Special problems you need to know

1. So long as

‘… and so long as public opinion does not cause the Government to change its mind, the legislation will pass through Parliament and become law,…’

As long as is a conjunctions which means during all that time, from beginning to end.

Exercise 1. Complete the following.

1. So long as I live ……..

2. So long as the dollar remains strong ……

3. So long as I’m responsible for the company….

4. So long as we keep playing well ….

2. first and at first

‘On some issues the Government will first seek the response of interested parties by the publication of a consultative paper.

Use first to say what happens first in a series of actions. Use at first to say what happened at the beginning of a period of time, especially when it is different now.

Exercise 2. Insert first or at first.

a…. I didn’t like him but now I do.

b. “Let’s go” “I’ll have to find my keys ….

c. … let me deal with the most important difficulty.

d. …, Gregory was shy and hardly spoke.

5. I felt quite disappointed ….

6. …, make sure the screws are securely fixed in position. Then attach the wire.

7. … I was nervous, but I soon started to relax.

8. … I fed the baby. Then I made myself a sandwich.

3. few and a few

‘… and few bills emerge without at least some amendments.

There a difference between few and a few. Few is rather negative: it means ‘not many”. A few is more positive: it means more like ‘some. Few and a few are used with countable nouns.

Exercise 3. Insert few or a few.

1. Take … of these tablets.

2. Very … of my friends smoke.

3. … friends are coming round tonight.

4. Very … students passed the exam.

5. Could you spare me … minutes?

6. I need to borrow … dollars.

7. So … people came that we had to cancel a meeting.

8. … understand his complicated theories.

9. Quite … of us are getting worried.

10. You’ll have to wait a good … weeks.

4. Until (till) and by

‘ …some parts of the Act which give disabled people rights to access to services were not going to be law until the year 2004.’ Some parts which relate to access to transport may not be law until 2010.

Until (till) mean to that time and then no longer. By means an action which will happen on before a future moment. (Usually till is used in speaking rather than writing),

Exercise 4. Explain the use of until (till) or by in the following sentences.

1. We’ll have to leave by Monday midday at the latest.

2. Can I stay until the weekend?

3. We stayed there until we finished our work.

4. Until when do the pubs still open?

5. I waited until 10 o clock, but he still didn’t come.

6. Will you finish it by tomorrow”

Comprehension check

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is a bill?

2. How does a bill become an Act of Parliament?

3. How many stages does the procedure for an Act of Parliament to become law involve?

4. What happens if the bill is voted against at the First Reading, Second Reading or Third Reading in either House?

5. Can a bill originate in either house of Parliament?

6. May either house amend a bill of the other?

7. Must the queen see resolutions passed by Parliament, as well as bills?

8. What bodies are given the power by Parliament to make law?

9. When are Acts of Parliament implemented?

Exercise 2. Explain and expend the following statements:

1. Most new laws are initiated by the Government and other bodies. Law made in this way is delegated legislation.

2. No challenge can normally be made to an Act of Parliament.