• I was very busy. I couldn't go to the meeting.
  Had I not been so busy, I could have gone to the meeting.

• She ran so quickly that I couldn't follow her.
  She ran so quickly that I couldn't keep up with her.

• The last time she had a swim was five years ago.
  She hasn't had a swim for five years.

• I hadn't known her until he told me.
  Nor had I known her until he told me.

• Although the traffic was bad, I arrived on time.
  Bad as the traffic was, I arrived on time.

• Japanese men don't shake hands to say good-bye.
  Japanese men aren't used to shaking hands to say good-bye.

• Doing exercises before going to school I find is important.
  I find doing exercises before going to school important.

• We've never talked to an interesting person like you before.
  Never before have we talked to an interesting person like you.

• It took him only ten minutes to get there.
  He spent only ten minutes getting there.

• He prefers golf to tennis.
  He'd rather play golf than tennis.

• I prefer you to turn on the light.
  I'd rather you turned on the light.

• It's a long time since I last went to a football match.
  The last time I went to a football match was a long time ago.

• They believe that he passed the final exam.
  He is believed to have passed the final exam.

• Although he worked hard, he didn't pass the exam.
  Work hard as he did, he didn't pass the exam.

• Though she is intelligent, she is unable to solve her own problems.
  Much as she is intelligent, she is unable to solve her own problems.

• Our house is going to be painted by a firm.
  A firm is going to paint our house.

• "Why don't you put your luggage under the table?" he asked.
  He asked why I didn't put my luggage under the table.

• I am very pleased that we shall meet again soon.
  I am looking forward to meeting again soon.

• "You damaged my car, John," said Mary.
  Mary accused John of damaging her car.

• "I must see the manager," he cried.
  He insisted on seeing the manager.

• We learned this after a long time.
  It took us a long time to learn this.

• I regret speaking to him so severely yesterday.
  I wish I had not spoken to him so severely yesterday.

• John failed to find the source of the Nile River.
  John didn't succeed in finding the source of the Nile River.

• I often get up early.
  I am accustomed to getting up early.

• He speaks more persuasively than his sister.
  He is a more persuasive speaker than his sister.

• No one in her class plays football as well as Nam.
  Nam plays football better than anyone in her class.

• He said to his wife, "Are you cooking in the kitchen now?"
  He asked his wife if she was cooking in the kitchen then.

Câu 1: I was very busy. I couldn't go to the meeting.

• Cấu trúc: quá... để
• Chuyển đổi: I was too busy to go to the meeting. (Tôi quá bận để đi họp.)

Câu 2: She ran so quickly that I couldn't follow her.

• Cấu trúc: quá... đến nỗi
• Chuyển đổi: She ran too quickly for me to follow. (Cô ấy chạy quá nhanh đến nỗi tôi không thể theo kịp.)

Câu 3: The last time she had a swim was five years ago.

• Cấu trúc: hiện tại hoàn thành + for/since
• Chuyển đổi: She hasn't had a swim for five years. (Cô ấy đã không đi bơi trong 5 năm rồi.)

Câu 4: I had known her until he told me.

• Cấu trúc: not until
• Chuyển đổi: Not until he told me did I know her. (Mãi đến khi anh ấy nói với tôi thì tôi mới biết cô ấy.)

Câu 5: Although the traffic was bad, I arrived on time.

• Cấu trúc: Despite/In spite of + danh từ/ cụm danh từ
• Chuyển đổi: Despite the bad traffic, I arrived on time. (Mặc dù giao thông đông đúc, tôi vẫn đến đúng giờ.)

Câu 6: Japanese men don't shake hands to say good-bye.

• Cấu trúc: be used to
• Chuyển đổi: Japanese men aren't used to shaking hands to say good-bye. (Người Nhật không quen bắt tay để chào tạm biệt.)

Câu 7: Doing exercises before going to school is important.

• Cấu trúc: find + V-ing
• Chuyển đổi: I find doing exercises before going to school important. (Tôi thấy việc tập thể dục trước khi đi học rất quan trọng.)

Câu 8: We've never talked to an interesting person like you before.

• Cấu trúc: never before
• Chuyển đổi: Never before have we talked to an interesting person like you. (Chúng tôi chưa bao giờ nói chuyện với một người thú vị như bạn.)

Câu 9: It took him only ten minutes to get there.

• Cấu trúc: spend time doing something
• Chuyển đổi: He spent only ten minutes getting there. (Anh ấy chỉ mất mười phút để đến đó.)

Câu 10: He prefers golf to tennis.

• Cấu trúc: would rather + V1 than V2
• Chuyển đổi: He'd rather play golf than tennis. (Anh ấy thích chơi golf hơn tennis.)

Câu 11: I prefer you to turn on the light.

• Cấu trúc: would rather + S + V2
• Chuyển đổi: I'd rather you turned on the light. (Tôi muốn bạn bật đèn lên.)

Câu 12: It's a long time since I last went to a football match.

• Cấu trúc: The last time + S + V2 + was/were
• Chuyển đổi: The last time I went to a football match was a long time ago. (Lần cuối tôi đi xem trận bóng đá là từ lâu rồi.)