MANUAL CURS

LIMBA ENGLEZ
curs elaborat de Flores DOBRESCU

in parteneriat cu

A1
LESSON 1
GETTING ACQUAINTED

TOPICS

VOCABULARY
Presentation of the participants / of their job;
Introducing themselves / introducing someone else.

GRAMMAR
The English alphabet / Pronunciation rules
The pronoun

VOCABULARY
Introducing themselves / introducing someone else

Introduce yourself formally

Id like to introduce myself || Id like to introduce myself. Im Jack Todd from Dynacore.
Let me introduce myself || Let me introduce myself. Dr Steve Perkins.
How do you do? || How do you do? My name is Helen Byrne. I run the HR division.
Nice to meet you || Nice to meet you. John Bloor. We spoke on the phone last week,
I'm delighted to meet you || Im delighted to meet you. My name is Jeffers.
Reply to a formal introduction
Nice to meet you. || Nice to meet you, Colonel Wrigley.
Pleased to meet you. || Pleased to meet you, Angela. Im Dr Slithers.
Im delighted to meet you. || Im delighted to meet you. Welcome to London.
How do you do? || How do you do? Have you had a good trip?
Its an honour || Its an honour, Ambassador.
Introduce yourself before a speech
I am || I am Dr. Jack Smith from Barcelona. I work at our R&D facility.
Id like to introduce myself || Id like to introduce myself. I am Steve Platt, Chief of
Maintenance.
Let me introduce myself || Let me introduce myself. Tom Salinger.
My name is || My name is John Styles. I run Riversofts European operations.
Im called || Im called Roberta Woodall. Robbie to my friends.
Introduce people to the public
This is || This is Amy Stevens.
May I introduce? || May I introduce Sally Young? Sallys our PR officer.
Let me introduce || Let me introduce John Oats. He will be joining our sales team.
Id like you to meet || Id like you to meet Dr Li. Shes the Head Surgeon at BC Hospital.
Have you ( already) met Maria Jones? || Have you already met Maria Jones? She runs the
Moscow office.
GRAMMAR
PHONETICS
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 The English alphabet

 Pronunciation Rules in the English language

OO is pronounced U: book [buk] = carte ; roof [ruf] = acoperi
There are however a few exceptions to this rule: door [dor] = u, floor [flor] = podea;
blood [blad] = snge
EE is pronounced I: referee [refri] = arbitru
A is pronounced E, EI, , A
U is pronounced U,
I is pronounced I, AI
W is pronounced U
IR is pronounced R
ALL is pronounced OL
ATION is pronounced EIN

CH is pronounced CI
SH is pronounced
ER , EN are pronounced R, N
CE is pronounced S
TH is pronounced S or Z (the tip of the tongue goes between the front teeth)
GHT is pronounced T
PH is pronounced F
In words starting with KN the letter K is silent: know is pronounced [nu] = a ti.
Furthermore, there is a silent P in words starting with PS: psychology is pronounced
[saikolgi] = psihologie.
PRONOUNS

Subject Form

Object Form

Possessive Adjective

Possessive Pronoun

I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They

Me
You
Him
Her
It
Us
You
Them

My
Your
His
Her
Its
Our
Your
Their

Mine
Yours
His
Hers
Its
Ours
Yours
Theirs

Reflexive
Pronouns
Myself
Yourself
Himself
Herself
Itself
Ourselves
Yourselves
Themselves

Practice:
Choose the appropriate pronoun/adjective:
a.
Robert made this T-shirt myself/himself.
We helped themselves/ourselves to some cola at the party.
Emma, did you take the photo by myself/yourself?
He cut herself/himself with the knife while he was doing the dishes.
My mother often talks to myself/herself.
Do you know my/mine sister?
These are hers/her toys.
Are all those books your/yours?
Their/theirs cats are black.
b.
I can't see Mary. I can't see ________
Karen is next to Peter. Karen is next to ________
Can you help Peter and Ann? Can you help ________?
Drink your apple juice! Drink ________!
We are going to the cinema. Come with ________!
These are my bananas. You can't eat ________

LESSON 2

TOPICS

VOCABULARY
Useful language
The days of the week/Months of the year/ The seasons

GRAMMAR
The verb TO BE : there is/there are
Present tense simple

VOCABULARY

ASKING and giving DIRECTIONS

excuse me, could you tell me how to get to ?

excuse me, do you know where the is?

is this the right way for ?

how far is it to ?

is it far? is it a long way?

I'm sorry, I don't know

sorry, I'm not from around here

you're going the wrong way/in the wrong direction

take this road

go down there

take the first on the left

take the second on the right

turn right at the crossroads

continue straight ahead for about a mile (one mile is approximately 1.6 kilometres)

continue past the fire station

you'll pass a supermarket on your left

keep going for another

hundred yards (about 91 metres)

it's not far/quite close/quite a long way on foot

continue straight on past some traffic lights

at the second set of traffic lights, turn left

go over the roundabout

take the second exit at the roundabout

THE VERB TO BE
infinitive
(to) be

singular
I am
you are
he / she / it is

plural
we are
you are
they are

To make questions with be, we put am / is / are before the subject:

Are you hungry?
Why is the bus so late?
To make the negative of be, we add not or nt to the verb:
Im not very good at chess.
The boots arent as expensive as the shoes.
Note: We dont use nt after a contracted form (e.g. Im, shes) and after am:
NOT Imnt very good at this. NOR I amnt very good at chess.

There is/are

PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE

Formation
The form of the present simple does not change, except for he, she and it when we add s; after I,
you, we and they the verb has the same form as the infinitive:
Infinitive
(to) smile

Singular

Plural

I / you smile
he / she / it smiles

we / you smile
they smile

-es is added to the base form in the third person singular if the verb ends with ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or
o:
miss misses; push pushes; go goes
A consonant + y in the base form (marry) changes to consonant + -ies in the third form singular:
marry marries; fly flies
Questions and negatives
To make questions with the present simple, we use do / does + subject + infinitive. We use do
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with I, we, you and they; we use does with he, she and it:
Do you work for Harringtons?
What time does the meeting finish today?
To make the negative of verbs in the present simple, we add do not / dont or does not / doesnt
before the infinitive:
Jenny doesnt come into the office on Tuesdays.
Use
The Present Simple is usually used to talk about:
a) Actions in the present which happen again and again habits/routines:
I usually go to work at 8 am in the morning.
b) Situations in the present which remain the same for a long time - facts:
My office lies on the 7 th floor of an office building situated in the city center.
Adverbs of Frequency
With the Present Simple, we often use adverbs of frequency to say 'how often' we do
something. Here's a list of common adverbs:
always
frequently
generally
hardly ever
infrequently
never
normally
occasionally
often
rarely
regularly
seldom
sometimes
usually
We usually put these adverbs in the middle of the sentence, between the subject and the verb:
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 I often go to the cinema.

She sometimes visits me at home.
We usually drink coffee.
We can also put them at the very beginning or end of the sentence. This makes them stronger:
Often I go to the cinema.
I go to the cinema often
But never: I go often to the cinema.
Here are some other expressions we can use to say 'how often'. All of these longer phrases go
at the beginning or the end of the sentence but not in the middle.
(every) once in a while/ every so often: I go to the cinema once in a while.
every now and again/then: She drinks wine every now and again.
from time to time: From time to time I visit my mother.
every other: She goes to visit her aunt every other week. (o data la 2 saptamani)

To say how often something happens, you can use a number or 'several' or 'many', followed by
'times'.( If the number is one, use 'once' instead of 'one time'. If the number is two use
'twice,' instead of 'two times') Then add 'a' and a period of time:
I go to the cinema twice a week.
She takes these tablets three times a day.
I change the sheets once a fortnight (fortnight = two weeks).
I meet him several times a year.
I visit my parents once a month.
We can also use 'every' + period of time:
every morning
every day
every Tuesday
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 every week
every month
A day of the week with 's' at the end (for example 'on Tuesdays') means the same as 'every
Tuesday':
I take a dance class on Wednesdays.
I relax on Saturdays.
Practice:
Choose the correct words:
How old he is/is he?
He speak/speaks a little German.
They both work/works for John.
I does love/love the weather in London.
He don't/doesn't like carrots.
Do/does he go to school every day?
I comes/come from Puerto Rico.
We not/do not speak French.

LESSON 3

TOPICS

VOCABULARY
Useful language
Colours
Weather forecast

GRAMMAR
State verbs
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VOCABULARY
Offering to do something for someone
Let me help you...
Shall I...?
Can I help you?
What can I do for you?
Would you like some help?
Accepting an offer of help
Lovely! Great!
Oh yes, please!
If its no trouble for you!
That sounds like a very good idea!
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 Refusing an offer of help

Thank you for offering, but..
Thats very kind of you, but...
Im afraid i cannot accept your offer
Im very grateful to you, but...
It was nice of you to suggest it, but...
Suggesting
What about going to..?
Shall we go to..?
We might/could go..
Id like to suggest/propose going...
Inviting
We would be very pleased if you could...
Would you like to come along?
We would be delighted if you were able to...

COLOURS

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There are dark and light colours.

Also: reddish/yellowish/bluish/orangish/purplish slightly red/yellow/blue in colour
WEATHER FORECAST. WHATS THE WEATHER LIKE?

