SMA Santa Angela Jl. Merdeka 24, Bandung
ENGLISH MODULE
UNIT 8
For the tenth graders
„IT‟ AND „WHAT‟
CLAUSES
MODAL VERBS
Compiled by: Agnes Lisdiantini, S.Pd.
I. Standar Kompetensi :
Menulis
Mengungkapkan makna dalam teks tulis fungsional pendek dan esei
sederhana berbentuk narrative, descriptive dan news item dalam
konteks kehidupan sehari-hari
Kompetensi Dasar :
1. Mengungkapkan makna dalam bentuk teks tulis fungsional pendek (misalnya pengumuman, iklan, undangan dll.) resmi dan tak resmi secara akurat, lancar dan berterima yang menggunakan ragam bahasa tulis dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari
2. Mengungkapkan makna dan langkah retorika dalam esei sederhana secara akurat, lancar dan berterima dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari dalam teks berbentuk narrative, descriptive, dan news item
II. Tujuan Pembelajaran :
Setelah melalui pengalaman belajar menulis, siswa diharapkan dapat :
- Membedakan penggunaan if and what clauses dengan cerdas.
- Menghasilkan kalimat dengan menggunakan if and what clauses dengan gigih.
- Membedakan kegunaan masing-masing modal verbs dengan cerdas
- Menghasilkan kalimat menggunakan modal verbs dengan gigih.
Conceptual Map
unit 8
clause
'it' clauses
'what' clauses
modal verbs
to make a deduction
to express possibility
to make a prediction
to express obligation
to express ability
FOCUSING WITH IT CLAUSES
We can use an it clause to focus attention to certain information. Compare:
o Helen bought the car from Tom. No it was Tom who bought the car
from Helen.
o Helen bought her car last year. No it was two years ago that Helen
bought the car.
o Helen bought the car from Bob. No, it was Tom that Helen bought the
car from.
The information we want to emphasise comes after be and is followed by a
clause usually beginning with that. We sometimes use which or who istead of
that; when and where can also be used but usually only in infromal English
and how or why can‟t replace that.
o His parents were always there to help; It was to them that/ who he
now turned for support.
Exercise 1
Rewrite each sentence to emphasize the relevant noun, starting with It
1. Susie married Mike. - Not Mike, but Steve
No, it was Steve Susie married.
2. Mike bought her a ring for her birthday. - Not Mike but Steve.
No,
____________________________________________________________
3. He bought her a ring for her birthday. - For their anniversary.
No,
____________________________________________________________
4. He bought the necklace for Susie. - His daughter.
No,
____________________________________________________________
5. He bought a guitar for Rick. - A drum kit.
No,
____________________________________________________________
6. Jim studied English last night. – Biology.
No,
____________________________________________________________
Exercise 2
Rewrite the sentences, beginning with it.
1. Mike first met Susie when they were both studying in London.
____________________________________________________________
2. That boy scored the goal for his team.
____________________________________________________________
3. The strong wind blew the roof off.
____________________________________________________________
4. Laura is going to New York tomorrow.
____________________________________________________________
5. As a child I always enjoyed playing in the rain.
____________________________________________________________
FOCUSING WITH WHAT CLAUSES
Compare the following sentences.
o We gave them some home-made ice cream. and
o What we gave them was some home-made ice cream.
If we want to focus particular attention on certain information in a sentence,
we sometimes a what- clause followed by be. The information we want to
focus attention on is outside the what-clause. We often use this if we want to
introduce a new topic, to give a reason, instruction, explanation, or to correct
something that has been said or done. In the following examples, the
information in focus is underlined.
o What I’d like you to work on is exercise 2 on page 80.
o Tim arrived two hours late; What had happened was that his bicycle
chain had broken.
We can often put the what-clause either at the beginning or the end of the
sentence:
o What upset me most was his rudeness. or
o His rudeness was what upset me most.
To emphasise an action performed by someone, we use a sentence with
what.....do....
o Dave lost his job and was short of money, so what he did was (to) sell
his flat and move in with his brother.
o A: When the bookcase arrived, two shelves were broken.
B: Did you send it back?
A: No, what we did was (to) send them a letter of complaint.
The pattern in this kind of sentence is What + subject + do + be + to-
infinitive clause.
