ENGLISH FCE MARCH 2010
CONTENTS Use of English Tenses Conditional sentences Hypothetical meaning Passive voice Reported speech Modals Writing Reading BIBLIOGRAPHY Prodromou, Luke. Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate. Longman, 1999. Evans, Virginia and Dooley Jenny. Enterprise 4 Intermediate. Express Publishing, 1997. Nettle, Mark and Hopkins, Diana. Developing Grammar in Context. Cambridge University Press, 2003. Eastwood, John. Oxford Practice Grammar. Oxford University Press, 2006. Hashemi Louise and Thomas Barbara. Grammar for First Certificate. Cambridge University Press, 2008. Evans Virginia. FCE Use of English 1. Express Publishing, 1998 Thomson A. and Martinet A. V..A Practical English Grammar, Exercises 2. Oxford University Press, 1980
USE OF ENGLISH TENSES a. Complete these sentences using the verbs in brackets in the most appropriate tense. 1. I have to go to the station now because my train (leave) at 4.00. 2. Olivia arrived late and we (already; start) the meeting. 3. She doesn t want to go to the south of Spain because she (already; be) there several times. 4. I haven t decided for certain but I think I (apply) for that job I told you about. 5. Marty s been working really hard on his book and he thinks he (finish) it by next month. 6. Marianne s house is nearly finished and this time next week she (move) in. 7. Joe s got dirt on his hands because he (dig) in the garden. 8. The film started while I (talk) to my brother on the phone. 9. Don t try to stop me. I (tell) him the truth. 10. I m exhausted. I (shop) all afternoon and I don t seem to have found anything. b. Complete the story below using the most suitable past form. When I opened the door I (1.see) a man on his knees. He (2.clearly listen) to our conversation and I (3.wonder) how much he (4.hear). When I asked him what he (5.do), he said that he (6.drop) a 50p piece outside the door and (7.look) for it. I (8.not see) any sign of the money, but I (9.find) a small notebook and pencil which he (10.probably drop) when the door opened suddenly. So he (11.take) notes of our conversation! Suddenly the man pulled my hat over my eyes and ran off down the corridor. By the time I (12.recover) from the shock he (13.disappear) round the corner. Curiously enough, when I
moved my foot, I (14.find) that I (15.stand) on a 50p piece. Perhaps he (16.tell) the truth after all! c. Complete the news report. Put each verb into the correct form. The actress Vanessa Kemp (disappear). Yesterday she (fail) to arrive at the Prince Charles Theatre in London s West End for her leading role in the comedy Don t look now! Ms Kemp, who (live) in Hampstead, (leave) home at four o clock yesterday afternoon for the theatre, a journey she (make) several times the week before. Two people who (walk) past her home at the time (see) her leave. But no one (see) her since then. At half past seven she still (not/ arrive) at the theatre. At eight o clock the theatre manager had to break the news to the audience, who (wait) patiently for the play to start. Since yesterday, theatre staff and friends (try) to contact Ms Kemp, but they (have) no success so far. The police (take) the matter seriously, but they (believe) that she is unlikely to be in any danger. Her friends all (want) to hear from her soon.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
Third Conditionals a. Write two sentences using the information. The first should express a likely event and the second a less likely but still possible event. 1. am not busy/ come and pick you up. likely: less likely: 2. you fall/ break your leg likely: less likely: 3. I drink too much wine/ I feel sleepy likely: less likely: 4. you get the job/ you have more freedom likely: less likely:
5. the questions be easy enough/ everyone pass the test likely: less likely: b. Complete these sentences to make appropriate Third Conditional or Mixed Conditional sentences, using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. 1. If I (visit) Athens last year, I (phone) you. 2. If I (know) you already had tickets, I (not get) any for you. 3. If you (not spend) so much money, I (not be) angry now. 4. She (get) promotion last year if she (not argue) with the boss. 5. If I (meet) you before, my life (be) different now. 6. If he (not see) the other car, there (be) a serious accident. 7. If she (not/be) a careful person, she (lose) her money a long time ago. 8. He (put) a deposit on the premises provided that we (sign) the deal by midnight. 9. If we (hire) a faster car, we (be) home now. 10. Why didn t you tell me? If I (know) you were coming, I (meet) you at the airport.
