1. I was sitting beside the lake in St. James’s park watching passers-by throwing bits of food to the ducks. 2. A big city cannot afford to be distracted from the important job of being a big city by such an unimportant item as your happiness or mine. 3. You are to be a fighter to live in it, not exist. 4. It is especially in the evening that Piccadilly Circus is crowded with people going to the theatre or the cinema. 5. About half a million people is said to pass through Piccadilly Circus daily. 6. All the work having been done, we could have a rest. 7. He insists on being sent there instead of me. 8. In describing Moscow we must begin with Red Square. 9. The Houses of Parliament are known to be among the most beautiful buildings in Europe. 10. The Houses of Parliament are known to be designed by Sir Charles Barry. 11. Buckingham Palace is known all over the world to be the home of Britain’s kings and queens. 13. Queen Victoria was the first to make Buckingham Palace her official residence. 14. Crowds of visitors assemble to see Changing the Guard in front of the Palace. 15. You have many illustrations in the text-book, some of them being the pictures by famous English painters. 16. I believe him to know the address. 17. We would like more department stores to be built here. 18. We heard the girl say something to her brother in English. 19. My friend translating a difficult text, I helped her to find some words in the dictionary.
Ex. 15. Translate the sentences into English using constructions with Non-Finite forms of the verb.
1. Каких актеров вы хотели бы увидеть в воскресной передаче? – Мне хотелось бы, чтобы молодые актеры драматических театров приняли участие в этой передаче. 2. Так как студент допускает (делает) много ошибок, преподаватель ставит ему плохие оценки. 3. Я знал, что она работает в библиотеке. 4. Вам понравилось вчерашнее представление? – Очень. Мы не ожидали, что оно будет таким интересным. 5. Вчера мы ходили в кино, и фильм был очень интересным. 6. Мы знали, что они проводят очень важный опыт. 7. Мы знали, что они провели очень важный опыт. 8. Вы хотели бы, чтобы ответ был послан сегодня? 9. После того, как занятия закончились, многие студенты пошли в библиотеку. 10. Мы видели, что он остановился у закрытой двери. 11. Мы живем в доме, построенном два года тому назад.
Revision Exercises
(Non-Finites and Modal Verbs)
Ex. 1. Read and translate the following text.
Covent Garden
The Royal Opera House, or Covent Garden, as it is usually known, stands not far from one of the most famous of London’s street, the Strand, and you ought to go there at least once during the season if you can.
A visitor to London is always surprised when he sees the Opera House standing almost inside the flower and vegetable market which gives a distinct smell to the whole quarter.
The fine building of the Opera House, as you see it today, was opened in 1858. Yet its “father” and “grandfather” that were burnt down (in 1808 and 1856) stood on this very place before.
The inside of the Opera House is in the shape of a horseshoe. There are seats for 2,320 persons. Now Covent Garden is one of the well-known opera houses open for eleven months of the year and it employs over 600 people both of the Opera Company and the Royal Ballet.
At the Royal Opera House you can get the best of everything – a first-rate orchestra, famous conductors and singers.
A) Analyse the use of the Non-Finite forms and the modal verbs.
b) Write questions to the text beginning with the words: why, when, who, how many, what, where
Ex. 2. a) Read the following text paying attention to the modal verbs and Non-Finites.
My Fair Lady
Alan Jay Lerner
“My Fair Lady” is a very popular American musical and film based on Bernard Shaw’s famous play “Pygmalion”.
The main character, Henry Higgins, a well-known phonetician, meets a flower-girl Eliza Doolittle outside Covent Garden. He is struck by her Cockney accent and he bets his friend Colonel Pickering that he can teach her “proper English” and can pass her off for a lady at the Embassy garden party.
(At the rise of the curtain: the stage is filled with ladies and gentlemen at Ascot, all dressed for the occasion. Mrs. Higgins enters and bows politely to one or two as they go off. Almost immediately Higgins enters, dressed in tweeds.)
Higgins (to himself): I don’t know where the devil they could be. (He sees his mother and comes to her.) Oh, darling, have you seen Pickering? My, you do look nice. (Kisses her)
Mrs. Higgins: I saw Colonel Pickering, and Henry dear, it’s most shocking. I’ve heard you’ve brought a common flower-girl from Covent Garden to my box at Ascot.
Higgins: Oh, darling, she’ll be all right. I’ve taught her to speak properly and she has strict orders as to her behaviour. She’s to keep to two subjects: the weather and everybody’s health – sort of “fine day” and “how do you do”. Help her, darling, and you’ll be quite safe.
Mrs. Higgins: Safe? To talk about our health in the middle of a race?
Higgins: (impatiently) Well, she’s got to talk about something.
Mrs. Higgins: Henry, you’re not even dressed properly.
Higgins: I changed my shirt.
Mrs. Higgins: Where is the girl now?
Higgins: (seeing them) Ah!
Mrs. Higgins: Ah, Colonel Pickering, you’re in time for tea.
Pickering: Thank you, Mrs. Higgins, may I introduce Miss Eliza Doolittle?
Mrs. Higgins: (extending her hand politely) My dear Miss Doolittle.
Eliza: How kind of you to let me come.
(She says it properly and Higgins is happy.)
Mrs. Higgins: Delighted, my dear. (introducing) Mrs. Eynsford-Hill. Miss Doolittle.
Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: How do you do?
Eliza: How do you do?
Mrs. Higgins: (introducing) Lord and Lady Boxington. Miss Doolittle.
Lord and Lady Boxington: How do you do?
Eliza: How do you do?
Mrs. Higgins: (introducing) And Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
Eliza: How do you do?
Freddy: How do you do?
Higgins: Miss Doolittle?
Eliza: Good Afternoon, Professor Higgins.
(Higgins motions for her to sit down, and she looks at him. He pantomimes sitting down and she does. They all sit down. Tea is served.)
Freddy: The first race was very exciting, Miss Doolittle, I’m so sorry you missed it.
Mrs. Higgins: (hurriedly) Will it rain do you think?
Eliza: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. But in Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen.
Freddy: Ha, ha, how awfully funny.
Eliza: What’s wrong with that, young man? I bet I got it right.
Freddy: Smashing!
Mrs. Higgins: I do hope we won’t have any cold weather. It brings so much influenza.
Notes:
1. Cockney accent - a local way of speaking and pronouncing which is characteristic of Londoners from the East End.
2. Ascot – a place near Windsor where in June the famous annual horse races take place. This event usually attracts the upper classes.
Ex. 3. Practise in using modal verbs. Ask: