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1) Will.: Modal Verbs. 1. Modal Verbs of Probability, Present and Future
1) Will.: Modal Verbs. 1. Modal Verbs of Probability, Present and Future
GRAMMAR
Modal verbs.
The main modal verbs that express probability are described here in order of certainty. Will is the
most certain, and might/could are the least certain.
1) Will.
a) Will and won’t are used to predict a future action. The truth or certainty of what is asserted
is more or less taken for granted.
e.g. His latest book will be out next month.
b) Will and won’t are also used to express what we believe or guess to be true about the present.
They indicate an assumption based on our knowledge of people and things, their routines,
character and qualities.
e.g. Leave the meat in the oven. It won’t be cooked yet.
It’s Monday morning, so I guess right now Sarah will be taking the children to school.
2) Must and can’t.
a) Must is used to assert what we infer or conclude to be the most logical or rational
interpretation of the situation. We do not have all the facts, so it is less certain than will. Must
in this meaning is not used to speak about the future.
e.g. You say he walked across the Sahara Desert! He must be mad!
You must be joking! I simply don’t believe you!
b) The negative of this use is can’t.
e.g. She can’t have a ten-year-old daughter! She’s only twenty-one herself!
3) Should.
a) Should expresses what may reasonably be expected to happen. Expectation means believing
that things are or will be as we want them to be. This use of should has the idea of if everything
has gone according to plan.
e.g. Our guests should be here soon (if they haven’t got lost).
This homework shouldn’t take you too long (if you’ve understood what you have to do).
We should be moving into our new house soon (as long as nothing goes wrong).
b) Should in this use has the idea that we want the action to happen. It is not used to express
negative or unpleasant ideas.
e.g. You should pass the exam. You’ve worked hard (NOT You should fail the exam).
4) May, might and could.
a) May expresses the possibility that an event will happen or is happening.
e.g. We may go to Greece this year. We haven’t decided yet.
“Where’s Ann?” “She may be having a bath, I don’t know”.
b) Might and could are slightly more tentative and slightly less certain than may.
e.g. It might rain. Take your umbrella.
You could be right. I’m not sure.
c) Couldn’t is not used to express a future possibility. The negative of could in this use is
might not.
e.g. You might not be right.
d) Couldn’t has a similar meaning to can’t above, only slightly weaker.
e.g. She couldn’t have a ten-year-old daughter! She’s only twenty-one herself!
2. Modal verbs of probability in the past.
All the modal verbs above can be used with the perfect infinitive to speak about probability in
the past. They express the same varying degrees of certainty. Again, will have done is the most
certain, and might/ could have done is the least certain.
e.g. “I met a tall girl at your party. Very attractive.” “That’ll have been my sister, Patsy.”
It must have been a good party. Everyone stayed till dawn.
The music can’t have been any good. Nobody danced.
Where’s Pete? He should’ve been here ages ago.
He may have got lost.
He might have decided not to come.
He could have had an accident.
1 I'm still waiting for the money the bank is supposed to have sent me.
2 There's still no sign of Alex.
3 It's getting rather late to deal with this now.
4 I wish you wouldn't leave your bag near the door like that.
5 You'd better take your umbrella with you.
6 This piece is the right shape, but it doesn't fit.
7 There should be a filling station here.
8 It's a very long book.
9 Oh sorry, yes, these are your keys.
10 Leave yourself plenty of time for the journey.
It was good to see you last week and to get your email yesterday.
Sorry to hear you lost your rap CD on the journey home. I've looked for it, but it definitely isn't
in our car. I think you (1) it on the train. Why not phone the lost property office? It (2) down the
side of your seat. Someone (3) it and handed it in. Of course, if they like rap music, they (4)!
Anyway, as far as I remember, you (5) it here, because you were listening to it on the way to the
station.
And now my news. Guess what? I (6) to your part of the world next month! There is a
conference in your town which my boss wanted to attend, but now he's heard that some
important clients (7) our office at that time.
So, we (8) each other sooner than we expected. Let's hope so. Of course it's not settled yet. I'll
email as soon as I know for certain.
