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Using a grammar book

Instructions
Read the essay below. The tutor has marked grammar errors in the text, using a coding system. The codes indicate the type of error. Correct the errors in the text on the right. Use a grammar book to help you.

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1. tense: 2. vb: 3. word: 4. sp: 5. vb:

The British politicians Tony Blair and Gordon Brown rst met in 1983. By May 1994, they were senior members of the Labour Party and were friends for eleven years. The Labour Party was out of government, and Blair and Brown were determined to modernise the party so that it can defeat the Conservative government. Ten years later their friendship was over; the two men were still colleagues but they deeply distrusted themselves.
word 3 vb 2 tense1

How did this happen? The principle reason was the choice of Blair as party leader after the sudden death of the existing leader, John Smith, in 1994. Both Blair and Brown had a realistic possibility to win the leadership election, but after long discussions Blair persuaded Brown to not be a candidate. In return, Blair promised he would let Brown become leader after ten years. In 1997 the labour party won the general election. Tony Blair became Prime Minister and Gordon Brown became Chancellor of the Exchequer, the second role most important in government. But Brown never accepted really the situation. He felt that if he would have challenged Blair for the party leadership in 1994, he would have won and become prime minister in 1997. As time went by, Blair and Brown's relationship reached such low
11

Important

sp4

vb5

6. order:

order6

7 cap:

cap7

8. order:

order8

9. order:

order

tense10

10. tense:

^ point that they did not used to talk to each other for weeks at a time.
When, after ten years as leader, Blair did not resign, Brown grew even more embittered and tried to force Blair to resign. Blair eventually resigned in June 2007 and Brown became prime minister, but his three years in job were generally unsuccessful and ended in election defeat in May 2010.
a/the
13

11. ^:

vb12

12. vb:

13. a/the:

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Using a grammar book

1. had been

This is the past in the past. We use the past perfect to look back from the past (May 1994) to a point further back (1983).

2. could

The main sentence is written in the simple past, so this verb must be written in past tense.

3. each other

Blair distrusted Brown, and Brown distrusted Blair. Distrusted themselves would mean that Blair distrusted himself, and Brown distrusted himself.

4. principal

This is the correct spelling of the adjective which means 'main' or 'primary'. Principle is a noun.

5. possibility of winning 6. not to be

After possibility, use of + -ing form not in nitive with to.

Put not before an in nitive with to.

7. Labour Party

Use capital letters because this is the name of a speci c organisation.

8. the second most important role

The superlative form goes before the noun.

9. really accepted

Put really before the verb.

10. if he had challenged 11. such a low point 12. did not use to

In an if clause which talks about the past, use the past perfect.

After such, use a or an.

The negative of used to is did not use to. There is no d at the end of use because it is the in nitive form.

13. in the job

Use the because this was a speci c job.

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