CURS LIMBA ENGLEZA - ENTERTAINMENT. SPORTS AND HOBBIES

SECTION I

ENTERTAINMENT

A. LEAD IN

1.                What’s your favourite pastime? How do you relax?

2.                How can you spend your free time in the city/ town/village where you live?

3.                How would you entertain a foreigner whose host you are for a weekend?

4.                What do you understand by active entertainment?

5.                Tell the rest of the class about your favourite indoor/ outdoor activity.

6.                What is the entertainment industry?

7.                Extra question: when did you last laugh until you cried? Share the experience with your mates.

B. READING OBJECTIVE

MATERIAL GIRL

Her look is ever changing. The white-painted face, with lips like a strawberry is framed by a straight curtain of dark glossy hair. So it is difficult to believe that this is Madonna, the woman who sums up the idea of independence in the post-feminist era, posing as a silent, submissive girl.

But to take Madonna at face value is to misunderstand one of the most complex and clever female stars of the past two decades.

She is the mistress of reinvention; and behind every change of image – always total, always perfect down to the last detail – is a carefully thought strategy to get the attention that she wants.

From the moment the Detroit convent girl left for New York more than twenty years ago with a burning ambition to be the world’s most famous woman, she has shown an amazing talent for transformation.

She was named the new face of Max Factor make up – quite an achievement at the age of forty. She desperately wanted the role of Eva Peron in the film Evita, so she showed director Alan Parker she was the perfect choice by adopting an uncanny resemblance to the Argentinian president’s wife.

Her life has been a perpetual amazement to her fans. She was married to the actor Sean Penn for a short period and the had numerous affairs to more or less famous men. When she finally decided to settle down she married British director Guy Ritchie and has become a genuine English lady.

All her albums were a success and fans of all ages still fill the world’s largest stadiums when she has concerts.

Reading comprehension

1. Why does the author of the text consider Madonna an amazing person?

2. What is she famous for?

3. How has her life changed in time?

4. In your opinion, how has the entertainment industry contributed to making Madonna a famous person all over the world?

C. VOCABULARY

1. In the following table write down the new words in the text above as well as their meaning (and translation into Romanian, if necessary). Then use these words in sentences of your own.

2. Which of the following words and phrases would you associate with the forms of entertainment mentioned in the table: atmosphere, décor, stage, scenery, director, orchestra, spotlights, backing singers, conductor, rehearsal, script, chef, tip, performance, lyrics, soundtrack, opening night, costumes, live.

3. What forms of entertainment would you choose if you:

needed cheering up __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

wanted to meet people __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

wanted a quiet evening __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

wanted to celebrate something __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

wanted to entertain a business partner __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

wanted to wear your new elegant dress / suit __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

4. Match the words in the two columns to form collocations, them make sentences.

Chamberactor__ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Oil rooms __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Operaorchestra __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Dressingarts __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

Film   painting __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Supportingtechnician __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Fine   house __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Lighting producer __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

5. What kinds of films / music can you name? In pairs also try to provide one or two examples for each type enumerated.

Films __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

Music __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____ __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

6. What musical instruments would you expect to see / hear at :

a)                a rock concert __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

b)                a jazz concert __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

c)                a classical music concert __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

7. a) What sort of TV programmes do you think these would be:

Last Week in Parliament __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

The $ 10,000 Question __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

World Cup Special __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

The Amazing Underwater World __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Rambo III __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

La Povre Maria __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

D. GRAMMAR

MODAL VERBS (2) 

SHALL, SHOULD, WILL, WOULD, OUGHT TO, NEED, NEEDN’T,

1. What do the underlined verbs express? Use the following terms in your answers: advice, suggestion, obligation, lack of obligation, invitation, offer, interdiction, determination, typical behaviour, refusal to act, promise, possibility.

