Leaving it at home could mean ending up with a bloody nose. Larry James explains ....

When you go on a foreign holiday, the first thing you must remember to packis your dictionary.

You could of course stop to buyone at the airport before you get on the plane. But what happens? The assistant says, "Sorry, we've stopped sellingthose now". No, buy one before you go. It may mean runninground town to find just what you want, but it'll be worth it.

From the moment you book your holiday, you spend days trying to learnall those little phrases that will make life easy while you're abroad.

And you have such good intentions! You mean to learnat least five new phrases every day. And that means setting asidetime. So you take the book to work to study in your lunch hour and then forget to bringit home!

I've just come back from a holiday in Malawi. One day I went to a market and, without a dictionary, I started to talkto a young man selling fish. Unfortunately, although I didn't mean to be offensive,I must have said something that annoyed him. I remember wakingup lying on the ground with a bleeding nose.

If only I had remembered to takemy dictionary with me!

A: Answer the questions:

1. Why does Larry not recommend buying a dictionary immediately before the trip?

2. What does he usually do trying to learn some foreign words and phrases?

3. What did leaving the dictionary at home mean for Larry James during his holiday in Malawi?

B: Work in small groups and discuss the following:

a) things one needs to do to book a foreign trip;

b) things one should remember to take before going on a foreign trip;

c) things one should try to find out about the country he is travelling to;

d) rules one should remember to follow when abroad;

e) things that mean having a restful holiday.

C: Report your answers in the class.

14. Sean, aged eight, lives in Brighton on the south coast of England. He has written to his grandmother, who lives far away in the north. Read his letter and do the task.

Friday after school

 

Hello, dear Grandma,

How are you? I am well. Liam is well, too. Mummy says perhaps you can help me do something for my school. You see, my teacher told us to find out about the olden days - you know a long, long time ago when you were eight like me. Miss Rixby (she's our teacher) says it's a good idea to ask somebody really old to tell us about it. Please, please, please Grandma, will you write and tell me? Daddy says there was a war and you can re­member being there. Is this true? Is it difficult for you to re­member? I'd love to hear about it. I love hearing stories about when you were little like me.

Liam is crying. He's fallen over again. He's nearly learnt to walk but not yet. He's noisy and makes a mess. Mummy makes me play with him but I hate playing with him. He's no good at playing.

Grandma, please write to me. I want to see you very, very soon.

Lots and lots and lots of love and kisses.

Sean

P.S. Don't forget to send me a birthday present.

A: Read the sentences about Sean's letter. Choose the verbs or phrases below which can fill the gap correctly.

 

Sean is writing to his grandmother because he ... help him with some schoolwork.

1. wants to 2. wants her to 3. needs her to

 

a. His mother thinks that his grandmother will ... do it.

1. help him 2. agree to 3. enjoy

 

b. Miss Rixby ... the children to do the homework.

1. has told 2. said 3. expects

 

c. She has ... them to talk to an old person.

1. suggested 2. advised 3. encouraged

 

d. Sean begs his grandmother ... about the war.

1. to tell 2. to tell him 3. telling him

 

e. Sean wonders if his grandmother has difficulty ... the war.

1. to remember 2. in remembering 3. remembering

 

f. He'd like ... stories about the war.

1. to hear 2. hearing 3. her to tell him

 

g. He always enjoys ... his grandmother talking about her childhood.

1. to listen to 2. listening to 3. hearing

 

h. Sean ... play with his little brother.

1. is made 2. is told to 3. is made to

 

i. He ... playing with Liam.

1. can't stand 2. doesn't want 3. dislikes

 

j. Liam ... to walk.

1. is trying 2. isn't able 3. can't

 

k. Sean's looking forward ... his grandmother soon.

1. to seeing 2. to see 3. seeing

 

l. He ... her to send him a birthday present.

1. remembers 2. reminds 3. asks

B: Answer the questions about the letter:

1. Why is Sean writing to his grandma?

2. Which war is Sean asking about? Why is he doing this?

3. Who is Liam?

4. What does Sean think of him?

5. What does Sean remind his grandma of?

 

 

15. Read Grandma's reply and compare the impressions of the war she has with those you heard from your grandparents.

 

22 St Bede's Terrace,

Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Tuesday

 

My dear Sean,

How lovely to get your letter! Mummy is right! I will really enjoy helping you with your schoolwork, and I will try very hard to remember what it was like when I was a little girl all those years ago.

