Information, reality and belief - The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook

The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook (2013)

UNIT THIRTEEN. Information, reality and belief

13.1. Questions and answers 1

Sections 240–242; 536–541; 609–612; 681–683

Questions are sentences by which someone asks the hearer to give information. The most natural response to a question is an answer, giving the information needed. The commonest types of questions are:

yes-no questions:

– limited to only one of two answers (‘yes’ or ‘no’)

– subject-operator inversion and usually rising intonation

wh-questions:

– unlimited number of answers

– initial wh-word, subject-operator inversion (except when the wh-word is subject) and usually falling intonation

alternative questions:

– limited to one of two or more alternatives

– similar in form to yes-no or wh-questions.

Wh-questions are introduced by

– interrogative determiners/pronouns (personal only): who(m) and whose

– interrogative determiners/pronouns (personal and non-personal): what (indefinite reference) and which (definite reference)

– interrogative adverbs: where, when, why, how.

Task one *

Turn the following statements into corresponding yes-no questions.

1.They are going to build a new bridge across the river.

2.Motorists can park in the town square on Sundays.

3.Arthur has lived in South Africa all his life.

4.Two gunmen were killed by the security forces yesterday.

5.Inflation will start rising again in the next few months.

6.Charlotte caught pneumonia last winter.

7.Skin-diving is Uncle Toby’s favourite pastime.

8.Patients had been waiting for hours before seeing a doctor.

9.These measures should have been taken years ago.

10.The postman always rings twice.

11.Susan was disappointed after the job interview.

12.The principal has a fourteen-year-old daughter.

Task two **

Complete the following questions, adding the most appropriate wh-word.

1._______ was the first man to walk on the moon?

2._______ form of English do you like best: British, American or Australian?

3._______ criminals should serve life sentences?

4._______ did the CIA suspect of terrorism?

5._______ is your cousin, a fashion model?

6._______ of you are going to take early retirement?

7._______ caused the hurricane to change course all of a sudden?

8._______ motorbike did you borrow, your dad’s?

9._______ were you talking to in that dark corner of the library?

10._______ leg hurts most, Mr Sillitoe?

11._______ on earth are people prepared to risk their lives climbing Mount Everest?

12._______ can you possibly expect me to forgive you?

13._______ is the most wanted man in the world hiding?

14._______ will humans visit the planet Mars?

15._______ often have you been abroad?

Task three **

Respond to the following questions in an appropriate way. Where possible, give both a complete and a shortened answer.

Examples:

Q: “Are you going on holiday this summer?”

A1: “Yes, we’re going to the Maldives.” / “No, we’re staying at home.”

A2: “Yes, we are.” / “No, we’re not.”

Q: “Where did you buy those magazines?”

A: “(I bought them) at the newsagent’s.”

1.Will Mr Walker try to get in touch with one of our senior staff?

2.What time do you think the first election result will be declared?

3.Shall we buy a new car or a mobile home?

4.Which of the four candidates is most suitable for the job?

5.Did the police catch one of those burglars?

6.What are we going to do now? Sell the house, get rid of the jewellery, or cancel the cruise?

7.How many of these novels do we have to read in fact?

8.Have all the necessary precautions been taken to prevent this from happening again?

9.Did they teach you how to pronounce the word “thoroughly”?

10.Why do so many people eat junk food?

11.Which would you prefer: a flat in a tower block or a house in the country?

12.Who wrote Moby Dick?

Task four ***

Turn the statements in the following text into questions, replacing the underlined parts by corresponding wh-words.

Example:

The burglar got into the warehouse by smashing a window.

wh-Q1: Who got into the warehouse (by smashing a window)?

wh-Q2: How did the burglar get into the warehouse? / How did he get in?

CONGO VOLCANO: THE FACTS

Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s most active volcanoes. In all, there are eight volcanoes along the borders of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda. Nyiragongo was last active in 1994, when a lava lake reappeared in its summit crater.