a) You should learn more. __ ____ ____ ____ _____

b) How should I know that? __ ____ ____ ____ ____

c) They should be brothers as they have the same surname. __ ____ ____ ____

d) Now that she’s ill you should visit your grandma more often. __ ____ ____ ____

e) Parents ought not to quarrel in the presence of their children. __ ____ ____ ____

f) Need / must I learn all the modal verbs? __ ____ ____ _____

g) Of course you need / must, they are very important. __ ____ ____ ____ __

h) No, you needn’t, for the time being. __ ____ ____ _____

i) Shall we dance? __ ____ ____ ____ __

j) Shall I help you? __ ____ ____ ____ __

k) The parties shall comply with the provisions of the present contract. __ ____ _____

l) “You shalt not kill”, says one of the ten biblical commandments. __ ____ ____ ____

m) Let him do what he will. __ ____ ____ ____

n) Boys will be boys. __ ____ ____ _____

o) My car won’t start on very cold weather. __ ____ ____ _____

p) He tried the whole morning to fix the car but it wouldn’t start. __ ____ ____ ____

q) I tried to persuade him but he will not listen. __ ____ ____ ____

r) You will be punished if you do that, said mother. __ ____ ____ _____

s) I will be there, she promised.

2. Now build sentences of your own that should express the same situations as those enumerated in the previous exercise.

3. Use the underlined verbs in the past:

a) You needn’t come. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

b) You need worry. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

c) You needn’t wait for me. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

d) We needn’t phone them. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

e) They needn’t borrow any money. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

4. Pay attention to the difference in meaning between the following sentences. Then fill in the blanks.

We didn’t need to hurry, there was plenty of time. (comment: consequently we didn’t hurry)

We needn’t have hurried but we didn’t know that the plane had been delayed. (comment: we hurried because we didn’t know it was not necessary)

a) We __ ____ ____ ____ __ the new words in the dictionary which saved us a lot of time. We __ ____ ____ ____ __the new words in the dictionary; if we had known it would have saved us a lot of time. (TO LOOK FOR)

b) You __ ____ ____ __ anything, but I suppose you forgot I have already been shopping. We __ ____ ____ ___ they offered us everything we wanted. (BUY)

c) I __ ____ _____ the bell but I didn’t know there was nobody in. I __ ____ _____ the bell the door was open and she was waiting for me on the threshold. (RING)

d) We __ ____ _____ early yesterday as it was Sunday. We __ ____ ____ __ so early but since we did it let’s have a coffee. (GET UP)

e) They __ ____ ____ _____ for us, we told them we would take a taxi. They __ ____ _____for her but they didn’t know she was not coming anymore. (WAIT FOR)

5. Having in mind that should / shall may express:

- obligation: E.g.: You should do as I tell you.

- advice E.g.: You should see a doctor. You shouldn’t drink so much.

- Probability E.g.: They should be at school by now.

- criticism: should have E.g.: You shouldn’t have drunk so much.

- Suggestion E.g.: Shall we go to the cinema?

- Offer E.g.: Shall I clean the table?

read the following sentences any say what should expresses in each case:

a)     You shouldn’t stay up late. __ ____ ____ ___

b)     Why should I do it? __ ____ ____ ___

c)     Shall I help you finish your homework? __ ____ ____ ___

d)     He shouldn’t have been so rude. __ ____ ____ ___

e)     You should tidy your room. If you don’t, I won’t let you go out. __ ____ ____ ___

f)      Manchester should beat Leeds in the Sunday match. __ ____ ____ ___

g)     Shall we visit your parents this evening? __ ____ ____ ___

h)     You should try to study much more than you do now. __ ____ ____ ___

ESEU: Harap-Alb Caracterizare ESEU: REVEDERE - comentariu

6. Taking into consideration that these two modal verbs may refer to:

- requests E.g.: Will you give me a hand with this?

- polite requests E.g.: Would you help me finish this exercise? Would you mind opening the window, please?

- Offers E.g.: Would you like another cup of tea?

