IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS

FOR DESCRIBING CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY

The words and expressions below can all be used informally to describe different kinds of people. Use them to complete sentences 1
35. Note that many of the words / expressions have a negative connotation and are not very polite, so you should be careful how you use
them!
ANORAK
BIGMOUTH BUNNY BOILER
BUSYBODY CHATTERBOX
CHINLESS WONDER
CLOCK-WATCHER
COUCH POTATO
CRANK
CREEP
DAYDREAMER
DON JUAN
EAGER BEAVER
EARLY BIRD
GOLDEN BOY
HAPPY CAMPER
LIFE AND SOUL OF THE PARTY MOANING MINNIE PAIN IN THE NECK
ROLLING STONE
ROUGH DIAMOND
SALT OF THE EARTH
SCROOGE
SCROUNGER
SKIVER
SLAVE DRIVER
SMART ALEC
SMART COOKIE
STUFFED SHIRT
TEARAWAY TROUBLEMAKER
WALLFLOWER
WET BLANKET
WIMP
WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
1. Nobody likes Peter very much because he's so annoying. He's a right

pain in the neck

2. Andy is so boring. Did you know that his idea of a perfect day is going to the station to collect train registration numbers? What an
3. I know that you don't like your job very much, but I wish you would stop complaining about it all the time. Don't be such
4. Imelda loves working here: she's a real happy camper

anorak

a moaning Minnie

!
!

5. Alan is an excellent and intelligent manager who runs the department well and deals effectively with any problems that come up. Everyone agrees that he's a / an
a smart cookie
.
6. You've been sitting in front of the television for almost four hours. Why don't you turn it off and go for a walk? You're turning into a / an

a couch potato

7. We were having a wonderful evening until Anne joined us. Why does she have to be so negative about everything all the time? She's such a / an
!
8. Don't be such a /an

a chatterbox

! If you concentrated instead of speaking all the time, you would get more work done.

9. If you want some help, ask Imelda. She's always happy and willing to help out: she's a real
10. I hope Rick comes out with us tonight. He's such good fun, always the
11. Poor Samantha is a bit of a / an

a wet blanket

a wallflower

eager beaver

life and soul of the party

!
.

. She would have much more fun and would get to know more people if she had more confidence.

12. Don is a bit of a / an

a crank

. He never eats vegetables because he thinks they slow down your brain!

13. Don't be such a / an

a wimp

! You've only got a small cut on your hand; you haven't lost a whole arm!

14. All the newspapers are writing about Gordon Stapleton. He's the new

golden boy

of English football.

15. When Laurence ended his relationship with Mandy, she refused to accept it and started sending him insulting letters. Then one day she went to his house and
threw a brick through his window! I never realised she was such a
bunny boiler
!
16. My line manager Mr Burton is a real
o'clock.

slave driver

. Yesterday he made us work for six hours without a break, and wouldn't let us leave until 7

17. Maureen is the

early bird

in this company. She starts work at 7 o'clock, two hours before anyone else arrives.

18. I'm afraid my son has become a bit of a / an

a tearaway

. He stays out all night with his friends and he never listens to a word I say.

19. All the girls in the office love Daniel, and he loves them right back! He's a regular
20. Mrs Ranscombe is such a /an
21. My boss is a real

a busybody

scrooge

22. James is a bit of a / an

Don Juan

. I wish she would stop interfering in my private life!

: he pays us peanuts and hasn't given us a pay rise for two years.

a daydreamer

. He never seems to pay attention during his lessons, and doesn't appear to take in anything I say.

23. Martin isn't ill! He's not at work today because he's too lazy to come in, the

skiver

24. Michelle never pays for anything when we go out, and just relies on other people. She's such a / an
25. Mike has always been a / an
months.

a rolling stone

26. Our new secretary is a / an

a clock-watcher

. He can never stay in the same place for very long, and he rarely keeps the same job for more than six
. She doesn't work very hard, and she can't wait for the working day to end.

27. Everyone respects Arthur. He's the salt of the earth

28. I would avoid Christine, if I were you. She's a real

a scawanger

.
troublemaker

, and loves to start arguments.

29. When I ask you a question, I want you to give me a short, sensible answer. Don't be a / an
30. Come on, Bill. Relax and enjoy yourself! Don't be such a / an

a stuffed shirt

a smart Alec

31. Anthony is always following the boss around, carrying his briefcase and papers, opening doors for him and bringing him cups of coffee. What a creep
!
32. Don't ask Tina to keep a secret: she's a real

bigmouth

33. I know that Mr Connor isn't very well spoken and doesn't behave very politely, but he's a pleasant and kind man, a real _rough diamond

34. Mr Kelly seems nice and kind when you first start working for him, but in fact he's a ruthless businessman who will fire you the first time you make a mistake.
He's a real wolf in sheeps clothing
.
35. Tarquin is a bit of a

chinless wonder

. He has lots of money, but everyone thinks he's weak and stupid.

Its Not What You Say, But How You Say It

Word List:
bombastic adj. speaking pompously, with inflated self-importance. Ahmed was shocked that a renowned and
admired humanitarian could give such a bombastic keynote address.
censure n. an expression of strong criticism or disapproval; a rebuke or condemnation. After the Senator was found guilty
of taking bribes, Congress unanimously agreed to censure him.
derisive adj. scornful, expressing ridicule; mocking, jeering. In order to ensure a positive environment, derisive comments
were forbidden in the classroom.
disparage v. to speak of in a slighting or derogatory way; to belittle. Comedians often disparage politicians as part of
their comedic routines.
effusive adj. expressing emotions in an unrestrained or excessive way; profuse, overflowing, gushy. Annes unexpected effusive
greeting made Tammy uncomfortable.
eloquent adj. expressing strong emotions or arguments in a powerful, fluent, and persuasive manner. Abraham Lincolns
Gettysburg Address is considered one of the most eloquent speeches ever given by a U.S. president.
gainsay v. to deny, contradict, or declare false; to oppose. Petra would gainsay all accusations made against her.
harangue n. a long, often scolding or bombastic speech; a tirade. Members of the audience began to get restless during
the senators political harangue.
importune v. 1. to ask incessantly, make continuous requests. 2. to beg persistently and urgently. Children cant help but
importune during the holidays, constantly nagging for the irresistible toys they see advertised on television.
malapropism n. comical misuse of words, especially those that are similar in sound. The politicians malapropisms may make us
laugh, but they will not win our votes.

mince v. 1. to cut into very small pieces. 2. to walk or speak affectedly, as with studied refinement. 3. to say something more
delicately or indirectly for the sake of politeness or decorum. Please dont mince your wordsjust tell me what you want to say.
opprobrious adj. 1. expressing contempt or reproach; scornful, abusive. 2. bringing shame or disgrace. It was inappropriate
to make such opprobrious remarks in front of everybody.
oxymoron n. a figure of speech containing a seemingly contradictory combination of expressions, such as friendly fire.
The termnon-working mother is a contemptible oxymoron.
platitude n. a trite or banal statement, especially one uttered as if it were new. Matthew offered me several platitudes but no
real advice.
remonstrate v. 1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or opposition. 2. to scold or reprove. The children remonstrated loudly
when their mother told them they couldnt watch that movie.
repartee n. 1. a quick, witty reply. 2. the ability to make witty replies. He wasnt expecting such a sharp repartee from someone
who was normally so quiet.
sardonic adj. sarcastic; mocking scornfully. I was hurt by his sardonic reply.
sententious adj. 1. expressing oneself tersely; pithy. 2. full of maxims and proverbs offered in a self-righteous manner. I
was looking for your honest opinion, not a sententious reply.
solecism n. 1. a mistake in the use of language. 2. violation of good manners or etiquette; impropriety. Franks solecism caused
his debate team much embarrassment.
voluble adj. 1. talking a great deal and with great ease; language marked by great fluency; rapid, nimble speech. 2. turning or
rotating easily on an axis. Your new spokesperson is very voluble and clearly comfortable speaking in front of large audiences.
Read the following sentences carefully. Decide which word best describes what is being said and circle the letter
of the correct answer.

1. Bundle up, said Aunt Margaret. I dont want you getting sick and coming down with ammonia. The underlined
word is a(n)

a. malapropism.
2. Jack pleaded, Can I go on the rollercoaster one more time, Mom? Please? I really, really want to. Pretty please? Ill
do extra chores this week. Please? This little boy is
b. importuning his mother.
3. You are hopeless! I cannot believe your files are in such disorder, the irritable supervisor shouted. This remark is
d. opprobrious.
4. Come on, Mom! Youre not being fair! Why cant I stay out until midnight just like my friends? Im old enough,
stated Marissa emphatically. This teenager is
a. remonstrating her mother.
5. Oh, wow! I just cant believe it! Im so excited! This is the best thing ever! I am very, very happy, the new
homeowner declared. This remark is
c. effusive.
6. The cranky old coach yelled, You call that a pitch? Ive seen rookies with better aim. This remark is
a. derisive.
7. Wed only just met the host when Kenny told her that her house desperately needed a makeover, Janine said. I was
so embarrassed! Kennys comment was a(n)
b. solecism.
8. Well, son, Ive got news for you: You win some, you lose some. Besides, its not whether you win or lose that
counts. Its how you play the game, my old-fashioned dad said. This remark is
a. sententious.
9. Theyve labeled the poster an authentic reproduction, the antique dealer said. Thats like calling a book on the
bestseller list a new classic. The underlined words are examples of a(n)
b. oxymoron.

