Exercise 1: Subjunctive - Add one of these common phrases to each of the sentences.

come what may - suffice it to say - be that as it may - God forbid - so be it - far be it from me

1 If, ____________, you were to die, who'd run the business?

2 I don't want to explain it. __________. Aunt Sarah is coming to stay after
3 If you really want to drop out of college, __________________ .
4 ______________ , I'm then determined to finish decorating my room this weekend.
5 ________________ to tell you what to do, but you’d be mad to marry him.
6 “This medicine tastes horrible!” - “_______________, it will cure your cough.”

Exercise 2: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use
only ONE word in each space.

If you (1) ... ever to sit down and work out the chances of your never having been born, you
might (2) ... yourself thinking that the fact you are here at all is nothing short of a miracle. You
start asking questions along the lines of 'What (3) ... such and such (4) ... happened?' or What
(5) ... have been the consequence if my great grandfather (6) ... to have carried out his threat of
emigrating to Canada in 1893?'. Of course, (7) ... you be tempted by this slightly pointless
exercise, you will soon find that your existence depends on an almost infinite series of
coincidences. What prompted these musings?
(8) ... it to say my father recently gave me a small lump of jagged metal and (9) ... me a brief
explanation of its significance. My grandfather had fought in the First World War and was
wounded many times. This tiny lump of metal was a piece of shrapnel that (10) ... entered his
neck just below one ear and been dug out by surgeons just below the other ear. (11) ... its path
(12) ... a mere fraction of a millimetre to either the right or the left, he would have been (13) ...
outright. Which in turn would mean that my father would (14) ... have been born. Nor,
obviously, me. It serves as a reminder that we (15) ... all count our blessings occasionally.

Exercise 3: Complete the text using one word in each gap.

Neighbours and noise
Do you ever wish that your neighbours (0) would tum down their music? Perhaps you're trying
to sleep and you wish that the people next-door (1) ... not holding an all-night barbecue party in
their garden. Or do you feel it is (2) ... you moved to an uninhabited island? Don't worry - you
are just another victim of noise pollution. Of course, most people would prefer (3) ... if cars
(4) ... no noise at all, neighbours (5) ... as quiet as mice and nobody (6) ... about the streets in
cars with open windows and high-powered sound systems. You may even wish you (7) ... stop
children from playing in the street, or planes from passing overhead. But in the end, if I (8) ...
you, I (9) ... just get used to it. Close the windows, buy some earplugs, laugh and turn up your

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own stereo. Just act (10) ... if the noise (11) ... simply not there! Who knows, perhaps it will go
away!

Exercise 4: Choose the correct option, A, B or C, to complete the sentence.

1 Why don't you use the Internet? If you had looked up the information on the net,
you ...
A would know the answer B knew the answer C will know the answer
2 If Alice ... a cycle helmet, she might have been seriously injured.
A wasn’t wearing B hadn’t been wearing C isn’t wearing
3 If there wasn't any water on the Earth, life ... .
A wouldn’t have begun B will not begin C wouldn’t begin
4 Luckily I checked my diary. If I ... that, I would have completely forgotten her
birthday.
A hadn’t done B didn’t do C would do
5 You don’t believe in yourself. That’s why you failed your driving test. If you were
more self-confident, I'm sure you ... .
A passed B would have passed C will pass
6 If you travelled to the Sun at the speed of light, you ... there in about eight and a
half minutes.
A arrive B would have arrived C would arrive
7 If you're thinking of having a sun-and-sea holiday, ... yourself from the sun.
A you have protected B you should protect C you will protect
8 You can start looking at the next unit if you ... Exercise 5.
A would have finished B finished C have finished
9 It’s a lot quicker going by train than by car. And even if you ... by car, it's
impossible to find anywhere to park.
A went B had gone C go
10 If we ... an extra hour every day, we could finish the project a week early.
A work B have worked C had worked

Exercise 5: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between
THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given.
1 I can't understand a word of what she says.
TAIL

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 I can't ______________________ she says.
2 'I was nowhere near the scene of the crime,' said the accused man.
DENIED
The accused man ______________________________the scene of the crime.
3 'I'd prefer it if you didn't smoke in the office,' the manager said to us.
REFRAIN
The boss politely_________________________________ in the office.
4 They say that at one point he was spying for four different countries.
RUMOURED
He _____________________________ for four different countries at one point.
5 The police think that several people helped the robbers escape.
SUSPECTED
Several people _____________________ the robbers escape.
6 'It makes no difference to me whether you come or not,' she said to us.
WENT
She claimed that whether____________________________ importance to her.
7 'I'd like you all to know that I'm not thinking of resigning,' said the president.
KNOWN
The president wanted _________________________ from his thoughts.

Exercise 6: Use the words to the right of the gap to form one word that fits in the same
numbered space in the text.
Traffic congestion is now a problem in practically every major city in the world but nobody has
yet found a workable (0) solution (SOLVE) to the seemingly inevitable chaos. A metro system
is sadly (1) ... (PRACTICE) in most cities for geographical reasons. Tram systems are (2) ...
(WORK) in old cities where narrow, winding streets make the installation of overhead cables a
practical (3) ... (POSSIBLE). Many local governments find the business of coaxing people into
buses and (4) ... (COURAGE) them from using their cars easier said than done. And yet it is
(5) ... (CONCEIVE) that the situation should be allowed to remain as it is. The arguments in
favour of direct action are now (6) ... (REFUTE) if we are ever to prevent (7) ... (PRECEDE)
levels of pollution and economic chaos.

It is astonishing how many people set off to climb Mount Olympus in completely (8) ... (SUIT)
clothing. The weather conditions on the mountain are notoriously (9) ... (PREDICT) but people
are fooled into thinking that just because the bottom is sunny, the summit will be (10) ...
(SIMILAR) warm and bright. Nothing could be further from the truth. Bearing in mind that (11)
‘... (WARN) is forearmed’, consult the local climbing club about likely conditions before setting

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off. Such local knowledge can be absolutely (12) ... (VALUE) and you would, to put it mildly,
be extremely (13) ... (ADVISE) to ignore it. Whatever the likely weather, a good pair of boots is
(14) ... (DISPENSE) as is some form of waterproof. And it is a steep climb so it goes without
saying that a reasonable level of (15) ... (FIT) is essential.

Exercise 7: Underline the correct word or phrase in each sentence.

1 Jim completely fell for my joke/story.
2 The conversation/meeting didn't break up until late.
3 It seems that we've come up against rather a tricky idea/problem.
4 It must be getting on for six o'clock/extremely well.
5 The witness's evidence bore out what Peter had said/as Peter said.
6 I really should get down to my homework/the weather.
7 Unfortunately my plan/suggestion didn't quite come off.
8 Mary's new novel doesn't come up to her usual expectation/standard.
9 Last night I dropped off at 11.30/from 11.30 until 7.00 this morning,
10 When David started speaking everyone fell about in laughter/laughing.

Exercise 8: Put one suitable word in each space.

1 When I give an order, I expect it to be carried ... .
2 Getting up so early really gets me ... .
3 It was a good idea, but I'm afraid it didn't quite ... off.
4 I'm afraid that your story doesn't really ... up.
5 I was so surprised when Harry got the job, I couldn't ... over it.
6 Terry's new book ... out next week.
7 Someone was ... after you in the club yesterday.
8 I tried to get an early night, but just as I was ... off the phone rang,
9 Neil was too embarrassed to ... up the question of who would pay.
10 The police didn't __________up Bill's complaint about his neighbours.

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