Exercises in Modern English Grammar - ESL Teachers Board

— a whisky, fish — a fish, fruit — a fruit.
Ex. 42. Use the correct form of the verb.
1. The class (has/have) its final test on Friday. 2. The class (is/are) working on their individual
projects today. 3. The crew (was/were) asleep in their bunks. 4. The committee (is/are) ready to
make the programme public. 5. The family (is/are) fighting among themselves constantly. 6. The
fish in the aquarium (is/are) waiting for their daily feeding. 7. The press (was/were) requested to
show their credentials to the guard. 8. The Portuguese (is/are) fortunate to have such a beautiful
coastline. 9. The criteria for promotion (is/are) clearly stated. 10. Supernatural phenomena
(is/are) of great interest to many people. 11. My family (live/lives) in a private house. 12. My
family (is/are) early birds. 13. The police (think/thinks) it's the Mafia's doing. 14. What (is/are)
the contents of the note? 15. There (was/were) many fish in this river some twenty years ago.
16. The police (was/ were) thorough in their examination of the murder site.
Ex. 43. Read the text and comment on the nouns in bold type.
Emma's shop was heavily stocked, and she anticipated a brisk business in the next few days.
This was her third Christmas in the shop, and she was convinced she would have a lot of
customers, both her regulars and new ones. Emma gave the shop a final glance, her eyes
critically seeking out the tiniest imperfection. Not one was visible. The innumerable shelves,
running around the walls and soaring up to the ceiling, held tins of ham, pork, and game, great
black-and-gold canisters of varied teas, French glazed fruits, marzipan fruits from Germany,
and her own bottled fruits, vegetables, and jams. Ranged below were jars of candied peel,
glazed cherries, mincemeat, and cranberry and apple sauces for the Christmas turkeys and
geese. Three huge barrels, to the right of the side counter, were filled to overflowing with nuts,
apples, and oranges for the children's traditional Christmas stockings, and the faint aroma of
fruit wafted sweetly on the air to blend with the mingled scents of the pungent herbs and spices
from the Indies, the fragrance of the newly baked confectionery, and the mouth-watering smells
of cheeses and cooked meats. Oh, how she loved her shop! Here she was secure, far away
from the Fairleys and protected from them. She thought, too, and with enormous pleasure, of
the forthcoming sales and her spiralling profits, and her face immediately broke into a smile.
(after B. Bradford)
Ex. 44. Translate into English.
I. Мысленным взглядом Эрик вновь увидел родительский дом, который стоял на берегу
реки. 2. Ферма старого Макдональда была подобна раю. Мы увидели много рыб,
плавающих в пруду, кудрявых овечек, лежащих под огромными дубами. 3. — Какие
великолепные часы! — Да, это Ролекс. 4. Сорок пенсов — не такие уж большие деньги. 5.
Можешь вволю наслаждаться едой и напитками. Это не будет тебе стоить и пенни. 6. Я
знаю его очень, очень давно и должна сказать, что он далеко не дурак. 7. Эти новости
меня не удивляют. Я ожидал их. 8. Это феномен, это совершенно необъяснимая вещь! 9.
Перестаньте спорить, хотя бы приличия ради. 10. Жюри было не в состоянии вынести
решение. 11. Ума не приложу как выйти из этой сложной ситуации. 12. Давай заглянем в
кондитерскую и перекусим. 13. От дома Майкла до госпиталя Святого Томаса рукой
подать. 14. Агент был на волосок от провала. 15. Я должна просмотреть банк данных и
вывести сведения по этому делу. Они нужны начальнику. 16. Полиция прочесывает (to
comb) город в поисках грабителей. 17. Почему полиция не принимает эффективных мер
против преступности? 18. Музей купил потрясающую картину на аукционе Сотбис — Дега.
19. Музей Шерлока Холмса находится в Лондоне на Бейкер-стрит. 20. Он написал книгу о
сегодняшней Британии.
Chapter II.
THE ARTICLE
Ex. 45. Use the necessary form of the indefinite article (a or an).
... academy, ... album, ... bright album, ... actor, ... great actress, ... arch, ... marble arch, ...
chance, ... unlucky chance, ... dove, ... ear, ... elf, ... tiny elf, ... horse, ... hour, ... long hour, ...
institute, ... lemon, ... mill, ... obelisk, ... opera, ... Italian opera, ... owl, ... paper, ... rabbit, ...
quarter, ... train, ... wing, ... voyage, ... year.