The package ________ by tomorrow afternoon

[ruthlessbull]

Hi everyone. I don't understand the answers to the following questions and I need expert help.

1. The package ---- by tomorrow afternoon since we sent it by express mail this morning.
A) should be delivering
B) should have been delivered
C) must have delivered
D) has to be delivering
E) ought to deliver

The answer key says the answer is B. I understand that the answer must use the passive voice but I don't understand the use of 'should have V3' here as it's normally used for criticism about the past.

2. ---- the problem of rubbish is concerned, if we recycle bottles and cans and organic waste, and stop taking plastic bags from the supermarket, this will all make a big difference.
A) as if
B) as long as
C) as though
D) as far as
E) as well as

The answer key says the answer is D. The sentence doesn't mean anything to me with 'As far as'. I probably don't know all the meanings of those words. To understand it, what else can be used here instead?

The questions are from 'Road to Success - Grammar Test Book' by YDS Publishing.

​

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, rushingbull.

Please note that it is a requirement of the forum that members always give the name of the author of any words quoted, and the book/article in which they appear.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi, everyone. I don't understand the answers in to the following questions and I need expert help. Thanks in advance.

Note my changes above. Don't thank us in advance for anything. Thank us after we help you, by adding the "Thanks" icon to any response you find helpful.

1. The package ___________ by tomorrow afternoon since we sent it by express mail this morning.
A) should be delivering
B) should have been delivered
C) must have delivered
D) has to be delivering
E) ought to deliver

The answer key says the answer is B. I understand that the answer must be use the passive voice but I can't get don't understand the use of 'should have V3' here as it's normally used for criticism about the past.

Note my corrections above.
None of the options is correct. B is wrong because "should have been delivered" can't refer to the future, and "tomorrow morning" is clearly in the future. It's an error in the book. All the others are completely ungrammatical. The only correct answer would be "should be delivered".

2. ___________ the problem of rubbish is concerned, if we recycle bottles and cans and organic waste, and stop taking plastic bags from the supermarket, this will all make a big difference.
A) as if
B) as long as
C) as though
D) as far as
E) as well as

The answer key says the answer is D. The sentence doesn't seem meaningful mean anything to me with "As far as". Probably I probably don't know all the meanings it has of those words. To understand it, what else can be used here instead?

Note my corrections above. You need to learn the phrase "As far as XXX is concerned". We use it a lot!

The questions are from "Road to Success - Grammar Test Book" by YDS Publishing.

Titles should be marked out in some way. I've put yours in quotation marks. Alternatively, you could put titles in italics.

 

[5jj]

B is wrong because "should have been delivered" can't refer to the future, and "tomorrow morning" is clearly in the future. It's an error in the book.

I don't agree. With 'by tomorrow afternoon', 'should have been delivered' is possible, as are other modal perfect forms

 

[jutfrank]

I can't get the use of 'should have V3' here as it's normally used for criticism about past.

The idea here is retrospection from a point in the future. We go forward to a future point in time (tomorrow afternoon) and then we look back at the time frame leading up to that future point. This retrospection is what 'have +V3' is doing here.

The modal 'should' is not used for criticism here but for expectation. The idea is that the package is expected to arrive by a certain time.

2. ---- the problem of rubbish is concerned, if we recycle bottles and cans and organic waste, and stop taking plastic bags from the supermarket, this will all make a big difference.
A) as if
B) as long as
C) as though
D) as far as
E) as well as

The answer key says the answer is D. The sentence doesn't seem meaningful to me with as far as. Probably I don't know all the meanings it has.

The phrase 'as far as X is concerned' is commonly used, so it's important that you learn it.

To understand it, what else can be used here instead?

It's similar in meaning to 'regarding X' or 'with respect to X'.

 

[jutfrank]

B is wrong because "should have been delivered" can't refer to the future, and "tomorrow morning" is clearly in the future. It's an error in the book.

There's nothing wrong with B, which is the correct answer. Although 'should have been delivered' does have a basic sense of talking about the past, it can refer to the future (of the time of speaking) as long as that future point is in the past relative to another future point. You could call it 'past-in-the-future'.

 

[SoothingDave]

What other future point is in that sentence? B may be grammatical, but it is nonsensical and unnatural.

 

[Tarheel]

It's rare that I disagree with @jutfrank so emphatically. However, there are certain things you can get me to say only if you pay me. "It should have been delivered tomorrow" is one of them.

 

[SoothingDave]

It reminds me of Basil Fawlty saying "normal service has been resumed as soon as possible."

 

[jutfrank]

What other future point is in that sentence?

There are two points in the future. Chronologically, they are:

1) the time the package is delivered
2) tomorrow afternoon

 

[jutfrank]

there are certain things you can get me to say only if you pay me. "It should have been delivered tomorrow" is one of them.

It should have been delivered by tomorrow afternoon.

The by is crucial for it to make sense.

 

[teechar]

I think it's possible, but perhaps if we turn the sentence around, it may be easier to parse.

By tomorrow afternoon, it should have been delivered.

In other words, the speaker is saying that they expect the package to be delivered by tomorrow afternoon.

 

[emsr2d2]

I think it's possible, but perhaps if we turn the sentence around, it may be easier to parse.

By tomorrow afternoon, it should have been delivered.

In other words, the speaker is saying that they expect the package to be delivered by tomorrow afternoon.

I find it perfectly natural with that word order but the original still doesn't work for me.