Page 410 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

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a new point in llU tfiscu.ssion
Bill decided that it was too late to start slimming, and put some more sugar in his coffee. The way things were, he needed all the help he could get. Everything was going wrong at work, everything had already gone wrong at home, and the weather in Edinburgh in November was lousy. The only remaining question was: should he commit suicide now or wait till after payday and get drunk first?
Three months ago everything had seemed so perfect. His boss had told him that he had an excellent future with the firm.
There are a lot ofadvantages to working at home. You don't have to travel to your job, you can choose your own working hours, you can take a day offif you want to, you don't waste time in endless unnecessary meetings, and - perhaps most important ofall- you don't have a boss constantly checking up on you.
On the other hand, it can be lonely working by yourself. Without colleagues around you ...
Another practice, common in typed letters and documents, is to leave a blank line without indenting.
Dear Sirs
Three months ago I sent you an order for a set ofglasses, together with a cheque in full payment. You wrote acknowledging my order, and said that the glasses would be dispatched within 15 days.
I have still not received the glasses, and repeated telephone calls to your office have had no result . ..
407 part
A is usually dropped before part o f if there is no adjective.
Part ofthe roofwas missing. (BUT A large part ofthe roofwas missing.) Part o f the trouble is that I can't see very well. (More natural than A part o f
the trouble . ..)
Jan was in Australia part oflast year.
408 participles (-ing and -ed forms) (1): introduction 1 names
When -ing forms are used in certain ways, for example as parts of verb forms, or like adjectives (see below) they are called 'present participles'. Forms like broken, gone, opened, started are called 'past participles'. These are not very suitable names: both forms can be used to tallc about the past, present or future.
She was crying when I saw her.
Who's the man talking to Elizabeth?
71tis time tomorrow I'll be lying on the beach.
It was broken in the storm. The kids are excited. The new school is going to be opened next week.
For the speUing of paniciples, see 560-562.
For -illg fonns used like nouns ('gerunds'), in sentences like Smoking ;s bad for YOIl, see 293-299.
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