Chapter Ill

The Right Verbal Form

1. I went to the doctor's yesterday. I (1) ...· (to have to) wait for an hour
before he (2) .......... (can) see me. "I (3).................(togo) abroad next week.
But I (4) .......... (to have) a pain for two days. (5).................(you/to think) I'll
be well enough to go?" "When I (6) .......... (to examine) you, I'll be able
to tell you", the doctor said. "I (7) .......... (to work) in the garden·when I
suddenly felt the pain", I told the doctor. "If I (8)..............(to stop) immediately,
it wouJd have been all right, I suppose. But I hardly ever (9...................(to get)
any exercise in my job so I went on working." After examining me carefully,
the doctor said: "You (10) .......... (to hurt) a bone in your back".

2. My wife and I went to the airport to meet some friends. The plane
landed but they (1) .......... (not to be) on it. "(2).................(to see) if there
is
a message for us", my wife said. "They (3) .......... (to miss) the plane or
perhaps they (4) .......... (toprevent) from coming for some reason." After
(5) .......... (toask for) information at the information desk without success,
I had an idea. "You (6) .......... (to have got) still their letter?" I asked my
wife. She found it in her handbag. "Here you are", she said. "We (7) ..........
(to arrive) at 10 o'clock on the 9th and we wish you (8)................(to meet) us."
"How silly! ", my wife said. "I (9) .......... (to carry) this letter around for
days without looking at it." If we had, w (10)................(to have) this journey
for nothing.

3. My wife's mother was taken ill two days ago so my wife had to go and
look after her. Before (1) .......... (to leave), my wife said: "I'd better tell you
where everything is or you (2) .......... (to know) what to do. But my train
 58 NEW PROFICIENCY JN ENGLISH

(3)...............(to leave) in half an hour's time and I must get to mother's house
as soon as I (4) .......... (can)". "(5) .......... (to worry)" I said, "I can look
after myself". Now I realize I (6) .......... (to ask for) a map of the house. If
I had, I (7) .......... (to find) all the food I needed. But when my wife (8)
.......... (to come) back tomorrow, she (9)................(to have) any dirty dishes
to wash up because I (10)...............(to eat) in restaurants since she went away.

4. "Slow down, darling. You (1) .......... (to drive) ,µmch too fast."
"I know, but by the time we (2) .......... (to get) to the church, the
marriage service (3) .......... (to start). If you (4) .......... (to take) such a
long time to get dressed, we'd have been there by now. I finished (5) ..........
(to dress) an hour before you did."
"It's not my fault. You (6)'.......... (to tell) me we were in a hurry."
"Now there's a police car behind us. It (7) .......... (to signal). I (8)
.......... (to stop)."
"Would you mind (9) .......... (to show) me your driving licence, sir?
You realize you (10) .......... (to drive) at a hundred miles an hour, don't
you?"

5. "Now, sir, you (1) .......... (to see) the accident, I believe. Would you
mind (2) .......... (to tell) me what happened?"
"Not at all, constable. The driver of the red car was parked there. He just
(3) .......... (to move) out when a black Mini came up very quickly. If he (4)
.......... (to look) in the mirror he would have seen the Mini (5)..............(to
come). But he (6) .......... (to be) in a hurry. The Mini hit him but (7)
.......... (not to stop).
"(8) .......... (to take down) the Mini's number?"
"No. I wish I (9) .......... (to do) so. In my opinion the Mini (10) ..........
(to steal). That (11) .......... (to explain) it, sir. Anyway, I never (12) ..........
(to see) a driver (13) .......... (to leave) the place of the accident."
"All right. I (14) .......... (to take down) your name and address in case
you (15) .......... (to need) as a witness."

6. "I believe you really put your life on the line this morning, Marc, to save
a man who (1) .......... (to jump), in front of a tube train. I hear you (2)
.......... (to crawl) along the so-called suicide pit under the train to give the
man first aid."
"Well, I knew that seconds (3)...............(can) mean the difference between
life and death for him, so I (4) .......... (to take) control of the situation.
When I (5) .......... (to reach) him he was unconscious ... Some
bandages
 THE RIGHT VERBAL FORM 59

(6) .......... (to hand) to me which I used to stop the bleeding. If I (7) ..........
(to stop) the bleeding, I'm sure he (8)..................(to die)."
"After you (9) .......... (to give) him first aid, I believe the electricity (10)
.......... (to have to) be switched on again so that the train (11)....................(to
move) out of the way. How you (12) .......... (to feel) lying under the train
when that happened ?"
"Absolutely terrified. As the train started to move the man (13) ..........
(to begin) to regain consciousness. I (14) .......... (to hold) on tightly to him
and shouted at him: «(15) .......... (to move)!» One move and we (16)
..............(to frazzle)."
"Well, all the station staff here (17) .......... (to think) you're a real hero
as none of them (18) .......... (to be prepared) to stay down there while the
tracks (19) .......... (to be) live. Anyway, the man is in hospital now and
apparently he (20) .......... (to recover)."

