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Exercise 1: Complete each sentence with a phrase containing a suitable form of the verb in
brackets.
1 Should (need) .............................................. anything, could you let me know?
2 Were the plane (take off) .................................................. everyone in it would have been
killed.
3 Had (study)................................................ harder, I would probably have passed all my
exams.
4 Should (be)................................................ in the neighbourhood, drop in.
5 Had (go)................................................ to the doctor immediately, your daughter would not
be so ill.
6 Never before (spend)................................................ so much money on her daughter’s
birthday.
7 Should (feel)................................................ hungry, just call room service, and order a meal.
8 Were (offer) ................................................ her the job, we couldn’t be sure that she would
accept.
9 Had (take)................................................ the necessary measures, this political crisis could
have been avoided.
10 Scarcely (get)................................................ home when the police called us with news of
Geoffrey.
Exercise 2: Complete the text by writing a word or phrase from the box in each space.
little
such
not only
seldom
under no circumstances
along
as
no sooner
scarcely
had
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’ve done it again - another election victory. The last four years of office
have been a wonderful time for the party, a tale of adversity overcome. (1) No sooner had we come to office
than the Stock Market crashed. But we survived that scare, and we came out of it stronger for the experience.
The opposition claimed we were faltering. (2) ................................ have I heard such hypocrisy from a party
which continued to squabble internally for the next four years. Then (3) ................................... came a
fellow called David Rew, with his new breakaway Democratic party - but he didn’t have much success in
the opinion polls!
(4) ....................................... did he claim he’d become Prime Minister within three years, he also reckoned
that this party was now unpopular with younger voters. (5) .......................................... did he realize that it
would be the young voters who gave us an overwhelming vote of confidence in yesterday’s election. (6)
................................. had the first votes rolled in when it was obvious that we would be re-elected with a
huge majority. (7) ................................ was the extent of our victory that the New Democrats obtained a
meagre five seats. (8) ........................................ they known they would perform so poorly, I don’t think
they would have been quite so scathing in their criticism of our economic policy. But rest assured, ladies
and gentlemen, (9) ...................................... will we rest on our laurels. There is no room for complacency
