The Advanced Grammar Book - Jocelyn Steer, Karen Carlisi 1998

Chapter 13 Urban Living - 13 Urban Living

II. Wish and Hope

Since wish is often used to refer to unreal situations, it is related to some of the conditional forms already covered in this chapter. There is often confusion between wish and hope because they are similar in meaning. Wish usually expresses a feeling of regret about an event whose outcome is known or expected. Hope usually expresses a feeling about an event whose outcome is unknown. Both wish and hope can be used for present, past, and future time reference.

The chart below shows present time references.

13.19 Paired Activity: Wish List

DIRECTIONS: Think about your favorite restaurant. Wouldn’t you like to be there right now? Make a wish list about this restaurant using wish and hope, and share it with your partner or other classmates.

Example

I wish I were at Cafe Roma in San Francisco right now. I wish I were relaxing at one of their outdoor tables, waiting to order. I wish I were waiting for my plate of pasta to be served to me. I wish I could have a big basket of their warm, fresh Italian bread. I wish I had ordered cappucino for dessert the last time I was there. I hope I can go back there soon. I hope they haven’t changed the menu.

The chart below shows the use of wish and hope for past time reference.

13.20 Oral Drill: Wish and Hope about the past

DIRECTIONS: For each situation below, make one comment using wish and one comment using hope.

Example

CUE: Jack didn’t study for the chemistry test.

WISH: He wishes he had studied.

HOPE: He hopes he didn’t fail.

1. Fred lost his wedding ring.

2. Jose handed his book report in late.

3. Elaine forgot an appointment she had yesterday.

4. Gina forgot to call her mother on her birthday.

5. Ben failed his English grammar test.

6. Chin said something rude to her colleague.

7. Ernesto cooked Thai food for his friends last night.

The chart below shows the use of wish and hope for future time reference.

13.21 Written Activity: Wish and Hope about the future

DIRECTIONS: Write five sentences expressing what you wish and hope about changes you would like to see made in your academic institution.

Example

/ wish we had more choices about classes.

1. ...

2. ...

3. ...

4. ...

5. ...

13.22 Paired Activity: Switching Lanes

DIRECTIONS: Read the cartoon below and ask your teacher about any vocabulary you don’t understand. With a partner, discuss the situation of the driver in each lane, using conditional statements and statements with wish and hope.

Example

If I weren’t in this lane, I wouldn’t be moving so slowly.

13.23 Written Activity: Foreign Students in U.S. Cities

DIRECTIONS: Below is some information about the experiences of some foreign students in U.S. cities. For each sentence given, (a) write a corresponding conditional sentence; (b) write a sentence using wish; (c) write a sentence using hope.

Example

Chikako was driving 80 miles per hour on the freeway and got a speeding ticket.

CONDITIONAL: If she hadn’t been driving 80 mph on the freeway, she wouldn’t have gotten a speeding ticket.

WISH: Chikako wishes she hadn’t been driving so fast. HOPE: She hopes she doesn't get caught speeding again.

1. Serge visited the new downtown shopping mall and spent too much money.

CONDITIONAL: ...

WISH : ...

HOPE: ...

2. Xin was walking in the city, and a homeless person asked her for some money.

CONDITIONAL: ...

WISH: ...

HOPE: ...

3. Because the public transportation system in this city is so poor, Lorenzo has to drive everywhere.

CONDITIONAL: ...

WISH: ...

HOPE: ...

4. Carlos won’t be able to see the Empire State Building when he is in New York because he probably won’t have time.

CONDITIONAL: ...

WISH: ...

HOPE: ...

5. Maria asked a stranger for directions to the train station. She got lost because the stranger gave her the wrong directions.

CONDITIONAL: ...

WISH: ...

HOPE: ...

III. Making Inferences

Conditional sentences are used to make inferences. An inference is a conclusion based on previous knowledge or information, as shown in the box below. Notice that almost any combination of tenses is possible in this type of conditional sentence, depending on the meaning being expressed. Very often the modals should, must, have to, or ought to are used in the main clause to emphasize expectation or conclusion based on the previous information.

13.24 Recognition Drill: Previous Information in Inferences

DIRECTIONS: When you use a conditional sentence to make an inference, there is previous information upon which you are basing the inference. For each inference below, identify the previous information.

Example

If Sarah is in Florida, she must be enjoying the beaches.

MISSING INFORMATION: Florida has nice beaches.

1. If Jim decided to move to Key West, he must like the beach.

MISSING INFORMATION: ...

2. If Carol has been living in New Orleans for the last five years, she should be hearing some good music.

MISSING INFORMATION: ...

3. If you have a job on Wall Street, you must work well under stress.

MISSING INFORMATION: ...

4. If David moved from Dallas to L.A., he should be having better success as a musician.

MISSING INFORMATION: ...

5. If you live in Seattle, you must not mind rain.

MISSING INFORMATION: ...

13.25 Paired Activity: Making Inferences

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Take turns reading each of the situations below, and use a conditional sentence to make an inference about each one.

