Ege Academy Blog

PREPOSITIONS

Fill in the blanks with suitable preposition

1. On rainy days she usually goes __________ a walk with her boyfriend.

2. Listen _________ me very carefully. This is really important.

3. Scolari hardly ever goes _________ bed before midnight at the weekends.

4. This is not my own computer. I share it _________ my sister.

5. It was too late when I got __________ the office. The meeting had already started.

6. Look _________ this photo in the newspaper? Isn’t this your father’s friend?

7. A policeman gave us some information __________ the robbery.

8. Everyday Alex studies Turkish __________ two hours.

9. Are there any eggs __________ the kitchen?

10. Angelina and her friends often go __________ a drink __________ work _________  Friday evenings.

11. Is there a football match __________TV this evening?

12. He mostly spends his money __________ technology.

13. Is Roberto Carlos __________ Brazil.

14. What time does she usually get ___________ at the weekends?

15. Colombus discovered America __________ the 15th century.

16. T-Bag was very good _________ math __________ high school.

17. Sara works __________ a multinational company.

18. Their French classes are __________ 6 p.m __________ 9.pm.

19. Lincoln was __________ Germany last week.

20. They have got a beautiful house __________ the lake.

21. In Turkey most banks open __________ about 9 a.m.

22. Ronaldinho often watches TV or play Playstation __________ the evenings.

23. My daughter always walks to school because we live __________ her school.

24. The restaurants are very expensive here so people hardly ever eat __________ around here.

25. A: What shall we eat __________ dinner today?   B: How __________ pizza?

26. Are these flowers __________me? Thank you very much.

27. Kate’s always very busy __________ the week so she has lunch in her office.

KEY

1. for  2. to  3. to  4. with  5. to  6. at  7. about  8. for  9. in  10. for / after / on  11. on  12. on  13. from  14. up  15. in  16. at / in  17. for  18. from / to  19. in  20. by  21. at  22. in  23. near 24. out  25. for / about  26. for  27. in

CLOZE TESTS (ONE WORD EXERCISES) PRE-INTERMEDIATE

Fill in the blanks with ONE word only

A) Have you ever ___________(1) birds build nests? They usually do so when the female bird is about to

__________(2) its eggs. Both the male and female birds find twigs, straw, grass and even string to build a

nest. After the nest is __________(3), the female bird lays its eggs in the nest and sits __________(4) them

until it is time for them to hatch. The male bird flies around to __________(5) for food. Sometimes, it is the

male bird that sits on the eggs to keep them ___________(6). In some species, __________(7) the male and

female birds take turns to sit on the eggs.

B) We ___________(1) to have inconsiderate neighbours. They were rude and unfriendly. They also made a lot __________(2) noise at night. Whenever they watched TV or listened to the radio, they always

turned the volume __________(3) high. We tried telling them about the problems they were __________(4), but they ignored us and the noise got __________(5). They also liked to litter the corridor. Their

son would eat ice cream or crackers and ___________(6) the wrappers along the corridor. My mother made several complaints __________(7) the municipality. However, when the officers came to visit,

they would always refuse to open the door. Then, one day, we __________(8) them packing their things and loading them __________(9) a lorry. We were very happy when we realised that they were moving.

KEY

A) 1. seen  2. lay  3. built / ready 4. on  5. look  6. warm  7. both

B) 1. used to  2. of  3. up  4. causing  5. worse  6. throw  7. to  8. saw  9. into

USED TO / BE USED TO / GET USED TO

EXERCISE  Rewrite each person’s comment using used to or didn’t use to.

1) Alex: I don’t walk to the stadium any more.

_________________________________________________.

2) Roberto Carlos: I’ve got a hamster now.

_________________________________________________.

3) Tamer: I don’t eat fast food any more.

_________________________________________________.

4) Aylin: I go to the gym every night now.

_________________________________________________.

5) Güiza: I’m not selfish any more.

________________________________________________.

6) Tansel: I live in a small house now.

________________________________________________.

7) Bahar: I haven’t got short hair any more.

________________________________________________.

8) Fatih: I drink lots of Turkish coffee now.

________________________________________________.

KEY

1. I used to walk to the stadium.

2. I didn’t se to have a hamster.

3. I used to eat fast food.

4. I didn’t use to go to the gym .

5. I used to be selfish.

6. I didn’t use to live in a small house.

7. I used to have long hair.

8. I didn’t use to drink lots of Turkish coffee.

GERUND / INFINITIVE

Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

1. He should work harder to be a champion in Olympics. It’s worth it.

It’s worth _____________________________________________________.

2. “Let’s go to a hotel in Ayvalik this weekend” Cenk said.

Cenk suggested________________________________________________.

3. It’s not a good idea to borrow a lot of money from a bank.

It’s better to avoid______________________________________________.

