Adverb Word Order Ways of Speaking & Laughing

N 147 - Spain: 5,95/Brazil: R$14.90/Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy: 6.00

Think
1-hour
CD
Educational
Material

www.thinkinenglish.net
in English
Personality Test:
Which
Christian
Shakespeare
Slater character
are YOU?

Micro-cosmos

00147

Chichester
England 8 414090 253369
Think 120 Find the answers to these
Where did Dylan Thomas lose
the only manuscript of Under questions and more in:
Milk Wood?

so

so
What does Its your call mean?

ld

ld
o

o
ut

ut
Think 124
Why did Dorothy Lawrence
disguise herself as a soldier
and go off to the Battle of the
Somme?
Whats the difference between
wallet and purse?

so

so
Think 129

ld

ld
o

o
ut

ut
How can a smell be used as a
weapon?
How do sun spots affect climate
change?

Think 131
How have people in Liverpool
used books to cure?
Which has been the most-read "Simply put, it is the best magazine I have ever
novel amongst US soldiers in come across to learn good, accurate English."
Iraq? Miguel Angel Hernandez, on Think's Facebook page.

Good News! You can still

buy those magazines as
digital downloads.
www.thinkinenglish.net
 Contents
Think in English MagazineIssue 147

Current Affairs
Editors Note 4 News & Anecdotes
Hello again, 6 Science
Welcome to Think 147. Weve gone for variety this 7 Internet Black Hawk Downed
month. The longest article asks female readers Which by Facebook
Shakespearean character are you? (pp. 14-17), a
light-hearted psychological quiz to determine which of
8 EconomicsCash-Free Future
the Bards parts is most similar to your personality. The 10 SaveSelling Techniques
answers may surprise you! 8
A second question we ask is Why learn the English of Culture
today when you can learn the English of tomorrow? 11 Travel Chichester: Little England
(pp. 28-29) really just an excuse to think about how the
14 TheatreWhich Shakespearean
language may change over the next thousand years.
Since were crystal-ball gazing Douglas has written an Character Are You?
excellent article about how banknotes and coins may 18 History A Spy Called Cicero
disappear over the next decade: our cashless future 20 FeatureMicro-Cosmos
(pp. 8-9). Another fascinating piece is Colmans look 22 ArtLandscapes
into the murky world of Second-World-War spying 24 Education Ferment in Academia
on pp. 18-19.
The debate on the CD looks at how economics once
11 26 CinemaChristian Slater
a marginal subject for people like me who didnt have the 28 LanguageTomorrows English
stomach to study law has moved centre stage in our
lives (tracks 1-5), not because economists have become Language
any better at predicting the future but in some sense 30 Functional Ways of Speaking and
precisely because they (we?) havent!
Laughing......................................................................
I really think theres something for everyone this
month. We look forward to hearing from you on 32 Pronunciation Phonics & Tefl
our rapidly-expanding Facebook community. The 35 IdiomsLandscape Expressions
Functional English article (pp. 30-31) arose because 36 Common MistakesAdverbs &
Cristian one of our Facebook community members 14 Word Order
asked for an article with audio on Ways of Speaking 38 Word Building Am I my brothers
and Laughing. So now you know what to do if theres
something youd like us to cover...
-keeper
40 TranslationError Dectectives
 See you next month, 41 Crossword
 Nick Franklin, editor 42 Miscellany.....................................................................
NickAtThink@gmail.com 43 Subscription form
44 Back issues coupon
magazine abbreviation & symbols Key
45 Tapescripts...................................................................
18 51 Next month
Listening: there is a recording on the CD connected
to the text.
Bookmark Birds by habitat
Exercise: there is an exercise in the subscribers
exercises relating directly to the text.

Conversation point: these questions prompt Contact us

discussion on topics related to the text. www.thinkinenglish.net
Subject link: there is a related article on the pages www.revistasprofesionales.com
given. thinkinenglish@revistasprofesionales.com
Abbreviations:
sth. = something, s.o. = someone, swh. = somewhere 20 Find us on Facebook too.

3
 Current Affairs | News & Anecdotes

News&Anecdotes
going to prevent18 accidents on a stretch19 of road because
of a bit of water and oil? Surely the Deity has better criteria for
intervention.

Memory Shtick20
Photo by Evan Bench

Still on the subject21 of religion spare a thought for22 poor old

The Secret TO Finding Work
2000 business decision makers in Britain were recently
polled1 about what led to2 a job-interview candidate getting
hired3. Only 20% said that a degree4 made a job applicant5
stand out6, while over 25% said they judged interviewees7
on how polite8 they were to reception staff9.
Freeway to Heaven?
What is it with Americans and religion? Last year a Christian
group blessed10 Highway 98 in Florida using sacred oil and
holy11 water. Recently, an atheist group Humanists of Florida
symbolically cleaned the highway with brooms12 and a mop13
and sprinkled14 unholy water to unbless the road. Local pastor
Glen Copple made the logical comment, I find it absolutely
ludicrous15 that the atheists, who say they dont believe in
God, have to erase16 something they dont believe in. True,
but isnt it also a little daft17 to think that a Supreme Being is
Father Martin McVeigh, a Roman Catholic priest23 from Pomeroy
in County24 Tyrone, Ireland. He was giving a talk to parents25 at
the local primary school. Part way through he plugged his pen-
drive into26 a computer and it started to display27 a slideshow28
of gay porn. The priest fled29 the room in horror only to return
20 minutes later to finish his talk. Father McVeigh insisted that
the images were not his.
Meanwhile30, Anglican vicar, Phil Ritchie, of Hove in East
Sussex recently declared that going to church in Holy11 Week
was optional. He was quoted as saying, There are plenty of ways
to celebrate [Easter31 Sunday] without coming to a draughty32
Victorian building. Why not stay at home, have a lie-in33, have
sex and eat chocolate?
Detective Fiction
Some of the worlds greatest authors have been blind34. There
is35 of course Homer, who wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey, and
John Milton, who wrote the only major epic poem in English,
Paradise Lost. 59-year-old Trish Vickers makes no claim to be36 a
great writer but she is a novelist and she is blind. Tragically, last
year she wrote a 26-page chapter of her latest novel not real-
izing37 that there was no ink in her pen. Hoping that something
might be salvaged38 she took her blank 39 manuscript to the
local police in Winfrith, Dorset. There the forensic team started
to work on the indentations40 in the paper using special light
in their lunch breaks. Five months later they delivered41 the
manuscript back to Trish, theyd deciphered every single line
bar42 one. Ms. Vickers said she was gobsmacked43.

1
to poll s.o. ask s.o. questions that are written 24
county one of the traditional administrative
on a questionnaire districts in some English-speaking countries
2
to lead to (lead-led-led) result in 25
parents (false friends) mothers and fathers
3
to get hired (get-got-got) be employed, be 26
to plug A into B insert A into B
offered a job 27
to display show, exhibit
4
degree university qualification 28
slideshow series of pictures which are
5
job applicant candidate for a job shown individually and change after a speci-
6
to stand out (stand-stood-stood) (in this fied number of seconds
context) be noticed, attract attention 29
to flee (flee-fled-fled) run out of
7
interviewee job applicant5 30
meanwhile at the same time
8
polite courteous, considerate 31
Easter Holy Week
9
reception staff receptionists, reception employees 32
draughty characterized by draughts
10
to bless sth. ask Gods favour for sth. (= currents of cold air)
11
holy sacred, sanctified 33
to have a lie-in (have-had-had) stay in bed
12
broom longer than usual in the morning
13
mop 34
blind /blaind/ unable to see, sightless
14
to sprinkle spray, splash, 35
there is (in this context) examples include
spill, pour a little 36
to make no claim to be (make-made-made)
15
ludicrous ridiculous not say that one is
16
to erase eliminate 37
to realize (false friend) be conscious
17
daft silly, stupid, idiotic 38
to salvage rescue, save, recover, retrieve
18
to prevent stop 39
blank empty, with no visible writing on it
19
stretch section, extension 40
indentation mark
20
schtick act, routine, performance 41
to deliver sth. bring sth. to s.os home
21
subject theme, question, topic 42
bar (in this context) except for, apart from
22
to spare a thought for feel sorry for 43
to be gobsmacked (slang) be astonished,
23
priest churchman, cleric be speechless

4 Think in English Issue 147

Photo by Konstantinos Stampoulis

44
to pipe up chip in, contribute an opinion,
say
45
to chime in intervene, pipe up44
46
to glue stick, fix with adhesive
47
to run out (run-ran-run) come to an end,
be exhausted
48
ticking making the tick-tock noise of a
clock
49
parcel (false friend) package, packet
50
to deal with (deal-dealt-dealt) tackle,
deactivate
51
forlornly unhappily, disconsolately, pitifully
52
to mean to intend to, want to
53
to threaten menace, intimidate
54
to injure hurt, harm
55
current present
56
mess chaos, turmoil
57
border frontier
58
too radical a measure such a radical idea/
plan
59
partner member state, associate

