Restatement(modals)
- 1. Restatement(Modals) 1 RESTATEMENT EXERCISE 1. The government couldn’t have passed this law without the support of several members from the opposition. a) Only a few members from the opposition supported the law, so the government couldn’t pass it. b) I don’t believe that the government will be able to pass this law if some members from the opposition don’t back it. c) The government was only able to pass this law because some members from the opposition backed it. d) No one from the opposition will back this law, so it doesn’t seem possible for the government to pass it. 2. The holiday might have been cheaper, but at least we were fortunate with the weather. a) We didn’t realize the holiday would be so cheap, and the climate was nice, too. b) We can be thankful that the weather was good, although the holiday was a little expensive. c) The holiday should have been less expensive as we hardly had any nice weather. d) Due to the poor weather, the price of the holiday should have been reduced. 3. He needn’t have hurried, as the meeting didn’t start until quite a while after the time for which it had been planned. a) He had to hurry in order to arrive at the meeting before the arranged time. b) The meeting started rather later than scheduled, so it wasn’t necessary for him to hurry. c) He didn’t need to hurry as he already knew that the meeting wouldn’t start as scheduled. d) There was no need for him to hurry because he had plenty of time before the scheduled time of the meeting. 4. The fire must have been started on purpose; otherwise, it couldn’t have caused so much damage. a) If someone were to start a fire there, it could prove highly damaging. b) No one can say for sure how the fire broke out, but the harm it did is obvious. c) Seeing that it destroyed so many things, the fire can’t have been accidental. d) The fire might have been very serious if nobody had tried to prevent it. 5. The newcomers were taken on a guided tour and I’m sure they liked it. a) I believe the newcomers should have been taken on a guided tour. b) The newcomers must have enjoyed being taken on a guided tour. c) Whoever liked travelling was allowed to join the newcomers’ guided tour. d) The guided tour that the newcomers took seemed to be quite satisfactory.
- 2. Restatement(Modals) 2 6. Students should not try to write down everything they hear in a lecture, but just make a summary of the most important points. a) Because many students don't want to miss any important points, they write down everything they hear in a lecture. b) Since it is difficult to write everything down in a lecture, many students just make a summary of the most important points. c) Although it is easier to sum up the most important points, students try to write down everything they hear in a lecture. d) Instead of writing down everything during a lecture, students should try to sum up the most important points. 7. You can't have written this paper yourself because the English is perfect. a) You did not write the paper in perfect English because you are not able to. b) The English in this paper is so good that I know you must have worked hard on it. c) It is not possible for this paper to be your own work because you are unable to write such flawless English. d) You must not have worked very hard on this paper, or the English would have been perfect. 8. Although her mobile is switched off, I’m sure that she has arrived since she has an important exam tomorrow. a) She might have arrived, since she has an important exam tomorrow and her mobile is switched off. b) If her mobile had been switched off, she wouldn’t have arrived on time for the exam. c) As she has an important exam tomorrow, she must have arrived, but her mobile is switched off. d) Although she has arrived, her mobile must have been switched off since she has an important exam tomorrow. 9. That schools ought to offer environment-awareness courses immediately seems to be an inevitable course of action to the Environmental Protection Agency. a) The Environmental Protection Agency thinks that schools should protect the environment. b) According to the Environmental Protection Agency schools should teach courses about how to protect our environment. c) The Environmental Protection Agency feels that schools are in no position to offer courses on environmental protection. d) The Environmental Protection Agency seems to be forcing to offer courses on environment-awareness. 10. It is impossible that you finished writing such a long composition in just an hour. a) It can't have taken you just an hour to write this long composition. b) The longer the composition, the more time it takes. c) You can't possibly finish writing a long composition in only an hour. d) You should have taken more time to write this composition.
- 3. Restatement(Modals) 3 11. It's possible that getting the two sides to agree will not be as easy as you think. a) What made you think that the two sides might easily reach an agreement? b) To persuade the two sides for an agreement may be more difficult than you imagine. c) It won't be so difficult as you think to convince the two sides to reach an agreement. d) There might have been trouble making the two sides agree on the case. 12. You are not obliged to sign the contract now, but a delay may mean losing the position. a) The job will certainly be given to somebody less hesitant if you do not sign at once. b) You must sign the contract now for it to be legal, or action will be taken against you. c) You must wait before signing a contract even if you feel you should accept employment straightaway. d) You don’t have to sign the contract immediately, but you could lose the job if you don’t. 13. Everybody believes that he shouldn’t have trusted the people around him so much. a) All the people around him used to have so much confidence in him. b) The general opinion is that he made a mistake by having so much faith in the people around him. c) He now admits that some of the people around him didn’t deserve to be trusted at all. d) Nobody thinks that any of the people around him are honest enough to be trusted. 14. Workers are expectedto dress appropriately, as described in the company rules, while on the premises. a) Employees need to wear their official uniforms only when in company-owned buildings. b) When at the workplace, employees must wear clothing in accordance with company regulations. c) All jobholders are asked to get dressed in the correct place while at the company. d) It is preferred that workers wear their best clothes when they visit the office. 15. I don't understand how you could have survived all those years in China without speaking a word of the language. a) Now that you are moving to China, you had better begin to study the language since it will be difficult to survive without it. b) It must have taken a lot of determination to go to a country as different as China without speaking any of the language at all. c) Living in China for so long without learning any of the language, as you did, is something beyond my imagination. d) Since I don't understand any Chinese, maybe you can help me because you have been here for so many years.
- 4. Restatement(Modals) 4 16. Some scientists think that a meteor impact around 65 million years ago may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. a) In the opinion of some scientists, the extinction of the dinosaurs could have been the result of a meteor striking the Earth roughly 65 million years ago. b) According to some scientists, the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a meteor that struck Earth 65 million or so years ago. c) Some scientists think that the impact of a meteor that struck Earth some 65 million years ago need not have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. d) The extinction of the dinosaurs could only have been caused by a meteor impact that occurred some 65 million years ago. 17. I surely couldn’t have been expected to forgive him easily, as this wasn’t the first time he’d tried to cheat me. a) It was only natural that I would be unwilling to forgive him, as he had behaved dishonestly towards me on other occasions. b) It was impossible for me not to easily forgive him even though he’d tried to deceive me several times before. c) Clearly, I would have been willing to forgive him if this had been the first I’d caught him cheating me. d) Since this wasn’t the first time he’d attempted to deceive me, I was obviously not going to forgive him. 18. It is not necessary for an Olympic weightlifter to have a muscular body to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground. a) a) If an Olympic weightlifter wants to carry hundreds of kilos, he must have a muscular body. b) b) It is a requirement for an Olympic weightlifter to have a muscular body and lift at least a hundred kilos from the ground. c) c) An Olympic weightlifter doesn’t have to have a muscular body in order to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground. d) d) An Olympic weightlifter doesn’t have to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground in order to have a muscular body. Answer Key: 1.c) 2.b) 3.b) 4.c) 5.b) 6.d) 7.c) 8.c) 9.b) 10.a) 11.b) 12.d) 13.b) 14.b) 15.c) 16.a) 17.a) 18.c)