4. Semih really loves to drive race cars so he’s going to join a racing club.

Semih really enjoys _________________________________________________.

5. I made an effort to reach that rope but I couldn’t.

I tried _____________________________________________________________.

6. Metin hates travelling by train.

Metin can’t stand ___________________________________________________:

7. Having a good night sleep is important for babies.

It’s important for babies______________________________________________.

8. Don’t miss seeing the Ephesus when you are in Turkey.

Don’t forget_________________________________________________________.

9. My father and I can’t wait to watch Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe match.

My father and I are looking forward to__________________________________.

10. Monitoring the workers is necessary in my job.

It’s necessary for me _________________________________________________.

Key

1. It’s woth working harder to be a champion in the Olympics.
2. Cenk suggested going to a hotel in Ayval?k this weekend.
3. It’s better to avoid borrowing a lot of money from a bank
4. Semih really enjoys driving racing cars so he’s going to koin a racing club.
5. I tried to reach that rope but I couldn’t.
6. Metin can’t stand travelling by train.
7. It’s important for babies to have a good night sleep.
8. Don’t forget to see Ephesus when you are in Turkey.
9. My father and I are looking forward to watch Galatasaray Fenerbahçe match.
10. It’s necessary for me to monitor the workers in my job.

TEST YOURSELF Choose the correct answer

GERUND /INFINITIVE

1. Alex’ll never forget _____________ that goal against Barcelona.

a) to score            b) score       c) scoring

2. While I was driving past his house, I saw Hurley __________basketball in his garden.

a) play                  b) to play       c) playing

3. I regret ____________that I can’t make it on time. I’m very busy.

a) say         b) to say       c) saying

4. I forgot __________ my spare battery so I couldn’t call you on time.

a) to take      b) take      c) taking

5. Remember___________ the safe before you leave the office.

a) locking    b) lock      c) to lock

6. If Murat is always late to work, he risks ___________his job.

a) to lose     b) lose     c) losing

7. After I finished ___________the cats, I prepared myself a big sandwich.

a) feeding     b) to feed      c) feed

8. As he has been looking for a new job for 3 months, he regrets not __________two more foreign languages when he was younger.

a) to learn       b) learn      c) learning

9. I saw my manager ___________his car and drive away.

a) get on    b) getting on     c) to get on

10. As Roberto Carlos drove past the training pitch, he saw Alex ____________free-kicks.

a) practice   b) to practice      c) praticing

KEY: 1.c 2.c 3.b 4.a 5.c 6.c 7.a 8.c 9.a 10.c

EXERCISE. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of  can / have to / be able to

A) Aysel has been pregnant for three months now. Her doctor, Mr.Tuna, says she ___________ (1) have a big breakfast from now on as she is very thin and __________ (2) walk at least 25 minutes everyday but she __________(3) attend her aerobics class anymore because that may be dangerous for her baby. Aysel says she goes out a lot with her husband Kemal these days because as soon as she has her baby she __________ (4) go out a lot, she ____________(5) spend a lot of time with her new born baby then.

B) Roberto Carlos has just stopped football so from now on he ____________ (1) do training any more. He ___________(2) travel to other countries and have a chance to visit his relatives in Brazil. He __________(3)be a coach for his team but first he ___________ (4) take coaching classes and degree. What makes him so unhappy is that he __________ (5) play football with his team mates as much as he used to.

C) I made up my mind and finally left my job last week. In my former job I ___________(1) work 40 hours a week so I __________ (2) spend a lot of time for myself and I _________(3) wear a suit and tie but now where I work is really different. I only ___________(4) work 20 hours a week so I ___________(5) have some free time for my friends and at the same time I ___________(6) wear a suit and tie. I __________(7) wear my favorite jeans and t-shirts. In my former job I __________(8) use my Chinese but now I __________(9) since my new company does business with Chinese people.

MUST / HAVE TO

OBLIGATION / NECESSITY

HAVE TO

We use “have to” when the necessity comes from outside the speaker or when others decide for the speaker.

Check these examples:

• All the primary school students in Turkey have to wear a blue unifrom.
• All the men in Turkey who are 18 years old or older have to do their military service.
• Cenk has to wear a suit at work. ( The company’s board decided )
• Before entering the factory, all the workers have to sign the attendance book.
• As it is an international company Murat has to work on Saturdays to deal with the customers.

All of the necessities in the examples above come from outside the speaker.

Past form of “have to” is “had to”

Check these examples:

• When I was in the army I had to shave everymorning.
• Linda had to fill an application form to be a candidate for the position in the company.
• When I was a child, I had to go to bed at 9p.m.
• In my previous job all the ladies had to wear a tie.

We use “will have to” for future necessities.

• Mrs.Hanks will have to work in summers in her new job.
• If Burak is promoted, he will have to check the reports everyday.