GRAMMAR
State verbs are verbs which do not normally have continuous tenses because they describe a
state rather than an action:
verbs expressing likes and dislikes : like, love, hate, dislike, can't stand, don't mind, prefer,
enjoy etc. These verbs take a noun or an -ing form after them.
She can't stand cats. He loves playing basketball.
verbs of perception: believe, know, notice, remember, forget, understand, think, etc
I don't understand the meaning of that word.
verbs of senses: see, hear, feel, taste, look, smell, sound. We often use "Can" with these
verbs.
The cake tastes delicious. but: She is tasting the soup.
some other verbs: fit, contain, need, belong, cost, owe, mean, own, appear, want, have
(=possess)
The car doesn't cost too much.
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Some state verbs accept the continuous aspect, but there is a shift in meaning:

Practice:
Choose the correct words:
What do you think/are you thinking about?
I see/am seeing the manager tomorrow.
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We have/are having a great time at the party.

I am hating/hate this job.
Which one do you prefer/are you prefering?
I am not understanding/don't understand the question.

LESSON 4

TOPICS

VOCABULARY
Useful language
The time

GRAMMAR
Present tense continuous

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VOCABULARY
Reservations and appointments
Asking to meet:
"Are you available on the 17th?"
"Can we meet on the 16th?"
"How does the 3rd sound to you?"
"Are you free next week?"
"Would Friday suit you?"
"Is next Tuesday convenient for you?"
"What about sometime next week?"
Responding to an appointment:
"Yes, Monday is fine."
"Monday suits me."
"Thursday would be perfect."
"I'm afraid I can't on the 3rd. What about the 6th?"
"I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it on Monday. Could we meet on Tuesday instead?" "Ah,
Wednesday is going to be a little difficult. I'd much prefer Friday, if that's alright with you."
"I really don't think I can on the 17th. Can we meet up on the 19th?
Cancelling an appointment
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Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen business, I will be unable to keep our appointment for
tomorrow afternoon. Would it be possible to arrange another time later in the week? Im afraid that I
have to cancel our meeting on Wednesday, as something unexpected has come up.
You know we were going to meet next Friday? Well, I'm very sorry, but something urgent has come
up. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to meet you after all. Can we fix another time?
Making a hotel reservation
Checking availability/asking about facilities
do you have any vacancies?
how long will you be staying for? - one week, a fortnight (2 weeks)
I'd like a single room/double room/suite
I'd like a room with ...a sea view/a balcony
could we have an extra bed?
does the room have ? internet access /air conditioning/ television
is there a ? swimming pool /sauna /gym /beauty salon
do you allow pets?
what's the price per night? is breakfast included?
I'd like to make a reservation
what's your name, please?
could I take your name?
what time will you be arriving?

THE TIME

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GRAMMAR
PRESENT TENSE CONTINUOUS
Formation
We make the Present Continuous with the auxiliary verb be (am / is / are) and the -ing form
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of the main verb:

singular

plural

I am working (Im working)

you are working (youre working)
he / she / it is working (hes working)

we are working (were working)

you are working (youre working)
they are working (theyre working)

The base form is usually followed by ing unless:

- it ends in e, in which case e disappears:
come coming.
- the verb ends with a stressed syllable containing one vowel followed by a consonant (except for
y and w). In this case we double the consonant:
stop stopping.
Questions and negatives
To make a question, we usually put the auxiliary verb be (am / is / are) before the subject:
Is Graham listening to the news?
But if what, who, how many etc. is your subject, then we put the subject before the auxiliary:
Who is making all that noise?
The negative is made by adding not or nt between the auxiliary verb be and the ing verb.
Notice the different contracted forms:
singular
plural
I am not / Im not working
we are not / re not / arent working
you are not / re not / arent working
you are not / re not / arent working
he / she / it is not / s not / isnt working
they are not / re not / arent working
Use
The Present Continuous (sometimes called the Present Progressive) is usually used to talk about
an activity, temporary action or situation in progress in the present.
Look! Somebodys getting out of the car.

...is getting out...

Practice:
Choose the correct word:
Suzy are/is running in the park.
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They are/is having a shower.

I are/am speaking to Mary.
She are/is learning to drive.
Are/is he baking a cake?
Am I not/I am not coming to your birthday party.
They isn't/aren't playing with the dog.

LESSON 5

TOPICS
23

VOCABULARY
Useful language
Orientation in space

GRAMMAR
Cardinal and ordinal numbers
The verb TO HAVE

VOCABULARY

Useful language
Likes and dislikes
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I am fond of
I am very keen on
What I particularly like about that is
I really dislike
I am not overenthusiastic about
Expressing your opinion
First of all/firstlysecondlyfinally
To sum up,
All in all,
To be honest,
As far as I am concerned,
On the whole,
Personally, I tend to think that
I cant agree,
To a certain extent,
To the best of my knowledge,
To my mind,
To tell you the truth,
Do you think that..?
What do you think/feel about?
Do you happen to know..?
We should take into account the fact that..
Expressing degrees of certainty/uncertainty/doubt
Perhaps,
Im not at all sure if
I dont think that
It is very likely/unlikely that
I am sure that..
I am absolutely certain that
I have my doubts about that.
It is very doubtful whether..

Orientation in space
Go left/right/up/down.
Maria is here/there/downstairs/upstairs/inside/outside/downtown.
She is staying indoors today.
He likes the outdoors.
Bob is at the library/on the bus/at work/in town.
They are sitting beside me.
There is a chemist's next to/in front of/behind/opposite the baker's.
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GRAMMAR
Cardinal and ordinal numbers
Table of Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers from 1 through 1,000,000
1 one 11 eleven
21 twenty-one 31
thirty-one
2 two 12 twelve
22 twenty-two 40
forty
3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 50
fifty
4 four 14 fourteen 24 twenty-four 60
sixty
5 five 15 fifteen
25 twenty-five 70
seventy
6 six 16 sixteen 26 twenty-six 80
eighty
7 seven 17 seventeen 27 twenty-seven 90
ninety
8 eight 18 eighteen 28 twenty-eight 100
a/one hundred
9 nine 19 nineteen 29 twenty-nine 1,000
a/one thousand
10 ten 20 twenty
30 thirty
1,000,000 a/one million
Separation between hundreds and tens
Hundreds and tens are usually separated by 'and' (in American English 'and' is not
necessary).
110 - one hundred and ten
1,250 - one thousand, two hundred and fifty
2,001 - two thousand and one
Hundreds
Use 100 always with 'a' or 'one'.
100 - a hundred / one hundred
'a' can only stand at the beginning of a number.
100 - a hundred / one hundred
2,100 - two thousand, one hundred
Thousands and Millions
Use 1,000 and 1,000,000 always with 'a' or 'one'.
1,000 - a thousand / one thousand
201,000 - two hundred and one thousand
Use commas as a separator: 57,458,302 - Million
The Number 1,000,000,000
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In English this number is a billion. This is very tricky for nations where 'a billion' has 12 zeros.
1,000,000,000,000 in English, however, is a trillion.
Singular or Plural?
Numbers are usually written in singular.
two hundred Euros
several thousand light years (ani-lumina) Also: Modern
computers are light years away from the huge machines we used in the seventies.
The plural is only used with dozen, hundred, thousand, million, billion, if they are not modified
by another number or expression (e.g. a few / several).
hundreds of Euros
thousands of light years

Table of Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal Numbers from 1 through 1,000,000
1 st first
11 th eleventh
21 st twenty-first
31 st thirty-first
2 nd second 12 th twelfth
22 nd twenty-second 40 th fortieth
3 rd third
13 th thirteenth 23 rd twenty-third
50 th fiftieth
4 th fourth 14 th fourteenth 24 th twenty-fourth 60 th sixtieth
5 th fifth
15 th fifteenth
25 th twenty-fifth
70 th seventieth
6 th sixth 16 th sixteenth 26 th twenty-sixth
80 th eightieth
7 th seventh 17 th seventeenth 27 th twenty-seventh 90 th ninetieth
8 th eighth 18 th eighteenth 28 th twenty-eighth 100 th one hundredth
9 th ninth 19 th nineteenth 29 th twenty-ninth 1,000 th one thousandth
10 th tenth 20 th twentieth 30 th thirtieth
1,000,000 th one millionth

Formation - Spelling of Ordinal Numbers

Just add th to the cardinal number:

four - fourth
eleven - eleventh
Exceptions:
27

one - first
two - second
three - third
five - fifth
eight - eighth
nine - ninth
twelve - twelfth
In compound ordinal numbers, note that only the last figure is written as an ordinal number:

421st = four hundred and twenty-first

5,111th = five thousand, one hundred and eleventh
Figures
When expressed as figures, the last two letters of the written word are added to the ordinal
number:

first = 1st
second = 2nd
third = 3rd
fourth = 4th
twenty-sixth = 26th
hundred and first = 101st
Titles
In names for kings and queens, ordinal numbers are written in Roman numbers. In spoken
English, the definite article is used before the ordinal number:

Charles II - Charles the Second

Edward VI - Edward the Sixth
Henry VIII - Henry the Eighth

The verb TO HAVE

(have got - only exists in the present simple tense)

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TO HAVE
I have
You have
He/she/it has
We have
You have
They have

I don't have
You don't have
He/she/it doesn't have
We don't have
You don't have
They don't have

Do I have?
Do you have?
Does he/she/it have?
Do we have?
Do you have?
Do they have?

Practice:
Write down the following numbers in words:
154323002314405047215th3rd-

LESSON 6
29

TOPICS

VOCABULARY
Asking questions
Car/airplane parts

GRAMMAR
Numbers || Large numbers and dates / Decimals and fractions

30

VOCABULARY
Asking questions
Most questions with question words are made in the same way:

How often does she use it?

Why don't you come?

Where do you work?

How many did you buy?

What time did you go?

Which one do you like?

Whose car were you driving?

When are you coming back?

