4

UNIT
Every little bit
helps

• To make offers and

OBJECTIVES

requests
A | A friend in need ...
• To discuss different
options and reach B | The gift of life
agreement

THAT’S ENGLISH!
B2
UNIT
4 Every little bit helps

OBJECTIVES
• To make offers and requests
• To discuss different options and reach
agreement

A A friend in need ...

BEFORE YOU WATCH 4 Answer the questions.

1 Choose the types of help you have given 1 What does Karen feel confident about?
someone in the last year. 2 Why is Jen in difficulties?
3 How does Karen’s helping Mrs D lead to
looking after a neighbour’s pet cleaning
helping Omar?
listening to someone’s problems gardening
4 What two things has Danny arranged to help
fixing something broken babysitting Jen with when he visits the second time?

WHILE YOU WATCH 5 Read the extracts and choose the option that
matches the meaning.
2 Answer the questions.
1 Omar: What goes around, comes around.
a Whatever you do, you can’t change the future.
b What you do to others, will be done to you.
2 Jen: A real knight in shining armour, eh?
a a helpful person who comes to the rescue
b someone ready to fight for you
1 Why do Karen and Danny decide to help others? 3 Danny: I asked her if she’d like to pass a favour
on for me.
a to refuse to help someone
b to help someone after you’ve been helped
4 Mrs D: You spoke to Karen about doing good
turns for other people.
a helping someone for no pay or reward
b helping someone to be a better person
2 In what way can Mrs Dalton help Jen?
6 Complete the sentences with the correct
AFTER YOU WATCH expression in bold from activity 5.

3 Choose the correct option.
1 Karen feels … .
a people are responsible for helping others
b it’s the government’s job to help others
2 Omar thinks … .
a people should give more money to the needy
b time is often more valuable than money
3 Danny thinks people should … .
a rely more on themselves
b expect others to help them when in need
4 Omar … .
a feels he can’t offer to help the others
b would like to repay Karen and Danny’s
kindness to him
1 You must be careful what you do to other
people because … .
2 Alex really loves … for others. He says it
makes him feel good.
3 It’s a good job my neighbour helped me when
I lost my flat keys. He’s ... .
4 I feel the need … . I feel so grateful for the help
received, I want someone else to feel the same.
NOW YOU!
7 Give your opinion: Do you think it’s true that,
‘What goes around, comes around’?
I do believe it’s true I don’t think so,
because … because …

38 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 STREET INTERVIEWS
8a The speakers were asked the following questions: In what kind of situations do you help
other people? When do you like to receive help?
1 Have you ever done or experienced any of the following?
Helping others
1 through work 2 giving money 3 doing voluntary work 4 being kind
Receiving help
5 from a charity 6 from family 7 from work colleagues 8 from teachers
2 Now, watch the video and choose the ideas that are mentioned.

Kristen Robert Dena Nicole Chelsi Victor David

8b Complete the table with the types of help the speakers mention when talking about giving help.

Kristen
Dena
Nicole
Chelsi
Victor
David

8c When talking about receiving help, which speaker mentions … ?

1 problems with studying

2 finding it difficult to take help from others
3 needing help when they are exhausted

ACTIVATE YOUR ENGLISH!
9 Look at some of the expressions the speakers
used about help. What do they mean?
1 Kristen: I think the best way you can help someone
is just by listening and being compassionate.
a very enthusiastic to help
b very caring
2 Robert: I give every day, I don’t expect payback.
a I don’t want anything in return.
b I don’t want money for my help.
3 Nicole: When you’re trying to do big things [...]
simple help with household chores.
a mending broken equipment in the home
b everyday tasks like washing-up
10 Complete the sentences using the correct form
of the expressions from activities 5 and 9.
1 Don’t feel sorry for Jim – he’s upset lots of
people in the past so ... .
2 Women who work should get more help with
the ... from their families.
3 I missed the bus but luckily my neighbour was
... and gave me a lift to my interview.
4 I was happy to lend you my car and ... – it’s my
pleasure!
5 In the winter, we should ... for our elderly
neighbours and do their shopping.
6 They helped me in the past so now I feel I have
... to you.
7 When people saw the news about the earthquake,
they felt very ... and donated millions.
NOW YOU!
11 How good are you at accepting help? Are you
happy to accept it? Or do you feel it is a sign of
weakness?
I don’t mind accepting Actually, I really
help because ... / but … find it difficult to
accept ...