7. "Let us meet today a man who recently (1) .......... (to return) from
Mount Everest. Not only he (2) .......... (to climb) the mountain, but also
went diving in the lakes on Everest. Dr. John Leach (3)................(to hold) the
world record for diving at the highest altitude and (4).................(to be) on many
expeditions. Now, John, why you (5) .......... (to climb) Mount Everest?"
"For the sheer hell of it. But also there (6)..................(to be) the pioneering
side. We (7) .......... (to try) to see if new diving techniques and methods
(8) .......... (to work). We also went to completely new geographical areas
- nobody ever (9) .......... (tobe) there before, they (10)..............(not to be)
on
any maps."
"What you (11) .......... (tomean) by geographical areas? Mountains?
Glaciers?"
"No, in our case it (12) .......... (to be) lakes at high altitudes. Nobody
ever (13) .......... (to dive) in them and we, that is, the team of three I (14)
.......... (to lead) (15) .......... (can) quite understand why not... Well, the
first thing you do is you begin (16) .......... (to break) the ice to get into the
lake and we all (17) .......... (to suffer) from frostbite, so you can image
that it (18) .......... (to take) us quite a long time to break four and a half
feet of ice. So you can really understand why no one (19) .......... (to be)
there before. They (20) .......... (to have) more sense."

8. One day I got a letter from a film producer who was interested in my
frrst novel and (1) .......... (to think) about (2) .......... (to buy) the film
rights. His name was Mr. Liebe and he (3) .......... (to want) to meet me so
iO NEW PROFICIENCY I E GUSH

[ asked him to dinner. We decided to buy steak, although it was terribly ex-
pensive and we (4)...............(cannot) afford it. We wanted to give him a really
good evening, especially as he (5)...............(to drive) all the way from London.
My wife spent all day cooking; I bought some good wine. I (6)................(to
hope) to impress him. Well on the great day, we (7)................(to lay) the table
when the doorbell rang. We rushed to the door and (8)................(towelcome)
him with open arms. He was a charming man and knew a lot of stories. Dinner
was a great success. He (9) .......... (not to talk) about my book, so I (10)
.......... (to mention) it either. We (11)...............(to eat) the pudding when the
doorbell rang again. I went to answer it. There (12) .......... (to stand) a
short, fat man. "I'm Rolf Liebe", he said, "I'm sorry I'm late. The roads
were terrible". I stared at him. I (13) .......... (tobelieve) him. "No, you're
not. Mr. Liebe (14) .......... (to have) dinner with us." "Yes, that's right. I
(15) .......... (to have) dinner with you today ac 8 o'clock." I nearly died, I
went back into the dining room and asked the man who he (16).................(to
be). He was a life insurance salesman. I asked him : "Why you (17) ..........
(to cell) me who you (18) .......... (to be)?" "You (19)................(not to ask)",
he said... Since then never (20) .......... (I/to be able) to meet a salesperson
without wanting to hit him!

9. My father had described over and over again what we (1)...................(to

see) at every milestone, after leaving the nearest town, so that I was positive
I (2) .......... (torecognize) it as familiar territory. Well, I (3)................(to be)
wrong, for I was now lost. I looked at the map then at the milometer. I
(4) .......... (to come) ten miles since leaving the town, and at this point,
according to my father, I (5) .......... (to look) at farms and cottages in a
valley with the spire of the church of our village (6) .......... (to show) in the
distance. I (7) .......... (can) see no valley, no farms, no cottages and no
church - only a lake. I decided that J (8) .......... (to take) a wrong turning
somewhere. So I (9) .......... (to drive) back to the town and began to retrace
the route, taking frequent glances at the map. I landed up at the same comer.
The curious thing was that the lake was not marked on the map. I felt as if I
(10) .......... (to stumble) into a nightmare country, as you sometimes do in
dreams. Fortunately for me, as I (ll) .......... (to wonder) what to do next
there (12) .......... (to appear) on the horizon a man on horseback. I waited
till he came near and I asked him the way to our village. He said there (13)
.......... (to be) no village. I thought he (14)...............(to misunderstand) me,
so I repeated its name. This time he pointed to the lake. The village no longer
existed because it (15) .......... (to submerge), and all the valley, too.
 THE RIGHT VERBAL FORM 61

10. When I boarded the train I could not help (1) .......... (to notice) that
a great many local people got on as well. At the time, this (2)..............(not to
strike) me as odd. I reflected that there must be a great many people besides
myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service. Neither (3)
.......... (I/to be) surprised when the train stopped at the tiny station a few
miles along the line. Even a mighty express train can (4)................(to hold up)
by signals. Then it suddenly (5)...............(to dawn) on me that this express (6)
. (not to roar) down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging
along at thirty. One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we (7)...............(not
to cover) even half the distance. I asked a passenger if this was the Western
Express, but he (8) .......... (not to hear) even of it. I was determined to make
a complaint as soon as we (9) .......... (to arrive). Two hours later, I (10)
.......... (to talk) angrily to a bored stationmaster. When he (11) ......... .
(to deny) it briefly, he told me to look again. A tiny asterisk (12)...............(to
conduct) me to a footnote at the bottom of the page: "This service (13)
.......... (tosuspend)". Never I (14)...............(to experience) such a frustrating
thing before !