Note the position of the prepositions in these questions:

Who did you speak to?

What are you looking at?
Where does he come from?
Look at these two questions:

Question word

Auxiliary

Subject

Verb

Who

do

you

love?

Question word

Verb

Object

Who

Loves

you?

The first question is a normal question and uses the form which we almost always use for a question:
question word + auxiliary + subject + verb
In the second question, the question word is the subject. When the question word is the subject there
is no auxiliary verb and the verb agrees with the subject.
Questions with whose
Whose asks about possession:
Whose book is this? Mine. / Its mine. / Its my book.
Whose books are these? Mine. / They are mine. / They are my books.
Whose is this? Whose are these?

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32

GRAMMAR

33

34

35

LESSON 7
VOCABULARY

Have and have got

Prepositions

Articles
Clauses of result: So/such

GRAMMAR

36

VOCABULARY

37

Practice:

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PREPOSITIONS

39

40

ARTICLES

Indefinite articles:
A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". A is used before a noun that
starts with a consonant, while AN is used before a noun that starts with a vowel.
Use A(AN) when you are talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing.
I need a phone. Not a specific phone, any phone
Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the first
time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something.
I have a car. The car is being introduced for the first time.
Tom is a teacher. This is new information to the listener
Is there a dictionary in your backpack? Asking about the existence of the dictionary
REMEMBER: You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns because A(AN) means "one" or "a single".
The definite article:
THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something
which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or
discussed.
Do you know where I left the car keys? The listener knows which specific car keys you are talking
about.
You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns.
Nobody lives on the Moon. - unique

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LESSON 8

VOCABULARY

Useful language

The house

Shapes

GRAMMAR

Past tense simple

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VOCABULARY
Giving instructions
Remove..
Switch..
Plug in
Insert
Check
Press
Attach..
Simple instructions to replace a light bulb
Firstly, turn off the electricity.
Secondly, remove the light bulb.
Then, screw in the new light bulb.
Finally, turn the electricity on and switch on the light.
Be careful not to (touch any live wires)
Try to (see if the lightbulb is broken or just loose)
Try not to (touch the lightbulb with your hands)
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It's important to (make sure the electricity is off)

It helps to (wait for the lightbulb to cool down before you remove it)
Showing sympathy
That is a shame!
I am very/ most awfully/dreadfully sorry to hear that!
Shapes

The house

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45

PAST TENSE SIMPLE

Formation
We make the past simple of regular verbs by adding ed to the infinitive of the verb:
Infinitive
Plural
Singular
(to) look
we looked
I looked
you looked
you looked
he / she / it looked
they looked
If the infinitive ends in e, we only add a d:
bake baked; type typed
With verbs of one syllable, one vowel and one consonant, we double the consonant:
stop stopped
In two-syllable verbs, double the consonant if the stress is on the second syllable
prefer preferred
If the verb ends in a consonant + y, the y changes into ie
try tried
Questions and negatives
To make questions in verbs in the past simple, we usually use did + subject + infinitive:
Did Jane like the film?
To make the negative of verbs in the past simple, we use the auxiliary did with nt or not and the
infinitive of the main verb:
Jane didnt like the film.
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 Use
We use the Past Simple to talk about something that:
- took place at a specific time in the past.
- is finished.
It does not matter if the events are short, long or repeated or if they are in the near past or the
distant past. We always think of them as complete events.
Sue went to Sri Lanka last week. She stayed in Jaffna.
She went abroad four times the year before, too.
The Past Simple is often used with time expressions such as: ago, last Sunday, on Tuesday, when
I was young.

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48

Practice:

49

LESSON 9

VOCABULARY
The family
Useful language
GRAMMAR
Used to/Be used to/Get used to

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VOCABULARY
The family

Complaints and apologies

Making a complaint
I'm afraid I have to make a complaint...
I'd like to make a complaint...
I'm sorry to trouble you, but...
excuse me, there appears/seems to be something wrong with...
Apologising
I'm sorry to hear that..
Oh, I'm sorry about that.
I would like to apologise/My apologies for...the inconvenience
please accept our sincere/sincerest apologies for...
unfortunately, this was unavoidable as/due to..
the main reason for this was...
I'm glad that you have brought this to our notice.
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Asking for specifics/Taking action

please tell me exactly what happened
I will send someone to take care of it.
let me straighten this ut and I will get back to you.
You may be assured that this won't happen again.
GRAMMAR
USED TO/BE USED TO/GET USED TO

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53

LESSON 10

VOCABULARY

Talking about themselves

Using temporal references
Describing their schedule

GRAMMAR
Nouns
The possessive

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Talking about themselves

Signs of the zodiac
CAPRICORN (December 22nd - January 20th)
positive traits: persevering, determined, serious, taciturn (reticent, not speaking much), shrewd
(intelligent, practical)
negative traits: hard-hearted (uncaring-nepasator), obstinate (stubborn), pessimistic
AQUARIUS (January 21st - February 19th)
positive traits: kind, reliable, loyal
negative traits: furious, unemotional
PISCES (February 20th - March 20th)
positive traits: sensitive, placid (calm), cheerful, warm-hearted
negative traits: dreamy, restless, lack of self-confidence
ARIES (March 21st - April 20th)
positive traits: courageous, strength of will, industrious (hardworking), enterprising (showing
initiative)
negative traits: moody, impatient, violent-tempered
TAURUS (April 21st - May 20th)
positive traits: self-confident, steadfast (ferm, de neclintit), energetic, tidy, kind
negative traits: obstinate, unforgiving, excessive
GEMINI (May 21st - June 21st)
positive traits: skillful, humorous, persuasive
negative traits: curious, restless, nervous, careless
CANCER (June 22nd - July 22nd)
positive traits: sensitive, reasonable, home-loving
negative traits: moody, irritable, domineering
VIRGO (August 24th - September 23rd)
positive traits: tidy, industrious, calm, a keen intelligence
negative traits: fault-finding, schoolmasterish, materialistic
LIBRA (September 24th - October 23rd)
positive traits: a feeling for beauty, wise, helpful, friendly
negative traits: erratic (unpredictable, unreliable), indifferent, love of convenience
SCORPIO (October 24th - November 22nd)
positive traits: inquiring mind, determined, industrious
negative traits: vindictive (spiteful, seeking revenge), lacking self-control, compulsive
(uncontrollable), unforgiving
SAGITTARIUS (November 23rd - December 21st)
positive traits: openhearted, charitable, adventurous, enterprising
negative traits: restless, stubborn

Countries and Nationalities

55

The word 'Nationality' is not often used in spoken English. It is a formal and official word and it
appears more frequently in written English. You will find the word 'Nationality' is used a lot in the
travel industry and for immigration.
We almost never say: What is your nationality?
We usually say: Where are you from? OR Where do you come from?
To tell someone your nationality you DON'T say: My nationality is Chilean.
You say: I'm Chilean
Remember
I am/come from Chile.
To Be/Come + from + country
I am Chilean.
To Be + Nationality
!Note - in English all countries and adjectives describing the products, people or services from
that country are proper nouns and as such start with a CAPITAL LETTER.
For example: Ireland - Irish, Belgium Belgian

Country
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
Denmark
Egypt
England
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Lithuania
Mexico
Morocco

Nationality
Argentinean
Australian
Belgian
Brazilian
Canadian
Chinese
Danish (Dane)
Egyptian
English
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Indonesian
Iranian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Lithuanian
Mexican
Moroccan

Language
Spanish
English
French / Flemish
Portuguese
English / French
Chinese
Danish
Arabic
English
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Indonesian
Persian
Irish/ English
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Lithuanian
Spanish
Arabic / French
56

Netherlands
Norway
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United States
Vietnam
Wales

Dutch
Norwegian
Paraguayan
Peruvian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Saudi
Spanish
Swedish
Swiss
Taiwanese
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
American
Vietnamese
Welsh

Dutch
Norwegian
Spanish
Spanish
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Arabic
Spanish
Swedish
Swiss
Chinese
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
English
Vietnamese
Welsh / English

57

58

Using temporal references

59

 The time

60

For single days and dates we use on: I was born on the 7th of the month.
For months we use in: I was born in September. ! My birthday is on September the 7th.

