ENGLISH GRAMMAR
FIRST YEAR ALL COURSES
Answers to
OXFORD Grammar practice tests
Test 3
Modals
A. Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
1. c should - "You're 18! You're should to be able to look after yourself by now."
2. a are allowed - "A permit is a document which states that you are allowed to do
something."
3. a could - "He could have helped us if he'd really wanted to."
4. b could - "My laptop could be old, but it still works really well."
5. b May - "May someone please tell me where the library is?"
B. Identify the one underlined expression (A, B, C or D) that must be changed in order to correct
the sentence.
1. can be going to rain should be changed to is going to rain.
Corrected: "They say it is going to rain later..."
2. ought not be should be changed to ought to not be or should not be.
Corrected: "...you ought to not be too critical or negative."
3. will offer should be changed to would offer.
Corrected: "...I thought that I would offer to do some typing for him."
4. could should be changed to can.
Corrected: "...he would always say, 'Of course, you can!',..."
5. would have should be changed to could have.
Corrected: "...I really wish I could have a car of my own..."
C. Combine one modal and one verb phrase to fill each space in this text.
As a new customer of the bank, you must be familiar with the difference between a charge card
and a credit card. Both cards can be used instead of cash in most places to pay for goods and
services. Later, when you receive your charge card bill, the total must be paid in full every time.
However, when you receive your monthly credit card bill, you may not be required to pay the total
amount. If you choose to pay only part of the bill, you will be charged interest on the amount not
paid.
D Complete each sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the
sentence above it.
1. Students are not allowed to park here.
2. His trip may have been cancelled at the last minute.
3. She didn't enjoy having to get up at five o'clock every morning.
4. He couldn't have committed the crime, according to the report.
5. This shirt should not have been put in the washing machine.
E. Complete this text with these words.
'Hello! Mr Appleton!'
The voice was some distance behind him. He stopped raking the leaves and turned to see two
women struggling up the driveway towards him. They were wearing identical white T-shirts which
had MADD in large black letters across the front. He had a sudden strange thought that they might
be crazy people who couldn't spell. But they didn't look crazy. As they came closer, he was able to
make out smaller letters under each of the big letters, spelling out the words 'Mothers Against
Drunk Driving'.
"I'm so glad we found you. I'm Nettie Albright and this is Agnes Miller."
He shook their outstretched hands. Agnes was wearing thin gloves. "We talked to your wife this
morning and she's the one who told us we would find you here. She said she hadn't really witnessed
the accident, but you had. We were hoping you would testify." She had to stop and take a deep
breath.
'You mean the car crash?'
'Yes, exactly, the crash. We need witnesses. That awful man says it wasn't his fault. He should be
jailed immediately! He's a menace to society. We need your help to put him away!'
It had happened one early evening in July. I was going to just cross the street when a car came
racing through the red light, narrowly missing me, but smashing into another car in the middle of
the junction. The woman in that car died. When the man who hit her turned out to be very drunk, it
all changed from being an accident to being a criminal case.