See you,
Robin
6. Complete the text using one of the phrases a-j in each gap.
a) can't have set off b) could easily be c) could expect d) must have been
e) can't have been f) could easily sail g) might have h) must have made
i) should have reached j) might involve
16th-century explorers
Imagine what it (1) like to have sailed around the world in a small wooden ship, as Drake and
his men did in 1577-1580. On a ship only some 35 metres long, it (2) easy for the 80 or so crew
to live comfortably. Exploration was part of war and rivalry with other nations, so these
voyages (3) attacks on other ships and towns, and had to make a profit. There were all the usual
dangers too. A ship (4) destroyed by a storm or run out of food and water, and the captain (5)
little idea of where the ship was or where it was going. Explorers (6) many wrong decisions in
an age when there were only basic maps and navigation equipment, and in unknown parts of
ocean where a ship (7) for weeks without reaching land. Very often places they thought they (8)
turned out to be much further on, or in a different direction. However, they (9) on such long
voyages without some general idea of the places they (10) to reach along the way, and as
knowledge of navigation improved, voyages became more and more successful.
7. Complete the answers with must, can't or might and any other words you need.
1. GERALD: Can that be James phoning at this hour? It's gone midnight!
HILDA: It…him. He said he'd phone if he passed his exam.
2. JIM: There's a light on in that office block. Do you think it's a thief?
HARRY: It…the cleaners. They always work at night.
3. ELINOR: Where did Adam get that new guitar? He hasn't got any money
KATE: It … a present. After all, it was his birthday last week.
5. EMMA: Do you think Cindy told the boss I left work early yesterday?
NEIL: She's away this week, so she … him.
6. JILL: What's making me feel so ill?
PAT: It … ate. Did you have seafood last night? That sometimes makes people ill.
10. Read these three short texts about missing people. Then speculate about what you think
happened in each case. Use must, might and can’t.
1. Linda Peyton has bee missing for three weeks. It is known that she was staying in
a hostel near Exeter until quite recently and it is thought that she has a boyfriend in
Bristol, over 50 miles away. Linda is only 16 years old and should have been
attending school. Her family are worried about her and would like her to get in
touch and let them know she’s OK. Linda had been living with her grandparents.
According to her grandfather, Linda enjoys shopping, is very creative and had
hoped to become a beautician.
2. Richard Withers, 43, went missing from his home in Eastbourne last October,
leaving behind his glasses, credit cards and various personal documents. Richard
was due to report to work at a local factory, but never turned up. His mother claims
that he left the house that day ‘in a distressed condition’ because he had recently
been beaten up in a street fight and had also been having some serious personal
problems. Richard is a keen football supporter who often went to watch Brighton
& Hove Albion play. His mother described him as ‘a lovely, helpful man who
wouldn’t hurt a fly’.
3. Skip Hudson disappeared on Christmas Eve last year. That day, he was due to fly
to Almeria in Spain with his fiancée and had gone to the bank in Cleethorpes to
withdraw some money. He never came back and has not been seen since. Skip had
apparently bee looking forward to the holiday, despite his fear of flying. He had
never flown before. There was a reported sighting of him on Boxing Day in a
nearby town. Skip used to work as a mechanic in a local garage and was also a
keen fisherman.
.
1 Why did you walk all the way from the station? You could рhone / could have phoned for a
lift.
2 I loved staying with my grandparents when I was a child. They let me read all the books in
the house and told me I could go / was able to go to bed as late as I wanted.
3 This carpet was priced at £500, but I could get / was able to get a discount because of this
little mark in the corner.
4 I couldn't have found / haven't been able to find my diary for days. It's terribly inconvenient.
5 I've no idea where my brother is living now. He can be / could be at the North Pole for all I
know.
6 It's difficult to understand how explorers survive the conditions they encounter in the
Antarctic. I'm sure I can't / couldn't.
7 I wish I'd had your opportunities. With a proper education I can be / could have been a rich
man now.
8 The day started off misty, but the sun had appeared by the time we reached the mountain and
we could climb / were able to climb it quite quickly.
9 Our holiday flat had a kitchen. We could cook / could have cooked our own meals, but we
preferred to go to local restaurants.
10 Why did I listen to you? I can be / could have been at home
now instead of sitting here in the cold!
1 . . . you stand on your head? - I . . . when I was at school but I . . . now. (2nd verb negative)
2 When I've passed my driving test I . . . hire a car from our local garage.
3 At the end of the month the Post Office will send him an enormous telephone bill which he . .
. pay. (negative)
4 I ... remember the address, (negative) — . . . you even remember the street? (negative)
5 When the fog lifts we . . . see where we are.
6 You've put too much in your rucksack; you never . . . carry all that.
7 When I was a child I . . . understand adults, and now that I am an adult I . . . understand
children, (negative, negative)
8 When you have taken your degree you . . . put letters after your name?
9 Don't try to look at all the pictures in the gallery. Otherwise when you get home you . . .
remember any of them, (negative)
10 When I first went to Spain I. . . read Spanish but I . . . speak it. (2nd verb negative)
11 . . . you type?- Yes, I . . . type but I ... do shorthand. (2nd verb negative)
12 I'm locked in. I . . . get out! (negative) - . . . you squeeze between the bars? (negative) -No!
I . . .; I'm too fat. (negative)
13 ... I speak to Mr Pitt, please?- I'm afraid he's out at the moment. . . . you ring back later?
14 If you stood on my shoulders . . . you reach the top of the wall? ~ No, I'm afraid I . . .
(negative)
15 If I sang . . . you accompany me on the piano? -No, I. . ., I . . . play the piano! (negative,
negative)
16 If a letter comes for me . . . you please forward it to this address?
17 She made the wall very high so that boys . . . climb over it. (negative)
18 They took his passport so that he . . . leave the country, (negative)
19 . . . you tell me the time, please? — I'm afraid I. ... I haven't got a watch, (negative)
20 If you had to, . . . you go without food for a week? — I suppose I ... if I had plenty of water.
21 . . . you lend me £5? -No, I . . . (negative)
22 They used to chain valuable books to library desks so that people . . . take them away,
(negative)
23 He says that he saw Clementine drowning but. . . help her as he . . . swim, (negative,
negative)
24 If you had had the right tools . . . you have repaired the engine?
3. Complete the sentences with could(n't) and was(n't) able to. Sometimes there is more than
one answer.
1. Eddie broke his leg last summer, so he … swim.
2. Emily's handbag was stolen when she was out yesterday afternoon. Luckily she met a friend,
so she … use his mobile to call home.
3. I didn't enjoy the play because I forgot my glasses. I … see the stage properly.
4. Marion's meeting was cancelled at the last moment, so she … come to the sports club with us
after all.
5. Robert … speak any Dutch when he moved to Amsterdam last year, but he's almost fluent
now.
5 I thought I'd have to get a taxi home from the party, but luckily I … have a lift with Kate.
6. We really wanted to buy a house last year, but we just … afford it.
7. My brother … read well by the age of seven, but he's always had problems with maths.
8. Last night we heard a noise outside our window. When we turned off the light, we … see a
deer in the garden.
9. One day last week I locked my husband out of the house by mistake, but luckily he … get in
through an open window.
10. He was very strong; he . . . ski all day and dance all night.
11. The car plunged into the river. The driver . . . get out but the passengers were drowned.
12. We . . . borrow umbrellas; so we didn't get wet.
13. . . . you walk or did they have to carry you?
14. I had no key so I . . . lock the door, (negative)
15. I knew the town so I . . . advise him where to go.
16. When the garage had repaired our car we . . . continue our journey.
17. At five years old he . . . read quite well.
18. When I arrived everyone was asleep. Fortunately I . . . wake my sister and she let me in.
19. The swimmer was very tired but he . . . reach the shore before he collapsed.
20. The police were suspicious at first but I . . . convince them that we were innocent.
4. Fill the spaces in the following sentences by inserting must or the present, future, or past
form of have to.
5. Use the required form of the infinitive after ought to and should.
1.But we ought (to have) your brother here, to tell us exactly how far we can go.
2.Tea is between half past five and six, and it should (to be) ready now.
3.He couldn't see anything. He thought that he ought (to bring) a torch.
4.Should the baby (to play) with a box of matches?
5.If you're in love it ought (to make) you happy. You ought (to laugh).
6.The doctor said it was appendicitis and she ought (to operate) on.
7.You should (to see) him yesterday on horseback.
8.One day the headmaster came on Jack, who should (to sweat) on the sports ground, sitting
comfortably in a gardener's shed reading a book and eating a large piece of cocoa-nut ice.
9."Your father and I should (to arrange) everything before I came here," he said.
10.Oughtn't you (to answer) that letter now?
11.Where is his car? He shouldn't (to leave) it unattended.
12.He drove at great speed. He knew that about this hour the guests should (to arrive) at his
house.
13."Well, I'm very glad to know at last what it was all about." "You ought (to tell) before."
14.Then he should (to laugh), but instead he heard himself saying: "Everything you say is quite
true."
15.Anything we can do to clear up this miserable affair ought (to do).