HYPOTHETICAL MEANING
a. Fill in each space using the correct form of the verb in brackets. Some sentences require a negative. 1. Bruce wishes he (have) more money so he could buy a new sweater. 2. I wish you (stop) watching television while I m talking to you. 3. I wish you (do) that. It annoys me. 4. I wish they (build) that block of flats right in front of our window. The view used to be wonderful. 5. Of course Tom wishes he (come) with us to Paris, but he has to stay here and work. 6. I wish we (go) to the match on Saturday but we re visiting my uncle instead. 7. I wish you (keep) your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows everything. 8. If only I (lose) all my money. Now I m broke. 9. Peter is always late. If only he (turn up) on time for a change! 10. I wish I (be) taller so that I could be in the basketball team. b. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You have to use between two and five words, including the word given. 1. Heat the air in a balloon and the balloon rises. IF The balloon rises the air in it. 2. I hate it when you play your music too loud. WISH I your music so loud. 3. Madonna got the film part because she was a famous singer. BEEN If Madonna singer, she wouldn t have got the film part. 4. It s a shame we don t have a DVD player. ONLY a DVD player. 5. Simon didn t study enough for the test. WISHES Simon more for the test. 6. Mark didn t go to the class so he didn t understand the homework. HAD If class, he would have understood the homework.
7. Leave at once or I ll call the police. UNLESS I ll call the police once. 8. I didn t see him so I didn t tell him. TOLD I if I had seen him. 9. It s a pity I lost my temper. I might have won the argument. ONLY If my temper. I might have won the argument. 10. It would be nice to be able to fly a plane. FLY I wish a plane. 11. Sheila went to Peru on holiday. She owns a language school in Lima today. NOT Sheila wouldn t own a language school in Lima today to Peru on holiday. 12. I don t have the money so I can t buy that leather jacket. WOULD If I buy that leather jacket.
PASSIVE VOICE Forming the passive
Causative have and get a. Fill in each space using the correct form of the verb in brackets. 1. The news every day from 6 am to midnight. (broadcast) 2. At this very moment the suspect by the police. (interview) 3. And now a news flash. The President with committing perjury. (charge) 4. A new security system in all our offices in the next few weeks. (install) 5. By November 30 a new government. (elect) 6. There must be a mistake: the hotel bill by my wife. (pay) 7. When we got home, we realised the house. (burgle) 8. The building when a second bomb went off. (evacuate) 9. The Government says tax reforms in the new year. (introduce) 10. Newspapers in some countries in kiosks as well as shops. (sell)
b. Complete the second sentence in these exchanges using the verb in brackets and any other words given. Use the causative form with have or get. 1. A: I m finding it difficult to read small print nowadays. B: Why don t you go and? (eyes; test) 2. A: What a lovely dress where did you buy it? B: I didn t. I by the dressmaker down the road. (make) 3. A: My car s been making some funny noises just lately. B: You should. (service) 4. A: Your hair looks different! What have you done to it? B: I, that s all. (cut) 5. A: This house is freezing. B: Yes, we need. (central heating; install) 6. A: The living room looks lovely. B: I m glad you like it. We ve. (just; redecorate) 7. A: Why aren t you wearing your watch? B: I at the moment. (repair) 8. A: I ve got a terrible toothache. B: Well, why don t you go and? (that cavity; fill) c. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Use the active or passive voice. 1. People thought the President was ill. The President ill. 2. The court ordered him to pay a fine of 100. He a fine of 100 by the court. 3. We re going to open a new Internet café soon. A new Internet café soon. 4. The new boss has promised us a pay rise. We the new boss. 5. Why didn t they tell us about the new rules? Why about the new rules? 6. They re launching the product next week. The product next week.
7. While I was on holiday, my camera was stolen from my hotel room. While I was on holiday, someone from my hotel room. 8. The bus fares have been increased again. They the bus fares again. 9. They say the country is on the verge of civil war. The country on the verge of civil war. 10. The lab had been prepared before the experiment. They before the experiment.
