Lesson 10
by Paolo Rossetti

Level  : Beginner
Topic  : Joke
Grammar: Modals
Audio   Test
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Vocabulary

Four people were riding in a car: a mechanical engineer, an electrical
engineer, a chemical engineer, and a computer engineer.
The car engine stalled, and the car stopped at the side of the road.

The mechanical engineer said, "It must be the pistons; we can
repair them and be on our way."

The electrical engineer said, "It has to be the spark plugs;
we should replace them and we'll be ready to roll in no time at all."

The chemical engineer said. "No, it's got to be bad fuel; we could
flush the system and get going."

They turned to the computer engineer. "What do you think
we should do?" they asked.
The computer engineer shrugged and said, "Easy, let's get out of
the car, close the doors, then get back in and try restarting
it."

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EXERCISE 10.1 - Vocabulary

Please match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. an engineer          a. motor in a car, boat or plane, etc.
2. mechanical           b. liquid for the engine to run, made from oil
3. electrical           c. change; take out the old and put in the new
4. chemical             d. leave; go away; continue a trip
5. an engine            e. person working with science in everyday life
6. to be on our way     f. about machines
7.  to replace          g. start again
8.  to be ready to roll h. about chemistry
9.  fuel                i. prepared to go
10. to restart          j. about electricity

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EXERCISE 10.2 - Grammar

CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, SHALL, SHOULD, WILL, WOULD, MUST, etc.,
are some of the many Modal Verbs in English.

They are very important because they let us know the 'feeling' and
'politeness' of a sentence.

I can swim.     (Ability - I have the ability to swim)
I could swim.   (Past Ability - I had the ability when I was young, not
                 now)
I must swim.    (Necessity - I have no choice - I am forced to swim)
I might swim.   (Uncertainty - I'm not sure if I will swim)
I should swim.  (Advisability - It's a good idea for me to swim)
I would swim.   (Conditional - If I lived near the sea, I would swim,
                 but I live in the city, so I don't swim)

But, in the joke above, the first three engineers give the same meaning
in three different ways:

"It must be the pistons."
"It has to be the spark plugs."
"It's got to be bad fuel."

So, modals are more difficult than they seem ;)

Please fill in the blanks with the most suitable modal verb.

1. He burned the steaks again. He really ...... cook!
2. I like romantic movies, but tonight I ...... prefer an action one if
   you don't mind.
3. I'm not sure. We ...... go to Hawaii or the Bahamas this summer.
4. ...... I ask who's calling, please? (on the phone)
5. I put on another 2 pounds this week - I ...... stop eating those
   cookies!

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EXERCISE 10.3 - Reading Comprehension

Please read the text and choose the correct answers.

1.  What is the purpose of this text?
        (to explain, to entertain, to share an experience)
2.  How many people were in the car?
        (2, 4, none)
3.  What was the problem?
        (we don't know, the traffic was terrible, the car doors)
4.  What is funny about the story?
        (the engineers must take the bus,
         the computer engineer is stupid,
         computers are not logical or scientific)
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Answers           Go to  ---->  Online English Content
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