16."I don't think he had the least idea of what I meant." "You should (to be) more explicit, my
dear."
III. Consolidation.
1. "Will you know where to go?" "Yes, thank you. I ... always ask my brother."
2. "Didn't she hear our shouting?" "She says she heard nothing." "She ... have wandered a long
way."
3. What ... he have meant when he said it?
4. He hesitated and said, "I ... go to South America. As a tea planter." I said,"I ... be wrong,
Jason, but I don't think they grow tea in South America."
5. He ... have flown off after he dropped us. He ... not land here. Not in a plane with wheels.
6. "I'd give anything to meet that fellow." "We ... see what ... be done."
7. Cindy ... have laughed aloud. Instead, she nodded.
8. You ... hardly have been more surprised than I was.
9. The old man cupped his ear in his palm. "I think I ... be getting deaf. I ... not hear you."
10. "There was someone on the phone for you," he said. "Oh, who?" "I don't know, he didn't
say. Some man." "It ... have been Mike." "I know Mike. It wasn't Mike." "Oh. Then I ... not
think who it ... have been."
11. I went straight from the station to the club and played billiards. It ... have been after eleven
when I reached the flat.
12. She was beginning to want to ask him in but she knew that she ... not do it yet.
13. It's a most interesting story. He ... not possibly have invented it. You ... have told him
something.
14. I've other things to attend to which ... be put through immediately.
15. I admire your mother's looks. She ... have been a lovely girl.
16. The apples are very good. You ... eat them all.
17. My wife ... leave the hospital in a week's time.
18. My wife ... to leave the hospital a few days ago.
19. I'm trying to think where he ... have gone.
20. Of course it occurred to me that if he had found the watch as he said, it ... have been lying
in the garden for more than a year.
21. He began absently to eat one of the buttered biscuits. He'd lose his appetite if his wife didn't
hurry up. She ... be talking to Frau Schmidt.
22. A day or two later Mrs Strickland sent me a note asking if I ... go and see her that evening
after dinner.
23. "I don't know why he did it." "It ... have amused him."
24. "You know, I'm a bit of a writer myself in a small way." "What are you writing? A novel?"
"Oh, come off it. I ... not write a novel. No, it's a sort of history of the regiment, as a matter of
fact."
25. "He's up in Barbie's room. He's decorating it with shells. He ... have brought in a ton."
26. "She's gone out. Something awful ... have happened." "How ... she have got out? The door
is locked."
27. I'm going to tell him that he ... not do any building here.
28. They say the driver .,. have been going fifty miles round that blind corner for the body to
have been thrown and injured like it was.
29. She looked unusually pale and gloomy. I wondered what ... have upset her.
30. "... you drive a car, Mooey?" "Yes, indeed I ... ," he answered.
31. You ... be very prosperous, Eustace, to own a car like that,
32. Obviously Haviland had worked late the night before, as he ... have done for several nights
in a row, because he looked drawn and pale.
33. The water of the pool ... have been heated for it steamed gently in the beams of the lamps.
34. Mr Hardy takes a lot of aspirin. He ... have had at least twelve tablets during the day.
35. The man danced very well. He ... have spent hours taking lessons, Jack thought.
Thursday
NEIL: I'm doing a training session after work next Monday. Can you email these people?
ROBBIE: (1) Must I do / Should I do it now?
NEIL: Well, we (2) must have sent / should have sent them earlier really.
ROBBIE: Oh, all right then.
Friday
NAOMI: I've had an email about a training day on Monday. Do you think I (3) must / ought
to take my laptop?
ELLIE: Well, you (4) mustn't / don't have to. But I always take mine, just in case I need it.
Monday
NAOMI: Hi, Neil. I've brought my laptop.
NEIL: Oh, you (5) needn't bother / needn't have bothered. There are There are plenty of
computers. But why isn't Ellie with you? Is she away?
NAOMI: She wasn't asked to come. She's gone home.
NEIL: Oh, dear. The email (6) must go / must have gone to the wrong address. And I don't
know where Robbie is. He (7) must be / should be here.
NAOMI: Well, he had to go out earlier. He (8) must have missed / should have missed the bus
back. I expect he'll be here soon
4. You mustn't / don't have to conduct any chemistry experiments unless you are
wearing safety glasses.
5. There are a lot of books which Anna did not have to read / need not have read as
part of her university course, but which she decided to read out of interest.
6. We don't have to / We'd better not talk for too long. These calls are expensive.
7. I went to see the dentist yesterday, but luckily / didn't need to have /1 needn't have
had any painful treatment!
