Cover of the textbook Speakout Advanced - Students' Book

The key answer of exercise 8

The key to exercise solutions in chapter 4.2 - Social issues for the textbook Speakout Advanced - Students' Book with authors Antonia Clare and J. J. Wilson from Pearson Education

Question

Work in pairs. Decide if there is a difference in meaning between the pairs of sentences. If so, what is the difference?

Answer

  1. Sentence a) focuses on the completed action. The speaker finished the book. Sentence b) focuses on the action of reading, but the speaker has not finished the book.
  2. No difference
  3. No difference
  4. Sentence a) links the past to a time before that. So the question is asked in reference to shared news about the topic. Sentence b) could be a conversation opener, with no reference to a shared previous event.
  5. In sentence a) the action is finished while in sentence b) the action isn't finished.
  6. Sentence a) links the past to a time before that. The conviction took place earlier than the judge's comment. Sentence b) links the past to the present. The conviction was recent.
  7. In sentence a) the focus is on the number of immigrants helped while in sentence b) the focus is on the length of time they have been helping.
  8. In sentence a) the prediction is based on hope while in sentence b) it is stated as a fact.