MUST

We use “must” for the necessities that the speaker decides himself. Must is used only in present and future.

• I cough a lot in the evenings. I must stop smoking. ( I decided myself )
• As Meral has a very important exam tomorrow morning she must go to bed early.
• This client is a very serious man so we must prepare everything very carefully.
• I must save money to buy that house.

Past form of “must” is “had to”.

• I had to get a taxi for work yesterday because I was late.
• In order to get to the office, I had to take three buses last year.
• She had to work last Saturday because she couldn’t finish the reports.

MODAL VERBS; CAN / BE ABLE TO EXERCISES

Fill in the blanks with can, can’t, could, couldn’t or was / wasn’t able to

1. Kemal ________________ afford this watch. It’s too expensive.

2. She _______________ swim. She learnt how to swim when she was 7.

3. Sinan _____________ find the password after three attempts.

4. I ______________ open the door since my hands were full.

5. Leyla is a practical girl. She _____________ do every housework very quickly.

6. When I was a child, I _______________ skateboard.

7. As soon as I saw the boy in front of my car, I _______________ step the brake.

8. Because it was foggy, Tim _____________ see clearly.

9. Larry Bird ____________ score 30 points in the last match.

10. In the last Olympic games in Beijing Usain Bolt _____________ run 100 meters in 9.69 seconds and he broke the world record.

KEY: 1. can’t  2. can  3. was able to  4. couldn’t / wasn’t able to  5. can  6. could  7. was able to  8. couldn’t / wasn’t able to 9. was able to 10. was able to

MODAL VERBS showing ABILITY

CAN = BE ABLE TO

We use ‘can’ or ‘be able to’ to express present ability.

Check these sentences.

I can drive a car. = I’m able to drive a car.

She can cook Turkish dishes very well. = She’s able to cook Turkish dishes very well.

Nilay can repair a bike. = Nilay is able to repair a bike.

Although my grandfather is old, he can climb a mountain.

She can’t swim fast. = She isn’t able to swim fast.

Sedat and Murat can’t speak French. = They aren’t able to speak French.

( ? )

Can you ride a camel? = Are you able to ride a camel?

Can she use a typewriter? = Is she able to use a typewriter?

Can Will and Jack translate this article? = Are Will and Jack able to translate this article?

can and be able to have the same meaning. They both express present ABILITY.

We often use ‘be able to’ in written English.

PAST ABILITY

Past form of can is COULD.

Check these sentences.

When Dora was a child, he could climb the trees easily.

My grandfather could speak seven languages.

I couldn’t swim when I was 12.

ATTENTION!!!!!

****could and was/were able to don’t have the same meaning.****

• ‘could’ shows a general ability in the past. ( I could swim when I was a child )

• BUT

• was / were able to shows an ability in one single event in the past.

Although Alex didn’t play well in the last match, he was able to score two great goals. ( This is an ability in a single event. )

There was a fire at Hilton Hotel yesterday. Fortunately, the firefighters came on time and they were able to put out the fire.

I always beat Murat in tennis. However in the last game he was able to beat me.

was / were able to = managed to

As soon as she understood what the problem was, she managed to repair it.

Fenerbahçe managed to beat Chelsea in Istanbul last year. (ability in single event)

couldn’t = wasn’t / weren’t able to

**There is no difference in meaning with the negative forms.

A. Complete the sentences with a verb from the list.

1. Mr.Locke refused ___________ her the job.
2. Tarkan decided ____________ Chemistry in the USA.
3. They like __________ parties in their summer house.
4. Most of my colleagues prefer ____________ Turkish coffee to Nescafe.
5. ?ermin hates ___________ on the cell phone.
6. Can you imagine ___________ in Miami?
7. Shakespeare fancied ___________ plays.
8. They dislike __________ sea food.
9. He hopes ___________ an astranout one day.

B. Underline the correct words. ( Gerund or infinitive )

1. My father and my sister enjoy to visit / visiting historical museums.
2. He doesn’t want to be / being a vet.
3. Zeki prefers playing / to play computer games to Internet.
4. She is very old. She can’t stand to be / being with young children for a long time.
5. I imagine moving / to move to Cunda Island when I’m retired.
6. As he never thanks for anything, I refused helping / to help him with the reports.
7. Lale doesn’t mind to walk / walking under the rain without an umbrella.
8. Arzu hopes to visit / visiting her grandparents at the weekend.
9. My car needs to paint / painting.
10. Norman avoids eating / to eat fatty food because he is on a diet. He must lose / to lose / losing 10 kilos.

KEY

EXERCISE A: 1. to give  2. to study  3. having  4. drinking  5. talking  6. living  7. writing  8. eating  9. to be

EXERCISE B: 1. visiting  2. to be  3. playing  4. being  5. moving  6. to help  7. walking  8. to visit  9. painting  10. eating / lose