1. Put the verbs in the correct form. Can you solve this detective puzzle?
Trevor Stern was not a popular man, in spite of his wealth. He (1) …lived…… (live) in a large house about a mile outside the village of Prenton. When he (2) …was found…… (find) dead in his study, no one (3) …cried…… (cry), not even his only daughter. It was soon clear that he (4) …………………… (murder). Detective Inspector Blackledge took statements from his widow Delia, his fifteen-year-old daughter Lucy, his business partner Gerald Brook, and his doctor. Delia gave her statement first.
DELIA
I (5) …………………… (not / love) my husband, he was a cold and selfish man. But I (6) …………………… (not / murder) him, either. After dinner last night he said he (7) …………………… (want) to check some business papers in his study. He (8) …………………… (have) a meeting with Gerald, his business partner, the next morning. He (9) …………………… (ask) for some tea. That was about nine o’clock. I (10) …………………… (watch) a rather exciting film, so I (11) …………………… (tell) Lucy to take it to him.
It was at quarter past nine that Doctor Emerson (12) …………………… (call). I (13) …………………… (notice) the time because we (14) …………………… (expect) him to come earlier. I (15) …………………… (answer) the front door bell. Trevor (16) …………………… (shout) in his study. He and Lucy (17) …………………… (obviously / have) a serious row. So I (18) …………………… (take) the doctor into the sitting room for a moment. Then Trevor stopped (19) …………………… (shout). I guessed Lucy (20) …………………… (go) out by the back door. Doctor Emerson went to the study. I think he wanted to persuade Trevor (21) …………………… (go) into hospital for some tests, but Trevor (22) …………………… (not / want) to go.
I (23) …………………… (hear) my husband shouting again several times over the next twenty minutes. He called Emerson an ignorant country doctor and later he said something like, ‘There’s nothing you can do!’ I think Lucy (24) …………………… (come) back into the house while the doctor (25) …………………… (still / talk) to Trevor. I (26) …………………… (hear) the front door bang during a moment of quiet when Trevor (27) …………………… (not / shout). I was tired and fed up, and went to my bedroom soon after that. My sister (28) …………………… (phone) and we (29) …………………… (talk) for ages. I (30) …………………… (tell) her I (31) …………………… (decide) to leave Trevor.
LUCY
Mum (32) …………………… (watch) a stupid film after dinner, so she made me (33) …………………… (take) Dad’s tea into his study. It was about nine o’clock. He was in a really mean mood. He shouted at me because I (34) …………………… (spill) a few drops of tea on his desk while I (35) …………………… (pour) it. I (36) …………………… (not / want) to watch the film with Mum, so I (37) …………………… (creep) out of the house by the back door. I (38) …………………… (decide) to text my boyfriend Alan to meet me outside his house in the village. I (39) …………………… (never / tell) Mum or Dad when I (40) …………………… (see) him. Especially yesterday, because Dad and I (41) …………………… (have) a stupid argument about Alan the day before.
It (42) …………………… (usually / take) quarter of an hour to walk to the village. Perhaps it (43) …………………… (take) less time last night. I can’t prove that I (44) (go) to the village. No one (45) (see) me while I (46) …………………… (walk) there. I (47) …………………… (see) Gerald, that’s Dad’s business partner. He (48) …………………… (stand) near the window in his sitting room. He (49) …………………… (not / see) me though, because it was dark outside. He (50) …………………… (talk) on the phone, I think. Alan (51) …………………… (not / answer) my text by the time I (52) …………………… (reach) his house. Then I (53) …………………… (remember) he (54) …………………… (play) in a concert that evening. So I (55) …………………… (walk) home again.
I (56) …………………… (meet) Gerald just before I (57) …………………… (reach) our house. He (58) …………………… (look) for his dog. That was about twenty to ten. I came in by the back door as quietly as possible and went to bed. I didn’t want to see my parents again that evening.
DOCTOR EMERSON
I (59) …………………… (call) at the Sterns’ house at 9.15. I (60) …………………… (be) rather later than I (61) …………………… (plan) to be because I (62) …………………… (visit) another patient. When Mrs Stern (63) …………………… (let) me into the house, she (64) …………………… (seem) rather embarrassed and (65) …………………… (show) me into the sitting room. I could hear Trevor Stern (66) …………………… (shout) at someone in his study. Mrs Stern said something about teenage girls and that they (67) …………………… (have) problems with Lucy. Well, the shouting (68) …………………… (stop) almost immediately, so I (69) …………………… (go) to his study. Lucy (70) …………………… (already / leave) the room before I (71) …………………… (get) there. I tried (72) …………………… (explain) to Trevor why he needed (73) …………………… (have) these hospital tests, but he (74) …………………… (not / listen). He said I (75) …………………… (be) an ignorant country doctor who (76) …………………… (not / know) what he (77) …………………… (talk) about. I (78) …………………… (realise) it was no use (79) …………………… (argue) with him, so I …………………… (80) (leave) after only a few minutes. I was quite angry actually. I let myself out of the house without (81) …………………… (see) Lucy or Mrs Stern.
