English Advanced Grammar Exercises – Review: determiners; pronouns and possessives; it and there; nouns and noun phrases

A. Underline the correct option. (– means no word.)

I was really worried (1) the / a first time that (2)  a / – virus got into my computer. It was quite new, so I took it back to (3) a / the shop where I’d bought it. They managed to get rid of (4) – / the virus and installed new security software.

(5) These / This worked really well for six months. Then my computer got (6) other / another virus. (7) A / The friend of mine who’s really into computers tells me it’s just one of (8) these / those things that happen all the time.

Nowadays, we can give much more help to (9) an / the unemployed than we ever did in (10) that / the past. Here in (11) this / the part of town, for example, we provide (11) a / – practical advice about how to look for (13) a / the job, training in (14) the / – interview techniques and various (15) other / another services.

B. Write D next to the sentence which has a different meaning.

1   a   We have plenty of things to do before we go.

      b   We need to do several things before we go.

      c   There are loads of things to do before we go.

2    a   We spent every summer at my grandparents’ house.

      b   We stayed at my grandparents’ house the whole summer.

      c   We were at my grandparents’ house all summer.

3   a   There were fewer traffic problems than before.

      b   All the traffic problems had been solved.

      c   There were no problems with traffic any more.

4   a   Neither of the rooms is any good for a party.

      b   We can’t use either of the rooms for a party.

      c   Both of the rooms can be used for a party.

5   a   He spoke a good deal of sense.

      b   He said a few sensible things.

      c   Much of what he said made sense.

6   a   I’d been looking forward to some of that cake but there was none left.

      b   Each person had had a bit of the cake I’d been looking forward to.

      c   I’d been looking forward to the cake but the whole thing had gone.

7   a   Would you be able to answer a couple of questions?

      b   I’d like to ask you about two or three points if that’s all right with you.

      c   Do you mind if I ask you a number of questions?

8   a   There’s very little space in the kitchen for anything else.

      b   The kitchen has a little room for something else.

      c   We’ve got barely any more room for other things in the kitchen.

9   a   A large number of these pens don’t work.

      b   All these pens are useless.

      c   None of these pens are any good.

10 a   Excellent! This time there are hardly any mistakes in your homework.

      b   Well done! This homework has very few mistakes in it.

      c   Great! You haven’t made any mistakes in your homework this time.

C. Complete each sentence, using TWO of the words in brackets.

1   ………………… are the salty biscuits and those are the sweet ………………… . (them / ones / these)

2   Tell me ………………… of the two singers you prefer and ………………… you like about them. (what / which / who)

3   I don’t know ………………… he is or ………………… friend he is. (whose / who / which)

4   To ………………… should I address this letter and ………………… would you like me to write in it? (what / whose / whom)

5   The pizza was delicious and ………………… was cheaper than the ………………… I’d had in Rome. (that / it / one)

6   My parents say I can invite ………………… I like to the party but ………………… is allowed to go upstairs in the house. (whatever / whoever / no one)

7   From time to time, my mum likes to be by ………………… and not have to worry about ………………… else. (each other / anyone / herself)

8   A:   Have they got a bath or a shower in their bathroom?

     B:   They have ………………… . Their bathroom’s much bigger than ………………… .(ours / us / both)

9   My sisters really enjoyed ………………… at the festival last year and they’ve been trying to persuade ………………… they meet to go there with them this year. (either / everybody / themselves)

10   When I was a child, I had some friends who lived in the same street – Ewa, Anna, Mariana and a few ………………… . We were always going in and out of each ………………… houses. (other / others / other’s)

D. Complete the text with it and there.

The London Eye

About 8 million people live in London and, on top of that, 1……………… are over 25 million visitors to the capital of the UK each year. 3.5 million of these people visit the London Eye, making 2……………… one of the most popular attractions in the city.

3……………… was in 1999 that the great wheel first opened to the public. A few years earlier, 4……………… had been a competition for ideas to celebrate the year 2000, and 5……………… is hardly surprising that the beautiful steel and glass structure, looking like a giant bicycle wheel, turned out to be the competition winner. 6……………… are taller wheels in other parts of the world but none has quite the same appeal. Because of its popularity, 7……………… is often a long queue for visitors to get on the wheel, so 8……………… is a good idea to buy tickets in advance and get there early.

9……………… is best to go on a clear day, but even when visibility is limited, the flight, as they call 10………………, is still worth 11………………. The wheel never stops but moves slowly enough for passengers to walk on and off and 12……………… takes about 30 minutes to do a full rotation. As you go up into the sky, the great city of London spreads out below you. 13………………  is a wonderful sight and 14……………… is great fun to try to identify the buildings and landmarks that you see on all sides.

E. Circle the correct option. Sometimes two options, or all three, may be possible.

1   The news about South Africa …….. quite positive.

        a was     b is     c were

2   Stevie Wonder is one of my all-time …….. .

        a heros     b hero     c heroes

3   Do you think Edina would like a …….. of flowers?

        a pack     b bunch     c crowd

4   They’re looking for someone who has …….. of working with disabled people.

        a experiences

        b an experience

        c experience

5   Would you like a …….. of this lovely home-made bread?

        a sheet     b piece     c slice

6   The government …….. to spend more on education.

        a want     b wants     c wanted

7   You can’t take …….. scissors onto the plane.

        a a     b that     c those

8   The agenda for the end-of-term meeting …….. too long.

        a are     b is     c were

9   I had a sandwich with …….. in it and it was delicious.

        a organic chicken

        b an organic chicken

        c some organic chicken

10   I wonder if you could give me …….., please.

        a   some informations

        b   an information

        c   some information

11   After a number of major …….., the team recovered and are now doing well.

        a crisis     b crisises     c crises

F. Complete each sentence b so that it has a similar meaning to sentence a, using three words including the word in brackets.

1   a   When we were younger, we used to play in the park for hours. (spend)

      b   When we were younger, we used to …………………… in the park.

2   a   In his job, Daniele has to travel a lot around Europe. (involves)

      b   Daniele’s …………………… a lot around Europe.

3   a   I said goodbye to Kurt and I don’t remember anything after that. (was)

      b   The last thing I remember …………………… to Kurt.

4   a   Why do you want to become a vegetarian? (reasons)

      b   What are your …………………… a vegetarian?

5   a   No one can ever talk in my Maths teacher’s classes. (allows)

      b   My Maths teacher …………………… in his classes.

6   a   Andrea says it’s great that she doesn’t have to get up early every day. (not)

      b   Andrea says …………………… get up early every day is great.

7   a   I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to drive in these dangerous conditions. (risk)

      b   I don’t think we …………………… in these dangerous conditions.

8   a   The smile I saw on Nick’s face told me he’d passed the test. (smiling)

      b   I knew Nick had passed the test when I …………………… face.

9   a   Is it OK with you if I leave my bike here? (mind)

      b   Do you …………………… my bike here?

10 a   These beans take a long time to get soft-that’s what’s difficult when you cook them. (trouble)

      b   The …………………… these beans is that they take a long time to get soft.