by R. S. Karunaratne

Would you like coffee?

We use ‘would’ in the expression ‘Would you like...?’ to offer things.

Would you like a cool drink?
How many cones of ice-cream would you like?
Would you like to travel by train?
Would you like to see an English film?
Would you like to have a cup of coffee?

We use ‘I would like ...’ or ‘I’d like ...’ to ask for things. It is more polite than ‘I want.’

I’d like a big pair of scissors, please.
I’d like a return ticket, please.
I’d like a little more ice cream, please.
I’d like a seat by the window.
I’d like to be taller.

We use ‘I would not like ...’ or ‘I wouldn’t like ...’ in the negative.

I wouldn’t like to be a pilot.
I wouldn’t like to be a teacher.
I wouldn’t like to be taller.
I wouldn’t like to be shorter.
I wouldn’t like to be younger.

Sometimes, we use ‘Would you like ...’ for invitations.

Would you like to attend my convocation?
Would you like to participate in a debate?
Would you like to visit Kandy?
Would you like to live in France?
Would you like to write my biography?

[Activity]

Make sentences using ‘I’d like ...’, ‘Would you like ...’ and ‘I wouldn’t like to ...’ using the following information.

1. two return tickets
.................................

2. tea
.................................

3. a red T-shirt
.................................

4. a toffee
.................................

5. newspaper
.................................

6. an ice-cream
.................................

7. some more sugar
.................................

8. a receipt
.................................

9. be fatter
.................................

10. older
.................................

11. go to Mars
.................................

12. to live in the hill country
.................................

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Key:

1. I’d like two return tickets, please.
2. Would you like some tea?
3. I’d like a read T-shirt, please.
4. Would you like a toffee?
5. Would you like to read the newspaper?
6. I’d like an ice-cream, please.
7. Would you like some more sugar?
8. I’d like a receipt, please.
9. I’d like to be fatter. / I wouldn’t like to be fatter.
10. I’ like to be older. / I wouldn’t like to be older.
11. I’d like to go to Mars. / I wouldn’t like to go to Mars.
12. I’d like to live in the hill country. / I wouldn’t like to live in the hill country.

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Match words and meanings

Here’s a novel way to enrich your vocabulary. Match the words in Column ‘A’ with the meanings in Column ‘B’ and check your answers with the key. The first one has been done for you.

[Column A]

N 1. boon
... 2. boor
... 3. boost
... 4. booth
... 5. booty
... 6. booze
... 7. border
... 8. borderline
... 9. boring
... 10. boss
... 11. botanical
... 12. botanist
... 13. botch
... 14. bother
... 15. bottleneck
... 16. bottomless
... 17. boudoir
... 18. bougainvillea
... 19. bough
... 20. boulder
... 21. boulevard
... 22. bouncy
... 23. boundless
... 24. bountiful
... 25. bounty

[Column A]

A. to annoy
B. to spoil something by doing it badly
C. a scientist who studies plants
D. relating to plants
E. the person who is in charge of an organisation
F. not interesting or exciting
G. between two different conditions
H. the line that divides one country from another
I. alcohol
J. valuable things stolen by thieves
K. a small space like a box
L. to improve or increase something
M. a person who is rude
N. something that improves the quality of life
O. a sum of money paid as a reward
P. large in amount
Q. having no limit
R. happy and energetic
S. a wide road with trees on either side
T. a very large rock
U. a large branch of a tree
V. a climbing plant that produces read and purple flowers
W. a beautifully decorated room used by a woman
X. without a limit or end
Y. a problem that delays progress

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Key:

2.M 3. L 4. K 5. J 6. I 7. H 8. G 9. F 10. E 11. D 12. C 13. B 14. A 15. Y 16. X 17. W 18. V 19. U 20. T 21. S 22. R 23. Q 24. P 25. O

Starters

‘Who’ and ‘what’ in questions

We use ‘who’ and ‘what’ as the subject of a question.
Who
Who called you?
Who is teaching you English?
Who can do this type of work?
Who is coming to the party?
Who will be the next Prime Minister?

What
What will happen next?
What made you laugh?
What is in that big box?
What is the result?
What is in a name?

We use ‘who’ and ‘what’ as the object of a question?
Who
Who did you call?
Who are you helping?
Who will they support?
Who did he meet at the airport?
Who will you depend on?

What
What will they do next?
What did they tell you?
What did you say?
What will they give me?
What did he sell?

We use ‘who’ and ‘what’ as the subject of a preposition.
Who was talking to you?
What colour agrees with yellow?

We use ‘who’ and ‘what’ as the object of a preposition.
Who were you playing with?
What does this colour go with?

We use ‘which, whose, how many’ and ‘how much’ as the subject or object of a question.
As the subject
Which team will play the match?
Whose child is crying over there?
How many students passed the examination?
How much money will go into this project?
As the object
Which computer will suit you?
Whose car are you driving?
Mow many teachers did you see?
Mow much sugar did you buy?

[Activity]

Ask questions using ‘which, whose, how many’ and ‘how much.’ Check your answers with the key.

1. Two candidates have tendered their nominations.
...........................................

2. I met Mary's son.
...........................................

3. You can keep those books.
..........................................

4. Those girls look beautiful.
..........................................

5. Rs 1,000 is missing.
..........................................

6. I bought Joe's car.
..........................................

7. The Smiths have five children.
...........................................

8. Doctors earn a lot of money.
...........................................

9. Amanda's mother has come from Australia.
...........................................

10. His sister is coming on Friday.
………………………………..

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Key:

1.How many candidates have tendered their nominations?
2.Whose son did you meet?
3.Which books can I keep?
4.Which girls look beautiful?
5.How much money is missing?
6.Whose car did you buy?
7.How many children do the Smiths have?
8.How much money do doctors earn?
9.Whose mother has come from Australia?
10.Whose sister is coming on Friday?

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Form adverbs from nouns

Words often come in families. You can expand your vocabulary by becoming familiar with these word families. Fill in column ‘B’ with the adverbs for nouns in Column ‘A’ and check your answers with the key.

Column A

[Column B]

1. standing .................
2. steepness ................
3. stiffness ................
4. stop ................
5. straight ................
6. strangeness ................
7. strength ................
8. stress ................
9. strike ................
10. structure ................
11. study ...............
12. stupidity ...............
13. style ...............
14. substance ................
15. success ................
16. suddenness ................
17. suffering ................
18. suggestion ................
19. support ................
20. supposition ...............
21. surprise ...............
22. suspicion ...............
23. sweet ...............
24. symbol ...............
25. sympathy ...............

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Key:

1.outstandingly 2. steeply 3. stiffly 4. non-stop 5. straight 6. strangely 7. strongly 8. stressfully 9. strikingly 10. structurally 11. studiously 12. stupidly 13. stylishly 14. substantially 15. successfully 16. suddenly 17. insufferably 18. suggestively 19. supportively 20. supposedly 21. surprisingly 22. suspiciously 23. sweetly 24. symbolically 25. sympathetically

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