In this Unit we will speak about Making Money and Possessions. We will examine vocab for money and shopping. We will look at Reported Speech and Unreal Conditionals.
what is quicksilver mining and what were the dangers?
Some more idioms to practice with, this time for work.
Idioms
there are many idioms in English connected to money. Can you guess the meaning of these idioms? Then take the quiz below.
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a run for money
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for love nor money
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put one's money where one's mouth is
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throw good money after bad
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blood money
Indirect (Reported Speech)
If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
direct speech - “I speak English.”
reported speech (no backshift) - He says that he speaks English.
reported speech (backshift) - He said that he spoke English.
You can find more information on Indirect/Reported Speech on the Grammar Page.
But always pay attention to changes that you might have to make to;
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pronouns
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present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
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place and time expressions
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tenses (backshift)
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transform the question into an indirect question
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use the interrogative or if / whether
Try these simple sentences
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They said, "This is our book."→ They said ...
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She said, "I went to the cinema yesterday."→ She said
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He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."→ He said...
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You said, "I will do this for him."→ You said...
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She said, "I am not hungry now."→ She said...
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They said, "We have never been here before."→ They said ...
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They said, "We were in London last week."→ They said...
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He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."→ He said ...
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He said, "They won't sleep."→ He said...
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She said, "It is very quiet here."→ She said...
Now try these questions
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"What's the time?" he asked.→ He wanted to know ...
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"When will we meet again?" she asked me.→ She asked me...
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"Are you crazy?" she asked him.→ She asked him ...
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"Where did they live?" he asked.→ He wanted to know ...
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"Will you be at the party?" he asked her.→ He asked her ...
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"Can you meet me at the station?" she asked me.→ She asked me...
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"Who knows the answer?" the teacher asked.→ The teacher wanted to know ...
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"Why don't you help me?" she asked him.→ She wanted to know...
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"Did you see that car?" he asked me.→ He asked me ...
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"Have you tidied up your room?" the mother asked the twins.→ The mother asked the twins ...
Probably the most important aspect of Indirect/Reported Speech is your choice of reporting verb. Be careful, different verbs are followed by different structures.
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verb + infinitive - agree, decide, offer, promise, refuse, threaten
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They agreed to meet on Friday.
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He refused to take his coat off.
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verb + object + infinitive - advise, encourage, invite, remind, warn
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Tom advised me to go home early.
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She reminded me to telephone my mother.
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verb + gerund - deny, recommend, suggest
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They recommended taking the bus.
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She suggested meeting a little earlier.
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verb + object + preposition - accuse, blame, congratulate
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He accused me of taking the money.
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They congratulated me on passing all my exams.
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verb + preposition + gerund - apologise, insist
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They apologised for not coming.
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He insisted on having dinner.
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verb + subject + verb - admit, agree, decide, deny, explain, insist, promise, recommend, suggest
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Sarah decided (that) the house needed cleaning.
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They recommended (that) we take the bus.
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What tips are given for shopping online?
Then read the article in the link about the dangers of shopping online.
Are you a Shopaholic?
Take the quiz in the following link to find out.
Unreal Conditionals
The unreal in English is used to talk about things in your imagination, but which are not true. The unreal is often used with if and wish.
Present Unreal Conditional
The present unreal talks about the present time, life today, right now, but imagining (or wishing) something that is untrue.
In a wish sentence, or in an if-clause, you use the past tense to show that the verb is unreal about the present.
The main clause (often called the “result” clause) uses would:
If I had a lot of money, I would buy a house.
(The truth is that you don’t have a lot of money.)
If I knew Japanese, I would work in Tokyo.
(The truth is that you don’t know Japanese.)
I wish I had a better job. If I had a good job, I would be much happier.
(The truth is that you don’t have a good job.)
I wish I knew how to type. If I knew how to type, I would be able to get a better job.
(The truth is that you don’t know how to type.)
The verb to be is always were in the unreal, no matter who the subject is:
He wishes he were the mayor. If he were mayor, he would solve the homeless problem.
(The truth is that he is not the mayor.)
If I were taller, I would play basketball. I wish I were six feet tall.
(The truth is that you are not tall.)
Past Unreal Conditional
A wished or imagined idea about a past event is called the past unreal.
The verb in the wish clause or if-clause is put in the past perfect (had + past participle) to show the past unreal.
The main clause (the “result” clause) will use would have + past participle.
When I was a child, I hated school. (This is the truth, what really happened. You hated school.)
If I had liked school better, I would have studied and [I would have] learned more. I wish I had been a better student as a boy. I wish I had had better teachers, too. I wish my parents had forced me to do my homework.
(The truth is that you didn’t like school, you didn’t study, you didn’t learn, you were not a good student, you didn’t have good teachers, and your parents didn’t force you to do your homework.)
If she had reminded me that yesterday was her birthday, I would have bought her a present. At least, I would have sent her a card.
(The truth is that she didn’t remind you, so you didn’t buy her a present.)
I wish the Mets had won the game last night! If they had won, I would have made a lot of money. If the Mets had beaten the Yankees, I would have won $200.
(The truth is that the Mets didn’t win, and you didn’t win any money. You lost!)
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She doesn’t speak English, so she doesn’t understand you.
If she ____________ English, she _____________ you.
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He can’t drive, so he won’t buy a car.
If he _____________________, he _____________________ a car.
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He isn’t rich, so he won’t buy a beach house.
If he _____________________ rich, he ___________________ a beach house.
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He eats too much, so he’s fat.
If he ________________________ too much, he ___________________ fat.
[Note: You need to use didn’t in this sentence.]
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She didn’t give me her phone number, so I wasn’t able to call her.
If she ____________________ her phone number, I __________________able to call her.
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He didn’t have his wallet with him last night, so he didn’t buy the book.
If he ____________________________ his wallet with him, he ________________________________ the book.
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They didn’t get to the airport in time, so they missed their flight.
If they __________________________ to the airport in time, they ______________________ their flight.
[Note: You need to use wouldn’t in this sentence!]
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He wasn’t able to open the wine bottle, so they didn’t drink wine.
If he _____________________ able to open the wine bottle, they ____________________ wine.