- Intention E.g.: I’ll phone you as soon as I can. We won’t stay more than we have to.

a) write what you would say to somebody who …

is smoking in the baby’s room __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

is playing the radio loudly __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

has left the door open __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

is making noise in the library __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

b) Ask your friend to :

help you with a problem at school. __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

lend you a book __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

7. Remember that need expresses :

- Necessity E.g.: “I need to clean the windows.” “Yes, I agree; they definitely need cleaning.”

- Lack of necessity E.g.: You needn’t take your umbrella (or You don’t need to take your umbrella). It’s not going to rain. You needn’t have taken your umbrella. The weather is fine and now you have to carry it. I didn’t need to take my umbrella, so I didn’t take it.

Now complete the following sentences using need, needn’t, needn’t have, didn’t need.

a)     You __ ____ ____ ___ (take a taxi) otherwise you’ll be late.

b)     She __ ____ ____ ___ (come so early). There is plenty of time before the show. However, since she is here she can help with the costumes. They __ ____ _____ (iron).

c)     What kind of suit do you want to buy? Something expensive? Well, it__ ____ _____ (be expensive) – that’s not important.

d)     I had enough food in the fridge. You __ ____ _____ (go shopping). Where am I going to put all that food now?

e)     Thank God, I __ ____ ____ ___ (go to work yesterday). I had a terrible headache.

f)      I __ ____ _____ (sell my car). My father could have given me the money for the trip.

8. Ought to is used to express:

- Obligation E.g.:You ought to do as I tell you.

- Advice E.g.: You ought to see a doctor about it. You ought not to drink so much.

- probability / expectation E.g.: They ought to be home by now.

- criticism: ought to have E.g.:He ought to have listened to my advice. He ought not to have drunk so much.

Now read the following sentences and say what ought to expresses in each case.

a)     You really ought not to stay out so late. __ ____ ____ ___

b)     Do I really ought to do it? __ ____ ____ ___

c)     You ought to try doing some more work. __ ____ ____ ___

d)     He ought to have told me about it. __ ____ ____ ___

e)     He ought to be at school by now. __ ____ ____ ___

9. Complete the following sentences with must or needn’t (= don’t have to).

a)     I’m not feeling well. I __ ____ ____ ___ go home.

b)     She __ ____ ____ ___wear a coat. It’s very cold.

c)     He is almost blind. He __ ____ ____ ___ wear glasses.

d)     We __ ____ ____ ___ drive very fast. We have plenty of time.

e)     You __ ____ ____ ___write to him. He is coming here tomorrow.

f)      We __ ____ ____ ___make any sandwiches. Nobody is hungry.

g)     I’m sorry doctor, you __ ____ ____ ___ come. My son is very ill.

h)     You __ ____ ____ ___do any shopping today. We’ve got plenty of food.

i)       We __ ____ ____ ___either swim or jump; there is no other means of crossing the stream.

j)      We __ ____ ____ ___hurry. There’s not much time left.

k)     She __ ____ ____ ___look for a hotel. She’s got no place to stay.

l)       You __ ____ ____ ___call a taxi. I can give you a lift.

10. Choose the phrase that best completes each sentence.

a)     I (needn’t / can’t) change clothes for dinner; it’s not a formal meal.

b)     Why is Susan so late? She (should arrive / should have arrived) long ago.

c)     He (doesn’t have to / mustn’t) wear a suit to work but he usually does.

d)     Peter isn’t at home. He (must gone / must go) to the theatre.

e)     The doctor said I (mustn’t / needn’t) go back to the hospital; my arm is all right.

f)      You (needn’t have / shouldn’t have) taken that medicine without a doctor’s prescription.

g)     You (needn’t / mustn’t) come before seven, unless you’ve got nothing else to do.

11. Fill in the blanks must, can’t (couldn’t), needn’t.

a)     A. John’s bought six bottles of beer.

B. He __ ____ ____ __ have bought any. We’ve got a lot of beer at home.

b)     A. We called on you yesterday evening but you weren’t in.

