EXERCISE 17c — Write answers to the questions using phrasal verbs and participle adjectives from this section. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense
1. The contract was torn into many small pieces. What was done to the contract?
2. In Question 1, how would you describe the contract?
3. Her plan is not working properly, and there's a lot of confusion. What is happening to her plan?
4. My friends visited me last night. What did my friends do last night?
5. Mike doesn't know anything about applying for a mortgage. What doesn't he know?
6. Tomorrow we're going to drive from the country to the city. What are we going to do tomorrow?
7. When Judy was a teenager, she was very shy, but she's not shy anymore. What did she do to her shyness?
8. The old lion's teeth are not as sharp or as long as they used to be.What has happened to them?
9. In Question 8, how would you describe the lion's teeth?
10. I did something bad to my brother, and now he has done something bad to me. What has my brother done to me?
11. The Vikings crossed the ocean before Columbus. What did the Vikings do before Columbus?
12. The teacher walked across the room and looked at your paper. What did the teacher do?
13. Jim became very sad and lost control when he heard that his brother had died. What did Jim do?
14. This sweater will be too small for my daughter soon.What will my daughter do to the sweater soon?
15. The pages are coming out of this old book. What is the book doing?
16. The police are pressuring the suspect to tell the truth. What are the police trying to do to the suspect?
EXERCISE 17d, Review — Complete the sentences with these phrasal verbs from previous sections. Be sure the phrasal verbs are in the correct tense. To check their meanings, review the section number given after each one.
| boil down to, 6 | fight back, 8 | hear of, 8 |
| chicken out of, 9 | find out, 5 | kick back, 10 |
| come down with, 6 | get along, 9 | monkey around with, 6 |
| come up, 12 | go ahead,10 | set up, 5 |
| fall over, 8 | go through with, 6 | work in, 8 |
1. I don't know when the train to Boston leaves. I'll ask the ticket agent and ________ _________.
2. I don't like our neighbors, and they don't like me. We don't_______ _________.
3. Julia was nervous about bleaching her hair blond, and she decided not to ________ _______ _________it.
4. Sarah was nervous about bleaching her hair blond, and she ________ ________ ________it.
5. The ambassador will try to ________ ________ a meeting between the president and the rebel leader.
6. We have a really busy day planned, but I'd like to ________ ________ a visit to the museum.
7. If someone hits you, you have to________________.
8. I missed a week of work when I ______ ______ ______ German measles.
9. Having a mechanic fix my car will cost a lot of money, so I'll ________ ________ ________ it to see if I can fix it myself.
10. The owner of the construction company was ________ ________ thousands of dollars to the mayor.
11. Are you kidding? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever _______ ________.
12. The country's economic problems are very complicated. Can you tell me what it _______ __________ _______?
13. I'm sorry I have to cancel our lunch date, but something very important has ________ ________, and I have to return to my office immediately.
14. After the car hit the telephone pole, the pole _____ _____ and crushed the car.
15. I was so angry at my boss that I told him I was going to quit, and he said,"________ ________, I don't care!"
18. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and can, could, will, and would
Can, could, will, and would are modal auxiliary verbs, often called models. Modals are very important in English, but they can be confusing because they are used to say many different things. Here is a basic review of can, could, will, and would and their most common uses.
Could is used as the past tense of can:
I can'tcome over tonight.
I couldn'tcome over last night.
Would is used as the past tense of will (the future use of will has already been discussed in Section 15) to talk about something that was future in the past:
/ didn't buy that nice coat for my son because I knew he would quickly grow out of it.
Would is used in place of will when repeating someone else's words:
She said she wouldget next Fridayoff.
Would is used as the past tense of will to talk about a repeated past action:
When I worked as a bank guard, I wouldstand around all day doing nothing.
Normally, can, could, will, and would have different uses, and it is important to use the correct one; however, in one special case — making requests — they can be used with very little difference in meaning:
Can youget off the couch?
Could youget off the couch ?
Will youget off the couch?
Would youget off the couch?
Can and could are used, with little difference in meaning, to ask for permission:
Can Ithink about it before I make a decision?
Could Ithink about it before I make a decision?
Can, could, will, and would are used in conditional sentences. Conditional means that a condition, usually stated in an if clause, must be satisfied for the main clause to be true. When the condition is something that is actually possible, the verb in the if clause is normally in the present tense. If the condition in the if clause is something that could not actually be true, the past tense form of the verb is used.
When the condition in the if clause is something that is actually possible, can is used in the main clause to discuss a real ability:
If I have a car, I cancome over.
When the condition in the if clause is something that is actually possible, will is used in the main clause to discuss a real willingness or intention:
If I have a car, I willcome over.
When the condition in the if clause is not something that is actually possible, could is used in the main clause to discuss an unreal or imaginary ability:
If I had a car, I couldcome over.
When the condition in the if clause is not something that is actually possible, would is used in the main clause to discuss an unreal or imaginary willingness or intention:
If I had a car, I wouldcome over.
Either the if clause or main clause can occur first in a sentence, with a slight change in punctuation:
If I had a car, I wouldcome over.I wouldcome over if I had a car.
| Infinitive | ||||
| present tense | -ing form | past tense | past participle | |
| breakthrough | ||||
| breakthrough & breaks through | breaking through | broke through | broken through |
1. breakthrough p.v. When you use force to go through a wall or other barrier, you break through it.
The thievesbroke through the wall of the jewelry store.
The attackers couldn'tbreak through the thick walls of the fort.
2. breakthrough p.v. When you cannot do something because of a problem and you find a way to solve or eliminate the problem, youbreakthrough.
After the problem of tissue rejection isbroken through, organ transplants will become more common.
It took three days of negotiation, but we finallybroke through the deadlock.
breakthrough n. An important discovery or development that solves or eliminates a problem that is preventing you from doing something is abreakthrough.
Dr. Wood announced an importantbreakthrough in the search for a cure for AIDS.