Complete the sentences in this text using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Long Summer Break Under Threat
The Minister for Education thinks that if the summer break were shorter, children (l) (do) much better at school. 'Imagine how you would feel,' he (2) (tell) a press conference last week, 'if you (3) (have) two months off work. You (4) (spend) a lot of time trying to get used to (5) (be) back at work. This is exactly what we ask children (6) (do) during the long summer holidays. If you ask teachers they (7) (tell) you that when kids get back from their summer break, they just (8) (not carry) on from where they stopped in June. They (9) (have) to do the same things again. If the summer holidays (10) (be) shorter, this would not happen. If our proposal (11) (go) ahead, we will introduce a system based on five terms a year. This means children (12) (have) lots of breaks with plenty of opportunities (13) (relax) during the year. If we didn't have these long summer holidays, we (14) (do) much more work in our schools, so we think it (15) (be) time for a change.'
PART II
ADDITIONAL EXERCISES AND TESTS
Article
Supply a/an, the or leave the space “—“.
1. Kate is … teacher. Her parents were …teachers too.
2. …Chemistry was my favourite subject at …school.
3. There is … concert hall not far from our house. … concert hall is … largest in our city.
4. My friends are planning … holiday together.
5. When I was …child I used to collect …stamps.
6. Mary teaches … economics.
7. You need …visa to visit …Great Britain.
8. There was …lot of snow on …ground.
9. How well can …cat see in …dark?
10. He was awake all night with …toothache.
11. He went to …sea when he was 18.
12. My mother often suffers from …backache.
13. I love …flowers. He bought me …few flowers.
14. Does Helen speak … French?
15. This cloth costs ten pounds …metre.
16. What’s this? Is it …book or …magazine?
17. He doesn’t want to go to … hairdresser’s again.
18. – Where is Tom? - He’s in …Dean’s office.
19. When did you see him …last?
20. She was …last to be invited to the party.
Singular/Plural
Supply the correct form for the verbs in brackets.
1. There …(be) a lot of people in the cinema yesterday.
2. My sister’s hair …(be) very beautiful when she was a child.
3. The news …(be) depressing last week.
4. Our family …(live) in Scotland.
5. A number of my friends …(be) planning a holiday together.
6. Mathematics …(be) an interesting subject.
7. Ten thousand dollars …(be) a lot of money.
8. I need my glasses . Where …(be) my glasses?
9. Can I use your scissors? Mine…(be) not sharp enough.
10. The police…(want) to talk to you about the accident.
11. There …(be) some little mice on the floor.
12. Twenty years …(be) a long time.
13. Some years ago there …(be) a factory and some houses in the street.
14. The family …(be) still at table but they had finished breakfast.
Pronoun
Complete sentences with
A: much/many/a lot of
1. There aren’t …hotels in our town.
2. I know that man has … money.
3. How …cases do you have?
4. Do you eat …bread?
5. Try to do as…as possible.
6. We’ve lived in the same house for …years.
7. She’ll have to hurry . She hasn’t got ….time.
8. There are …foreign tourists in Petersburg.
9. Do you have …tourists in winter?
B: a little/ a few/ little/few
1. Can you bring us …apples, please?
2. The exam was very difficult and only …students passed it.
3. Make haste! We’ve got very …time left.
4. …more work won’t hurt you, boys.
5. The hall was almost empty. There were very …people there.
6. There is …snow but much rain in England in winter.
7. I don’t speak much French. Only …words.
8. Open the window! There is so …air in the room.
9. Why do you eat so …? Try …of everything.
10. He has very …knowledge of the matter.
C: some/any/no
1. We had …time to discuss all the details.
2. I have …money, so I can’t give you …
3. Are there …tables in the book?
4. If you need …more information, please, ask me.
5. Tell me if you want …help.
6. He read …books on the subjects in our library.
7. I’m fortunate there were …tickets left for the show.
8. He’s got …idea what to do with the house.
9. You may take …book. They are all interesting.
10. …of my friends study two foreign languages.
D: compound pronouns
1. Ask … to show you how to do it.
2. Can you read …about the history of Great Britain?
3. …is going to make a report on the subject.
4. Will …tell us about the results of the expedition?
5. This method is too simple that … can learn how to use it.
6. When we came, ….was ready for the experiment.
7. Is there … new in this theory?
8. You can read about the results of this match….
9. I’ll go …tomorrow. I‘ll be busy writing my paper.
10. We stayed in the railway station because we didn’t have …to stay.
11. She left the room without saying …
12. We can always find …new in our library.
13. It’s a lovely sight when …is covered with snow.
14. There is …wrong with the telephone.
15. The girl spoke in such a low voice that …could hear her.
Adjectives/Adverbs
Choose the correct form.
1. She speaks English …(good/well)
2. You look tired. You’ve been working …(hard/hardly)
3. We’ve been receiving a lot of mail …(late/lately)
4. It was a …(late/lately) hour and I turned home.
5. How are you? Are you…(good/well)?
6. I like your blouse . It looks …(good/well) on you.
7. How many people were there at the …(last/least) meeting?
8. Is your English …(good/well)?
9. The car stopped …(right/rightly) in the middle of the road.
10. She uses her car …(mostly/most) for going shopping.
11. The birds flew … (low/lowly) almost touching the water with their wings.
12. (Most/mostly) …students she is friendly with are from her place.
13. Few people are …(high/highly) paid in this firm.
14. It’s …(near/nearly) ten o’clock. It’s time for you to go to bed.
15. They treated the boy …(bad/badly) in their house.
16. He looked …(anxious/anxiously) around.
17. Are you …(careful/carefully) while driving?
Degrees of comparison
Choose the correct answer.
1. I have not heard the … (latest/last) news.
2. It is the …(eldest/oldest) house in our street.
3. This cottage is …(further/farther) than we thought.
4. The boy used to faint at the …(least/last) sign of blood.
5. Ann’s …(older/elder) sister is a nurse.
6. Where is the …(nearest/next) underground station?
7. Our house is …(less/smaller) than yours.
8. We have no …(further/farther)information.