The latest eruption is more serious. Lava from Nyiragongo can travel at 60 kilometres per hour and some of it might reach a nearby lake and do further damage.

Bill Evans of the US Geological Survey said lava could react with gas in the lake, with catastrophic consequences. The gas is composed of carbon dioxide and methane and could suffocate local people living around the lake.

Both Nyiragongo and another active volcano are located in the Virunga mountain range, which straddles the Rwandan border. The pair are responsible for nearly two-fifths of Africa’s historical eruptions.

(adapted from www.news.bbc.co.uk, 18 January 2002)

Task five ***

Add the missing questions (neutral yes-no or wh-) addressed to Pat by the recruitment officer in the following job interview.

R.O.:

Pat:

Patricia Lonsdale.

R.O.:

Pat:

In Cape Town, South Africa, on the 23rd of March 1980.

R.O.:

Pat:

No, we moved to Durban when I was three.

R.O.:

Pat:

Yes, I went to local schools until the age of 18.

R.O.:

Pat:

No, my parents sent me to Britain.

R.O.:

Pat:

Because they thought the tuition system at British universities would suit me better.

R.O.:

Pat:

Manchester. I got a BA in accounting and finance there.

R.O.

Pat:

Oh, yes, I also studied two foreign languages, Spanish and Russian. After my BA, that is.

R.O.:

Pat:

Well, by taking odd jobs, serving food in restaurants, teaching English to foreigners, etc.

R.O.:

Pat:

Yes, I would really like to be employed full-time.

R.O.:

Pat:

Something in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds a month.

R.O.

Pat:

Yes, I’ve got two references here, but these were both part-time jobs.

R.O.:

Thank you. Well, that will do for the time being. You will be hearing from us soon.

13.2. Questions and answers 2

Sections 243–244

Yes-no questions containing words like any, ever, yet are neutral, while words like some, sometimes, already suggest a positive bias.

Questions in statement form with rising intonation have a positive or a negative bias depending on the absence or presence of a negative element.

Task ***

Form acceptable and fully explicit questions suggesting a neutral attitude (NEU), or a positive (POS) or negative (NEG) bias to match the following answers.

Example:

A: Yes, they’ve all been locked already. (NEU)

Q: Have all the gates/doors been locked yet?

1.Yes, some of them are unsuitable for such a job. (POS)

2.No, we didn’t see any of them at all. (NEU)

3.No, it won’t make much difference. (NEG)

4.Yes, they have been successful sometimes. (NEU)

5.No, none of them are being taken care of. (NEU)

6.No, not many people knew about it. (NEG)

7.Yes, we had already met all of them. (POS)

8.Yes, I’ve written to some of them. (NEU)

9.Yes, they definitely do protest sometimes. (POS)

10.No, there is no one on earth who can. (NEG)

11.No, it’s going to get a lot worse. (NEG)

12.Yes, it could make a big difference for some of them. (POS)

13.3. Questions and answers 3

Sections 245–248; 612; 684

Special types of question:

•Tag questions are shortened yes-no questions consisting of an operator and a subject pronoun. They are added to the end of statements to ask for confirmation. If the statement is positive, the tag question is negative, and vice versa.

Yes-no questions with a negative form have a mixture of positive and negative bias and express surprise.

•If there are two wh-elements in a sentence, one of them is moved to the front or the two are coordinated.

•Questions can be made more polite by adding please or by using an introductory formula.

Task one *

Add question tags to the following statements, using contracted forms.

1.Kenny is being very naughty again.

2.Several dozen men didn’t turn up for work.

3.You can’t drive a lorry at all.

4.In some countries people eat horse meat.

5.It will take a long time before the situation is back to normal.

6.English spelling isn’t going to be changed.

7.There have been more reports of incidents near the border.

8.Speed limits should be reduced still further in some areas.

9.Deborah loves one of our local celebrities.

10.Some prisoners have never committed a crime.

11.These bigots are extremely hard to convince.