10. No, thats not how it happened, the honor student said. Julianna is lying. Winston didnt steal her idea; she took it
from him. This speaker is
c. gainsaying.
Read the following sentences carefully. Decide which of the words from the following list best fills the blank in the
sentence. Write your answer in the blank.
bombastic
censure
disparage
eloquent
harangue

mince
platitude
repartee
sardonic
voluble

11. Darlene found that Jonathans remarks ___disparaged_____(ed) her so much that their relationship was at stake.
His critical comments were unkind.
12. When he discovered the error, Chesterton lashed out at Watkins. His
minutes and shocked everyone in my department!

harangue

lasted for several

13. ABC Paper has been polluting our river for the last 20 years and has been keeping it from the public. This is not just
wrong, its criminal. ABC Paper is guilty of unforgivable sins against the environment and against the people of our state
and deserves the most severe censure
.
14. Because she is so voluble

, she has no trouble meeting new people or talking in front of a crowd.

15. I wish Edna would be more straightforward. Shes always _mincing_______(ing) her words, as if she is afraid she
will hurt my feelings.
16. What a(n)
text.

eloquent

17. Calebs reply was

sardonic

essay! It is forceful and fluent with powerful and precise word choice throughout the
, as usual. He cant seem to say anything without mockery.

18. Titus tried to insult Isabel, but she tactfully deflected the insult with a witty repartee

19. She thought she was offering some real advice, but all she could give me was some platitudes
tomorrows another day and good things come to those who wait.
20. How could our humble, soft-spoken president make such a bombastic
group?

(s) like

statement to the newcomer in the

WORKS CITED = an alphabetical list of sources that have been cited (quoted from) in your paper. All entries in
the Works Cited page must correspond to the works cited in your main text.
BIBLIOGRAPHY = an alphabetical list of sources that you have cited in your paper, read or just consulted while
doing research for your paper.
BASIC RULES:
1. Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins.
2. Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words
Works Cited at the top of the page.
3. Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.
4. List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through
250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as 225-50. Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span of pages.
5. For every entry, you must determine the Medium of Publication. Most entries will likely be listed as Print or Web
sources, but other possibilities may include Film, CD-ROM, or DVD.
6. Writers are no longer required to provide URLs for Web entries. However, if your instructor insists on them, include
them in angle brackets after the entry and end with a period. For long URLs, break lines only at slashes.
7. If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an
online database, you should type the online database name in italics.

Basic Format for a book citation:

Lastname, Firstname. Title Of Book. City Of Publication: Publisher, Year Of Publication. Medium Of Publication.

E.g.:
Book with One Author:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999. Print.

Book with More Than One Author: the first given name appears in last name, first name format; subsequent author
names appear in first name last name format:
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.

If there are more than three authors, you may choose to list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and
others") in place of the subsequent authors' names, or you may list all the authors in the order in which their names appear on the
title page:
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan: Utah State UP, 2004.
Print.

Citing Electronic Sources: MLA lists electronic sources as Web Publications. Thus, when including the medium of
publication for electronic sources, list the medium as Web. It is always a good idea to maintain personal copies of electronic
information, when possible. It is good practice to print or save Web pages or, better, using a program like Adobe Acrobat, to keep
your own copies for future reference. Most Web browsers will include URL/electronic address information when you print,
which makes later reference easy. Also, you might use the Bookmark function in your Web browser in order to return to
documents more easily.
Important Note on the Use of URLs in MLA: MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA citations. Because Web
addresses are not static (i.e., they change often) and because documents sometimes appear in multiple places on the Web (e.g.,
on
multiple databases), MLA explains that most readers can find electronic sources via title or author searches in Internet
Search Engines. For instructors or editors who still wish to require the use of URLs, MLA suggests that the URL appear in
angle brackets after the date of access.
E.g.:
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. The Internet Classics Archive. Web Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

13 Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2008. http://classics.mit.edu/.

Abbreviations Commonly Used with Electronic Sources: If publishing information is unavailable for entries that require
publication information such as publisher (or sponsor) names and publishing dates, MLA requires the use of special abbreviations
to indicate that this information is not available. Use n.p. (= no publisher) to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name
has been provided. Use n.d. (= no date) when the Web page does not provide a publication date. When an entry requires that you
provide a page but no pages are provided in the source (as in the case of an online-only scholarly journal or a work that appears in
an online-only anthology), use the abbreviation n. pag. (= no page).
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases): Here are some common features you should try
and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide all of the following information.
However, collect as much of the following information as possible both for your citations and for your research notes:
1. Author and/or editor names (if available)
2. Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
3. Title of the Website, project, or book in italics.
4. Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
5. Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
6. Take note of any page numbers (if available).
7. Medium of publication.
8. Date you accessed the material. (It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and
information available on one date may no longer be available later)
9. URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does not require a URL).

Citing an entire website:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of
institution/organization affiliated with the
site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date
of access.
E.g.:
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23
Apr. 2008.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
Citing an Article in a Web Magazine: Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks,
title of the Web magazine in italics, publisher name, publication date, medium of publication, and the
date of access. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is
given.
E.g.:
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A
List Apart Mag., 16
Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
Citing an Article in an Online Scholarly Journal: For all online scholarly journals, provide the
author(s) name(s), the name of the article in quotation marks, the title of the publication in italics, all
volume and issue numbers, and the year of publication. MLA requires a page range for articles that
appear in Scholarly Journals. If the journal you are citing appears exclusively in an online format (i.e.
there is no corresponding print publication) that does not make use of page numbers, use the
abbreviation n. pag. to denote that there is no pagination for the publication.
E.g.:
Dolby, Nadine. Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future
Directions. Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): n.
pag. Web. 20 May 2009.

Correct the mistakes in the following list of Works Cited:

W
o
r
k
s
C
i
t
e
d
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental
Defense Fund, 8 May 2007.
Web. 24 May 2009.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet.New York Times, 22 May 2007.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. Clinton on Climate Change. New York Times. New York
Times, May 2007.
John Gowdy. Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of
Sustainability." International
Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 14.1 (2007): 27-36.
Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming and
Financial Imbalances." New
Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63. Print.
Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming."
American Economic Review 96.2 (2006): 31-34. Print.

---. "Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: 1283-84. Science

Online. Web. 24 May 2009. Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global
Warming. Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New York:
Springer, 2005. Print.

SEMINAR
3

Vocabulary
Phrasal Verbs
Works Cited: Electronic Sources

WORD
LIST
Blithe adj. lighthearted, casual, and carefree. Rachels blithe attitude toward spending money left her
penniless and in debt.
Bumptious adj. arrogant, conceited. The bumptious man could not stop talking about himself or
looking in the mirror.
Capricious adj. impulsive, whimsical, and unpredictable. Robin Williams, the comedian,
demonstrates a most capricious nature even when he is not performing.
Churlish adj. ill-mannered, boorish, rude. Angelos churlish remarks made everyone at the table
uncomfortable and ill at ease.
Circumspect adj. cautious, wary, watchful. The captain was circumspect as he guided the
boat through the fog.
Craven adj. cowardly. This craven act of violence will not go unpunished, remarked the
police chief.
Diffident adj. lacking self-confidence; shy and timid. Alans diffident nature is often misinterpreted as
arrogance.
Gregarious adj. 1. seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable. 2. tending to form a group
with others of the same kind. John was a gregarious fellow who always had fun at social events.
Irascible adj. irritable, easily aroused to anger; hot tempered. Her irascible temperament caused many
problems with the staff at the office.

Overweening adj. 1. presumptuously arrogant, overbearing. 2. excessive, immoderate. I quit because I

couldnt stand to work for such an overweening boss.
Perfidious adj. treacherous, dishonest; violating good faith, disloyal.
The perfidious knight betrayed his king.
Personable adj. pleasing in appearance or manner; attractive.
Sandra is personable and well-liked by her peers.
Petulant adj. peevish; unreasonably or easily irritated or annoyed.
The pouting and sulking child could only be described as petulant.
Pretentious adj. showy, pompous, putting on airs. Hannah thinks that being pretentious will make people like her, but
she is sorely mistaken.
Punctilious adj. very conscientious and precise; paying great attention to details or trivialities, especially in regard to
etiquette. Kira is as punctilious in her personal affairs as she is in the workplace.
Sagacious adj. having or showing sound judgment; perceptive, wise. My sagacious uncle always gives me good, sound
advice.
Sanguine adj. 1. confidently cheerful, optimistic. 2. of the color of blood; red. People are drawn to her because of
her sanguine and pleasant nature.
Surly adj. bad-tempered, gruff, or unfriendly in a way that suggests menace. Emily received a surly greeting from
the normally cheerful receptionist.