Describing their schedule

61

62

THE NOUN
Plural of nouns
Regular plural of nouns
Most nouns can be singular or plural. To make the plural, we usually add an s to the singular
form:
book books; pen pens
If the singular ends in s, sh, ch, x or z, we add es to make the plural:
bus buses; watch watches; wish wishes; box boxes; buzz buzzes
Also, some nouns which end in o add es in the plural:
echo echoes; hero heroes; potato potatoes
In the singular ends in consonant + y, the plural has ies:
baby babies
And if the singular ends in f, the plural ends in ves:
leaf leaves; wife wives
Note: One common exception is roof roofs.
Some nouns have no distinct plural form, because the singular ends in s:
series headquarters species means barracks
Irregular plurals of nouns
There are many irregular noun plurals. Some have only one form for both singular and plural:
sheep fish deer craft dice
Some nouns coming from Old English have an en ending in the plural:
child children; woman women; man men; ox oxen
Some nouns change from the singular ouse to the plural ice, or from oo + consonant to ee +
consonant:
mouse mice
goose geese; tooth teeth; foot feet
Some words coming from Latin and Greek have a different system of plural endings:
thesis theses; curriculum curricula; medium media; nucleus nuclei
Gender of nouns
63

The gender form of a noun is determined by the sex of the object it stands for, whether it is
masculine or feminine. To form the feminine gender, add the suffixes ess, -ienne, and ix to the
masculine form.
Masculine
Prince
lion
priest
sorcerer
comedia
n
equestri
an actor
aviator
mediato
r

Feminine
Princess
lioness
priestess
sorceress
comedienn
e
equestrien
ne actress
aviatrix
mediatrix

In addition to the two gender mentioned above are the common gender attributed to nouns
applied to both sexes, and the neuter attributed to nouns possessing no sex.
Common
Baby
lawyer
nurse
driver
student
teache
r child
agent
baker

Neuter
Chair
street
hospita
l park
book

64

65

 The possessive

66

Practice:
Write the sentences again using the names in brackets:

LESSON 11
67

 VOCABULARY

The automobile
Communicating efficiently on the phone

GRAMMAR

Nouns || Common uncountable nouns

Linking words || Which and where

VOCABULARY

The automobile

exhaust system instalaie de exhaustare

engine - motor
steering system sistem de direcie power train sistem de propulsie electrical
system sistem electric coolant system sistem de rcire
fuel system sistem de alimentare cu carburant brake system sistemul de frnare
68

 brake pedal pedala de frn

clutch - ambreiaj steering wheel - volan silencer / muffler tob
tail pipe - eav de evacuare
shock absorbers amortizor de ocuri,
dispozitiv antioc
fuel tank rezervor
coil spring arc ecoloidal / volut drum brake frn cu tambur
fuel line conduct de carburant
brake line conduct pentru lichid de frn master brake cylinder cilindru principal de
frn
disc brake disc de frn transmission transmisie differential
diferenial engine motor
distributor distribuitor, orientator, repartitor radiator radiator
alternator alternator / generator sincron exhaust manifold galerie de evacuare
intake manifold collector / eav / conduct
de admisie
coolant reservoir rezervor de rcire
battery - baterie
accelerator pedal de reglare
spark plug - bujie
exhaust pipe - eava de eapament
gearbox cutie de viteze
Communicating efficiently on the phone

Meena and Mohan

Mohan : Hello.
Meena : Hello, Micro Computer centre. Mohan : Can I get Miss Deepa, please? Meena :
Please hold on. Let me see whether she has come.
Mohan : Hello, Deepa hasn't arrived. May I
know who's calling?
Meena : I'm Mohan, Deepa's brother. Mohan : Any message for Deepa? Meena : No
thanks. I'll call again in the afternoon.
Mohan : I'll tell Deepa that you've called and will call again. May I hang up?
Meena : OK. Thanks.

Gopi and Manager

Gopi : Hello, is this not Veena Enterprises?

Manager : Yes.
Gopi : Has Gopalakrishnan come?
Manager : He has been on leave for two days.
Gopi : I see. Do you have his mobile number with you?
Manager : I do have it. But he has instructed not to give it to anyone.
Gopi : Would you be so kind to tell him I was looking for him and perhaps he could call
back. Manager : Please tell me your phone number. Gopi : Here it is: 555 015 4793. Ask him
to contact me urgently.
69

 Manager : I'll tell him. Anything else?

Gopi : No. That will be all. Thank you.

GRAMMAR

70

71


Practice:

72

LESSON 12

VOCABULARY

The body
Useful Language

GRAMMAR

Past tense continuous

VOCABULARY

73

 The body

74

75

 Emergencies

Medical assistance - doctor

call an ambulance!
I need a doctor
there's been an accident
Fire brigade - fireman
call the fire brigade!
can you smell something burning?

there's a fire

Police force - police officer

call the police! My wallet has been stolen.
I'd like to report a theft.
My car has been broken into.
PAST TENSE CONTINUOUS

Formation

We make the past continuous by using the past of the auxiliary verb be (was, were) and the
ing form of the main verb:

singular
plural
I was talking
we were talking
you were talking
you were talking
he / she / it was talking
they were talking

Questions and negatives

We usually make questions by putting the auxiliary verb (was / were) before the subject:
Were the students working in the library?

The negative is formed by adding not or nt to was / were:

We were not feeling very happy about our schedule at the office.

Use

For activities in progress at some time in the past:

It was raining at 8 oclock yesterday morning.

To describe a longer background activity during which a shorter completed action (Past
Simple)
takes place.
When the kidnappers broke into the house, we were watching a video.

76

... the kidnappers broke into the

house...

Past

Now
Now

... were
watching a video

Unlike the Past Simple, the Past Continuous gives no indication if the action is finished or not.
I was painting the house yesterday afternoon. (We dont know if the painting
is

finished.)
I painted the living room. (Its finished.)
The Past Continuous is frequently used in descriptions.
Shell was very happy. He was wearing a new pair of shoes and carrying his
favourite rucksack.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Practice:
Complete the text with the correct verb form. Use the past continuous.

What (do)
this time yesterday? I(cook)
dinner.
They (be not)
talking to each other this time last year.
We (watch)
TV when you called.
What song (listen to)
when we met?
I (walk)
down the street when the accident occurred.
What (do)
they
? They (play)
video games.
They (study not)
for the exam when their mother came home.

LESSON 13

77

VOCABULARY

The world of work

Useful language

GRAMMAR
Describing location
Relative pronouns/adverbs
Some/any/no
Like + ING

VOCABULARY

Instructions and requests

78

 You see written instructions very often.

"Click here." (On web pages) "Push / pull" (on doors).
But very often when people give instructions they say them as requests.
"Can I see you in my office, Bob?"
"Please would you open your suitcase, Madam."
"Step out of your car, sir."
Requests are more difficult. Generally we use a modal e.g.- "Can " or "may"
"Can /couldyou pass me the salt?"
"May/might I have the salt?"
"Pass the salt, would you?"
"Could I take this seat?"
The word "please" is often used with requests or instructions to make them more polite.
"Please" comes at the beginning or end, as with names, but it does not usually come before
the name at the beginning or after the name at the end.
"Samantha, please come here."
"Samantha, come here please."
"Come here please, Samantha."
"Please come here Samantha.
English people make requests very politely from people they do not know.

"Excuse me, could I come through, please?"

"Can I get past, please?"
Instructions from friends and family are often friendly.
"Come on, you go first."
"Have fun!"
"Enjoy your food!"
Formal orders are usually seen in writing.
"No left turn.
"Gentlemen must wear ties.
"Staff will be at work by 9 a.m..
"Female workers are to be properly dressed."
Formal requests are indirect, or very polite.
"Excuse me, is this place taken?
"Please can you take a seat over there."

When English people are offended or angry, they often use a very polite register. This is not
intended to be polite, and may in fact be sarcastic.
"If you don't mind, waiter, please may I take a moment of your valuable time to order some
food?"
"Would you please be so very kind as to stop blocking this door? "
"If you don't mind, I would like to have the ketchup, thank you dear."
"I would really appreciate it if you would please tell me next time you are going to be late."
Answering requests and Instructions
79

 With requests, you can use "certainly", "by all means", "of course" or "with pleasure".
"May I read that paper, if you have finished with it?"
"Yes, please do." or
"By all means." or
"Here you are.."
Can I come past please?
"Of course, sorry"
"Oh. I'm sorry. Please do.""
Formal refusal
Show me your homework.:
"I'm sorry, I can't find it."
"Er .. what homework is that?"
Tell me his name:
"I'm afraid I can't do that, it is confidential."
"I'm sorry, why would you want that information?"
Read the text below and translate it into Romanian:

Seumas McSporran is a very busy man. He is 60 years old and he has thirteen jobs. He is a
postman, a policeman, a fireman, a taxi driver, a school-bus driver, a boatman, an ambulance
man, an accountant, a petrol attendant, a barman and an undertaker (antreprenor). Also, he and
his wife, Margaret, have a shop and a hotel.

Seumas lives and works on the island of Gigha in the west of Scotland. Only 120 people
live on Gigha but in summer 150 tourists come by boat every day.

Every weekday Seumas gets up at 6.00 and makes breakfast for the hotel guests. At
8.00 he drives the islands children to school. At 9.00 he collects the post from the boat and
delivers the beer to the islands only pub. Then he helps Margaret in the shop.

He says: Margaret likes being busy, too. We never have holidays and we dont like
watching television. In the evenings Margaret makes supper and I do the accounts. At 10.00 we
have a glass of wine and then we go to bed. Perhaps our life isnt very exciting but we like it.

Answer these questions about Seumas:

1. Where does Seumas live?

2. How old is he?

3. How many jobs does he have?

4. Whats his wifes name?

80

5. What does she do?

6. How many people live on Gigha?
7. How many tourists visit Gigha in the summer?
8. What does Seumas do in the morning?
9. What does he and Margaret do in the morning?

