Past Modals
Error correction: “She mustn’t have left already — her coat is still here.”
Why is this wrong, and what should it be?
"musn't have" is not used for past deduction.
The correct forms are "can't have left" or "couldn't have left."
Rewrite this: “I’ll call you later,” she said.
Report it beginning with "She promised"…
"She promised to call me later/that she would call me later."
Correct this: "She asked me where did I buy that scarf."
"She asked me where I bought that scarf."
Two-word compound noun (adjective + noun): Someone who is very picky about what they eat. We call them a ___ ___.
fussy eater
What do you call a fake noodle?
An IMPASTA!!
Mini scenario: You studied all weekend, but the test was canceled. You ___.
Complete the sentence.
needn't have studied / didn't need to study
Spot the error: He told that he was tired.
What's wrong?
"told" needs an indirect object
"Does this bus go downtown?"
Report politely without using the word "asked".
"He wanted to know if the bus went downtown." / "He asked whether that bus went downtown."
Two-word compound noun (adjective + noun): This refers to foods like white bread, chips, and frozen meals that have been chemically or mechanically altered.
processed food
What do you call a fish with no eyes?
fsh
What’s the difference in meaning between “I didn’t dare tell him” and “I didn’t dare to tell him”?
Explain.
No real difference in modern English. But not using the "to" is more formal and British.
Make this more formal: "The boss said, 'You gotta finish by Friday.'"
(Use insisted and stressed)
"The boss insisted that we finish by Friday." / "The boss stressed that we had to finish by Friday."
A stranger asks, "How much do you earn?"
Report it as an indirect question to make it less rude.
"They asked me how much I earned." / "They wanted to know what my salary was."
Hyphen or no hyphen? Explain the difference between "slowly cooked food" and "slow-cooked food." Which one is hyphenated and why?
"slowly cooked food" has no hyphen because adverbs ending in -ly are never hyphenated
What do you call a cow with no legs?
ground beef
A friend didn’t apply for a job. Now someone else got it.
Give two past modals you could use to criticize them gently.
should have applied / could have at least tried
Direct: "I saw her yesterday."
Reported today: He said ___.
Now report it a year later. How does it change?
"He said he had seen her the day before." / "He said he had seen her the previous year."
Report as one sentence: "How long have you worked here?" → "What's your name?" → "Do you like it?"
"He asked how long I had worked there, what my name was, and if I liked it."
Create two compound nouns:
A compound with a hyphen meaning "prepared at home" (adjective + past participle + noun)
A compound without a hyphen meaning "the act of cooking at home" (noun + noun)
home-cooked food / home cooking
What do you call a belt made out of watches?
waist of time
Odd one out challenge: Which of these is incorrect?
a) You needn’t have worried.
b) You didn’t need to worry.
c) You needn’t to have worried.
Explain why.
C / "needn't" is already a modal and takes the perfect infinitive without "to" ("needn't have worried")
Direct: "Maybe I didn't lock the door."
Report using two different reporting verbs (for example, admitted, wondered, suggested, denied - but one must change meaning).
"He admitted that he might not have locked the door." / "He wondered whether he had forgotten to lock the door."
Why does "She asked what was the problem" sound wrong, but "She asked what the problem was" correct - yet "She asked what on earth was the problem" can be acceptable?
subject-verb inversion is lost in indirect questions unless the question word is the subject
Which hyphenation is wrong? Correct it and explain why.
a) a five year old boy
b) a long-term relationship
c) a growing problem
a) is wrong — it should be 'a five-year-old boy' because it's a compound adjective before a noun
What do you call a factory that makes okay products?
a satisfactory