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Modals and question tags (exercices)
Posted: 05 Dec 2005 15:42
by damiro
Hi there!
Could a kind soul help me correcting or giving me his/her opinion about the following exercices?
These deal with modals and question tags (but although I deal with them quite easily and spontaniously into the everyday life, I feel a kind of uncertainty sometimes).
Thank you very much,
Have a nice day all!
Damiro

Posted: 05 Dec 2005 18:18
by Kaolyn
Hello
I'm not an english native speaker but i'll try to help you anyway. I would prefer that a native speaker confirms what I say, or corrects if i did something wrong (in which case i would be really sorry!)
For the first exercise :
"Unfortunately we heard no more from her, so we've had to start advertising again. "
I think the two tenses used don't fit together. I would say we heard no more from her, so we had to start....
The job's being done done by Mr Brown's son, who shouldn't be working really because he's unhelpful and sometimes he should be quite rude to visitors.
I guess you speak french because you live in Belgium, so i'm gonna explain in french, if you don't, then i'll try to explain in english.
Si tu écris
"who shouldn't be working because he's unhelpful" ca veut dire qu'il ne devrait pas travailler parce qu'il ne sert à rien.
Si que le sens que tu veux donner à la phrase c'est qu'il ne travaille pas vraiment parce qu'il n'est pas d'une grande utilité... :
He's not really working because he's unhelpful ...
Si tu dis he should be quite rude to visitors tu l'encourage à etre odieux à l'encontre des gens! Il vaut mieux dire sometimes
he is quite rude to visitors.
Posted: 05 Dec 2005 18:37
by Kaolyn
Ex 2: I'm not sure about it, but i would say that It didn't ought to happen and it didn't ought happening are correct. (confirmation?)
I would also say:
c) might
I think may is used as 'to have the permission to'. I would rather use might in a situation where we're talking about tickets

e) might
Maybe i will stay at home to paint but i shouldn't, so I might but not may
g) must
Is it really necessary for you to make so much noise? do you have to make so much noise?
i) might
You could like it, you might like it.
Ex 3:
1) -
2) and do you? (it's not very nice but it could fit to the situation^^)
3) I don't think he did.
4) Yes, it is!
5) -
6) -
7) neither did I
8) does she (really)?
9) -
10) no he needn't/ no he doesn't have to
11) -
12) -
Posted: 06 Dec 2005 08:30
by grzespelc
Kaolyn wrote:I would also say:
c) might
I think may is used as 'to have the permission to'. I would rather use might in a situation where we're talking about tickets
I disagree with you Kaolyn. "May"'
may(:D) also express possibility so it is good in this situation.
Posted: 06 Dec 2005 11:50
by damiro
Many thanks for your answers...
@Kaolyn: Oops I haven't seen the "should in exs 1 (they should have given us a text written in shorthand!)
Du sprichst ein schönes Französich... Du sollst das sehr leicht sprechen!

Posted: 06 Dec 2005 19:10
by Kaolyn
grzespelc wrote:Kaolyn wrote:I would also say:
c) might
I think may is used as 'to have the permission to'. I would rather use might in a situation where we're talking about tickets
I disagree with you Kaolyn. "May"'
may(:D) also express possibility so it is good in this situation.
Okay merci grzespelc ! My mistake, excuse me Damiro

Tu es d'accord avec le reste sinon grzespelc?
Damiro wrote:Du sprichst ein schönes Französich... Du sollst das sehr leicht sprechen!
Hey, danke
(ich lebe in Österreich, ich bin aber französin, mais faut pas l'dire!
)
Posted: 06 Dec 2005 20:15
by damiro