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Word Word
1
Carapace
Word Work
Language in Use
‘...could….would...’
In the above extract from the text there are three examples of modal auxiliary
verbs.
They are easy to spot, as each comprises –ould as a major component. One is used
to talk about a past event that is real, one for a past event that is imagined
and one
about an habitual event.
could hear – past event; at that time
could see – past event; at that time (imagined)
would have – supposed event because this is a habit
Decide if the following are descriptions of past events (real or imagined) or
habits.
1. She could feel the wind in her hair as she stood on the cliff.
2. He would walk along the cliff shortly after dawn.
3. I would see her every time I listened to that piece of music.
4. She could see the problems ahead even as she spoke.
5. When we were kids, my dad used to take us out so we could ride our bikes
every weekend.
6. They could feel the hostility of the crowd as they stood up to speak.
7. We couldn’t get to the station before the train left.
8. You wouldn’t wait for her to show up?
9. I wouldn’t leave before nine in case the postman came.
10. Most evenings he would sit in front of the TV while she knitted.
I could hear the ocean in the telephone. I could see him with a big grin on his
face, pulling
open his white shirt and rubbing his bare bony chest with his long fingers. He
would have the
lamps lit under the trees.
“He would have the lamps lit”
As this is a narrative, and referring to a time in the past, of course the tense
used is
the past – would have
If the narrator in the story was talking in the present, she would have said
“He will have the lamps lit”. ‘Will’ is used here to imply a habit that is going
on now, in
the present. It does not have a future intention.
Think about people you know – friends, family. What are they doing now that you
can predict, because it is usual (habitual) behaviour? For example: ‘My brother
will
be at college. My father will be having lunch with his colleagues.”
1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
Word Word
2
Carapace
Word Word
Glossary: English- English
The definitions given in this little glossary are correct for the context of the
story ‘Carapace’, but may be different in other contexts.
chilli hot, spicy pepper; piri-piri
clicked made a noise with tongue against top of mouth
crackly sound of paper
crease up poetic use – move in pleasure?
gadgets devices; equipment
ghastly awful; horrible
gulping trying to breathe when short of air
let things slip allowed something to happen through inaction
mop of hair wild, uncombed hair
peeling removing the skin/shells
plucked pulling (usually for pulling feathers from e.g. a chicken!)
prawns camarão grande
prick idiot / disrespectful term
saree type of woman’s dress common in South Asia
screwed up closed eyes, as if against a bright light
sea musk type of flower
split become cracked or broken
squid lulas
whiskers hairs on face
Word Word
3
Carapace
Word Word
Glossary: English-Portuguese
The definitions given in this little glossary are correct for the context of
the story ‘Carapace’, but may be different in other contexts.
chilli piri-piri
clicked deu um estalo com a língua
crackly estaladiço
crease up (linguagem poética), enrolar-se
gadgets dispositivos
ghastly horroroso
gulping a sufocar
let things slip deixar as coisas fugir
mop of hair cabeleira desgrenhada
peeling descascar
plucked tiradas, arrancadas
prawns camarão grande
prick ( calão), estafermo
saree sari
screwed up semi-cerrou os olhos
sea musk tipo de flor, almiscareira
split rachar
squid lulas
whiskers barbas
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