B. I’m sorry. I __ ____ ____ __have been at the hairdresser’s.

c)     A. The prisoner __ ____ ____ __have escaped through the window because the door is locked.

B. Well, he __ ____ ____ __ have gone out through the window. It’s barred.

d)     A. They __ ____ ____ __ have hurried. They had plenty of time for the game.

B. Yes, but they __ ____ ____ __ have forgotten what time the game started.

e)     A. She was carrying a handbag when she went into the office but she hasn’t got it now.

B. She __ ____ ____ __have left it inside.

f)      A. I saw a tiger near the river.

B. You __ ____ ____ __have seen a tiger. There aren’t any in this country.

g)     A. You__ ____ ____ __ have sent me a letter. I was going to phone you anyway.

B. I didn’t know that. I __ ____ ____ __ have known.

h)     A. We’ve sent for the doctor.

B. You __ ____ ____ __ have sent for him. I feel perfectly well.

i)       A. Perhaps, he walked home.

B. No, he __ ____ ____ __ have done that. His legs were badly hurt.

j)      A. I’ve just watered the flowers in the garden.

B. You __ ____ ____ __ have watered them. It’s going to rain very soon.

E. LANGUAGE IN USE

Making a date. If you like a person and you want to invite him / her out you have to make a date. These are expressions you can use to arrange to meet someone. Some possible answers are also given. In order to enrich your vocabulary on the topic also look at the Language In Use Section in Unit 7.

Oh, um, are you doing anything this evening, by any chance?

Um, I was thinking of going to the cinema this evening, would you like to come?

Er, are you going to be busy this evening? I was wondering if you might like to come to the cinema with me.

I’m going out to the theatre with some friends. Would you like to join us?

YES! That’d be lovely.

I’d love to.

How nice of you, thanks very much.

Mmm, that’s a great idea.

NO!      Oh, dear, I’m afraid I’m busy tonight.

Tonight’s difficult. Perhaps tomorrow evening, though.

I’m sorry, I’m expecting some visitors this evening.

This evening’s a bit of a problem. What about tomorrow?

Task: Decide when each of these expressions would be appropriate and what you might say before and after. Think of some possible situations in which you would use each expression.

Asking permission

When talking to other people, especially in an official environment you may need to ask for permission to do things. The words you choose depend on:

a)                           The type of task you want to do and the trouble you may have getting permission to do it.

b)                           Who you are and who you are talking to – the role you are playing and your relationship.

Here are some useful ways of asking permission. The expressions get more and more polite as you go down the list:

I’m going to …

I thought I might …

I’d like to …

Alright if I …?

Anyone mind if I …?

Would you mind if I …?

Is it alright if I …?

Would it be alright if I …?

Would you mind if I …?

I wonder if I could possibly …?

I hope you don’t mind, but would it be at all possible for me to …?

We tend to give permission in just a short phrase, like:

OK.

Yes, go ahead.

Yes, I suppose so.

Oh well, alright.

And we refuse permission like this:

That’s not a very good idea.

No, please don’t.

I’d rather you didn’t if you don’t mind.

I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.

Tasks: 1. Decide when you might use each of the expressions. Give examples of each expression in use.

2. Ask for permission to a) leave the class earlier; b) smoke in the office; c) t open the window in a train; d) use somebody else’s computer in order to check your mail.

SECTION II

SPORTS AND HOBBIES

A.               LEAD IN

1.                How would you define a hobby? Do you have one?

2.                Do you have/would you like to have a pet? Together with your desk mate think of three arguments for/against keeping a pet.

3.                In about one minute tell the class about a celebrity that you admire/dislike. How has the entertainment industry contributed to making the person famous?

4.                Has technology affected the way we spend our free time in a positive or in a negative way?

5.                How did children / young people entertain themselves one hundred years ago and how do they do the same thing now?