REPORTED SPEECH
a. Complete each sentence in reported speech. 1. Why don t we go for a walk? She suggested 2. I wasn t anywhere near the scene of the crime. The accused claimed 3. This spot is the best place for a picnic. My father said 4. The swallows return every spring and fly past my window. She explained 5. Can you answer the phone? I m having a shower! He asked his son 6. I gave you my homework last week. The boy insisted 7. Could you come and pick me up from school today, dad? Billy asked
8. Who bought the Picasso painting? He wondered 9. Are you going to give me the money or not? She wanted to know 10. Please let me watch the match, Mum. Anne begged 11. Wake me up early, Dad! Michael told 12. If I were you, I wouldn t drink so much. He advised his friend 13. I won t help you because you didn t help me. Joan refused 14. I ll bring it back tomorrow. He promised 15. Where did you get such a lovely pullover? She asked his sister b. Complete the following letter using the correct form of a verb from the list. The first (0) is given as an example. be buy make snow give miss send cost have live plan go love think enjoy Dear Rose, Thanks for your letter. I ve got lots of news for you this time. We went to see Titanic. Everyone had said it was (0) great and that nobody should (1) it. There has been a lot of publicity on TV about it recently which told us how much it (2) to make and all that, and Liz and Tony saw it and said they (3) it. I was a bit disappointed I
didn t think it (4) up to expectations. Anyway, I suggest you (5) and see it and (6) up your own mind. Ah, yes, I got a call from your uncle in Canada who said he (7) you a parcel have you got it yet? He said it (8) there, and everything was white but he added they always (9) a heavy winter. He also told me they (10) a new jeep and they (11) to travel round the States in it in the summer. He said he (12) us a ride in it if we popped over for a holiday. I replied that we (13) to go over if he agreed to pay all our expenses! He laughed and said he (14) about it and let us know! c. Read the text below and add the word which best fits each space. I have just been through the annual humiliation of buying a swimming costume. When I was young, some were designed for the fuller figure and did a good job. I wondered (1) I would find anything suitable. After all, today s stretch fabrics are styled for a flatter shape. I saw one floral costume and (2) if I should try it on. I looked like a hippopotamus! The sales assistant tried to be kind. She wanted (3) know where I (4) going for my holidays and how long I (5) be away. At last she gave up and suggested (6) I looked for something in the maternity department to cover my mature hips. I said that I would go there the (7) day. I ll never have any luck, I (8) as I walked home. The next day I did find a plain blue costume and the assistant invited me to enter the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room. As I pulled the costume on, I stared in disbelief my whole bust had disappeared under my armpits! A young sales girl was standing at the exit. She asked me rather rudely (9) I was going to buy the costume or (10). I pushed it into her hands and fled. d. Use the direct speech on the left to fill in the missing reports in the conversation on the right. A: Helen, my sister isn t very well. Jenny: I know. I met her in the supermarket. A: How are you, Caroline? B: I m fine. What about you? A: Well, not too bad, although I had a bit of a funny day yesterday. B: Why, what happened?
A: That s strange because my sister s too ill to go out. Jenny: She only had a cold, that s all. A: Have you been shopping in the last few days? Colleague: Oh, by the way, I saw your sister Helen, on Monday. A: Really? Did you speak to her? Colleague: No, I only waved. A: I met Jenny and I told her that Helen, my sister wasn t very well. She said (1) already because Well, I said I thought (2) Because my sister was too ill to go out. Jenny said (3) B: Did you ask your sister about it? A: Yes. That afternoon I went round to her house and she was still in bed I asked her (4) And she looked at me as if I was mad. Then that evening I met an old colleague of mine who said that (5) too. I asked him (6) And he said (7) B: Maybe Helen has been so ill she can t remember what she s been doing. A: It looks like it, yes. MODALS Summary of Functions of Modal Verbs USE ability possibility PRESENT/ FUTURE He can speak Japanese. She s able to make people laugh. He can still be at work. (90% certain) She could be angry. (50% certain; it s possible she is angry) Sally may be teaching. (50% certain; it s possible that she is teaching) You might need to come tomorrow. (40% certain; perhaps you need to come tomorrow) PAST He could/ was able to speak Japanese. (repeated action ability in the past) We were able to go on a three month tour of Australia. (single action) We could have had an accident. (luckily we didn t) John may have broken that vase. (perhaps he did) Jane might have lost our telephone number. (perhaps she has lost it)
