Right forms of verbs
Fill in the gaps with the right forms of verbs in the brackets. Question ‘a’ and ‘e’ have special instructions in the brackets for the use of the verbs.
4. Once some parts of the body were unhappy. They thought that only the stomach ate. ‘The stomach eats,’ they said, ‘but it (a)_____ (‘work’ in the negative)_____ . We think it’s lazy. It’s greedy too.’ ‘We both (b)_____ (work)_____ hard all day.’ said the hands. ‘We (c)_____ (wash)_____ all the clothes and the whole body. We (d)_____ (collect)_____ the food and cook it. We work in the fields and write letters too. Look at the stomach! It (e)_____ (‘work’ in the negative) _____ like us. It only eats and eats.’ Then the legs (f)_____ (say) ____ , ‘Without us the hands (g) _____ (do) _____ much. We both carry the whole body and can sometimes run away from danger. We can jump and kick footballs too. Look at the stomach! We think it (h) _____ (work)_____ like us. It only eats and eats.’
Answer: a. does not work; b. work; c. wash; d. collect; e. does not
work; f. said; g. cannot do/do not do; h. does not work/cannot work.
5. My house is in the village of Nurgonj. It (a)_____ (‘be’ in the negative)_____ very far away. It is only three kilometers from Sherpur. There (b)_____ (be)_____ many trees around our village. Near my house we (c)_____ (to have) _____ a tube-well. There is also a pond near my house. At the side of my house we (d)_____ (to have)_____ the kitchen. There is a vegetable garden in front of it. We (e)_____ (‘grow’ in the simple present)_____ green vegetables and carrots. There (f)_____ (be)_____ a fence around the vegetable garden. We (g)_____ (keep)_____ the cows in a shed behind the house. We also (h)_____ (make) _____ a latrine at the side of the cowshed.
Answer: a. is not; b. are; c. have; d. have; e. grow; f. is; g. keep;
h. have made.
6. Samira (a)_____ (‘to have’ to show possession)_____ a cousin called Laila. Now she (b)_____ (be)_____ a student and (c)_____ (go)_____ to college. She (d)_____ (live)_____ in Sonapur near the Agrani Bank. Five years ago, Laila came to Sonapur from a small village not far from Samira’s on the other side of the river. From her window she (e)_____ (‘see’ showing past ability)_____ the river. It (f)_____ (flow)_____ down from the hills near the border of Rangpur district. She (g)_____ (like)_____ the river very much, because it (h)_____ (look)_____ very beautiful.
Answer: a. has; b. Is; c. goes; d. lives; e. could see; f. Flowed;
g. liked; h. looked.
ইকবাল খান, প্রভাষক, বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ মুন্সী আব্দুর রউফ পাবলিক কলেজ, ঢাকা