Adjective + infinitive

9      Adjective + infinitive

Rewrite the sentences, using the adjectives in brackets.

Example: I heard you passed your driving test. (delighted)

I was delighted to hear that you passed your driving test.

a.   I learned that your aunt died. (sorry)

b.   He wanted to know where we had been. (anxious)

c.   She found that her husband was still alive. (amazed)

d.  I see you’re still smoking. (disappointed)

e.   He learned that he had nearly died. (shocked)

10   Verbs + gerund or infinitive

Rewrite the sentences, using the verbs in brackets.

Example: ‘Come to the party. You’ll really enjoy it,’ he said to her. (persuade)

He persuaded her to go to the party.

a.   ‘Yes, I did drive too fast through the town,’ she said. (admit)

b.   ‘I’ll lend you some money, if you like,’ he said to me. (offer)

c.   ‘If I were you, I’d accept the job,’ he said to his daughter. (advise)

d.  ‘Why don’t you have a holiday in my country cottage?’ he said to us. (invite)

e.   ‘You must pay for the damage you’ve done,’ she said. So I paid. (make)

f.   ‘I haven’t smoked for three years,’ she said. (stop)

g.   We needed petrol, so we went to a service station. (stop)

h.   I didn’t buy food for dinner so we had to go out. (forget)

i.    But I fed the cat. (remember)

j.    I had piano lessons for years, but I was never very good. (try)

11   ‘To’ used instead of whole infinitive

Notice that the whole infinitive need not be repeated if it is understood.

Example: A You look terrible. You should have a holiday.

B I’m going to. (I’m going to have a holiday)

a.   A Why aren’t you going to work?

B (not want) ...................................................................

b.   A Can you come round for a meal tonight?

B (love) .................................................................... , but .......................................................

c.   A I’m afraid I can’t take you to the airport after all. Sorry.

B (promise) But ..............................................................

d.  A Why can’t I take this book from the library?

B (not allow) ...................................................................

e.   A Why have you painted the wall black?

B (tell) .............................................................................

A No, I didn’t. I told you to paint it pale yellow.

f.   A Did you go out for a meal with him?

B (not ask) ......................................................................

12   ‘Talking’ versus ‘a talk’

Compare the following sentences.

Talking to someone about a problem usually helps to solve it.

I had a talk with Susan last night.

The gerund is used when we speak in general. To speak about one specific occasion, we can use some verbs as nouns in the structure have a + noun.

Write two sentences for each of the following words, one with a gerund and one with have a + noun.

Ride; drink; look; wash; quarrel; walk

13   Noun + preposition

Many nouns are followed by prepositions. Put the correct preposition into each gap.

a.   I got a cheque __________ five hundred pounds in the post today.

b.   There has been a rise __________ the number of violent crimes.

c.   Have you seen this photo __________ my daughter? Isn’t she beautiful?

d.  The difference __________ you and me is that I don’t mind hard work.

e.   I can think of no reason __________ such strange behaviour.

f.   It took a long time to find a solution __________ the problem.

g.   Could you give me some information __________ train times?

h.   I’m having trouble __________ my car. It won’t start.

i.    She’s doing research __________ the causes of tooth decay.

j.    This is a machine __________ grinding coffee.

Unit 6 Reported speech

¨    You usually use your own words to report what someone said, rather than repeating their exact words.

¨    Report structures contain a reporting clause first, then a reported clause.

¨    When you are reporting a statement, the reported clause is a ‘that’-clause.

¨    You must mention the hearer with ‘tell’. You need not mention the hearer with ‘say’.

1   When you are reporting what someone said, you do not usually repeat their exact words, you use your own words in a report structure.

Jim said he wanted to go home.

Jim’s actual words might have been ‘It’s time I went’ or ‘I must go’.

Report structures contain two clauses. The first clause is the reporting clause, which contains a reporting verb such as ‘say’, ‘tell’, or ‘ask’.

She said that she'd been to Belgium.

The man in the shop told me how much it would cost.

You often use verbs that refer to people’s thoughts and feelings to report what people say. If someone says ‘I am wrong’, you might report this as ‘He felt that he was wrong’.

2   The second clause in a report structure is the reported clause, which contains the information that you are reporting. The reported clause can be a ‘that’-clause, a ‘to’-infinitive clause, an ‘if’-clause, or a ‘wh’-word clause.

She said that she didn't know.

He told me to do it.

Mary asked if she could stay with us.

She asked where he'd gone.