probability logical assumptions permission necessity It is likely that Sue will give up working. Sue is likely to give up working. They will be in Spain tomorrow. (100% certain; prediction) We should see him there. (90% certain; future only; it s probable) She ought to be in Canada by now (90% certain; she will probably be in Canada) He must be exhausted. (90% certain positive; I m sure he s exhausted) She can t be serious. (negative; I m sure she s not serious) They couldn t be on holiday. (negative; I don t think they are on holiday) You can/ can t have a party. (giving or refusing permission; informal) Could I be excused? (more polite; asking for permission) You may be excused. (formal; giving permission) Might I bring a friend to the wedding? (more formal; asking for permission) I m afraid you can t/ mustn t have visitors. (informal; refusing permission) Guests may not smoke in their rooms. (formal; refusing permission written notice) I must return these books soon. (I say so) She has to find a new job. (necessity coming from outside the speaker) They ve got to sell their caravan. (informal) The plants need watering. or The plants need to be watered. (it s necessary) She doesn t have to/ doesn t need to/ needn t leave when they do. (it isn t It was likely that she had taken the last train. She was likely to have taken the last train. He should have finished by now. (He has probably finished.) They ought to have started the course by now. (They have probably started the course) He must have won the pools. (positive; I m sure he has won the pools) She can t have married Ted. (negative; I m sure she didn t marry Ted) They couldn t have been friends. (negative; I don t think they were friends) He wasn t allowed to/ couldn t board the plane. He was allowed to see the patient. (not could) I had to return the books to the library. (I was obliged to) She had to find a new job after she was dismissed. They had to sell their caravan. The plants needed watering. or The plants needed to be watered. (it was necessary) She didn t have to/ didn t need to work as hard as me. (it wasn t necessary for her to work as hard as me and she didn t absence of
necessary absence of necessity) We ought to reply to the invitation. (it s necessary) Summary of Functions of Modal Verbs USE advice criticism obligation requests offers suggestions PRESENT/ FUTURE You should try to make more of an effort. (general advice; I advise you) You ought to keep to the speed limit. (I advise you; most people believe this) You had better not keep her waiting. (It s not a good idea; advice on a specific situation) Shall I apply for the job? (asking for advice) She could at least wait until 5 o clock. They should warn us. You ought to be more polite to her. I must get more exercise. (I need to; I say so) I have to get more exercise. (I m obliged to; the doctor says so) We ought to give more money to charity. (It s the right thing to do, but we don t always do it) Can I use your phone? (informal) Could I use your phone? (polite) May I make a phone call, please? (formal) Might I borrow your pen? (very formal) Will you give me a hand? (very friendly) Would you mind helping me? (polite) Can I/ we do anything to help? (informal) Shall I/ we help you tidy up? (informal) Would you like me to do it for you? Shall we stop for a drink? I/ we can always leave early. We could eat out tonight if you want. necessity) She needn t have got a taxi. (it wasn t necessary for her to get a taxi but she did) PAST You should have paid more attention. (but you didn t) She ought to have reserved a table. (but she didn t) It would have been better if you hadn t kept her waiting. (but you did) She could at least have waited until 5 o clock. They should have warned us. (but they didn t) You ought to have been more polite to her. (It was the right thing to do, but you didn t do it.) I had to get more exercise because I was unfit. I had to get more exercise because I was unfit. We ought to have given more money to charity. (It was the right thing to do but we didn t do it) He could have asked for advice.
prohibition duty You can t wear jeans at work. (you aren t allowed to) You mustn t walk on the grass. (It s forbidden) You may not talk during the test. (formal) All members must follow the rules. People ought to live in peace. (It s the right thing to do, but people don t always do it) They couldn t wear jeans at work. ( they weren t allowed to) All members had to follow the rules. She ought to have treated us more fairly. (It was the right thing to do but she didn t do it) a. Expressing possibility/ logical assumptions: Complete the sentences using the words in bold. 1. I m sure the police are questioning the suspects. BE The police the suspects. 2. I don t think he was involved in the kidnapping. BEEN He in the kidnapping. 3. I m sure he didn t kill his wife. HAVE He his wife. 4. Perhaps the murderer was waiting in her flat. HAVE The murderer in her flat. 5. Perhaps he will be asked to testify in court. BE He in court. 6. Perhaps he had killed him before his wife arrived. HAVE He before his wife arrived. 7. I m sure they are searching the scene of the crime for clues. BE They the scene of the crime for clues. 8. I don t believe he is involved in smuggling. BE He in smuggling. b. Expressing obligation necessity prohibition: Complete the sentences using the words in bold. 1. You mustn t park here without a permit. ALLOWED You here without a permit.
