Nouns accent: body language: clothes shop: degree: disease: foreign language: mother tongue: native speaker: notice: sign: sign language: slang: Verbs advertise: apologise: blame: chat: convince: cure: Unit 1 gossip: graduate: include: join: pronounce: provide: quarrel: react: whisper: Adjectives bilingual: fluent: good-natured: (be) worthwhile: Expressions get (one s) message across: have a heart-to-heart talk: raise questions: tell a joke: VOCABULARY
Suffixes Vocabulary Recognising suffixes can help you identify the different parts of speech. Nouns often end with suffixes such as -ness, -ship. -ment, -tion, -sion, -ence, -ence and ity. Adjectives often end with suffixes such as -el, -able / -ible, -ous, -ive, -iru; -ed, -ful and -less: Which of the following words are nouns and which are adjectives? upsetting championship doubtful pollution countless sensitive annoyance announcement: activity suitable happiness humorous sensible Add suffixes to the following words to make nouns or adjectives. Use your dictionary to help you. value mass truth state leader mystery equal collect Complete the sentences with the nouns and adjectives you formed in the previous exercise. 1. The owner of the house showed us his art 2. We saw a stranger in a black cat. 3. Women have been fighting for for many years. 4. I lost a ring yesterday. 5. Do you agree with this? 6. The elephant looked standing next to its trainer. 7. I'm not sure I believe you. Are you being completely? 8. Things have improved under the of our Prime Minister. Complete the sentences by adding suffixes to the words in brackets to form nouns or adjectives. 1. He's written. articles about language, but this one is especially. It's about words we use to express feelings of pleasure and. (fascinate, happy, count) 2. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss, is a. book about. (punctuate, humour) 3. I missed the teacher's. about next week's special. for the class. (announce, active) 4. It was very. to everyone when the team lost the., especially since they'd been doing so well under the. of the new coach. (upset, leader, champion) 5. I don't think that his. had anything to do with you. He's not a very patient or. man. (annoy, sense) 6. Before the mid-1960s, there was a great deal of public. to the problems caused by air and water. (pollute, indifferent) Complete the sentences with nouns or adjectives. Use the words below and the correct suffixes. mistery doubt mass state sense comic suit collect equal truth value 1. When something is., it's huge. 2. Someone. usually makes good judgements. 3. When something is., it's difficult to understand. 4. Silver is less. than gold. 5. Someone. for a job has the necessary skills and abilities for it. 6. When someone is being. they're not lying. 7. A. is never followed by a question mark. 8. In some countries, there's no. for women. 9. Something that is. is funny.
10. If you're. about something, you're not sure. 11. There is more than one thing in a. Complete the sentences by adding a suffix to the words in brackets. 1. Many... (fame) people live in this... (beauty) area. 2. The clothes in this shop are... (fashion). but very... (expense). 3. If you need... (assist), please call a member of the staff. 4. Dave is a great... (sing). I didn't know he was so... (music). 5. Claire's advice wasn't very... (use). 6. Winning the marathon is an amazing... (achieve). 7. Have you seen the latest... (product) of this play? 8. He couldn't hide his... (curious) about the new project. Complete the following sentences by adapting the word given in brackets. Exercise 1 1) We need to find a... to the problem as soon as possible. (solve) 2) Juan speaks English fluently and makes very few... mistakes. (grammar) 3) The teacher keeps a record of every student's.... (attend) 4) Air-conditioning is a... if you live somewhere like the south of Spain. (necessary) 5) Don't be afraid of the dog. He's absolutely.... (harm) 6) The company is trying hard to improve customer.... (satisfy) 7) Measures were taken around the world to... airport security after the 11 September attacks. (tight) 8) We're going to change our suppliers as they have become very... in the last year. (rely) 9) Patricia's very.... She writes short stories, paints and makes mosaics. (create) 10) We need your... at the bottom of the page. (sign) Exercise 2 1) The index at the back of the book is in... order. (alphabet) 2) The fans waved... as the film star stepped out of the limousine. (excite) 3) Chickenpox is a highly... disease which many people catch as a child. (infect) 4) Matt is very.... He wants to be number one at everything. (compete) 5) Harry loves cars and he's so... about them. (knowledge) 6) There is little... of the president being re-elected. (likely) 7) The prime minister thinks there may be a... to overthrow him. (conspire) 8) In... with Tokyo, London and Paris are relatively cheap. (compare) 9) The police were unable to... that she had committed the crime. (proof) 10) The president's speech went on for so long that I almost died of...! (bore) Exercise 3 1) Naomi and Kurt have three children. Naomi also has a daughter from a previous.... (marry)
