Had Better, Would Rather

Ex. 479.Read and translate the following sentences

I. I'd rather go for a walk in the rain than do nothing at all. 2. You'd better not say what makes you think so. 3. I'd rather be told the truth. 4. You'd rather not lie to me. 5. You had better do some revision work. 6. It would be better not to interfere. 7. I'd rather wear a sweater than a jacket. 8. I'd rather you didn't smoke in here. 9. We'd prefer you not to smoke, if you don't mind. 10. We'd rather you didn't say anything about it. II. You'd better get out your calculator and tot it up.

Ex. 480.Give advice according to the model

Model: I've lost my passport. — You'd better get a new one. I'm feeling very tired. — I'd rather go to bed.

1. I've got an awful toothache. 2. Your record-player is too loud. 3. It's too hot in here, too stuffy. 4. I'm putting on too much weight. 5. Please, don't speak about it! 6.1 received the bill over a month ago. 7. She wants a job in Spain but she can't speak Spanish. 8. Please don't interrupt me when I'm speaking to you. 9. They should book early if they want tickets for the concert. 10. My parents enjoy their jobs and don't want to retire. 11.1 don't want an orange, can I have an apple, please? 12. My brother prefers to live in an apartment than in a house. 13. It's freezing, I think I'll put on a coat and a cap. 14. Will you have a cup of coffee or a cup of tea right now? 15. You shouldn't spread that news! It's top secret.

Ex 481. Add correct question tags to the following statements

1. All the family took to him at once, ... ? 2. Don't interrupt and read your magazine, ... ? 3. There is no way to solve this problem, ... ? 4. Nothing nasty happened, ... ? 5. He delights in teasing her, ... ? 6. Just try to remake her herself, ... ? 7. They are on Christian terms, ... ? 8. You're coming, ... ? 9. He doesn't like jazz, ... ? 10. You won't tell anyone, ... ? 11. She didn't mean that, ... ? 12. Maxim hadn't been to a casino before,... ? 13. You've got some time to spare, ... ? 14. Shut the door, ... ? 15. Don't be late, ... ? 16. I'm right, ... ? 17. Nobody called me, ... ? 18. Everyone was very excited, ... ? 19.1 don't imagine he will turn into an ideal husband overnight, ... ? 20. She seems a bit nervy and unable to get out of her old habits, ... ? 21. But let us look on the optimistic side of things, ... ?

Ex. 482. Add correct question tags to the following statements with modal verbs

1. My parents must have guessed something, ... ? 2. They had to ask for your permission first, ... ? 3. You'd rather keep it a secret,... ? 4. She'd better end with him once and for all,... ? 5. Weddings in the old days used to be more showy,... ? 6. They might get along well,... ? 7. You should be in bed by now, ... ? 8. You can't speak Swahili, ... ? 9. You'd better answer the telephone, ... ? 10. You could always borrow the money, ... ? 11. Nothing could be better,... ? 12. It was to happen,... ? 13. You'd rather be staying at home,... ? 14. You shouldn't have made such a fuss, ... ? 15. My boss needs a new car, ... ? 16. We need to go at once, ... ? 17. England needed a strong king in that particular period, ... ? 18.1 may call you by your first name, ... ? 19. You shouldn't be able to help me out, ... ? 20. She used to read a story to her son before bedtime,... ?

Ex. 483.Read the texts, translate them and comment on the meanings of the modal verbs in bold type

I. The next morning everybody was waiting for Charlie to start opening his present. Charlie looked down at the bar of chocolate lovingly. How he wished there could be a Golden Ticket inside it! Then his mother said gently, "You mustn'tbe too disappointed, if you don't find what you're looking for, my dear. You really can'texpect to be as lucky as all that." But the grown-ups knew that however small the chance mightbe of striking lucky, the chance was there. The chance hadto be there. Very slowly Charlie's fingers began to tear the wrapper, but when he did it there was no sign of a Golden Ticket.