1. At around 10.30 on the evening of the 9th of June millionaire business-

man Harry Squires (1) .......... (to murder) in his sitting room. His business
partner, Julian Clayton, (2) .......... (to wound) in the attack. There (3)
.......... (to be) three other people in the house at the time: Harry's wife,
Martina, his sister, Belinda Ewers, and her husband, Craig.
According to their stories, at the time of the murder, Martina Squires (4)
.......... (to read) in the library. Belinda Ewers (5)...............(to be) upstairs in
her bedroom. She (6) ........... (not to feel) well and she (7)................(to go)
to bed early. Craig Ewers (8) .......... (to be) in the garden. He (9) ..........
(to have) a cigarette; Harry Squires (10) .......... (not to allow) smoking
inside the house. Harry Squires himself and Julian Clayton (11)................(to
discuss) business in the sitting room. It (12)................(to be) a warm evening
and the French windows (13).................(to be) open.
Suddenly a shot (14) .......... (to fire). It (15)................(quickly/to follow)
by a second shot and a scream. Belinda Ewers (16).................(to arrive) in the
sitting room first. Harry Squires (17)................(to be) already dead and Julian
Clayton (18) .......... (to lie) on the floor. His hand (19).................(to bleed)
62 NEW PROFICIENCY IN E GLISH

and he (20) .......... (to hold) a handkerchief around it. Soon afterwards
Martina Squires (21) .......... (to arrive). While she and Belinda (22) ..........
(to help) Julian, Craig Ewers (23).................(to enter) the sitting room through
the French windows. He (24).................(to hold) a gun in his hand. The police
(25) .......... (to call).
Preliminary investigations (26) .......... (to show) that Harry Squires and
Julian Clayton (27) .......... (almost certainly/to shoot) with the gun that
Mr. Ewers (28) .......... (to bring) in. The bullets (29).......(to fire) from
the
direction of the garden. The only fingerprints on the gun (30)................(to be)
Mr. Ewers'.

2. Some sociologists (1) .. , (to claim) that a society's attitude towards

people who are physically or mentally handicapped (2)..............(to show) how
advanced it (3) .......... (to be). Throughout some periods in history these
people (4) .......... (to regard) as monsters, or as works of the devil; they (5)
.......... (to kill) or put into asylums, like lunatics or dangerous criminals.
A couple who (6) .......... (to have) a disabled child (born with some
physical deformity) (7) .......... (to feel) that God (8) .......... (to punish)
them. It
(9) .......... (to be) only very recently that people (10)...............(to understand)
that physical afflictions, even of the extreme sort suffered by some spastics,
for example, (11) .......... (not to necessarily mean) that the person (12)
.......... (to be) mentally abnormal. We can see paintings, wonderful books
and poems written by people who can't talk or control their bodies, showing
how they (13) .......... (to feel) imprisoned in a physical body which many
people
(14) .......... (to regard) as disgusting, and these accounts must (15) ..........
(to make) us ashamed if we (16) .......... (to feel) revolted by the sight of
handicapped people.
Quite a lot of people (17) .......... (to suffer) from minor disabilities:
someone may walk with a limp as a result of an accident or a disease such
as polio. If you (18) .......... (to have) poor eyesight you (19) .......... (to
be) unable to take up some careers, such as that of a pilot. Many people
who
(20)................(to be) blind or deaf manage to lead relatively normal and happy
lives, assisted by charities or state organizations to help them overcome their
disability. All newly designed buildings must (21) .......... (to comply) with
regulations to facilitate people confined to a wheelchair with special lifts and
ramps. Special cars (22)...............(to manufacture) for disabled people
(invalid
cars), and standard cars can (23) .......... (to modify) so that someone who
(24) .......... (to have) no control of his legs or feet can drive them.
 THE RJGHT VERBAL FORM 63

Modern typewriters and computers can (25) .......... (to adapt) so that
people who (26) ......, ... (to.have) very little control of their bodies, or very
little strength, can (27) .......... (to use) them to communicate. Mental
disability (28) .......... (to be) harder to define and cope with, in many ways,
thanphysical handicaps. We can't always (29).................(to see) that someone
(30) .......... (to have) a mental problem, and even specialists (31) ......... .
(to divide) in their opinions about which mental conditions can (32) ..........
(to cure). Some hospitals for the mentally ill (33)..................(to be) a little more
than prisons, where no attempt (34) .......... (to make) to treat the patients,
while others constantly (35) .......... (to experiment) with new methods
designed to help these people (36) .......... (to cope) with everyday life. The
causes of mental illness (37) .......... (to be) also the subject of controversy;
some doctors (38) . , ........ (to believe) that mental problems (39) ... , (to
be) hereditary, while others (40) .......... (to blame) the environment, and in
particular the home surroundings.