GRAMMAR

81

82

83

LESSON 14

VOCABULARY
Means of transportation
Similes

GRAMMAR
Future Simple
Conditional sentences - Type 0/1

84

VOCABULARY

Means of transportation

Similes

Similes are simple comparisons which contain the word 'like' or 'as'

85

 as playful as a kitten - full of joy and play

as light as a feather - very light
as skinny as a rake - very slim
as poor as a church mouse - not having enough money
as brave as a lion - very brave and strong
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." - everything
is uncertain in life
They fought like cats and dogs.
Your explanation is as clear as mud. - unclear
They are as different as night and day. - very different
She is as thin as a toothpick. - very thin
Last night, I slept like a log. - deep sleep
This dress is perfect because it fits like a glove. - it is a perfect fit
My love for you is as deep as the ocean.
As bright as a button - stupid
As cold as ice - very cold
As cool as a cucumber - extremely calm
As hot as hell - very hot
As innocent as a lamb- guiltless

As white as a ghost

As sweet as sugar

As sure as death and taxes

GRAMMAR

86

87

88

89

LESSON 15

VOCABULARY

Clothes

GRAMMAR

Future continuous

90

VOCABULARY

91

92

GRAMMAR

93

LESSON 16

VOCABULARY
Fruit and vegetables

GRAMMAR

Adjectives

94

Food and drinks

95

96

Stating preferences
Expressing Preferences
We often use words like prefer, would prefer, would rather to talk or ask about
preferences.
"I prefer living on my own."
"Would you prefer to see a movie or go to a club?"
"Would you rather go shopping with me?"
Those expressions are quite different in meaning and this is why learners of English
often find them challenging. So here is how we can separate them:

Difference in meaning:

97

 We tend to use 'prefer' to talk generally about likes, dislikes, what we want.
He prefers reading books.
I prefer going to the beach to going to a swimming pool.
I prefer to read the paper on the bus. specific preference

The expressions 'would prefer' and 'would rather', to be a little more specific.
I would prefer to see him in person.
I would rather go home now.
Had better
You had better do your homework right now. (ai face bine sa)

ADJECTIVES

Form
Adjectives describe people, things and places. There are many different types of
adjectives, for example:
OPINION SHAPE COLOUR NATIONALITY
nice beautiful difficult fantastic square long short red yellow black blue Russian British
French
Adjectives do not have a plural form:
one blue dress, two blue dresses
Adjectives always come before a noun:
a blue dress
We can put two or more adjectives before a noun. We don't usually use and between
the adjectives:
a beautiful red dress
We put opinion adjectives (e.g. beautiful, fantastic, friendly) BEFORE other adjectives:
a fantastic red dress, a friendly French student, a beautiful old painting
We put nationality adjectives (e.g. Spanish, Russian) AFTER most other adjectives:
an expensive Italian car, a young Russian student, a blue Chinese plate
We always put material words (e.g. cotton, silk) next to the noun:
a Chinese silk dress, some old cotton sheets, a red leather handbag
We can use adjectives after the verb be:
That dress is beautiful. (= It is a beautiful dress.)
We can also use adjectives after verbs like appear, feel, look, taste and seem:
I feel happy today! That dress looks beautiful. Her new neighbours seem nice.
We use and between two adjectives after a verb:
That maths exam was long and difficult.

Adjectives with -ed and ing

Form

98

-ed adjectives
We often use adjectives that end in -ed to say how people or animals feel:
Carlos and his grandfather are very excited.
There 's nothing to do here - we're bored.
Tired children often behave badly.
-ing adjectives
We use adjectives that end in -ing to describe something that causes our feelings:
They are watching an exciting football match on TV. (the football match excites them)
The end of the film was very surprising. (the end of the film surprised me)
We've had a very tiring day. (the day made us tired)
We often use -ing adjectives to ask about something or to give an opinion:
Do you think English grammar is interesting?
Amanda's sister is really boring.
We don't use -ing adjectives to talk about how we feel:
interesting in sport. But: interested in sport.

Practice:

Use the words below to write sentences.

o long boring book / (be) ....... ..... ..
1 beautiful suit / (look) ......... ...... .. .... ... ..................... .......... .. ......... ... ... .... ..... .....
...... ... ... ..
2 delicious salad / (taste) ..... ... ... .. ..................... ... ..... .......... .... .... .. .... .. ...... ...... ..
.... .. .... ..
3 interesting film / (look) ... .... .. ........... ......... ... .. ..... .. ..... .......... ... .. ......... .. ... ....
...... .. .. ....
4 soft pullover / (feel) ... ..... ..... ............ .. ........ .... ... .... ....... ... ...... .. .. ...... .. ...
............... .... ..
5 new exciting project / (be) .............. ........ ..... .. ..... .................... .. ..... .. .. .. ... .... ..
............... .
6 small dark apartment / (seem) .............. ... .. .... ..... ... ................ .. ...... .. .... .......... ...
.... .. ... ....

Choose the correct words in italics.

ANNA How was the football match?
PEDRO Fantastic. It was really (0) excited/exciting We won!
ANNA Really?
PEDRO You seem (1) surprised I surprising!
ANNA Well, yes. I am a bit. Anyway, I'm (2) pleased I pleasing you won.
PEDRO What about you? How was your day?

99

ANNA Oh, it was (3) bored I boring. I spent all day working on the new website.
PEDRO But yesterday you said it was (4) interested I interesting!
ANNA I know. But now I feel (5) bored I boring with it.
PEDRO Well, I'm quite (6) tired I tiring now, I don't feel like cooking.
Shall we order a pizza or something? And watch Dracula on TV?
ANNA Oh, no! I feel (7) frightening I frightened when I watch that kind of film .

LESSON 17

VOCABULARY
Describing people and things

GRAMMAR

Adverbs

100

VOCABULARY

Describing people

101

102

GRAMMAR
ADVERBS

Form
Adverbs describe how, when or where someone does something. There are many
different
types of adverbs, eg:
manner (how) quickly slowly carefully well Harry works slowly and carefully.
frequency (how often) often sometimes never Teresa never works.
time (when) today soon in his free time
Matthew didn 't work yesterday.
last week yesterday
place (where) here upstairs in Linda works in a bank.
direction (which way) left right straight on Turn right at th e end of the street.
Most adverbs of manner add -ly to the adjective:
careful -+ carefully, slow -+ slowly, perfect -+ perfectly, bad -+ badly
But adjectives ending in -y, change y to i and add -ly:
easy -+ easily, happy -+ happily
The words friendly, lovely, silly and lonely end in -ly but they are adjectives, not
adverbs.
We can't make them into adverbs, so we say 'in a ... way': She smiled at me in a friendly
way.

Irregular adverbs
Fast, hard, late and early are adverbs and adjectives. We don't add -ly to them:
Sven owns a fast car. (fast = adjective)

103

 He drives fast. (fast = adverb)

Good is an adjective. The adverb for good is well: She plays tennis well.

Adverbs and word order:

We usually put adverbs of manner (e.g. well, badly, quickly, slowly, quietly, loudly,
easily,
happily, carefully, perfectly) after the verb:
Chrissie shouts loudly when her team plays well.
If there is an object after the verb, we put the adverb after the object:
He plays football well.
We use adverbs of frequency to say how often we do something:
100%
HOW OFTEN
0%
always
usually
often sometimes not often hardly ever
never

rarely

We put these adverbs BEFORE present simple and past simple verbs:
I never eat toast for breakfast. She hardly ever plays tennis. We always walked to
school.
But we put them AFTER:
the verb be:
She is always late for work. We are often very busy .
an auxiliary verb or modal verb (e.g. have, will, can or must):
I have never watched a football match. You can usually get tickets on the Internet.

We usually put adverbs of place (e.g. here, there, at the ca{) and time (e.g. yesterday,
on Saturday, immediately, last week, every day, twice a month) at the end of the
sentence:
Do you have your lunch at the cafe? We go to the cinema twice a month.
Chrissie watches football on Saturdays.
Practice:

Complete the story using a form of the words in brackets.

Be careful, one of the words you need is not an adverb.
When he was a small boy, Zack loved cars. So, as soon as he was seventeen, he began
taking driving lessons. He learned (0) ........ (quick) and became a
(1) .... ....... ........ (good) driver. After ten lessons he took his driving test. During the test

104

 he drove (2) .............. ..... (perfect) and he passed it (3) ................... (easy). Zack's
parents
were very pleased and decided to buy him a car. Zack always drove (4) .. ......... ...... ..
(good)
and he usually drove (S) ................... (slow). But Zack had a problem. He always woke
up
(6) ................... (late) in the mornings. He hated being late for college. Now he had a car,
Zack was sure he was (7) ........ ........... (never) going to be late for college again. But, of
course, the very first day he had his new car Zack was late again. So he got up
(8) ....... ... ......... (quick), rushed to his car and drove to college very (9) ...................
(fast).
But there was a police car on the road and the police officer stopped him for driving
(10) .... ........... .. . (bad). As a result, he lost his driving licence just one week after
passing
his test!

Choose the correct words in italics in the text.

In my free time I like playing sports and using the Internet. I (0) play often /often play
tennis at the weekend and I (1) sometimes play / play sometimes football on Tuesday
evenings. My team (2) wins never / never wins and I don't (3) play well / well play,
but I enjoy it very much. I think I use the Internet every day - my computer
(4) is always / always is on! I like websites like YouTube and Facebook. I can
(5) type quickly / quickly type so it is easy for me to send lots of em ails to my friends.
I also like music. My Internet connection is really fast so I can download
(6) easily songs / songs easily. Then I can listen to them on my iPod.

105

A2-B1

LESSON 1
VOCABULARY

Greetings, farewells and special conventions

Go/went/gone

Do/did/done vs. Make/made/made

GRAMMAR

Comparative and superlative adjectives

106

VOCABULARY

107

108

109

110

111

 GRAMMAR
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES

To make comparative adjectives:

most short adjectives (1 syllable) add er
--- small -+ smaller, young -+ younger, short -+ shorter, new -+ newer
adjectives that end in e -- late -+ later, nice -+ nicer, wide -+ wider
adjectives that end in vowel +consonant, e.g. -ig, -at, -at, -in, add another consonant + er --- big
-+ bigger, fat -+ fatter, hot -+ hotter, thin -+ thinner

adjectives that end in y change y to i and add -er--- dry -+ drier, easy -+ easier, friendly -+
friendlier

For most adjectives with two syllables we use more + adjective:

This new computer is more useful than my oId one.
My mobile is more modern than Emily's.
For adjectives with three or four syllables we always use more + adjective:
Modem computer games are more exciting. Gold is more expensive than silver.
We don't use more with an adjective that is already comparative: Charlotte is taller than
Susie.

