Essential vocabulary (i)

Words

afford υ funny adj repay υ effort n

get υ sacrifice υ, n enjoy υ guess υ

treat υ, n especially adv hire υ treatment n

fetch υ keep υ trim υ fun n

occur υ turn υ purpose n unfortunately adv

Word Combinations

for smb.'s sake to get over smth.

to stay (at) home from college (classes, school) to take smb. for a drive

to dress in one's best (worst) in case

just as well to stand (be) in smb.'s way

for such an occasion to make trouble

to turn out to be no use

in the end to get on smb.'s nerves

to care for smb. (or smth.) to turn inside out

to keep back to turn over

for a little (short, long) to turn up

while to turn upside down

to get up and down for (in) fun

to get to some place to make fun of smb.

EXERCISES

1. Read Text of Unit Four and the Notes on Style and talk on the following points (A. Grammar, B. Word usage. С. Style):

A. 1. Which verbs used in the text are modal verbs? Comment on their meanings and translate the sentences in which they are used.

2. What are the meanings of the verbs to get, to make, to keep, to take in the text? (Translate the sentences with these verbs.)

3. Mother and Father are capitalized and used without articles in the text. How would you use the words in reported speech (oral and written)?

B. 1. in the phrases to decorate the house and to trim the hats we have two different equivalents of «украшать». What can be trimmed or decorated?

2. We say in the morning (evening, afternoon), but in the phrase "on the very morning of the day" on is used. Why? (Cf: on that evening, on the morning of his arrival.)

C. 1. Point out as many colloquial words and phrases as you can find. Supply their Russian equivalents if possible. What is the author's purpose in introducing so many units of informal style?

2. Point out the passages which characterize the members of the family and their real attitude to the mother. What is the method of characterization used by the author?

3. Which sentences or passages bear touches of humour? Try to explain how the humorous effect is achieved in each case. Which type of humour prevails in the story? (See Notes on Style.)

II. a) Search the text for English equivalents of the phrases listed below and write them ia your exercise book:

отмечать (праздновать) День Матери, не пойти в школу, одеться по-праздничному (принарядиться), взять напрокат машину, почти все время, на случай если.... мог бы с таким же успехом остаться дома, скоротать время, от нас бы не было никакой пользы, ушибить руку обо что-нибудь, убирать со стола, хотя бы на этот раз, обед продолжался долго, ради такого случая, в такой чудесный день, повезти ее на машине за город, вернуться домой к праздничному обеду, не так уж много места, не годится оставлять отца дома, выяснилось, что все равно.,., махал ей рукой, сели обедать, приносить и уносить что-л., мы чувствовали себя вполне вознагражденными за...

b) Getthe student sitting next to yon translate half of the Russian phrases into English (in writing) and check them with the key in your notebook. Translate the other half yourself and ask your neighbour to correct your translation.

III. Translate in writing these passages. Compare and discuss different variants of students' translation:

1. It occurred to Father that a thing it would be better to do even than to take Mother for a motor drive would be to take her fishing; if you are going to fish, there is a definite purpose in front of you to heighten the enjoyment. 2. Father said not to mind him, he said that he could just as well stay home; he said that we were not to let the fact of his not having had a real holiday for three years stand in our way,

IV. Try your hand at teaching:

A. Preparation.Pick out from the text all the words with the letter g in them. Classify them according to the way g is pronounced and put them down in columns. Make up a list of words to illustrate the same rules.

B. Work in Class. a) Show the table to the class and let the students comment on it.

b) Dictate the words in class with one student writing them on the board. Correct the mistakes on the board. (See 'Classroom English", Sections IV, VII, VIII.)

V. a) Write the words below in the Past Indefinite. Classify them into two groups: one with the final г doubled, the other one with one final r in the Past Indefinite.

b) Explain to the students when the final r should be doubled:

enter, occur, offer, remember, clear, refer [rI`fE:], cheer, bar, utter [`Atq], star, prefer, stir [stE:].

VI. a) Write an outline of the text (see Ex. IX on p. 59). (The outline may be written in the Present or Past Indefinite tenses.)

B) Discuss the outlines written by several students and choose the best one. Improve it by using some variants from other students' works. Write it down on the board and make the students copy it in their exercise books.

VII. Write two questions to each item of the outline: one should help to reveal the contradictions between what the members of the family said and did, the other (with a modal verb) — what they could or ought to have done.

e.g. 1. Did the girls really think that their mother's old bonnet was "awfully becoming" to her? 2. Don't you think they should have bought something for their mother too? (Make the students reason out their answers.)

VIII. Study the Vocabulary Notes end Essential Vocabulary (I) and a) Paraphrase the following (in writing):

1. to make smb. do smth.; 2. to have smth. arranged; 3. to recover after a disease; 4. to stand up and sit down; 5. to look in the opposite direction; 6. to come to one's mind; 7. to appear unexpectedly; 8, a great pleasure; 9. at last; 10. to be able (to spend money on smth., etc.); 11. to continue to do smth.; 12. not to let smb. do smth.; 13. to conceal some tact; 14. to enjoy oneself; 15. to love (take interest in); 16. for a short time; 17. to take a taxi; 18. to become dirty; 19. to laugh at (mock) smb.; 20. to get other people into a mess.