3. Mike Wilson is writing to an old friend a year after moving to a village

to escape the stress and strains of modern city life.

Dear Steve,
Well, here I (1) .......... (to be) in my peaceful, rural retreat, living
closer to nature and free of all the tension (2)................(to cause) by traffic
jams and a hectic city lifestyle. As you (3) .......... (to know), ! (4)
.......... (to decide) to take this teaching post in a small viJlage because I
(5) .......... (to think) I could (6)................(to get) away from the pressures
of the city, and (7) .......... (to get) more exercise, (8).................(to eat)
healthier food and so on. But I'm afraid it (9) .......... (not to turn) out
exactly as I (10)..................(to plan)!
In the city I (11)...............(to teach) all day and then working as a waiter
in the evening, just to earn enough to cope with the high cost of living and
I (12) .......... (to find) I mainly (13) .......... (to need) the money to pay
the high rent and transport costs in the city. I never (14)................(to have)
time to cook fresh vegetables, and I always (15)...............(to eat) unhealthy
snacks, or often (16) .......... (to miss) meals altogether. I (17)...............(to
feel) under constant pressure to go out when I (18)..............(can), see films
and meet friends, and I (19) .......... (to try) to advance my career by (20)
.......... (to take) on extra work at school. The sere s of the competition
with other members of the staff (21) .......... (to make) me nervous and
64 NEW PROPICIENC'Y IN ENGLISH

irritable, and I often (22) .......... (to have) colds or other minor illnesses,
which I (23) .......... (to put) down to my body being in bad condition. I
(24) .......... (to feel) that I (25) .......... (to abuse) my health, and
ometimes I (26) .......... (to think) I just couldn't (27).................(to face)
all the tension - it sometimes (28) .......... (to seem) that I (29) ..........
(to head) for a nervous breakdown.
Well, I'm still sure I (30) .......... (to be) under too much stress, and I
definitely (31) .......... (to need) a change, but now I've come to the
conclu ion that we all (32) .......... (to suffer) from a certain amount of
stress or pressure in our lives. You (33) .......... (to see), life here (34)
.......... (to be) so quiet that I (35)...............(to find) it hard to work up any
sort of enthusiasm for anything. The job (36) .......... (to be) very easy,
and in the evenings I sometimes (37)..............(to go) to a local cafe, or (38)
.......... (to read), or (39) .......... (to watch) TV, and I (40)..............(to
go) for long walks. My eating habit (41) .......... (to be) much healthier,
and I (42) .......... (to do) feel much fitter, but I'm terribly bored! I (43)
.......... (to think) I've gone to the other extreme by (44)...............(to come)
here, and now I ve decided that I (45) .......... (to need) some sort of a
challenge in my life so I (46)...............(to start) a youth club in the village.
We (47) .......... (to raise) some money and we (48)................(to build) the
place ourselves there's lots to plan and organize, o I always (49) ..........
(to have) something to occupy my mind ; however, it (50) .......... (not to
be) anything like the sort of frustrating tress I (51) .......... (to have)
before. I (52) .......... (to come) to terms with the stress aspect of life, a
little of it (53) .......... (to be) fine as long as we (54)................(to be) able
to relax and unwind afterward . Would you like a job in the youth club?

4. According to the weathermen, last winter (1)................(to be) one of the

worst in living memory. We (2)...............(to live) in the depths of the country,
and my whole family (3) .......... (to agree) that it (4)...............(to be) certainly
a winter we (5) .......... (never/to forget). Snow (6)................(to begin) to fall
at round about the beginning of the New Year and (7)................(to continue)
on and off for approximately ten days.
At first we (8) .......... (tobe) all thrilled to see it. It (9)................(tofall)
silently and relentlessly in large soft flakes until every ugly patch and corner
of our rather rambling garden (10) .......... (to be) smoothed over and (11)
.......... (to become) a spotless white canopy. The children oon (12) ..........
(to spoil) its beauty by having snowball fights and leaving their footprints all
over it. Hungry birds, too, in search of scraps of food, (13)...............(to make)
 THE RIGHT VERBAL FORM 65