Ending the Greek Tragedy FYR Former (= ex-) Yugoslav Republic of

60
61
GDP gross domestic product, national
Want an easy way to solve the current55 mess56 in Europe? Heres one. Guarantee output
62
the EU average what an EU country typi-
Greeces borders57. It doesnt seem too radical a measure58, after all the EU is cally spends as a % of GDP
increasingly integrated economically, politically and in defence. It would seem 63
weapons arms
64
in line with proportional to
logical for the European partners59 to protect Greece from a Turkish (or FYR60 65
amount sum, quantity
Macedonian) invasion. Why do I mention this? Well, Greece spends 4% of its GDP61 66
bailout financial rescue package
67
hard difficult, arduous
on defence, twice the EU average62. Greece has twice as many tanks as the UK. From 68
to pay s.o. a compliment about (pay-paid-
2002 to 2006 the Greeks were the worlds fourth biggest importers of conventional paid) say sth. admiring about s.os
weapons63. If Greek defence spending was in line with64 the EU average62 the
69
makeup cosmetics
70
argument quarrel, squabble, irate conver-
saving over the last decade would have been 150 billion the same amount65 of sation
money as the last bailout66. Theres only one problem. The two countries that sell
71
to take a compliment the wrong way
(take-took-taken) misinterpret a positive
most weapons to Greece are... wait for it... Germany and France. 15% of German arms comment
exports and 10% of Frances go to Greece. So, it makes more sense in Paris and Berlin
to dismantle Greek civil society than to guarantee an EU member states borders57. Related Resources
Role-play: Divide the class into three
Ad Campaign Bombs groups: Humanists for Florida, Florid-
ian Evangelists, the local council. The
You can just imagine how it all made perfect sense at the brainstorming session in D two civilian groups should argue their
case. The council should try to negotiate
the publicity department of Convar Deutschland. Weve got to project the idea of a modus vivendi.
urgency, someone pipes up44. Hey, nothing does that like an alarm clock, somebody
else chimes in45. Thats it. What we can do is glue46 an alarm clock to a hard drive,
a third member of the team adds. Ive got the slogan, the first speaker concludes,
Your time is running out47!.
So the computer company posted ticking48 parcels49 to firms in Bonn, Berlin and
Frankfurt. A successful advertising campaign? Not exactly. Offices in all three cities
were evacuated as police were called to deal with50 the parcel bombs. A spokesman
for Convar declared forlornly51, At absolutely no point did we mean to52 threaten53
or injure54 anyone.

Statistics.....................................................................
Sometimes its hard67 being a man. A UK poll found that, when their partners
pay them a compliment about68 their makeup69, 9% of women thought that
it meant that they were wearing too much.
- 22% believed that the comment You look well was a coded way of saying that
they were fat.
- A third of British women have had an argument70 with their partners because
they took a compliment the wrong way71.
42% of Britons would seriously consider emigrating.
China smokes 38% of the cigarettes consumed worldwide. Is smoking a symptom
of development and prosperity?

Issue 147 Think in English5

 Current Affairs | Science & Technology

Science
Cooking the Prehistory Books
Cooking food is probably the last uniquely human facet.
Once we could boast1 that we used language and tools2,
while other species dont. We thought that we had culture,
empathy, altruism, a sense of morality and a concept of death
in contrast to lesser species. The uniquely human aspect of
all these things is now called into question. However, cooking
remains3. So, if hot food is what makes us unique when did
we start to cook? Surely, that is when we became human.
Well, theres no general agreement about that. The oldest
undeniable4 evidence of hearths5 is 400,000 years old. More
questionable evidence of burnt6 wood and stones in Israel
dates back nearly7 800,000 years. However, physiological
evidence may suggest that cooking is much older. Around
1.9 million years ago hominid molars8 shrank9 while crani-
ums got bigger. Since10 cooked food requires less chewing11
and digesting, this would seem to fit the evidence. If jaw12
muscles become weaker, the brain size can expand.
New evidence partially resolves the discrepancy between
archaeology and physiology. Palaeontologists from the
University of Toronto using microscopic analysis have found
burnt bone13 and ash14 in the Wonderwerk Cave in South
Africa, which was occupied a million years ago by Homo
erectus. The deposits were 30 metres inside the cave so they
are very unlikely to have been15 the result of wildfires16.
Fire, Flowers and Flashy Feathers
T. rex wandering17 amongst18 the tulips19: its not the first
image that springs to mind20 when we think of the worlds
most famous predator dinosaur, is it? However, research
from the Field Museum in Chicago suggests oxygen levels
in the mid-Cretaceous were at their highest levels in the last
250 million years. The result would have been massive wild-
fires16 as evidenced by charcoal21 deposits. The big winners
of the forest clearance caused by the fires were flowering
plants, which suddenly became prolific 100 million years
ago. They have the advantage over conifers, cycads22 and
ferns23 that they are faster growing and so can take better
advantage of burnt areas.
Meanwhile, Chinese palaeontologists have discovered
the largest feathered24 dinosaurs discovered yet25. Yutyran-
nus huali was a 9m.-long bipedal carnivore that probably
hunted in packs26. Nearly7 as big as a Tyrannosaurus rex,
this beautiful feathered tyrant obviously couldnt fly. Its
feathers were spaced out, so they were probably for mating
displays27 rather than28 insulation.

The Best News Ever

There is a God! That is the only possible conclusion from find-
ings published by the University of California at San Diego. A
study of 1000 people concluded that eating chocolate several
times a week makes you thinner than only eating it occasion-
ally. The researchers still dont know why chocolate leads to29
lower fat deposits30... but who cares?!

Related Resources
?Does anything apart from cooking distinguish us from other animals?
D
Photo by Nathan McCord Use the Internet (in English) to test your ideas and report back to the class.

1
to boast talk proudly of, 8
molar back tooth, tooth at the been it is highly improbable 22
cycad (Cycadophyta) type of
mention with pride back of ones mouth that they were plant
2
tool instrument, implement, 9
to shrink (shrink-shrank-shrunk) 16
wildfire fire that is out of 23
fern (Filicinophyta) type of plant
utensil become smaller control, opposite of a bonfire 24
feathered that has plumage
3
to remain (in this context) 10
since (in this context) given that, 17
to wander roam, walk about 25
yet so far, until now
continue to be valid as, because 18
amongst among, (in this 26
pack group of predators work-
4
undeniable irrefutable, certain, 11
chewing mastication context) amid ing together
conclusive 12
jaw (adj.) mandibular (technical) 19
tulip flower associated with 27
mating display reproductive
5
hearth fireplace for cooking 13
bone osseous material, skeletal Holland exhibition
6
burnt cauterized, consumed remains 20
to spring to mind (spring-sprang- 28
rather than as opposed to,
by fire 14
ash dry fragments of burnt6 sprung) enter ones head instead of
7
nearly almost, just under, practi- material, cinerary particles 21
charcoal pieces of carbon from 29
to lead to (lead-led-led) result in
cally 15
they are very unlikely to have vegetation 30
fat deposits adipose tissue

6 Think in English Issue 147

Current Affairs | Internet
Blackhawk Downed
by Facebook
Last month I talked about a model which can predict a Twitter users
location to within1 a 100-metre radius with 85% accuracy2. The program
examines tweets3 from the target4s friends that include either geotags5
or words in the tweets about the tweeters location. The program uses
several months worth of tweets6 and can accurately forecast7 where
a target person will be from the information in their friends tweets.
Geotagging Brings
Down Helicopter
Now the US army has warned8 that
geotagging 9 photos through smart-
phones and then posting the geotagged
photos on social-networking sites can
put the lives of soldiers and their families
at risk10. Many smartphones automati-
cally geotag photos with GPS co-ordi-
nates. In 2007 four US Army helicopters
were destroyed in Iraq after geotagged
photos were posted on the internet. The
geotags informed the enemy of where
the helicopters were operating.
While photos contain specific GPS
information showing where they were
taken, even signing into11 Facebook
from a smartphone and making a
1
within less than
2
accuracy precision, exactness
3
tweet Twitter message
4
target (in this context) user, person in ques-
tion, victim
5
geotag geographical information (latitude
and longitude) added to a digital file
6
several months worth of tweets
messages over several months
Issue 147 Think in English7
by Douglas Jasch
douglasjasch@douglasjasch.com
twitter: @douglasjasch
post will often automatically display12
the location where the post is made.
Locations posted over the course of a
month can create a pattern13 that can
be followed by others. Unfortunately,
many Facebook users still do not set
their profile to private, while others add
friends that they do not really know.
Managing Geotagging
in the Military
Anything personal posted by soldiers
on a social media site, such as family
pictures, can be used against them
by the enemy if they are captured in
action. To manage this, mobile phones
are banned14 by the British army in
operational zones, and soldiers are
7
to forecast predict
8
to warn caution, alert
9
to geotag include a geotag5 on
10
at risk in danger
11
to sign into register in
12
to display show
13
pattern tendency, guide
14
to ban prohibit
15
to caution warn, alert
cautioned15 against taking pictures
with smartphones at other times. The
British army has even established a
social-media team which offers guide-
lines16 demonstrating just how serious
they consider the question of geotag-
ging to be.
Can Video Games
Make us Reckless?
A new UK study has found that people
who play driving games are more
likely to crash17 in real-life than those
who dont.
Motorists18 who play games like
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Gran
Turismo were found to be 44% more
likely to take risks on the road than
others. Tyre company Continental
commissioned a study of 2000 UK
motorists and found that gamers
were twice as likely to speed, suffer
from road rage19, take risks and/or be
stopped by the police.
Continental Tyres
spokesman Tim Bailey
said that computer
games did improve20
driver reaction times,
but those who played
them were more
prepared to take risks
on the road. Road
safety experts say that
these games should
not be confused with road-driving simu-
lator games, which simulate real driving
and have a focus on safety. These are
driver education tools21.
Related Resources
Facebook chat: Cyberspace is a
place of fantasy fulfilment and as
such presents similar attractions and
dangers as narcotics discuss22.
16
guidelines recommendations, directives
17
are more likely to crash have a greater
probability of crashing
18
motorist (false friend) car driver
19
road rage violent anger at other motor-
ists18
20
did improve (emphatic) improved
21
tools (in this context) software
22
to discuss (false friend) debate
 Current Affairs | Economics