8. You didn't have to tell me /shouldn't have told me about the party. Now it's not a
surprise!
9. Some people believe that the government does not have to / should not allow
genetically modified crops to be grown on a large scale, as they could spread out of control.
10. These books are on the wrong shelf. They shouldn't/ mustn't be here.
11. The report concluded that the rescuers should not have attempted / didn't have to
attempt to move the injured passengers before medical help arrived.
12. Please put the paper cups and plates in the bin. We mustn't / don't have to leave the
room in a mess.
13. There is plenty of time. We mustn't be /don't have to be at the cinema until 8.00.
8. Complete the second sentence with must(n't), need(n't), should(n't) or (don't) have to so
that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence.
Rubbish - or refuse as we (1) really call it - is big news at the moment. For many years, people
in Britain (2) had to pay a local tax (council tax) which includes a charge for refuse collection.
In many parts of the country people have also been (3) to ask their local council to remove
unwanted household items, such as furniture and electrical appliances. However, in recent
years, as a result of EU
legislation, councils have (4) to reconsider how they collect rubbish, and what they do with it.
In the past, householders simply (5) to put out their dustbins once
a week, and the council collected the rubbish. Now the emphasis is on recycling, and
householders (6) to separate recyclable waste (paper, plastic, cans and bottles) from organic
waste (food and garden waste) and other items. 'Really we (7) have started doing this years
ago,' explained Karen Graham from recycling consultants WasteNot. 'We (8) to stop filling up
holes in the ground with rubbish and look at what other countries have (9) able to do.' One
likely change is that soon householders (10) have to pay for their rubbish collections. 'People
(11) pay according to how much rubbish they produce, and we (12) to reward people who
recycle and consume less. People in Belgium, for example, (13) had to get used to this system -
and it seems to have worked.' And if you think that weighing your rubbish is a strange idea, you
had (14) get used to it. Before long, an electronic chip in your dustbin will be weighing the bin
and calculating how much you (15) to pay.
10. Use the perfect infinitive of the verbs in brackets with a suitable modal verb.
11. Read the description of the following situations and say what the people
should/must/could … (not) have done and what may/must … happen in future.
a) It was Sunday yesterday and Mike took his father’s car without permission to go to
a disco. At the disco he had too much beer and on the way home he skidded as he was
driving too fast and had a minor accident. However, he managed to return home unnoticed.
Naturally, he didn’t tell anybody at home about what had happened. Now it is Monday
evening. Mike’s father has just returned home and he looks very angry.
b) Oscar took his friends for a drive in his car. They went about 30 miles along a
highway and stopped at a service station. Oscar entered a fast-food restaurant which was
nearby to get some food. When he came out his car wasn’t there. His friends had
disappeared too.
12. Fill in the blanks in the following texts with suitable modal verbs.
1. "Hallo, Tim. What have you been doing?" Mary called to the boy.
"I've been up at the station," Tim said, "watching the trains. You ... learn a lot there. You ... go
up there more often. And I've got a message for you."
"For me?"
"Yes. From Mike. I saw him off back to London. He said he was called away unexpectedly
and ... (not) to see you again. He also said if you were in London he'd like you to call on him
but he didn't give me his address, so I ... (not) tell it to you."
"But he ... (not) have gone," Mary cried out.
"Why not?" Tim looked puzzled. "I've just seen him go."
2. "Granddad says he'll be glad when you get out of the house," the little girl said after she had
been sitting still for nearly a minute.
"Does he?" said Ted.
"Yes. He says he ... (not) trust you round the corner."
"Oh?"
"What ... you do round the corner?"
"I ... do a lot of things."
"What sort of things?"
"All sorts of things."
The girl occupied herself for a short time with her own thoughts. Then she said: "Mummy says
you're a cheat. What is a cheat?"
"I don't know," said Ted rather bitterly.
"But ... you be a cheat if you don't know what it is?"
"I ... (not), of course. I am not one."
"Is Grandad a cheat?"
"I shouldn't be surprised."
"... I ask him if he is a cheat?"
"I don't think you ... ."
"Why not?"
"He ... (not) like it."
"Why not?"
"I don't know," said Ted. "I don't, really know anything about cheats, Ann. And I think you ...
have made a mistake about the word altogether."
3. "The house is absolutely full of gas. Whatever have you been doing?" I asked, the maid,
entering her bedroom.