When the war started, I was just five and I'll never forget watching my grandfather dig a big black hole in the back gar­den. This was our air raid shelter. At first I was really scared of going into it. Every time the siren went off, I started to tremble and I was sick, actually sick with fear. I refused to leave my bed. I didn't find it easy to get used to sleeping in that shelter. But soon, living in the cities was so dangerous that the govern­ment decided to send all the children away to the countryside. I think I was lucky because I was able to go away to my aunt's. Some children were forced to stay with total strangers. My aunt lived in a small town, called Alston, high in the hills, not too far from Newcastle. And guess what, Sean, she had a sweet shop! Mrs Crozier's Sweet Shop. But, oh dear me, at first I was so unhappy, I couldn't stop crying because I couldn't help worry­ing about my mother back home. My aunt let me have as many sweets as I wanted, but I was too miserable to eat many. Silly me! Most children didn't have the chance of getting lots of sweets because sweets were rationed. That meant that you couldn't buy all you wanted. You were only allowed to buy a small amount. Lots of other things were rationed, too. It was almost impossible to get butter, cream, meat, fruit, vegetables, and petrol. We did without a lot of things during the war. Can you believe that just after it ended, someone gave me a banana and I didn't know what to do with it?

Sean, I hope this is useful. I'm longing to see you all. Give my love to Mummy, Daddy and Liam. Don't worry, he'll be much more fun soon.

Lots of love and kisses,

Grandma.

A: Complete the utterances from the text:

1. Grandma will never forget....

2. She was really scared of ... .

3. Every time the siren went off she started ....

4. She didn't find it easy ....

5. The government decided ....

6. In Alston she couldn't stop ....

7. Her aunt let her ... .

B: Answer the questions:

1. How old was Sean's Grandma when the war started?

2. What did the hole in the back garden serve for?

3. How did she find herself in a small town of Alston? Why did she feel miserable there?

4. What did "rationed" food mean at that time?

C: Act as Sean. Report to the class what he has learned from his Grandma's letter.

D: Say what your grandparents remember about their child­hood.

Verbals (Revision)

 

1. Choose the most suitable form.

 

1. Most of the scientists (invited / inviting) to the conference were (leading / led) specialists in various branches of economics.

2. Experiment is a test (carried out / being carried out) to gain new knowledge.

3. The number of electronic computers (used / having been used) in any (given / giving) field of human activity is an indi­cation of the degree of its modernity.

4. If (informed / informing) of new repressions, the workers will go on strike.

5. When (giving / given) advice to others, think whether you would follow it yourself.

6. Reporters can cause suffering to individuals (by publishing / by being published) details about their private lives.

7. I'm absolutely sure I locked the door. I clearly remember (locking / to lock) it.

8. I remembered (locking / to lock) the door when I left but I forgot to shut the windows.

9. In Britain she had a lot of problems as she wasn't used to (drive / driving) on the left.

10. The streets are unsafe at night. A lot of people are afraid (to go / going) out.

11. I don't usually carry my passport with me. I'm afraid of (losing / to lose) it.

12. (To be / Being) unemployed, he has never got much money, but it is always (embarrassing / embarrassed) for him (to ask / asking) people for help.

13. She avoided (expressing / to express) her opinion in public.

14. Would you mind (answering / to answer) a few questions?

15. He finished the letter with the words "I'm looking forward to (seeing / see) you in Minsk".

16. The workers complained about (being regularly insulted / having insulted) by the employers.

17. I'm sorry (to bother / bothering) you, but I need to talk to you.

18. I'm sorry (for being / to be) late. I was delayed by the traf­fic.

19. The article (typing / being typed) now will be published to­morrow.

20. The students have just passed the last exam and one of them suggested (going / to go) to the pub in the evening.

21. I'm sorry (hearing / to hear) that you've lost your job.

22. She is a very interesting person. I always enjoy (talking / to talk) to her.

23. If you cross the street without looking you risk (being / hav­ing been) knocked down.

24. He is trying to sell his car but nobody is interested (in buy­ing / to buy) it.

25. She lives only a short way from here, so it's not worth (tak­ing / to take) a taxi to get to her house.

 

2. Define the constructions with the Verbals. Translate the sen­tences into Russian.

1. Science seems to be playing a major part on politics now and it is desirable for people to understand it.

2. For the experiment to be successful he had to do much work before carrying it out.

3. We do not expect the government to cut taxes though it was promised to the people not long ago.

4. This discovery is considered to be the result of a long and thorough investigation.

5. The application of science and technology in all fields is certain to affect the structure of society as a whole.

6. Occasionally, we all have days, in which nothing seems to go right.

7. Steve's coming so late surprised everybody for he was known to be a very punctual person.

8. The manager's refusing to sign this contract was unex­pected result of our talks with one of the foreign companies working in this country.

9.1 heard them discussing the agenda of the conference and asked if they would mind my joining their discussion.

10. When he had all his taxes paid, the amount left in the bank was hardly worth mentioning.

11. The standard of living having improved, the families could afford spending more money on foodstuffs.

12. Both scientists and scholars carry out research, the dif­ference between the two is that the former are engaged in exact and natural sciences, while the latter work in the field of the humanities.

3. Paraphrase the following sentences using the verbals and constructions with them.

 

1. She was sorry that she had missed the beginning of the lecture.

2. The problems that will be discussed are vital for our re­search.

3. The two sides expect that negotiations will be long and difficult.

4. Most of the scientists believe that rapid expansion of in­dustrialization leads to an exhaustion of natural resources.