A Cashless Society
by Douglas Jasch  douglasjasch@douglasjasch.com, twitter: @douglasjasch

During the 1970s former1 Abba legend Bjorn Ulvaeus was singing
the famed song Money Money Money all the way to the top of the
US music charts2. Now, 46 years later, the songwriter has changed
his tune3. Since4 his son has been robbed three times over several
years, like many Swedish people, he is calling for money (coins5 and
notes6) to be phased out7. Money has been with us since the fourth
millennium BCE when it was introduced in ancient Egypt. After such
a long time in this world of amazing technology and change, has
money now finally outlived8 its usefulness?
1
former ex- The Disappearing Dollar
2
the charts the list
of the most popular Ulvaeus thinks so. On a recent blog he posted
songs There are no direct practical reasons, as far
3
to change ones
tune adopt a as I can see9, to have coins and banknotes. No
different attitude matter how passionate we are about a cashless
4
since (in this
context) given that,
society, after six thousand years no one believes
as that money will disappear overnight10. What is Photo by Marina Carresi
5
coins clear, however, is that there has been a growing
trend11 away from hard cash12 towards electronic will account for19 45% of transactions by 2018,
payments since the 1970s. compared with 73% in 1999. For better or worse,
6
(bank)notes bank The 1990s experienced a substantial move there is no denying 20 the trend11 away from 21
bills, paper money in thinking when even small grocery stores13 cash12 purchases22 .
7
to phase out
gradually eliminate started accepting electronic payments through
8
to outlive outlast, credit card and savings card. The growth in the Safety in Numbers
survive longer than
9
as far as I can see
number of ATM14 machines meant that people Ulvaeus believes that if people didnt carry
in my experience, in didnt need to carry as much cash12 on them as physical money then there would be less violent
my opinion previously. Stores and restaurants increasingly crime23 and robberies. This is a popular view in
10
overnight imme-
diately, instantly accepted electronic payments. Sweden. Supporting24 this view, after
11
trend tendency The trend towards using cards
11
a series of attacks on bus drivers,
12
(hard) cash physi-
cal money, coins instead of cash has become an
15
Swedens health-and-safety author-
and notes everyday part of life. MasterCard ity instructed bus companies to find
13
grocery store
corner shop, conve- held a survey16 which found that a way to protect the drivers. So, the
nience store three in four Americans use less bus companies stopped accept-
14
ATM automatic
teller machine, cash
cash today than they did 10 years ing notes6 or coins5 and these days
machine ago. In Sweden, over the past buses in Stockholm are cash-free.25
15
instead of rather decade the value of card payments Instead of15 cash12, people purchase
than, as opposed to
16
to hold a survey has increased fivefold , while
17
sim-based26 bus cards in advance of
Photo by Hannibal
(hold-held-held) the number of card payments has their journey. Payments can also be
do a questionnaire
17
fivefold five increased by a factor of eight18. The same trend11 made via mobile phones, so bus companies no
times, x5 is seen in the UK where it is predicted that by longer accept notes or coins.
18
by a factor of
eight eightfold, 2015, notes and coins will be used less often than Bernt Nilsson of the Swedish Work Environ-
eight times, x8 other forms of payment, such as plastic cards or ment Authority says that all indications are that
19
to account for
represent
financial payments by mobile phones. there have been significantly fewer problems on
20
there is no deny- Even more profound, the Payments Council in the buses. The drivers are very happy with the
ing nobody can the UK has published a report suggesting cash situation.
question that
21
away from
against, of renounc- 22
purchase acquisition, act delinquency 25
as they are in London modulate (= a type of
ing (opposite of of buying sth. 24
supporting in support of, 26
sim-based based on smart card)
towards) 23
crime (false friend) in favour of subscriber-identification

8 Think in English Issue 147

 Charitable Debit Cards All electronic payments are traceable and this
Charities are also benefiting from the demise27 of allows38 private companies to access your spend-
cash. Charities and voluntary organizations prefer ing patterns49. Also, while Ulvaeus believes that
regular donations through standing orders28 or a cashless society will have less violent crime, a
direct debits from peoples debit cards than cash society that relies on50 technology is certain to
donations because it gives have more cyber-crime51.
them certainty with their Are Ulvaeus and the
27
demise decline
28
standing order finances. Standing orders many Swedes correct? Is
instructions to come in every month, it time for us to ditch52 the
ones bank to make
periodic payments whereas29 cash donations cash society? Probably
to a specific organi- tend to be more sponta- so. However, despite the
zation
29
whereas while,
neous. In 2007 in the UK advantages, I personally
by contrast card payments were used dont believe we will get
30
donor s.o. who by only 15% of donors 30 there in my lifetime. I do
gives voluntarily
31
amount sum, but accounted for19 29% of believe53 it is certain that
quantity the total amount 31 given. we will continue to rely
32
to work (in this
context) function Cash is the most popular less on physical cash and
33
likely probable form of giving but only eventually54 will dump 55
34
niche (adj.)
specialist accounted for 13% of the cash altogether 56 . It is
35
to develop sth. total amount given. Photo by Marina Carresi clear that the journey has
invent sth., create
sth.
already started. Just as
36
app application, The Technology the journey from barter43 to a cash12 exchange
piece of software The technology exists for a cashless soci- system allowed 38 us to evolve financially, I am
37
to launch (in this
context) create ety to work 32, says Andrew Scott, Professor of also certain that, after an adjustment period, the
38
to allow permit, Economics at the London Business School. The journey to a cashless society is the next logical
enable
39
to bump tap, most likely33 replacement of physical cash is the place for us to go.
gently knock transfer of money from one person to another
40
yet (in this Related Resources
context) however, through a mobile phone. A number of niche 34
but businesses have been developing 35 systems F
Will you miss cash?
41
rather than as What are the dangers of a cashless society?
opposed to,
that operate safely, conveniently and cheaply for
instead of mobile owners.
42
just as in the One of the most famous is the Send Money
same way that
43
barter exchange app36 for the iPhone which was launched 37 by
of products (with- Paypal. The app allows38 two iPhone owners to
out using money)
44
ultimately (false bump39 their phones together to make a connec-
friend) in the end tion and send money from one person to the other.
45
smooth journey
easy process Mobile phones can just as easily transfer money
46
to struggle with from one person to another as an ATM14. Yet40,
have difficulty with
47
issues (in this
rather than41 having to find an ATM machine, it
context) problems can be done by anyone who has the relevant app.
48
trail series of As an economist I believe that just as42 we
pieces of evidence
49
pattern (in this moved away from a barter43 society to a cash
context) habit society ultimately44 we will abandon cash and
50
to rely on
depend on, count accept electronic transfers as the norm. However,
on this doesnt mean that I believe that it will be a
51
cyber-crime
web-based delin- smooth journey45.
quency Many pensioners, being older, naturally
52
to ditch abandon,
renounce
struggle with46 the technology. They tend to
53
do believe prefer more traditional payment methods such
(emphatic) believe as written cheques. Civil libertarians also have
54
eventually (false
friend) in the end issues 47 with the concept of a cashless society
55
to dump ditch52 as they point out that, with cash, your privacy is
56
altogether
completely protected as there is no paper or electronic trail48.

Issue 147 Think in English9

Culture | Save
Sales Techniques
Over the years vast sums of money have been spent devel-
oping techniques to sell you what you dont want by over-
riding1 your rational thoughts. Fear, surprise, empathy and
self-respect can all be used to make you buy.
The foot-in-the-door technique:
you are asked to do something trivial
answer a questionnaire or accept a
free sample and later asked to buy
something. Studies suggest that this
technique can increase successful
sales from 22% to over 50%.
The door-in-the-face technique: this
is just the opposite. First the salesper-
son asks for a completely unrealistic
Photo by Miguel Borges
1
to override (-ride/-rode/-ridden) cancel out,
annul
2
to deny refuse4, turn down, opposite of accept
3
counsellor advisor, guide, mentor
4
to refuse say no, opposite of accept
5
just (in this context) only
6
request petition, thing that is asked
for
7
deal bargain, offer
8
bait
10
favour. When this is denied 2 , the
salesperson asks for something more
reasonable. One study asked students
to work everyday for two years as
counsellors3 for juvenile delinquents.
All refused4. They were then asked to
take a juvenile delinquent to the zoo
for two hours: half agreed. However,
when a control group were asked just 5
the second request6, only 17% agreed.
The low-ball technique: an excellent
deal7 is offered to you but later addi-
tional costs are revealed. Our need to
be consistent for our self-image is so
important that most of us still buy at
the higher price.
The bait 8 -and-switch 9 technique:
an excellent deal is offered to you but
later only a more expensive product or
an inferior product is actually10 avail-
able. Again, our wish to be consistent
often causes us to accept the worsened
conditions.
The camaraderie technique: the
salesperson will establish some tenu-
ous11 relationship with the customer
before the sales pitch12 . One study
suggested that the personal bond13
between salesperson and customer
could increase sales from 10% to 26%.
The deadline14 technique: the sales-
person creates the impression that an
opportunity is only briefly15 on offer,
thus16 rushing 17 the customer into
making a purchase18. One trick19 is to
9
to switch change
10
actually (false friend) really, in fact
11
tenuous dubious, superficial
12
sales pitch spiel, talk directed at convincing
s.o. to buy sth. 22
13
bond connection, affiliation
14
deadline time limit
15
briefly for a short time
16
thus in this way
17
to rush s.o. pressure s.o. to do sth. quickly
Photo by Web Design Hotspots
mention another interested customer
but if there really were someone else
interested at that price, why is the sales-
person bothering to try to sell to you?
Non-Buying Techniques
Refuse to enter into conversation
with a salesperson who has contacted
you. End the conversation politely20
but firmly.
Refuse to answer a few questions.
Serious companies pay for market
research.
Whenever an offer is made for
something you are interested in
buying, demand that offer in some
sort of written form.
Never make a spot21 decision on an
offer for something you didnt intend
to22 buy in the first place23.
Remember salespeople never prior-
itize your interests over their commis-
sion (however friendly they may seem).
Of course there are salespeople who
give impartial advice24 in the interests of
building up long-term trust. However, the
pressure to fulfil sales targets25 makes
them an endangered species26.
Related Resources
Have you ever been convinced to
make a purchase you didnt want?
A Describe the experience. How did you
feel afterwards?
18
to make a purchase (make-made-made) buy sth.
19
trick ruse, stratagem
20
politely in a courteous/civil way
21
spot (adj.) immediate, spontaneous
to intend to plan to
23
in the first place initially, from the beginning
24
advice recommendations, suggestions
25
target (false friend) objectives
26
endangered species (literally) type of animal
or plant that is in danger of becoming extinct
Think in English Issue 147
Culture | Travel

