Choose the correct adverb.

Past Tenses

Complete the extract choosing from these verbs. There are more verbs than necessary

delay choose improve give make stabilize hinder

Last year the international situation in the hydrocarbons industry 1……………'to some extent.

However, the volatile foreign exchange rates 2………… currency management more difficult and relatively weak demand 3………. expansion projects. We therefore 4…………. to focus

our efforts on specific opportunities where our know-how 5……… us a technical advantage

over particularly aggressive competition. As a result we propose doubling our dividend.

Use the words in the box to give explanations for the following events.

1. We scrapped the project because………………………
2. They evacuated the building because…………………..
3. He sold his shares quickly because …………………..
4. He didn’t wish to interrupt because……………………..
5. I cut down on drinking because…………………………
6. We were forced to withdraw the model because………..

Susan has been relatively successful but things did not always turn out as she had hoped. Change the verb form in brackets.

1. She wishes she………………(get) better ‘A’ level grades.
2. She wishes she…………….(obtain) a distinction at degree level.
3. She wishes she…………………(do) a doctorate.
4. She wishes the marketing course……………….(last) longer than eight weeks

Complete the following sentences using either the past perfect simple or progressive.

1. My flight from Sydney arrived late because there…….(be) a bomb alert before the plane

took off. When we finally left we……….(wait) for over five hours.

1. I…….. (work) hard all year so I felt I needed a rest.
2. I…….. (see) the designs before they went on show but they………(not impress) me.
3. When I bought my BIP shares, their value……..(fall) for some time.
4. The merchant bank didn’t know that one of their traders………(hide) huge losses.
5. The employee was dismissed because he…………….(steal) company property ever since he was taken on.
6. It took me 20 minutes to realise I………(look) in the wrong file.

Combining past and present

Market news in brief

Complete these announcements, read out today during a radio programme called Business in Action. Complete each one, using these verbs in cither the past simple or the present perfect.

Agree buy give issue slump

In a gigantic deal, BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO, the world’s second-largest international cigarette

maker 1……….to take over ROTHMANS (the fourth-largest) for $8.7 billion.

Shares in MARKS AND SPENCER, Britain’s biggest retainer 2……… by more than 1o% in the

last 24 hours after the firm 3 ……….a profits warning.

Europe’s postal market is becoming increasingly competitive. Only weeks after the British government

4……… the state-controlled POST OFFICE greater commercial freedom, it 5………….Germany’s third-largest private carrier. GERMAN PARCEL has a big distribution network and a large stake in GENERAL PARCEL, which operates Europe-wide.

2. Sort these words into two categories: Used with the present perfect and Used with the past simple.

ago yet so far lately since last year over the last two years for the past three weeks yesterday at 3 o’clock during the 1990s

Choose the correct adverb.

1. I’ve yet/already/so far spoken to Peter about it.

2. We’ve made a lot of progress over the past three years /since three years /during three years.

3. We set up two years ago /during the 1970s /over the last two years.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 2547