12.The police wouldn’t intimidate such young offenders.

Task two ***

Form question sentences with two wh-elements to match the following answers.

Examples:

A: It happened in an underground car park shortly after midnight.

Q: Where and when did the shooting happen?

A: Larry was accusing Fred and Jim was accusing Tony.

Q:Who was accusing who(m)?

1.Carol wants to visit an exhibition, and Joyce wants to visit an arts and crafts centre.

2.We gave it away to the neighbours, because they hadn’t got one yet.

3.Tim is flying to Honolulu, Ted is sailing to Madeira and Tony is hitchhiking to Turkey.

4.I killed it with a spade, early this morning.

5.She ordered six of them for tomorrow and ten for next Sunday.

6.This is Mr Cheng, over there is Mrs Udolpho, and the third person is Tracy, our secretary.

7.I’ve put the letters on your desk and the photos on the dresser.

8.Paul was driving 80 and Ralph 90 miles per hour.

9.It is going to take place in Singapore next summer.

10.The football fans stayed on to watch the game while the hooligans stayed on to pick a fight.

13.4. Responses

Sections 249–252; 22–23

Responses to statements:

•In conversation we often make a response to a statement to express interest, surprise, pleasure, etc. Many of these responses are ‘backchannels’ like Yes, Yeah, Mm, Really?, That’s right.

•In informal English, shortened wh-questions can be used as responses to statements (a) when the hearer wants more information or (b) when it is not clear, in some respect, what the speaker says.

Yes-no echo questions are used as requests for repetition when the information given by the speaker was surprising or not fully audible. Either all or part of the statement can be echoed. In wh-echo questions one specific element of the statement is singled out for further clarification.

•General requests for repetition include expressions like Pardon?, Excuse me?, etc. and more complete sentences asking the speaker to repeat the original statement.

Task one **

Complete the following conversation by adding a variety of ‘backchannels’, using each one of them only once.

Dad:

Tom, I’m not too pleased with the way you’ve been behaving lately.

Tom:

Dad:

Professor Crawford tells me you’re not turning up for some of his lectures …

Tom:

Dad:

… especially those taught in the morning.

Tom:

Dad:

Look, son, there’s nothing wrong with going to bars and discos from time to time.

Tom:

Dad:

I did that too when I was your age …

Tom:

Dad:

… but I knew when to stop.

Tom:

Dad:

I belonged to a different generation, of course.

Tom:

Dad:

Some of us would even go to lectures with a bad hangover.

Tom:

Dad:

Look, you’ve got enough talent to get a good degree …

Tom:

Dad:

… and you would probably want to keep your monthly allowance, I suppose.

Tom:

Task two **

Add to each of the following statements a shortened wh-question asking for more information (relating to the point in brackets) followed by an appropriate answer.

Example:

A: Would you give me that book, please. (specification)

B: What/Which book?/Which one?

A: That novel by V.S Naipaul over there / on your desk.

1.Ian is studying chemistry and physics. (place)

2.Charles insisted on having a word with me. (topic)

3.I’ve received angry letters from our main customer. (number)

4.We don’t want to emigrate to New Zealand any more. (reason)

5.One of the missing children was spotted near a cliff edge. (time)

6.Two flights have been cancelled. (specification)

7.I went to the movies in those days. (frequency)

8.The circus artist had been in a coma. (duration)

9.I’ll try to make it up with Caroline. (manner)

10.Put the stuff into our garage, will you? (specification)

11.The victim had been knocked down. (instrument)

12.I’ve bought a pearl necklace. (recipient)

Task three **

Respond to each of the following statements with

(a)

a wh-echo question focusing on the underlined part, using two types of word order where possible.

(b)

a yes-no echo question in all other cases, using both a complete and a shortened version.

Examples:

I lost one of my contact lenses this morning.

What did you lose? / You lost what?

Would you give me a screwdriver, please.

Give you a screwdriver? / A screwdriver?