THAT’S ENGLISH! 39
Every little bit helps

READING
1 Look at the pictures of people doing good
deeds. Which of them do you think would be
easy or difficult to do? Why?
1 3
2 4
Three million acts
of random kindness
a ... Few authors of fiction expect to start a truly
global movement but that’s what happened
to Catherine Ryan Hyde when she wrote
Pay it Forward in 1999. The story of Trevor,
a twelve-year-old boy living hand-to-mouth
in a dysfunctional family, seems an unlikely
candidate for success. The book was, however,
a huge hit and has since been translated into
twenty languages, published in over thirty
countries and even made into a film. Recently,
the fifteenth anniversary edition was published
along with a version for younger readers who
are encouraged to actively join in the Pay it
Forward project.

2 Read the article and choose the best headings

(1-4) for the paragraphs (a-d).
1 Two-way benefits 3 Runaway success
2 Acting globally 4 Local hero

3 Read the text again. What do these numbers b ... Trevor’s social studies teacher sets homework
refer to?
for his class: to design a plan that will change the
1 one million 5 1999 world. Trevor’s simple idea is to lend a hand to
2 sixty-five 6 twelve three people, but instead of his asking them to
3 twenty 7 thirty return the favour, Trevor asks them if they would
4 three ‘pay it forward’ by helping three others. Trevor’s
good deeds include giving his newspaper delivery
4 Choose the correct answers. job to a homeless man instead of giving him a
handout, and caring for an old lady’s garden.
1 The background of the story … .
Initially, things don’t go well (an addict he tries
a initially sounds unappealing
to help goes to jail) and so Trevor stops helping,
b is unimaginative but gradually Trevor’s plan takes effect and the
2 The story … . unforeseen results of his efforts are astounding.
a was first written for children It might all sound sweet and sentimental but
b has been adapted for children the author shows that a positive attitude can go
3 Trevor’s idea … . hand in hand with facing social problems like
a is difficult to put into practice
alcoholism, family breakdown and racism.
b has unexpected good consequences
4 The message of the book is that … .
a major problems are beyond the help of the 5 Doing random acts of kindness … .
individual a might be unwelcome to some
b every individual can empower themselves b is very common in modern society

40 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 UNIT 4

5 Match the expressions (1-7) to their meaning

c ... The message is that rather than wringing (a-g).
your hands and doing nothing when confronted
by major problems, everyone can promise to 1 to lend a hand
do kind actions to those near at hand, such 2 to go hand in hand with
as giving someone your umbrella on a rainy 3 near at hand
day. This simple idea was quickly adopted 4 a handout
by people across the US, and the recipients 5 their hands are tied
of the good deeds are given Pay it Forward 6 to live hand-to-mouth
cards explaining the scheme. Over one million 7 to wring your hands
bracelets publicising the movement have been
a to show anxiety about a situation but do
distributed so far and Pay it Forward Day now nothing to help
takes place every year on the last Thursday in
b to live in poor circumstances
April. Last year, it was celebrated in sixty-five
c money given as charity to a person
countries and inspired three million acts of
d to be connected to
random kindness.
e close by
d ... The world is surely in need of acts of random f to help
kindness, so how could anyone object to your g they are unable to do anything or much
lending them a helping hand? Generally, many of
us avoid approaching strangers, and those hearing 6 Complete the sentences with a suitable form of
the unusual words, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll help you’ an expression from activity 5.
from a stranger may not appreciate the gesture, 1 I’d really love to help, but I can’t break the
or even reject it. Reassuringly, this reaction is rules. My ... .
rare, and most participants report that once they 2 We’d better keep some water ... in case the
explain the situation, they are rewarded with barbecue gets too hot.
smiles and thanks. Let’s be honest, those doing 3 Her son ran away from home and was found
the good deeds also benefit emotionally from the on the streets ... .
experience in many ways – it builds confidence, 4 Could you ... with carrying these boxes inside?
improves self-esteem, and can even contribute 5 It’s better to give training and accommodation
to greater longevity. Above all, when so often to the homeless than ... .
people feel their hands are tied regarding 6 Respect for a person’s dignity should ... giving
economic and political situations, random acts charity.
of kindness are within everyone’s power. So, 7 It’s no good ... at the problems in our
what are we waiting for? community, we need to take action.

