Unit 12 | Grammar | B2

under - over, below - above, beneath, underneath, by, with

Under means in a position lower than, directly below or covered by.

■ The pencil is under the book on the desk.

■ He lay down under the tree to rest for a while.

Over means in a position higher than or directly above.

■ There was a beautiful antique lamp hanging over the dining-room table.

Below means in a lower place or on a lower level than, but not necessarily under.

■ The Dead Sea is 397 metres below sea level.

■ He stood on the hill admiring the river in the valley below.

Above means in a higher place or on a higher level than, but not necessarily over.

■ There was a helicopter hovering above the village. Underneath is used instead of under for emphasis.

■ Have you looked underneath the bed for your slippers?

Beneath means directly under, used esp. in formal writing or in literature.

■ The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of snow beneath my feet.

By is used to introduce the particular method through which sth is done.

■ The vase was expensive because it was painted by hand.

■ He succeeded in passing his exam by working very hard.

With is used to introduce the tools or instruments to do sth.

■ She was teaching her son how to eat with a knife and fork.

Use under, over, below, above, underneath, beneath, by or with to fill in the gaps.

1. The valley was_______________ the little village.
2. I can fix it______________ super glue.
3. Why don’t you look for your books ________________ your desk?
4. This machine is operated______________ pulling the handle towards you.
5. The ship lay for many years________________ the waves.
6. 6. Look_______________ the car to check the exhaust pipe.
7. 7. The seagull was soaring high_______________ the clouds.
8. The doctor leaned______________ the little boy to check his heartbeat.
9. We could hear a quarrel going on in the flat____________________.

10.I usually clean the cracks_____________ an old toothbrush.

11. 11. This is a safety cap. You open it_____________ pushing down first and then turning it.
12. There’s a pile of magazines on the table. Have you looked________________ them?
13. The plane was flying___________ the clouds, so we could not see the high peaks of the Alps _______________.

as/so…as

As...as is used to compare people, things or ideas that are similar in some way.      

■ She is as hospitable as her mother.

So...as is used instead of as...as to make negative comparisons, although this distinction tends to disappear and as...as can be used in all types of sentences.

■ This cheese pie isn't as/so good as it was the last time I made it.

Use (not) as...as and so...as to rewrite the sentences.

1. 1. Brian is clever and so Is his brother.

_________________________________________________________________

2. My boss is richer than I am.

_________________________________________________________________

3. 3. Both Peter and Bob can type 45 words per minute.

_________________________________________________________________

4. 4. I study harder than my roommate.

_________________________________________________________________

Passive voice (Part B)

If the active verb has two objects, a direct object and an indirect object, either of them can become the subject of the passive voice sentence, depending on where the  emphasis is.

However, it is more common for the indirect object to become the subject of the passive sentence.

A direct object answers the question ‘What?’; an indirect object answers the question ‘To whom?’ or ‘For whom?’.

■ Someone bought her an expensive ring.

■ Someone taught a lesson to the whole class.

■ She was bought an expensive ring.

■ A lesson was taught to the whole class.

Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice.

1. Someone has given me a promotion.

____________________________________________________________

2. A man promised Sue a job.

____________________________________________________________

3. 3. Fortunately, John gave me another chance.

____________________________________________________________

4. People have told me several lies about you.

____________________________________________________________

5. Someone sent me a camera from Japan.

____________________________________________________________

Verbs with two objects

There are two possible structures after the verbs give, lend, offer, pass, promise, read, sell, send, show, teach, tell:

1. (give) somebody something

■ Give John the book.

1. (give) something to somebody

■ Give the book to John.

Structure ii is preferred when:

1. ‘somebody’ consists of several words,

■ Give it to the good-looking young man.

1. ‘something’ is a pronoun (e.g. it, them).

■ Give it to John.

There are also two possible structures after the verbs get, book, buy, choose, cook, cut, find, keep, make, paint, pour, prepare, save, win:

1. (get) somebody something

■ Get me a pen.

1. (get) something for somebody

■ Get a pen for me.

Structure ii is preferred when we want to emphasize ‘somebody’.

Put the words in brackets in the right order to complete the sentences. Use both structures where possible.

1. It’s raining. Can you lend (your umbrella / me)?

_______________________________________________________________

2. He said he sold (a young couple / it).

_______________________________________________________________

3. 3. Why don’t you lend (the book / Mary)?