Example

SITUATION: YOU have heard from many sources that Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is very exciting. You’re not sure, but you think that a friend of yours, Sam, is going to Rio this year for Carnival.

INFERENCE: If Sam is going to Rio for Carnival, he’s going to have a great time.

1. The streets in your neighborhood always flood when there is a rainstorm. You’ve been visiting a friend in another city for two days and have heard reports of a serious rainstorm in your city. What is happening to the streets?

2. There was a van Gogh exhibit in Chicago last week. You think that your friend Chris, who loves van Gogh, was in Chicago last week. What did Chris do?

3. You have devised a model plan for urban development that you believe can improve every major city in the United States. You have effectively implemented this plan in New York. You are, therefore, convinced that it will work in other cities as well. How can you persuade the city council to adopt it?

4. You’ve heard that Chicago is an exciting city to live in. You think that Kevin, a former colleague, is now working there. How do you think he feels about where he lives?

5. Ruth was offered a job as director of Housing and Urban Development. However, she wanted an annual salary of $50,000. You just heard that she took the job. What salary do you think was agreed upon?

13.26 Paired Activity: Cities of the World

DIRECTIONS: Below is a chart with information about four major cities in the world. Use the information to the activities that follow the chart. Use conditional sentences to make inferences based on the information given.

1. What time will it be in the second city, based on the time given for the first city?

a. New York: 6:00 р.м./Токуо: ?

b. Tokyo: 7:00 л.м./Rio de Janeiro: ?

c. Rio de Janeiro: 3:00 р.м./London: ?

2. Discuss what kind of clothes you expect people to be wearing, based on the given month.

a. New York: December

b. Tokyo: October

c. Rio de Janeiro: January

3. Discuss the problem each person must deal with because of the city that person lives in.

Example

Gary lives in Tokyo and has allergies.

INFERENCE: If Gary lives in Tokyo, he must be having problems with his allergies.

a. Chantal comes from a small town in the French countryside and now lives in Rio de Janeiro.

b. Marcia is a fanatic about cleanliness and is now living in London.

c. Chikako is living alone for the first time in New York.

IV. Shortened Forms

Very often, shortened forms of conditional constructions are used after yes/no questions. Look at the following example of a yes/no question and the shortened forms of the conditional that follow.

Are you going to be riding the bus to work every day?

AFFIRMATIVE: If so, you should buy a pass.

If you are going to be riding the bus to work every day, you should buy a pass.

NEGATIVE: If not, you don’t need a pass.

If you aren’t going to be riding the bus to work every day, you don’t need a pass.

13.27 Paired Activity: Shortened Forms of Conditionals

DIRECTIONS: Ask your partner the given question and add a shortened form of the conditional. Use affirmative and negative forms.

Example

Are you a native of this city? If not, where are you from?

1. Do you like big cities?

2. Have you ever been to New York?

3. Do you have a map of this city?

4. Have you ever ridden the buses in this city?

5. Did you live in an apartment when you were growing up?

13.28 Written Drill: Fill in the Blanks

DIRECTIONS: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb.

1. If I ... about it more carefully, I never would have left my hometown.

a. thought

b. had thought

c. were thinking

2. I would go to Bangkok if I ... enough money.

a. would have

b. have

c. had

3. If you should happen to visit me in Jakarta, I ... show you around the city.

a. will

b. would

c. would have

4. I wish I ... Tbilisi when I was in Georgia.

a. would have visited

b. visited

c. had visited

5. I wouldn’t have made as many friends during my stay in America if i a shy person.

a. were

b. had been

c. would be

6. I ... I can visit Beijing someday.

a. wish

b. hope

c. want

7. If you ... two sticks together, you can start a fire.

a. rub

b. would rub

c. are rubbing

V. Special Problems with Conditional Sentences

13.29 Editing Activity

DIRECTIONS: Find the error in each of the sentences below, and correct it.

1. If I hadn’t moved to a city with such a high smog level, I didn’t develop such serious sinus problems.

2. If there is better mass transit in Los Angeles, there wouldn’t be such terrible smog.

3. If I lived in Tokyo, Japanese would be my native language.

4. The ozone layer deteriorates if too much carbon monoxide would be allowed to enter the atmosphere.

5. If you had a car, you’re required to have a smog check done regularly.

6. If I have more money, I could attend more cultural events.

7. If there wouldn’t be so many skyscrapers downtown, I would feel better about taking walks down there.

8. If you are putting two opposite forces together, they are attracting.

9. If I will be going to Atlanta on Saturday, I will drive.

10. If I didn’t speak English, I wouldn’t have been born in the United States.

Focus on Writing

Expressing Ideas

When we write it is useful to have a variety of ways to express our ideas, so that our writing isn’t repetitive or redundant. The following words and phrases are used to replace if in conditional sentences. Practice using these expressions for variety in your writing.

13.30 Written Activity: Long-Distance Marriage

DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and complete the sentences that follow, based on the information in the passage and your own ideas.

