Exercises: Articles Articles: a/an

if you keep quarrelling about the programme,' said their mother. 'No, don't do that! We won't quarrel any more,' said the children. 
21 I'll give you Ј500 to keep your mouth shut,' he said to me.
22 I'll wait for you, I promise,' he said to me. 
23 I'm sorry I'm late,' she said. 'The bus broke down.' 
24 'You've been leaking information to the Press!' said his colleagues.'No, I haven't,' he said. 'Liar!' said Tom. 
25 I'll drop you from the team if you don't train harder,' said the captain.
26 If the boys do anything clever, you call them your sons,' complained his wife. 'But if they do anything stupid, you call them mine.'
27 'Let's have a rest,' said Tom. 'Yes, let's,' said Ann. 
28 'Ugh! There's a slug in my lettuce. Waiter!' he cried. 
 Indirect to direct speechPEG 307-22
Put the following into direct speech, using dialogue form:Tom: Would you like to come for a drive tomorrow, Ann?Ann: I'd love to etc. 
Trip to Stratford 
 1 Tom invited Ann to come for a drive the following day. 
 2 Ann accepted with pleasure and asked where he was thinking of going. 
 3 He said he'd leave it to her.
 4 She suggested Stratford . . .
 5 adding that she hadn't been there for ages.
 6 Tom agreed and said that they might go on the river if it was a fine day.
 7 Ann wondered what was on at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
 8 Tom said they'd find out when they got there ...
 9 adding that it was usually possible to get seats on the day of the play.
10 He asked Ann if she could be ready by ten.
11 Ann said with regret that she couldn't as she had to type a report first.
12 Tom expressed horror at the idea of working on Saturday . . .
13 and advised her to change her job.
14 She told him not to be ridiculous and explained that . . .
15 she had volunteered to type the report in return for a free afternoon the following week.
16 She pointed out that she hadn't known that he was going to ask her out.
17 Tom said he supposed it was all right but . . .
18 warned her not to make a habit of volunteering for weekend work.
19 Ann promised not to.
20 Tom said gloomily that he supposed she'd be busy all morning.
21 Ann assured him that she'd be finished by 11.00 and . . .
22 offered to meet him at the bus stop at Hyde Park Corner.
23 Tom said that it wasn't a very good meeting place and that he'd call for her.
24 Ann said that that was very kind of him and that she'd be waiting in the hall.
Hill climb
25 Tom suggested climbing to the top, adding that the view from there was marvellous ... 
26 but Ann said that they'd been climbing for three hours and that she was too tired to go any further.
27 She suggested that Tom should go on up while she went down and waited there.
28 Tom agreed and handed her the car keys, advising her to wait in the car.
29 He promised to be as quick as he could.
30 Ann said that if he was too long there'd be no lunch left, for she'd have eaten it all.
 Purpose
 Infinitive used to express purposePEG 334
Combine each of the following pairs of sentences into one sentence using so as/in order where necessary. He sent me to Spain. He wanted me to learn Spanish. He sent me to Spain to learn Spanish.
 He turned out the light. He didn't want to waste electricity. He turned out the light so as not to waste electricity.
 1 I am buying paint. I want to paint my hall door.
 2 He tied a knot in. his handkerchief. He hoped that this would remind him to meet the 
 train.
 3 He opened the lions' cage. He intended to feed the lions.
 4 He left his rifle outside. He didn't want to frighten his wife.
 5 He has a box. He plans to put his savings in it. (Omit it.)
 6 We had no cups but he gave us coconut shells. He said we could drink out of them. 
 (Omit them.)