5. People are sure that science will influence the solution of most important economic and political problems.

6. We waited when the newspapers would publish the in­formation about our new discovery.

7. The teacher insisted that we should take part in the con­ference.

8. As he didn't know the language and had-no friends in the town he found it hard to get work.

9. As the crisis in the country had passed, people could think about the future again.

10. The problems of pollution have already been discussed at a large number of conferences and some of them have been sponsored by the UN.

11. I smelt that something was burning and suddenly saw that smoke was rising over the roof of the house.

12. O. Wild welcomed socialism and considered that it would be a better organized society.

4. Translate the sentences into English, using Verbals and Con­structions with them.

 

1. Во второй главе книги автор продолжает описывать экономическое положение в стране.

2. Проанализировав экономику страны, он охарактери­зовал политическую ситуацию.

3. Не ожидая ответа, он повернулся и вышел из комна­ты не сказав ни слова.

4. Чтобы поступить в аспирантуру, нужно иметь выс­шее образование.

5. Говорят, он прекрасный учёный, сделавший ряд от­крытий в области математики.

6. Известно, что ряд преступлений было совершено в этом городе в последнее время, и полиции будет трудно расследовать их.

7. Он думал, что управляющий предложит ему новую работу, и не смог не спросить его об этом.

8. Кажется, экскурсия по городу начнётся с осмотра достопримечательностей лондонского Тауэра.

9. Знать страну - значит знать историю народа этой страны, его литературу и искусство.

10. Я никогда не забуду, как сдавал вступительные эк­замены в университет.

11. Заказав билеты в театр, я пошёл за покупками.

12. Она стояла глядя в окно и ждала, когда сын вернётся домой.

The Preposition

 

Prepositions show relationships in time and space and rela­tionships between ideas (logical relationships). Many words that can be used as prepositions can also be used as adverbs, but not all of them can. A preposition in a prepositional phrase is al­ways followed by a noun, a pronoun, or another word that can replace a noun, such as an -ing form (Gerund). Always use an object form of a personal pronoun after a preposition.

 

Prepositions: place

at a point/place / met her at the bus stop. She lives at 43 Duke Road. He's at work (i.e. not at home). They're at a party tonight.
on a surface The book is on the desk. We sat on the floor.
in an area or space Malawi is a country in Africa. She lives, in Milan. He's in the kitchen. The key's in my pocket. Put it in the box.
along, round, past, through We drove along the river, round the lake, past the old castle, and through the village.
between, near, across Our house is between two shops and it is near a bus stop; you just go across the road and walk along.

Opposites

Some prepositions form pairs of opposites.

 

up / down into / out of

over / above in front of / behind

NOTE: Over/aboveare often synonymous, so are un­der/below,but overand undersometimes suggest movement.

 

When we flew overParis we couldn't see much because we were above the clouds. Below us was the river which ran underthe bridge.

Prepositions: time

at     on a time: at 9 o'clock an age: at fifteen/the age of fifteen a day or a on Monday, on 25th September date: on Saturday afternoon, on the morning of 4th June noun/gerund: On departure / departing, she ... = When she departed, she...  
in a period of time: - some time during that period: in the morning, in February, in 1994; - at the end of a stated period: I'll be ready in five minutes. (five minutes from now); - the length of time that something takes: / read the book in two and a half hours.
by a time, date, period, not later than that time: You must be here by 7 о 'clock.
before a time, date, period, event: / never go to bed before midnight.
after a time, date, period, event: I'll phone you after lunch.
since a point in time, from that time now or until a point in the past:
  We've been here since Tuesday. It was the end of the summer. They had been there since June.
for a period of time: They've been together for three years.
   
during a named period or an event: We always work hard during the summer. Fighting broke out between rival fans during the match.
until / till a point in time, the point in time at which the action finished:
  We slept until 1 till 8.00. We didn 't wake up until / till 8.00.

from a time to / until/till a time:

We slept from 11.30 to I until I till 8.00.

NOTES:

• We use at with festivals and religious celebrations: at Easter.

We say at night. But we can also say in the night meaning during.

 

• We often use last I this I nextwith time words:

We didn't go on holiday last summer.

I'm going home this weekend.

I'll see you next Monday.

 

During versus for.

We rented a cottage for the summer.

He became ill during the summer.

We spend all our time outside during the summer.

 

During versus in:

They can both be used to refer to something that happens throughout a time period, from its beginning to its end, and so it is often possible to use either duringor in:

It's very cold here during I in the winter.

 

But

- We use in and not during when we want the time reference to sound more specific. So, for example, if we are contrasting one period of time with another, we use in:

I last saw you in May, not July.

- We use during when we want to stress the idea of duration.

She felt miserable during the whole of that summer.

- When the time reference is an activity rather than a time pe­riod, we use during:

She didn't speak once during the meal.