1.I lost a finger when I was a child.

2.Johnny Reckless considers himself an excellent driver.

3.Martin should have his head examined.

4.A sister of mine became a pavement artist.

5.I spent two months in Kuala Lumpur.

6.We’re going to buy a speedboat next summer.

7.Mr Clay earned half a million dollars last year.

8.I admire body builders for their big muscles.

9.Aunt Rachel was born in 1910.

10.The government wants to privatize the prison system.

11.Brother Francis is a specialist in medieval manuscripts.

12.The two youngsters killed the hamsters for fun.

13.5. Omission of information

Sections 253–255

Information which is already obvious from the preceding context is often omitted, so that many responses lack the structure of a complete sentence.

The situation outside language may also make certain information unnecessary, giving rise to brief incomplete or formulaic utterances (short commands, questions, public notices, headings, etc.).

In casual speech, sentence-initial elements like pronoun subjects and/or auxiliaries are often omitted.

Task one ***

Respond to the following statements in an appropriate way by using sentences in which some of the information is omitted, taking into account the general feeling indicated in brackets. Do not use the same response twice.

Examples:

Rita:

“Most young kids need to be re-educated, I think.”

Steve:

(surprise) ⇒ “What a strange thing to say!”

Rita:

“And computers should be banned from primary schools.”

Steve:

(strong disagreement) ⇒ “Rubbish.”

Andy:

There’s too much crime on our streets these days.

Bill:

(complete agreement)

Andy:

So many burglars and robbers that aren’t caught any more, let alone big criminals.

Bill:

(partial agreement)

Andy:

Well, if I had my way, I’d even put petty thieves behind bars … for years.

Bill:

(disagreement)

Andy:

I think the worst offenders should have their hands chopped off.

Bill:

(indignation)

Andy:

Sorry, I got carried away a bit … There’s this new thing, of course, electronic tagging.

Bill:

(enthusiasm)

Andy:

But the problem is that some of these convicts are experts in electronics.

Bill:

(surprise)

Andy:

The cleverest of the bad boys – and girls – could start tampering with the devices.

Bill:

(reluctant agreement)

Andy:

So I’m all for prisons and, as for overcrowding, there’s the alternative of using convict ships.

Bill:

(scepticism)

Andy:

And as soon as we’ve run out of ships, we can send our excess of prisoners to Australia …

Bill:

(disbelief)

Andy:

… or, better still, to the Antarctic.

Bill:

(scorn)

Task two **

Use an incomplete sentence or formula to respond appropriately to the situation described by the sentence in brackets.

1.(you are sitting next to someone who is driving much too fast:)

2.(your guest might like another helping of pudding:)

3.(someone has just played a very dirty trick on you:)

4.(you want your colleague to join you for a drink in a nearby bar:)

5.(your partner has said something that doesn’t make sense at all:)

6.(your canoe has overturned and you cannot swim:)

7.(your best friend has won the first prize in a contest:)

8.(blood is suddenly trickling down the wall:)

9.(you want the Democrats to win the election:)

10.(you’ve just trodden on someone’s toes:)

11.(you didn’t quite catch what your interlocutor was saying:)

12.(you’re pushing people out of the way while heading for the exit:)

13.6. Reported statements

Sections 256–258

Speech can be reported directly or indirectly. When the reporting verb is in the past tense the following changes are normally made in converting direct into indirect speech:

•present tense forms become past tense forms

•1st and 2nd person pronouns and determiners become 3rd person pronouns

•pointer words like this, now, here, etc. are replaced by that, then, there, etc.

Past perfect verbs and some modal auxiliaries do not change. The present tense can be left unchanged if the reported clause refers to something still applying to the time of reporting.

Task one **

Convert the following reported statements from direct into indirect speech.

Example:

“I’m seeing my boss next week and will ask him for a pay rise,” Alice said.

Alice said that she was seeing her boss the next week and would ask him for a pay rise.