B.                READING OBJECTIVE

HAS TECHNOLOGY RUINED CHILDHOOD?

Today parents are increasingly worried about the safety of their children, and because of this, they are not letting their children out to play. As a result, children are no longer playing outside but shutting themselves in their rooms and losing themselves in individualistic activities such as television viewing and computer games.

Yet, if they had the chance, they would rather get out of the house and go to the cinema, see friends or play sport. In fact, when asked what their idea of a good day was, only 1 in 7 said that they would turn on the television.

British teenagers have always reterated to their bedrooms, leaving the younger children to play in communal spaces such as the sitting room, garden or kitchen; However, children from the age of 9 are now turning to their bedrooms as a place to socialise.

Bedroom culture is a phenomenon of the past 20 years with families getting smaller and homes getting more spacious; increasing prosperity has also contributed to the rise of the bedroom culture.

Of British children aged 6 to 17, 72% have a room they do not have to share with a sister or brother, 68% have their own music installation, 34% have an electronic games device, 21% have a DVD and 25% have their own PC.

On average children devote 5 hours a day to screen media. 1 child in 100 can be classed as a real screen addict, a child who spends a worrying 7 hours or more watching TV or playing computer games.

Although children generally have a few favourite programmes, they mostly use television to kill tome when they are bored and have nothing special to do. As a result of the bedroom culture, it is becoming rarer for children over the age of 10 to watch television with their parents. Once in their rooms, children tend to stay up watching television for as long as they wish. Consequently it is getting harder to control children’s viewing, while because of both television and PCs reading skills are expected to suffer.

Children’s health can also be damaged because of spending too much time indoors, in front of the computer or the TV. A growing number of children and adolescents are becoming obese, and they start having health problems because they do not practise any sport. Maybe schools and local communities should involve more, to offer the youngest members of our society safe places to play and to practise a sport regularly.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the following questions:

a)     According to the text, which are the main causes why children spend more time indoors?

b)     How would you define “bedroom culture”?

c)     What do the following percentages refer to: 68%, 25%, 72%, 21%, 34%?

d)     As a teenager, how much time did you use to spend in front of the computer or watching television? Do you think it was too little/ too much? How much time do you spend now in front of a screen?

e)     Why are young people becoming obese ?

C.                VOCABULARY

1. In the following table write down the new words in the text above as well as their meaning (and translation into Romanian, if necessary). Then use these words in sentences of your own.

2. Check the meaning of the new words from the list below. Then tell your mates what you like / don’t like doing: dancing, visiting museums, doing crosswords, walking, skiing, listening to music, watching TV, taking photographs, ice-skating, cooking, playing computer games, sailing, painting, swimming, reading, eating out, going to the cinema, playing volleyball, windsurfing, sunbathing, playing cards, fishing.

3. Write play or go in front of the following:

football iceskating

swimming   windsurfing

golf   baseball

ice hockey sailing

fishingtennis

walkingdancing

volleyball skiing

4. a) What do you have to hold in your hand if you practise:

golf - __ ____ ____ ___

tennis / badminton - __ ____ ____ _____

cricket / table-tennis / baseball - __ ____ ____ ____ ____

hockey - __ ____ ____ ____

billiards - __ ____ ____ ___

fishing - __ ____ ____ ____

rowing - __ ____ ____ ____

b) Which sports are these places associated with:

court - __ ____ ____ _____

course - __ ____ ____ ____

ring - __ ____ ____ ____ __

pitch - __ ____ ____ _____

rink - __ ____ ____ ____ __

alley - __ ____ ____ _____

piste - __ ____ ____ _____

c) What do you call a person who:

does the long jump - __ ____ ____ ____ ___

rides horses in races - __ ____ ____ ____ __

drives cars in races - __ ____ ____ ____ ___

does gymnastics - __ ____ ____ ____ _____

plays hockey - __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

plays tennis - __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

5. Jobs in football. Talk about what these people do using the prompts to help you.

Players:

