Rephrasing 6 - Key

1. REPHRASING 6

2. 1. The last time I drank sherry was a month
ago.
I haven’t…

3. 1. The last time I drank sherry was a month
ago.
I haven’t drunk sherry for a month.
I haven’t drunk sherry since last month.

4. 2. Paul’s brother won the first prize in the
contest.
Paul is the boy…

5. 2. Paul’s brother won the first prize in the
contest.
Paul is the boy whose brother won the first
prize in the contest.

6. 3. The policewoman managed to arrest the
thief on her own.
The policewoman managed to arrest the thief
by…

7. 3. The policewoman managed to arrest the
thief on her own.
The policewoman managed to arrest the thief
by herself.

8. 4. She had the biggest collection of foreign
coins in the school.
Nobody in the school…

9. 4. She had the biggest collection of foreign
coins in the school.
Nobody in the school had a bigger collection of foreign coins.
Nobody in the school had such a big collection of foreign
coins.
Nobody in the school had collection of foreign coins as big
as hers.

10. 5. My sister-in-law knew how to ride a bicycle
when she was four.
My sister-in-law…

11. 5. My sister-in-law knew how to ride a bicycle
when she was four.
My sister-in-law could ride a bicycle when she was four.
My sister-in-law was able to ride a bicycle when she was four.
My sister-in-law knows how to ride a bicycle since she was
four.

12. 6. Why don’t you stop smoking here?
I wish…

13. 6. Why don’t you stop smoking here?
I wish you would stop smoking here.

14. I wish = If only
- I wish you were here. (now)
- I wish you had been here yesterday.
- I wish you wouldn’t be here any longer.
(future + annoyance)

15. 7. She often dyes her hair dark brown.
Her hair…

16. 7. She often dyes her hair dark brown.
Her hair is often dyed dark brown.

17. 8. The cardigan was too wet to be taken from
the clothes line.
The cardigan wasn’t…

18. 8. The cardigan was too wet to be taken from
the clothes line.
The cardigan wasn’t dry enough to be taken
from the clothes line.

19. 9. She showed the parcel she had received to
her friend.
She showed her…

20. 9. She showed the parcel she had received to
her friend.
She showed her friend the parcel she had
received.

21. 10. Apart from the wound on his leg, he was
unhurt.
Except…

22. 10. Apart from the wound on his leg, he was
unhurt.
Except for the wound on his leg, he was
unhurt.

23. 11. If only he hadn’t torn her letter.
He regretted…

24. 11. If only he hadn’t torn her letter.
He regretted tearing the letter.
He regretted having torn the letter.

25. 12. “Ok, I’ll take the law into my own hands”,
she said as she listened to the jury’s
sentence.
As she listened to the jury’s sentence, she
said…

26. 12. “Ok, I’ll take the law into my own hands”,
she said as she listened to the jury’s
sentence.
As she listened to the jury’s sentence, she
said (that) she would take the law into her
own hands.

27. 13. He told me he had written a soap opera.
He told me a soap…

28. 13. He told me he had written a soap opera.
He told me a soap opera had been written (by
him).

29. 14. Leo doesn’t drive carefully. Frank doesn’t
drive carefully either.
Leo doesn’t drive carefully. ………….. Frank.

30. 14. Leo doesn’t drive carefully.
Frank doesn’t drive carefully either.
Leo doesn’t drive carefully.
Neither does Frank.
Nor does Frank.

31. 15. You get on well with hardly anybody in
your family.
You get on well with almost…

32. 15. You get on well with hardly anybody in
your family.
You get on well with almost nobody in your
family.

33. 16. I think we are going to arrive in time.
It’s not necessary for us to take a taxi.
I think we are going to arrive in time.
We…

34. 16. I think we are going to arrive in time.
It’s not necessary for us to take a taxi.
I think we are going to arrive in time.
We needn’t take a taxi.
We don’t need to take a taxi.

35. 17. How fast he ran! Nobody could overtake
him.
He ran so…

36. 17. How fast he ran! Nobody could overtake
him.
He ran so fast that nobody could overtake
him.

37. 18. I suspect my best friend might be taking
drugs.
I suspect drugs…

38. 18. I suspect my best friend might be taking
drugs.
I suspect drugs might be taken by my best
friend.
*might be being taken (unusual)
According to Practical English Usage, the Future progressive passives (will be
being + pp) and perfect progressive passives (has been being + pp) are
unusual. This includes the modals.