1.Edith said: “I’m leaving for Thailand this evening.”

2.A spokesman declared: “Two suspects were caught by the police yesterday.”

3.Helen confided to her friends: “I don’t want to stay here for the rest of my life.”

4.“There will also be widespread frost tomorrow”, the weatherman added.

5.“I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since last weekend”, claimed the drunken driver.

6.“You can’t imagine what the situation was like two years ago”, the chairman told his audience.

7.“I refuse to reveal the truth now because I’m being blackmailed”, Tom replied to the detective.

8.“If you lend me your sportscar for a day or two, I’ll invite you to my party”, Susan promised Mark.

9.“We hadn’t realized you were taking care of these problems”, the old couple explained to the social worker.

10.“The United Nations must become more active”, the Secretary-General emphasized, “if the organization is to keep its credibility.”

11.“You may be in pain for a few days”, the doctor warned his patient, “but you will definitely feel better by the end of this week.”

12.“It’s regrettable”, the principal told the parents, “that children watch so many violent programmes on TV these days.”

Task two ***

(a)

Underline any reporting clauses and equivalent expressions in the following text.

(b)

Rewrite the text by giving all the reporting clauses front position or adding such a clause to sentences that do not have one. While doing so, shift all of the text into the past.

Example:

According to reliable sources new measures may be introduced to deal with these problems.

Reliable sources said / told us / pointed out that new measures might be introduced to deal with these/those problems.

CARE CUTS PUT OAPS’ ‘LIVES AT RISK’

The government is putting the lives of elderly people at risk and is jeopardizing its own plans to reform the health service, according to a report published on Thursday, 31 January 2002.

It says residential care and support in people’s own homes is being rationed and more than a million old people are suffering as a result.

A spokesperson stresses that the report was compiled by 21 organizations, including Help the Aged, Age Concern and the Alzheimer’s Society.

It suggests that, while the National Health Service might grab the headlines and the lion share of resources, social care is in crisis.

There are more old people than ever, yet the number receiving support in their own homes is actually falling with only the most needy qualifying for help, the document says.

Some 35,000 residential care beds have been lost in the past three years, it adds.

The organizations claim that many elderly people do not receive the help they need with washing, dressing and other forms of personal care.

Others have to wait, sometimes in NHS hospital beds, because they cannot be discharged anywhere else.

Ministers acknowledge that funding for social care has not kept up with the health service.

The report suggests that, without substantial investment, the problems in this area could jeopardize attempts to modernize the NHS.

(slightly adapted from www.bbc.co.uk, 31 January 2002)

13.7. Indirect questions

Sections 259–260; 681

Indirect yes-no questions are introduced by if or whether, the yes-no type of alternative questions by whether … or, indirect wh-questions by a wh-word.

The rules for changing direct into indirect questions are similar to those for statements. The reported interrogative clause can also be a to-infinitive clause beginning with a wh-word.

Task **

Convert the following reported questions from direct into indirect speech, reversing the clause order in 5–12. Give two versions for 11–12, using a finite and a non-finite reported clause each time.

Example:

“When did all the trouble start and when will it end?” I asked her.

I asked her when all the trouble had started and when it would end.

1.Margaret suddenly asked her roommate: “Are you right-handed or left-handed?”

2.The consultant asked the personnel manager: “Which of these candidates do you prefer?”

3.Mr Patten kept wondering: “Why can’t the council put off the meeting until tomorrow?”

4.The talk show host asked the superstar: “Have you ever suffered from stage fright?”

5.“What caused the car crash on the railway bridge two days ago?”, the insurance man asked.

6.“May I give the patient two pills instead of one?”, the nurse wanted to know.

7.“Where exactly do you store the yoghurt?”, the inquisitive woman asked the shop assistant.

8.“Did parents teach their children good manners in the 1970s?”, the 10-year-old wondered.

9.“Which platform does the number 17 bus leave from?”, I wanted to know.

10.“Will the foreign delegations start arriving this afternoon?”, the PR woman inquired.