Choose the answer that is the best response for each question below.
1.Which of the following traits is most desirable in a roommate?
b. personable
2.Which of the following traits is least desirable in a roommate?
d. surly
3.Which kind of person would most likely make the best waiter? Someone

d. who is punctilious
4.Which kind of person would most likely make the best spy? Someone
c. who is perfidious

5.Which kind of person would most likely make the best judge? Someone
b. who is sagacious
6.Which kind of person would most likely make the best security guard? Someone
b. who is circumspect
7.Which kind of person would most likely be the best companion when you are feeling sad?Someone
d. who is sanguine
8.Which character trait would you least like to see in a soldier?
a. craven
9.Which character trait would you least like to see in a judge?
a. capricious
10.Which character trait would you least like to see in a supervisor?
c. overweening
11. For the following questions, choose the person who would most likely have the characteristic
or attitude noted in italics.
blithe
b. a young child in a playground

petulant
a. someone who throws a tantrum because his or her soup was not warm enough
puerile
b. a ten year old who has never been given responsibility
irascible
d. someone waiting for his airplane to take off, only to be told four hours later that his flight has been
canceled and his luggage has been lost.
12. Match the personality traits and attitudes listed in
Column A to the descriptions in Column B.
Column A
At a party, a
bumptious

Column B
person would most likely be:
a. sitting alone in a corner

churlish
b. talking comfortably with a large group of people.
diffident

c. trying to impress others by telling

them everything he or she knows about any given subject.

gregarious

d. making ill-mannered and rude

remarks
e. talking condescendingly to others.

pretentious

13.Write a descriptive paragraph of 150-200 words about a character in a novel or short story that you
have read, using at least 5 of the adjectives in the word list
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzge
Jay Gatsby
The title character of The Great Gatsby is a young man, around thirty years old, who rose from an impoverished
childhood in rural North Dakota to become fabulously wealthy. However, he achieved this lofty goal by
participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. From his early
youth, Gatsby despised poverty and longed for wealth and sophisticationhe dropped out of St. Olafs College after
only two weeks because he could not bear the janitorial job with which he was paying his tuition. Though Gatsby
has always wanted to be rich, his main motivation in acquiring his fortune was his love for Daisy Buchanan, whom
he met as a young military officer in Louisville before leaving to fight in World War I in 1917. Gatsby immediately
fell in love with Daisys aura of luxury, grace, and charm, and lied to her about his own background in order to
convince her that he was good enough for her. Daisy promised to wait for him when he left for the war, but married
Tom Buchanan in 1919, while Gatsby was studying at Oxford after the war in an attempt to gain an education. From
that moment on, Gatsby dedicated himself to winning Daisy back, and his acquisition of millions of dollars, his
purchase of a gaudy mansion on West Egg, and his lavish weekly parties are all merely means to that end.

Fitzgerald delays the introduction of most of this information until fairly late in the novel. Gatsbys reputation
precedes himGatsby himself does not appear in a speaking role until Chapter 3. Fitzgerald initially presents
Gatsby as the aloof, enigmatic host of the unbelievably opulent parties thrown every week at his mansion. He
appears surrounded by spectacular luxury, courted by powerful men and beautiful women. He is the subject of a
whirlwind of gossip throughout New York and is already a kind of legendary celebrity before he is ever introduced
to the reader. Fitzgerald propels the novel forward through the early chapters by shrouding Gatsbys background and
the source of his wealth in mystery (the reader learns about Gatsbys childhood in Chapter 6 and receives definitive
proof of his criminal dealings in Chapter 7). As a result, the readers first, distant impressions of Gatsby strike quite
a different note from that of the lovesick, naive young man who emerges during the later part of the novel.
Fitzgerald uses this technique of delayed character revelation to emphasize the theatrical quality of Gatsbys
approach to life, which is an important part of his personality. Gatsby has literally created his own character, even
changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby to represent his reinvention of himself. As his relentless quest for
Daisy demonstrates, Gatsby has an extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality; at the
beginning of the novel, he appears to the reader just as he desires to appear to the world. This talent for selfinvention is what gives Gatsby his quality of greatness: indeed, the title The Great Gatsby is reminiscent of
billings for such vaudeville magicians as The Great Houdini and The Great Blackstone, suggesting that the
persona of Jay Gatsby is a masterful illusion.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.
As the novel progresses and Fitzgerald deconstructs Gatsbys self-presentation, Gatsby reveals himself to be an
innocent, hopeful young man who stakes everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworthy of
him. Gatsby invests Daisy with an idealistic perfection that she cannot possibly attain in reality and pursues her with
a passionate zeal that blinds him to her limitations. His dream of her disintegrates, revealing the corruption that
wealth causes and the unworthiness of the goal, much in the way Fitzgerald sees the American dream crumbling in
the 1920s, as Americas powerful optimism, vitality, and individualism become subordinated to the amoral pursuit of
wealth.
Gatsby is contrasted most consistently with Nick. Critics point out that the former, passionate and active, and the

latter, sober and reflective, seem to represent two sides of Fitzgeralds personality. Additionally, whereas Tom is a
cold-hearted, aristocratic bully, Gatsby is a loyal and good-hearted man. Though his lifestyle and attitude differ
greatly from those of George Wilson, Gatsby and Wilson share the fact that they both lose their love interest to Tom.

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms Using COME

Exercise 1: Complete the phrasal verbs in sentences 115 with an appropriate particle or
particles.The meaning of each phrasal verb in its context is explained in italics at the end of each
sentence.
1. Have you ever come
across
or find something by chance)
such a horrible person in all your life? (to meet someone
2. How is Sarah coming along
better in quality, skill or health)

with

her photography course? (to make progress or get

3. I'm British, but my parents come from
India. (to have your home in a particular place)
4. Fast food has come in
such as criticism)

for

more criticism from the press. (to receive something

5. I don't want the problem of money coming between

disagreement between two people)
us. (to cause an argument or
6. I've been writing this book for six months, and it's finally coming together
successfully)

. (to finally start to work

7. As I get older, I find that my birthdays seem to come around

happen regularly)
more frequently. (to
8. She came

into

a lot of money when her grandfather died. (to receive something

usually money when someone dies)
9.We need to come up with
a plan that will make us a lot of money. (to
think of something such as an idea or plan)
10. In the first week of my new job, I came up against
several problems
that had been left by the person who had my job previously. (to have to deal with something difficult or
unpleasant)
11.The National Blood Service is asking for more people to come

forward

donate blood. (to offer help or information)

and
12.You never know what children are going to come out with

. (to say

something suddenly, usually something that surprises or shocks people)

13.The first time I tried using my new camera, it came

apart

in my hands. (to
separate into pieces, sometimes because the object in this case a camera has been badly made)
14.We've had a difficult few weeks, but I'm glad to see we've managed to come through together. (to
be still alive, working or making progress after a difficult or
dangerous experience)
15. I don't feel very good. I think I'm coming down
something. (to
become ill with a particular disease, but not usually one that is serious).
Exercise 2: Complete these two conversations with the expressions from the following list:
-

AS RICH AS THEY COME;

COME CLEAN;
COME TO THINK ABOUT IT;
DON'T COME CHEAP;
WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING;
I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM;
COME A LONG WAY;
COME IN HANDY;
COME UP IN THE WORLD;
FOR YEARS TO COME;
HOW COME;
DON'T COME THE INNOCENT WITH ME;
COME AGAIN;
COME OFF IT;
COMING RIGHT UP;
YOU'LL GET WHAT'S COMING;
TAKING EACH DAY AS IT COMES;

- I DON'T KNOW IF I'M COMING OR GOING.

I.
Julie:You two-timing, double-crossing cheat!
Rick:Come again?
Julie:You heard me. I saw you leaving a restaurant with a strange woman today.
Rick: Come off! What woman?
Julie: Dont come innocent with me!
Rick: Look, I'm sorry, but, I dont know where youre coming from.
Julie:The long-haired brunette in the jeans and leather jacket.
Rick: Ah, right. How come you saw us?
Julie: I had gone into town to do some shopping and saw the two of you.Who is she? And don't lie, or
youll get whats coming, believe me.
Rick: Well, I suppose I'll have to come clean, won't I?
Julie: You certainly will.
Rick: You saw us from behind, right?
Julie: Uh, right.
Rick: Yes, well when it comes to making false assumptions, you win. That was Allan, my new boss.
II.
Tim: I haven't seen John this week. Come to think about it, I haven't seen him for a few weeks.
Andy: Oh, he's busy moving into his new house. He's bought a place in
Hampstead.
Tim: In Hampstead? How did he afford that? Houses in Hampstead dont come cheap.