Use
We use comparative adjectives when we compare two people/things.
We usually use than after comparative adjectives:
Modem machines are smaller than old ones.
We use me, her, etc., not I, she, etc. after than:
Maria is taller than Anna. - Maria is taller than her.
But we can use I, he, she, etc. if we put am/is/are after the subject pronoun:
Maria is taller than she is.

Irregular adjectives
Some comparative adjectives are irregular:
adjective bad good far well (= health y)
comparative adjective worse better further /farther better
My exam results are worse than yours.
The Chinese restaurant is nice, but I think the food is better in the Italian one.
The flight to Seattle is longer because it's further.
Jenny is better than she was before the operation. (healthier)

more and less

The opposite of more is less. We can use less with adjectives with two or more syllables:

112

Gold is more expensive than silver. (= Silver is less expensive than gold.)
Books are less exciting than films.
We don't use less with adjectives with only one syllable (e.g. old, tall, nice, young): My
mother is younger than my father.
We can also use not as + adjective + as (e.g. not as old as)

SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

To make superlative adjectives:

most short adjectives (1 syllab le) add est --- small -+ smallest, young -+ youngest, high -+
highest, fast -+ fastest
adjectives that end in -e add st --- late -+ latest, nice -+ nicest, wide -+ widest
adjectives that end in vowel + add another consonant, e.g. -ig, -at, -ot, -in consonant + -est --big -+ biggest
adjectives that end in -y change y to I and add est --- dry -+ driest, happy -+ happiest, early -+
earliest

For most adjectives with two or more syllables (e.g. useful, difficult, expensive) we use
the most + adjective:
Eejanaika is the most exciting roller coaster.
The opposite of the most is the least. We usually use the least with adjectives with two
or
more syllables: Excuse me. Which is the least expensive phone you sell?
These adjectives have irregular superlative forms:
bad -+ worst, good -+ best, far -+ farthest/furthest

We use superlative adjectives when we compare one person/thing with several others.
We use the before superlative adjectives. After superlative adjectives we use in before
the names of places and groups:
Eejanaika is the most exciting roller coaster in the world.
We can also use my/your/his, etc. before superlative adjectives:
Jenny is my oldest friend. What is your happiest memory?
We often use superlative adjectives + I've ever ... , you've ever ... , etc. to talk about
our experiences:
That was the best book I've ever read. What's the most expensive thing you've ever
bought?

Practice

113

Choose the correct words in italics:

1 My brother is taller than(I am)/ me am.
2 I'm eighteen but my best friend is younger than me / [ - she's seventeen.
3 Do you like Lucy? I think Mariela is nicer than she / her.
4 I don't like horror films; I think action films are more interesting than them / they.
5 Our neighbours are richer than us / we.
6 My uncle is forty-five but my aunt is older than he is / him is. She's forty-seven.
Complete the conversation with the correct words and phrases below:
Better easier further more expensive nicer worse
A Where shall we eat tonight? The Indian restaurant?
B No, I think the Chinese place is (0) .... ....... ..... ..
A I'm not sure. It's (1) .. .... ......................... and I haven't got much money.
B Well, we can try the Italian place. It isn't expensive, and it's very nice.
A Yes, I know it's nice, but the Indian restaurant is (2) ......... ... ............. .. .... .
B But it's not very close to us. It's (3) ................... than the Italian restaurant - on the
other
side of town. What about the burger place near the library?
A Oh, no. That place is terrible. It's (4) .. ............................. than the others in every
way!
B It's really difficult to decide! I know - let's stay at home and phone for a pizza.
A Great. That's (5) ..... ........ .. .. ....... .. .... than going out. We can eat in front of the TV
and
watch a DVD.
Choose the correct words in italics in the conversation.
LOUIS SO, Carol. Did you enjoy your holiday?
CAROL Yes. It was the (0) better /best holiday I've ever had!
LOUIS Really? What was the (1) most good / best part?
CAROL Well, the hotel was fantastic, but the coast was really beautiful.
LOUIS And what was the (2) most beautiful / beautifulest place?
CAROL Definitely the beach. It was the (3) most warm / warmest water I've ever swum
in.
And there were some good restaurants in the town. The Thai restaurant was
(4) nicest / the nicest one, although it was the (5) furthest / most far from the hotel.
LOUIS Was that the best one (6) in / of the town?
CAROL Yes, and it was the (7) less / least expensive one there! The Italian restaurant
was the (8) most / more expensive one, but it wasn't very nice.

114

LESSON 2

VOCABULARY
Come/came/come

Take/took/taken

Bring/brought/brought

GRAMMAR
Irregular verbs 2

The present perfect simple

Adjectives 2

115

VOCABULARY

116

117

118

119


GRAMMAR

120

121

122

ADJECTIVES

not as ... as, the same ( ... as)

We use not as .. . as to say that one thing is less difficult, interesting, expensive, etc. than
another thing:
The blue jeans are 75.
The white jeans are 40.
The blue jeans aren't as cheap as the white jeans.
The white jeans aren't as expensive as the blue jeans.

Compare these examples. They have the same meaning:

Paris isn't as big as London. = London is bigger than Paris.
Spanish isn't as difficult as Arabic. = Arabic is more difficult than Spanish.
We use the same ... as to compare two things that are equal:
The black jeans are the same price as the blue ones.
My mobile phone is the same type as yours.

We use nouns after the same Coo. as), not adjectives: The jeans are the same price.
We can also say the same as + mine, yours, this one, that one, etc
lane's car is the same as mine. We both have Toyotas.
This bicycle is exactly the same as that one.

We can also use not as + adverb + as:

123

 I don't wear jeans as often as Ben.

Danny doesn't play as well as Boris.
Too and enough
We use too + adjective if something is bigger or more than we want or like.
We use too + adverb if something is faster, later, etc. than is good or safe.

This jacket's too big, (bigger than I want) You 'll be sick if you eat too quickly.
If something is enough, it is the correct size, amount, speed, etc. for what we want:
This jacket isn 't big enough. (smaller than I want)
I can 't understand the teacher. She doesn't speak slowly enough. (= She speaks too
quickly,)
We can also use (not) enough before a plural or uncountable noun:
Do we have enough plates for fifteen people?
Can you pay for this? I don't have enough money.
Practice:

The words below are missing from the conversation.

Put them in the correct positions.
as the as same as

SILVIE What do you think of these jeans?

CLAUDE They aren't as nice the ones you bought last winter.
SILVIE Really? I think they're exactly same as those.
CLAUDE No. They're a much darker colour.
SILVIE Yes, perhaps you're right.
CLAUDE Did they cost the as the other pair?
SILVIE No. They weren't expensive as those. I bought them in the sale.
CLAUDE Do they have any Calvin Klein jeans in the sale?
SILVIE No, but they have some that are nearly the same Calvin Klein jeans - they look
like
them but they're cheaper.
CLAUDE You mean they're copies. I always think they look completely different from
the
real ones!
Write a sentence after each statement. Use an appropriate signal word.
Her hair's wet. (wash)

124

He hasn't got any money. (spend)

There's no one at home. (leave)
There aren't any crisps left. (eat)
They're giving him a prize. (win)
She's watching TV now. (turn on)
Lorenzo is here now. (arrive)

Do sentences A and B have the same (S) or different (D) meanings? Write S or D.
A My sister isn't as tall as me.
A I'm twenty-one. My sister is eighteen.
A The price of tea and coffee is the same.
A I visit my grandfather once a month
as I visit my cousins.
and I visit my cousins twice a month.
A American football isn't as popular
as soccer. American football.

125

B I'm taller than my sister.

B I'm not as old as my sister.
B Tea is not as expensive as coffee.
B I don't visit my grandfather as often

B Soccer is less popular than

LESSON 3
VOCABULARY
Get/got/got
Talking
Human feelings and actions
GRAMMAR
The present perfect continuous
Question tags
Reflexive pronouns

126

VOCABULARY

127

128

129

130

 GRAMMAR

131


Practice

Write sentences about the situations. Use the present perfect continuous and
for/since.
0 They started playing tennis at two o'clock.
It's now five-thirty and they're still playing the same game! (since)

132

1 1 started learning Chinese when I was fifteen. Now I'm seventeen. (for)
2 Our friends came to stay with us on Sunday, and they're still here. (since)
3 It started raining yesterday afternoon and it still hasn't stopped. (since)
4 Graham started looking for a new job six months ago. He still hasn't found one. (for)
5 How long / he / work there?
6 You / not / listen / to me!

Write a sentence with the same meaning. Use reflexive pronouns.

0 I wrote this song without any help
1 Karen is looking in the mirror. . ....................... .. .................................... ...... .. .. .....
............. ..
2 You must fill in this form without any help . .............................. .... ... ... .. ........ ...
................ ..
3 Derek is talking to Kim and Kim is talking to Derek. .. ........ ..... .. ............ .. ............
............. ..
4 My aunt lives alone in a small flat ..... ................................ .. ........................ .. ...... ...
.... ..... ... .
5 My brother hurt his leg when he was playing football.
6 Selma doesn't like Emma and Emma doesn't like Selma.

Put in the correct tag question:

1.

Mr McGuinness is from Ireland,

2.

The car isn't in the garage,

3.

You are John,

4.

She went to the library yesterday,

5.

He didn't recognize me,

6.

Cars pollute the environment,

7.

Mr. Pritchard has been to Scotland recently,

8.

The trip is very expensive,

9. He won't tell her,

?
?

?
?
?
?

