c1 Common Mistakes
c1 Common Mistakes
c1 Common Mistakes
We use the simple aspect of tenses for actions which we think are:
finished: Ive done my homework. (the homework is finished)
permanent: Ive lived in England for 10 years. Ive worked for this company for most
of that time. (I think I will remain in England and continue to work for the same
company)
We use the continuous aspect of tenses for actions which we think are:
unfinished or in progress: Ive been doing my homework. (it isnt finished yet)
temporary: Ive been living in England for six months. Ive been working as an au
pair. (I think I will leave England one day my job is temporary)
We use past perfect tenses to connect two past actions, and past perfect continuous
when one event interrupts another:
Id been waiting for twenty minutes when the bus arrived.
The simple or continuous aspect applies across the entire tense system.
3 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
1 I ......................................... (live) here all my life and never want to leave.
2 I ......................................... (attend) a beginners class in Spanish for six weeks.
3 We ......................................... (drive) for hours when we spotted the hotel.
4 I ......................................... (take) the train for a long time. I prefer to drive.
5 Mr Georgiou ......................................... (work) for the company for twenty years when
he retired.
6 The city I grew up in ......................................... (changed) so much, I hardly recognise it
any more.
7 I ......................................... (work) in an office for the past month, but my profession is
acting.
8 She ......................................... (always / take) good care of her finances.
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We use active forms of perfect tenses (had / has + past participle) to describe a
situation which has changed:
Its really stormy the roof has blown off!
We use passive forms of perfect tenses (has / had been + past participle) to describe
something which happened in the past and has a clear effect on the present:
The effect of diet on health has been proved.
We use active forms of perfect tenses to describe a situation which has changed by
itself. We use passive forms when the situation has been changed by someone or
something in particular. Compare:
Attitudes to religion have changed.
His attitude to life has been changed by the accident.
We use the present perfect for activities which have a clear effect on the present. For
finished activities with no connection to the present, use the past simple. Compare:
Last weeks football match was cancelled. (we are thinking of the past)
Todays football match has been cancelled. (we are thinking of the present there is no
match today)
3 Give or have?
1 Tick the correct sentence in each pair.
1 a Madonna gave an excellent performance.
b Madonna had an excellent performance.
2 a Television can give a great effect on the family.
b Television can have a great effect on the family.
We use give to form collocations with certain nouns with an active meaning, i.e. to
deliver:
give a performance / speech / talk: The band gave a great performance.
give information / advice / an example / an explanation:
He gave no explanation for his poor performance.
In more formal speech or writing, we often replace give with other verbs:
give / deliver a speech; give / express an opinion; give / hold a lecture:
The lecture will be held in Room 336.
We use have with certain nouns to form collocations with the sense of ownership:
have a(n) problem / chance / opportunity / experience / career / baby:
If I have a chance, Ill travel.
have an idea / impression / opinion: Do you have an opinion on hunting?
have an advantage / effect / impact:
You have the advantage, Im afraid. My comments had no effect on him.
have a meal / break / appointment / trip: I like to have a light breakfast.
TEST
TEST 1
1 Complete each sentence with a form of give or have and one of the words in the box.
Use each word only once.
2 Complete the dialogue. Put the verbs in brackets in either the present perfect
simple or present perfect continuous tense.
Mark: Anna, I havent seen you since College! What (1) ........................................ (do)?
Anna: Mark! What a surprise! (2) ........................................ (work) in France. And you?
Mark: Well, (3) ........................................ (have) a few jobs abroad, but Im in London
now and (4) ........................................ (teach) at a school in Hampstead for the
past few months.
Anna: Thats great! Do you think youll stay there?
Mark: Hard to say. (5) ........................................ (always / want) to live in the Far East,
and lately (6) ........................................ (think) about applying for work in Hong
Kong.
Anna: (7) ........................................ (hear) its a great place to live. Listen, theres a new
play showing at the Art Centre. (8) ........................................ (see) it?
Mark: Not yet. (9) ........................................ (not / be) out much since I started this new
job. Hey, you and Sarah were good mates. (10) ........................................ (ring) her
yet? Maybe the three of us could go together.
Anna: Good idea. Give me your number
3 Read Marks email to a colleague, Alex. Use the information in it to complete the
minutes. Use an appropriate passive verb for each gap.
Hi Alex
Sorry you werent able to make the staff meeting.
Some good news! We got our exam results this
week and they were much better than last years
10% more of our students got a pass. By the Minutes
way, thereve been a lot of complaints from 1 The Cambridge examination results, which
students about other students arriving late, so
weve decided that teachers should send late (1) ........................................ this week, show
arrivals to the library. What do you think? Finally, a pass result (2) ........................................ by
you know the party that wed scheduled for 10% more students this year than last.
15 Oct weve postponed it to the 22nd.
2 Complaints (3) ........................................ by a
See you soon.
number of students that their classes are
Mark
being disturbed by other students who arrive
late. It (4) ........................................ that
students who arrive more than 10 minutes
late should be sent to the library to work.