2. It wasn t necessary for Sue to make a statement. NEED Sue a statement. 3. It s forbidden to enter this area. NOT You this area. 4. It isn t necessary to clean the kitchen; I ll do it later. NEED You the kitchen; I ll do it later. 5. It wasn t necessary for him to reserve tickets. NEED He tickets. 6. She took more money with her than she needed. TAKEN She so much money with her. 7. You are obliged to wear a helmet while driving a motorcycle. TO You while you are driving a motorcycle. 8. As president of the club, it was my duty to organise events. HAD As president of the club events. c. Expressing criticism: Use could, should, might or ought to, to express criticism in the following situations. 1. A friend of yours promised to pick you up at 7 pm. He arrives late. What do you say to him/ her? 2. Your roommate has not paid the phone bill and now the phone has been disconnected. What do you say to him/ her? 3. You lent a new CD to a friend. When you got it back, it was scratched and the cover was cracked. What do you say to him/ her? 4. A friend recently purchased an expensive watch. Now he/ she has asked you for a loan so that he can pay his rent. What do you say to him/ her? d. Mixed modals: Complete the sentences using the words in bold. 1. Why didn t you inform me of the changes? HAVE You of the changes. 2. Perhaps he is hiding in his country house. BE He in his country house. 3. You are forbidden to enter this area without permission. ENTER You without permission.
4. They drove to the airport although it wasn t necessary. HAVE They to the airport. 5. I m sure Jack checked everything carefully. MUST Jack everything carefully. 6. I didn t know you were leaving because you didn t tell me. COULD You you were leaving. 7. It wasn t necessary for her to make an appointment. HAVE She an appointment. 8. I m sure he didn t know about her plans. KNOWN He about her plans. 9. It isn t necessary for Helen to wait till we come back. NEED Helen till we come back. 10. You didn t tell me you had already seen a lawyer. COULD You you had already seen a lawyer. 11. There s no need to take a jacket; it s quite warm tonight. HAVE You a jacket; it s quite warm tonight. 12. You aren t allowed to take pictures in here. SUPPOSED You pictures in here. 13. It s really late; why aren t you in bed? SHOULD You by now. 14. We are obliged to wear gloves in the laboratory. HAVE We in the laboratory.
WRITING 1. Argumentative essay a. For and against
Write an answer to one of the following questions. Write your answer in 120 180 words in an appropriate style. 1. After a class discussion on the media s treatment of famous people, your teacher has asked you to write an essay about the good and bad points of being rich and famous. 2. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay discussing the pros and cons of travelling by car. b. Expressing opinion Write an answer to one of the following questions. Write your answer in 120 180 words in an appropriate style. 1. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay giving your opinion on this question: Family or friends which are more important? 2. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay giving your opinion on this question: Are computers a necessity?
2. Review Write a review in 120 180 words of a film/ book you have recently seen/ read.
READING 1. You are going to read a magazine article about what people do during the time between school and university. For questions 1 15, choose from the theme parks (A E). Some of the people may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. SCHOOL S OUT You ve finished school, passed those vital exams and got a place waiting for you at university in the autumn. What are you going to do for the next ten weeks? Prize magazine asked five girls who ve just finished school about their plans for the summer. A Angie Hook has got it all sorted. I m going to be pretty busy. First I ve got to get some money, because I know I won t have enough when I m a student, and the course I m going to follow is really demanding, so I won t be able to take a part time job in term time. So I ve signed up with a company as a temporary secretary for most of the summer. Luckily, I m good on a word processor and I did the same sort of thing in previous years, so I ve got a bit of experience behind me, which is a big help. I am going to have a break though. Just before the university term starts I m going to have a fortnight in Spain with some of the people who ve left school with me. My mum and dad are giving me the money for that as a reward for doing well in my exams, so I won t have to use up my savings, which is really nice of them, because I know it means they ll have less to spend on their own holiday. B Sally Price is less certain about her plans. I m definitely going to have to work before I do anything else, because I m so short of cash. I want to go away for a holiday somewhere by the sea, and I ll have to earn enough for that, so I ll find something fairly quickly. After that, it ll be too late to find any more work I expect, because other people will have taken all the jobs by then, so I ll just have a month hanging about at home, messing around with my friends and things, spending time with my parents. That ll be good really, because I m going to be a long way from home when I m at university and I won t see them much. C Tracy Chadwick says she has little choice about what to do. I have to spend the last month of the summer break getting ready for my course. I ve got a job in a shop for the first month until I go on my holiday. That will give my brain a rest and pay for the holiday. But I ve already had this enormous reading list from the university, so as soon as I ve had a couple of weeks holiday, I m going to settle down and get on with studying, because I don t want to be behind at the beginning of term. D Polly Targett would like to work. But the thing is, we live such a long way from town and I don t have my own car yet I m going to get one next year, for my birthday, but it s rather difficult to get anywhere at the moment. Well, there s a bus, early in the morning and I think there s one in the evening, but to be honest it s much easier to stay at home. I doubt whether I ll go away, because I ve already been on holiday with my parents earlier in the year and anyway I ll have to do some studying before the term starts, because otherwise I ll just have to work so hard when I get to university there won t be time to enjoy myself with my friends. E Hilary Lee is going to start with a break. I m really exhausted after all our school exams and stuff and so I m going to have a fortnight with my parents, just relaxing completely. We re going somewhere abroad, but I don t know where, it s a surprise, a sort of present, because I ve done well. I know it ll be lovely. Then I ll find a job, it doesn t matter what, just so that I can have some pocket money for the rest of the year. It won t be hard to get something, in a hotel or whatever, summer s the high season for businesses in this area. Then I ll spend a couple of weeks doing nothing much, I hope, perhaps I ll paint my bedroom or something. And that ll be it summer ll be over. I ll be a university student.