Goalkeeper __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

Defender __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Midfielder __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

Striker __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____

Substitute __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Officials:

Referee __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Linesman __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Managerial staff:

Manager __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Physiotherapist __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Scout __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ __

Others:

Sponsor __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Commentator __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___

Groundsman __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Prompts:

support / club / financially / exchange / advertising

finish off / attacking move

help / referee / decide

pass / ball / scoring position

monitor / condition / ground

ensure / fair-play

try / stop / opposition / scoring

replace / injured / out of form player

responsible / player / physical condition / help / injured players / rehabilitate

search / talented / player

pick / team / arrange / transfers / supervise / training

describe / progress / match

6. Fill in the gaps with one of the following words, then translate the sentences into Romanian: supporters, hooligans, viewers, spectators, contestant, rivals, opponent, tournament, group, league.

a)     Once again the Russians were the best in the international chess __ ____ ____ ____ ____ .

b)     Arsenal are playing against their London __ ____ ____ ____ ____ on the 7^th of April.

c)     The last __ ____ ____ ____ did not appear at the line-up, so the race started with seven runners instead of eight.

d)     There must be a match tonight, the train was full of Manchester United __ ____ ____ ____

e)     Everyone thought the German would win with ease but the Romanian proved to be a formidable __ ____ ____ ____

f)      It is estimated that the World Cup final was watched by over 500 million __ ____ ____ ____ .

g)     Police blame football __ ____ ____ ____ __ for the vandalism.

h)     After a string of unlucky results, our team was relegated to a lower __ ____ ____ ____ ___ .

i)       England have been drowned in the same __ ____ ____ ____ ___ as Switzerland, Romania and Latvia.

j)      Olympic Games require locations capable of seating a large number of __ ____ ____ ____ .

D.               GRAMMAR

DETERMINERS

1.       Read the sentences below and find out with what kinds of nouns you can use much / many and (a) little / (a) few. Go back to the grammar in Unit 7, Section II to remember the difference between little / a little, respectively few / a few.

There’s not much bread left, we should buy some. There’s too much furniture in this room. He must earn very much money as he buys many expensive things. There aren’t too many students in the classroom. There’s a little coffee left, drink it if you want. He’s so shy, he has very little confidence in himself. We had been waiting for a few minutes when he came. Very few students were interested in that course.

a) Much, little, a little are used before __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ nouns.

b) Many, few, a few are used before __ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ nouns.

2. Choose the correct determiner:

a) There is (little, few) mineral water in the fridge.

b) I don’t usually eat too (much, many) fruit.

c) We have received (much, many) valuable information.

d) She made (little, few) mistakes in her homework.

e) I have only (little, a little) money left, I can’t buy those shoes now.

f) I have (few, a few) things to do before leaving.

3. When we say every person we usually mean all the persons while an expression such as each person refers to individuals taken separately. In the same way, every exercise refers to all the exercises while each exercise refers to the exercises taken separately, one by one. This information should help you fill in the blanks correctly, with EACH or EVERY.

a) __ ____ ___ student must prepare for the examination.

b) __ ____ ___ man has his faults.

c) I understand __ ____ ____ word in this text.

d) She wrote __ ____ ____ word with a different coloured pencil.

e) __ ____ ___ time we meet he is very kind to me.

f) The teacher gave a different task to __ ____ ____ student.

f)      __ ____ __ book you read makes you wiser.

SOME / ANY / NO AND COMPOUNDS

6. Complete the following conversation with some, any or no.

FRANK:             Now, Mary, you want me to buy __ ____ ___ fruit, anything else?

MARY: Let me think. Ah yes, I haven’t got __ ____ ____cheese for the cheese pie.

FRANK:             How much shall I buy?

MARY: Half a kilo. And don’t forget to buy __ ____ ___ wine.

FRANK:             How about milk? There isn’t __ ____ __ left, and jam, there is some but…

MARY: I don’t want __ _____ jam. Milk, yes, buy four bottles. Of, look! There is __ ____ ___ coffee left. Buy half a kilo this time.