"I have done nothing," she said, weakly.
"Oh, then, who was it?" I said, trying to open the windows. "You ... have been dead. I ... (not)
think what you ... have been doing. The gas oven was on. I suppose it ... have been Flora. Was
she playing in the kitchen?"
"Yes. She ... have done it. What a naughty girl, trying to kill us all."
"Do you mean," I said, "that you didn't even notice? That since seven o'clock you haven't
noticed a thing?"
"I did not notice anything, no."
"You ... be an idiot," I said. "What if I had stayed out all night, you'd probably all have been
dead by the morning."
13. Supply the necessary modal verbs for the following sentences, noticing carefully the
Russian equivalents given in brackets.
l.He ... not and ... not believe her. (не мог; не хотел)
2. Не sat, thinking unhappily of his talk with Jimmy. He wondered if he ... have stayed with
him. He felt he ... have said something at least, to warn Jimmy against Smith. But what ... he
have said? And Jimmy ... not have listened, (надо было бы; следовало бы; мог бы; не стал
бы)
3."By the way," I asked, "what's Bill doing now?" "How in the world ... I know?" Arthur
looked pained. "I thought he ... have been bothering you for money." (откуда мне знать;
может быть)
4.Не came out of the water, smiling. "You ... have come earlier," he said. "We ... have swum
together. The water is great." (зря не пришел; могли бы)
5."Last night, you know, Hugh suddenly began to speak to me about what my future was going
to be like." "What ... it have meant?" "How ... I know?" (и что это могло значить; откуда
мне знать)
6.There was an old apple tree beside the path. I said, "I bet I ... climb that." "No, you ... not,"
said Jack, (могу; не надо)
7."Well, then, ... you hold the line while I find the letter?" "I ... not, I'm in a telephone box."
"Then ... I ring you back?" "I'm not on the telephone." "Then I think perhaps you ... ring me
back in half an hour. By then I ... have some idea what this is all about." (можешь ли; не
могу; можно мне; тебе лучше; может быть)
8.Не knows he ... read classics. He ... change to something else. (не нужно; мог бы)
9."Monday will be my last day in London," Hudson said. "I stay down here fairly late."
(может быть, придется)
10. In any case, I ... not hang about outside indefinitely while the sisters finished their quarrel.
They ... continue for hours, (не мог же; может быть)
11.It's too bad she ... not have a drink with us. We ... have learned a great deal about the theatre
tonight, (не могла; могли бы)
12.If you help me now I ..... help you later, (может быть, смогу)
13."I shall wait to hear what Lily has to say about it." "You … wait a long time." (может
быть, придется)
14.1 think you ... certainly have told us the truth, and we ... have decided what was the best
thing to do. (следовало бы; могли бы)
15.If your mother calls, tell her I. .be a little late, (возможно, придется)
16.On Saturday Charles broke the news to his father. Mr March began to grumble: "You ...
have chosen a more suitable time to tell me. You ... have known that hearing this would put me
out of step for the day." (следовало бы; мог бы)
VOCAB & SPEAKING.
1. Here are several idioms to express surprise. Study them and use them in your own
sentences.
It beats me! This expression is used to express surprise at something that you
find difficult to understand,
"It beats me how he can live in that horrible apartment!"
It's beyond me. The expression "it's beyond me" means: "it's impossible for me to
understand"
"It's beyond me why Mary wants to marry John."
A bolt from the blue. To refer to something as a bolt from the blue means
that it happened completely unexpectedly.
The chairman's resignation came as a bolt from the blue!"
Out of the blue If something happens out of the blue, it happens unexpectedly
Caught unawares. If someone is caught unawares, they are surprised and unprepared
for what happens.
"The security guard moved so silently that the thief was caught unawares"
Drop a bombshell. If someone makes an unexpected or shocking announcement,
they drop a bombshell.
"Her new husband dropped a bombshell when he announced that he was already the father of
three children!"
A doubting Thomas is one who habitually or instinctively doubts or questions.
“He was a doubting Thomas about the coming merger, not believing it would ever happen”.
One's jaw drops. If someone's jaw drops, they show total amazement.
"When the prize was announced, the winner's jaw dropped."
Jump out of one's skin. If you jump out of your skin, you are extremely surprised or
shocked.
"Jane nearly jumped out of her skin when the horse put its head through the window!"
