I left out the following examples.
Thank you, Writeacher.
1) He told us the match has been cancelled (correct should be: was/had been cancelled?).
2. My father suggested that I should do up the house before selling it.
I should have my house done up ....
3. You needn’t have bought the milk; there was some already.
4. They held up a bank but managed to get away with it/off with it. They managed to get out of it (is a mistake)
5. He probably visited her yesterday.
He should have visited us yesterday.
1. should be "had been cancelled."
4. "managed to get away with it" (the other wording doesn't work here)
Everything else is fine.
1) To determine whether "was" or "had been" is the correct choice in the sentence "He told us the match has been cancelled," you need to consider the context and the correct verb tense.
In this case, "has been cancelled" is in the present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and has continuing relevance to the present. However, since the reporting verb "told" is in the past tense, it suggests that the cancellation occurred before the moment of speaking.
Therefore, the correct choice would be "was cancelled." This is the past tense form of the verb "to be" combined with the past participle "cancelled." The sentence would then read: "He told us the match was cancelled."
2) In the sentence "My father suggested that I should do up the house before selling it," you are considering an alternative construction: "I should have my house done up."
To determine whether this alternative construction is correct, you need to understand the meaning of the phrasal verb "do up." It means to renovate or improve the condition of something.
In the original sentence, your father suggested that you do the renovations yourself. However, in the alternative construction, you would like to have someone else do the renovations for you.
So, if your intention is to emphasize having someone else do the renovations, the correct alternative construction would be "I should have my house done up." This means you are suggesting that someone else should do the renovations for you.
3) In the sentence "You needn’t have bought the milk; there was some already," you are considering the correctness of "there was some already."
The phrase "there was some already" indicates that the action of buying the milk was unnecessary or not needed.
To determine the correctness of this phrase, you can analyze the meaning and verb tense. The phrase uses the past tense "was" to refer to the existence of milk prior to the act of buying it. Since the emphasis is on an action in the past, "was" is the correct choice.
Therefore, the phrase "there was some already" is correct in this context, meaning that buying the milk was unnecessary because there was already some available.
4) In the sentence "They held up a bank but managed to get away with it/off with it," you are considering the correctness of the phrase "get away with it/off with it" and suggesting an alternative: "They managed to get out of it."
To determine the correctness of the original phrase, you need to understand its meaning. "Get away with it" means to escape punishment or negative consequences for an action. "Off with it" is not a commonly used phrase in this context.
Your alternative construction "They managed to get out of it" suggests a similar meaning to "get away with it." In this case, the alternative construction is a valid replacement and conveys the same idea.
So, if you prefer the alternative construction, "They managed to get out of it" is correct. The original phrase, however, is also acceptable but may sound less formal or idiomatic.
5) In the sentence "He probably visited her yesterday," you are considering an alternative construction: "He should have visited us yesterday."
To determine the appropriateness of the alternative construction, you need to consider the intended meaning.
The original sentence suggests a likelihood or possibility that he visited her. "Probably" indicates a high probability or likelihood of an action occurring.
The alternative construction "He should have visited us yesterday" suggests an expectation or obligation. This means that you believe it was necessary or expected for him to visit, but you are not certain if he actually did.
If you want to express the idea of expectancy or obligation, the alternative construction is correct. However, if you want to convey the likelihood or possibility of the visit, the original sentence is more appropriate.