WORD FORMATION visual thesaurus
A. Complete the word in each sentence with one of the suffixes in the list.
-ful -less -ly -like -y -ish -ic -al -ous
1. On rain___ days, we spend a lot of time indoors watching television.
2. The mystery creature has a long snake___ body and six legs.
3. Paul received most of his music___ education from his mother.
4. The government is going to provide more houses for home___ people.
5. Mary's mother___ qualities made her a favorite with the children.
6. This road is extremely danger___ when the weather is bad.
7. We didn't have any difficult___ in finding your house.
8. It was very fool___ of you to leave all the doors and windows open.
9. Everyone thanked the fire-fighters for their hero___ efforts.
10. Lisa's party was the most success___ she had ever had.
B. Complete each sentence with a word made from the word given.
1. It's _________ (usual) cold today, considering it's still summer.
2. Actually I found Tony's book was _________ (surprise) interesting.
3. _________ (interest), my father used to go to school with your father.
4. The police managed _________ (success) to find the missing children.
5. John's compositions are always _________ (beautiful) written.
6. This question is _________ (awful) difficult, isn't it!
7. Mike tried _________ (success) to phone Cathy several times.
8. These instructions seem _________ (necessary) complicated.
9. Someone had _________ (obvious) left the front door open.
10. I can't sit on this chair. It's really _________ (comfort).
11. Ann has left home and is _________ (depend) of her parents.
12. These old envelops are _________ (use) so we can save some money.
13. Not being chosen for the team was a great _________ (appoint).
14. Maria and Louis have a really good _________(relate).
15. Being _________ (self) means that you share with others.
16. Not taking exercise is rather _________ (health).
17. David has a really _________ (control) temper and gets angry easily.
18. They didn't give Gary the job as he was _________ (experience).
TENSES
A. Simple Past / Past Perfect
I can't believe I (get) __________ that apartment. I (submit) __________ my application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I (show) __________ up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who (arrive) __________ before me. Most of them (fill, already) __________ out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did.
I (try) __________ to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They (want) __________ me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I (have) __________ some problems with him and I knew he wouldn't recommend me. I (end) __________ up listing my father as a reference.
It was total luck that he (decide) __________ to give me the apartment. It turns out that the landlord and my father (go) __________ to high school together. He decided that I could have the apartment before he (look) __________ at my credit report. I really lucked out!B. Present Perfect / Past Perfect/ Present Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Continuous
1. It is already 9:30 pm and I (wait) __________ here for over an hour. If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave.
2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait) __________ for over an hour. I almost left without him.
3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) __________ for that import company for more than ten years and he (work) __________ in almost every department. Nobody knew the company like he did.
4. I (see) __________ many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
5. Sarah (climb) __________ the Matterhorn, (sail) __________ around the world, and (go) __________ on safari in Kenya. She is such an adventurous person.
6. Sarah (climb) __________ the Matterhorn, (sail) __________ around the world and (go) __________ on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She (experience) __________ more by that age than most people do in their entire lives.
7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she (cry) __________ .
C. Present and Past Tenses and Non-Continuous Verbs
1.a. Look, I (have) __________ two tickets for the circus.
1.b. Look, I (hold) __________ two tickets for the circus.
2.a. We (be) __________ there for more than half an hour by the time the show began.
2.b. We (wait) __________ there for more than half an hour by the time the show began.
3.a. Sam (sit) __________ in the seat next to me when the clown threw a bucket of water at me.
3.b. Sam (be) __________ in the seat next to me when the clown threw a bucket of water at me.
4.a. One clown was juggling while he (balance) __________ a glass of wine on his head.
4.b. One clown was juggling while he (have) __________ a glass of wine on his head.
5.a. I (love) __________ the circus ever since I was a child.
5.b. I (go) __________ to the circus ever since I was a child.
6.a. Right now, I (see) __________ two elephants doing tricks in the ring.
6.b. Right now, I (look) __________ at two elephants doing tricks in the ring.