The mind boggles. The expression "the mind boggles" is used as a reaction to something you
find amazing or difficult to understand
Pigs might fly. To say “pigs might fly” expresses disbelief, or the idea that miracles
might happen but are extremely unlikely.
"My grandmother buying a computer? ...Yeah! ...and pigs might fly!"
Raise eyebrows. If something raises eyebrows, it causes surprise or disapproval.
"When the boss arrived in jeans, it raised a few eyebrows."
Rooted to the spot. If you are so shocked, surprised or scared that you are rooted to the spot,
your reaction is so strong that you are unable to move.
"Joe stood rooted to the spot as the plane landed on the water."
It's a small world This expression is used by someone who is surprised to meet familiar
people, events or situations in unexpected places.
"Wow! It's a small world. I never expected to meet a neighbour on a transatlantic flight!"
Struck dumb. If someone is struck dumb, they are unable to speak because they are so
surprised, shocked or frightened by something.
"The accused was struck dumb when the verdict was announced."
Words fail me. This expression is often used when someone is so shocked, surprised or
touched by something that they don't know what to say.
"What do you think of Bob's attitude?" "Words fail me!"
Wonders will never cease! This saying is used to express pleasure or surprise at something.
"Idioms are increasingly popular with learners of English. Wonders will never cease!"
3. Render the following text into English using modal verbs and at least 15 active words and
expressions (including the idioms). Suggest your own explanation of the mystery. Make sure
you use the modal verbs of probability.
2. Decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the
text.
1. There are almost a million stars in our galaxy.
2. The oldest broadcast has already travelled 80 light years from Earth.
3. It would take a thousand years for a message from a planet 1,000 light years away to
reach Earth.
4. In the early days of research, astronomers focused on finding planets like the Earth.
5. Some single-cell Earth creatures can live in temperatures of minus 200°C.
6. Everyone agrees that making contact with aliens would be a good thing.
3. Read the text. Retell it paying special attention to the use of your active grammar
and vocab.
Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens?
Stephen Hawking thinks that making contact with aliens would be a very bad idea indeed.
But with new, massive telescopes, we humans are stepping up the search. Have we really
thought this through?
The hunt for intelligent species outside Earth may be a staple of literature and film – but it
is happening in real life, too. Space probes are searching for planets outside our solar
system, and astronomers are carefully listening for any messages being beamed through
space. How awe-inspiring it would be to get confirmation that we are not alone in the
universe, to finally speak to an alien race. Wouldn’t it?
Well, no, according to the eminent physicist Stephen Hawking. “If aliens visited us, the
outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well
for the Native Americans,” Hawking says. He argues that, instead of trying to find and
communicate with life in the cosmos, humans would be better off doing everything they
can to avoid contact.
Hawking believes that, based on the sheer number of planets that scientists know must
exist, we are not the only life form in the universe. There are, after all, billions and billions
of stars in our galaxy alone, with, it is reasonable to expect, an even greater number of
planets orbiting them. And it is not unreasonable to expect some of that alien life to be
intelligent, and capable of interstellar communication. So, when someone with Hawking’s
knowledge of the universe advises against contact, it’s worth listening, isn’t it?
Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in California, the world’s leading
organization searching for telltale alien signals, is not so sure. “This is an unwarranted
fear,” Shostak says. “If their interest in our planet is for something valuable that our planet
has to offer, there’s no particular reason to worry about them now. If they’re interested in
resources, they have ways of finding rocky planets that don’t depend on whether we
broadcast or not. They could have found us a billion years ago.”
If we were really worried about letting aliens know we were here, Shostak says, the first
thing to do would be to shut down the BBC, NBC, CBS and the radars at all airports.
Those broadcasts have been streaming into space for years – the oldest is already more
than 80 light years from Earth – so it is already too late to stop passing aliens watching
every episode of TV programmes like Big Brother.
There are lots of practical problems involved in hunting for aliens, of course, chief among
them being distance. If our nearest neighbours were life forms on the (fictional) forest
moon of Endor, 1,000 light years away, it would take a millennium for us to receive any
message they might send. If the Endorians were watching us, the light reaching them from
Earth at this very moment would show them our planet as it was 1,000 years ago; in
Europe that means lots of fighting between knights around castles and, in north America,
small bands of natives living on the great plains. It is not a timescale that allows for quick
banter – and, anyway, they might not be communicating in our direction.
