Reported speech exercise

Turn the following interrogative sentences into indirect speech.
1. Student to clerk: ‘When will the application forms be ready?’
2. Girl to clerk: ‘How much should I pay for the application form?’
3. Patient (woman) to doctor: ‘Can I take solid food?’
4. Girl to headmaster: ‘Will you allow me to take part in the essay competition?’
5. Bookseller to customer (man): ‘How many copies do you want?’
6. Manager to clerk (man): ‘Have you sent those three letters by speed post?’
7. Candidate to clerk: ‘When will the examinations start?’
8. Student to the headmaster: ‘Are the examinations likely to be postponed?’
9. Patient (woman) to the doctor: ‘Should I take the tablet before or after the food?’
10. My friend to me: ‘When do you usually get up?’
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Exercise: degrees of comparison

Complete the following sentences using an adjective or adverb of the appropriate degree.
1. Who is the ………………….. bowler in your team ? (fast / faster / fastest)
2. Charles Lamb is one of the …………….. writers. (fascinating / more fascinating / most fascinating)
3. I have not come across a ……………….. friend than Ramesh. (reliable / more reliable / most reliable)
4. You should not take …………….. than 40 minutes to do this work. (much / more / most)
5. No …………….. did the police arrive than the mob dispersed. (soon / sooner / soonest)
6. Which is the ……………. river in the world? (long / longer / longest)
7. Who is the ………………….. runner in the world? (fast / faster / fastest)
8. Sometimes, the cure is ……………. than the disease. (bad / worse / worst)
9. Take the ………………. of the two routes. (short / shorter / shortest)
10. I got up ………….. than usual today. (early / earlier / earliest)
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Verb Tenses

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate verb form.
1. I ………………. that film last week.
a) have seen
b) saw
c) had seen
2. When I reached home, he ………………….
a) was having a bath
b) had a bath
c) had been having a bath
3. He said that he …………………. her last year.
a) saw
b) had seen
c) have seen
4. She ……………….. before her husband arrived.
a) died
b) has died
c) had died
5. My friend …………………… for about a month.
a) is ill
b) has been ill
c) had been ill
6. He ………………… his watch shortly after he ………………. it.
a) lost, had bought
b) had lost, had bought
c) had lost, bought
7. My friend ………………… in Singapore since 2005.
a) is living
b) has been living
c) lives
8. He got angry before I …………………. a word.
a) said
b) had said
c) have said
9. I ………………. him for a long time.
a) did not see
b) have not seen
c) had not seen
10. He ……………….. for a walk in the morning.
a) goes
b) is going
c) has gone
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Passive voice exercise

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate passive verb. Choose your answer from the given options.
1. This house ……………………. by my grandfather in 1970.
a) built
b) has built
c) was built
d) was building
2. French …………………… in many parts of Europe.
a) is speaking
b) is spoken
c) has spoken
d) is speaking
3. The roof ……………………….. by the contractor.
a) is being repaired
b) is repairing
c) repaired
d) has repaired
4. I felt as if I …………………………
a) was watching
b) was being watched
c) has watched
5. He needs ……………………….
a) be taken care of
b) to be taken care of
c) to taken care of
6. You …………………… when the time comes.
a) will told
b) will be told
c) will tell
7. I ………………….. a whole lot of information.
a) have just been send
b) have just been sent
c) have send
d) have just being sent
8. We ………………. a collection of old manuscripts.
a) shown
b) showed
c) were shown
d) were showed
9. Dinner ………………………….
a) is cooking
b) is being cooked
c) has cooked
d) has being cooked
10. Too many books ……………………….. about Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
a) have been written
b) have written
c) are writing
d) have been writing

Answers

Infinitives with and without to

The infinitive can be used with or without to. Infinitives used with ‘to’ are called to-infinitives and infinitives used without ‘to’ are called bare infinitives.

Complete the following sentences using an infinitive.
1. I want ………………. a letter.
a) write
b) to write
2. I ought ………………… a letter.
a) to have written
b) have written
3. You should ……………….. a doctor.
a) have consulted
b) to have consulted
4. I can ………………… a strange sound.
a) hear
b) to hear
c) hearing
5. I could ……………….
a) have won
b) to have won
6. I will …………….. what I like.
a) say
b) to say
7. The boys must ………………. the rules.
a) obey
b) to obey
8. You need not …………………
a) go
b) to go
c) going
9. He dare not …………………
a) refuse
b) to refuse
10. She didn’t dare …………….. anything.
a) say
b) to say
c) saying
11. We need two months ………………….. the work.
a) to complete
b) complete
c) completing
12. I bade him …………………..
a) come
b) to come
c) coming

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Change into negative

Change the following affirmative sentences into negative sentences.
1. James managed to arrive on time.
2. He gave me something to eat.
3. They fixed the roof in six hours.
4. He goes to office at 9 o’clock.
5. He can speak French.
6. They arrived in the morning.
7. He writes to his mother every day.
8. The milkman comes early in the morning.
9. I have bought something for you.
10. She knows how to make a cake.
11. He dared to answer me back.
12. There is someone at the door.
13. Somebody is responsible for this mischief.
14. She has promised to get me something.
15. The president made an important decision.
16. He reads all newspapers.
17. She knows how to make tea.
18. My friend writes short stories.
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Present Perfect. Exercise

Make sentences in the present perfect  using the verbs given in the brackets.
1. We …………………….. (live) in this street since 2005.
2. She …………………….. (return) from work.
3. I …………………. (hear) anything from her. (Use the negative form)
4. We ………………….. (invite) to their party. (Use the passive form)
5. She …………………. (act) in a film.
6. She ………………….. (understand) her mistake.
7. They …………………… (invest) in real estate.
8. We …………………. (receive) the letter.
9. You ………………….. (miss) a great opportunity.
10. Sushama ……………………. (finish) working on that report.
11. The police ………………….. (trace) the missing boy.
12. The criminals …………………. (arrest) by the police. (Use the passive form)
13. They boys ……………….. (hand) in their work.
14. They children ………………….. (learn) their lessons.
15. The boy ……………….. (steal) the money.
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