Andy: Well, he's come a long way since he worked as a salesman for PTG. He
owns his own company now, and is making a fortune. Apparently he's now
come up in the world.
Tim: He kept that quiet. I didn't know how much he had as rich as they come . Andy: Well, he doesn't
like to boast about it. How are you getting on in your
new job, by the way?
Tim: Oh, there's so much to do and so much to learn that most of the time
Come up in the world. I'm just, I dont know if Im coming or going, taking each day as it comes.
How's work for you?
Andy: Oh, so so, you know. I was hoping to look for something else more interesting, but there aren't
many jobs out there. I guess I'll be with the same company for years to come .What I need is a big win
on the lottery.
Tim:Yes, that would come in handy! In the meantime, how about buying me another drink?
Andy: Same again?
Tim:Yes please.
Andy: OK, coming right up!
WORKS CITED = an alphabetical list of sources that have been cited (quoted from) in your paper. All
entries in the Works Cited page must correspond to the works cited in your main text.
BIBLIOGRAPHY = an alphabetical list of sources that you have cited in your paper, read or just
consulted while doing research for your paper.
BASIC RULES:
1.Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have
the same one-inch margins.
2.Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in
quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.
3.Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.

4.List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on
pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as
225-50. Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span of pages.
5.For every entry, you must determine the Medium of Publication. Most entries will likely be listed as
Print or Web sources, but other possibilities may include Film, CD-ROM, or DVD.
6.Writers are no longer required to provide URLs for Web entries. However, if your
instructor insists on them, include them in angle brackets after the entry and end with a period. For
long URLs, break lines only at slashes.
7.If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved
from an online database, you should type the online database name in italics.

Basic Format for a book citation:

Lastname, Firstname. Title Of Book. City Of Publication: Publisher,Year Of
Publication. Medium Of Publication.
E.g.:
Book with One Author:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987.
Print. Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999.
Print.
Book with More Than One Author: the first given name appears in last name, first name format;
subsequent author names appear in first name last name format:
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring.
Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.
If there are more than three authors, you may choose to list only the first author followed by the phrase
et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names, or you may list all the authors in
the order in which their names appear on the title page:
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media:Theory and Applications for
Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan: Utah State UP,
2004. Print.
Citing Electronic Sources: MLA lists electronic sources as Web Publications. Thus, when including the
medium of publication for electronic sources, list the medium as Web. It is always a good idea to maintain
personal copies of electronic information, when possible. It is good practice to print or save Web pages or,
better, using a program like Adobe Acrobat, to keep your own copies for future reference. Most Web
browsers will include URL/electronic address information when you print, which makes later reference
easy. Also, you might use the Bookmark function in your Web browser in order to return to documents
more easily.
Important Note on the Use of URLs in MLA: MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA
citations. Because Web addresses are not static (i.e., they change often) and because documents sometimes
appear
in multiple places on the Web (e.g., on multiple databases), MLA explains

that most readers can find electronic sources via title or author searches in Internet Search Engines. For
instructors or editors who still wish to require the use of URLs, MLA suggests that the URL appear in
angle brackets after the date of access.
E.g.:
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. The Internet Classics Archive. Web
Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
13 Sept. 2007.Web. 4 Nov. 2008. http://classics.mit.edu/.
Abbreviations Commonly Used with Electronic Sources: If publishing information is unavailable for
entries that require publication information such as publisher (or sponsor) names and publishing dates,
MLA requires the use of special abbreviations to indicate that this information is not available. Use n.p. (=
no publisher) to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name has been provided. Use n.d. (= no date)
when the Web page does not provide a publication date.When an entry requires that you provide a page but
no pages are provided
in the source (as in the case of an online-only scholarly journal or a work that appears in an
online-only anthology), use the abbreviation n. pag. (= no page).
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases): Here are some common
features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will
provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as
possible both for your citations and for your research notes:
1.
Author and/or editor names (if available)
2.
Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
3.
Title of the Website, project, or book in italics.
4.
Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue
numbers.
5.
Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
6.
Take note of any page numbers (if available).
7.
Medium of publication.
8.
Date you accessed the material. (It is necessary to list your date of access because web

postings are often updated, and information available on one date may no longer be available later)
9.
URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does not require a URL).
Citing an entire website:
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of
institution/ organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource
creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.
E.g.:
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008.Web. 23
Apr. 2008.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003.Web. 10 May 2006.
Citing an Article in a Web Magazine: Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks, title of
the Web magazine in italics, publisher name, publication date, medium of publication, and the date of
access. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.
E.g.:
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who
Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002.Web. 4 May 2009.
Citing an Article in an Online Scholarly Journal: For all online scholarly journals, provide the
author(s) name(s), the name of the article in quotation marks, the title of the publication in italics, all
volume and issue numbers, and the year of publication. MLA requires a page range for articles
that appear in Scholarly Journals. If the journal you are citing appears exclusively in an online format (i.e.
there is no corresponding print publication) that does not make use of page numbers, use the abbreviation
n. pag. to denote that there is no pagination for the publication.
E.g.:
Dolby, Nadine. Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.
Social Work and Society:The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): n. pag.Web. 20
May
2009.

SEMINAR 4
Vocabulary (verbs describing actions that are powerful or invoke vivid
images;
Idiomatic phrases and proverbs in translation;
Idioms using words connected with the weather.

WORD LIST
Abrogate = v. to abolish, do away with, or annul by authority. It was unclear if the judge would abrogate the
lower courts ruling. Beguile = v. to deceive or cheat through cunning; to distract the
aMention of, divert; to pass time in a pleasant manner, to amuse
or charm. Violet was able to beguile the spy, causing him to miss his
secret meeting.
Bolster = v. 1. to support or prop up. 2. to buoy or hearten. Coach
Edmonds speech bolstered the teams condence.
Burgeon = v. to begin to grow and ourish; to begin to sprout, grow new buds, blossom. The tulip bulbs
beneath the soil would burgeon in early spring, providing there was no late frost.
Burnish = v. to polish, rub to a shine. When Kathryn began to burnish the old metal teapot, she realized
that it was, in fact, solid silver.
Careen = v. 1. to lurch from side to side while in motion. 2. to rush carelessly or headlong. Watching the
car in front of us careen down the road was very frightening.
Decimate = v. to destroy a large portion of. An extended period of neglect would eventually decimate much of
the housing in the inner cities.
Deprecate = v. to express disapproval of; to beliMle, depreciate. Grandpas tendency to deprecate the
childrens friends was a frequent source of family strife.
Fe@er = v. 1. to shackle, put in chains. 2. to impede or restrict. The presence of two security guards feHered the
teenagers plans to get backstage.
Forestall = v. to prevent by taking action rst; preempt. The diplo-- mat was able to forestall a conict by
holding secret meetings with both parties.
Fulminate = v. 1. to issue a thunderous verbal aMack; berate. 2. to explode or detonate. The senator was prone
to fulminate when other legislators questioned her ideology.
Immolate = v. 1. to kill, as a sacrice. 2. to ruin by re. 3. to destroy (one thing for another). In a desperate
aHempt to make a point about what she considered an inappropriate book, Sophia decided to immolate the
book in public.
Interdict = v. to prohibit, forbid. Carlos argued that the agriculture department should interdict plans to
produce genetically modied foods.

Inveigle = v. to inuence or persuade through gentle coaxing or aMery; to entice. Vanessa inveigled her
way into a promotion that should have gone to Maxon.
Petrify = v. 1. to make hard or sti like a stone. 2. to stun or paralyze with fear, astonishment, or dread. I was
petried when I heard the door open in the middle of the night.
Pique = v. to wound (someones) pride, to oend; to arouse or provoke. The article really piqued my
interest in wildlife preservation. Stultify = v. 1. to impair or make ineective; to cripple. 2. to
make (someone) look foolish or incompetent. Of course Im angry!
You stultied me at that meeting!
Subvert = v. 1. to overthrow. 2. to ruin, destroy completely. 3. to undermine. She quietly subverted his
authority by sharing internal information with outside agents.
Truncate = v. to shorten or terminate by (or as if by) cuMing the top or end o. The glitch in the software
program truncated the lines of a very important document I was typing.
Upbraid = v. to reprove, reproach sharply, condemn; admonish.
The child was upbraided for misbehaving during the ceremony.

Match the person or thing in Column A with the action he, she, or it might perform in Column B.
Column A
Column B

- slaveholder, to a slave

beguile

- a rosebush in spring

careen

- a lawmaking authority, to its

decimate

constituents
- a tornado or earthquake, to a

fulminate

city
- a car out of control

interdict

- a mother, to a misbehaving

subvert

child
- a ghost in a horror movie

burgeon

- a desperate political candidate,

upbraid

against his opponent

-

a small-time swindler

petrify

a group of rebels, to a

fetter

government

Read the following sentences carefully. Choose the verb from the list below that best completes each
sentence.
abrogate
bolster
burnish

immolate
inveigle
pique deprecate
stultify forestall
truncated

1. I cant believe Charlie would try to stultify

me in front of my boss

like that!
2.

