grammar in context exercise

[hela]

Dear teachers,

I would like to ask you a big favour. Would you please tell me if my verbs are in the right tense ? When I give 2 possibilities, would you please tell me which of a) or b) is incorrect and why?

Dear Bob,

I 1 amjustwriting to let you know our new address and to invite you 2 to our house-warming party next Saturday. I 3 am sorry 4 a)about / b) for the lack of warning, but we 5 a)have been / b) were (possible ?) busy moving house and I 6 a)have had / b) had (possible?) 7 little time for anything else. 8 In any case we 9 a) haveonlydecided / b) only decided / c) had only decided to hold the party last week when we 10 found out that the cost of moving 11 was not as high as we 12 a)had reckoned / b) reckoned and that we 13 had 14 a)a little / b) some cash to spare.

We 15 moved 16 in here two days ago and we 17 have been working non-stop ever since. This evening we 18 a) decided / b) have decided to have 19 a) a few / b) some hours’ rest, so I 20 am writing 21a)a few invitations to 22 some friends. // b) some invitations to some friends (possible ?)

You 23 a) can do / b) should do the trip 24 from Oxford 25 to Portsmouth 26 in two hours now the motorway 27 is open. Harpoleis rather difficult to find through, because it’s a new housing estate and 28 few people know where it is. Give us a ring when you 29 are 30in the area, and I 31 will give detailed directions 32 to you then. Our number is 7453.

Barbara and I hope you 33 a)can make / b) will make (incorrect?) it in spite of the short notice.



All the best.

Charles



Is it true that after the verb "hope" we cannot use the future?

Thank you very much for your help.
Hela

[Tdol]

Dear Bob,

4 a)about / b) for the lack of warning, but we
I'd say both were acceptable
5 a)have been / b) were (possible ?) busy moving house and I
Probably A as it isn't finished, which makes 6a more likely
6 a)have had / b) had (possible?)
9 a) haveonlydecided / b) only decided / c) had only decided to hold the party last week when we
Last week- so b)

14 a)a little / b) some cash to spare.
Both


This evening we 18 a) decided / b) have decided to have
The decisioon is past, so I'd use the past tense
21a)a few invitations to 22 some friends. // b) some invitations to some friends (possible ?)
The second is not incorrect, but the first sounds better

You 23 a) can do / b) should do the trip
Should works better
Barbara and I hope you 33 a)can make / b) will make (incorrect?) it in spite of the short notice.




Can is better here- it's an invitation


Is it true that after the verb "hope" we cannot use the future?

No

[hela]

Thank you very much indeed tdol, that was very kind of you!

Kinds regards,
Hela

[Tdol]

You're always welcome, Hela.

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Here is another text, would you please tell me which possibility you would rule out?

When Christopher Columbus set foot on the shores of the new world 2 on 12 October 1492, the Lacandones, descendants of the Mayans, Mexico’s most romanticised Indians, 1 a) were living b) LIVED / c) HAD BEEN LIVING (?) in harmony around the great cities and temples their ancestors had built in south-eastern Mexico. Not long afterwards the forces of colonisation and exploitation forced them to flee into the depths of what is now the largest surviving rain forest in North America.
For centuries, they were secure in their jungle isolation. But today, on the eve of the 500th anniversary of Spain’s arrival in the Americas, the Lacandones are on the verge of cultural extinction. And just as the modern way of life has overwhelmed their age-old civilisation (correct ?), so have the new technologies. (What do you think of this last sentence, is it correct ?)
In the1970’s, in a burst of generosity, President Luis Echeverria gave them thousands of acres, only to snatch back much of the land after advisors convinced him 2 a) of / b) ABOUT (possible ?) its value. What the government didn’t simply take back, it retrieved by sending agents 3 a) into / b) IN / c) TO the jungle with gifts and ready cash in exchange for thumb prints on land contracts the Lacandones couldn’t understand.

Thanks a million,
Hela

[Tdol]

1 not c
2 of
3 into

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Can I say:

The efforts to incorporate the junble a) INTO / b) IN (both ?) the Mexican economy have all but destroyed the traditional values and religion of the people.

Many thanks,
Hela

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by hela

Dear teachers,

Can I say:

The efforts to incorporate the junble a) INTO / b) IN (both ?) the Mexican economy have all but destroyed the traditional values and religion of the people.

Many thanks,
Hela

What does 'junble' mean?

incorporate X as part of Y (into)

[hela]

Sorry Casiopea, I mean "jungle". Now, do you mean that incorporate IN is incorrect and that I should INTO instead ?

Kind regards,
Hela

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by hela

Sorry Casiopea, I mean "jungle". Now, do you mean that incorporate IN is incorrect and that I should INTO instead ?

Kind regards,
Hela

Sorry. (into) should have been (within). I wasn't paying attention. My apologies.

"in" is short for "within".

To incorporate X within/as part of/in Y.