相似结构辨析法
命题者常把语法结构相似的句型放在同一语境中，用来考查考生对基础知识掌握的牢固程度。这就要求考生找出要考查的知识要点，并加以比较和辨析，认清它们之间的区别，从而找出正确答案。
28. The number of people invited _____ fifty but a number of them _____ absent for different reasons.
A. were; was B. was; was C. was; were D. were; were
本题考查两个相似的短语结构：a number of 和the number of. The number of people在句中作主语，指被邀请的人的数量，后面的谓语应用单数形式；a number of them意思是many of them. 后面的谓语动词用复数形式。故正确答案为C.
29. ----The light in the office is still on.
----Oh I forgot ______.
A. turning it off B. turn it off
C. to turn it off D. having turned it off
该题考查的是：forget to do sth. 和forget doing sth. 在用法上的区别。前者意思是忘记了要做某事，而后者则是忘记曾经做过某事。根据句中提供的情景办公室还亮着灯，可判断出正确答案为C.
30. _____ many times he still couldnt understand it.
A. Having been told B. Though he had told
C. He had been told D. Having told him
根据语境，选项应用被动语态形式，即只能从A、C中选取正确答案。可能有的考生认为A、C都可以，选C更为正确。其实，通过分析题干，句中缺少连词，因为在英语中，两个单句之间若是逗号，必须要有一个连词；否则，要用分号或用不能单独使用的句法成份。根据题意，having been told作状语。故正确答案为A. 若要选C，则可将题干改为：_____ many times but he still couldnt understand it.
总之，在答题时，我们既要注意将语法、语境和语言文化背景相结合，又要注意从多方面提高解题技巧，最终提高分析问题和解决问题的能力。
Mum, why do you always make me eat an egg everyday？
_________ enough proteinand nutrition as you are growing up。
A.Get B.Getting C.To get D.To be getting
如果我们把答语补充完整，那么就得到：I alwaysmake you eat anegg every day to get enough proteinand nutrition as you are growing up。这样我们很快就得到答案C。
Mrs Smith was much disappointed to see the TV set she had had ________went wrong again。
A. It B. it repaired C.Repaired D. to be repaired
分析：本题在the TV set后有一个定语从句，还原法是破解定语从句的一个好方法，我们把先行词还原到从句中，从句的结构就明确了：
She had had theTV set 如果我们选用C. repaired,就成了：Shehad had theTV set repaired。
Was everything Jim ___away by the robbers last night？
a. taken b. had taken c. owned took d. like to take
这个句子把定语从句还原后得：everything that Jim had,然后再还原was得：
Everything that Jim hadwas tak－en away by the robbers last night。
因此我们很快就找到答案B。
2： The strong wind causedthe fire, which obviously had beenset by someone on purpose, _______quickly across the field.
A. spreading B. spreadC. to spreading D. to spread
如果我们把中间的非限制性定语从句先拿掉，剩下就是：
The strong wind caused the fireto spread quickly across the field。
这时我们可以看出这个题目的考点是cause sb./sth. to do，所以我们很快就可以判定答案是D。
They _______ two free tickets to Canada，otherwise theyd never have been able to afford to go. （山东2007）
A. had got B. got C. have got D. get
「答案及解析」
答案为B.根据otherwise后面所接句子的谓语would have been可知是表示与过去情况相反，由此可知前面句子讲的有两张免费的票指的是过去的情况，故谓语用一般过去时。
Is there anything wrong，Bob？You look sad.Oh，nothing much. In fact，I _______ of my friends back home. （2007全国卷II）
A. have just thought B. was just thinking C. would just think D. will just be thinking
「答案及解析」
答案为B.由对话语境可知，一方发觉另一方不对劲，故问怎么了？你看上去不高兴。对方在思念家乡的朋友，故回答时用过去进行时与just搭配，表示刚才正在。
I got caught in the rain and my suit _______.（北京2007）
A. has ruined B. had ruined C. has been ruined D. had been ruined
答案为C.my suit承受动词ruin表示的动作，故先确定用被动语态。再由语境意义可知：被淋雨（过去）造成的结果是（现在）西服被淋坏了，要描述这样的状态，适合用现在完成时。综合时态和语态，用现在完成时的被动语态。