He

thinks

he

can

just

inveigle

everyone

he

meets,

but

not

everyone falls for that kind of attery.

3. His agging spirits were bolster
(ed) by the news that a publisher had accepted his
manuscript.
4. Once a month, I spend a Saturday afternoon burnish
(ing) my
silverware.
5. Saul
deprecate (ed)
every
remark
that
Bernadette
made,
and
she
grew weary of his interruptions.

6. Her career as a dancer was turncote

(ed) because of a

skiing accident.
7. The strike was forestall

(ed) by last--minute concessions by management.

8. At the end of Frankenstein, the creature immolate

(s)

himself in a giant funeral pyre.

9. The new president rashly abrogate

(ed) all of the laws passed by his

predecessor.
10. Listening to the lecture has really pique
interest in science ction.

(ed) my

Idiomatic Phrases and Proverbs in Translation

Translate the following sentences into English:
1.

How strange! Although they are not twins, they look like two pieces in a pod./ Although theyre twins,
theyre as different as night and day.

2.

Who sows the wind reaps the storm.

3.

Bob is terribly drooling lately. He would rile even a Saint.

4.
A fault confessed is half redressed.
5.
One is judged by facts not by words.
6.
A small mistake saves you from a big one.
7.
A scalded cat fears cold water.
8.
The shared thought eases the heart.
9.
Curses like Chickens come home to roost.
10. Little thinks the fat man what the lean man does mean.

Idioms and other expressions using words connected with the weather
In sentences 1 24, complete the first part of each idiom or expression in bold with its second part
from the box.
...as rain; ...but it pours; ...cloud nine; ...disposition; ...for a rainy day; ...in a fog;
...in a storm; ...in a teacup; ...my thunder; ...of criticism; ...or shine; ...parade;
...rain check; ...reception; ...red mist; .....snowed; ...the driven snow; ... like the wind; ...the wind blows;
...thunder; ...wind of; ...wind out of my sails; ...wind
up; ...your judgement.
1. The Education Minister's speech to the teachers got a frosty reception
.
2. I can't think properly. I'm tired, and my mind is in a fog
.
3. I usually spend most of my salary, but I always try to save something rainy day
4. I'm sorry you don't feel very well. Why don't you go to bed, and I'm sure you'll be
right as rain
in the morning.
5. She's always happy, friendly and smiling: she has a really sunny disposition
.
6. I can't join you for lunch today. I'm absolutely snowed under
under with work.
7. I would avoid the boss if I were you: he's got a face like like thunder
.
8. Your train leaves in one minute. You'll have to run like the wind
if you want to catch it.
9. I know that you're angry and upset, but don't let your emotions cloud cloud your judgement .

10. I told Bill about my ideas for improving the company, then he told them to the boss and said they were his ideas.
I can't believe he stole stole my thunder
like that!
11. I'm usually fairly calm and relaxed, but when someone intentionally scratched my car with their keys, I got the
the red mist
.
12. I thought my idea to improve sales was fantastic until my manager told me it would never work. As you can
imagine, that took the wind out the sails
.
13. Elaine has been on on cloud nine
ever since she got the promotion that she wanted.
14. What a morning! I got a parking ticket, then someone drove into my car in the supermarket car park, and to
top it all I ran out of petrol. I guess it never rains
It never rains but it pours
.
15. I would love to go for a drink, but I'm a bit busy. Can I take a rain check
?
16. She thinks she's as pure as the driwen snow
, but she's no better than the rest of us.
17. "We haven't got any tea. Would you like coee instead?" "I suppose so. Any port
In a storm
".
18. "Do you think we should employ more sta?" "I'm not sure. Let's see which way
The wind blows in the next few weeks".
19. "Are you coming to the match with us on Saturday?" "Oh yes, we wouldn't miss it for anything. We'll be there
come rain or shine
.
20. The shop refused to refund my money, so I told them that I would take them to court. That put the wind up
them!
21. Everybody was getting angry and upset about nothing. It was just a storm
In a teacup .
22. He tried to keep his plans secret, but we soon got wind of
them.
23. Her suggestions were met with a hail of criticism
.
24. Her suggestions were excellent, and it was wrong of you to rain on her
parade
.

Seminar 5
-

Idioms used for talking about WORK

-

Phrasal verbs using work

Idioms used for talking about MONEY

IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USED FOR TALKING ABOUT WORK

Exercise 1: Choose the best definition, (a) or (b), to explain the idiom or other expression in red in these
sentences.
1. Sue has always been a high-flier.
(a) Someone who has achieved a lot and is determined to continue being successful.
2. I hate carrying the can for people in my department.
(b) Being the person who is considered responsible for something that has gone wrong.
3. My boss is such a slave driver!
(b) Someone who makes his / her employees work very hard for long hours.
4. This job can be difficult at times, but just go with the flow.
(b) Do what seems like the easiest thing in a particular situation.
5. You want 2000 items delivered by Monday? That's a tall order.
(a) Something very difficult that someone expects you to do.
6. This company has a long history of employing movers and shakers.
(a) People who are powerful or have a lot of influence.
7. You've got a choice: you can shape up or ship out!
(b) Improve your work and behaviour, or leave the company.

8. Friday is dress down day in our department.

(a) A day when employees wear what they like to work.
9. Our boss always gives us a lot of ear candy, although we would rather have a pay rise instead.
(a) Kind words that praise and encourage an employee.
10. It's time we cut out the dead wood in this company.
(a) Dismiss the employees who do not work very well or efficiently.
11. He's an industrious member of staff, but his work really isn't up to the mark.
(a) Good enough.
12. Our line manager is always picking holes in my work.
(b) Finding faults or mistakes with someone's work.
13. This newspaper survey says that most people who call in sick on Monday are pulling a fast one.
(b) Pretending something that is not true in order to trick someone.
14. My boss is always laying down the law.
(b) Telling people what to do or how to behave.
15. Your request for a pay rise is out of the question.
(a) Not possible.
Exercise 2: Choose the correct idiomatic word or expression for each of these sentences.
1. A job that offers no prospect of promotion is sometimes known as a / an... (b) dead-end job
2. Boring and detailed work, such as examining documents for mistakes, can be described as...
(d) pick and shovel work
3. We sometimes say that people who compete for success in business or in a career are working for the...
(c) rat race

4. We might refer to a bad employer with a reputation for losing talented staff as a... (a) people churner
5. If you do a lot of different types of work in an office for very low pay, you could be referred to as a...
(d) dogsbody
6. When an employee telephones to say that s/he is not coming to work because s/he is ill, but in fact is only pretending
to be ill, we say that s/he is throwing...
(a) a sickie
7. If an employee gets very angry at work because of something bad or unpleasant that happens, we can say that they
are experiencing...
(b) work rage
8. Work that offers the same money for less effort than another similar job is often known as...
(a) a cushy number
9. When somebody is dismissed from their job, we can say that they have... (c) got the boot
10. Someone who receives very little money for their job can be said to make, earn or receive...
(d) peanuts
11. Someone who works extremely hard for a long time might complain that they are working their...
(b) fingers to the bone
12. An employee who works very hard in a determined way can be said to.... (c) beaver away
13. Some people have a second job in addition to their main job, which they might want to keep secret from their
employer. This is called...
(d) moonlighting

14. A lazy employee who only pretends to work is said to be...

(c) swinging the lead
15. Someone who is out of work and claiming money from the government can be said to be...
(a) on the dole
Exercise 3: Try to decide what the idioms and other expressions in the following sentences mean:
1. He cooked us a fantastic breakfast. We had the whole works!-had everything
2. Everything was going really well, and then the boss threw a spanner in the works.-suddenly stopped a process or
plan
3. We'll have our work cut out for us if we want to continue making money from this project.-a difficult job to
do
4. I was hot, tired and in a really bad mood, but a cold shower worked wonders!-had a very good result
You will pass your exams, but only if you work your socks off.-worked hard
5. He was very hungry, and made short work of the meal I had cooked.-ate quickly
6. We're only a little bit late, and we have got a good excuse, so don't get so worked up!-get angry
7. It is very difficult to obtain a visa to visit the country, but if you know how to work the system it can be very
easy.-people that are well connected
8. I've worked my fingers to the bone for this company for twenty years, and now they
tell me that they don't need me anymore!-worked very hard
9. I work in the customer complaints department for a major airline, so being shouted at by angry customers is all in
a day's work for me.-it is usual, something regular

