The Sequence of Tenses

Text for Supplementary Reading.

Books

Nowadays there are quite a few people who think that as more and more people have television sets in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper? When the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read a novel? When a play or a film on television can tell you the same story with colour? Picture and action? Why read the biographies of famous men and women? When an hour-long television programme can tell you that you want to know?

However, television has not killed reading. Today newspapers and magazines are sold in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a rather cheap way to get necessary information for many people all over the world. Although it is true that some books with hard covers are quite expensive, many books are published today as paperbacks, which are reasonably cheap. For example, in some countries a paperback novel is almost always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or at the theatre, and you can keep the book as long as you wish and read it many times.

Books in the home are a wonderful source of knowledge, information and pleasure, and some types of books should be in every house. Every home library should have some good dictionaries and geographical atlas of the world with large clear maps. It might be expensive, but a good encyclopedia is useful, too, because in it you can find information on any subject you are interested in.

In addition it is useful to have on your bookshelves other non-fiction books such as history books, science textbooks, cookery books, books about medicine and health and the like. It is also important to have some fiction on your shelves too. Then you can relax with a good book off your shelf and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poet.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES.

1. Rebuild questions into indirect speech.

1. I said to Mike: "Have you packed your suit case?" 2. I said to Kate: "Did anybody meet you at the station?" 3. I said to her: "Can you give me their address? 4. I asked 1. I said to Mike: "Have you packed your suit case?" 2. I said to Kate: "Did anybody meet you at the station?" 3. I said to her: "Can you give me their address? 4. I asked Tom: "Have you had breakfast?" 5. I asked my sister: "Will you stay at home or go for a walk after dinner?" 6. I said to my mother: "Did anybody come to see me?" 7. I asked my sister: "Will Nick call for you on the way to school?" 8. She said to the young man: "Can you call a taxi for me?" 9. Mary said to Peter: "Have you shown your photo to Dick?" 10. Oleg said to me: "Will you come here tomorrow?" 11. He said to us: "Did you go to the museum this morning?" 12. I said to Boris: "Does your friend live in London?" i3.I said to the man: "Are you living in a hotel?" 14. Nick said to his friend: "Will you stay at the "Hilton"? 15. He said to me: "Do you often go to see your friends?" 16. He said to me "Will you see your friends before you leave St. Petersburg?" 17. Mike said to Jane: "Will you come to the railway station to see me off?" 18. She said to me: "Have you sent them a telegram?" 19. She said to me: "Did you send them a telegram yesterday?"

2. Rebuild questions into indirect speech.

Tom: "Have you had breakfast?" 5. I asked my sister: "Will you stay at home or go for a walk after dinner?" 6. I said to my mother: "Did anybody come to see me?" 7. I asked my sister: "Will Nick call for you on the way to school?" 8. She said to the young man: "Can you call a taxi for me?" 9. Mary said to Peter: "Have you shown your photo to Dick?" 10. Oleg said to me: "Will you come here tomorrow?" 11. He said to us: "Did you go to the museum this morning?" 12. I said to Boris: "Does your friend live in London?" i3.I said to the man: "Are you living in a hotel?" 14. Nick said to his friend: "Will you stay at the "Hilton"? 15. He said to me: "Do you often go to see your friends?" 16. He said to me "Will you see your friends before you leave St. Petersburg?" 17. Mike said to Jane: "Will you come to the railway station to see me off?" 18. She said to me: "Have you sent them a telegram?" 19. She said to me: "Did you send them a telegram yesterday?"

Дата добавления: 2017-02-01