Of which person or people are the following stated? She is confident that she will be able to find work after her holiday 1 She is about to start a job 2 3 She intends to find a job as soon as she can. 4 She plans to spend time preparing for her course after a holiday. 5 Her parents are very happy about her academic success. 6 7 She has no holiday plans for this summer. 8 Her parents do not want her to spend her money on a holiday. 9 She believes it will be hard for her to earn money over the summer. 10 She wants to spend time with her friends at home before going to university. 11 She intends to have a good time at university. 12 She thinks earning money will make a good change from studying. 13 She does not know where she will be at the start of the summer. 14 She will have a job similar to one she s done before. 15 2. You are going to read a magazine article about offices. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A H the one which best fits each gap (1 7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. A The answer here is you must keep doing it until you get really used to it. B This is, of course, a disastrous way for anyone to run their life and you need to realise that. C Always remember that you don t need to behave in the same way. D That solution to the problem may not work for everyone. E However, this is not the case. F This can be avoided, however, by careful planning of the working day. G This will help you to get to sleep and wake up refreshed. H Some people seem to be able to keep this up without any negative effects on their health.
Find your energy again Even the best designed of today s offices represent an artificial environment where it can be difficult to stay positive and bursting with energy. Complaints about feeling tired, having no energy or no interest in food, headaches and backaches are commonplace. Office workers often say that health problems are the inevitable consequences of working in an office. 1 While there may be little you can do about the everringing phones or the tempers of your colleagues, you needn t feel unwell. There is plenty you can do to restore those energy levels and feelings of well being. The first thing you must address is tiredness. If at the weekend you stay up all night dancing or going to dinner parties and sleep all the following morning, you can t expect your body to adjust on a Monday morning to a completely different routine. 2 For most of us, however, it s a very bad idea. Our diets are another way we mistreat ouselves. Many office workers say they don t have breakfast but you really should eat something, however small, before you leave home. And if you re busy over lunch or have to go shopping, it s possible to forget to eat then, too. So you get to the evening and suddenly realise how hungry you are. 3 The sooner you do, the better because nothing is more important than eating and drinking regularly. You should also do a session of exercise once or twice a week in the evenings. 4 Recent American research has established that regular, vigorous exercise is a good way of improving your mood and that the effects last far longer than the session itself. It does have to be vigorous though walking or tennis have to be kept up for at least an hour to have a positive effect. All the advice on exercise says that you should choose something which you like doing. To this, many people reply: but I don t like doing any form of exercise! Most people start off with the intention of exercising but soon lose interest. 5 Then you will miss it when you don t do it. In order to motivate yourself, you need to keep reminding yourself of the advantages. If you re working in an office with no natural light, you should go out for a walk for at least half an hour a day, even when the weather is dull and rainy. The importance of spending some time in daylight is often ignored. We now know that lack of sunlight can cause depression. 6 Time spent out of doors, even if it s only a few minutes, is never wasted. You may be bothered by some of your colleagues bad temper or lateness. Take a few moments to think about how they influence your own state of mind. 7 You are much more likely to enjoy your evening if you leave work feeling positive and it s the same for your colleagues. Take steps to make sure work is a place where you look forward to going. You will spend many hours of your life there!