Chichester:
Little England
Chichester /titist/ is the perfect destination
for anyone who wants all their preconceptions
about gentrified1 Olde2 England confirmed.

An Olde Town
The English like old things and Chichester could
justifiably claim3 to be the oldest English-speak-
ing town in the world. The Romans seem to have
founded the town of Noviomagus Reginorum on
London
the site shortly after their invasion in 43CE4. The
modern towns basic street plan with roads from
Chichester all four cardinal directions meeting at the market

Photo by Marina Carresi The Norman Bell Tower

cross is almost two thousand years old. You can

also see Roman mosaics through a window under
the cathedral floor. However, to get a real taste of
the times you have to go 3km west of town to Fish-
bourne5, the largest6 and best-preserved Roman
Palace in the UK.
Chichesters stuttering7 name comes from the
Saxon Cissas ceaster8 (= Cissa9s fort). This reflects
the fact that the Saxons took over10 in the late 5th
or early 6th Century.

A Place of Peace & Love

Roman mosaic at Fishbourne
Photo by Charlesdrakew
1
gentrified upper- 3
to claim declare oneself
middle-class, prosperous, 4
CE Common Era (= anno
conservative, Domini)
characterized by 5
http://sussexpast.co.uk/
gentlemen properties-to-discover/
2
Olde pseudo-archaic fishbourne-roman-palace
spelling of old 6
largest biggest
However, Chichesters outstanding 11 tourist
attraction dates from comparatively recently...
well 1070. The Normans started building Chich-
ester cathedral shortly after invading. In fact, the
building has only undergone12 minimal changes
since 1300. One of these is a rather13 fine stain-
glass window14 by Marc Chagall.
7
stuttering stammering, Saxons. The local area is 12
to undergo (-go/-
that repeats a syllable called Sussex (= South went/-gone) suffer,
8
ceaster pronounced Saxons) experience
chester comes from the 10
to take over (take-took- 13
rather (in this
Latin castrum taken) take control context) very
9
son of lle, the first 11
outstanding top, 14
stain-glass
king of the South superlative window

Issue 147 Think in English11

 1 2

3 4

Captions: Despite its age, the cathedral follows the music, but not particularly religious. Theres a
1. Chichester
cathedral exterior modern Anglican policy15 of playing down16 the fantastic temporary exhibition of sculptures,
2. Chichester religion and playing up17 the happy, happy. We including a bronze of a bishop22 in the bath with
cathedral interior
3. Bronze sculpture
were welcomed at the entrance by a charming18 his dog, which is quite frankly to-die-for23. The
of bathing bishop elderly man in a purple19 tunic who greets20 us Church of England seems to see its main24 role as
with his dog like a prodigal son and daughter. Can we take being the last bastion against rampant25 consum-
4. Sculpture
photos for a magazine article? Of course, thank erism, which I find laudable26 enough. This is a
Photos by
Marina Carresi you for asking. Despite the altar and other clues21 space of peace, culture and the vaguest27 hint28
that this is a functioning church, the cathedral of spirituality an oasis from Next, Macdonalds
has something of the air of an arts centre. Theres and The Phone House.
a young woman practising on the organ classical
15
policy strategy agreeable, delightful 22
bishop head of a diocese unrestrained
16
to play down downplay, 19
purple reddish blue 23
to-die-for wonderful, 26
laudable admirable
opposite of emphasize 20
to greet welcome, say fantastic 27
vaguest faintest, subtlest
17
to play up emphasize hello 24
main primary, principal 28
hint indication, insinua-
18
charming very pleasant, 21
clue indication 25
rampant out-of-control, tion, suggestion

12 Think in English Issue 147

29
West Street
would be too if
the local authori-
ties would only
allow Burger
King, GAP and
Virgin to set
up shop in the
cathedral!
30
slightly margin-
ally
31
catering
/keitri/ for for,
serving
32
to venture out
leave, abandon
33
edge limits,
periphery
34
http://www.
chichesterharbour.
co.uk/
35
taste flavour,
sample experi-
ence
36
rather (in this
context) more
precisely
37
http://www.tang-
mere-museum.
org.uk/
38
airfield simple
aerodrome
39
replica (adj.)
imitation, dupli-
cate
40
Hurricane
famous RAF Photo by Marina Carresi Market Cross from East Street
World-War-Two
fighter plane
41
Spitfire The Anonymous British High Street A Feast of Festivals
The centre of Chichester as we said is marked by Chichester punches well above its weight42 in
the market cross, an elegant early Tudor struc- terms of culture. It hosts43 a major theatre festi-
ture built in 1501. North Street, East Street and val44, a real-ale-and-jazz festival45 and an inter-
South Street are dominated by exactly the same national film festival46.
42
to punch well
above ones shops as you now find on every high street in 6km north of Chichester is Goodwood
weight be stron- Britain.29 There are perhaps a slightly30 greater Park47. This racecourse 48, known as Glorious
ger than ones size
would suggest.
number of tearooms and cake shops, catering Goodwood is second only to Ascot in the social
The population for31 this most gentrified1 of towns. calendar of people with big, silly49 hats and more
is only 100,000. If you venture out 32 to the southern edge33 of money than sense. Another must50 for confirm-
Its called a city
for historical town a few kilometres you come to Chichester ing your preconceptions about the (upper-class51)
reasons Harbour34 and sandy beaches. English.
43
to host organize,
be the location for
44
http://www.cft. Their Finest Hour
org.uk/
45
http://www.chich- The last great expression of the Old Englishness was
ester-rajf.com/ Churchill and the Battle of Britain. You can even get
46
http://www.chich-
estercinema.org/
a taste35 of that in Chichester (or rather36 5km to the
film-festival east). Tangmere Military Aviation Museum37 is on
47
http://www. the site of one of Britains oldest airfields38, founded
goodwood.co.uk/
home.aspx in 1917. The base played its part in the Battle of Brit-
48
racecourse ain itself and you can see replica39 Hurricanes40
place where
horses race and Spitfires41 in their natural habitat.
49
silly ridiculous
50
must (n.) sth. Related Resources
one must see/visit
51
upper-class We travel to reaffirm out preconceptions about other
affluent, rich, E, H countries and tourist authorities would do well to
remember this. Discuss. Photo by Peter V. Facey Chichester harbour
aristocratic