2) The film was so.... You knew exactly how it was going to end. (predict) 3) The goverment is concerned about the significant rise in.... (homeless) 4) It has been... proven that stroking a cat can lower your blood pressure. (scientific) 5) Thanks to the large... from her grandmother Paula was able to buy a villa in the south of France. (inherit) 6) In the UK it is... to sell cigarettes to children under 16. (legal) 7) You can... your tea with honey instead of sugar. (sweet) 8) You need to... the final point of the presentation. It's rather confusing. (clear) 9) The film turned out to be a big.... It was really quite boring. (disappoint) 10) The... between the city's two football teams is often quite fierce. (rival) Choose the logical continuation for each sentence. Pay attention to the underlined words. 1. Melanie has got an excellent accent in French. a. She speaks like a French person. b. She writes French very well. + Vocabulary 2. My mother is bilingual. a. She speaks Spanish and a little Portuguese. b. She speaks Portuguese and Spanish equally well. 3. I'm a native speaker of Italian. a. Italian is my first language. b. I study Italian in a language school. 4. English is Daisy's mother tongue. a. She learned it as a baby. b. She learned it as a teenager. 5. Thomas is fluent in Italian. a. He knows enough to manage. b. He speaks very well. 6. In the UK, many students don't study a foreign language. a. They don't study French or German. b. They don't study English literature. 7. Kevin's body language shows he is angry. a. I can tell from the way he's sitting. b. I can tell from the way he's speaking. 8. I saw two people using sign language. a. They were reading a sign. b. They were using their hands. 9. It's appropriate to use slang. a. After all, you're writing an essay. b. After all, you're talking to your friends. Complete the passage with the words and expressions below. bilingual provide raised questions countless fluent join mother tongue foreign language graduate Over the centuries,. immigrants have arrived in the United States from countries around the world. For most of them, English was a. and they had to learn it. Now a large group of immigrants is demanding that schools. an education for their children in their. -Spanish. This demand has. among educators: some say that children who study only in Spanish will never learn English or become part of American society. Others point out that today, many immigrant students never. from high school because they find studying in English so difficult. They believe a. education is the best alternative, and say that students must also. regular English classes. What's best? It depends on who you talk to. But you can be sure of one thing: the next generation, born in the United States, will definitely speak. English.
Reading comprehension
Part A. Reading Comprehension. Read the following text: BRITISH PASTIMES Britain's most common leisure activities are home-based. Perhaps because of the British climate, people enjoy themselves more in the comfort of their own home. Watching television and videos and listening to the radio are by far the most popular leisure-time activities, with an average of 20 hours a week devoted to them. Britain's regular weekly dramas or 'soap operas' such as Eastenders and Coronation Street have millions of viewers who never miss an episode! Some newspapers are full of articles about the main characters and it is almost as if they were real people! Listening to music is also a popular pastime and last year nearly 140 million compact discs were bought. Pop and rock albums are the most popular types of music bought, and pop is by far the most popular form of musical expression in Britain. Among adults the most common leisure activity outside the home, is a visit to the pub. Other popular activities include visits to the cinema or the theatre. There are over 1,500 cinemas in Britain and about 300 theatres, of which about 100 are in London. Britain's most famous theatre company, The Royal Shakespeare Company, performs in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, and in London. Of all sporting activities, walking is by far the most popular for men and women of all ages. Men tend to go in for activities like golf, snooker and billiards, while women generally prefer swimming, keep-fit classes and yoga. It goes without saying that the most popular spectator sport is football! I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text a. What do many British people spend their leisure time on? b. What kind of outdoor activities are most popular in Britain? II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact words on the answer sheet: a. British people enjoy staying at home during their free time. b. Britain has very few theatres and cinemas. c. British men generally prefer playing football rather than playing golf. III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options: a. popular b. nearly climate devoted almost pub famous snooker c. dedicated d. weather IV. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct 1. Some British newspapers include articles on a) viewers of certain soap operas. b) the main characters of certain soap operas. c) real people that appear in soap operas. 2. Listening to pop music is a) the most popular British indoor activity in Britain. b) a popular means of outdoor expression. c) one of the most popular pastimes in Britain. 3. Men and women in Britain a) go to the cinema and the theatre. b) enjoy doing the same things. c) always go to keep-fit classes.