D. Simple Past / Present Perfect
1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars"?
B: I don't know. I (see, never) __________ that movie.
2. Sam (arrive) __________ in San Diego a week ago.
3. My best friend and I (know) __________ each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once a week.
4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) __________ ten very creative short stories in the last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.
5. I (have, not) __________ this much fun since I (be) __________ a kid.
6. Things (change) __________ a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) __________ working here three years ago, the company (have, only) __________ six employees. Since then, we (expand) __________ to include more than 2000 full-time workers.
7. I (tell) __________ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander) __________ off into the forest and (be) __________ bitten by a snake.
8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) __________ the bus this morning. You (be) __________ late to work too many times. You are fired!
9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never) __________ the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.
10. How sad! George (dream) __________ of going to California before died, but he didn't make it. He (see, never) __________ the ocean.
11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) __________ much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) __________ two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be) __________ very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) __________ a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
12. Johnny, I can't believe how much you (change) __________ since the last time I (see) __________ you. You (grow) __________ at least a foot!
13. This tree (be) __________ planted by the settlers who (found) __________ our city over four hundred years ago.
14. This mountain (be, never) __________ climbed by anyone. Several mountaineers (try) __________ to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever) __________ . The climb is extremely difficult and many people (die) __________ trying to reach the summit.
15. I (visit, never) __________ Africa, but I (travel) __________ to South America several times. The last time I (go) __________ to South America, I (visit) __________ Brazil and Peru. I (spend) __________ two weeks in the Amazon, (hike) __________ for a week near Machu Picchu, and (fly) __________ over the Nazca Lines.
E. Simple Past / Present Perfect
Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change) __________ a great deal. The first computers (be) __________ simple machines designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) __________ much memory and they (be, not) __________ very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often (pay) __________ thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do) __________ very little. Most computers (be) __________ separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.
Times (change) __________ . Computers (become) __________ powerful machines with very practical applications. Programmers (create) __________ a large selection of useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's games (become) __________ faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also) __________ on the Internet and (begin) __________ communicating with other computer users around the world. We (start) __________ to create international communities online. In short, the simple, individual machines of the past (evolve) __________ into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.
F. Simple Past / Present Perfect / Past Perfect
1. When I (arrive) __________ home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) __________ a beautiful candle-lit dinner.
2. Since I began acting, I (perform) __________ in two plays, a television commercial and a TV drama. However, I (speak, never even) __________ publicly before I came to Hollywood in 1985.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting (begin, already) __________ without me. My boss (be) __________ furious with me and I (be) __________ fired.
4. When I (turn) __________ the radio on yesterday, I (hear) __________ a song that was popular when I was in high school. I (hear, not) __________ the song in years, and it (bring) __________ back some great memories.
5. Last week, I (run) __________ into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see, not) __________ each other in years, and both of us (change) __________ a great deal. I (enjoy) __________ talking to her so much that I (ask) __________ her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for dinner.
6. When Jack (enter) __________ the room, I (recognize, not) __________ him because he (lose) __________ so much weight and (grow) __________ a beard. He looked totally different!
7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) __________ by the time Europeans first (arrive) __________ in the New World.
8. I (visit) __________ so many beautiful places since I (come) __________ to Utah. Before moving here, I (hear, never) __________ of Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches or Canyon lands.
Comparison
A. Rewrite each sentence beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same. Use comparatives.
1. Dan is not as fast as Will. Will is _________ .
2. I have an older sister, Mary. Mary is _________ .
3. Silver is less valuable than gold. Gold is _________ .
4. This is the earlier train. There aren’t any _________ .
5. That’s the best price we can offer. We can’t offer a _________ price.
6. You’ve worked less chaotically that before. Your work is _________ .
7. Do you agree that a Ford is safer, more economical and more comfortable than any other car? Do you agree that no other car is _________ .
8. If you run a lot, you’ll get fitter. The more _________ .
9. The e-mail seems to be the cheapest, the fastest and the most reliable means of communication at present. There doesn’t seem to be a _________ .