PHRASAL VERBS USING WORK

Exercise 4: Complete sentences 1 10 with an appropriate form of work (for example, present continuous,
past simple, etc), and an appropriate particle or particles, to make phrasal verbs.
1. The exact details of the event haven't been worked out
something)

yet. (To decide or agree on

2. We'll have to work on

Joey to find out what's going on. (To try to influence
someone, often in order to get information from them)
3. In my experience, the best way of working off
tension is by playing a good game of
tennis. (To get rid of a feeling, or get rid of some weight, by doing something that involves physical activity)
4.Are you working up to
tell me that you've lost my camera? (To prepare yourself to do)
something difficult, or try to prepare someone for bad news. This phrasal verb needs 2 particles.)
5. I've finally worked out
considering the facts)

what that strange noise in the attic is. (To solve a problem by

6. The total cost

of our holiday
last year,
including
worked out
at about 300. (To add up to a particular amount)

flights

and

accommodation,

7. When I damaged my father's car, he made me work off

the cost of the repairs. (To
pay someone what you owe them by doing a job for them instead of giving them money)

8. I'm not very hungry. Perhaps I should go for a walk to work up

develop a particular feeling)
9. If she works
something)
10. Unless we work on
improving something)

an appetite. (To

improving her game, she could be a champion. (To try hard to develop or improve
getting fit before the game, we won't win. (To spend time producing or

IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USED FOR TALKING ABOUT MONEY Exercise 1: Look
at the idioms in red in sentences 1 22, and decide if the people: (A) have a lot of money. (B) have very
little or no money.
1. Steve is up to his ears in debt. b
2. Kevin is on the dole.b
3. Jamie has made his pile.a
4. Sue can't make ends meet.b
5. Jacqueline is stinking rich.a
6. Mark's boss pays him chickenfeed.b
7. Tarquin is loaded.a
8. Laurence is hard up.b
9. Christine is well off.a
10. Brenda is in the red.b
11. John is strapped for cash.b

12. Mike is made of money.a

13. Don is penniless.b
14. Judy has money to burn.a
15. Pete is broke.b
16.Tim has more money than sense.a
17. Alison is rolling in it.a
18. Bob is skint.b
19. Andy is down and out.b
20. Jeanette is feeling flush.a
21. Charles is raking it in.a
22. Annabel is a bit down-at-heel.b

Exercise 2: Look at the idioms in red in sentences 23 38, and decide if the people:
(A) have paid a lot of money for something. (B) have paid a small amount of money for something.
23. The shop sold us our hi-fi for a rock-bottom price.b
24. A pizza and a glass of wine cost us 10. It was daylight robbery.a
25. We paid next to nothing for the holiday.b
26. It cost us the earth to get our car repaired.a
27. It didn't break the bank to travel business class to New York.b
28. I paid 6 for a hot dog and a Coke. What a rip-off!a
29. My new car cost me a packet.a
30. It cost us an arm and a leg to change our flight times.a
31. We paid a tidy sum for our new computer.a
32. The rent on my house is a bit steep.a
33. How much was my new camera? Well, it didn't come cheap.a
34. The restaurant served excellent food, at a price.a
35. This suit set me back a bit.a
36. This home cinema system was going for a song.b
37. We had an excellent meal, and it was dirt cheap.b
38. I paid good money to stay in this hotel.a

USING APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE

Language is appropriate when it suits your subject, engages your audience, and blends naturally with your own
voice. To some extent, your choice of language will be governed by the conventions of the genre in which you
are writing. When in doubt about the conventions of a particular genre, consult your instructor or look at models
written by experts in the field.
1. Stay away from jargon. Jargon is specialized language used among members of a trade, profession, or group. Use
jargon only when readers will be familiar with it; even then, use it only when plain English will not do as well.
Broadly defined, jargon includes puffed-up language designed more to impress readers than to inform them.
Sentences filled with jargon are hard to read, and they are often wordy as well.

E.g. All employees functioning in the capacity of work-study students are required to give evidence of current
enrollment. (must prove that they are currently enrolled).
The CEO should dialogue (talk) with investors about partnering (working) with clients to purchase land in
economically deprived zones (buy poor neighborhoods).
2. Avoid pretentious language, most euphemisms, and doublespeak. Hoping to sound profound or poetic, some
writers embroider their thoughts with large words and flowery phrases. Such pretentious language is so ornate and
wordy that it obscures the writers meaning.
E.g.: Taylors employment of multihued means of expression draws back the curtains and lets slip the nostalgic
vantage point from which she observes American society as well as her lack of comprehension of economic realities.
(Taylors use of colorful language reveals that she has a nostalgic view of American society and does not
understand economic realities)
Euphemismsnice-sounding words or phrases substituted for words thought to sound harsh or uglyare sometimes
appropriate. Many cultures, for example, accept euphemisms when speaking or writing about excretion (I have to go
to the bathroom), sexual intercourse (They did not sleep together), and the like. Most euphemisms, however, are
needlessly evasive or even deceitful. Like pretentious language, they obscure the intended meaning.

EUPHEMISM
adult entertainment
automobile
deprived
negative savings
strategic withdrawal
revenue enhancers
chemical dependency
downsize
correctional facility

PLAIN ENGLISH
pornography preowned
used car economically
poor
debts
retreat or defeat
taxes
drug addiction
lay off, fire
prison

The term doublespeak applies to any deliberately evasive or deceptive language, including euphemisms.
Doublespeak is especially common in politics and business. A military retreat is described as tactical
redeployment; enhanced interrogation is a euphemism for torture; and downsizing really means firing
employees.
3. In most contexts, avoid slang, regional expressions, and nonstandard English. Slang is an informal and
sometimes private vocabulary that expresses the solidarity of a group such as teenagers, rock musicians, or football
fans; it is subject to more rapid change than standard English. Although slang has a certain vitality, it
is a code that not everyone understands, and it is very informal. Therefore, it is inappropriate in most written
work.
E.g. When the server crashed unexpectedly, three hours of unsaved data went down the tubes. (we lost )
The governments filth guidelines for food will make you yack. (disgust you)
Regional expressions are common to a group in a geographic area. Lets talk with the bark off (for Lets speak
frankly) is an expression in the southern United States, for example. Regional expressions have the same
limitations as slang and are therefore inappropriate in most writing.
Standard English is the language used in all academic, business, and professional fields. Nonstandard English is
spoken by people with a common regional or social heritage. Although nonstandard English may be appropriate
when spoken within a close group, it is out of place in most formal and informal writing.

4. Choose an appropriate level of formality. In deciding on a level of formality, consider both your subject
and your audience. Does the subject demand a dignified treatment, or is a relaxed tone more suitable? Will
readers be put off if you assume too close a relationship with them, or might you alienate them by
seeming too distant? For most college and professional writing, some degree of formality is appropriate.
Informal writing is appropriate for private letters, personal e-mail and text messages, and business
correspondence between close associates. Like spoken conversation, informal writing allows contractions
(dont, Ill) and colloquial words (kids, kinda). Vocabulary and sentence structure are rarely complex.
In choosing a level of formality, above all be consistent. When a writers voice shifts from one level of
formality to another, readers receive mixed messages.
Revise
the following passage
so
letter to the editor of a major newspaper:

that the

level of

formality

is appropriate for a

In pop culture, college graduates whom return home to live with their parents are seen as
underachievers whom live off their families. And many older adults seem to feel that the trend of
moving back home after school, which was rare in their day, is becoming too commonplace today. But
society must realize that times have changed. Most young adults want to live on their own, but they graduate
with debt and need some time to get back on their feet. College tuition and the cost of housing have increased
way more than salary increases in the past fifty years. Also, the job market is tighter and more jobs require
advanced degrees than in the past. So before people speak ill of college graduates who move back into their
parents house for a while, they had better consider all the facts.
5. Avoid sexist language. Sexist language is language that stereotypes or demeans women or men.
Using nonsexist language is a matter of courtesyof respect for and sensitivity to the feelings of others.

Some sexist language is easy to recognize because it reflects genuine contempt for women: referring to
a woman as a chick, for example, or calling a lawyer a lady lawyer. Other forms of sexist language
are less blatant. The following practices, while they may not result from conscious sexism, reflect
stereotypical thinking: referring to members of one profession as exclusively male or exclusively female
(teachers as women or computer engineers as men, for instance), using different conventions when naming or
identifying women and men, or assuming that all of ones readers are men.
Still other forms of sexist language result from outdated traditions. The pronouns he, him, and his, for
instance, were traditionally used to refer generically to persons of either sex. Nowadays, to avoid that
sexist usage, some writers use she, her, and hers generically or substitute the female pronouns alternately
with the male pronouns. Similarly, the nouns man and men were once used to refer
generically to persons of either sex. Current usage demands gender-neutral terms for references to both men
and women.
When revising sexist language, you may be tempted to substitute he or she and his or her. These terms are
inclusive but wordy; fine in small doses, they can become awkward when repeated throughout an essay. A
better revision strategy is to write in the plural; yet another strategy is to recast the sentence so that the
problem does not arise.
E.g.: SEXIST
A journalist is motivated by his deadline.
A good interior designer treats her clients ideas respectfully. ACCEPTABLE BUT
WORDY
A journalist is motivated by his or her deadline.
A good interior designer treats his or her clients ideas respectfully. BETTER: USING THE
PLURAL
Journalists are motivated by their deadlines.
Good interior designers treat their clients ideas respectfully. BETTER:
RECASTING THE SENTENCE

A journalist is motivated by a deadline.