11.The learner driver asked the instructor: “How should I reverse the car?”

12.“Shall I send a card or a bunch of flowers?”, I wondered.

13.8. Denial and affirmation 1

Sections 261–262; 581–585; 610–611; 697–699

The truth of something can be denied by using a negative sentence containing one of the negative items not, no, nowhere, nothing, etc. The element not, or its contracted form n’t, is put immediately after the operator. When there is no operator the auxiliary do is introduced as operator.

The part of a sentence which follows the negative word is the scope of the negation, i.e. the part which is negated. A final adverbial may or may not be in the scope of negation. Inside the scope of negation are words like any, yet, ever. Outside of it are words like some, already, sometimes.

Negative determiners and pronouns are often replaceable by not/n’t … any. Other negative words can often be replaced in similar ways.

Task one *

Deny the truth of the following sentences in a formal and at least one informal way.

Example:

We are going to the theatre tonight.

We are not going to the theatre tonight.

We aren’t going to the theatre tonight. / We’re not going to the theatre tonight.

1.I have been here before.

2.We will be running out of money shortly.

3.Charles teaches English to Asian immigrants.

4.We had received an invitation from the local council.

5.Some people like watching soap operas.

6.I would buy a holiday cottage if I were you.

7.Jessica is being stalked by her ex-boyfriend.

8.Bill has been listening to the concert.

9.David struck me as a very dedicated young man.

10.They built a new tunnel to link the two islands.

11.I shall see the leading actress after the performance.

12.Our gardener cut down the big chestnut trees.

Task two **

Paraphrase the following pairs of sentences to bring out the difference in meaning.

Example:

a. Peter definitely hasn’t taken the job.

b. Peter hasn’t definitely taken the job.

a. It’s definite that he hasn’t taken the job.

b. It’s not definite that he has taken the job.

1 a.I truly can’t believe what happened last night.

b.I can’t truly believe what happened last night.

2 a.Jim particularly doesn’t like his mother-in-law’s fruitcakes.

b.Jim doesn’t particularly like his mother-in-law’s fruitcakes.

3 a.Smoking clearly isn’t forbidden in this canteen.

b.Smoking isn’t clearly forbidden in this canteen.

4 a.Frank really doesn’t know why Paula is so upset.

b.Frank doesn’t really know why Paula is so upset.

5 a.We possibly couldn’t come tomorrow.

b.We couldn’t possibly come tomorrow.

Task three ***

Explain the ambiguity in each of the following sentences by paraphrasing the two meanings and referring to the scope of ‘not’.

Example:

The suspect wasn’t seen near the scene of the crime.

(a) The suspect was (probably) not seen anywhere else either.
(scope of ‘not’: ‘seen’)

(b) The suspect was seen somewhere else.
(scope of ‘not’: ‘seen near the scene of the crime’)

1.The applicants were not interviewed by the human resources officer.

2.I haven’t discussed the children’s future with my wife.

3.The opposition is not going to stage a demonstration next week.

4.I didn’t offend Patricia by telling her she looked a bit under the weather.

5.I don’t vote for the New Democrats to please my dad.

6.The patient didn’t suffer any pain while she was in hospital.

7.The local party leader was not re-elected as a result of a smear campaign.

8.Monica didn’t get injured when she collided with the van.

9.I haven’t been able to contact Jack on my mobile phone.

10.I didn’t want to see Sylvia because I felt depressed.

Task four ***

(a)

Decide whether the underlined word is inside OR outside the scope of not / n’t.

(b)

Paraphrase the sentences without changing their meaning.

1.I haven’t seen some of the famous Walt Disney films.

2.Alice hasn’t visited the Taj Mahal yet.

3.We hadn’t ever been notified of the health risks involved.

4.Young Mr Plimsoll doesn’t sometimes attend Professor Barnaby’s lectures.

5.There wasn’t anybody around to show me the way to the boardroom.