FRANK:             And there are __ ____ ___ eggs. I’ll get a dozen.

MARY: Write down spaghetti, too. There is __ ____ ____ but not enough.

FRANK:             Do you want me to buy __ ____ ____ potatoes as well?

MARY: Yes, and tomatoes, as usual. That’s all. Off you go now!

FRANK:             How about flour for the pie? Don’t you need__ ____ ___?

7. Complete the sentences with no one / nobody or none.

a)     There is __ ____ ____ ____in the house right now.

b)     How many of us will take the exams? __ ____ ____ ___ .

c)     There will be __ ____ ____ ___ there to help us.

d)     __ ____ ____ ___ can lift this box. It weighs three tons.

e)     I’m sure that __ ____ ____ ___ will pay $ 3000 for such an old car.

f)      __ ____ ____ ___ of the students would like a party on Friday.

g)     “Who lent you the money?” __ ____ ____ ____ did.”

h)     __ ____ ____ __ believes him. He’s such a liar!

i)       We met__ ____ _____ on the way here.

j)      __ ____ ____ __ of these women is German.

8. Fill in the blanks with anything or something.

a)     Is there __ ____ ____ ___ in that bottle?

b)     I need __ ____ ____ ____ to open this tin with.

c)     We are hungry. Is there __ ____ ____ ___ for us to eat?

d)     John! Are you looking for __ ____ ____ ____?

e)     I want to buy__ ____ ____ ___ can you lend me some money?

f)      Susan is busy cooking __ ____ ____ _____ in the kitchen.

g)     There isn’t __ ____ ____ ____ in the basket. It’s empty.

h)     He doesn’t like this coat. Isn’t there __ ____ ____ ___ cheaper.

i)       Luke is reading __ ____ ____ ____ in the library.

j)      Is there __ ____ ____ ____ the matter with him?

9. Complete the sentences with anybody, nobody, somebody or anyone, no-one, someone.

a)     We must not tell __ ____ ____ ____ __ about the accident.

b)     There is __ ____ ____ _____ in my office. Who is she?

c)     __ ____ ____ _____ has lived on the moon yet.

d)     The police are looking for __ ____ ____ ____ __ .

e)     Can you find __ ____ ____ ____ ___ to repair the T.V.?

f)      We don’t know __ ____ ____ ____ ____ with a yellow car.

g)     __ ____ ____ _____ ever user this car. It’s useless.

h)     I am not afraid of __ ____ ____ ____ __ .

i)       There is __ ____ ____ _____ here to help you. You must work alone.

j)      Is there __ ____ ____ ____ in the house to open the door for us?

10. Complete the sentences with anywhere, somewhere or nowhere.

a)     My shoes must be __ ____ ____ ____ __ but I can’t find them.

b)     You mustn’t go __ ____ ____ ____ __! You are too sick to go out.

c)     The thief is hiding __ ____ ____ _____ in the house. We’ll catch him.

d)     I can’t see my glasses __ ____ ____ _____ Can you see them?

e)     The children are going __ ____ ____ ____ ___ tonight. I don’t know where, though.

f)      “Can we meet __ ____ ____ ____ __ else, John?” “__ ____ ____ ___else, I’m afraid. This is the only place.”

g)     “Are the children playing __ ____ ____ ____ __?” “Yes, they must be __ ____ ____ ____ near here.”

h)     You can stay __ ____ ____ ____ else, I’m afraid. This is the only hotel in town.

i)       I’m afraid you can’t stay the night as we have __ ____ ____ ____ __ to put you up.

j)      The field is now a parking area and the children have __ ____ ____ _____ to play football.

k)     We hardly go __ ____ ____ _____ for the weekends.

l)       I know he meets his girlfriend __ ____ ____ _____ but nobody knows where.

