grammar university test explanation

[expaectopatronum]

In a couple days I will take an entry test for university and I need help understanding the answers to some grammar questions, I would be really glad if someone could help me .
1) The Victorian church.......... empty and unused since 1982.
a) lays
b) is lying
c) has lain
d) has been laying
e) has lied
The answer is c, why? the lay/lie problem plus duration form is very confusing.

2)there's nothing you can do, so .........
a) it's no use to worry
b) it's not worth to worry
c) there's no point in worrying
d) it's no good to worry
e) it's unuseful to worry
Why is the right answer c?

3) The flood ............ assessed
a) damage is currently being
b) damages are currently being
c)damages were currently being
d) damage has currently been
e) damages have currently been

4) If A says to B "you don't know anything about it!" what is B correct response?
a) yes I don't
b) I am!
c) I knew too!
d)I know it!
e) I do too!
The answer is e. none of these make any sense to me.




In these exercise there is only one wrong answer.
1) ....... tell him.
1) I'd rather you not to
b) I'd rather you didn't
c) I'd sooner you didn't
d) I'd prefer you not to
e) I'd prefer it if you didn't
The wrong answer is a, why?

2) ...... by 17.00
a) they will have been here two hours
b) he got here
c)he knew he would arrive
d) he finished
e) they will have been here
the wrong answer is e

3) I'm not sure what you think, but it seems to me that............
a) it is happening something strange
b) something strange is going on
c) there is something strange taking place
d) something strange is occourring
e)there is something strange afoot
why is a the wrong answer?

4) As a result of the landslide, you ...........
a) can't drive directly from moor bay to colston any more
b) can no longer drive directly from moor bay to colston
c)can't dirve directly from moor bay to colston any longer
d) can no more drive directly from moor bay to colston
e) can't drive directrly from moor bay to colston at the moment
the wrong answer s d. Why?

5) Sometimes professional athletes are given drugs.............
a) even without their knowledge
b) even without their knowing about it
c) even when they are unaware of it
d) even without that they know it
e) even without them knowing
I can see that d is wrong but why is b correct?

6) I wonder what's happened to Jamie? .......
a) It's weeks since I herd from him.
b) I haven't heard from him for weeks
c)the last time I heard from him was weeks ago.
d) It's weeks that I don't hear from him.
e) I last herd from him weeks ago.
the wrong answer is d, this should be simple but I keep getting it wrong.

7) when did you get here? ...............
a) we finally got here round about midnight
b) we got here at last round about midnight
c) we ended up getting there round about midnight
d) we eventually got there round about midnight
e) at the end we got there round about midnight
the wrong answer is e, why?

8) Let's go and see a film tonight! .........
a)it's ages since I went to the cinema
b)I last went to the cinema ages ago
c)it's ages that I don't go to the cinema
d)I haven't been to the cinema for ages
e)the last time I went to the cinema was ages ago
the wrong answer is c, why?

 

[bhaisahab]

Welcome to the forums, expaectopatronum. I'm afraid we can't do your work for you. If you don't understand the test, maybe you are not ready for it. You should talk to your teacher.

 

[expaectopatronum]

let me explain better. I have a test to get into a university in a couple days. These are the questions I had some problems answering when I tried taking tests from previous years. These are like a training. I just wanted someone to explain me the reasons behind the right answers. (I already have the answers, I'm not asking people to do my work.) Thank you for accepting my thread anyway.

 

[teechar]

First set:
Q.1
The use of "since 1982" indicates that a perfect tense is necessary. That rules out "a" and "b."
The verb to use in that sentence has the base form "lie" and the perfect form "lain." Therefore, "c" is the right answer.
Look at the first explanation of "lie" here:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/lie

Q.2
Only "c" is the natural idiomatic expression.

Q.3
With "currently", a perfect tense should not be used, so that rules out "d" and "e". "Currently" is about now, so that rules out "c." Finally, "damage" is uncountable in most contexts including the one in your question, so the right answer must be "a."

Q.4
I'm glad you can see that "a" - "d" are incorrect!
"e" is the right answer; it's a way of showing disagreement; and almost indignation.
Look at the last explanation of "too" here:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/too

Second set:
Q.1
"a" is wrong because "would rather" is followed by a bare infinitive.

Q.2
I suspect this is the reason for "e" being the wrong answer:
"been" here is the past participle of "go", so "go here" wouldn't make much sense.

Q.3
"happen" is an intransitive verb.

Q.4
"no more" is incorrect; "no longer" is the right expression to use in that context.

Q.5
Have a look here:
https://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/gerundspro.html

Q.6
"d" is wrong because "it's weeks" means "it has been weeks", so a perfect tense is necessary. Note that you misspelt "heard."

Q.7
Have a look here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/l...boutenglish/2009/06/090901_aae_end_page.shtml

Q.8
"It's ages" implies "It has been a long time." Therefore, a perfect tense is required.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello,

1. Please do not feel bad about the confusion over the verbs "lie" (be on your back, remain, etc.) / "lie" (not tell the truth) / "lay" (to place something).

a. Many native speakers here in the Unitd States are confused, too.

2. When you get time, please carefully study the parts of those three verbs.

3. Kindly remember that the "easiest" one is "to lie" (not tell the truth). It's regular: I lie every day. / I lied yesterday. / I have lied all my life./ I am lying now. (The first three sentences, of course, are NOT true!)

4. You must simply memorize: "To lie" (on your back, remain, etc.): lie, lay, lain, lying. ("The church has lain .... since ...." Teechar has given a full explanation.)
5. You must simply memorize: "To lay" (place something): lay, laid, laid, laying.

I often hear (well-educated) people say, "Call an ambulance. There's a man laying in the street." When they say that, I want to ask, "What is he laying?"
(Of course, I don't!) The man is not laying (placing) anything. The man is lying in the street (on his back).


*****

P.S. Since you are going to the university, I think that some professors prefer that you not delete the "of" in "a couple of days."

Good luck on your entrance examination.

 

[Rover_KE]

I wrote these verses to help my students to tell the difference:

HOW TO USE LIE AND LAY

I'm lying here upon the shore;
I lie here every day.
I've lain here many times before;
I lay here yesterday.

I'd lay my head upon the floor
If you'd lie down by me.
I've laid it there five times or more;
(I lied - it's only three).

 

[expaectopatronum]

Thank you so much! It seems like I have a problem with the perfect tenses, so I'll definitely revise that. I didn't know anything about that particular use of too or the pronouns before the gerund. You've been very helpful!
(Actually, the distinction between lay and lie was difficult because I had written down the paradigms completely wrong. I don't even know where I got them.)

 

[emsr2d2]

The lay/lie problem is exacerbated by the bedtime rhyme/prayer that starts "Now I lay me down to sleep". At least "lay" is followed by "me" which matches the correct use of "to lay + something" but technically you don't "lay yourself down" when you go to bed. You simply "lie down". Needless to say, "Now I lie down to sleep" doesn't have the right number of syllables to make the rhyme scan. Of course, when it was written, perhaps everyone said "to lay me down" instead of "to lie down" but it's not how we use it nowadays.

 

[tzfujimino]

The expression "lay me down" reminds me of the song called Bridge Over Troubled Water:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/simongarfunkel/bridgeovertroubledwater.html