2. Nothing + be + so + Adj + as There + is/was + no V-ing

Example: 1. There + is/was + no V-ing 1. It was impossible to tell how Mark would react. There was no telling how Mark would react. 2. Jack is so stubborn that it is impossible to reason with him. Jack is so stubborn that there is no reasoning with him.

Rewrite the underlined sentences with the above pattern. Follow the examples. Exercise A 1. Since it is impossible to tell what might happen tomorrow, don’t worry about it. There is no telling what might happen tomorrow.

Exercise A 2. She left without saying anything or leaving a note. It is impossible to know where she has gone. There is no knowing where she has gone. 3. Some may like the smell of durians. Others may think it is terrible; to them, it is impossible to account for tastes. There is no accounting for tastes.

Exercise A 4. The traffic is pretty heavy today. We can’t contact Mr. Smith since he is on the road. It is impossible to tell when he’ll get here today. There is no telling when he’ll get here today. 5. To achieve our goals, we need to work hard. It is impossible to deny that success lies in diligence. There is no denying that success lies in diligence.

Sally and Roger met online. After several weeks, they decided to set up a real-life date. Sally is talking about this date with her friend Bunny. Complete the following dialogue with the given words and the above pattern. The first one has been done for you. Exercise B B: You seem pretty excited lately. Have you been hit by Cupid’s arrow again? S: Yes. Roger finally asked me out for a real- life date. B: Who’s Roger? S: A guy I met online.

B: You’re going out with a stranger? You’d better be cautious. 1 There is no telling what kind of person he is. (tell/what kind of/person/he/be) S: He is not a stranger. We have chatted online for weeks, and I know I have found my soul mate. You should try to meet people online. 2 _________________________ ______________________(know/what life/ have in store/for you) There is no knowing what life has in store for you. Exercise B

B: I don’t trust any online relationship. Most cyber-romances end up with broken hearts. Furthermore, 3 _________________________ _____________________________(predict/ what danger/you/may/put oneself in). S: OK. 4 _________________________________ __________________________(deny/online relationship/could/risky) However, I am the lucky one, and I am sure I have met the man of my dreams this time. there is no predicting what danger you may put yourself in There is no denying (that) an online relationship could be risky. Exercise B

B: To be on the safe side, I will come along with you. After all, 5 _________________ ____________________________________ __________________________(tell/whether your online romance/will/turn out to be/nightmare). S: No, thanks. I don’t want a third wheel to ruin my romance. B: Sally... there is no telling whether your online romance will turn out to be a nightmare or not Back Exercise B

Example: 2. Nothing + be + so + Adj + as.... The Internet is the most useful thing in connecting people all over the world. Nothing is so useful as the Internet in connecting people all over the world.

Rewrite the sentences below with the above pattern. Follow the example. Exercise A 1. Health is the most precious thing. Nothing is so precious as health. 2. The diamond is the hardest substance. Nothing is so hard as diamond. 3. Being honest is the most important thing. Nothing is so important as being honest.

Exercise A 4. Being addicted to drugs is the worst thing. Nothing is so bad as being addicted to drugs. 5. Having a date with my girlfriend is the most romantic thing. Nothing is so romantic as having a date with my girlfriend.

Complete the following sentences with the above pattern and the given words. The first one has been done for you. Exercise B 1. It is said that honor is important to soldiers. To them, nothing is so important as honor (important/honor). 2. Janet is burned out after a day of hard work. Now, to her, ________________________ ___________________(satisfying/have a good sleep). nothing is so satisfying as having a good sleep

Exercise B 3. Bruce is a good swimmer. He has swum across many rivers. This time, he is going to swim across the Dover Strait. To him, ____________________________________ _______________(challenging/swim across the strait). nothing is so challenging as swimming across the strait

Exercise B 4. Anna is a regular Netsurfer. In her mind, ______________________________________ __________(interesting/take part in chat rooms). nothing is so interesting as taking part in chat rooms 5. Every morning, my grandpa goes out for a walk. To him, ________________________ ________________________________ (pleasant/take a walk early in the morning). nothing is so pleasant as taking a walk early in the morning Back