7 Think about your answers to the questions and

discuss them with a partner.
1 Have you ever been in a situation where your
hands were tied and you felt frustrated?
2 In what ways do you lend a helping hand to
friends and family?

I was managing a company a few years ago

when I received the order from the head
office to fire two of my employees. I really
(online source)

didn’t want to because they were great

workers, but my hands were tied and I just
TRACK 25 had to follow orders.

6 Most recipients of good deeds … .

a are instantly delighted
b are a little puzzled at first

THAT’S ENGLISH! 41
Every little bit helps

LANGUAGE STUDY
1 Choose the correct answers. 10 I nearly forgot ... yesterday.
11 Let’s stop ... .
12 We’d better stop ... and start running.

2c Complete the table with a verb followed by

-ing or to + infinitive and an example from
activity 2b.
Verb
Use Example
pattern
Say an action finishes stop + -ing 12
Say why an action
finishes
In 1988, writer Richard Curtis and comedian Attempt something
Lenny Henry decided 1starting / to start a charity unsuccessfully
because they wanted 2helping / to help victims of
Attempt something to
the famine in Ethiopia, but they never imagined
3raising / to raise nearly one billion pounds! see what happens
They aimed 4changing / to change lives in Africa (Never) forget a past
and the UK by encouraging people 5having / event
to have fun and donate money at the same Forget something you are
time. For example, if you don’t mind 6being / or were supposed to do
to be cold and wet in order to help others, you
could offer 7sitting / to sit in a bath full of beans Recall a definite past
in tomato sauce throughout Red Nose Day. If event
you fancy 8doing / to do something easier, you Recall something you are
could consider 9wearing / to wear a red nose or were supposed to do
to work. Another popular idea is dyeing your
Be sorry for what
hair pink if your friends promise 10sponsoring / happened
to sponsor you, or if you enjoy 11baking /
to bake, you could have a cake sale. Millions Be sorry for what you
of people never miss 12watching / to watch the are going to say
Red Nose Day television marathon every two Really like this activity
years. This year, Comic Relief hopes 13passing /
to pass the one billion pound mark and intends Really like this activity
14keeping / to keep expanding the project to
(often with a time
bring help to many more needy people. expression)

Verbs followed by -ing / to + infinitive page 127

3 Complete the sentences with the correct form
of the verbs in brackets.
2a Listen to two conversations. What are they about?
1 Don’t forget ... (post) that letter.
26 1 a a healthy lifestyle b healthy cooking 2 We regret ... (inform) you that the vacancy
2 a travel documents b travel plans has been filled.
3 They tried ... (help) him but he refused to
2b Listen again and complete the sentences. listen.
26 1 I love ... every day. 4 I remember ... (see) our team winning the
championship in 1998.
2 I love ... Mexican food.
5 It started raining so we stopped ... (have)
3 I regret … you that’s not very healthy!
coffee.
4 I tried ... the gym but it was so boring.
6 I love ... (get up) early and … (go) running −
5 I regret ... now. but I rarely do it!
6 I tried ... to swim but it was really difficult. 7 This computer won’t print – I’ve tried ... (turn)
7 I remembered ... the passports. it off and on again.
8 I’ll never forget ... my passport behind. 8 ‘Stop ... (chat) and get on with your work.’
9 I remember ... them on the table. 9 Please remember ... (return) all textbooks
next week.

