a) The red double decker buses which are such a famous sight on London's streets will soon disappear. Londoners prefer small single decker buses which can move quickly through busy high streets. The new buses will carry forty people. Passengers will be closer to the driver and there'll be a better atmosphere. In the nineteenth century horses pulled double decker buses through London, but in the early 2010s computer screens at the bus stops will tell passengers exactly when the next bus will arrive. An electronic 'eye' at the front of the bus will be able to change traffic lights from red to green as the bus approaches.
b) People have been using the word 'dinosaur' now for more than 150 years. Before 1841, people knew about these enormous animals of the past from the bones they found. But no one had a name for them. Then in 1841, Richard Owen gave them the name we know now. He used the Greek words denios — terrible, and sauros — lizard, and joined them to make the new word.
In 1991, the British post office has issued a set of stamps to celebrate 150 years of the 'terrible lizards'. Now we know the dinosaurs were not all so terrible, but they still have a big place in our imagination.
When American countries celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus's 'discovery' of the New World, not everyone came to the party. Сontroversy is raging everywhere about whether it is right to celebrate Columbus. Although he began by trying to cooperate with the native Americans on friendly terms, his explorations brought about the destruction of native societies. He himself transported many Indians back to Europe in chains. Spanish conquistadors followed him.
They destroyed whole civilizations in Central and South America. And then the waves of European colonists pushed out the tribes in the north. A Cherokee Indian teacher of philosophy at the University of Florida has called Columbus 'one of the biggest mass murderers in history'.
d) People all over the world know the name Harley Davidson. In 1903, when Bill Harley and Arthur and Walter Davidson made their first motorcycle, the new machines were more or less what their name suggested - bicycles with engines. But by the 1930s the designers transformed them into solid machines we know now. Of course, customers had influences the appearance of motorbikes very much. Before the 1970s, nearly all US police departments used Harley- Davidsons. Later on Japanese companies, such as Kawasaki, took over the American bikes, because they produces better-built and cheaper machines. But the American company recovered, improved its designs, and now again most US police departments use Harley-Davidson bikes.
Ex. 18. Compose short stories (10 sentences) using as many passive constructions as possible.
SEQUENCE OF TENSES
In English the tense of the verb in a subordinate clause (mainly, an object clause) depends on that of the verb in the principal clause. This adjustment of tense-forms is called The Sequence of Tenses.
The following are the rules of the Sequence of Tenses:
1. A present or future tense in the principal clause may be followed in the subordinate by any tense that is required by the sense. His horoscope reads that he has just had a rather difficult financial period, but that this week he will be lucky with money matters. It reads that today is his most successful day. They have informed us that hospitals and rescue services coped extremely well.
2. A past tense in the principal clause must be followed by a past tense in the subordinate clause. The choice of the type of a past tense depends on the time relations between the principal and the subordinate clause.
A. If the action of the subordinate clause is simultaneous with the action of the principal clause the Past Simple or the Past Continuous is used in the subordinate clause: I didn't know you two were related to each other. For a moment she didn’t know where she was. I was sure the children were sleeping and didn’t hear us.
B. If the action of the subordinate clause is prior to the action of the principal clause or lasted a certain time before the action of the principal clause, the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous is used in the subordinate clause: I knew she had not played the piano for a long time. We were aware that they had been building a garage since last summer.
C. If the action of the subordinate clause refers to a future moment, a Future tense-form is replaced by the so-called Future-in-the-Past (when the auxiliary “will” changes to “would”). Susan’s parents were happy that their daughter would marry into a good family. I knew they would still be reading for the seminar when I came. They were sure that they would have sold the house by the end of the year. He informed us that by March 2010 he would have been working for the company for 10 years.
If the verb in the principal clause is in a past tense, alongside with the tense changes the following changes of adverbials and demonstrative pronouns take place:
| today, tonight | that day, that night |
| here | there |
| now | then/at that time/right away/at the moment/ immediately |
| this, | these |
| that, | those |
| tonight/this evening | that night/evening |
| yesterday | the day before/the previous day |
| the day before yesterday | 2 days before/previously |
| ago | before |
| 2 years ago | 2 years before/previously |
| last night, week, month, etc the night, week, etc. | before/the previous night, week |
| tomorrow | the following/the next day/the day after |
| the day after tomorrow | in two days‘ time next week/year, etc. |
| the following/the next week/year, etc. |
NOTES:
1. If there are several subordinate clauses in a sentence the rule of the Sequence of Tenses is observed in all of them: He explained he was sure you were in. She admitted that she knew what kind of person he was. But when the reported sentence contains a time clause, the tenses of t he time clause do not change: I’m sure she has been writing since she came home. > I was sure she had been writing since she came home. I know that she left when it was getting dark. > I knew (that) she had left when it was getting dark.
The Sequence of Tenses may not be observed:
- if the object clause expresses general truth. The pupil knew that water consists/consisted of oxygen and hydrogen. The teacher said that the sun sets/set in the west.
- if the action in the object clause refers to what is (or was) believed to be a regular occurrence or existing fact. He asked the clerk what time the earliest train to Manchester starts/ started. He explained to us very clearly how the computer works/ worked.
- when the point of reference for the past tense in the principal clause is the moment of speech (absolute time). I’ve just talked to Marilyn on the phone. — What did she say? She said there was an earthquake here (there) yesterday (last Monday).
Compare:
Marilyn said on the phone last week that there had been an earthquake there the day before.
- if the statement is still up to date when we report it. Angela wrote to me saying that her father owns (or owned) a supermarket. ü in political language. The speaker stressed that poverty is one of the most important global issues.
Note, however, that we usually change the tense if the action in the principal clause is out of date or may be untrue. Angela wrote to me years ago saying that her father owned a supermarket. The Prime Minister claimed that the government had made the right decision.
2. When the action in the subordinate clause precedes the action in the principal clause but refers to a definite past moment or there is a succession of past events, the Past Simple is used.
I knew that his youngest son was born in 1960. He told me that they decided to go to the pictures, got a 63 bus, and got off at the Elephant Castle as the pictures were just next door.
3. Modal verbs in subordinate object clauses usually remain unchanged, but there can also be a tense change to some of them. See the table below:
| must | must (or had to) |
| have to | had to |
| needn't | needn’t/ didn’t need to/ didn’t have to |
| can | could/would be able to (future reference) |
| may | might |
| shall | should (asking for advice) |
| will | would |
would, could, might, should, ought do not change
4. If the reported sentence deals with unreal past, conditionals type 2 and 3 or wishes, the tenses remain the same. “If I were you, I would apologise,” he said. He said that if he were me he would apologise.
EXERCISES
