Grammar focus: reporting current events

Grammar focus: reporting current events

Britons trying to return to UK from France

I Open the brackets. Use the verbs in text in the Present Simple  or Present Continuous tenses.

     Hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers desperately 1) (to try) to return home to the UK after the government imposed quarantine measures on France and five other countries taking effect in just under six hours’ time. Travellers will have to self-isolate for 14 days as the French prime minister acknowledged the number of coronavirus cases in the country was going the wrong way.  

     - Well, the race to get home  2) (to continue) here through the night. Eurotunnel 3) (to run) shuttles right through till tomorrow morning, but they 4) (to be) all now booked up until Sunday. The short window for British tourists here 5) (to close).

       Our correspondent Gavin Lee 6) (to be) in Dieppe where the last ferry tonight to the UK 7) (to leave) in less than two hours.  Gavin, we can see the queues of cars behind you. How big a rush has it been for Brits trying to get out of France?

        -Well, we've heard so many stories. The BBC has been inundated today with tales of odysseys up to 11 hours from all parts of France to get to the northern port to try to get the ferries. Behind me, Dieppe 8) (to be) an interesting drama playing out in itself. Behind pretty much all of these people 9) (to be) British tourists who 10) (to try) to get back before the four o'clock deadline. This trip, the last phrase  they 11) (to wait) for, is the 11. 59 ferry. That 12) (to be) due to get in at four o'clock in the morning or thereabouts. Now DFDS, the company that are operating this, have actually tried to get legal advice. 13) (to mean) it   that they can get into British territorial waters or 14) (to have) they to dock? The legal advice back 15) (to be) they have to dock. And we've been told that the captain on board 16) (to keep) his eye on the watch to get them in before four o'clock.

  

II Check and explain. Watch the video and check your answers. Explain the use of the Present Simple  or Present Continuous tenses.

III Over to You. Retell the story from the perspective of (choose one):

a)     a British tourist who is trying to get home quickly;

b)    a Eurotunnel boss;

c)    a ferry captain;

d)    a French tourist who wants to visit the UK;

e)    a French journalist;

  Use the Present Simple or Present Continuous tenses in your story.