42 THAT’S ENGLISH!

10 Oh no! We forgot ... (lock) the back door.
11 He regretted ... (leave) his wife but it was too
late.
12 My brother has always loved ... (skateboard),
and now he’s a world champion.
4a Listen to the dialogue. Why is the speaker upset?
27
4b Listen again and complete the sentences.
27 Alex: I’m annoyed at 1… forgetting to pay.
Emma: I can imagine you would be annoyed at
2… forgetting to pay.
Emma: Do you mind 3… making a suggestion?
Alex: Why on earth would I mind 4… making a
suggestion?
4c Look at the missing words in activity 4b and
complete the rule.
When the subjects of the main clause and the
-ing clause are different, we can indicate this by
using a possessive … or an … pronoun before
the -ing form.
New subject before -ing form page 128
5 Rewrite the sentences with a possessive
adjective or an object pronoun and the -ing form.
1 Please forgive us for being so late.
Please forgive our / us being so late.
2 She didn’t have a problem with the children
making a noise.
3 Please excuse me for using your parking space.
4 The police overlooked the fact he was speeding.
5 Her parents forgave her when she crashed the
car.
6 Do you mind if I tell you the truth?
7 I object to that man sitting next to me.
8 Her teachers were annoyed that she failed the
exam.
6a Listen to the conversations and say if the
relationship between the speakers is formal or
28 informal.
1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ...
6b Listen again and complete the sentences.
28 A: Excuse me, 1… you ... lifting my suitcase down?
B: Not 2... .There you are.
A: Could you 3... a hand with 4... these books?
B: Yes, 5... .
THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 4
A: 6... me a ... with this box, 7... you?
B: Sure, no problem.
A: 8... you 9... post this letter for me?
B: 10... .
A: 11... you please tidy up?
B: 12... , OK.
A: Don’t forget to bring some milk on your way
home, 13… you?
B: Don’t worry, I 14… forget.
Offers and requests page 128
6c Listen again and repeat the sentences paying
attention to the intonation.
28
Intonation in requests page 147
7 Write requests using the words in brackets.
1 Ask for help with the washing-up. (lend)
2 Ask someone to take the rubbish out. (will)
3 Ask someone to help with the shopping.
(would) (give)
4 Ask someone to open the window. (possibly)
5 Ask someone to close the door. (mind)
8 Complete the text with a suitable form of the
verbs in brackets or one of the expressions from
the box.
a handout lend a hand hand in hand with
If you’ve ever tried 1... (collect) money for
charity in the street, you’ll recognise it’s not
much fun. However, online movements like
the ice bucket challenge, aim 2... (change) the
way we give to charity and also intend 3...
(raise) awareness. Nowadays, raising money
goes 4... having fun and sharing it on social
media. The idea was simple: post a picture of
yourself having ice-cold water thrown over
you and recommend three friends 5... (do)
the same and give a small donation to a brain
charity. If they refuse 6... (take) the challenge,
they promise 7... (donate) $100 instead. So
many people considered 8... (be) soaked such
fun that almost $100 million was raised even
though many people probably forgot 9...
(make) a donation. What was the secret of the
challenge’s success? People would rather 10...
by doing something more amusing than just
giving 11... , and they‘ll always remember 12...
(laugh) their heads off when their friends got
wet. Everyone loves 13… (see) someone else
suffer a little!
43
Every little bit helps

B The gift of life

a Religious groups play a major role in helping.
DOCUMENTARY b A lot of money does not reach the needy due
1 Match the phrases (1-4) to the definitions (a-d). to dishonesty.
c There is good provision for education and
1 bone marrow
retired people, among other things.
2 bloodstem cell
d Nearly half of the people get help from the
3 a complete and utter stranger government for various needs.
4 live happily ever after e There is very good help available for the sick,
jobless and older people.
a someone totally unknown to you
b the soft part inside a bone where blood cells
develop THAT’S THE USA
c a traditional ending for a fairy tale 7 Which of these types of National Parks have you
d a special cell which can grow into any organ of visited?
the body
wildlife conservation marine conservation
2 Have you ever given blood? Would you agree to wetlands forests mountains
donate an organ to another person?
8 Watch the video of Jodi’s visit to Big Cypress
3 Watch the documentary and answer the
Indian Reservation and decide if the sentences
questions.
are true (✔) or false (✗). Correct the false ones.
1 Why did Fran need to use the Anthony Nolan
organisation?
2 What help does the charity give?
3 What motivates Maggie Marshall to help others?

4 Watch the documentary and complete the

sentences.
1 For many a ... or blood stem cell transplant is
the only chance of ... .
2 At Anthony Nolan we match potential stem
cell donors to patients who are in need of a
potentially ... .
3 Now we’re able to find a donor who is the best 1 The Everglades cover a large area of Florida.
possible ... for about ... of patients. 2 Billie Swamp Safari is a park run by the Oconee
4 I do think all donors are the most incredible Tribe of Florida.
people to do what they do, their generosity 3 Corn snakes kill their prey by poison.
and kindness and ... to do that.
4 The mouth of the common snapping turtle
resembles a bird’s beak.
SAME LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT LIVES 5 Alligators live in saltwater swamps and
5 What kind of help from the government do you marshes.
think is essential? 6 Eagles are the symbol of the Everglades.