The lack of a signal from ET has not, however, prevented astronomers and biologists (not
to mention film-makers) coming up with a whole range of ideas about what aliens might
be like. In the early days of SETI, astronomers focused on the search for planets like ours
– the idea being that, since the only biology we know about is our own, we might as well
assume aliens are going to be something like us. But there’s no reason why that should be
true. You don’t even need to step off the Earth to find life that is radically different from
our common experience of it.
‘Extremophiles’ are species that can survive in places that would quickly kill humans and
other ‘normal’ life-forms. These single-celled creatures have been found in boiling hot
vents of water that come through the ocean floor, or at temperatures well below the
freezing point of water. The front ends of some creatures that live near deep-sea vents are
200°C warmer than their back ends.
On Earth, life exists in water and on land but, on a giant gas planet, for example, it might
exist high in the atmosphere, trapping nutrients from the air swirling around it. And given
that aliens may be so out of our experience, guessing motives and intentions if they ever
got in touch seems beyond the realms even of Hawking’s mind.
Paul Davies, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University argues that alien brains, with
their different architecture, would interpret information very differently from ours. “Lots
of people think that because they would be so wise and knowledgeable, they would be
peaceful,” adds Stewart. “I don’t think you can assume that. I don’t think you can put
human views onto them; that’s a dangerous way of thinking. Aliens are alien. If they exist
at all, we cannot assume they’re like us.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
6. Match the beginnings and endings to make phrases from the text.
1. freezing a. inspiring
2. solar b. year
3. light c. point
4. life d. number
5. awe- e. form
6. sheer f. system
7. Discussion
Do aliens exist? Should we try to make contact with them? Why? Why not?
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is
possible.
St. Thomas Aquinas
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.
Oscar Wilde
All is mystery; but he is a slave who will not struggle to penetrate the dark veil.
Benjamin Disraeli
Mystery is another name for our ignorance; if we were omniscient, all would be perfectly plain.
Tryon Edwards
When people cease to believe in God, they don't believe in nothing; they believe in anything.
G. K. Chesterton
There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.
George Bernard Shaw
There are ten church members by inheritance for every one by conviction.
Author Unknown
1. Read the article below. Discuss the importance of learning foreign slang at school and
University.
In other words…
Foreign slang is often overlooked at school – which isn’t much good for real life, says Thomas
Stephens.
“Whaassssuuupppp??!!” If, during a freshers’ party, I introduce myself with these words (all
right, word), you’ll probably smile nervously and make a mental note to change course if
necessary to avoid me. If, however, I’d said exactly the same thing two years ago, you’d
probably have burst into laughter at my Wildean wit and “whassupped” me straight back.
What’s up, indeed?
English is English you might think – a means of communication for millions of people around
the world. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But language is also a fundamental means of self-
expression – the “dress of thought”, according to Dr Johnson – and of identity.
When social groups want to create an identity (why they want to do this is another story!), they
create their own customs and language; if you are then aware of the codes of conduct and slang,
you can gain membership of these exclusive groups. But it’s not just good enough to learn these
“passwords”. Language is alive: every year new words are born and others die, and if you don’t
keep your fingers on the linguistic pulse, you’ll be exposed as an imposter, a culturally out-of-
touch fake. That’s whassupp.
In the case of students, however, the social group is very large. University is a melting pot of
national dialects and apart from a few local idioms, students in Southampton will be on the
same wavelength as those at St Andrews.
This linguistic globalization leads, depending on your point of view, to either cultural
enrichment or bland homogeneity. But your point of view is not important! In the box below
you will find common words heard on campuses across the UK which you probably didn’t
learn at school. Learn them, understand them and, if you want, use them. Sorted!
i Slang Glossary
All right? – Hi
Wicked! – Fantastic!
Nice one! – Well done!
A brew – a cup of tea/coffee
A sarnie – a sandwich
A Ruby (Murray) – a curry
Spag bol – spaghetti Bolognese
Fit – physically attractive
Rough – physically unattractive
Minging – physically unattractive
Lush – (of food, men, etc) delicious
Booze – alcohol
Lashed – terribly, terribly drunk
Heaving – (of a place) very busy
Loaded – very rich
Skint – very poor
Knackered – very tired
Naff – of inferior style/ taste
To chill – to relax
Sorted! – No problem!
No hassle! – No problem!
A bloke – a boy/ man
A copper – a policeman
A mate – a friend
To kip – to sleep
A pad – a house
A geek – someone lacking social skills
Cheers! – Thanks! or Good health! or Goodbye!
2. Can you guess the meaning of the slangy and colloquial phrases in bold?