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Permission , offers , etc . – EXERCISES

1-language1 — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:38:04 +0000

Ask permission in these situations. Use Can I…?, Could I…?, Can’t I…? or Couldn’t I…? (Be
careful how you use my, you, your, and we in your answers.) (A)
f I want Л
I another drink. /

Can I Have,
another drink?
You want…
another drink. Can I Have another drink ?
to leave your books with me. (he particularly polite)
to call your brother from my phone.
to talk to me about your job application, (he particularly polite)
to park your car on my drive. (I’ve already refused once)
to ask me exactly what my job is.

to pick some of the apples off the tree in my garden. (I’ve already refused once)
to come with me to my summer house. (I’ve already refused once)
to have the last piece of my birthday cake, (be particularly polite)
25.2 Write was(n’t)/were(n’t) allowed to or could(n’t). If either is possible, write them both. (B)
1 When I was young, children ..f^kL/..^^..а^ме^.Ь l e a v e school when they were 14.
2 Although he didn’t have the necessary papers, he enter the country.
3 To the children’s surprise, last night they go to the party with their parents.
4 Although I had travelled all day to see him, I speak to the manager.
5 They feared that he would kill again if he go free.
6 She leave school until she had completed her work.
7 When the weeds get out of control, the garden was ruined.
8 I visit Mark in prison, but I send him letters and parcels.
9 The older girls wear lipstick.
10 Before the meeting finished, I give my side of the story.
25.3 Correct these offers and requests, or put a S. (C)
offers requests

1 What will you have for the main course?
2 Where would you go for a meal?
3 When would you like me to collect you?
4 What will you like to do first?
5 What would you order?
6 I’d like a pizza and a lemonade, please.
7 I’ll like a sandwich.
8 I’d like you to look at this essay for me.
9 I’ll like more information, please.
10 She should like you to meet her from school.

Permission , offers , etc .

1-language1 — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:36:01 +0000

To ask PERMISSION to do something we use can or could:
• Can/Could I take another biscuit?
We use could to be particularly polite. If we want to put extra pressure on someone to give a
positive answer we can use can’t or couldn’t. For example, you might use couldn’t where you
expect that the answer is likely to be ‘no’, or where permission has been refused before:
• Can’t/Couldn’t we stay just a little bit longer? Please?
To give and refuse permission we use can and can’t:
• Okay. You can stay in the spare room. • No, you can’t have another chocolate.
Q Notice that we prefer can/can’t rather than could/couldn’t to give or refuse permission:

• • I’m sorry, no, you can’t borrow the car tonight, (rather than …no, you couldn’t…)
In rather formal English, may (not) can also be used to ask, give or refuse permission, and might
can be used to ask permission (e.g. ‘Might I ask…?’).
D We use can (for the present or the future) and could (for the past) to report permission (see Unit
49 for more on the choice between can and could in reporting):
• Jim says that we can borrow his house as long as we leave it clean and tidy.
• He said we can/could use the car, too.
To report that in the past someone had general permission to do something, that is, to do it at
any time, we can use either could or was/were allowed to. However, to report permission for
one particular past action, we use was/were allowed to, but not could:
• Last century, women were not allowed to vote, (or …couldn’t vote.)
• Although he didn’t have a ticket, Ken was allowed to come in. (not …could come in.)
In negative sentences, we can use either couldn’t or wasn’t/weren’t allowed to to report that
permission was not given in general or particular situations:
• We couldn’t / weren’t allowed to open the presents until Christmas.
If we use the present perfect, past perfect or an infinitive, we use be allowed to, not can/could:
• They have been allowed to keep the Roman coins they found in their garden.
• She is unlikely to be allowed to travel on that airline again.
I* When we OFFER to do something, or offer by making a suggestion, we can use can or could:
• Can/Could I help you with your bags? • You can/could borrow my car if you want.
In offers that are questions we can also use shall or should:
• Shall/Should I phone for a taxi for you?
If we use could or should we sound less certain that the offer will be accepted.
We also use shall/should in questions that request confirmation or advice:
• Shall/Should I put these books over here? • Who shall/should I pass the message to?
We can use Would (you) like when we make an offer, but not ‘Will…’:
• Would you like me to get you some water? (not Will you like me…?)
о In requests, too, we can say (I) would like…, but not ‘(I) will…’:
• • I would (or ‘d) like an orange juice, («of I’ll like…)
We can use should (with I or we) instead of would in requests like this, but this is formal.
Compare these ways of offering food and drink:
• What will you have to eat/drink? (not What would you have to eat/drink?)
• What would you like to eat/drink? (not What will you like to eat/drink?)

Mustn’t and needn’t / don’t have to – EXERCISES

1-language1 — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:34:21 +0000

Match the sentence beginnings and ends. (A)
1 You mustn’t drink alcohol a to enjoy it.
2 You mustn’t keep medicines b when you go into a pub.
3 You don’t have to be a member с if teachers object to the new curriculum.
4 You don’t have to play golf well d to run up and down the aisle of the aircraft.
5 Newspapers mustn’t e to use the tennis club.
6 You don’t have to drink alcohol f when you drive.
7 Newspapers don’t have to say g who provided their information.
8 Children mustn’t be allowed h where children can get them.
9 You mustn’t be surprised i mislead the public.
24.2 Underline the more likely answer. If they are equally likely, underline them both. (C)

1 You needn’t I don’t need to close the door. I’m just going out.
2 In most developed countries, people needn’t I don’t need to boil water before they drink it.
3 Hannah has agreed to organise the party, so she said that the rest of us needn’t I don’t need
to do anything.
4 I’ve brought the car, so you needn’t I don’t need to carry your bags to the station.
5 You needn’t I don’t need to have any qualifications to be a politician.
6 Now that it has been eradicated, doctors needn’t I don’t need to vaccinate against smallpox.
7 You needn’t I don’t need to go to the supermarket. I went shopping earlier.
8 In many countries you needn’t I don’t need to pay to use public libraries.
24.3 Complete the sentences with either needn’t have or didn’t need to followed by an appropriate
verb. (D)
1 I bought a new car last year, and then a month later I won one in a competition. So I
all that money.
2 I an interview. They accepted me without one.
3 The accident if only Tom had got his lights repaired when he said he was
going to.
4 I got a lift to the station, so I a taxi after all.
5 Sue was feeling a lot better by the weekend, so we her shopping for her.
24.4 Here are some extracts from a speech made by the managing director of a company to her
employees. Correct any mistakes. (A-E)
1 I need hardly to tell you how important it is that we win this order.
2 I don’t have to remind you that we are competing with two other companies.
3 We don’t need to allow our competitors to gain an advantage over us.
4 We were delighted that we needn’t have sold off our subsidiary company last year.
5 We mustn’t allow our production rates to drop.
6 You mustn’t work at weekends for the moment.
7 You needn’t to worry about redundancies.