Listening Fill in the blanks. Youth unemployment crisis Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob and with me today is Natalie. Natalie: Hi Rob. Rob: Today we are going to talk about a big challenge that young people are facing. This is the lack of jobs. This week the International Labour Organisation (or ILO, as it's known) has said that. unemployment around the world remains at a crisis level! Natalie: Crisis is a strong word! Rob: It is and it's not used lightly. The report looked at young people between the ages of 15 and 24 and found out that around 75 million of them are! Natalie: That's really sad news. But the hasn't been helping much. Rob: That's right and we are going to talk about in just a moment but let's start with our usual quiz question. So are you ready Natalie? Which one of these unusual... is NOT a real one? a) A vibration consultant. b) A trifle analyst. c) A raven master. Natalie: It must be a) a vibration consultant. What would this person do, check if a party had a good "vibe", a good atmosphere? Rob: Maybe but then again maybe not. Natalie: Well I'm keen to know but I'll have to wait until the end of the programme. Rob: You will. Right. Now, let's get back to the. of being young and looking for a job. In the report by BBC's Imogen Foulkes, the reporter uses a phrase that describes a. situation. BBC correspondent Imogen Foulkes: The ILO s report paints a bleak picture of young people losing hope and becoming increasingly detached from the world of work. Almost 75 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 are. worldwide, and the ILO s new report predicts no before 2016 at the earliest. Natalie: She said that the report paints a bleak picture bleak often describes an area that is cold, empty and miserable. Rob: The economic. is really causing a lot of long-term problems. Young people simply aren't seeing any new job opportunities and the forecast is not good. Natalie: The forecast, the things experts predict about trends in the future. Rob: Let's hear what the International Labour Organisation chief economist thinks about the situation. What do you think the word entrenched might mean? BBC correspondent Imogen Foulkes: For young people in particular, says the ILO s chief economist Ekkehard Ernst, these years without work will be damaging: "We have lost the jobs and they are not coming back. Our forecast shows that we are not getting these jobs over the next four or five years. So this means that this crisis really becomes entrenched on the labour market, and that means that we also see these young people losing their skills." Rob: So the forecast is that there will be not enough jobs over the next four or five years Natalie: And the crisis is becoming. on the labour market that means that it is to be fixed or rooted in the same position the position of lack of work for young people. Rob: In the next part of the report, listen to the word used to describe being left to one side a position that many people might find themselves in: BBC correspondent Imogen Foulkes: The ILO already has evidence that many young people are simply.. Neither in work, nor in education, they've no. and are becoming increasingly.. Others are growing bitter that the years spent in higher education have brought no career. Instead, the ILO says, many young graduates are being forced to take. unskilled jobs.
Rob: So they are dropping out. They are not doing anything. They are. from the jobs market or from education. They are not learning new things and that's how they end up more and more marginalised. Natalie: To be marginalised is to be left to one side and forgotten about. Rob: Well, faced with no., many young people have to accept part-time jobs, or jobs that are.. Some people call these. jobs to work on a. job is sometimes called temping. The ILO is urging governments to make job creation a priority. They also suggest offering tax breaks to companies who young people and programmes of work that encourage training and learning these are sometimes called.. Natalie: Young people can learn English to help them build their skills! Rob: What a good idea! And let's end on a more positive note, shall we, with our quiz question. Natalie: Yes! You asked me: Which of these unusual jobs is NOT a real one? I don't remember all the options Rob: I've got to remind you. They were: a) A vibration consultant. b) A trifle analyst. c) A raven master. Natalie: And I said a) a vibration consultant, I think. Rob: Why did you say that? You were wrong! You didn't pay attention to the options presented to you, you just had ears for the first one, didn't you!., a vibration consultant is someone who advises on vibration and noise problems for construction companies or manufacturers. A raven master is England's one and only custodian of the Tower of London's ravens. So what doesn't quite exist is a trifle analyst! A trifle is a dessert of course, which I love, and you're not supposed to analyse it. You should just really eat it! Natalie: Yes, of course! But I'm on a diet, Rob. I've been avoiding even thinking trifles! Rob: Really, I'll have some more then, thanks. To those of you keen on learning English, here are today's words and expressions again. Natalie: a bleak picture a forecast entrenched to drop out marginalised temping, a temporary job an apprenticeship Rob: Thanks, Natalie. Hopefully you've enjoyed today's programme. Please do join us again for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English very soon! Bye! Natalie: Bye!
