Mr. James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages form one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private ‘telephone’ service.
Comprehension Précis and Composition
Answer these questions in not more than 50 words.
1.Where has Mr. Scott opened his second garage?
2.Where is his first garage?
3.How far away is Silbury?
4.Can Mr. Scott get a telephone for his new garage or not?
5.What has he bought?
6.In how many minutes do they carry messages from one garage to the other?
Key structures
What happened? What has happened?
Study be sentences. Pay close attention to the words in italics:
I wrote to him last month.
I bought this car last year.
He came to see me this morning.
I saw him ten minutes ago.
What has happened?
The train has just left the station.
I’ve already seen that film.
He has been abroad for six months.
Have you ever met him before?
I have never met him before.
I have not finished work yet.
There have been a great number of accidents lately.
Up till now he has won five prizes.
Exercises
A. Underline all the verbs in the passage which tell us what happened and what has happened.
B. Give the correct from of the verbs in brackets. Do not refer to the passage until you finish the exercise.
Mr. James Scott has a garage and Silbury and now he has just bought (buy) another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought (buy) twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried (carry) the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered(cover) the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott sent (send) a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he begun (begin) his own private ‘telephone’ service.
C. Give the correct form of the verbs in brackets:
1.What did you buy (buy) yesterday?
2.Up till now, he has never lent (lend) me anything.
3. Have you burned (burn) those old papers yet?
4.He fought (fight) in Flanders in the first World War.
5.They have already left (leave).
6.When did you lose (lose) your umbrella?
7. Did you listen (listen) to the concert last night?
8.We have just won (win) the match.
Special Difficulties
Words Often Confused or Misused
a. Phrase with the word ‘way’.( In this way, he has begun his own private ‘telephone’ service.)
In the way: Please move this chair. It’s in the way.
Do your work in the way I have shown you.
On the way: On the way to the station, I bought some cigarettes.
In this way:He saves old envelopes. In this way, he has collected a great many stamps.
By the way:By the way, have you seen Harry recently?
In a way:In a way, it is an important book.
Exercise
Supply the correct phrases with ‘way’ in the following:
1. On the way from Athens to London, the plane stopped at Rome.
2.I cooked this in the way you showed me.
3.By the way, where is my coat?
4.Yes, in a way he has been very successful.
5.Children get in the way during the holidays.
b. Spare and To Spare.
I cannot spare the time.
I have no time to spare.
I cannot buy spare parts for this car.
There is a spare room in this house.
Caligula spared the slave’s life.
Exercise
Rewrite the sentences using spare or to spare in place of the words or phrases in italics. Make any other necessary changes.
1.There is an extra wheel in the back of the car.—There is a spare wheel in the back of the car.
2.I always go on excursions in my free time.—I always go on excursions in my spare time.
3.’Have you any old clothes that you do not want?’ he asked.— Do you have any spare clothes that you do not want? he asked
4.The guest slept in the room we do not use.—The guest slept in our spare room.
5.’Do not kill me’ begged the prisoner.—“Spare me” begged the prisoner.
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