A good interior designer treats clients ideas respectfully.
Edit the following sentences to eliminate sexist language or sexist assumptions:
1. Mrs. Geralyn Farmer, who is the mayors wife, is the chief surgeon at
University Hospital. Dr. Paul Green is the assistant.
2. Every applicant wants to know how much they will earn.
3. An elementary school teacher should understand the concept of nurturing if if the intention is to be
effective.
4. An obstetrician needs to be available to their patients at all hours.
5. If people do not stop polluting his environment, humankind will perish.
6. A fireman must always be on call even when he is off duty.
7. The chairwoman for the new program in digital art is Ariana Tamlin, an
accomplished portrait painter, computer programmer, and cookie baker.
8. In the governors race, Lena Weiss, a defense lawyer and mother of two, easily defeated Harvey Tower,
an architect.
9. Recent military history has shown that women combat helicopter
pilots are as skilled, reliable, and resourceful as men.
10. An emergency room head nurse must know how to use sophisticated digital equipment if they are
to keep track of all their patients data and guide their medical
team.
Eliminate sexist language or sexist assumptions in the following job posting for an elementary school
teacher:
We are looking for qualified staff for the position of elementary school teacher. The ideal candidate
should have a degree, a state teaching certificate, and one year of student teaching. They should be
knowledgeable in all elementary subject areas, including science and math. While we want our new
teacher to have a commanding presence in the classroom, we are also looking for nurturing
characteristics such as patience and trustworthiness. They must be able to both motivate an entire
classroom and work with each student one-on-one to assess their individual needs. The teacher
must also be comfortable communicating with the students parents. For salary and benefits

information, including leave policy, please contact the Martin County School Board. Any qualified
applicant sho should submit their rsum by March 15.

Seminar 6
Vocabulary: - work and play, food and drink, 5me
- personality traits and a:tudes
Phrasal Verbs (Miscellaneous)

Word List
Anachronism n. 1. something that is placed into an incorrect historical period. 2. a person, custom, or idea
that is out of date. The authen*city and credibility of the
1920s movie was damaged by the many anachronisms that appeared throughout the scenes.
Archaic adj. belonging to former or ancient 5mes; characteris5c of the past. Samantha laughed at her
grandfathers archaic views of da*ng and rela*onships. Arduous adj. 1. very dicult, laborious; requiring
great eort. 2. dicult to traverse
or surmount. Commander Shackletons arduous journey through the Arc*c has become the subject of
many books and movies.
Coeval adj. of the same 5me period; contemporary. The growth of personal computers and CD
players was coeval during the twen*eth century.
Cornucopia n. abundance; a horn of plenty. The rst- graders made cornucopias for
Thanksgiving by placing papier-mche vegetables into a hollowed-out horn.
Dilatory adj. slow or late in doing something; intended to delay, especially to gain
5me. ResenJul for having to work the holiday, Miguels dilatory approach to geMng himself up and dressed
was his own small act of passive resistance.
Epicurean n. a person devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and luxury, especially the enjoyment of good food
and comfort. While on vaca*on at a posh resort hotel, Joan became a true epicurean.
Lucra9ve adj. protable, producing much money. Teaching is a very rewarding career, but
unfortunately it is not very lucra*ve.
Malinger v. to pretend to be injured or ill in order to avoid work. Stop malingering and give me a hand
with this job.
Onus n. duty or responsibility of doing something; task, burden. It was Clarks idea, so the onus is on him to
show us that it will work.
Perfunctory adj. done out of a sense of duty or rou5ne but without much care or interest; supercial, not
thorough. We were not sa*sed with his perfunctory work; we felt a more thorough job could have been
done.
Primeval adj. ancient, original; belonging to the earliest ages. The primeval art found in the caves was
discovered by accident.
Proletariat n. the working class; those who do manual labor to earn a living. The proletariats
demanded fewer hours and beRer wages. Pungent adj. 1. having a strong, sharp taste or smell. 2.
penetra5ng,

caus5c; s5nging. I love the pungent taste of a good, strong curry.

Qua v. to drink hurriedly or hear5ly; to swallow in large draughts. He quickly quaed three glasses
of water.
Quo9dian adj. 1. daily. 2. commonplace, pedestrian. Prudence took her quo*dian dose of medicine.
Regale v. to delight or entertain with a splendid feast or pleasant amusement. The king regaled his
guests un*l the early morning hours. Repose n. 1. res5ng or being at rest. 2. calmness, tranquility;
peace of
mind. The wail of a police siren disturbed my repose.
Slake v. 1. to sa5sfy, quench. 2. to reduce the intensity of, moderate, allay.
The deer slaked its thirst at the river.
Toil 1. n. exhaus5ng labor or eort; dicult or laborious work. 2. v. to work laboriously, labor strenuously.
Evan toiled for hours before solving the problem.
Read the sentences below carefully. Choose the word from the word list above that best completes the
sentence. Write the correct answer in the blank.
1. With 11 children to care for, Mrs. Higgins had to toil
for many hours just to
keep up with the laundry.
2. Suzannes boss suspected that she was malinger
(ing) when she called in sick on
Monday morning.
3. Maudes Internet business was so lucrative
that she was able to re5re at the age of 45.
4. Observing Malik sleeping in his hammock by the river on a beau5ful summer day, I envied his repose .
5. Boot camp for a U.S. Marine requires arduous
training.
6. Since MaZhew was the one who wanted the dog, the onus
was
on him to walk the dog every morning.
7. The cashiers perfunctory
comment, Have a nice day, lacked sincerity.
8. Because everyone in Peters family was a Proletariat
, Peter felt both proud and
unique because he was the rst in his family to go to college.
9. The woman on the corner wearing love beads, a headband, and a jacket with a huge peace symbol on the
back is a(n) anachronism
in the new millennium.
10. Every autumn, Deborahs great-grandmother spends days performing the
archaic
act of canning fruits for winter, even though she can buy them in the supermarket.
11. The Museum of Natural History has a broad array of archeological displays from contemporary society to

primeval

artefacts from the age of the caveman.

12. The doctor said that grandpas quotidian

110 years old.

walks in the woods were a factor in his living to be

13. Doug was dilatory

in cleaning up the sports equipment on the eld so that he would be there

when the cheerleaders came out to prac5ce.

14. The centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner table was a beau5ful
cornucopia overowing with fruits and vegetables.
15. Human beings and dinosaurs did not exist during the same 5me periods; therefore, they were
not coeval

16. When Maria nished the marathon, she immediately began to

quaff

large amounts of water.

17. Miriam was quite a hostess and would regale

her dinner party guests

with sumptuous feasts.

18. Mario is a true epicurean
: He is always shopping in the local gourmet food store,
sampling new items and stocking his pantry with exquisite foods.
19. In the early 1900s, the Lower East Side in New York City was famous for pickle shops and the pungent
odor they gave the neighborhood.
20. According to the legend, the vampire needed to slake
every night with a new vic5m.

his thirst for blood

Personality Traits and Attitudes

Word List
Adamant adj. 1. unyielding to requests, appeals, or reason. 2. rm, inexible. The senator was adamant
that no changes would be made to the defense budget.
Apathe9c adj. feeling or showing a lack of interest, concern, or emo5on; indierent, unresponsive. Mrs.
Brownstone was distressed by how apathe*c her eighth grade students were about world history.
Asce9c adj. prac5cing self-denial, not allowing oneself pleasures or luxuries; austere. Some religions require
their leaders to lead an asce*c lifestyle as an example to their followers.
Audacious adj. fearlessly or recklessly daring or bold; unrestrained by conven5on or propriety. Detec*ve
Malloys methods were considered bold and audacious by his superiors, and they oZen achieved results.
Complaisant adj. tending to comply; obliging, willing to do what pleases others. To preserve family peace
and harmony, Lenny became very complaisant when his in- laws came to visit.
Ebullient adj. bubbling over with enthusiasm, exuberant. The ebullient children were wai*ng to s*ck their
hands into the grab bag and pull out a toy.
Face9ous adj. humorous and wiZy, cleverly amusing; jocular, spor5ve. Mr. Westons face*ous remarks always
made people laugh.
Flippant adj. not showing proper seriousness; disrespecjul, saucy. Ursulas ippant remarks in front of her
ances parents were an embarrassment to us all.
Impassive adj. not showing or feeling emo5on or pain. It was hard to know what she was feeling by looking at
the impassive expression on her face.
Imperious adj. overbearing, bossy, domineering. Stella was relieved with her new job transfer because she
would no longer be under the control of such an imperious boss.
Impetuous adj. 1. characterized by sudden, forceful energy or emo5on; impulsive, unduly hasty and without
thought. 2. marked by violent force. It was an impetuous decision to run o to Las Vegas and get married aZer
a one-week courtship.
Insouciant adj. unconcerned, carefree, indierent. Wendys insouciant aMtude toward her future
concerned her father, who expected her to go to college. MeJlesome adj. courageous, high-spirited.
Alices meRlesome aMtude was
infec*ous and inspired us all to press on. Note: Do not confuse with meddlesome,
meaning inclined to interfere.
Morose adj. gloomy, sullen; melancholy. My daughter has been morose ever since our dog ran away.