133

10. Hugh had a red car,

LESSON 4

VOCABULARY
Prefixes and suffixes
Describing character
GRAMMAR
The past perfect simple/continuous

134

VOCABULARY

135

136

137

138

139

140


GRAMMAR

141


Practice:
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Use contractions where possible.
1. Peter was Sally's best friend. She
(know) him all her life.
2. The children were wet because they

(play) football in the rain.

3. We were very hungry because we

(not / eat).

4. I was delighted when I found my keys. I

5. She was exhausted because she

(look) for them for hours.

(work) since eight o'clock that morning.

6. Everything was white because it

(snow).

7. The passengers were cross because the airline

8. I

(lose) everyone's bags.

(not / see) Jacob for several years, but I recognised him immediately.

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses:
I'm sorry I left without you last night, but I told you to meet me early because the show
started at 8:00. I (try)

to get tickets for that play for months, and I didn't

want to miss it. By the time I finally left the coffee shop where we were supposed to
meet, I (have)

five cups of coffee and I (wait)

I had to leave because I (arrange)

over an hour.

to meet Kathy in front of the theater.

When I arrived at the theater, Kathy (pick, already)

up the tickets and

she was waiting for us near the entrance. She was really angry because she

142

(wait)

for more than half an hour. She said she (give,

almost)

Kathy told me you (be)

up and (go)

into the theater without us.

late several times in the past and that she would

not make plans with you again in the future. She mentioned that she (miss)
several movies because of your late arrivals. I think you owe her an apology. And in the
future, I suggest you be on time!

LESSON 5

VOCABULARY
Confusing words
Compound adjectives
Collocations
GRAMMAR
Future perfect simple and continuous

143

VOCABULARY

144

145

146

147

 GRAMMAR

We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that something will continue up until a
particular event or time in the future. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since
Friday" are all signal words which can be used with the Future Perfect Continuous. This
tense is related to the Present Perfect Continuous and the Past Perfect Continuous;
however, in this case, the duration stops at or before a reference point in the future.

148

 Examples:

They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.

She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it
finally closes.

How long will you have been studying when you graduate?

A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New Zealand for
over a year?
B: No, I will not have been living here that long.

Practice:
Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense (future perfect simple or continuous.)
1. By 2018 we (live)

2. He (write)

3. (finish, you)

in Madrid for 20 years.

a book by the end of the year.

this novel by next week?

4. He (read)

this book for 15 days by the end of this week.

5. They (be)

married for 40 years by the end of this month.

6. (be, she)

pregnant for three months this week?

149

 Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses:
1. By the time we get to Chicago this evening, we (drive)

more than four

hundred miles. We are going to be exhausted.

2. When Sarah goes on vacation next month, she (study)

German

for over two years. She should be able to communicate fairly well while she is in
Austria.
3. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit)

the Grand Canyon

and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.

4. By the time you finish studying the verb tense tutorial, you (master)
all twelve tenses including their passive forms.
5. Drive faster! If you don't hurry up, she (have)

the baby by the time we

get to the hospital.

6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago.
When I return to Australia, I (study)
(be)

for nine months and I

in England for exactly one year.

7. Margie just called and said she would be here at 8 o'clock. By the time she gets here,
we (wait)

for her for two hours.

8. Frank just changed jobs again. If he keeps this up, he (change)

jobs at

least four or five times by the end of the year.

9. Come over to my house around 9 o'clock. By then, I (complete)

150

my

history essay and we can go see a movie.

10. In June, my grandmother and grandfather (be)

LESSON 6

VOCABULARY
Words and prepositions
GRAMMAR
Reported speech

151

married for fifty years.

VOCABULARY

152

153

154

GRAMMAR

155

156

Practice
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tim: "She works in an office."

Tim said that she

Jessica: "I am going to clean the room."

Jessica told me that she
Jeff: "They like the song."
Jeff said that they

Ian and Marvin: "We need new shoes."

Ian and Marvin remarked that they

Kathy: "He can speak Spanish."

Kathy told us that he

6.

Teacher: "Rachel has never been to Philadelphia."

The teacher said that Rachel
.

7.

Lucy: "The train didn't arrive on time."

Lucy said to Gerry that the train

8.

Emma: "I'm sitting on the chair."

Emma said that she

157

9.

Nick: "Walter doesn't eat meat."

Nick told us that Walter

10.

Holly: "Abby and Nathan will travel to Alaska."

Holly remarked that Abby and Nathan

LESSON 7

VOCABULARY
Phrasal verbs
GRAMMAR
The passive

158

VOCABULARY

159

160

161

GRAMMAR

162

Practice
Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice.
1.

Julia rescued three cats.

.

2.

The students handed in the reports.

.

3.

Maria crashed into the blue car.

.

4.

Alex learned the poem.

.

5.

Steven has forgotten the book.

.

6.

The mechanic has not repaired the DVD recorder.

.

7.

They play handball.

.

163

8. Sue puts the rucksack on the floor.

.
9. The girls had lost the match.
.
10. The teacher is not going to open the window.
.

Fill in the correct word (too or enough).

1. I left the coffee for a minute to cool because it was

2. He wasn't strong

3. There aren't

4. Do you have

5. It is

6. I do not have

hot to drink.

to lift that heavy box.

policemen in our town.

information to help me with this problem?

difficult to do for a little child.

much time to prepare dinner.

7. I didn't buy the car because it was

expensive.

164

8. He didn't work hard

to pass the exam.

9. My mum can't sleep because she drinks

10. She isn't old

much coffee.

to start driving.

LESSON 8

165

 VOCABULARY

Idiomatic expressions
Other expressions
GRAMMAR

Modal verbs
The imperative

VOCABULARY

166

167

168

169


GRAMMAR

170

Ought to/Should
We use ought in three main ways:
to express the view that something is the right thing to do, because its morally correct,
polite, or someones duty:
You ought to admit that you made a mistake.
They ought not to be allowed to damage property without paying compensation.
to predict that something is fairly likely or expected, based on normal circumstances or
logic:

171

 Our long-delayed mail is on the way from France and ought to arrive today.
The weather oughtnt to be cold in May.
My sisters on her way, she should be here soon.
By next month I should have enough money to buy a car.
to offer or ask for advice or recommendations:
If you havent read the book then you ought to see the movie.
What ought to be done to improve things?
I told Kathy she should try to get some rest.
Can you recommend any exercises, or should I see a doctor?
to talk about what we think is the right or correct thing to do, especially from the point
of view of duty or appropriateness we use should
All employees should be provided with a proper job description.
Children shouldnt be allowed to watch too much TV.
Practice
Choose the right modal verb
1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You

2. It's a hospital. You

smoke.

3. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He

work. He

buy any.

prefer to get some rest.

172

be tired after such hard

4. I

speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But after

we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost
everything I knew as a child. Now, I
just say a few things in the language.

5. The teacher said we

read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional.

But we

6.

read it if we don't want to.

you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I

7. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you

8. Take an umbrella. It

9. You

11. Drivers

12.

to work hard.

rain later.

leave small objects lying around. Such objects

swallowed by children.
10. People

walk on grass.

stop when the traffic lights are red.

I ask a question? Yes, of course.

173

be

13. You

14.

take your umbrella. It is not raining.

you speak Italian? No, I

LESSON 9

VOCABULARY
Apologies, excuses and thanks
Requests, invitations and suggestions
Opinions, agreeing and disagreeing

GRAMMAR
Present and past participles
Expressing preference
Positive and Negative agreement

174

VOCABULARY

175

176

177


GRAMMAR

178

Practice
I. Decide which form is correct (present participle or past participle).
1. The documentary was rather interested/interesting.
2. Everybody was shocked/shocking to hear the news.
3. Yesterday I met a well-knowing/well-known TV presenter.
4. The movie was quite bored/boring.
5. I don't like to watch the evening news; it's too depressing/depressed.
6. My friend Greg thought Vanilla Sky was an extremely confused/confusing movie.
II. Fill in the missing words:
I prefer coffee

tea.

I don't fancy the theatre again. I'd rather

I'm not a big fan of cars; I prefer

by train.

They'd rather have lunch inside but I'd prefer

I prefer trains

to the cinema.

cars.

179

outside in the garden.

 III. Look at the table below. Write short exchanges between George and Susan. Try
to add an extra detail to make your answers more interesting.
Example:
George: I really love baseball.
Susan: So do I. I never miss it if it's on TV.

George

Yes
No
No
No
No

loves baseball

cooks every day

loves classical music

always works on Sundays

goes to the gym quite often

LESSON 10

VOCABULARY
Time and sequence
Addition and contrast
Similarities, differences and conditions
Reason, purpose and result
GRAMMAR
Countable/uncountable nouns

180

S
us
an
Ye
s
N
o
N
o
Ye
s
Ye
s

VOCABULARY

181

182

183

184

GRAMMAR

185

Practice
1. Write c for countable and u for uncountable:

time books sugar milk -

pens -

hair -

friends -

chairs

meat -

butter -

pencils -

bread -

jam -

apples -

oil -

cars -

salt -

fingers

flour -

houses -

cheese

rice -

tea -

games -

carrots
2. Choose a, an, some or any

186

tomatoes -

cream -

honey -


a) It is

dog.

f) Tim eats

day.
b) Have you got

friends?

c) I bought

milk.

money.
d) Linda has not got
e) There is
eggs?

k) There are

g) We don't have

cheese every
bread.

h) My brother found
pets.

i) My sister found

orange on the table.

j) Do you have

students in the classroom. l) Is there

desk?