delicate impressions on its surface. It (14) .......... (to be) now, when the
garden was all churned up and of a dirty grey colour, that a severe frost (15)
.......... (to set) in, hardening the snow into ugly lumps of grimy concrete.
fur the next three month the whole countryside (16).................(to lie) in a grip
of iron.
Every day the birds (17)..................(to grow) tam.er, often waiting hopefully
almost on our backdoor step. We (18) .......... (tofeed) them with bits of
cheese, chopped up meat and any leftovers we (19)................(tohave). We also
(20) .......... (to put) out bowls of water, which unfortunately within an hour
(21) .......... (to freeze) solid.
Indoors it (22).................(tobe) pretty cold too. Our central heating system
(23) .......... (to prove) both inadequate and uncooperative : inadequate
partly because it (24) .......... (to need) overhauling and partly because
the poor tare of the doors and most of the windows (25) (tomake) a
whistling
tream of cold air (26) .......... (tocome) through· uncooperative because
occasionally it simply (27) .......... (to go on) strike. To make matters worse
there (28) .......... (tobe) tiny holes in the brickwork of many of the rooms.
As a result the water pipes (29) .......... (to freeze) so that for several weeks
our water supply had (30) .......... (to bring) in buckets from a nearby farm.

5. iall (1) .......... (to laugh) and stretched himself and yawned. He
\\Undered if it (2) .......... (tobe) a good idea (3) .......... (to finish) the
brandy and the ginger syrup. He (4) .......... (to stare) idly down into the
cabin. It (5) .......... (to be) that then he noticed, for the first time, the long
trickle of water on the cabin floor. He (6) .......... (tostare) at it, puzzled.
There (7) .......... (to be) nothing to upset. No spray (8)..................(to come)
in through the ports; and, anyway, the ports (9) .......... (to be) closed. No
rain (10) .......... (tosettle) in the bilges, because no rain (11)..................(to
fall) for the past two days. Why then the water on the cabin floor? Niall (12)
.......... (to go) down below (13) .......... (to inspect) the trickle closer.
He (14) .......... (to put) his fingers in the liquid. It (15)..................(tobe)
salt. He (16) .......... (tolook) about him for a screwdriver (17)..................(to
lift) up the floorboard. He (18) .......... (to find) one at last at the back of a
locker. The search (19) .......... (to take) time, and when he (20)..................(to
kneel) down (21) .......... (to lift) the board, the trickle (22).................(to
become) a stream.
He (23) .......... (tojerk) up the board with his screwdriver, and he (24)
.......... (tosee) that the bilges (25)................(tobe) full of water and salt, like
the stream upon the floor. In some parts of the boat, whether forward or aft
66 NEW PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

he (26) .......... (to have) no notion where, a leak (27)................(tospring).

He (28) .......... (tosuppose) that it must be a bad leak because of the rate at
which the water (29) .......... (toenter) the boat.
He (30) .......... (towonder) what (31) .......... (to do). He (32) ..........
(totalce) up more floorboards, with the idea of (33).................(tofind) the leak
and plugging it with something, but when he (34) .......... (todo)this the
water (35) .......... (tocome) up more quickly and (36)................(tolap) over
his feet.
He hastily (37) .......... (toput) back the boards, so that the water (38)
.......... (tobecome) a stream again. But the trouble (39).................(to be) that
it (40) .......... (tobecome) an ever-widening stream.
He (41) .......... (toremember) vaguely a phrase from boyhood books, "All
hands to the pumps", and he t42)................(toknow) there (43).................(to be)
a pump in the locker aft of the cockpit. He (44) .......... (tofind) the pump.
It (45) .......... (tobe)rusty, he (46).................(not to use) it for some time.
He
(47) .......... (toassemble) it clumsily and (48) .......... (toplace) the nozzle
in the socket on the deck. It (49) .......... (to make) a curious hissing sound
like the pump on a child's bicycle that (50) .......... (not to work).

6. I (I) .......... (tostart) school when I (2)..................(tobe)seven years

old. I couldn't speak a word of English. I (3) .......... (tohave) long hair
that (4) .......... (tohang) to my waist, and it was in four braids. When I
(5) .......... (to make) progress in school a braid (6) .......... (tocut) off
(7) .......... (tomark) my progress.
Martin Luther King (8).................(to say), "I have a dream.". But we Indians
(9) .......... (not to have to) dream. We had the reality. This whole continent
(10) .......... (tobe) a paradise. We (11) .......... (not to know) what a dollar
(12) .......... (to be), what coffee (13) .......... (tobe) or what whiskey
(14) .......... (tobe). We (15).................(to get) along fine. Then the white man
(16) .......... (to come). That was our downfall. Then the persecution
(17) .......... (tostart). So, after many years, out of their sorrow and misery,
and because they were desperate, some of the Indians (18).................(todance)
the Ghost Dance. ·
It (19) .......... (tobe) a prayer that (20) .......... (todance). The Indians
were desperate. All they (21) .......... (tohave), the great buffalo herds,
everything (22) .......... (tobe) all gone. Then someone (23)...................(to
come) along and (24) .......... (totell) the Indians, "I'm the Messiah, I'm
Christ". He said the white man (25) .......... (tosin) against him and if we
(26) .......... (to do) the Ghost Dance the white man (27)...................(to
 THE RIGHT VERBAL FORM 67