Long-Distance Marriage

Bill and Marilyn are married and have no children. Bill is a stockbroker on Wall Street in New York City, and Marilyn is an assistant production manager at a major movie studio in Los Angeles, California. Because of their professions, they have to live in two different cities and are unable to spend much time together. They talk on the telephone several times during the week and take turns flying to see each other on the weekends. They are able to live happily this way because they are very dedicated to their jobs and they never grow tired or bored with each other.

1. This arrangement will continue to work for Bill and Marilyn unless ...

2. Bill and Marilyn can have a happy marriage provided that ...

3. They talk to each other on the telephone several times during the week even though ...

4. Bill would move to Los Angeles only if ...

5. In case ..., Bill and Marilyn will have to change their present situation and live in the same city ...

6. Whether this seems like an ideal living situation for a marriage, ...

7. Suppose ..., what will Bill and Marilyn do?

8. Even if ..., Bill and Marilyn will continue to see each other on the weekends.

13.31 Written Drill: The Brighter Side of Los Angeles

DIRECTIONS: Below is an editorial response to the letter to the editior which you read at the beginning of the chapter. Fill in the blanks in the letter below with words from the above chart to replace if.

Dear Concerned Resident:

I appreciate your concern for the problems facing Los Angeles at the present However, from your letter it seems that there is no hope for the city you and I love so much. Let’s not forget about all that Los Angeles has to offer. ... I could live in a city free of smog, crime, and homelessness, I wouldn’t move from LA. Los Angeles offers the opportunity to experience the benefits of its rich ethnic diversity ... you have the sense to appreciate it. In addition, culturally speaking, there is something for everyone ... you like film, theater, music, or dance. Finally, ... you get tired of the fast pace of this exciting city, all you have to do is drive to the beach, or the desert or the mountains. They’re all within a 2-hour drive.

I agree that there are many problems here, but ... concerned residents like you and I take action to solve these problems, they will only continue to worsen. You know we can’t depend on politicians to take care of the situation, so it’s up to us to do whatever we can in our small way. ... everyone gave up on the city ... where would we be then?

Another Concerned Resident

13.32 Written Activity: Replacing If

DIRECTIONS: Write a paragraph about your plans for the next six months of your life. Use the expressions from the above chart to replace if in conditional sentences.

Analysis of an Authenic Test

DIRECTIONS: Read the following article by Ellen Goodman about the differences between urban and rural life.

Country Music

by Ellen Goodman

1 “Is it quiet up there?” My friend asks this question wistfully. She has called long distance, from her city to my countryside, from her desk to my cottage.

2 “Yes,” I answer her. There is no urban clatter here. No jarring cosmopolitan Muzak of subway and construction, rock and rush-hour voices. We are protected. The water that surrounds this island absorbs the din of the other world. Yes, it is quiet up here.

3 Slowly, I sift through the hundred sounds that form this rural chorus. A honeybee shopping the rose hips in front of the porch, a vole rustling through the bushes, a hawk piping its song above me. If I concentrate, I imagine that I can even make out different voices of the wind moving through alder, bayberry, or birch.

4 ... I do not live my urban life at such a frequency. Like most city people, I have been trained to listen each day only to the squeakiest wheel, the most insistent, hardest-rock level of audio demands.

5 ... Some of my friends by now have senses so damaged by the urban cacophony that they squirm when they are left alone with the crickets. They cannot adjust to country music. And yet it seems to me that it is only when we leave behind the alarms and bells and buzzes and sirens, all these external demands, that the quietest sound of all comes into range: our inner voice.

6 George Eliot once wrote, “If we had keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.” How overwhelming to literally hear the life story of everyone we meet. But I think more often of the roar that keeps us from silence, the roar of daily life that makes it “impossible to hear myself think.”

VOCABULARY

cacophony, clatter, din, roar: loud, disorganized noise, such as the “noise” of the city

wistfully: yearning for something that can’t be had

vole: small rodent, similar to a mouse

squirm: writhe, especially in discomfort or pain

alder, bayberry, birch: species of trees

COMPREHENSION QUOTES

1. Why does the author’s friend ask the first question wistfully?

2. How is “city music” different from “country music”?

3. Why does the author prefer “country music”?

Written Exercise

A. DIRECTIONS: Use conditional sentences to paraphrase (write in your own words) the following sentences from the text.

1. Some of my friends by now have senses so damaged by the urban cacophony that they squirm when they are left alone with the crickets. (Paragraph 5)

2. And yet it seems to me that it is only when we leave behind the alarms and bells and buzzes and sirens, all these external demands, that the quietest sound of all comes into range: our inner voice. (Paragraph 5)

3. How overwhelming to literally hear the life story of everyone we meet.

B. DIRECTIONS: Write three conditional sentences that would express the feelings of the author’s friend about living in the city vs. living in the country.

1. ...

2. ...

3. ...

Composition Topics

Use what you have learned in this chapter about conditional sentences to write a composition about one of the following topics.

1. If you could live in any city in the world, which city would you choose? What would your life be like in that city?

2. How would your life have been different if you had been born in another part of the world? Choose another city or country and discuss how your life would have been different if you had grown up there.

3. If you could design an ideal city, what would it be like?