Issue 147 Think in English13

Culture | Theatre/Psychology Test
Which Shakespearean
Character Are You?
Shakespeares Women
William Shakespeare created nearly 400 characters in his plays,
some of them amongst the most memorable in world theatre.
Which of these people do you most resemble? Ladies first.
1 Look, this is a mans world and
unless you learn to play by their
rules youre finished. I learned this
early on at home because my father
always preferred my characterless,
pretty little sister. To get on1 in this
world a woman has to be wily2 and
tougher3 than any man: its survival
of the fittest4. I got to where I am using
my intelligence and nobody is going to
take advantage of me.
2 You know when they say that
behind every successful man
theres a strong woman? Well, I am that
woman. I know society doesnt allow5
a woman to get to the top so Ive been
the driving force behind my husbands
ambition. Lately6, however, Ive been
feeling some remorse 7 about what
weve had to do to get him to the top.
3 Im good-humoured and talkative8
but also practical. No problem is
insurmountable9 if you put your mind
to it with sufficient energy. Theres a
guy I really like and he thinks he loves
me, but Im going to put his love to the
1
to get on (get-got-got) be successful,
progress
2
wily /waili/ cunning, clever, astute
3
tough (in this context) resolute, determined
4
the fittest the most capable/competent
5
to allow permit, enable
6
lately recently
7
remorse contrition, repentance, self-
reproach
8
talkative chatty, loquacious
9
insurmountable insuperable, impossible
10
to go to stage two (go-went-gone) become
more serious
11
better safe than sorry I prefer to be
prudent
12
matter question
14
test before I let things go to stage two10.
Better safe than sorry11 in matters12 of
the heart, I say.
4 Im at a crucial moment of change
in my life. Ive always been a good
girl doing what my parents13 have told
me to but Ive come to realize14 they
dont always know whats best for me. I
Ophelia
will have to live with the consequences
of the decisions that are taken about
my life, so I should be the one taking
the decisions. I have to be true to
myself even if it means that my family
and friends abandon me in the process.
5 I believe in solidarity between
women and I will always defend
my gal pals15 against the mistreat-
ment16 and slander17 of men. I some-
times wish I were a man so that I could
take revenge18 for the awful19 things
men do to women. I am not sentimen-
tal and I would never fall for20 a man
unless he had proved himself with
deeds21 first, not just22 hollow23 words.
I know I am the intellectual equal of
any man.
13
ones parents (false friend) ones mother
and father
14
to come to realize (come-came-come)
become conscious
15
gal pal friend who is female
16
mistreatment abuse, persecution
17
slander defamation of character, calumnies,
false accusations
18
to take revenge (take-took-taken) avenge
oneself, wreak vengeance
19
awful horrible, horrid, terrible
20
to fall for s.o. (fall-fell-fallen) (in this context)
fall in love with
21
deeds actions, acts
22
just (in this context) simply, only
23
hollow empty, insincere Lady Macbeth
Think in English Issue 147
6 A glamorous woman can get what
she wants when she wants from
men. Glamour, however, isnt simply a
question of appearance. A woman has
to know how to tantalize24 and how to
command; how to be the centre of atten-
tion... always. To be truly25 mesmeriz-
ing26 a woman has to be cultured, fear-
less and elegant, and have a command
of languages and a harmonious voice.
Privately, I dont have time for an inner
world27 as I live my life in public.
7 You k now, when a woman
behaves28 like a man in relation-
ships shes called a slut 29. Well, if so
then I suppose Im a slut, but so are
all men. When Im with a man Im in
love with him but I soon fall out of
love in most cases. Men are attracted
to me and I enjoy sex why shouldnt
I pursue30 my own pleasure? After all,
thats what men do.
8 All I really ask for is equality. All I
get is a situation in which the men
around me ignore or contradict what I
say without even listening to me. This
is really frustrating and I admit that
sometimes I have a sharp tongue31
but you should see some of the idiots
I have to deal with32 . To be honest the
women are worse than the men and I
cant stand33 female company. Perhaps
I should learn to be more positive and
to manipulate the situation rather
than 34 always being confrontational
but I dont see how I can until my
circumstances change.
24
to tantalize fascinate, allure
25
truly really, 100%
26
mesmerizing tantalizing, captivating
27
inner world private passions, emotions and
desires
28
to behave act, conduct oneself
29
slut whore, promiscuous woman
30
to pursue go after, desire, strive for
31
to have a sharp tongue (have-had-had)
respond in a venomous/vitriolic way
32
to deal with (deal-dealt-dealt) interact with
33
cant stand cant bear, hate, detest
34
rather than as opposed to, instead of
35
to stand out (stand-stood-stood) be
conspicuous, be distinctive
36
to overwhelm be too stressful for
37
but rather (in this context) by contrast I
38
to go with the flow (go-went-gone) accept
the majority opinion
Issue 147 Think in English15
9 I try not to stand out 35 too much
preferring not to be noticed. I often
find situations overwhelm 36 me and
emotional situations intimidate me.
I dont usually have a personal opin-
ion but rather37 tend to go with the
flow38 . When people mistreat 39 me I
sometimes have dark thoughts about
whether40 life is worth41 living.
10 Discret ion is t he bet ter
part of valour as far as Im
concerned42 and if you play your cards
close to your chest43 you can get what
you want out of44 life. People tell me
that I am hard-headed45, charming46,
modest and good fun. I guess47 I show
people the facet they want to see,
though not in a deceitful48 way.
11 My life has been marked by
several tragedies and this
probably accounts for49 my slightly50
Portia
melancholic temperament. However,
I am a practical girl and know how to
look after myself. I am happiest in male
company when men are willing to51
accept me as an equal. Even so, my
passions run deep52 .
12 Im a lucky woman: Ive got a
loving trusting 53 husband, a
happy family and a respectable middle-
class home. I do my bit, however. I
expose immorality and try to help my
children to move in socially advanta-
geous circles. Im a good friend, loving
wife, a devoted mother and a decent
woman, though I say it myself.
39
to mistreat ill-treat, persecute
40
whether if (but if cannot be used after a
preposition)
41
to be worth merit, compensate the effort of
42
as far as Im concerned in my opinion
43
to play ones cards close to ones chest not
reveal ones thoughts or intentions
44
out of (in this context) from
45
hard-headed practical
46
charming delightful, loveable, likeable
47
I guess I suppose
48
deceitful dishonest, insincere, duplicitous,
hypocritical
49
to account for explain
50
slightly marginally, moderately
51
to be willing to be ready to, be prepared to
52
my passions run deep (run-ran-run) I am
very passionate
53
trusting unquestioning, opposite of suspicious Hermione

13 I am confident of my own virtue
as a wife but suffer from having
a foolishly54 jealous husband. Anyway,
with help of my female friends I hope
to show my husband what an idiot hes
being by not trusting55 me.
14 I am assertive and forth-56
right 57 about my opinions. I
certainly dont like being told what
to do. At times I can be mercurial in
temperament. At the same time I am
constant in love. Im rather 58 self-
conscious about my height and think
that my gal pal15 may be more success-
ful than me romantically because she
is taller.
15 I am a woman of passion who
grieves 59 bitterly60 when in
mourning61 but I also fall head over
heels in love 62 . I like to conduct my
affairs with propriety. I am sensible,
compassionate and understanding.
54
foolishly idiotically, stupidly
55
to not trust s.o. (in this context) be suspi-
cious of and jealous about s.o.
56
assertive confident and convincing
57
forthright frank, direct, candid
58
rather somewhat, quite
59
to grieve mourn, lament
60
bitterly (in this context) with great sadness
61
in mourning after s.o. one loves has died
62
to fall head over heels in love (fall-fell-fallen)
16
1 2
16 I am both a loving mother and a
proud mother; call me a matri-
arch if you will. My son is the main63
focus of my life and I will do anything
to turn him into the great man I know
he is.
17 I have striven to be the 64
perfect wife, mother and host-
ess. Unfortunately, the man I love has
turned out to be65 impossibly jealous.
I know deep down that my husband
is a good man but his jealousy has
destroyed our family. I have had to
leave him, though I hope that one day
he will learn to manage66 his emotions
so that we can be friends again.
18 I admit Im not the most beauti-
ful girl in the world but Im not
exactly ugly either. Its pathetic how all
the guys go drooling after67 the same
belle of the ball68, even though obvi-
ously they cant all have her. The worst
become infatuated, become passionately
enamoured
63
main primary, principal
64
to strive (strive-strove-striven) make a great
effort
65
the man I love has turned out to be it has
become clear that the man I love is
66
to manage (in this context) control
67
to go drooling after s.o. (go-went-gone)
(literally) follow s.o. salivating, (metaphorically)
3
4 5
of it is that Ive been so mistreated39 by
men that I dont trust a guy even when
he is sincere in his affections. Mr Right
must be out there somewhere but hes
sure taking his time.
19 I am quiet and practical. Im
a good friend to my friends,
and I can be witty69 and sarcastic if
its the only way to stop them making
fools of70 themselves. I have one fatal
weakness: I tend to fall in love at first
sight Hey-ho, you cant be practical
in everything, can you?
20 If you think mens vengeance
can be terrible you havent
seen an avenging 71 woman! When
someone hurts a member of my family
I will go to any lengths72 to get revenge
no holds barred73. I married an idiot
because he was a powerful fool but I
never loved him. My only loyalties are
to my lover and my children.
pursue obsessively
68
the belle of the ball the prettiest girl
69
witty intelligently humorous
70
to make a fool of oneself (make-made-made)
act in a ridiculous way
71
avenging vengeful, vindictive
72
to go to any lengths (go-went-gone) do
anything
73
no holds barred there are no limits or
restrictions on what is permitted
Think in English Issue 147
 Answers
1. Goneril in King Lear. she ends up killing herself with a dagger74 after poisoning75
her sister.
2. Lady Macbeth in Macbeth: she dies suddenly76 full of remorse7. She may have
committed suicide.
3. Rosalind in As You Like It: she marries the guy of her dreams, Orlando. Their marriage
is sure to be a happy one, so long as she continues to dress up as77 a boy called
Ganymede.
4. Juliet in Romeo and Juliet: she commits suicide with a dagger74 when she wakes up
to find her husband dead beside her.
5. Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing: she ends up marrying Benedick her erstwhile78
verbal sparing partner79, thus80 proving that opposites attract.
6. Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra: she commits suicide by allowing herself to be
bitten81 by an asp82 after hearing that her husband is dead and that Octavius plans
to publicly humiliate her.
7. Cressida in Troilus and Cressida: she ends up as a camp-follower83 in the Greek
camp outside Troy.
8. Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew: she marries Petruchio, surprisingly satisfied
to have at last found a man who is able to dominate her.
9. Ophelia in Hamlet: she goes mad84 and drowns85 herself.
10. Portia in The Merchant of Venice: having outwitted86 both her new husband, Bassa-
6 nio, and his friend (and her possible rival for his affections) Antonio, she presumably
1. Rosalind, 2. Goneril, 3. Viola, 4. Beatrice, settles down to87 a happy marriage. In any case they are both deeply indebted
5. Cressida, 6. Cleopatra
to88 her and know they are no match for her intelligence.
11. Viola in Twelfth Night: having found out89 that her twin brother90, Sebastian, is
74
dagger
75
to poison s.o. kill s.o. with a toxic alive, she marries the man of her dreams, Orsino, while Sebastian marries Olivia,
substance a rich widow91. However, Orsino and Olivias sexuality is so ambiguous that it is
76
suddenly unexpectedly
77
to dress up as wear the clothes of
anyones guess what happens next.
78
erstwhile former, previous, ex- 12.Meg Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor: having helped her friend, Alice Ford, and
79
verbal sparring partner s.o. who accepted her daughters marriage to Fenton, she settles back92 into respectable
you enjoy arguing with
80
thus therefore, in this way marital bliss93.
81
to bite (bite-bit-bitten) attack with 13. Alice Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor: having humiliated the lecherous94 Falstaff
ones mouth
82
asp type of venomous snake (= serpent) and demonstrated to her husband that he should trust her, she also settles back92
83
camp-follower (historical) woman who into respectable marital bliss93.
accompanied an army providing a variety of
services 14.Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream: she finally gets her man, Lysander, following
84
to go mad (go-went-gone) go crazy a delirious night in the forest.
85
to drown oneself commit suicide in water
86
to outwit s.o. show that you are more intel-
15.Olivia in Twelfth Night: she ends up marrying Sebastian, though she may in fact be
ligent than s.o. in love with his twin sister90, Viola.
87
to settle down to accept 16.Volumnia in Coriolanus: her meddling in95 her sons affairs results in his destruc-
88
to be deeply indebted to owe a lot to, be
significantly obligated to tion. We must assume96 she dies in bitterness97 and regret98 having destroyed
89
to find out (find-found-found) discover what she most loved.
90
twin brother/sister sibling who was born
at the same time and has a very similar 17.Hermione in A Winters Tale: she pretends to be99 dead for 16 years. Finally convinced
appearance of her husbands remorse7, she returns to him and is able to reconstitute their family.
91
widow woman whose husband has died
92
to settle back relax, conform oneself with 18.Helena in A Midsummer Nights Dream: after lots of forest fun and not a little100
93
marital bliss a happy marriage magic, she finally marries her beloved Demitrius.
94
lecherous lascivious
95
to meddle in interfere with
19.Celia in As You Like It: she falls madly101 in love with Orlandos brother, Oliver, and
96
to assume (false friend) suppose they are married and live happily ever after.
97
bitterness acrimony, (in this context) self- 20.Tamora in Titus Andronicus: Titus Andronicus feeds102 her her own sons
hate
98
regret remorse7 baked103 in a pie104. Moments after telling her what she has been eating he
99
to pretend to be simulate that one is stabs105 her to death. 
100
not a little quite a lot of
101
madly (in this context) passionately
102
to feed s.o. sth. (feed-fed- Related Resources
103
fed) give s.o. sth. as food
to bake cook, roast Next month well look The assumption is that types of women who existed
104
105
pie
to stab kill with a dagger, knife or sword
at the male characters. G, V 400 years ago still exist today. Do you agree with this
assumption? Why/why not?