3 The date for the mid-term party, which
(5) ........................................ for 15 October,
(6) ........................................ to 22 October.
4 In each line of the text put the verb in brackets in an appropriate perfect tense.
5 Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong.
1 This years trade figures had been announced yesterday. ........................................
2 We spent a wonderful time at the beach yesterday. ........................................
3 Look at the weather! Its rained all day! ........................................
4 I complained about the service and they agreed to have my money back. ........................................
5 Going to war had an impact on the governments popularity. ........................................
6 David Buckingham has announced his retirement from professional sport. ........................................
7 The announcement has been made a short time ago. ........................................
Transitive verbs require an object. Some verbs need two objects to complete their
meaning, an indirect object, which generally comes first, and a direct object:
send / give (someone something):
I gave him the money I owed. / Ive sent you an email.
We can often put the direct object (the thing) first, followed by a preposition:
I gave the money to him. / I sent an email to her. (not I gave to him the money / I
sent to her an email)
Id like ......................................... .
3 Are the sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong.
1 I give to you my word that your secret is safe. .........................................
2 The firm assured Nadia of their complete trust in her ability. .........................................
3 I sent to her a message last week. .........................................
4 Let me give some advice. .........................................
5 Thank you for telling about your stay in Japan. .........................................
6 James told to the police the truth. .........................................
7 He told where he spent Friday night. .........................................
8 The police informed him that he wasnt a suspect. .........................................
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Im afraid ......................................... .
We use provide:
as a general rule, to talk about services which have already happened:
The information you requested is provided in the brochure we sent you.
instead of give in more formal contexts:
They have promised to provide us with a friendly service. (not to give us a friendly
service)
We use offer:
to talk about possible services which someone might choose in the future:
We can offer (you) an excellent discount (if you choose our service).
Of course theres a
place for your son.
In fact, we can give
individual tuition.
3 Complete the sentences below with the correct form of give, offer or provide.
1 We can ......................................... the food if you can supply the entertainment.
2 If you sign the contract today, we can ......................................... a 10% discount.
3 Morning and evening meals are ......................................... as part of the service.
4 Were ......................................... you a better deal than youll find anywhere else.
5 Its our policy to ......................................... clients with the best service possible.
6 For a small surcharge, we ......................................... clients the option of bringing a guest.
7 Ive ......................................... you all the information I have available.
8 Would you ......................................... me the name of your manager, please.
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TEST
TEST 2
1 Underline the most appropriate word.
1 The hotel gives / provides / offers evening entertainment for its guests.
2 The company promises to give / provide / offer meals made from fresh ingredients.
3 Have they given / provided / offered you a discount if you sign today?
4 Would you give / provide / offer me your telephone number?
5 Catering services aim to give / provide / offer good food at low cost.
6 Theyre offering / providing cash prizes to winners of the best competition.
7 Theres no point in further negotiation. These are the best terms I can give /
provide / offer.
8 We are offering / providing you the chance to buy the complete set at half price.
2 Complete Suzannes email by filling in the gaps with an appropriate word where
necessary.
Suzanne Wilson
International Language School
Catering
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3 Is each line in the letter below right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong.
Sometimes there is a word missing, a wrong word or a word which is not needed.
Thank you for your letter inquiring about our catering service. 1 .........................................
Not only can we provide you a full range of services, we can 2 .........................................
offer to you a 10% discount on numbers over 20 if you 3 .........................................
send to us confirmation of your booking within 30 days. We can 4 .........................................
also provide dishes to meet special dietary requirements if you 5 .........................................
inform in advance. I enclose a full price list. We will be happy 6 .........................................
to provide with further information on request. In closing, Id 7 .........................................
like to assure to you of our best intentions. 8 .........................................
4 Rewrite the second sentence, using a form of the word in brackets, so that it means
the same as the first.
1 His doctor made him go on a strict diet. (force)
His doctor ......................................................................................................................................... .
2 His company gave him permission to take unpaid leave from work. (authorise)
His company ................................................................................................................................... .
3 Would you do something for me please? (ask)
Could I .............................................................................................................................................. ?
4 The school decided not to let him take the exam. (allow)
The school decided ....................................................................................................................... .
5 The police didnt allow witnesses to leave the scene of the crime. (prevent)
The police ......................................................................................................................................... .
6 They forced me to sign the document. (make)
They ................................................................................................................................................... .
7 No matter what I do, my computer wont work. (get)
I cant ................................................................................................................................................. .
8 They promised to help me in any way they could. (assure)
They ................................................................................................................................................... .
5 Are the sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong.
1 I could hear music playing in the background. .........................................
2 My parents refused to allow me going out on a school night. .........................................
3 I could smell food cook when I walked through the door. .........................................
4 They dont allow their children staying up past nine oclock. .........................................
5 You havent told why youve come to see me. .........................................
6 Id like to inform you that Ive decided not to attend the course. .........................................
7 The tour bus stopped for an hour to allow passengers going to the shops.
.........................................
8 His health prevents him to work full time. .........................................
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