Exercise 3: Identifying Presuppositions
1. ‘I am sorry I cannot find your book right now.’
Presupposition: The listener is looking for their book, and the speaker cannot find it.
2. ‘On the occasion of my friend's birthday, I intend to buy her a new vase.’
Presupposition: It is the occasion of the friend's birthday, and the speaker plans to buy
her a new vase.
3. ‘The exam is not so difficult.’
Presupposition: There is an exam, and the speaker is expressing an opinion about its
difficulty.
4. ‘She is not happy about the chemistry course she's taking.’
Presupposition: She is taking a chemistry course, and she is not happy about it.
5. ‘We haven't heard anything from Barbara.’
Presupposition: The speaker expected to hear from Barbara, but they haven't received
any communication from her.
6. ‘They were rich.’
Presupposition: The people being referred to were wealthy.
7. ‘Can you stop playing with your cat?’
Presupposition: The listener is currently playing with their cat, and the speaker is asking
them to stop.
8. ‘She was not aware that her son had an accident.’
Presupposition: Her son had an accident, and she was not aware of it.
9. ‘The explosion was so loud that it could be heard from miles away.’
Presupposition: There was an explosion, and it was loud enough to be heard from a
considerable distance.
10. ‘I wish I had not booked the tickets.’
Presupposition: The speaker booked tickets, and they have a wish or regret about it.
11. ‘Tom might find the chocolate cake in the kitchen.’
Presupposition: There is a chocolate cake in the kitchen, and Tom might discover it.
12. ‘You will be amazed when you see the view.’
Presupposition: There is a view, and the listener will experience amazement when they
see it.
13. ‘I am so sorry, I am in a hurry and I can't answer your question right now.’
Presupposition: The listener asked a question, and the speaker is unable to answer due
to being in a hurry.
14. ‘She was not aware that it would hurt her so much.’
Presupposition: Something happened that hurt her, and she was not expecting it to hurt
so much.
15. ‘I regret not buying that house.’
Presupposition: The speaker did not buy a house, and they have regret about that
decision.
16. ‘Could you drive me to the airport?’
Presupposition: The speaker needs a ride to the airport, and they are asking the listener
for assistance.
17. ‘It took us two days to come back from Hanoi by train.’
Presupposition: The speaker traveled from Hanoi by train, and it took two days for the
journey.
18. ‘It is going to rain for a long time.’
Presupposition: Rain is expected, and it will continue for an extended duration.
19. ‘I am going to have a final examination in Semantics.’
Presupposition: The speaker is enrolled in a course in Semantics, and they have a final
examination coming up.
20. ‘We are going to be teachers of English.’
Presupposition: The speaker and others are planning to become teachers of English.
21. ‘I think I will pass the exam.’
Presupposition: There is an upcoming exam, and the speaker believes they will pass it.
22. ‘I hope to have a good result for this exam.’
Presupposition: There is an upcoming exam, and the speaker hopes to achieve a good
result.
23. ‘But before your encouragement, we would have given up.’
Presupposition: The speaker and others were considering giving up, but the listener's
encouragement prevented that.
24. ‘I got an excellent mark for my essay last time.’
Presupposition: The speaker received an excellent mark for their essay on a previous
occasion.
25. ‘I missed my class on Monday because I overslept.’
Presupposition: The speaker had a class on Monday, and they missed it due to
oversleeping.
26. ‘My sister is going to graduate from university.’
Presupposition: The speaker's sister is currently enrolled in a university program, and
she is on track to graduate.
27. ‘I've got a good mark for the exam in American Literature.’
Presupposition: The speaker received a good mark for an exam in American Literature.
28. ‘I am going to have a new grammar book.’
Presupposition: The speaker does not currently have a new grammar book, but they are
planning to acquire one.
29. ‘When did you give up teaching?’
Presupposition: The listener used to be a teacher, and the speaker is asking when they
stopped teaching.
30. ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’
Presupposition: This question contains a loaded presupposition and assumes that the
listener used to beat their wife, which may not be true.
31. ‘Fred continued/didn't continue speaking.’
Presupposition: Fred was speaking, and it is being questioned whether he continued or
not.
32. ‘I cleaned/didn't clean the room.’
Presupposition: There is a room, and it is being questioned whether the speaker
cleaned it or not.
33. ‘He killed/didn't kill the bird.’
Presupposition: There is a bird, and it is being questioned whether he killed it or not.
34. ‘What was John worried about?’
Presupposition: John was worried about something, and the speaker is asking about the
cause of his worry.
35. ‘Bill drank another glass of beer?’
Presupposition: Bill had already consumed some beer, and he drank another glass.
36. ‘Could you lend me the novel when you finish it?’
Presupposition: The listener is reading a novel, and the speaker is asking to borrow it
after they finish.
37. ‘I can't guess when the rain stops?’
Presupposition: It is raining, and the speaker cannot predict when it will stop.
38. ‘Please take me to the circus again.’
Presupposition: The speaker has been to the circus before, and they are requesting to
go again.
39. ‘He pretended to be pleased with the gift.’
Presupposition: The speaker gave a gift, and the recipient pretended to be pleased with
it.
40. ‘If only you had taken his offer.’
Presupposition: Someone made an offer, and the speaker wishes that the listener had
accepted it.
