BRITISH AND AMERICAN FAMILIES

 

British and American families are small. In fact, the populations of both Britain and the USA have stopped growing. The typical family has two children, so that the average family has four people who live together. Grandparents come to visit, but do not usually live with their children, and uncles and aunts almost never do. Americans have fewer children than in many other cultures.

Most people get married between the ages of 20 and 23 but many marriages end in divorce. This means that both countries have a large number of “single parent families”, one father or mother looks after his or her children alone. Marriage is not so popular now.

Marriages are not “arranged” in these countries. Young people find a husband or wife themselves; their parents do not help them. If the couple decides to marry, they tell their parents about the marriage plans. This means that parents have little control, and generally not much influence, over whom their children marry.

The typical British family has a car, a color TV set, a washing machine, and a cat or dog as well. They start the day at about 6.30, have breakfast at 7.30 and are off to work by 8.30. More and more women now go out to work as well as men. The children have lunch at school at about 12.30, and come home at 4 in the afternoon. Their parents are usually home by 6 o’clock, and the family members eat together at 7 o’clock. In the evenings, father goes to the pub for a drink, or stays at home and watches TV with the others. Children go to bed early, at about 8 o’ clock, two or three hours before their parents.

A typical American family has more money than a British family. Many families have 2 or 3 cars, large modern kitchens and more electrical devices. They eat more meat and spend more on clothes. Nevertheless, their daily program is nearly the same. Like British children, American children eat lunch at school, come home mid-afternoon, and go to bed earlier than their parents go.

Questions

1.How many children does typical American or British family have?

2.When do most people get married?

3.Do young people find a husband or wife themselves?

4.When does the typical British family start the day?

5.How many cars does a typical American family have?

 


 

ЧАСТЬ 2.

 

ПОРЯДОК СЛОВ В АНГЛИЙСКОМ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИИ

УТВЕРДИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЯ

Предложения в английском языке имеют твердый порядок слов: в утвердительном, вопросительном и отрицательном предложениях.

В утвердительном предложении порядок слов следующий: Подлежащее + сказуемое + дополнение (косвенное, без предлога, прямое) + обстоятельство

1. Косвенное дополнение без предлога стоит перед прямым дополнением:

They show me a nice kitten.

2. Косвенное дополнение с предлогом стоит после прямого дополнения:

They show me a nice kitten to me.

3. Обстоятельство + подлежащее + сказуемое + дополнение + обстоятельство:

Every day she helps her mother about the house.

4. Порядок слов считается ПРЯМЫМ, если сказуемое стоит после подлежащего:

He reads newspapers every day.

ВОПРОСИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЯ

В английском языке различают следующие типы ВОПРОСОВ:

а) Общие вопросы.

б) Специальные вопросы.

с) Разделительные вопросы.

д) Альтернативные вопросы.

ОБЩИЕ вопросы задаются к происходящему в предложении действию. Общий вопрос требует краткого ответа: Да или Нет.

В вопросительном предложении порядок слов не такой, как в утвердительном предложении. Он может несколько меняться в зависимости от типа вопросительного предложения.

В ОБЩИХ ВОПРОСАХ порядок слов будет следующим:

5. Вспомогательный глагол + подлежащее + смысловой глагол
Do you get up early in the morning?

6. Если в качестве сказуемого используется глагол to be, то вспомогательный глагол не используется.

Were you at the lesson yesterday?

Глагол-связка + подлежащее + основная часть сказуемого (предикатив)