GRAMMAR TENSES PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS INTO THE RIGHT TENSE. 1. I can't go out now. I (not finish)... my work yet. 2. I (leave)... home at 8.30 tomorrow but I (not get)... there until 12.30. 3. How (you get)... that scar? 4. I (get)... it in a car accident a year ago. 5. Smith's (open)... a new shop in this street next July. 6. It's very cold. I (light)... a fire. 7. Who (you vote)... for at the last election? 8. I (vote)... for Reagan. 9. The actors (arrive)... yesterday and (begin)... the rehearsals the same morning. 10. I can't hear what you (say)..., the traffic (make)... too much noise. 11. Her parents (give)... a party for her next month. They (invite)... sixty people. 12. I (hear)... his speech on the radio last night. 13. How long (you wait)... for me? I (wait)... for about half an hour. 14. It (rain)... for two days now. 15. That man (try)... to make trouble since he came to us. 16. I (spend)... a few days in London next month. 17. Mr Jones has just phoned to say that he (not come)... back till Wednesday night. 18. We (take)... the children to the seaside this summer. 19. The last time I (go)... to England was in 1987. 20. I (never go)... to Scotland. 21. But surely you can't want to eat again. You (have)... three big meals today. 22. She (work... from nine to five except on Saturdays. 23. I (wear)... a hat now because the sun is hot. 24. In Spain women (not wear)... hats. 25. I can't answer the phone because I (make)... an omelette. 26. I don't think my children (be)... tall. 27. Come on! Hurry up or we (not get)... to the cinema in time. 28. At what time (Mr Evans close)... his shop last night? 29. At seven, and he (leave)... a bit later. 30. Was it very difficult to win the match? Yes, but we (win)... in the end. 31. I (just see)... your grandmother in South Street. She was alone. 32. I (still think)... about what colour to paint the wall. I (not decide)... yet. 33. Mary (already have)... a bath but she (not do)... her hair yet. 34. When did you first meet John? I first (meet)... him two months ago. I (know)... him since April. 35. My father (not smoke)... a cigarette for years! 36. Really? He was smoking one when I (see)... him last night. 37. (he still write)... books? Yes, he (write)... a very interesting novel. 38. They usually (make)... a lot of noise, but tonight they (not make)... any. 39. Look! That man (try)... to open the door of your car! 40. You don't know what to do. Would you like (think)... about it? 41. I don't like (study)... Physics at all. I think it is terribly boring. 42. Do you think the children (eat)... all the cake? I hope not because they (be)... ill. 43. That man (get)... off the bus and (run)... away before anybody could stop him. 44. At five o'clock Arthur (drive)... the car to the garage and went to the pub. 45. (you be)... to the races lately? 46. No, I (not be)... for a long time.