6 Match the speakers (1-5) to the comments (a-e).

NOW YOU!
1 2 3
9 To what extent does your country have an
infrastructure to help people in need?

Overall I think the system we have is

good at supporting ... However, there
4 5 is room for improvement regarding ...
because recently ... People have had to
rely on ... and they shouldn’t have to.
The government should ...

44 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 UNIT 4
SKILLS WORK
1a Listen to the radio interview about The Real Junk Food Café and tick (✔) the ideas you hear.

29 fast food obesity supermarkets organic food waste food

community big business making a profit food banks food poverty

1b Listen again. Who or what do these numbers refer to?

29 47 £30,000 272 20 tonnes a million tonnes 2003 47%

2 Read Jed’s blog about food banks in the UK. Who doesn’t agree with Jed’s opinion?

Burning Issues
Welcome to my blog where we debate hot topics in modern society
1 One million people in need of a food handout. That’s nothing new. But we’re not talking about some
faraway land on the other side of the world, we’re talking about Britain in the 21st century. How can
it be that families are going hungry in one of the world’s richest countries? So they are turning to
the growing number of food banks for emergency food supplies. No one would have believed it a
few years ago, and yet we seem to have accepted it as normal now. We should be marching in the
streets and demanding change! But so far, I haven’t really noticed it happening. Do we no longer
care or is it just too difficult? So what’s really behind this issue? Let me know what you think. Jed

2 As far as I’m concerned, this problem is being made worse by modern working practices, you know, like ‘zero
hours’ contracts where people don’t have a fixed number of hours of work a week. They might end up with no
work at all one week! Who on earth can live like that? Only people who have family to help them. If they haven’t,
it takes months to get welfare benefits, and so they go hungry. This kind of contract should be illegal. Dom

3 That’s absolutely right and there’s another aspect to this, which is wages are too low for a decent standard of
living for many families. The trouble is housing and energy costs have risen massively and wages haven’t.
Even if people are employed, they can’t afford to put enough food on the table once all the bills have been paid.
It’s high time the authorities realised this. It’s not just the unemployed who are affected. Tamzin

4 I couldn’t disagree more, actually. I strongly believe that this ‘food poverty’ is really a lack of understanding of
TRACK 18
how to cook nutritious food. People have lost the cooking skills our great-grandmothers had and rely on fast
food. Then, when money is tight, they don’t have the skills to prepare food economically and run out of cash.
We need to teach young people the basics of meal planning and cooking above all. Polly

5 Possibly, but that’s only a small part of the problem. There’s another negative effect of the rise of reliance on
food banks which is that there’s only a limited amount of time and resources that people can give to charity.
(online source)
So, if they are donating food or volunteering at food banks, other kinds of charities – for health problems for
instance – are missing out. Some health charities are having to use their funds to help their clients with basic
living needs rather than research into cures. Seems crazy to me. Paddy
TRACK 30

3 Match the summaries (a-e) to the blog posts (1-5).

a Society in general needs to rediscover past abilities.
b The rise of food poverty will have an impact on other areas of
need.
c Food poverty is a new phenomenon in Britain.
d The cost of living has risen too high for those on lower wages
to cope.
e Some employment strategies are impractical and unfair.

4 Write a short blog post on the issue of food banks.

As far as I’m concerned, food wastage is a real problem today. This
is being made worse by ... I strongly believe that ... We need to ...

THAT’S ENGLISH! 45
Every little bit helps

SPEAKING
1a Match the charities (1-8) to the photos (a-h).

1 anti-gang culture 4 homeless shelter 7 animal rescue

2 helping the elderly 5 help for seriously ill young people 8 children’s creative arts theatre
3 anti-bullying 6 rehabilitation of wounded soldiers

a c e g

b d f h

1b Have you ever donated to any of these types of charities? Which type of charity appeals to
you? Are some charities more worthwhile than others?

I sponsor a young girl in Uganda. Basically, I pay for her education. I started doing this
when she was six and now she’s going to university to study journalism. I’m just so ...

