2019-2020 – Anna Gagiano – UAntwerpen – Toegepaste Taalkunde – BA2 – Semester 1 – English:
Grammar and Proficiency
Exercises with Improve Your Grammar: The essential guide to accurate writing
1) Parts of speech
Exercise 1
Nouns: course, qualification, graduates, positions, variety, professions, details, website, service,
students, answers, queries
Verbs: provides, find, are, operate, can, get
Adjectives: useful, full, available, our, advisory, prospective, clear, their
Adverbs: regularly, quickly
Prepositions: in, of, on, to
Articles: the, a, a, an
Pronouns: we, our, their
Linking words/phrases: and, furthermore, so that
Exercise 2
1g – 2b + e – 3d – 4a – 5c – 6f
2) Parts of a sentence
Exercise 1
b: a main verb is missing with ‘Education’ (the subject). The main verb should be ‘has been’.
Exercise 2
a) Subject: pupils
Main verb: can take
Object: the International Baccalaureate
b) Subject: many people
Main verb: welcomed
Object: them (= comprehensive schools)
c) Subject: private schools
Main verb: offer
Object: scholarships
Exercise 3
a) Students applying for university places have to complete the application process
b) The three categories of state schools during the 1960s were grammar, comprehensive and
secondary modern
c) The overall number of applications for higher education places rose sharply
Exercise 4
a) Three
Main clause: The system for the funding of higher education is a major issue in the UK
Dependent clauses: which has changed several times over the past few decades; affecting a
great many families
b) Three
Main clause: British universities have long attracted overseas students
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, 2019-2020 – Anna Gagiano – UAntwerpen – Toegepaste Taalkunde – BA2 – Semester 1 – English:
Grammar and Proficiency
Dependent clauses: because of their high reputation; these students have become an
important source of revenue
c) Two
Main clause: the variety of courses on offer at British universities has greatly increased over
the last two decades
Dependent clause: In order to attract students who otherwise might not have gone to a
university at all
3) Singular or plural subjects and verbs
Exercise 1
a) Correct: ‘Government’ is a group noun used here to refer to a single unit
b) Have: the subject is the plural ‘issues’
c) Include: the subject is the plural ‘Problems’
d) Are: the subject is the plural ‘people’
e) Correct: the subject is the plural ‘developments’
f) Correct: the subject is the singular ‘result’
g) Are: the subject is the plural ‘repercussions’
Exercise 2
a) Thinks
b) Tend
c) Suffer
d) Were
e) Has
f) Surround
g) Were
4) Correct tense formation
Exercise 1
a) Correct
b) Became
c) Have supported
d) Correct
e) Correct
f) Realised
Exercise 2
a) Has
b) Were
c) Liked
d) Had been using
e) Wore
f) Owned
g) Had bought
h) Were using
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, 2019-2020 – Anna Gagiano – UAntwerpen – Toegepaste Taalkunde – BA2 – Semester 1 – English:
Grammar and Proficiency
i) Have become
j) Are attracting
5) Using more than one verb tense
Exercise 1
a) Correct
b) Had analysed
c) Could understand
d) Correct
e) Correct
f) Had come
Exercise 2
a) The report stated that fish were returning to the river now that it was unpolluted.
b) He announced that he would stay in office until the board had appointed a successor.
c) A spokesman said that they were investigating the problem but had not found the cause yet.
d) An official statement declared that the talks had been successful and they hoped to sign an
agreement.
e) A government report predicted that until exports rose, economic growth would not return.
f) The spokeswoman replied that she could not comment because she did not know the details
of the case.
6) Modal verbs
Exercise 1
a) Did not need to open
b) Had to release
c) Cannot
d) Need not have resigned
e) Must have been working
f) Should
Exercise 2
a) Dalio’s work in sculpture could not/cannot have been a success because she soon turned to
painting.
b) Correct: could describes a lifetime skill, not a specific achievement
c) With a more attractive design, the product could have become a brand leader.
d) Critics argued that the gallery ought not to have allowed the painting to be sold to a
museum.
e) Fortunately, the organisers were able to save/managed to save/succeeded in saving the
show by using a back-up generator.
f) Correct
7) Using the passive
Exercise 1
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, 2019-2020 – Anna Gagiano – UAntwerpen – Toegepaste Taalkunde – BA2 – Semester 1 – English:
Grammar and Proficiency
a) The Nobel Peace Prize was won by former American President Jimmy Carter in 2002.
b) The Bill will be debated by MPs later in the week.
c) The documents were being destroyed by a clerk when the police arrived.
d) The referendum might be postponed by the Government.
e) Three government buildings have been occupied by protestors.
f) Most of the museum’s collection had been stolen by rioters by the time the army arrived.
Exercise 2
a) It is believed that Walter Clark is the Senate’s most skilful debater.
Walter Clark is believed to be the Senate’s most skilful debater.
b) It was reported that two politicians took bribes for their votes.
Two politicians were reported to have taken bribes for their votes.
c) It is said that talks are taking place between the two parties.
Talks are said to be taking place between the two parties.
d) It is thought that Che Guevara was executed to avoid the drama of a trial.
Che Guevara is thought to have been executed to avoid the drama of a trial.
8) Direct and indirect questions
Exercise 1
a) It was hard for legislators at the time to foresee what the effects of this law would be.
b) Correct
c) Correct
d) Experts need to co-operate in order to determine exactly how a new law can be
implemented. OR Experts need to co-operate in order to determine how to implement a new
law.
e) Many professionals are still finding out how the internet affects them from a professional
point of view.
f) Correct
g) The public should be clear about whether or not they have broken the law.
Exercise 2
a) We have to ask ourselves why such a law is required.
b) It is hard to be exact about when this problem first arose.
c) It would be useful to know what the origins of this law were. OR It would be useful to know
the origins of this law. OR It would be useful to know how this law originated.
d) People are asking how quickly the law can be implemented.
e) We have to decide in what areas/where we should implement this law.
f) The public is asking what other laws will be needed in the future.
g) People need to know whether they have broken the law.
9) Conditionals (If…)
Exercise 1
a) If Silframe had increased their prices, they would have lost their share of the youth market.
b) Koyley Ltd might not have failed/might have succeeded if they had used internet marketing.
c) The sales team could have won new orders if they had attended the trade fair in Barcelona.
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