English entrance exam, 2014 E.C. (2022)

The speaker is guessing about the weather, so the blank needs a modal of possibility. Might means that rain is possible but not certain, which is exactly why you should carry an umbrella.

Must is the tempting one, but it claims certainty, and nobody is certain about the afternoon. Should gives advice, and has no is not a modal at all.

Rule: use may or might for something that is possible in the future, and must only when you are sure.

The action fills a whole future period: tomorrow, all day. English uses the future continuous for that, formed with will be + verb-ing.

Have been doing looks similar, but it talks about time up to now, not tomorrow. Does is simple present and cannot carry the idea of an action in progress tomorrow.

Rule: for an action that will be going on at a stated future time, use will be + verb-ing.

The words of this item were printed out of order by the source. Read it as: "I eat nearly all kinds of food. ______ drinks, I only like soft drinks and fruit juices."

The blank introduces a new topic, drinks, after a general statement about food. With respect to does that job and means "about" or "concerning".

As far as is the trap: it needs a finishing phrase, as in "as far as drinks are concerned". In spite of shows contrast, and for does not open a topic here.

Rule: to move to a new topic use with respect to, regarding or concerning plus a noun.

The second verb, started, is simple past, and the two actions happened one after the other in the same story. So the first verb must also be simple past: saw.

Sees puts the sentence in the present and clashes with started. Was seen is passive, which would mean somebody saw him, not that he saw something.

Rule: verbs joined by and in one story keep the same tense.

The answer to this question would be a time, such as "last Monday". The question word that asks about time is when.

Who asks about a person, why about a reason, and wherever is not a question word at all.

Rule: match the question word to the missing information: who for a person, where for a place, why for a reason, when for a time.

The first clause gives the reason and the second gives the result: not liking the show caused the change of channel. So is the connector that puts the result second.

Because and as introduce a reason, so they would turn the sentence around and say we disliked the show because we changed channel. So as must be followed by to plus a verb.

Rule: reason + so + result; result + because + reason.

Textbook: Grade 12 English, Unit 2 Grammar (Expressing Result).