2a Listen to the conversation between Richard, 4a Listen to the next part of the meeting. Are the
Mervyn and Laura. Where are they? following statements true (✔) or false (✗)?
31 32
1 in a restaurant 3 at a meeting 1 Mervyn thinks many charities are a waste of time.
2 at a party 4 at a lecture 2 Laura is angry with Mervyn.
3 Mervyn thinks the arts theatre is dishonest.
2b Which charities do the speakers mention from
4 Mervyn thinks some social needs are more
the list in activity 1a?
31 important than others.

4b Listen again and complete the table with the

3 Listen again. Tick (✔) the phrases you hear.
phrases (1-6). Then add the phrases (7-10) to the
32 table as well.
31 What about giving ... ?
Making
We might consider giving ... 1 Sorry, I think you’ve
suggestions
How about tackling ... ? misunderstood me. 7 That’s not quite
As far as I’m concerned, ... 2 Could I just say what I meant.
Stating On the whole, I’d rather … something here?
preferences 8 Even so, ...
X appeals to me more than Y. 3 Sorry, can I come in 9 May I add
I’m not very keen on that idea. here? something?
Slight I can’t go along with that. 4 Fair enough, 10 I haven’t made
disagreement To be honest, that’s not how 5 All the same, myself clear.
I see it at all. 6 Possibly, but ...
I totally disagree with that.
Strong I couldn’t disagree more. Interrupting
disagreement That’s completely Correcting someone
unacceptable.
Partial agreement

46 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 UNIT 4

5a Listen to the final part of the meeting. What charities do the speakers agree to support?

33
5b Listen again and complete the gaps (1-6) with one word. Do the phrases express: a partial
agreement, b agreement or c disagreement?
33
Mervyn: I 1... no 2... with 3… . Laura: That sounds 4... to me. Laura: 5... plan. Mervyn: 6... by me.

Interaction: how to reach agreement

6 You are members of a committee deciding which charities to support financially. Read the
descriptions of the charities and choose a different one each to support and give funding to.

Carefree Kids Gift of Sight

We aim to support children aged 5 to 16 who care
for a disabled or sick parent. These children often
miss out on a normal childhood. We provide:
• emotional support
• sport and youth clubs
• camping holidays
Don’t throw your old glasses away – send them
to us with a donation and we’ll send them to
one of our clinics in Africa to be reused. We also
perform thousands of sight-saving operations
every year. The gift of sight is the greatest you
can give.

Woodland Warriors
Help us fight global warming starting at home. We plant over half a million trees a year, reducing
air pollution and greenhouse gases. But we need your help to buy and plant the trees. Do it for
your children’s and grandchildren’s future!

7 Make notes about why you want to support 8b Listen to each other’s opinions and disagree.
your chosen charity. Use expressions to show agreement and to
interrupt and correct.
✔ WW – future of planet (+ human race) most
important – no planet = no life I’m not very keen on
To be honest,
✘ Kids – local social services can help them that idea because
that’s not how I
social issues are
✘ Glasses – too far away – no control over how see it at all. It’s not
equally / not as
a high priority ...
money spent important as ...

8a Present your choice to your partners. Use

appropriate expressions for making suggestions 9 Now role-play the whole meeting. Use
and stating preferences. appropriate expressions to develop the
conversation and reach an agreement.
As far as I’m concerned, I
think ... should get our help What about I have no problem
because ... supporting ... ? with that.

On the whole, I’d rather

give our support to … Does everyone
Fine by me.
because … agree?