disappear) and the buffalo and all the warriors (28)................(to come back).
We (29) .......... (to be) to throw all our weapons away. This would happen
with no warfare. We just (30)........(tohave) to dance and sing the Ghost Dance.
They (31) .......... (to think) it (32) .......... (to come), but it never (33)
.......... (to come). Instead we (34) .......... (to have) the Massacre at
\\bunded Knee. They (35) ... .. ..... (to kill) the men, women and children.
The sadness of this (36) .......... (to be) still in our hearts.
It (37) .......... (to be) there that a beautiful dream (38)................(to die)
in the snow - a people's dream.

7. They (1) .......... (to move) briskly along the street, the girl careful
(2) .......... (to appear) indifferent to the stares of the people who (3) ..........
(to pass), the dog unaware of them·. He (4) .......... (to walk) along looking
neither left nor right, his eyes fixed ahead. When they (5)................(to come)
to a hole in the pavement, he (6) .......... (to guide) Alice round it. She saw,
of course, what (7) .......... (to happen). "I wonder if he knows I am not
blind", she thought.
The dog (8) .......... (to pause) at the corner and (9).................(to
glance) carefully at the traffic. Then he (10) .......... (to step) into the road,
and Alice (11) .......... (to follow) him, (12) .......... (to smile) slightly. She
could (13) .......... (to feel) that he (14).............(to do) his duty conscientiously,
even though he actually (15) .......... (to dislike) Alice, and much (16)
.......... (to prefer) (17)...............(to do) his real job, which was guiding Jane,
Alice's sister, who really (18)................(to need) him. When they were safely
across the road, Alice (19) .......... (to reach) forward and (20)................(to
pat) Prince on the head, (21) .......... (to try) to stare fixedly ahead. "Good
dog. Good Prince", she (22)................(to say).
Alice (23) .......... (to slow) down and started (24)................(to look)
at the house numbers. A young man in a grey coat (25) .......... (to walk)
towards her, and when he (26) .......... (to see) the dog he (27)................(to
stop) and (28) .......... (to offer) to help.
Alice turned (29) .......... (to face) him, (30)................(to try) to make
her eyes (31) .......... (to go) blank, like Jane's, as she (32) .......... (not to
want) to embarrass him by (33) .......... (to show) that she could actually
(34) .......... (to see) as well as anyone. She (35) .......... (to tell) him she
(36) .......... (to look for) Dr. Loring's place, and she could (37)................(to
feel) his stare of appraisal. The young man told her it (38)...............(to be) the
next house along. Prince (39) .......... (to sink) to the ground when the young
man (40) .......... (to approach), but now the dog (41) .......... (to get) to his
 THE RJGHT VERBAL FORM 67

disappear) and the buffalo and all the warriors (28)................(to come back).
We (29) .......... (to be) to throw all our weapons away. This would happen
withno -warfare. We just (30)..............(to have) to dance and sing the Ghost
Dance.
They (31) .......... (to think) it (32) .......... (to come), but it never (33)
.......... (to come). Instead we (34) .......... (to have) the Massacre at
Wounded Knee. They (35) .......... (to kill) the men, women and children.
The sadness of this (36) .......... (to be) still in our hearts.
It (37) .......... (to be) there that a beautiful dream (38).................(to die)
in the snow - a people's dream.

7. They (1) .......... (to move) briskly along the street, the girl careful
(2) .......... (to appear) indifferent to the stares of the people who (3) ..........
(to pass), the dog unaware of them. He (4) .......... (to walk) along looking
neither left nor right, his eyes fixed ahead. When they (5).................(to come)
to a hole in the pavement, he (6) .......... (to guide) Alice round it. She saw,
of course, what (7) .......... (to happen). "I wonder if he knows I am not
blind", she thought.
The dog (8) .......... (to pause) at the corner and (9)..................(to
glance) carefully at the traffic. Then he (10) .......... (to step) into the road,
and Alice (11) .......... (to follow) him, (12) .......... (to smile) slightly. She
could (13) .......... (to feel) that he (14)..............(to do) his duty conscientiously,
even though he actually (15) .......... (to dislike) Alice, and much (16)
.......... (to prefer) (17)................(to do) his real job, which was guiding Jane,
Alice's sister, who really (18) .......... (to need) him. When they were safely
across the road, Alice (19) .......... (to reach) forward and (20).................(to
pal) Prince on the head, (21) .......... (to try) to stare fixedly ahead. "Good
dog. Good Prince", she (22)..............(to say).
Alice (23) .......... (to slow) down and started (24).................(to look)
at the house numbers. A young man in a grey coat (25) .......... (to walk)
towards her, and when he (26) .......... (to see) the dog he (27).................(to
stop) and (28) .......... (to offer) to help.
Alice turned (29) .......... (to face) him, (30)................(to try) to make
ber eyes (31) .......... (to go) blank, like Jane's, as she (32).................(not to
want) to embarrass him by (33) .......... (to show) that she could actually
(34) .......... (to see) as well as anyone. She (35) .......... (to tell) him she
(36) .......... (to look for) Dr. Loring's place, and she could (37)..............(to
feel) his stare of appraisal. The young man told her it (38)................(to be) the
next house along. Prince (39) .......... (to sink) to the ground when the young
man(40) .......... (to approach), but now the dog (41) (to get) to his
68 NEW PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