Issue 147 Think in English17

Culture | History

Cicero:
was to furnish the wily8 Turk with 9 numerous
opportunities to ransack10 the many secrets in
the British ambassadors safe11.
Sir Hughe, a close friend of Anthony Eden12 ,
decidedly belonged to the old-fashioned type of

the Eloquent Spy

diplomat and never for one moment imagined
that anyone at the embassy might be a spy. This
attitude of mind, stemming from13 a false sense
of security, led to14 gross15 negligence, an example
by Colman Keane
of which was the diplomats preference
for keeping diplomatic black boxes at his
ambassadorial home rather than16 at the
chancery17. He followed a tight18 sched-
ule which he seldom19 altered and this
greatly facilitated the spying activities of
the kavass. The imperturbable ambassa-
dor who slept in a separate room from his
wife, took two baths a day and after lunch
played the piano in the drawing-room in
order to relax. The ambassadors predict-
able habits played into the valets hands
and gave the kavass numerous opportu-
nities to pry into20 office papers, oppor-
tunities which were greatly enhanced 21
when Bazna made wax impressions22 of
his employers keys while the latter was
having one of his many baths.

Pierre Makes Contact

Elyesa Bazna Bazna first photographed British secret

W
documents in late October 1943. On
1
to dub (in this ithout any doubt Elyesa Bazna was the 26th of that month he approached the German
context) call infor-
mally most successful Nazi spy of World War embassy compound23 on Atatrk Boulevard and
2
staggering II. Dubbed1 Cicero (for the eloquence of asked to speak to Albert Jenke a high-ranking24
impressive, aston-
ishing the secrets he revealed) by the German ambas- aide25 for whom Bazna had worked the previ-
3
although Bazna sador in Ankara Franz von Papen, Bazna in an ous year. Jenke, who had a clear distaste for26
told Moyzisch he
was Albanian, he
intense four-month period from late October espionage and, not wanting to get his fingers
was in fact born in 1943 to early March 1944, managed to success- burnt 27, referred Bazna to Ludwig Moyzisch,
the Balkan town fully photograph four hundred top-secret docu- the cultural attach28. Bazna, who in his deal-
of Pristina in the
western Ottoman ments at the British embassy and sell them to the ings29 with Moyzisch would call himself Pierre,
Empire in 1904 Germans for the staggering 2 sum of 300,000 demanded 20,000 for two rolls of film and gave
4
this Turkish term
for servant sterling. For years the 38-year-old Turk 3 had the Germans four days in which to come up with30
carried a certain worked as a kavass4 in the Turkish capital before the money. After receiving clearance31 from von
stigma
5
to hire s.o. being hired5 by the British as valet6 to Sir Hughe Papen, Moyzisch met the valet6 on the night of
employ s.o. Knatchbull-Hugessen, a coveted7 post which 30th October at the German embassy. While
6
valet /vlei/
manservant, 11
safe (n.) 15
gross (in this context) improve 27
to get ones fingers burnt
personal attendant 12
Both attended flagrant, terrible 22
wax impression silhou- (get-got-got) expose
7
coveted /kvtid/ Balliol College. 16
rather than instead of, as ette created when an oneself to the unpleasant
desirable At the time of opposed to object is pressed into a soft consequences of a decision
8
wily /waili/ crafty, these events 17
chancery (in this context) substance (= wax) 28
cultural attach diplo-
cunning, astute Eden was the ambassadors office 23
compound complex, mat specializing in cultural
9
to furnish s.o. with British Foreign Secretary 18
tight rigorous, full group of buildings questions
provide s.o. with, 13
to stem from be caused 19
seldom rarely, only occa- 24
high-ranking senior, top 29
dealings interaction
offer s.o. by sionally 25
aide (in this context) 30
to come up with (come-
10
to ransack plun- 14
to lead to (lead-led-led) 20
to pry into spy on official came-come) find, produce
der, pillage, rob result in 21
to enhance magnify, 26
distaste for dislike of 31
clearance permission

18 Think in English Issue 147

 Baznas Dream is Shattered51
32
to remain stay,
be
33
to lock up
imprison, confine Ciceros most prolific period was a four-week
34
adjoining adja-
cent, next-door
purple patch52 from the second week of Decem-
35
wad /wod/ ber to early January in which the Turk produced
bundle, roll, stack new rolls of film three to four times a week. By
36
to stuff push
37
parcel (false now Bazna would make a rendezvous53 in the old
friend) packet, quarter of the city, get into the attachs28 moving
package
38
overcoat Mercedes and, while the car purred through54 the
dark streets of Ankara, he would exchange rolls of
film for British banknotes. Moyzisch would then
Franz von Papen Ludwig Moyzisch decelerate enabling Bazna to alight from55 the
slowly moving car. Despite the amazing56 quality
Bazna remained 32 locked up 33 in Moyzischs of the spys exposures, the Wilhelmstrasse57 was
office, the cultural attach went to an adjoin- still full of doubting Thomases58. In fact, it was
ing 34 dark-room where he revealed the two not until Sofia was heavily bombed59 in January
39
sneering self-
satisfied, conceited rolls of 35-millimetre film containing 52 photo- 1944 that the bigwigs60 in Berlin finally accepted
40
Moyzisch, Ludwig graphs before paying the Turk in wads35 of British that Ciceros photographs were indeed61 sound62.
C. Operation
Cicero. New York: banknotes. As he stuffed36 the parcel37 of notes The story of Cicero is full of ironic twists63.
Coward-McCann, under his overcoat38 a curiously sneering39 and The Germans failed to accept that defeat64 was
1950
41
from the very triumphant tone came into his voice40 as he set staring them in the face65, so Ciceros daring66
outset right from a second meeting for the following evening. espionage was a waste of time. The affair was a
the start, from the
beginning
demain, Monsieur. la mme heure40 . major embarrassment for the complacent British
42
sheer (emphatic) From the very outset41 Moyzisch and Papen who prided themselves on their second-to-none
consummate, were extraordinarily impressed by the sheer42 wartime intelligence. Finally, Cicero discovered too
absolute
43
but rather (in this quality of the photographs which they felt were late to his chagrin67 that he had been cheated68
context) he was by of incalculable value. Clearly, Cicero was not an by the unscrupulous Nazis. They had paid him for
contrast
44
German Foreign agent provocateur but rather43 a spy who seemed invaluable information (which they failed to use)
Minister to be playing a lone hand. Nevertheless, their with counterfeit69 banknotes, thus70 shattering51
45
Head of the SD, or
Security Service. bosses in Berlin (von Ribbentrop44 and Walter his dream of leaving the life of a kavass behind.
46
to find out (find- Schellenberg45) were burning with curiosity to Bazna died in Munich in 1970. In a final twist63,
found-found)
discover, learn
find out46 more about Cicero and his motives. after the war, British Intelligence claimed71 that
47
to worm sth. out Moyzisch tried to worm information out of47 the Cicero had been a double agent working for them
of get sth. from kavass but all he was told by the theatrical spy all along, like the Catalan Garbo.
48
In fact Baznas
father had died was that he used a Leica, worked alone, was Alba-
in bed nian, hated the British and that his father had
49
confidence
self-assurance, been shot by an Englishman48. Most of his photo-
optimism graphs were taken quickly and under varying
50
to run risks (run-
ran-run) take conditions. Full of confidence49, Bazna ran big
risks, put oneself in risks50 and quite often took the documents from
danger
51
to shatter ruin
the safe11 to his room where he photographed
52
purple patch (in them and had them back in the safe11 before his
this context) period employer had finished playing the piano.
of success and
good fortune
53
rendezvous Related Resources
appointment,
meeting From what youve read, do you think Cicero was a German
M spy or a British double agent? Do research on the internet Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen (British Ambassador in
54
to purr through (in English) and report back to class with your findings. Turkey) standing second from left beside the British Foreign
traverse making a Secretary Anthony Eden.
pleasant sound
55
to alight from 58
doubting Thomas suspi- people were killed surprise exasperation
(formal) get out of, cious mind, sceptic 60
bigwig VIP 64
defeat failure, opposite of 68
to cheat fool, hoodwink,
leave 59
Ciceros photographs told 61
indeed (emphatic) really, victory defraud
56
amazing incred- the Germans of the forth- in fact 65
to be staring s.o. in the 69
counterfeit fake, false
ible, fantastic coming attack on Sofia. 62
sound trustworthy, face be imminent 70
thus as a result, in this
57
German Foreign They chose to do nothing legitimate 66
daring audacious way
Ministry and several thousand 63
twist (in this context) 67
chagrin irritation, 71
to claim say, declare