THAT’S ENGLISH! 47
SELF TEST
1 Complete the sentences with the correct form
of the verbs in brackets.
1 We aim ... (increase) sales by 50% this year.
2 I can’t imagine ... (leave) my country to live
elsewhere.
3 The government intends ... (introduce) a tax
on second homes.
4 Gary never misses ... (attend) his team’s
matches.
5 My favourite teacher always encouraged me
... (aim) high.
6 We’re considering ... (buy) a new car.
7 My sister fancies ... (have) a tattoo.
8 I offered ... (cook) a meal, but they decided ...
(order) a takeaway.
2 Complete the text with the correct form of the
verbs from the box.
smell experience put wait visit drive
take (x2) communicate
I’ll never forget 1… Africa for the first time.
As we left the plane, I remember 2… the
scent of the red earth and wood smoke. I
loved 3… a totally new culture as we stopped
4… pictures. I tried 5… with the local people,
but they didn’t always understand. I nearly
forgot 6… my camera with me after one visit,
but luckily, the family ran after us and we
stopped 7… off in time. After that, I always
remembered 8… the strap around my neck.
That trip was 15 years ago, and I regret 9…
so long but I’m going back next year.
3 Complete the dialogue with suitable words.
1 A: Excuse me, 1... you ... passing the salt?
B: 2... at all. There you 3... .
THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 4
A: Thank you. Could you 4… pour me some
water?
B: Yes, of 5... .
2 A: Give 6... a ... with these bags, 7... you?
B: No 8... .
3 A: 9... you 10... put your clothes away?
B: 11... right.
4 Replace the words in bold with an object
pronoun or a possessive adjective + -ing.
1 Please forgive me and my husband for any
noise we made last night.
2 The neighbours objected to the fact that Mr
Sommers burnt his rubbish.
3 We excused the fact that our friends left early
because they were exhausted.
4 Do you mind if I make a call?
5 He overlooked the fact that his girlfriend forgot
to buy the flowers.
6 I don’t have a problem if you and your friends
use the car.
5 Listen to the conversation. Are the statements
true (✔) or false (✗)? Correct the false ones.
34
1 Steve doesn’t want to help Rachel raise money
for Africa.
2 Steve prefers to help people locally.
3 Rachel is worried about how local people
might react to help.
4 Steve doesn’t think people need to be careful
when offering help.
5 There are a lot of people living in poor
circumstances in Steve’s city.
6 Social security workers could get money to
needy people faster.
7 Steve advises Rachel to be passive.
6 Complete the dialogue with suitable words or
phrases.
A: Do you have any 1... ?
B: As 2... as I’m 3... , it’s not a priority.
C: I couldn’t 4... more. I think it’s a very worthwhile
project.
B: Sorry, I think you’ve 5... me. I meant it’s not a
priority in this area.
C: 6... enough, but we still need to consider it.
A: 7... I 8... say something here? Let’s keep it on
the list for next year.
9
B: ... plan.
C: That sounds 10... to me.
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Grammar Reference Unit 4

1 REVISION OF VERB PATTERNS

Verb patterns
verb + infinitive
They could help us if they wanted to.
modal verbs: can, could, may, might, must, shall, You must find ways to solve this problem.
should, will, would

verb + noun / pronoun + infinitive
let, make*
*with to in the passive voice
verb + to + infinitive
agree, aim, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, decide,
demand, expect, fail, help*, hope, intend, learn,
long, manage, offer, plan, prepare, pretend,
promise, propose, refuse, tend, would hate, would
like, would love, would prefer
*also followed by infinitive without to
They let us use their car when they are away
on holiday.
They made us pay for our meals. / We were
made to pay for our meals.
They arranged to meet us at the airport.
He promised to be here at eight.
We managed to get our picture taken with
our favourite player.
I would love to see you again.
The new study could help (to) find a vaccine.

verb + noun / pronoun + to + infinitive

advise, allow, ask, convince, enable, encourage,
expect, force, get, help*, intend, invite, order,
persuade, prefer, remind, teach, tell, want, warn
(not to), would like
*also followed by infinitive without to
They encouraged us to ask for a loan.
She persuaded me to work for her.
I would like you to help your brother if you
can.

verb + -ing

admit, avoid, can’t help, can’t stand, consider, deny, I don’t feel like going out tonight.
detest, dislike, enjoy, fancy, feel like, finish, give They finished repairing the roof late at night.
up, hate*, imagine, involve, keep, like*, love, mind,
We’ve given up trying to demonstrate that we
miss, practise, prefer**, put off, risk, suggest
are right.
*see note below
**see unit 7

! • Speakers use like + to and like + -ing indistinctively to express enjoyment or lack of it.
I don’t like doing the laundry. = I don’t like to do the laundry.
I like watching series on TV. = I like to watch series on TV.

• We often use like + -ing to imply we enjoy doing something, but like + to + infinitive when we do
something because we think it is a good idea or best for us. It describes habits or routines. We
often use a time expression.
I like to get a full medical check-up once a year.
We like to cook with very little salt.