II. "Did you love my Chocolate Factory, Charlie?" Mr. Wonka asked the boy. "Oh, yes, it's the most wonderful place in the world. I couldn'tbelieve my eyes when I saw it. Can it be really yours? It musthave been a dream!". "I am very pleased to hear you say that", said Mr. Wonka, looking more serious than ever. "I have decided to make you a present of the factory. I have no children of my own, no family at all. Someone hasto keep it going, I don't want a grown-up person at all. He wouldn'tlisten to me, he wouldn'tlearn. So I haveto have a child, I want a good sensible boy, one whom I can tell all my most precious sweet-making secrets — while I am still alive. We mustgo at once and fetch the rest of your family. They canall live in the factory from now on! They canall help to run it until you are old enough to do it by yourself!"

III.Matilda knew she hadto tell somebody about what had happened with the glass. She couldn'tpossibly keep the gigantic secret like that bottled up inside her. What she neededwas just one person, wise and sympathetic, who couldhelp her to understand the meaning of this extraordinary happening. She knew her parents almost certainly wouldfail to realize what an astonishing event had taken place that afternoon. So, the one person she wouldlike to confide in was Miss Honey. Matilda said, "Please may I talk to you for a moment?" "Of course you may. What's troubling you?" "I made the glass tip over, and I did it with my eyes." Miss Honey did not think Matilda was meaning to tell a lie. "Couldyou do it again?" she asked, not unkindly. "I don't know," Matilda said, "but I think I might be ableto." Miss Honey moved the now empty glass to the middle of the table. "ShouldI put water in it?" she asked, smiling a little. "I don't think it matters, but it may take some time." "Take all the time you want, I'm in no hurry." Miss Honey replied, smiling a little. "I haveto stare at it very, very hard, and then I can feel it happening behind my eyes," the little girl explained.

(after R. Dahl)

Test Your Knowledge

Ex. 484. Use the given hints to make dialogues with your partner

How Honest Are You?

1. You really need something but you haven't got enough money. Would you ever do any shoplifting? 2. Would you ever tell lies about yourself to impress other people? 3. There is some fine stationery in the place where you work. Is it all right to take some? Would you ever do so?

4, You are going to sell your car. Someone offers you a good price, and you agree to sell the car. Before you sign the necessary papers, someone else offers you a much higher price. Would you stay with the first buyer or sell to the second? 5. Would you hide some of your earnings from the tax inspector? 6. In an American school it's quite a normal situation when a pupil tells the teacher about his classmate cheating during the test. Would you think it normal? 7. You are staying in a hotel, and you see that they have very nice towels. Would you take any home with you? 8. You find a wallet containing a big sum of money and a ticket for a flight to Geneva with the person's name and address. What would your actions be? 9. What do you think about travelling without a ticket on public transport? Would you ever do so? 10. You have just had an expensive meal in a restaurant. When you check the bill, you see that the waiter has forgotten to charge you for the drinks. Would you tell him or keep quiet? 11. You find out, by chance, that your sister is adopted but she doesn't know. Should you tell her? 12. You find out that your sister's husband is having an affair. Should you tell her?

Ex. 485.Combine the following sentences making them unreal. Start with If.

1.1. It was a rush hour. 2. Something happened. 3. He turned up late. 4. His girlfriend was furious. 5. They had a row. 6. He made her cry. 7. He felt guilty. 8. He apologized. 9. She forgave him. 10. They are happy now.

II. 1.1 won a pretty sum of money. 2.1 bought a big car. 3.1 drove too fast. 4. There was an accident. 5. The ambulance took me to hospital. 6.1 fell in love with a nurse. 7. We got married. 8. We were happy at the beginning. 9. But then I met somebody else. 10. And we parted forever.

Ex. 486.Complete the sentences

1. If he becomes Prime Minister, .... If he became Prime Minister, .... 2. If it rains tomorrow, .... If it rained tomorrow, .... 3. If she learns to speak Spanish, .... If she learnt to speak Spanish, ... . 4. If wars stop, ... . If wars stopped, ... . 5. If he succeeds in life, ... . If he succeeded in life, .... 6. If they support the child, .... If they supported the child, .... 7. If I buy a cottage in the wood, .... If I bought a cottage in the wood, .... 8. If Annie marries Stephen, ... . If Annie married Stephen, .... 9. If Nicholas studies harder, ... . If Nicholas studied harder, ... . 10. If Simon goes to University, ... . If Simon went to University, ....