10. This story is by far the funniest and the most interesting of all. I’ve never heard a _________ .
B. Use the double comparative of the adjectives in brackets for the Romanian “din ce în ce mai”.
1. You English is getting (good).
2. It’s becoming (important) to rely on our own experts.
3. We were so tired, that the top of the mountains seemed to be getting (far).
4. As buses are becoming (fast) we are growing (idle).
5. The idea of spending the summer at the seaside sounds (appealing).
6. (Great) attention is being paid to computer-assisted learning.
7. The students are growing (loud) and the noise (unbearable).
8. Computer modeling seems to be (interesting), (challenging).
9. It’s becoming (plain) that we are growing (involved) in it.
10. Days are growing (short) as winter approaches.
C. Use the adjectives in brackets in the comparative form for the Romanian “cu cât ... cu atât”.
1. (Hard) the task, (great) the satisfactions.
2. (Funny) the stories, (merry) we are.
3. (Little) time you spare for learning, (little) satisfactory your studies and (bad) results you’ll get.
4. (High) the manufacturing costs, (high) the selling price.
5. (Big) the business is, (competitive) it is likely to be.
6. (Long) I have to wait for the results, (impatient) I become.
7. (Famous) the brand is, (expensive) their products are.
8. (Experience) the managers of the company are, (successful) it becomes.
Preposition Practice
Bring + Prepositions
along around away back into on out over through up
Functions: interrupting, asking for clarifications, introducing a new topic...
Introducing the topic:
§ Let me start by...
§ I’ll start by...
§ First of all, I’ll...
§ Starting with...
§ I’d like to begin with...
Moving on to the next point:
§ Let me turn now to...
§ Let’s move on to...
§ Turning on to...
§ Turning to...
§ I’d like now to...
§ Next...
§ Let’s look now at...
Dealing with questions
§ I’ll deal with this later, if I may, but for now...
§ I’ll come back to this question later in my talk.
§ I won’t comment on this now...
§ We’ll be examining this question in more detail later on.
Asking for clarification
§ It depends what you mean when you say...
§ What do you mean?/ What do you have in mind?
§ Could you run through that again?
Stating your position/ Giving opinions...
§ I think.../ In my opinion...
§ What I am looking for...
§ I was hoping for...
§ It seems to me...
Asking for opinions/ a reaction
§ How does that sound?
§ How do you feel about...?
§ What do you think/ say...?
§ I’d like to hear your view on this.
WHY DO PEOPLE WORK?
§ to earn a living
§ for the fun of it
§ for self-fulfillment
§ to become famous
§ to leave a legacy
§ to have something to do not to get bored
§ to gain power and authority
§ for work’s sake
§ Are holiday and leisure time important aspects of a person’s working life?
Begging on Wall Street
There are three beggars begging on Wall Street.
The first beggar wrote "Beggar" on his broken cup. He
received $10.00 after one day.
The next day, the second beggar wrote "Beggar.com" on his
cup. After one day, he received hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
The following day, the third beggar wrote "e-Beg" on his
cup. Microsoft, IBM, and HP sent corporate vice-presidents
to talk to him about strategic alliances and offered him free
hardware consultancy. In addition, it was reported on CNBC
that e-Beg uses 95% Oracle technology and that I2 announced the launch of BegTradeMatrix; a b2b industry portal offering supply chain integration in the beggar community.
"My wife claims I'm a baseball fanatic. She says all I everread about is baseball. All I ever talk about is baseball.All I ever think about is baseball. I told her she's way offbase."
The CEO was scheduled to speak at an important convention sohe asked one of his employees, Jenkins, to write him a 20-minute speech.When the CEO returned from the big event, he was furious."What's the idea of writing me an hour-long speech?", hedemanded. "Half the audience walked out before I finished."Jenkins was baffled. "I wrote you a 20-minute speech," hereplied. "I also gave you the two extra copies you askedfor."