6.Look, it’s not as if we didn’t already have enough problems.

7.The problem with Terry is that he will not sometimes listen to what I’m saying.

8.The suspect said he hadn’t got anything to do with the recent spate of burglaries.

9.There isn’t yet a sign that relations between the two countries are improving.

10.This untalented and boorish ‘artist’ shouldn’t ever be allowed in here again.

11.We haven’t seen some of the applicants yet.

12.The relief bus can’t already have arrived to pick up any of the stranded passengers.

Task five **

Complete the following text by adding one of the following negative words:

few

little

neither

never

no

nobody

none

nor

nothing

nowhere

rarely

scarcely

As I was looking for the fruit juice this morning, I found there was __________ any left in the refrigerator. I wondered why there was so __________ of it so early in the week, but __________ Pam __________ Ruth could give a reasonable explanation. “Well,” I sighed, “I suppose there’s __________ to be done about it.”

Going back to the refrigerator, I also found that there were very _________ oranges left. And as for grapefruits, there were __________ whatsoever. This was something that had __________ happened before. I was about to ask Pam and Ruth again, but they were __________ to be seen any more. As I had __________ to turn to now, I saw __________ option but to hurry to the shop around the corner. __________ had I felt so let down by my two roommates, sending me off to the grocer’s on an empty stomach like this.

Task six **

When you have completed the above text, try to express negation in an alternative way by using synonymous phrases where possible.

Example:

I have nowhere to go these days.

I don’t have anywhere to go these days.

13.9. Denial and affirmation 2

Section 263; 586–587

•Occasionally a negative word only applies its meaning to a phrase or part of a phrase elsewhere in the sentence.

•Non-finite clauses are made negative by placing not before the verb phrase.

•With main clause verbs like believe, suppose and think the element not can be transferred from the subclause to the main clause.

Task one ***

Replace the underlined phrases with alternative expressions requiring the use of no or not, keeping the meaning (more or less) intact.

Example:

Donald is only moderately gifted.

Donald is not particularly / not especially gifted.

1.Lack of news is good news.

2.Hubert gave me a rather unconvincing reply.

3.Only some of the students disliked their history teacher.

4.It is quite usual for tribespeople to behave in this extraordinary way.

5.A rather important detail was overlooked by all those present.

6.Beatrice did sell her caravan, but with some regret.

7.Most observers agreed that the workers’ demands were quite reasonable.

8.The absence of electricity means that people have to live in primitive circumstances.

9.In spite of everything, some of these deprived children are happy.

10.The President will visit South Korea in the relatively near future.

11.Dyslexia in children quite frequently goes unrecognized for years.

12.We can put off the scheme for some time, but there is a limit.

Task two **

Replace the underlined part with an infinitive OR an -ing clause, keeping the meaning intact.

1.I tiptoed through the room so that I wouldn’t wake up the sleeping toddler.

2.As I couldn’t tell the difference between the twins, I asked them both to wear name tags.

3.The ideal solution would be if drivers didn’t think of their vehicles as race cars.

4.The fact that you aren’t rich doesn’t necessarily mean that you are unhappy.

5.Mr Templar was the only person who didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol.

6.Laura was livid with rage as she hadn’t been invited to the wedding party.

7.The instructor began by telling us how we should not respond in an emergency situation.

8.One student objected to the fact that he didn’t have access to the Internet.

9.Most observers expect there won’t be too many problems.

10.As I didn’t know where to go, I simply decided to stay at home.

Task three **

Transfer the negative element to the main clause in the sentences making up the following dialogue.

Amy:

Boris, I think I won’t be coming to your party after all.

Boris:

No problem. I suppose nobody will miss you.

Amy:

What a rude thing to say! I believe you don’t realize how badly some of your guests behaved last month.

Boris:

Well, I expect that bunch of lager louts won’t show up this time. They haven’t been invited.

Amy:

Oh, good. You see, I thought I would have no chance at all of enjoying myself with them around.