Ex, 487. Comment on the meanings of the modal verbs in bold type.

1. My mother said I never shouldplay with the Gypsies in the wood. If I did so, she wouldsay, "Naughty Girl, if you disobey your hair won'tcurl, your shoes won't shine. Naughty Girl, you won't be mine." 2. Supposing she hadto return home to Mother without Jack. She couldn't. She wouldn't,she vowed to herself. She wouldstay in this country and search until the Black Leaf was found, even if she hadto wait for years ... and here her tears began to flow again. 3. "You'll haveto be very cautious,missie, if you go back to the wood," said Farmer Rose. "It wouldn'tdo for you to get caught, too." "But I mustn'tbe afraid of anything now." 4. "Let's stop! It wouldn'tdo for us to run on him like this. It mightlook as if we were — oh, well, it wouldlook funny, you know." 5. You musttry to get a good rest tonight, and then you canstart off fresh in the morning — and you mustn'tcry anymore or you'll make yourself ill. 6. What oughtshe to do, she wondered. Shouldshe open the envelope? What was she to do with it? 7.1 don't feel I darego out again. I willwait here. I can trust no one. 8. He, who spends more that he should, shall not haveto spare when he would. 9. You can'tmake me let him do what he ought notto do. 10. — You needn'texplain, Fred. — But I want to. I haveto. We mustimprove the situation. 11. "I musthave this mink coat! I can'tbear somebody else wearing it," she said to her husband. "Very well, my dear, you shallhave the coat!" 12. The past can'tbe helped! It's the future we canhelp, and it's the future we shouldgive our thought to. 13.1 daresay, I can'tmake him change the way he dresses. He needsa new style, he really does. 14. Little birds that cansing and won'tsing mustbe made to sing.

Ex. 488. Fill in the spaces with should (have), would (have)

1. I'll remind you of the rules frequently lest you... (forget) them. 2. You ... (pay) more attention to the subject, when you had the opportunity. Then this ... not (happen). 3. If you had not been there to help me, I do not know what I... (do). 4.1... (come) to your party, had your invitation reached me sooner. 5. ... you (be) so kind as to tell me the way to the gardens? 6. He ... (benefit) his native town greatly, if the authorities had not opposed his plans so bitterly. 7. If I were to find myself homeless, I do not know where I... (go). 8. What... (be) the use of schools and teachers, if the scholars were not willing to learn? 9.1 hoped that you... (help) me in that serious matter. 10. Those who are not without faults themselves, ... (avoid) blaming others. 11.1 pointed out to him that some people I knew were so obstinate that they... (not listen) to any reasons. 12. He was not deaf, but he was so obstinate that he ... (not follow) my advice. 13. He ... (listen), however, if you had approached him tactfully. 14. He was so disguised that I... never (know) him, but for his beard. 15. What do you think we ... (do) in the circumstances in which we have found ourselves?

Ex 489.Insert the verbs can, could, may, might, should, would

1. ... you be prosperous and happy! 2.1 trust that your fears ... not be realized. 3. In my perplexity I appealed to my guide to know what I... do. 4. A good general makes every preparation against defeat, ... such a contingency arise. 5. It makes my blood boil to think that such cruelties ... go on around us. 6. ... such circumstances arise, I shall take steps to deal with them. 7. Whatever ... have happened, the result is the same. 8. Who can say what... have happened, had not the accident been averted? 9. Some of these rocks ... perhaps have been deposited by passing icebergs. 10. He was so indifferent to public opinion that he did not care what the papers ... say. 11.1... support your enterprise, but I am not yet convinced that it deserves it. 12. With a little encouragement, he ... do wonders. 13.1 am not likely to be moved by anything you ... say; I judge by results. 14. Let him show what he has done; then we ... perhaps believe his words. 15. We hope that Your Majesty ... long rule over us, and that your reign ... be as glorious as those of your predecessors.