_______________________________________________________________

4. They’ve managed to book (a table / his family).

_______________________________________________________________

5. She bought (a nice present / her mother)_____________________________

______________________for her birthday.

6. Martin’s mother has promised (a computer / him) if he passes the exams.

_______________________________________________________________

7. 7. She always tells (a story / the children)______________________________ _____________________________ before they go to sleep at night.
8. 8. Of course I’ll make _____________________________________________

 ___________________________ (a cake/you).

Exercise 1

For numbers 1-9, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (P) by the number. If a line has a word that should not be there, write the word in the box.

THE GREAT CHILEAN EARTHQUAKE

1          On date May 22, 1960, a piece of rock broke somewhere beneath the coast             _________

2          of central Chile. The crack continued to grow up wider and longer. About              _________

3          five minutes later it stopped, it having travelled about 960 kilometres. It was          _________

4          the most largest earthquake in the past two centuries. As the crack                          _________

5          spread, the rock on both sides moved by a total of round 20 metres and                  _________

6          the western edge of South America moved westwards. Enormous vibrations          _________

7          were set off that shook buildings not until they were completely demolished          _________

8          down. The movement of the sea floor also created a giant wave, known as                         _________

9          a tsunami. This great wave spread out into the Pacific, moving almost as                 _________

fast as a jet plane. In the middle of the night, a wall of water 15 metres high

burst over the town of Hilo on Hawaii 8,000 kilometres away.

Exercise 2

For numbers 10-17, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.

THE FORTUNES OF A HOUSE

Many historical homes are being ‘recycled’ from a faded past to a glittering present. A typical 

example is a (10)……………….Victorian house in London that passed through several            BEAUTY stages of decay before returning to its former glory. It was (11)……………… built for a rich  ORIGINAL

upper-class family around 1860. Fifty years later the house had changed very little except

that (12)……………..            had replaced gas as a means of lighting. However, by 1950 the house    ELECTRIC

was in very bad condition. The rooms were being rented out and (13)…………….  and          DECORATE

repairs had been largely ignored. By the mid 1970s the building was falling apart. Most of the

windows had been smashed and the rooms wrecked by vandals. The house was bought by

the local council, which hoped to redevelop the whole area, but (14)……………. The              FORTUNATE

money ran out. The building was finally sold in the 1990s to developers specialising in

‘period restoration’. Whole streets of (15)………………. houses are now being converted       ROT

into ‘luxury apartments’ and sold to (16)……………….. buyers, changing the status of many WEALTH

areas and saving examples of beautiful (17)……………….. for future generations.                  ARCHITECT

Exercise 3

For numbers 18 - 24, read the text below and think of the word which fits each space. Use only one word in each space.

DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS

In a Malaysian rain forest a logger switches off his chainsaw and a great tree crashes to the ground just

twenty minutes after the logger started work. In that time, worldwide, an area of rain forest (18)…………….. big as 620 football pitches has been cut down (19)……………………. industrial use. Unlike a lot of environmental damage, this cannot be reversed. Once a forest has gone, it has gone. Of course, trees can be replanted but animal and plant life in the forests cannot be recreated. However, saving the rain forests may not be as difficult (20)……………………… it seems. With a bit of vision and commitment politicians could put together a rescue package. Instead of cutting down trees for money, foresters can be encouraged to harvest only valuable materials; secondly, new trees can be planted. In (21)   ……………………. way, forests can be protected and the local people can earn (22)…………………… than they would from just cutting down trees to raise cattle. But how can we help? First, we should avoid eating hamburgers made (23)………………….. beef imported from rain forest countries. Second, we need to make sure we don’t buy furniture made from rain forest timber unless we are sure the forests (24)……………….. properly managed.

Exercise 4

For numbers 25 - 29, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

25. I’m sure Mr Wilson was sent the booklet. posted

I’m sure the booklet……………………………………. Mr Wilson.

26. During the accident, the tanker was damaged more seriously than the smaller ship. as

During the accident…………………………………………..the tanker.

27. Ugh! This milk’s sour. How long have you had it? gone

Ugh! This milk………………………………………………. How long have you had it?

28. She removed the bandage with a pair of scissors. by

She removed the bandage………………………………………….. a pair of scissors.

29. When those old houses were demolished, builders found the ruins of an ancient temple below the foundations. torn

When the old houses………………………………..,builders found the ruins of an ancient temple below the foundations.