39. 19. I didn’t notice the man was in danger so I
didn’t help him.
If…

40. 19. I didn’t notice the man was in danger so I
didn’t help him.
If I had noticed the man was in danger, I would
have helped him.

41. 20. The leak of crude oil from the tanker will
pollute the sea.
The sea…

42. 20. The leak of crude oil from the tanker will
pollute the sea.
The sea will be polluted by the leak of crude
oil from the tanker.

43. 21. “I have never seen a volcanic eruption”,
you said.
You said…

44. 21. “I have never seen a volcanic eruption”,
you said.
You said (that) you had never seen a volcanic
eruption.

45. 22. It’s a long time since I last travelled by
train.
I haven’t…

46. 22. It’s a long time since I last travelled by
train.
I haven’t travelled by train for a long time.

47. 23. Keep the plasticine in a closed box or it’ll
become dry.
If…

48. 23. Keep the plasticine in a closed box or it’ll
become dry.
If you don’t keep the plasticine in a closed
box, it’ll become dry.

49. 24. He started his job as a bodyguard five
months ago.
He has…

50. 24. He started his job as a bodyguard five
months ago.
He has been working as a bodyguard for five
months.

51. 25. It was such a comfortable sofa that she
ordered it for her mother.
The sofa was…

52. 25. It was such a comfortable sofa that she
ordered it for her mother.
The sofa was so comfortable that she ordered
it for her mother.

53. 26. “Come home with me”, Stewart said.
Stewart told…

54. 26. “Come home with me”, Stewart said.
Stewart told me to go home with him.
Stewart told us to go home with him.

55. 27. The princess dances gracefully.
The prince dances gracefully too.
The princess dances gracefully.
…. the prince.

56. 27. The princess dances gracefully.
The prince dances gracefully too.
The princess dances gracefully.
So does the prince.

57. 28. He gets up earlier than his wife.
His wife doesn’t ...

58. 28. He gets up earlier than his wife.
His wife doesn’t get up as early as he does.
His wife doesn’t get up so early.
His wife doesn’t get up earlier than him.

59. 29. They are going to cook some peas for
dinner.
Some…

60. 29. They are going to cook some peas for
dinner.
Some peas are going to be cooked for dinner.

61. 30. Perhaps they’ve eaten all the almonds in
the packet.
They…

62. 30. Perhaps they’ve eaten all the almonds in
the packet.
They may have eaten all the almonds in the
packet.

63. 31. They were looking for the lost climbers in
the deep snow.
The lost…

64. 31. They were looking for the lost climbers in
the deep snow.
The lost climbers were being looked for in the
deep snow.

65. 32. “Was there an outbreak of cholera last
year?”, the doctor asked.
The doctor asked…

66. 32. “Was there an outbreak of cholera last
year?”, the doctor asked.
The doctor asked if there had been an
outbreak of cholera the year before / the
previous year.

67. 33. When did the earthquake take place?
How long is…

68. 33. When did the earthquake take place?
How long is it since the earthquake took
place?

69. 34. It took the men a month to mend the road.
Mending…

70. 34. It took the men a month to mend the road.
Mending the road took the men a month.

71. 35. Her uncle really likes his job.
He is fond of working.
Her uncle really likes his job.
He is keen…

72. 35. Her uncle really likes his job.
He is fond of working.
Her uncle really likes his job.
He is keen on working.

73. 36. Somebody has stolen my credit cards.
Somebody has robbed…

74. 36. Somebody has stolen my credit cards.
Somebody has robbed me of my credit cards.
Somebody has robbed my credit cards from
me.

75. 37. The police discovered that she had killed
her husband with cyanide.
The police discovered that her husband…

76. 37. The police discovered that she had killed
her husband with cyanide.
The police discovered that her husband had
been killed (by her) with cyanide.

77. 38. I hate people throwing rubbish on the
grass.
I wish…

78. 38. I hate people throwing rubbish on the
grass.
I wish people wouldn’t throw rubbish on the
grass.

79. 39. “The clown is rehearsing his gags for
tonight’s performance”, the circus manager
said.
The circus manager said…

80. 39. “The clown is rehearsing his gags for
tonight’s performance”, the circus manager
said.
The circus manager said (that) the clown was
rehearsing his gags for that night’s
performance.

81. 40. They say that the Asian pneumonia is not
as dangerous as other infectious illnesses.
The Asian pneumonia…

82. 40. They say that the Asian pneumonia is not
as dangerous as other infectious illnesses.
The Asian pneumonia is said not to be as
dangerous as other infectious illnesses.