Boris:

Look, I’m sorry about what I said. I suppose you wouldn’t be willing to change your mind?

Amy:

Hmm. I feel I shouldn’t give in too easily. I can be very stubborn, you know.

Boris:

Yes, I do know that. Still, I would expect you not to be too stubborn, just for my sake.

Amy:

Turning on the old charm again? OK, you win. I think I shouldn’t make you feel miserable for the rest of your life.

Boris:

Great! I believed I could never win you over. Thanks for proving me wrong.

13.10. Denial and affirmation 3

Sections 264–269; 611–612

To emphasize the positive meaning of a sentence or to deny what someone has suggested or supposed, the intonation nucleus is put on the operator. When the negative is not contracted, the nucleus falls on not.

Shortened forms can be used to affirm a question or statement or to deny a statement.

The construction not/n’t … but is used to deny one idea and to affirm another, contrasting, idea.

Task one **

Respond to the following sentences by denying them. Use complete sentences, indicating the intonation-nucleus.

Example:

The postal workers have decided to go on strike, I hear.

They haven’t decided to go on strike (they still have to vote on it).

1.There won’t be an inquiry into the railway disaster then?

2.So the new stadium isn’t going to be built after all?

3.Where did you buy that garden swing?

4.What a shame your visitors arrived so late!

5.You can’t lend a hand with these heavy cases, I suppose.

6.Surely this organization has secret funds somewhere?

7.Why do you keep refusing to learn a foreign language?

8.Teachers shouldn’t get upset when children skip classes, I would think.

9.This great innovator deserves special praise, surely?

10.I wonder when Jane and Dick are coming over for their annual holiday.

11.Clearly, your sister doesn’t want to see me any more now.

12.Tell me, why hasn’t anyone called an ambulance?

Task two **

Complete the following dialogue by adding short affirmations (A) or short denials (D).

Lynn:

Mark, are YOU interested in history?

Mark:

(D) …………………………………., I think it’s extremely boring.

Lynn:

You are not being serious.

Mark:

(D) ………………………… People should be interested in the future, not in the past.

Lynn:

I hope you understand that SOME people take an interest in the past.

Mark:

(A) ………………………., it’s just that I’ve always disliked the subject.

Lynn:

You probably had teachers who insisted on students remembering lots of dates.

Mark:

(D) ………………………. as a matter of fact. One of them even got the dates wrong himself.

Lynn:

Well, he can’t have been fully qualified for the job.

Mark:

(A) ………………………… He told us one day that Napoleon had died in 1812.

Lynn:

Oh, he should have said 1821, of course.

Mark:

(A) ……………………….. And he claimed that the Battle of Waterloo had taken place in 1805.

Lynn:

That was an even more stupid thing to say.

Mark:

(A) ………………………… So I became convinced that history was a subject for nerds.

Lynn:

And you didn’t want to become a nerd yourself.

Mark:

(A) ………………………… That’s why I started reading science fiction novels instead. They are very interesting books indeed.

Lynn:

(D) ……………………….. Nothing’s more boring than sci-fi. Anyway, librarians will take such unscientific books off the shelves in the years to come.

Mark:

(D) ……………………… Some of those books are works of literature. You’ve never read Wells, Huxley … Orwell, I suppose.

Lynn:

(D) ………………………

Mark:

Well, there you are! We seem to agree at last.

Task three **

Complete each of the following sentences by adding another, contrasting idea.

1.Geoffrey isn’t particularly gifted, but …

2.I don’t earn a fortune, but …

3.This country may not be a model democracy, but …

4.The tropics don’t really appeal to me, but …

5.Melissa shouldn’t be suspended from school, but …

6.We couldn’t find the ticket office, but …

7.I didn’t sell my film script to the national broadcasting company, but …

8.This article deals not with the collapse of communism, but …

9.Our secretary DOESN’T speak foreign languages, but …

10.The suspect DIDN’T plant the bomb, but …