13.5 Grammar in Use

A science-fiction tale told after the events relies on narrative past tenses, vivid similes, and, because the crew has to work out what went wrong, modals of deduction.

1. Narrative past tenses

The story is told in the past. Use the simple past for completed actions, the past continuous for actions in progress, and the past perfect for earlier actions.

  • Simple past: Claribel collapsed in the bad air.
  • Past continuous: The air was turning poisonous while the crew worked.
  • Past perfect: Sven had smuggled the bird up on the last ferry.

Practice. Choose the correct form:

  1. The narrator heard a whistle while he (worked / was working) in the cabin.
  2. The alarm did not sound because the purifier (had frozen / froze) earlier.
  1. was working   2. had frozen

2. Similes

A simile compares two things using like or as. Clarke describes the canary hanging in the air like a hummingbird. Similes make description vivid and help us picture the unfamiliar (a bird in zero gravity) by linking it to the familiar.

Practice. Complete each simile:

  1. The bird floated as lightly as ___.
  2. In zero gravity, the crew moved like ___.
  1. as lightly as a feather   2. like swimmers underwater

3. Modals of deduction

When we work out what must be true from evidence, we use modals of deduction: must (sure it is true), can’t / couldn’t (sure it is not true), might / may / could (possible).

  • The bird fainted, so the air must be bad.
  • The alarm didn’t ring, so it can’t be working.
  • Something might have frozen in the purifier.

Practice. Choose the best modal:

  1. Claribel has collapsed; the air ___ be poisonous. (certain)
  2. The alarm is silent; it ___ be broken. (certain it is true)
  1. must   2. must

Quick check Must = I’m sure it’s true; can’t/couldn’t = I’m sure it’s false; might/may/could = it’s possible. Detectives, scientists, and the crew of this story all reason with these modals.