Issue 147 Think in English19

Culture | Feature

Micro-Cosmos
Small is beautiful.
W
e pride ourselves on1 being more enlightened2 than our
ancestors. We dont believe in a flat earth, Galenic medicine
or a literal interpretation of Genesis. However, in one sense
we are no better than our forefathers3; we accept the world as being
what we see. Take biodiversity. We (rightly) worry about whales4,
tigers, pandas and fish stocks. However, by any objective measure5
life, and its diversity on Earth, is a question of micro-organisms. For
Yellow mite
instance6, the bio-mass of microbes is infinitely greater than that
of the kingdom Animalia. The microbial kingdoms are much more Of course most of the microbes you
diverse, though we have studied them so comparatively little that carry around with you are harmless20
they dont seem so. Microbes can be just as vulnerable to extinction, and some of them are essential to keep
too. There is an anaerobic fungus that only lives in the hindgut7 of you alive. Bacteria in your guts21 help
the Somali wild ass8. Unfortunately for the symbiotic microbe, the ass to break down 22 food and keep your
is an endangered9 species, so when it disappears well have lost two immune system healthy. Gut 23 flora
species. We dont know the effect of anthropogenic climate change protects against harmful microbes
on the micro-cosmos because the question hasnt been sufficiently such as Clostridium difficile. Antibiot-
studied, but it may be much more catastrophic than the loss of large ics often kill gut flora leaving the coast
clear for C. difficile, which is why this
mammals.
bug24 is so prevalent in hospitals.
Our obsession with things that are macroscopic10 means that we Research at McMaster University in
automatically assume11 that alien life will be more or less human size Hamilton, Ontario, also suggests that
when it is more likely to12 be microscopic (or immense). normal healthy gut23 bacteria help us
to behave 25 normally. Experiments
Illustration by Gaspirtz

The Good Guys on mice26 suggest that the absence of

You are a transport system for micro- healthy gut 23 flora can cause strange
organisms. Some 72 million live on behaviour27, aggression and learn-
your forehead 13 alone. There are ing difficulties all of which could be
microbes on you, in you, through- reversed by re-establishing healthy gut
out14 your home15, on trees, in the air, flora.
everywhere. Bacteria can eat iron and Just as28 some bacteria are essen-
other metals, masonry16, tarmac17 and tial for our bodies and brains to work
latex as well as any biological matter18. properly29, micro-organisms in the
Bacteria can survive for hundreds of compost community are at the base
years in completely dry or freezing19 of all ecosystems.
conditions.
1
to pride oneself on be proud of, take satis- becoming extinct 20
harmless innocuous, benign
faction in, congratulate oneself on 10
macroscopic visible with the naked eye 21
guts intestines
2
more enlightened better informed/ 11
to assume (false friend) suppose 22
to break sth. down (break-broke-broken)
educated 12
it is more likely to it will more probably decompose
3
forefathers ancestors 13
forehead brow, part of your face above your 23
gut (adj.) intestinal
4
whales cetaceans eyes and below your hairline 24
bug germ, pathogen, microbe
5
by any objective measure if it is measured in 14
throughout in every part of 25
to behave act
any objective way 15
two million mites live in your bed 26
mouse (plural mice) small rodent
6
for instance for example 16
masonry the stones of buildings 27
behaviour (UK English) behavior (US English),
7
hindgut colon and rectum 17
tarmac (UK English) asphalt (US English) conduct
8
wild ass (Equus asinus) 18
matter material 28
just as in the same way that
9
endangered in danger of 19
freezing, frozen, subzero 29
properly correctly, appropriately

20 Think in English Issue 147

 Nasty Micro-organisms
Generally speaking, we are ignorant
about microbes until after they have
a serious impact on humanity. An
undoubted candidate for that defini-
tion is Yersinia pestis. These bacte-
ria have joined the privileged list
of species that have had their DNA
mapped30. Moreover, unlike Dolly the
Sheep, Yersinia pestis has had DNA
mapped twice: from a modern speci-
men and from a 600-year-old sample.
Why? Because Yersinia pestis is the
scientific name for the Black Death
bacteria. Killing 50 million people in
the mid-14th Century means that the
bubonic plague qualifies as interest-
ing. The good news is that six-century-
old Yersinia pestis are almost identical
Photo by JO2, Ryan C. McGinley
Scientist cultivating a sample to test for drug
resistant bacteria.
30
to map (in this context) chart, survey, decode
31
disease illness
32
to stage a comeback return triumphantly,
(in this context) cause another pandemic
33
swine flu type of virus associated with pigs
34
hotspot point of especially intense activity
35
risk danger, peril
36
to jump species change vector
37
large (false friend) big
38
pandemics result the result is a pandemic
39
to play dead simulate death, act as if dead
40
to run its course (run-ran-run) stopped
having an effect
41
to be back in business (in this context) be
able to propagate again
42
evil malignant
43
blighter irritating person; sth. that causes an
infestation/affliction
44
host (in this context) vector
Issue 147 Think in English21
to the modern bacteria. That means
that the human population has evolved
resistance to the disease 31, which
shouldnt stage a comeback32, though
2000 people a year are still infected
around the world.
Now the bad news. Globalization
means we are more vulnerable to
pandemics than ever before. Remem-
ber how the WHO exaggerated the
danger of swine flu33 a couple of years
ago. The virus ended up infecting 10%
of the worlds human population and
killing 100,000 people. The disease did
go global, it just wasnt quite as deadly
as predicted. It could easily be next Staphylococcus aureus bacteria
time. Where will the next pandemic
come from? According to Global Viral
Forecasting there are viral hotspots34 Evil42 Little Blighters43
places where humans come into The brilliantly evil42 thing about some
contact with a high density of wild micro-organisms is that they can
animals. This increases the risk 35 that fundamentally change the physiology
viruses will jump species 36 . If this of their hosts44 to aid their replica-
happens close to transport networks tion45, despite being minute46. While
or large 37 populations, pandemics gut flora helps us to be emotionally
result 38 . The two biggest concentra- stable, the RNA virus rabies, for exam-
tions of hotspots34 are in Central Africa ple, can make a dog more aggressive in
and Southeast Asia. order to replicate. This, despite the fact
Some microbes are resistant to that the virus is a minimal package47
antibiotics. Moreover, it is now emerg- of genetic information. The rabies
ing that about half of the infectious viruss mind-altering abilities are noth-
diseases that are difficult to treat with ing compared to those of the micro-
antibiotics are persistent. Researchers scopic worm48 known as the Lancet
are finding that a growing list of micro- fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum). This
organisms can stop multiplying, cease micro-organism penetrates the brain
all activity and effectively play dead39 of an ant49 and drives the ant to the
until after an antibiotic treatment has top of a blade50 of grass51 so that it
run its course40. They are then back will be eaten by a cow or a sheep. It
in business41. persuades the ant to sacrifice itself so
that the fluke can undergo52 the next
45
their replication (in this context) the multi- stage of its life cycle in the herbivores
plication of the virus
46
minute /mainju:t/ tiny, stomach. Similarly, the Gordian worm
microscopic (Nematomorpha) gets inside a cricket53
47
package packet, bundle,
combination and eventually54 convinces its host to
48
worm drown itself55 so that it can proceed to
49
ant
50
blade (in this context) leaf (of
the aquatic stage of its life cycle.
grass) Micro-organisms may be small but
51
grass they punch above their weight56.
52
to undergo (-go/-went/-gone)
experience
53
cricket
Related Resources
54
eventually (false friend) in the end
55
to drown oneself commit suicide by suffo- Environmental problems at a
cating in water macroscopic level are too urgent to
56
to punch above ones weight be more S worry about microcosmic biodiversity.
important than their size would suggest Do you agree?
Culture | art
Landscape
Painting
Empty Art
If you had shown a landscape painting
to a Renaissance connoisseur, he (they
tended to be men) would have found
it oddly1 empty, as if the artist forgot
to include the subject of the painting.
Indeed 2, our imaginary connoisseur
would have viewed the picture much
like3 some people still see colour-field
abstract painting of the 20th Century.
Painted landscapes existed before
the 17th Century but they were almost
exclusively in the background4 . Ironi-
cally, religion changed all that.
A New Religion
The Reformation was potentially a
catastrophe for art. The Protestants
Gordale Scar by James Ward
1
oddly strangely, surprisingly
2
indeed (emphatic) in fact
3
much like in a similar way to that in which
4
and not painted by the master painter but
by his apprentices
5
commandment one of 10 orders given by
God to Moses. N 2 prohibits the adoration
of images
6
ones bread and butter work that generates
22
believed that the Second Command-
ment 5 prohibited religious images,
which were of course the painters and
sculptors bread and butter6 until then.
Of course, some work7 could be found
painting portraits, thanks to human-
isms new emphasis on the individual
but even so, Northern Europe was a
bad place to be as an artist following
the emergence of Protestantism.
The Pathetic Fallacy
The Low Countries 8 were the first to
develop the possibility of landscape
paintings sans saint in the fore-
ground 9 . The new landschappen 10
emerged partly as an expression of
Dutch nationalism. The British took the
Aurora Borealis by Frederic Edwin Church
most of ones income
7
some work a few jobs
8
the Low Countries Belgium, the Netherlands,
Flanders and Luxembourg
9
in the foreground in the front of the picture,
closest to the viewer according to the perspective
10
the English word landscape comes from
the Dutch landschap
11
largely primarily, principally
Winter Landscape with Skaters by H. Avercamp
Dutch model and added more weather.
Landscape painting as we know it is in
fact largely11 weather painting. North-
ern Europe doesnt offer much in the
way of staggering12 scenery13. What we
do have14 is weather. Why is weather
so important?, you ask. Because of the
pathetic fallacy: the idea that inani-
mate things in this case the weather
reflect our emotions. In other words
why15 its always raining when people
are melancholy16 in movies. People
began to buy landscapes because they
12
staggering sublime, astonishing
13
scenery (false friend) landscape, countryside,
terrain
14
do have (emphatic) have
15
why (in this context) it is the reason why
16
melancholy (adj.) sad, lugubrious,
depressed. Notice that although melan-
cholic exists we prefer to use melancholy
as an adjective (except in literary contexts)
Think in English Issue 147