47. Have you been married long? No, We only (get)... married two years ago. 48. Mary is not going to read that book. She (already read)... it. 49. The police (still ask)... Mary a lot of questions. 50. How long (she work)... in that hospital? 51. She (begin)... in October. 52. I'm hungry. I (not eat)... anything since breakfast. 53. Philip (give)... Mary a book for her next birthday. 54. We (have)... dinner early tonight because we (go)... to the theatre. 55. My aunt doesn't usually make cakes on Mondays, but she (make)... one today because her sister (come)... to tea tomorrow. 56. What (she do)... in the evenings? 57. She usually (play)... cards or (watch)... TV. 58. The last train (leave)... the station at 11.30. 59. Ann (make)... a dress for herself at the moment. She (make)... all her own clothes. 60. When I was looking for my passport I (find)... this old photograph. 61. (you ever eat)... snails? Yes, I (eat)... some at Tom's party last week. 62. He (serve)... in the First World War. 63. When (that war begin)...? 64. It (begin)... in 1914. 65. She (say)... that she was going to phone me this morning but it is now 12.30 and she (not phone)... yet. 66. I (not see)... your aunt recently. 67. No, she (not be)... out of her house since she (buy)... her colour television. 68. (you like)... this necklace? 69. I (give)... it to my daughter for her birthday tomorrow. 70. Tom and Mr Pitt (have)... a long conversation. I (wonder)... what they (talk)... about. 71. What (he do)... to his car now? 72. I think he (clean)... it. 73. Her mother often (tell)... her that she (spend)... too much money but she never (listen)... 74. She (leave)... to Scotland next Friday. 75. (you wear)... a uniform when you were at school? 76. The milkman (come)... everyday at eight o'clock. 77. Mary likes (buy)... lottery tickets but she never (win)... anything. 78. Why (you drive)... so fast? We are going to have an accident! 79. She (come)... to town last week, and she (be)... here since then. 80. I've got a letter from John. He (say)... he (come)... to London next week. 81. Something very strange (happen)... yesterday. 82. You (not eat)... too much for the last few days, that's why you feel so tired. 83. I (buy)... a new house last year, but I (not sell)... the old one yet. 84. I (work)...for a Company in Bristol two years ago, but I didn't like it, so I came back to London and I (work)... here since then. 85. I hope that you (have)... a good time tomorrow. 86. Richard is finding life in Paris a bit difficult. He (not speak)... French. 87. I haven't got a car at the moment, so I (go)... to work on the bus this week. I usually (drive)... to work. 88. We (go)... camping every year. It's a good cheap holiday. Hotels (cost)... too much. 89. Liz very often (lose)... her keys. 90. When (you last see)... Lisa?
91. Oh, a long time ago. I (not see)... her since Christmas. 92. My tea is on the table now. I (just make)... it. 93. The party wasn't very good. We (leave)... after only half an hour. 94. The questions were easy. I hope you (write)... them correctly. 95. Susan (lose)... her purse. She can't find it anywhere. 96. The match (start).... They are playing now. 97. Joanne (run)... away from home. But she came back two days later. 98. When Mary (see)... the question, she knew the answer. 99. I (dream)... when the alarm clock rang. 100.The train was waiting when we (arrive)... at the station. 101.Emma's shoes are dirty. She (walk)... in the field. 102.I (swim).... That's why my hair is wet. 103.Those young men (run)... nearly two miles. They (run)... for ten minutes. 104.You can have the newspaper. I (finish)... with it. 105.I spoke to Melanie at lunch time. Someone (tell)... her the news earlier. 106.I was really tired last night. I (have)... a hard day. 107.do you want to see this programme? It... (just start) 108.At that time we had no car. We (sell)... our old one. 109.The bill isn't right. They (make)... a mistake. 110.When the pupils (do)... the experiment, they wrote a report on it. 111.When John had saved enough money he (buy)... a motor-bike. 112.When we (complete)... our exams, we gave them to the teacher. 113.After playing tennis I was annoyed because (not win)... a single game. 114.When I saw Ben last week he said he (stop)... smoking. But when I saw him two days later, he (smoke)... a cigarette. 115.We bought this picture many years ago. We (have)... for ages. 116.Did you buy this book? 117.No, Nancy did. She (read)... it at school next term. 118.Tea or coffee? I (have)... tea, please. 119.Can you meet me at seven? I may be late. That's all right. I (wait)... for you. 120.What about your plans, Carlo?. (you return)... home after the exams? I think I (go)... back home at some time in the future, but first I (spend)... six months in the USA. 121.I've fixed up a job. I (work)... for a chemical company in California. I'm sure it (be)... a good experience. 122.I (send)... the cheque to you as soon as I have it. 123.I can't do anything until he (get)... back. 124.How's your flat? Well, the rent is very expensive. I (move)... to a new place. I decided last week. 125.I (not see)... your aunt recently. No, she (not be)... out of her house since she (buy)... her colour television. 126.She can do better if she (try)... 127.Was Tom there when you arrived? No, he (go)... home.