feet, (42) .......... (to sense) that they (43) .......... (tobe about) (44) ..........
(to move) off again. As they (45) .......... (to walk) on, Alice (46)...............(to
want) to tum around (47) .......... (to see) whether the young man (48)
.......... (to gaze) after them, but she (49)................(to resist) the temptation,
(50) .......... (to know) it would completely give the game away. The young
man had appeared totally taken in by her, and she (51) .......... (to smile)
slightly with the thrill of success. This (52).................(to be going to) be easy.

8. For much of my adult life I (1) .......... (toreside) in city apartments.

I (2) .......... (to travel) light, and rarely I (3)................(to keep) even a
house
plant. Such plants, as I (4) .......... (togive), (5) .......... (to die) of neglect
over a radiator, or (6) .......... (to pass on) to people more capable of
(7) .......... (to look after) th'em. When I (8)................(to move) to Cape Cod,
I (9) .......... (not to contemplate) gardening. But my house (10) ..........
(to build) on an area (11) .......... (to regain) from the sea, and I quickly
(12) . . .. . .. . . . (to realize) that if I lagged behind at all, the heavy rains
(13) .......... (to erode) the sand forming the foundations of my house.
Some of the plants I hurriedly (14) .......... (todig) into the ground (15)
.......... (to live), and (16) .......... (toflourish) now. Others could not (17)
.......... (to survive) my rough treatment, or my ignorance. But gardening
(18) .......... (to become) a habit for me. Even after I (19) .......... (to be)
sure I (20) .......... (to do) enough (21) .......... (to make) the land around my
house secure, I (22) .......... (to continue) to search for other areas where I
could (23) .......... (to plant) trees, flowers, bushes or simply shrubs. I then
began (24) .......... (to create) outdoor rooms, wooden huts with shrubs and
plants (25) .......... (to form) most of the walls (26) .......... (to relish) the
element of challenge, Now our garden (27)...............(to be) largely
composed
of rooms like that; for eating, reading, sunning or working.
I (28) .......... (to garden) organically, whlch means that I (29) ..........
(to share) my garden with many other creatures; I (30) .......... (not to try)
to kill the many small animals who (31)...............(tohave) as much right to
my
land as I (32) .......... (to do). I (33)................(to feed) the birds in winter, and
I (34) .......... (to expect) them to reciprocate by (35)................(to eliminate)
the insects which are food for them and a hardship for me.
Living in this way (36) .......... (to change) my outlook on life. I (37)
.......... (tosee) the seasons in a different light. My city friends (38) ..........
(to think) that it is spring when it (39) .......... (to get) warm; spring (40)
.......... (to start) for me in February when the crocuses along the south wall
of my garden start to bloom. (41) .......... (to grow) fruit and vegetables
 THE RlGHT VERBAL FORM 69

(42) .......... (to encourage) you to enjoy things when they (43).................(to
be) in season, rather than simply (44) .......... (to buy) any frozen supplies
you think you might (45) .......... (to fancy). I (46)..................(to live) with the
sense that I (47) .......... (to be) in tune with the land where I live, that my
body (48) .......... (to enjoy) its natural rhythm. I work with words, writing
atmy typewriter, and I enjoy the contrast (49)....................(to offer) by a garden;
in a garden you can see the physical results of your work, some immediate,
and some latent for many years. You can engineer a new path, or change its
surface, and the entire tone of the landscape alters. You (50).................(to do)
something real.