 7 He rushed into the burning house. He wanted to save the child.
 8 He read only for short periods each day. He didn't want to strain his eyes.
 9 They got up very early. They wanted to get to the top of the hill before sunrise.
10 He rang the bell. He wanted to tell us that dinner was ready. 
11 We must keep our gloves on. We don't want to get frost-bitten. 
12 The farmer put a scarecrow up in the field. He wanted to frighten I the birds. 
13 I took off my shoes. I didn't want to make any noise.
14 Before the carpenter came she covered the floor with polythene sheeting. She wanted to protect the carpet.
15 The boys are collecting sticks. They intend to put them on the fire. (Omit them.)
16 He was playing very softly. He didn't want to disturb anyone.
17 I am sending him to the USA. I want him to study electronics there.
18 I sent him out of the room. I wanted to discuss his progress with his headmaster.
19 He fixed a metal ladder to the wall below his window. He wanted to be able to escape if there was a fire.
20 He changed his address constantly. He wanted to elude the police. 
21 The police have barricaded the main streets. They want to prevent the demonstrators from marching through the town. 
22 They evacuated everybody from the danger zone. They wanted to reduce the risk.
23 I am learning Greek. I wish to read Homer.
24 He sent his children to his sister's house. He wanted them to watch the television programme.
25 He sent his children to their aunt's house. He wanted to have some peace.
26 The town council has forbidden coal fires. They are trying to keep the air clean.
27 They employed a detective. They wanted to learn what I did in the evenings.
28 I am saving up. I want to buy a helicopter.
29 He coughed. He wanted to warn them that he was coming.
30 You should take your holidays in June. In this way you would avoid the rush.
31 I keep my hens in a field surrounded by wire netting. I want to protect them against the foxes.
32 I am learning skiing at an indoor school. I want to be able to ski when I get to Switzerland.
33 The workmen left red lights near the hole. They wanted to warn motorists.
34 He invented a wife and six children. By this trick he hoped to avoid paying income tax.
35 Some women tint their hair when it goes grey. They want to look younger.
36 He didn't tell her he was going up in the spacecraft. He didn't want to alarm her.
 Clauses and phrases of purpose PEG 336-7
A purpose clause introduced by so that can sometimes be replaced by prevent/avoid + gerund or allow/enable/let/make etc. + infinitive.
The two sentences:
 He rumpled the bedclothes. He wanted to make me think he had slept in the bed.could be combined:
 He rumpled the bedclothes so that I should/would think he had slept etc. or to make me think he had slept etc.
An in case clause is useful when we mention the possible future action we are taking precautions against:
 Don't let him play with scissors. He may cut himself.could be expressed: Don't let him play with scissors in case he cuts himself.
Sometimes an in case clause can be replaced by a negative purpose clause.
 1 He killed the men who helped him to bury the treasure. He wanted nobody but himself 
 to know where it was.
 2 Put the cork back. Someone may knock the bottle over.
 3 The airfield authorities have put arc lights over the damaged runway. They want repair work to continue day and night.
 4 The girl packed the vase in polyester foam. She didn't want it to get broken in the post.
 5 He wore a false beard. He didn't want anyone to recognize him.
 6 She built a high wall round her garden. She didn't want her fruit to be stolen.
 7 They talked in whispers. They didn't want me to overhear them.
 8 You ought to take some serum with you. You may get bitten by a snake.
 9 Aeroplanes carry parachutes. The crew can escape in case of fire.101 am insuring my life. I want my children to have something to live on if I am killed.
11 Please shut the gate. I don't want the cows to get out of the field.
12 He telephoned from a public call-box. He didn't want the call to be traced to his own address.
13 I am putting nets over my strawberry plants. I don't want the birds to eat all the strawberries.
14 We keep a spade in the house. There may be a heavy fall of snow in the night.
15 We put bars on the lower windows. We didn't want anyone to climb in.
16 You should carry a jack in your car. You may have a puncture.
17 We built the roof with a steep slope. We wanted the snow to slide off easily.
18 The notices are written in several languages. The government wants everyone to understand them.
19 I put my address on my dog's collar. I want anyone who finds him to know where he comes from.
20 She tied a bell round her cat's neck. She wanted the birds to know when he was approaching.
21 Bring your gun with you. We may be attacked.
22 I have put wire over my chimney-pots. I don't want birds to build nests in them.
23 Write your name in the book. He may forget who lent it to him.
24 He chained up the lioness at night. He didn't want her to frighten anyone.
25 Don't put on any more coal. The chimney may catch fire.
26 The burglar cut the telephone wires. He didn't want me to call the police. 
27 Take a torch with you. It may be dark before you get back. 
28 The manufacturers have made the taps of their new gas cooker very stiff. They don't want young children to be able to turn them on.
29 Don't let the baby play with my glasses. He may break them.
30 The debate on education has been postponed. The government want to discuss the latest crisis.
31 If someone knocks at the door at night don't open it. It may be the escaped convict.
32 The policeman stopped the traffic every few minutes. He wanted the pedestrians to be able to cross the road.
33 He had a telephone installed in his car. He wanted his secretary to be able to contact him whenever necessary.
34 Never let children play with matches. They may set themselves on fire.
35 As he went through the forest Bill marked the trees. He wanted the rest of the party to know which way he had gone.
36 Turn down the oven. We don't want the meat to burn while we are out.