• Hate + to + infinitive is used to announce an action that we’d rather avoid.

I hate to tell you this, but we’re out of money!

Verbs followed by to or -ing without a change in meaning

The baby began to cry / crying and I didn’t know what to do with her.
begin, start
As soon as we left the house, it started to rain / raining.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 127

Grammar Reference Unit 4

Verbs followed by to or -ing with a change in meaning

to: change activities After the talk, he went on to answer our questions.
go on
-ing: continue He went on talking for three more hours.
to: have the intention I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
mean
-ing: involve Saying no to the project will mean losing jobs.
to: active meaning We need to find ways to solve this problem.
need
-ing: passive meaning This house needs tidying up. (It needs to be tidied up.)
to: give bad news
We regret to inform you that your request has been denied.
regret -ing: wish something
I regret not taking their offer. I would be rich now.
had been different
to: do something as a I remembered to lock the door, but I forgot to leave the key
result of remembering under the mat.
remember
-ing: remember that Of course, I remember meeting her. She made a great
you did something impression on me!
to: reason for stopping We stopped to have a coffee, and then we continued our trip.
stop
-ing: quit I stopped worrying about the future years ago.
to: make an effort We tried to help him escape from the fire, but he got badly hurt.
try
-ing: see if it works Why don’t you try taking an aspirin for that headache? It might help.
She wants to help us with the project.
to: feel the need
want This house wants painting. Do you know of a good painter that
-ing: lack, need
can come help us with that?

! Verbs related to the senses: hear, listen to, see, smell, watch, etc. can be followed by an infinitive
without to or -ing. We use the infinitive without to to imply that we have witnessed the whole action
or event. By using the -ing form of the verb, we imply that we notice an action which is in progress.
We watched the mechanic fix the car. It only took him ten minutes.
We saw the mechanic fixing our car when we walked by the garage.

2 NEW SUBJECT BEFORE -ING

We can have different subjects in the main clause and in the -ing clause. The subject of the -ing
clause can be expressed by a pronoun in the object form or by using a possessive adjective
(in more formal contexts).
I hope you don’t mind me / my watching while you are trying to fix that.
She wouldn’t want to risk us / our losing the contract.

3 OFFERS AND REQUESTS

Offering help
• Why don’t I + infinitive?
Why don’t I carry those bags for you?
• Can I give you a hand + -ing?
Can I lend you a hand mowing the lawn?
• Let me + infinitive
Let me open this door for you.
• Subject + would + be delighted to + infinitive
I’d be delighted to cook for you while you’re
ill.
Requests
• Imperative + will / won’t / would you?
Open that door for me, will / won’t / would you?
• Can you give me a hand with…?
Can you give me a hand with this, please?
• Could you (possibly) + infinitive?
Could you (possibly) turn the volume down?
• Will / Would you + infinitive?
Will you please stop making that noise?
Would you please lock the door when you leave?
• Would you mind + -ing?
Would you mind helping me with the gardening?

128 THAT’S ENGLISH!

Pronunciation Guide
PRONUNCIATION FOR EMPHASIS: THE
The definite article the is normally not stressed. However, we may want to stress it for added
emphasis. In this case, it is pronounced /ðiː/.
She overcame her disability in the most amazing way.
/ʃiː əʊvəˈkeɪm hə dɪsəˈbɪlətɪ ɪn ˈðiː ˈməʊst əˈmeɪzɪŋ ˈweɪ/

INTONATION
It is very complicated to describe intonation theoretically. The best approach for learning
intonation is to listen to as much natural authentic speech as possible.
Here are some general guidelines for the intonation of the functions described in this module.

Why did you have to do that?

Showing impatience

I’ve told you a hundred times!

How wonderful!
Exclamations
Start with on a high pitch

That’s absolutely incredible!

Could you give me a hand with this?

Requests
Would you mind turning down the volume, please?

Close the door, will you?

If you want to sound polite in English you need to stress

the important words in the sentence by making changes
in tone.
Sounding polite
I do apologize.

Thanks! I really appreciate your help!

Start with on
a low pitch

Persuading Come on! You want to buy a new car, don’t you?
Start with on
a midpitch

What clause + be What was important was arriving on time.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 147