9. In the small hours of a windy October morning, in a town on the south

coast of England which appeared (•1) .......... (to desert) by its inhabitants,
Magnus Pym (2) .......... (to emerge) from a taxi, paid the driver and, once
the vehicle (3) .......... (to be) out of sight, (4)...................(to cross) the square.
He (5) .......... (to head for) a street full of large, old-fashioned houses which
(6) .......... (all/to transform) into boarding houses, and (7)................(to walk)
up to one which had a prominent notice in the window proclaiming that there
(8) .......... (to be) no vacancies.
He was a powerfully built man, and had an air of authority. His stride
(9) .......... (to be) confident and steady, and although he (10)................(to
travel) around for the last sixteen hours, he (11) .......... (to wear) no coat or
hat. His only baggage (12) .......... (to be) a bulky briefcase and a green
plastic bag. A stiff sea wind (13) .......... (to sweep) across the square, but
Pym (14) .......... (to ignore) it. He (15) .......... (to ring) the doorbell and
(16) .......... (to wait), first for the outside light to come on, and then for the
door to be laboriously unlocked. While he (17) .......... (to wait), the church
clock began to strike five.
"Why, Mr. Canterbury, it's you", (18) .......... (to pipe up) an ancient
female voice. "Hello, Miss Dubber", Pym boomed. "How are you?" "Never
mind how I am, you just come in, before you (19)...............(to catch) your death
of cold. You (20).................(to catch) the night train down from London again,
didn't you? You really should take more care of yourself, Mr. Canterbury."
After (21) .......... (to exchange) more banalities, Pym (22) ..........
(to stride) off up to his room, Miss Dubber watched him, sure that he (23)
.......... (to go) to another conference, and wanted the seclusion her house
(24) .......... (to offer) again. She (25) .......... (to see) him as the same
perfect gentleman who (26)................(to come) to her door eight years earlier,
in search of what he (27)................(to call) a haven from his responsibilities,
70 NEW PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

a sanctuary without a telephone. He always (28) .......... (to pay) her in

advance, every six months, and sometimes she (29)................(not to see) him
for months on end. But she (30) .......... (to know) he would turn up again,
just like now. He (31)...............(to send) her flowers from foreign places when
he went there on business. He (32) .......... (to listen) to all her complaints,
and even helped her out preparing the breakfasts when there (33)................(to
be) too many guests for her to handle.
He never (34) .......... (to have) any correspondence, and she now had
utter confidence that he (35) . .. . . . .. . . (to need) his room in her house for
exactly the reason he vowed - as a way of (36) .......... (to escape) from the
world - although she (37) .......... (to find) it a little odd at first. Now it all
(38) .......... (to make) perfect sense. She often (39) .......... (to think) he
(40)...............(to make) a good vicar, with his sonorous tones and ready smile.

10. Margaret (1) .......... (towonder) if social workers ever (2) ..........
(to shut up). Mrs. Gibbons (3) .......... (not to stop)(4)..............(to talk) since
they got in the car that morning to go to the new place. Now it (5)...............(to
be) almost nighttime and they (6) .......... (still/to drive) and she (7) ..........
(still/to talk). It (8) .......... (to be) boring always having to listen so that
you could (9) .......... (to say) "yes" and "no" at the right time.
"You'll like Hattie McNabb, Margaret", Mrs. Gibbons (10).................(to
say) now, in her brisk, no-nonsense voice. "She has a small farm and there's
only Hattie there, but you (11) .......... (not to be) lonesome. She (12)
.......... (to love) children - she's got four grandchildren, you (13) ..........
(to know) - and there are cats and little chickens. Doesn't that sound like
fun?"
"Yes, Mrs. Gibbons", Margaret said.
Margaret was ten years old and (14) .......... (to live) in eight different
places. She (15) .......... (to know) what the place (16)................(to be) like.
It would be no different from all the others. The lady would be nice while
Mrs. Gibbons (17) .......... (to be) there, but afterward she'd be mean, and
Margaret (18) .......... (not to like) that, and soon Mrs. Gibbons (19) ..........
(to come) and take her away again.
Margaret (20) .......... (to stare) at the road ahead. Her legs (21) ..........
(to get) stiff from being in the same position so long, and her back (22)
.......... (to ache) from sitting up straight. Besides, it was an old car, and the
seats (23) .......... (to be) hard. But she (24)................(not to be going to) tell
Mrs. Gibbons she was tired. She wasn't going to tell Mrs. Gibbons anything,
not after she (25)................(to be) so mean about Rodney. Margaret wished
she
 THE RIGHT VERBAL FORM 71

· (26) .......... (can) turn and talk to Rodney, but she (27)..................(to know)
Mrs. Gibbons (28) .......... (not to like) that.
Margaret's thoughts (29) .......... (to interrupt) as Mrs. Gibbons shifted
down and turned the car off the highway onto a narrow country road.
"Well, we're almost there", Mrs. Gibbons said. "Only another five miles
or so and you will see your new home." She paused, glancing at Margaret.
"Yes, Mrs. Gibbons", Margaret said.
"Now remember what you promised. You (30)..................(not to talk) about
silly things, will you ? ''
"No, Mrs. Gibbons."