3. Choose How much or How many

a)
cheese do you buy?

b)

books are there in your bag?

c)

films did Tom see last week?

d)

money do you spend every week?

e)

friends does Linda have?

f)

sugar do we need?

g)

tomatoes are there in the fridge?

187

pen.

pencil on the

 h)

meat are you going to buy?

i)

milk did you drink yesterday?

j)

apples do you see?

LESSON 11

VOCABULARY
Work: duties, conditions and pay
The career ladder
In the office
GRAMMAR
Conditional Sentences Type
Wishes

188

VOCABULARY

189

190

191

GRAMMAR

Practice
I. Complete the Conditional Sentences. Some sentences may accept both types.
1.

If you (study)

2.

If you (ask)

for the test, you (pass)

me, I (help)

it.
you.

192

3.

If we (go)

to the cinema, we (see)

4.

If you (speak)

English, she (understand)

5.

If they (listen)

to me, we (be)

6.

I (write)

7.

If I (not / break)

8.

If it (not/ start)

9.

We (swim)

in the sea if there (not / be)

10.

If she (take)

the bus, she (not / arrive)

you a postcard if I (have)

my leg, I (take part)
to rain, we (walk)

193

my friend Jacob.
.
home earlier.
your address.
in the contest.
to the museum.
so many sharks there.
on time.

LESSON 12

VOCABULARY

Business and finance

Sales and marketing
GRAMMAR

The infinitive and the Gerund

194

VOCABULARY

195

196


GRAMMAR

197

Practice
Choose the correct form of the verb
1.

I can't imagine Peter

2.

He agreed

(ride) a bike.

(buy) a new car.

198

3.

The question is easy

(answer).

4.

The man asked me how

5.

I look forward to

6.

Are you thinking of

7.

We decided

8.

The teacher expected Sarah

9.

She doesn't mind

10.

I learned

11.

We decided

1.

They've got some work

2.

Peter gave up

3.

He'd like

4.

I enjoy

5.

Do you know what

6.

Avoid

7.

My parents wanted me

8.

I dream about

9.

I'm hoping

(get) to the airport.

(see) you at the weekend.
(visit) London?

(run) through the forest.

(study) hard.

(work) the night shift.

(ride) the bike at the age of 5.
(buy) a new car.
(do).

(smoke) .
(fly) an aeroplane.
(write) picture postcards.
(do) if there's a fire in the shop?

(make) silly mistakes.

(be) home at 11 o'clock.
(build) a big house.
(see) Lisa.

LESSON 13

VOCABULARY
On the phone

199

Computers
Vague language

GRAMMAR
The Infinitive and the gerund 2

VOCABULARY

200

201

202

GRAMMAR

203

Practice
Choose the correct form (gerund or infinitive):
I don't want _____ such a decision right now.

making
to make
make
Lilian said I should _____ yoga to relieve stress.

doing
to do
do
The horses struggled _____ the carriage out of the mud.

pull
to pull
pulling
My parents don't allow me _____ out late.

going
go
to go
I've given up _____ to learn how to skate.

to try
trying
try
She learned _____ students with respect.

treat
to treat
treating
If you know how, it is easy _____ in water for a long time.

to float
floating
float
Vivian can't help _____ about her children.

worry
to worry
worrying
Our teacher encourages us _____ a dictionary to check the spelling of difficult words.

using
to use
use
Everyone in the neighborhood participated in _____ for the lost child.

search
to search
searching
I decided _____ this contest.

not to enter
not enter

not entering

My teacher insisted on _____ up all the trash, even if it wasn't ours.

204

clean

to clean

cleaning

Bob and Tina arranged _____ outside the movie theater.

meet
meeting
to meet
Monica's parents forbid her _____ in the street because there's too much traffic.

to play
playing
play
I appreciate _____ able to study in peace and quiet.

to be
being
be
I don't blame you for _____ to go to that boring meeting.

not to want
not wanting
not want
Mr. Davis was accused of _____ classified information to the press.

leaking
to leak
leak
The children are anxious _____ to the circus.

to go
going
go
Alex dreads _____ to retire.

to have
have
having
I learned how to cook by _____ my mother in the kitchen.

watching
watch
to watch
The people in front of me in the movie kept _____ loudly.

to talk
talking
talk
The manager let Jane _____ early as she had a doctor's appointment.

go
to go
going
I was relieved _____ out that I had passed the exam.

finding
to find
find
_____ a second language takes time and practice.

Mastering
To master
Master

205

LESSON 14

VOCABULARY
Air travel
Hotels

GRAMMAR
Clauses of reason
Clauses of result
Clauses of purpose

206

VOCABULARY

207

208

GRAMMAR

209

Practice
I. Rephrase the first sentences. The meaning has to remain the same.
1) He opened the window. He wanted to let fresh air in.(in order to)

He opened the window

.

2) I took my camera. I wanted to take some photos.(so that)

I took my camera
.

3) He studied really hard. He wanted to get better marks. (in order to)

He studied really hard

.

4) Jason learns Chinese. His aim is to work in China. ( to)

Jason learns Chinese

.

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 5) Ive collected money. I will buy a new car. (so that)

Ive collected money

.

6) Many people left Turkey in 1960s.They wanted to find jobs in Germany.( in order to)

Many people left Turkey in 1960s

.

7) She attends to a course. She wants to learn chess.(to)

She attends to a course

.

8) Linda turned on the lights. She wanted to see better. (so that)

Linda turned on the lights

.

9) I will come with you. I want to help you.(in order to)

I will come with you

.

10) We are going to cinema. We will watch a horror film.(to)

We are going to cinema

.
11) You must take your umbrella so that you wont get wet.(in order)

You must take your umbrella

12) He waited at the counter. He wanted to see her. (in order)

He waited at the counter

.

13) We all put on our coats. We were feeling cold.(so that)

We all put on our coats

keep warm.

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II. Reformulate the following sentences:
1. As they are robust and easy to maintain, large induction motors are used in pumps in
water and power systems.

.. 2. We decided not to use that system because it

was not compatible with our equipment.

..
3. The flight was cancelled because there were technical problems.

.
4. He lost his job because he was incompetent.

.
Join each pair of sentences by using: in order that/so that in order to/so as to/to /so (that)
as required by the context.
1. He took a course in programming. He wanted to get a better-paid job.

.
2. The immigrants work very hard. They want their children to have a good education
and a better life.

..
3. He helped us with the calculations. As a result, we were able to keep the deadline.

4. He hurried with the experiment. He wanted to be at home at 2 p.m.

5. She spoke very loud. She wanted even those sitting in the back row to hear her.

III. Rephrase the first sentences using the expressions in capitals and make all the
necessary changes in sentence structure.
1. Most of the companys problems ensued from poor management. CAUSE (noun)
Poor management was the cause of most of the companys problems.

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 2. What brought about the rapid change? CAUSE (verb)

.
3. Their application was rejected owing to a number of shortcomings (failures). AS A
RESULT OF

..
4. He didnt hear the most interesting part of the lecture as he was late. THEREFORE

..
5. Some of the study regulations were difficult to understand. Accordingly, explanatory
notes were added. AS

.
6. Anticipating problems of this kind, they did everything they could to prevent them.
SINCE

..
7. He was not eligible for that loan due to his age; consequently, his application was
rejected. OWING TO

..
8. The machine failed because it was poorly maintained. DUE TO

9. The trip had to be cancelled because of heavy rain. BECAUSE

LESSON 15

VOCABULARY
Time
Distance, size and dimension
Formal and informal English

GRAMMAR
Clauses of contrast, concession and comparison

213

Positive/negative addition
Joining ideas

VOCABULARY

214

215

216

GRAMMAR

217

Expressing comparison:
in comparison with/to
by comparison with
compared with/to
as .. as
not as/so .. as
as
He doesnt speak English as/so well as she (does).
The problem is bigger than you might think.

Practice
I. Fill the gaps with suitable conjunctions, linkers, and prepositions expressing
contrast, concession, and comparison as required by the context. In most of the
sentences there are two or more choices.
Eg: Finding a solution is not as/so big a problem as you might think.
1. There were fewer foreign participants at the conference
originally expected.
2. . the fact that the I-R model has been widely
applied to international business studies, its application to the IS discipline is still
limited.
3. Useful research has been carried out concerning cooling and ventilation of motors.
.. , almost none has dealt with the
influence of the ventilation structures on cooling large-capacity open-type motors.
4. . this looks like a great idea in theory, in
practice it does not work.

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 5. Obtaining a grant for building a modern research centre is a great opportunity;

there are risks involved.
6. Their economy has expanded; .., ours has
declined.
7. Physics for Electrical Engineers is a relatively difficult course;
. it is quite popular among students.
8. The number of applicants for admission to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering is not
.. high .. it was last
year.
9. To summarize our findings, hypotheses 1a and 2a were supported
.. 1b and 2b were not.
10. We work . hard . any other team at the University.
II. Rewrite the following sentences beginning them with the given words:
1. He worked hard, but he couldnt pass the test.
In spite of .
2. It was late, but we decided to go out.
Although .
3. She is rich, but she is not happy.
Despite .
4. She had a bad teacher. Still, she passed her exams.
In spite of .
5. She lives next door but we rarely see each other.

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 Although .
6. He faced many setbacks, but he didnt lose hope.
In spite of .
7. Although she is a foreigner, she speaks English remarkably well.
In spite of .
8. In spite of earning a good salary, she finds it difficult to make ends meet.
Although .
9. She lives close to her office; however, she is always late for work.
In spite of .
10. Although she works three jobs in a day, she makes it a point to spend quality time
with her kids.
In spite of .

220