Exercise 1
Rewrite the ideas, beginning with “What”
1. The police interviewed all the witnesses to the accident first.
What the police did first was interview all the witnesses to the accident.
2. You should invest all your money in telecoms companies.
____________________________________________________________
3. She writes all her novels on a typewriter.
____________________________________________________________
4. Their car broke down on the motorway so they didn't get to Jo's wedding
on time.
____________________________________________________________
5. She works in a coffee shop on the 5th floor.
____________________________________________________________
6. She draws caricatures on Saturdays to earn extra money.
____________________________________________________________
Exercise 2
Think about 5 things you love doing on the weekend. Write 5 true sentences
with the structure “What....is...”.
Example: What I like doing on the weekend is read novels.
1.____________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________________
EXERCISES
A. Rewrite the sentences to focus attention on the underlined information.
Start with It+ be and an appropriate Wh-word or that.
1. I‟m not looking forward to physics, but I‟m most worried about the
statistics exam.
I‟m not looking forward to physics, but it’s the statistics exam
(that/which) I’m most worried about.
2. She‟s been seeing a doctor at Newtown Hospital, but she‟s having the
operation in the Queen Mary Hospital.
She‟s been seeing a doctor at Newtown Hospital,
but..............................................................................................................
3. They said they dropped in when they were passing, but I think they
came to visit us because they wanted to watch TV.
They said they dropped in when they were passing, but I think
...................................................................................................................
4. He says he‟s got a cold, but in fact he‟s feeling unwell because he‟s
working so hard.
He says he‟s got a cold, but in fact ...........................................................
B. Give responses beginning No, What....., correcting what was said in the
question. The first one is done for you. Use notes in brackets to help.
1. „Did you say that you wanted me to move these boxes?‟ (wanted you /
fill boxes / these books)
No, what I said was that I wanted you to fill these boxes with these
books.
2. „Did you mean that you will give me the money?‟ (lend / money until
next week)
________________________________________________________
3. „Did you think that I would take Mark to piano practice?‟ (going / his
own)
________________________________________________________
Now give similar responses which focus on the action, as in 4.
4. „Did you go next door and complain about the noise?‟ (call/police)
No, what I did was to call the police.
________________________________________________________
5. „Did you buy a new washing machine?‟ (repair / old one)
________________________________________________________
6. „Did you write a letter to the company?‟ (phone / managing director
directly)
________________________________________________________
7. „Did you stay with Keith for the New Year?‟ ( invite him / my house
instead)
________________________________________________________
MODAL VERBS
A. Complete the table with the uses of modal verbs from the list.
Modal Example Uses
Can He is amazing. He can speak 5 languages including Chinese
Can‟t He can‟t be from the USA. He doesn‟t speak English.
Couldn‟t I looked everywhere for my glasses but I couldn‟t find them anywhere.
Can‟t / couldn‟t have been
You had already eaten. You can‟t have been hungry!
Must o She‟s been revising 10 hours a day for 3 weeks. She must be exhausted.
o You must be at the station ten minutes before the departure of the train.
Mustn‟t We have a lot of work tomorrow. You mustn‟t be late.
Must have been You hadn‟t eaten for hours. You must have been hungry.
Should He said I should look for another job.
Will Barcelona will win the match.
May/might/could Jane may/might/could be at home now.
May/might/could have been
Jane may/might/could have been at home yesterday.
a. make a deduction about something in the past.
b. talk about possibility in the present/future.
c. express a mild obligation.
d. make a prediction.
e. talk about possibility in the present.
f. make a deduction about something in the present.
g. talk about impossibility in the past.
h. express total obligation.
i. express prohibition
j. talk about possibility in the past.
B. Circle the correct options.
1. We mustn‟t / can miss the train, because it's the last one tonight.
2. I can / may go to the party but I‟m not sure yet.
3. It must / can’t be true about a sauropod dinosaur living in Lake Tele in the
Congo. It‟s impossible.
4. What do you think we could/ should get Tom for his birthday?
5. John can/ could play tennis really well. He is champion of his club.
6. We can’t / couldn’t get to the meeting on time yesterday because the
train was delayed by one hour.
7.He should / must be very intelligent and hard-working. He always gets
good marks.