GERALD
Yes, Trevor was my business partner. We (82) …………………… (not / be) really friends. Yes, my house (83) …………………… (be) just round the corner from the Sterns’. I (84) …………………… (live) here for two years now. I (85) …………………… (have) a little cottage in the village. But I (86) …………………… (buy) this house when I started (87) …………………… (earn) a lot of money.
I can’t really tell you very much about the night Trevor died. I took my dog for a long walk that evening. I …………………… (88) (go) up on the hills, away from the village. Then the stupid dog (89) …………………… (run) after a rabbit or something and I (90) …………………… (lose) him in the dark. I (91) …………………… (look) for him when I (92) …………………… (meet) Lucy, as a matter of fact. She (93) …………………… (walk) up the road towards the Sterns’ house. She (94) …………………… (seem) rather upset. I told her I (95) …………………… (look) for my dog, but she said she (96) …………………… (not / see) it.
She (97) …………………… (go) into her house and I (98) …………………… (find) the dog a few minutes afterwards. I was back home by just after quarter to ten.
Detective Inspector Blackledge showed the statements to her colleague, Sergeant Ross.
BLACKLEDGE: Well, Ross. What do you think? Who killed Stern?
ROSS: I don’t know. It (99) …………………… (not / be) his wife. She (100) …………………… (not / even / go) into the study.
BLACKLEDGE: But she admits she didn’t love him. Do you think she’s in love with the doctor?
ROSS: It’s possible. And perhaps Trevor Stern (101) …………………… (find out). But we know the doctor was at the hospital by ten o’clock that night. And that’s at least half an hour from the Sterns’ house.
BLACKLEDGE: But that (102) …………………… (mean) that Doctor Emerson (103) …………………… (leave) the Sterns’ house before half past nine.
ROSS: Exactly. Also, Delia Stern told her sister she (104) …………………… (leave) her husband. She didn’t need (105) …………………… (murder) him.
BLACKLEDGE: Yes, and there’s something about Lucy’s story which doesn’t quite fit. Let’s see, what did Gerald Brook say?
ROSS: That’s it! Lucy (106) …………………… (not / walk) to the village and back if he (107) …………………… (meet) her at twenty to ten. She (108) …………………… (still / shout at) by her father at 9.15.
BLACKLEDGE: But look at all the statements. The times don’t fit.
ROSS: Neither do the facts. Someone (109) …………………… (tell) lies.
BLACKLEDGE: I think it’s time we (110) …………………… (make) an arrest. Who did they arrest? See page 120.
Answer
4 had been murdered 5 didn’t love
6 didn’t murder 7 wanted
8 had or was having 9 asked
10 was watching 11 told
12 called 13 noticed
14 had expected or had been expecting
15 answered 16 was shouting
17 were obviously having
18 took 19 shouting
20 had gone 21 to go
22 didn’t want 23 heard
24 came 25 was still talking
26 heard 27 wasn’t shouting
28 phoned 29 talked 30 told
31 had decided 32 was watching
33 take 34 spilt/spilled
35 was pouring 36 didn’t want
37 crept 38 decided 39 never tell
40 see / ’m going to see
41 had had 42 usually takes
43 took 44 went
45 saw 46 was walking
47 saw 48 was standing
49 didn’t see or couldn’t see
50 was talking 51 hadn’t answered
52 reached 53 remembered
54 was playing or was going to play
55 walked 56 met 57 reached
58 was looking 59 called 60 was
61 had planned 62 had been visiting
63 let 64 seemed 65 showed
66 shouting
67 were having or had been having
68 stopped 69 went
70 had already left 71 got
72 to explain 73 to have
74 didn’t listen or wouldn’t listen
75 was 76 didn’t know
77 was talking 78 realised
79 arguing 80 left 81 seeing
82 weren’t 83 is
84 have lived or have been living
85 used to have or had
86 bought
87 earning or to earn
88 went 89 ran 90 lost
91 was looking 92 met
93 was walking 94 seemed
95 was looking 96 hadn’t seen
97 went 98 found 99 wasn’t
100 didn’t even go
101 had found out
102 means
103 left or must have left
104 was going to leave or was leaving
105 to murder
106 can’t have walked or couldn’t have walked
107 met
108 was still being shouted at
109 has been telling or is telling
110 made
