. 9. Susan said that she (had) learnt how to eat with chopsticks when she was in Hong Kong. 10. He said that he could meet us at the airport. 11. Bill declared that he had owned the firm ever since he (had) started it in 1990.

Ex. 318. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets. Retell the texts

1. Two men were passengers on a four-engine plane. Suddenly, one engine (fail) and the pilot (announce) that the plane (be) now fifteen minutes late. A short time later another engine (go) out of order. The pilot (have to) announce they (be) thirty minutes late. Then the third engine (start) burning, and the stewardess announced that they (be) one hour late. At this point, one man (say) to his neighbour, "If the fourth engine (quit), we (can) (be) up here all day." 184

2. Sitting at home one afternoon, a retired doctor and his wife decided to call another couple to see what they (do). "Oh," (say) the other wife, "we just (drink) coffee and (talk)." The doctor's wife (hang) up the phone. "Why we not ever (do) that?" she (demand). And she (explain) that they just (drink) coffee and (talk). So, the doctor (tell) his wife to make them a pot of coffee. Soon they (sit) with their freshly brewed coffee, staring at each other. "Call them back," he (direct), "and find out what they (talk) about."

 

Ex 319. Retell the following jokes in indirect speech.

1. A man walked into the emergency room with both of his ears badly burnt. The man explained, "The phone rang and I picked up the iron by mistake." The nurse asked, "How did you burn the other ear?" "I did that," said the man, "when I went to phone the ambulance."

2. A telephone man was trying to measure the telephone pole but couldn't figure out how to climb up the pole. He radioed the office and they suggested that he should lay the pole down on the ground and measure it. The phone man didn't like that idea. "That won't work. I need to measure how high it is, not how long." 3. Did you hear about the man who died from jumping out of an airplane? It seems he was watching the movie, forgot where he was and stepped out for some more popcorn. 4. "I have good news and bad news," the defence attorney told his client. "First, the bad news. The blood test came back, and your DNA is an exact match with that found at the crime scene." "Oh, no!" cried the client. "What's the good news?" "Your cholesterol has gone down to 140."

(From "Stupid Men's Jokes")

 

Ex 320. Translate into English.

1. Туристы были очень удивлены. Никогда раньше они не видели такого количества людей. Но гид объяснил им, что это обычное явление в Гайд-Парке в хорошую погоду. 2. Они надеялись, что если мать поговорит _с ним, то он изменит свое решение. 3. Он позвонил на^ и сказал, что всю неделю идет дождь, но синоптики обещают хорошую погоду в начале следующей неде­ли. 4. Отец посмотрел на мои ботинки и сказал, что это просто позор, потому что я не чистил их неделя­ми. 5. Каролина сказала нам, что этот красивый ко­мод был в ее семье более двух веков и что сейчас оц очень ценный. 6. Мальчик сказал, что их путь лежал через лес. Снег перестал идти, сияло солнце. Они на­деялись, что вскоре доберутся до станции. 7. Я столк­нулся с Анжелой, когда проходил мимо банка. Мы не встречались с тех пор, как закончили университет. Она радостно поздоровалась со мной и сообщила, что только что открыла счет в этом банке. 8. Учительница объяс­нила шестилеткам, что земля круглая и что она вра­щается. Одна девочка очень удивилась и сообщила, что она всегда считала, что земля плоская. 9. У стены сто­ял старомодный шкаф, который видел лучшие време­на (дни). Хозяйка объяснила, что он принадлежал ее прабабушке.