C. Circle the correct words.
1. Your tickets might have been / should have been collected yesterday. I‟m afraid we have just sold them.
2. My car must have been / should have been stolen during the night. 3. I can‟t find my wallet. It might have been / should have been taken. 4. All the lights must have been / should have been switched off before you
left. How many times do I have to remind you? 5. Look out! We might have been / must have been hit by that car. 6. That chocolate cake should have been / can’t have been eaten already. It
was huge!
D. Match each sentence to a sentence with the same meaning. 1. Jack must write a report
tomorrow.
2. Jack couldn‟t write it yesterday.
3. Jennifer says she can help him
tomorrow.
4. She has to help him, or the
report will not be finished on
time.
5. Jenifer‟s boss says she may help
Jack.
a. She needs to help him, or the
report will not be finished on time.
b. Jennifer‟s boss says she is
allowed to help Jack.
c. Jack will have to write a report
tomorrow.
d. Jennifer says she will be able to
help him tomorrow.
e. Jack wasn‟t able to write it
yesterday.
E. Complete the sentences with the appropriate modal verb.
1. They________________be away for the weekend but I‟m not sure.
2. That man ______________ be the French teacher. He teaches Math.
3. You ______________ tell anyone what I just told you. It's a secret.
4. The children ______________ be thirsty. They haven‟t drunk for hours.
5. The children ______________ be tired already. We‟ve only been walking
for five minutes.
6. John has travelled a lot. He ______________ speak five languages.
7. What a lot of lovely flowers you have! You _____________ really like
gardening.
8. My mum said that I _____________ take a nap.
9. I´m not sure about Tom´s visit to Spain. It ______________ be in May or
in June.
10. I ______________ eat too much cake or I‟ll get fat!
F. Complete the following blanks with the correct form of a modal verb +
have + the verb in brackets to express deduction or possibility about
the past.
1. Bill hasn't arrived for the meeting yet, he _______________________
(get) stuck in traffic. There's no other possibility.
2. Sally's car is still parked outside her house, she
_______________________ (leave) for work yet because she always
goes by car.
3. His phone is out of battery, he _______________________ (forget) to
charge it. I'm certain of it.
4. I'm not sure where my keys have dissapeared to, but I suppose I
_______________________ (leave) them on my desk.
5. There are puddles of water on the pavement, it
_______________________ (rain). It's the only explanation.
G. Write your own sentences, using these following modal verbs.
1. Can‟t (deduction)
_________________________________________________________
2. Can‟t (ability)
_________________________________________________________
3. Must (deduction)
_________________________________________________________
4. Must (obligation)
_________________________________________________________
5. May (possibility)
_________________________________________________________
6. May (polite request)
_________________________________________________________
7. Mustn‟t (prohibition)
_________________________________________________________
8. Should (mild obligation)
_________________________________________________________
9. Must+ have+V3 (deduction in the past)
_________________________________________________________
10. Can‟t + have +V3 (deduction in the past)
_________________________________________________________
H. Choose the correct modal verb.
1. _________ I have more cheese on my sandwich?
a. Must b. Could c. Would d. Have to
2. You _________ eat more vegetables.
a. should b. might c. may d. could
3. I _________ like to buy the same television for my house.
a. Could b. Must c. Would d. have to
4. _________ I have a coffee please?
a. Must b. Have to c. May d. Would
5. You _________ smoke near children.
a. have to b. may c. shouldn't d. couldn't
6. The passengers _________wear their seatbelts at all times.
a. Could b. Must c. Can d. may
7. We _________ go to the concert if the rain stops. We don't know for sure.
a. mustn't b. might c. have to d. wouldn't
8. I _________ ice skate very well.
a. Can b. May c. Must d. should
9. The boys _________wake up earlier than 7:30 am. They have class at 8:00 am.
a. Would b. can't c. could d. have to
10. The rock band _________play very well last year. Now they are much better.
a. Must b. couldn't c. can d. should
GLOSSARY
Clause a group of words, consisting of a subject and a finite form of a verb (the form that shows the tense and subject of the verb) which might or might not be a sentence .
Deduction A guess which is based on evidence
Modal (verb)
a verb, such as 'can', 'might' and 'must', that is used with another verb to express an idea such as possibility that is not expressed by the main verb of a sentence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Puchta, H, et al. 2011. English in Mind (second edition). Cambridge:
University Press.
Azar, B.S. 1989. Understanding and Using English Grammar (second edition).
New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.