Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997
47 Adjective + infinitive with to: I’m pleased to meet you
Quick reference
Note these three constructions.
Some other adjectives used in the construction: advisable, amazed, cheap, dangerous, difficult, disappointed, exciting, expensive, good, hard, impossible, interesting, lucky, nice, possible, ready, safe, sensible, silly, surprised, terrible, wonderful.
Some other adjectives used in this construction: common, easy, essential, important, necessary, normal, rare, unnecessary, unusual, usual.
Some other adjectives used in this construction: careless, clever, generous, good, kind, mean, polite, stupid, unkind, wrong.
1 Some Greek friends of Claire Long are coming to visit the area where she lives. She is telling them what they must do. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.
Example: You’ll easily find places to stay. (easy)
It's easy to find places to stay.
1 Staying in a bed and breakfast is less expensive than staying in a hotel. (cheaper)
It’s ... in a bed and breakfast.
2 Hiring a car isn’t cheap in July and August. (expensive)
It’s ...
3 Parking is difficult in the town centres. (easy)
It ...
4 Buy a map of the area. (sensible)
It would be ...
5 You must walk along the cliffs. (wonderful)
It’s ...
6 You must visit Land’s End. (silly)
You’d ...
7 Don’t leave valuables in your car. (advisable)
It’s ...
8 Unfortunately, I won’t be here in July. (disappointed)
You’ll be ... know that ...
2 Marie is complaining to a friend about her sister’s three-year-old son. Complete the friend’s replies, using adjective + for + object + infinitive.
Example: Marie: ’He just can’t sit still.’ - (not easy) ’It isn't easy for children to sit still for long.'
Marie: He seems to shout all the time.
’(1 common) ... young children ... sometimes.’
Marie: He doesn’t eat what she gives him.
’(2 rare) ... children ... everything you give them.’
Marie: That child has too much freedom!
’(3 important) ... young children ... a lot of freedom.’
Marie: I just don’t understand why she doesn’t control him better.
'(4 difficult) ... you ... until you have children of your own.’
3 Read the text and make sentences, using adjective + of+ object + infinitive.
Alan Badger recently gave £20 to a woman in the street who said she hadn’t eaten for three days and had nowhere to live. But this wasn’t true. She wasn’t homeless and she had a job. She spent his money on things she didn’t need. The following week he saw her again. She asked him for some more money. Alan handed her another £20. The next day Alan saw her in the pub buying drinks for her friends. When he told her she hadn’t told him the truth, she just laughed at him.
Example: It was good of Alan to help the woman.
1 (generous) It was ... £20.
2 (dishonest) It was ... she was homeless.
3 (stupid) It was ... she didn’t need.
4 (silly) It was ... why she wanted the money.
5 (wrong) It was ... laugh at him.
4 Louise Betts is in hospital with a broken leg. Her friend, Ryan, has come to see her. Complete the dialogue, using the three constructions you have practised in Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
Louise: Hi, Ryan. It’s (I good/you/come) ... . And it was (2 nice/you/phone) ... yesterday.
Ryan: How’s the leg?
Louise: Painful. It isn’t (3 easy/me/walk) ...
Ryan: How long will you be here?
Louise: It’s (4 difficult/say) ... . Three days, perhaps.
Ryan: How did it happen?
Louise: I tripped over the dog. It’s (5 hard/not laugh) ... really.
Ryan: Well, is there anything I can do? I’m always (6 happy/help) ...
Louise: Yes, there is something you can do. Would it be (7 possible/you/scratch) ... my right foot? It’s itching and I can’t reach it.
5 Write five sentences giving your opinion of the way you or other people have behaved.
Check your answers with a teacher.
Examples:
It was silly of me not to learn to play a musical instrument when I was young.
It was wrong of the government to increase taxes last year.