MUCH / MANY / LITTLE / FEW

11.            Complete the following sentences using a lot (of), much, little, a little, few, a few (with or without very).

a)     John has __ ____ ____ ____friends here.

b)     He eats__ ____ ____ ___ meat.

c)     Mary does not eat __ ____ ____ ____ apples.

d)     Does John eat __ ____ ____ ____ __ fruit?

e)     John was here __ ____ ____ ____ days ago.

f)      He doesn’t spend __ ____ ____ _____ money on books.

g)     Mary spends__ ____ ____ ____ __ time on her homework.

h)     How __ ____ ____ ____ __ times a week do you take English lessons?

i)       I have seen him __ ____ ____ ____ __ times.

j)      My father smokes __ ____ ____ ____ ___ .

k)     He smokes __ ____ ____ ____ __ cigars.

l)       She has __ ____ ____ _____ money with her.

m)   She does not drink __ ____ ____ _____ coffee but she eats __ ____ ____ ____ cakes.

n)     How __ ____ ____ _____ time do you spend on your English?

o)     Mr. Side has __ ____ ____ _____ good books.

p)     Do you have __ ____ ____ ____ ____ friends in our school?

q)     Pam does not do __ ____ ____ ____ __ reading.

r)      She hasn’t got __ ____ ____ ____ ___ books.

s)     John also has very __ ____ ____ ____ __ books.

t)      He does not work __ ____ ____ ____ ___

u)     John never has __ ____ ____ ____ ___ money with him.

v)     I never seem to have __ ____ ____ ____ ___ money.

w)   __ ____ ____ ____ Romanians speak English well.

x)     In England they drink __ ____ ____ ___ tea.

y)     I only saw __ ____ ____ _____ good films during the holidays.

12.            Rewrite the following sentences using a few, few, a little, little in place of the words in italics.

a)     Not many of us own cars.

b)     Some of them went by air, but John went by car.

c)     I like some sugar in my tea.

d)     I always drink my whisky with some water.

e)     I have many detective stories, but not many travel stories.

f)      There are not many apples left.

g)     Will you have some more coffee?

h)     I will have some more of those beautiful apples.

i)       I have not got much time for reading.

j)      John never spends much money on clothes.

k)     Not many English people learn foreign languages.

l)       I always spend some money on books.

m)   He does not spend much.

E.                LANGUAGE IN USE

Agreeing and disagreeing

Here are some useful ways of agreeing or disagreeing with someone’s opinion. Notice that you need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English – even someone you know quite well.

AGREEMENT I couldn’t agree more.

That’s just what I was thinking.

You know, that’s exactly what I think.

I agree entirely.

That’s a good point.

DISAGREEMENT Yes, that’s quite true, but …

I’m not sure I quite agree …

Well, you have a point there, but …

Perhaps, but don’t you think that …

I see what you mean, but …

If you know someone very well you can disagree more directly using expressions like these:

I can’t agree with you there.

You can’t be serious!

Come off it!

Don’t be so silly!

Tasks: 1. What do you say if you want to agree / to disagree with someone who tells you that: a) Nadia Comaneci is the most famous sport personality in Romania; b) Steaua is the best Romanian Football team; c) Hagi was one of the best football players in the world.

2. Here is a series of extreme opinions:

“Learning English is pointless”

“Britain is unpleasant to live in”

“Football is boring”

“Marriage is out of date”

“Space travel is a waste of money”

“Strikes should be made illegal”

“All motorists should be obliged to wear seat belts”

“There should be a 50 km speed limit on all roads”

“English is a very easy language to learn”

Build conversation about each topic, using the expressions presented above. Follow this pattern:

A: It says here that learning English is pointless!

B: I’m not sure I quite agree, I’d say it was very worthwhile.

A: Why do you think that?

B: Well, because English is a world language – you need it to communicate with people from other countries.

A: That’s just what I was thinking.

F. WRITING. DISCUSSION

1. Write about your favourite pastime.