Nonchalant adj. indierent or cool, not showing anxiety or excitement. Franco tried to be nonchalant, but I
could tell he was nervous.
Ocious adj. meddlesome, bossy; eagerly oering unnecessary or unwanted advice. My ocious Aunt
Midge is coming to the party, so be prepared for lots of ques*ons and advice.
Peremptory adj. 1. oensively self-assured, dictatorial. 2. commanding, impera5ve, not allowing
contradic5on or refusal. 3. pu:ng an end to debate or ac5on. The mothers peremptory tone ended the
childrens bickering.
Querulous adj. complaining, peevish; discontented. Hes a picky and querulous old man, but I s*ll love
him.
Sanc9monious adj. hypocri5cally pious or devout; excessively self-righteous. The thief s sanc*monious
remark that a fool and his money are soon parted only made the jury more eager to convict him.
Vitriolic adj. savagely hostle or bitter; caustic. Her vitriolic aRack on her opponent was so hos*le that it
may cost her the elec*on.
The following sentences describe a personality type or character trait. Read each sentence
carefully and then circle the vocabulary word that best describes the person or character trait.
1.To please her boyfriend, Charlotte changed the way she dressed to a style that he preferred. Charlotte is
being
c. complaisant.
2. Although he failed another exam, Ivan didnt seem to care. Ivan is being
b. apathetic.
3. Its my way or the highway! said George. George is being
d. peremptory.
4. My future mother-in-law con5nually gives me sugges5ons on planning my
wedding. She even ordered the owers without consul5ng me rst. The mother-in-
law is being
a. ocious.

5. When working at the scene of an accident, rescue workers onen hide their emo5ons and maintain a
professional countenance. The rescue workers are being
d.
impassive.
6. Mistakenly believing his boss was speaking ill of him, Angelo burst through the door and yelled: I
quit! to his boss. Angelo was being
c.
impetuous.
7. At the end of his life, the reclusive billionaire lived in a small apartment with a bed and a bible as his only
possessions, even though he could have had almost any luxury. The billionaire chose
a lifestyle that was
c.
ascetic.
8. Susan absolutely insisted that we come along; she wouldnt take no for an answer. Susan was being
a.
adamant
9. Raj was
someone who, no
matter how
perfect the day,
would always nd
something to
complain about.
Raj is very
d.
querulous.
10. You fatuous boor! Youve ruined my life! I never want to see you again! This
statement is b.
vitriolic.
Read each sentence carefully and choose the vocabulary word from the list below that best completes
the second sentence. Write the correct answer in the blank. audacious insouciant
ebullient
mettlesome
facetious
morose
ippant
nonchalant

imperious
sanc5monious
1. Even aner the rain began, Latisha con5nued to push forward and nish the marathon. Latisha is a
mettlesome
person.
2. Though the hurricane was approaching, the surfers thought it would be a great
5me to go surng regardless of the risk. The surfers are being insouciant
.
3. When friends came to play, Rachel would only let them play the games she selected; she even dictated where
her friends would sit and what they could eat. Rachel is being imperious
.
4. At work, Tom boasted that he and his family never missed church on Sunday mornings; he did not mention
that they always left services without saying hello to any of their friends or neighbors. Toms boastful
statements are sanctimonious .
5. Having already won two awards, the movie director coolly and calmly walked up to the podium to
collect his third award of the evening. The directors manner is very nonchalant .
6. Chang has been sulking in her room after learning she wasnt accepted by the college of her choice. She is
even saying that she may not go to college at all. Chang is feeling morose .
7. Tom shocked the jurors when he stuck his tongue out at the judge during the court proceedings. Tom is
being flippant
toward the judge.
8. Reynaldo was a popular guest at dinner parties because of his ability to turn a phrase and to make funny,
witty remarks. Reynaldo is very facetious.
9. Though she was only an oce assistant, Adele marched boldly into the vice presidents oce and calmly
told him she would someday be his boss. Adele is being audacious .
10. The teenage girls were jumping up and down in the aisles as their favorite band took the stage. The girls
are acting in a(n) ebullient
manner.

Phrasal Verbs
Complete the second sentence of each pair with a phrasal verb so that the meaning of the sentence is the
same as, or very similar to, the rst sentence. The phrasal verbs should replace the words and expressions
in bold. Choose your verb from the rst box, and your par5cle from the second box. Some of the verbs, and
most of the par5cles, must be used more than once. In some cases you will need to change the form of
the verb. Also remember that some phrasal verbs need more than one par5cle.
Verbs: break
Bring

die
drop

Call

end

hand

put

carry
catch

face
nd

hold
keep

show
wear

Count

leave

let

Par5cles: behind
Out

ll

point
fall

pull

down

in

of

through

to

up

with

on

1. Can I rely on you for your support? Can I count on

you for your support?
2. If you continue trying, you are bound to succeed. If you keep on
trying,
you are bound to succeed.
3. A large number of students leave university before they nish their course. A large number of
students drop out
university.
4. You must obey
instructions carefully.

my

instruc5ons

carefully.

You

5. I will let you stay with me if you ever come to Oxford. I will put
to Oxford.
6. You must complete this form before we can let you in. You must
this form before we let you in.

must
you

carry out
up

my
if you ever come

fill in

7. I think that learning English is quite dicult, and I often have problems working at the same speed
as the other students in my class. I think that learning English is quite dicult, and I often have problems
keeping up with
the other students in my class.
8. My teacher showed me all the mistakes I had made in my essay. My teacher
pointed out
all the mistakes I had made in my essay.
9. If you are late with your mortgage repayments, the bank can impose nancial
penal5es. If you fall behind with
your mortgage repayments, the bank can impose
nancial penal5es.
10. People celebrate the Chinese New Year by exploding reworks in the street. People celebrate the
Chinese New Year by letting off
reworks in the street.
11. At the mee5ng, Laura raised the ques5on of over5me pay. At the mee5ng, Laura
brought up
the ques5on of over5me pay.
12. A lot of parents are cri5cised for the way they raise their children. A lot of parents are cri5cised for
the way they bring up
their children.

13. He was very ill, but managed to recover. He was very ill, but managed to
pull
through
.
14. The eects of the drug disappear after a few hours. The eects of the drug
wear off
after a few hours.
15. Andrew and Steve have argued again. Andrew and Steve have
fallen out
again.
16. They refused to accept and deal with their responsibili5es. They refused to
face up to
their responsibili5es.
17. The mee5ng was cancelled because too many people were absent. The mee5ng was called off
because too many people were absent.
18. I missed a lot of lessons, and it took me a long some to get to the same level as the other students in my
class. I missed a lot of lessons, and it took me a long some to catch up to
the other students in my
class.
19. The storm was terrible, but eventually the wind became less strong. The storm was terrible, but
eventually the wind died down
.
20. Could you call the sta5on and ask what 5me the 9.15 train from Reading
arrives? Could you call the station and find out
what time the 9.15 train
from Reading arrives?

21. Some students can be very creative with the reasons they give for not giving their homework to their
teachers. Some students can be very crea5ve with the reasons they give for not
handing
their homework.
22. You haven't completed this form properly. You've forgotten to include
your
date
of birth.
You haven't
completed
this form

properly.

left out
your date of birth.
23. The talks failed because nobody could agree on anything. The talks
broke out
because nobody could agree on anything.
24. Don't exhaust yourself by working too hard. Don't wear
out
by working too hard.

You've

yourself

25. I invited a lot of people to my party, but only a few came. I invited a lot of people to my party, but only a
few showed up

26. It's pointless relying on people to help you if they don't do as they
promised. It's pointless relying on people to help you if they let
down
.

you

27. We asked him to be quiet, but he con9nued talking. We asked him to be quiet, but he carried on talking.
28. I'm sorry I was late, but I was delayed by heavy trac on the A40. I'm sorry I was late, but I was
held up

by heavy trac on the A40.

29. The doctors need to do some more tests before I can leave the hospital.
The doctors need to carry out
the hospital.

some more tests before I can leave

30. I would hate to lose my job and nd myself on the dole. I would hate to lose my job and end up on the dole.