Ex 490. Translate into English

1. Она гладила белье и время от времени выглядыва­ла в окно. 2. Они, возможно, были слишком строги к своему сыну. 3. Иногда он просто невыносим, все рав­но будет все делать по-своему. 4. Напрасно ты убира­ла квартиру, уборщица придет завтра. 5. Ей не при­шлось убирать квартиру. Дети уже сделали это. 6. Не нужно быть гением, чтобы понять это. 7. Я люблю тебя гораздо больше, чем мне следовало бы. 8. — Тебе в самом деле нужен компьютер? — Я не могу обойтись без него. 9. С какой стати мне впускать тебя в мою жизнь? 10. Он никак не хотел поверить в мою печаль­ную историю. 11. Пора тебе относиться к жизни се­рьезнее! 12. Тебе следовало видеть, как Дейвид гото­вил обед! Ты очень много потеряла! 13. — Нельзя по­лагаться на случай. Нужно что-то делать. 14. Учти, ты ответишь за это! Тебе придется сознаться во всем. 15. Не может быть, чтобы ты отказался от этой рабо­ты. Тебе следовало посоветоваться со мной.

Ex. 491. Read the text and comment on the forms in bold type Retell the text in indirect speech

The Secret Diary of Margaret Roberts Aged 141/4

Everybody is being perfectly horrid to me at school. I've been to the headmistress to complain, but even she was unsympathetic. She said, "You're overworking, Roberts. I wish you were less enthusiastic and took a few days off." I protested that the school couldn't function without me. The head snapped, "Go home, Roberts, and give this note to your parents."

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Roberts,

Margaret's behavior has been giving me great cause for concern. At all times she is neat, clean and controlled. She works hard. She is top of every subject. She is highly competitive on the sports field, is an excellent needlewoman and always wears highly polished shoes. Indeed she is the type of girl one ought to be proud of; I wish some girls were like her in these respects. But Margaret is wearing out my staff with her constant requests for more work. She is always ink, milk and register monitor. Class, sports and house captain. She works in the greenhouse during her playtimes, this morning I came into school early and found her mopping out the lavatories. All very well, you may think, but her mania for work is making her very unpopular with the other girls. Can there be any problems at home? Can she be compensating for some lack of affection or attention on your part? Maybe, I shouldn't have worried you with all this but she must learn to tolerate these of us who are rather more fallible. Headmistress Kesteven, Grantham Girls School.

Father's hand trembled as he put down the note. He said "Geniuses are never recognized in their own land."

(after S. Townsend)

Ex. 492.Translate into English

1. — Случись так, что тебе будут нужны деньги, обра­тись к управляющему. — Хотелось бы, чтобы мне не пришлось этого делать. 2. — Получи он тогда наслед­ство, он не жил бы все эти годы в такой нищете. — Да, никогда не знаешь, что может случиться в жиз­ни. 3. Давно пора вам выучить географию! Если бы я отвечал на уроке вчера, то я бы не сказал, что Мисси­сипи находится в Африке. 4. — Странно, что у него нет никаких сомнений по поводу своих способнос­тей. — Да, хотел бы я тоже быть таким уверенным в себе! 5. — Случись так, что ты передумаешь, дай нам знать, мы хотели бы знать о твоем окончательном решении. — Обязательно сообщу. 6. — Если бы поли­ция не прибыла в самый последний момент, то граби­тели сбежали бы. 7. Присмотри за ним, и случись, что он опять будет драться с младшим братом, дай мне знать. Он будет наказан. 8. О, хорошо бы вы ушли! Если бы я знала, что вы корреспонденты газеты, то ни за что не впустила бы вас. 9. Мама была бы ужасно рада, если бы вы сумели найти немного времени для нее. 10. Думаю, что мне следовало рассказать родите­лям о проблемах в школе, но не хотелось их беспоко­ить. Что будет, то и будет! 11. — Симпатичный моло­дой человек приходил повидать вас. — О, это, должно быть, мой двоюродный брат Андрей. Неужели случи­лось что-то неожиданное? — Да, но он мог бы и позво­нить. 12. Она учит этот этюд, должно быть, уже це­лый месяц. Я просто слышать его не могу! Она, долж­но быть, неспособна к музыке. 13. Я была очень удивлена тем, что Юля уже ушла. Она должна была напечатать весь текст, но оказалось, что она сделала только половину работы. Должно быть, она плохо себя чувствовала.

Наши рекомендации