Page 242 - BACKUP ENGLISH | PREPARATORY CLASS

THEME 20 SHOPPING

Structure

MODIFYING COMPARATIVES & SUPERLATIVES
We can modify comparatives with words like ‘much’, ‘a lot’, ‘far’, ‘a little’, ‘a bit’, ‘slightly’, etc.

- The new smartphone is a lot faster than the old one.
- The coffee at the new café is slightly cheaper than at the previous one.

We can modify superlatives with words like ‘by far’, ‘easily’, ‘nearly’, etc.

- The new restaurant is by far the most popular one in town.
- It is nearly the longest book I’ve ever read.

REPORTED SPEECH
Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of conveying someone else’s words, thoughts, or statements
indirectly, without quoting them directly.
• We use reporting verbs like ‘say’, ‘ask’, ‘tell’, ‘order’ and put ‘to’ before the reported command, advice or request.
• In negative sentences, we use ‘not to’.
• Some of the reporting verbs are ‘tell’, ‘ask’, ‘forbid’, ‘order’, ‘warn’, etc.
EXAMPLES
Direct speech Indirect speech
The teacher said to me, “Stop talking!” The teacher told me to stop talking.
“Don’t open the window,” he said. He asked me not to open the window.

Tense Changes in Reported Speech
Present Simple Past Simple
Present Continuous Past Continuous

Present Perfect Past Perfect

Past Simple Past Perfect
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Past Perfect (no change)

will / can would / could

REMEMBER!

QUANTIFIERS tell us something about the amount or quantity of something. We use them with both countable and uncountable nouns.
‘Some’ and ‘any’ express an indefinite quantity or number.
- We have some time before the meeting starts. (positive)
- I don't have any plans for the weekend. (negative)
- Can you lend me some money? (question)
‘Many’ and ‘much’ express a large quantity.
- She has visited many countries around the world. (countable noun)
- There isn't much time left before the deadline. (uncountable noun)
‘A few’ and ‘a little’ express a small quantity.
- We still have a few tickets available for the concert. (countable noun)
- Could you pour me a little milk in my coffee? (uncountable noun)
‘A lot of’ and ‘lots of’ express that there is a large quantity of something.
- We had a lot of / lots of fun at the amusement park. (uncountable noun)
- They brought a lot of / lots of presents for the children. (plural and countable noun)

240 English for Preparatory Class