The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Brueghel the Elder
made them feel sunny or wistful17.
W hen the Romantic painters
came along18 , sublime19 landscapes
were employed 20 to transmit awe 21.
Further22 nuance 23 could be added
by the representation or at least
the insinuation of a change in the
weather, which suggested emotional
dynamism. By the mid-19th Century
landscape painting had moved centre
stage24: from being the poor cousin of
historical and religious painting it had
become the dominant European genre.
The Worlds Favourite Genre
The Surrealists built on 25 the great
advances of Constable and Turner
as they readily26 admitted and,
three centuries after landscape paint-
ing emerged as the forlorn27 result of
religious strictures28 , it became the
worlds favourite genre in the hands
of Monet, Sisley and co.
The summit 29 of landscape paint-
ing as emotional expression surely
17
wistful nostalgic, pensive, melancholy16
18
to come along (come-came-come) appear,
emerge
19
sublime (in this context) awesome, majestic
and terrifying
20
to employ (in this context) use
21
awe wonder, astonishment
22
further additional
23
nuance subtle differentiation
24
to move centre stage become central/
dominant
25
to build on (build-built-built) develop,
expand
26
readily willingly, happily
27
forlorn miserable, desperate, melancholy16
28
strictures restrictions, restraints
29
summit zenith, climax
Issue 147 Think in English23
came with the Post-Expressionists:
van Gogh, Czanne and Pisarro. In
the 20th Century as landscapes became
increasingly abstract they tended to
lose their facet as emotional conduits.
Expressed another way, a largely11
abstract landscape cant have weather
and therefore30 fails to be the object of
pathetic fallacy.
The Denizens Dozen
This series of articles began as a look
at the generic names used in different
genres of painting. We saw that reli-
gious and classical art tended to fall
under31 thematic titles. However, last
month it became evident that portraits
couldnt be categorized in this way. The
same is largely11 true of landscapes.
So, as with portraiture, instead of 32
presenting you with generic titles, here
we offer you a list of the dozen land-
scape paintings you should know the
names of if you want to talk about art
in the Anglosphere.
30
therefore so, for that reason
31
to fall under (fall-fell-fallen) be categorized by
32
instead of rather than, as opposed to
33
actually (false friend) in fact
34
fog an atmospheric effect similar to mist that
reduces visibility (especially common at sea)
35
hay dried grass used as winter food for cows
and horses
36
wain (archaic) wagon, cart
37
to wrong-foot s.o. take s.o. by surprise,
embarrass s.o.
38
to point out mention
39
steam hot water vapour used to power a
locomotive
40
wheat type of cereal grain (typically used to
make bread)
41
haystack accumulation of hay35
The Denizens
Dozen
The Hunters in the Snow (1565) by
Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Winter Landscape with Skaters (c.
1608) by Hendrick Avercamp
- Avercamp painted a series of simi-
lar winter landscapes with similar
names.
Vesuvius from Portici (c. 1775) by
Joseph Wright of Derby
- Wright actually33 painted a whole
series of views of the volcano, which
he was lucky enough to visit when
it was active (but not too active!).
Gordale Scar (c. 1812) by James
Ward
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog34
(1818) by Caspar David Friedrich
The Hay35 Wain36 (1821) by John
Constable
- you can wrong-foot37 many a Brit-
ish art-lover by pointing out38 that
this painting is really called Land-
scape, Noon
Rain, Steam39 and Speed (1844) by
William Turner
Aurora Borealis (1865) by Fredric
Edwin Church
- just one example of the Hudson
River Schools paintings of the Big
Country.
Mont Sainte-Victoire (c. 1885) by
Paul Czanne
- Czanne was obsessed by this
mountain, which he painted dozens
of times.
Wheat 40 Field with Cypresses
(1889) by Vincent van Gogh
Haystacks 41 (1890) by Claude
Monet
- again, Monet in fact painted 25
impressions of the same haystacks
at different times of day.
The Persistence of Memory (1931)
by Salvador Dal
- no pathetic fallacy here!
Related Resources
Do you find landscape paintings kind
P of empty? Whats your favourite
landscape painting?
Culture | Education

Ferment in the
just16 rivalry can determine who first
gets a new idea published, and, if a
referee12 is thinking along similar

Creative World
lines17, she or he is able to manipulate
the length of time the pre-publication
process takes.
At the same time those administer-
ing the journals, aware1 that authors
by Prof. Raoul Franklin are themselves evaluating the length of
time a particular journal5 takes, have
Most readers of Think will be aware1 of the problems that the music resorted to making18 the refereeing
industry is having over piracy and the use of copyright law to try to process a box-ticking19 exercise when
prevent2 it. There are also problems arising from3 the ability of writers such a method of evaluation is contrary
on almost any subject to publish their work, or thoughts, without having to proper scholarship20.
to involve a commercial publisher. Now there is a debate emerging which This has resulted in a conflict situ-
concerns4 the academic and scientific world. ation. Referees are, in general, not
paid or otherwise rewarded21 for their
The Journal5 Jungle submission11. The article is then sent expertise, time and effort; nor can they
Usually these scholarly6 publica- to one or more reviewer or referee12 for be held accountable22 . Indeed23, they
tions are called journals, and articles comment on the quality of the work. carry out 24 their work anonymously.
published in them are subject to peer Most of the time this process has Most journals have in place a method
review7. That is, an author or authors worked quite well because the commu- of appeal 25, but that does not always
submit8 a manuscript to the journal5. nity has been a closed one. But it has work to the satisfaction of all parties
Nowadays 9 the journal prescribes been subject to abuses because of the concerned26.
the format and, as a result, all of what credit given to primacy13. That is, who But the problem has become more
used to be in-house work10 for the first came up with14 a new idea or way widespread 27 because avaricious
journal is done by the author before of looking at things. So jealousy15 or publishers have put up the prices of

Academic progress Photo by Joichi ito

1
to be aware be conscious 11
submission (in this context) the presenting of 20
proper scholarship real erudition, academic
2
to prevent stop the manuscript to the journal5 standards
3
arising from resulting from 12
referee adjudicator, arbitrator, arbiter, 21
to reward recompense, remunerate
4
to concern (in this context) relate to judge 22
to hold s.o. accountable (hold-held-held)
5
journal academic magazine 13
primacy being first consider s.o. responsible
6
scholarly erudite, academic 14
to come up with (come-came-come) think 23
indeed (emphatic) in fact
7
peer review constructive criticism from other up, invent, formulate 24
to carry out perform, do
academics 15
jealousy (in this context) envy 25
appeal complaint, re-examination, recon-
8
to submit present, propose 16
just (in this context) simply sideration
9
nowadays these days 17
along similar lines in a similar way 26
concerned in question, involved
10
in-house work work done by employees of 18
to resort to making start to make 27
widespread generalized
the journal5 19
box-ticking

24 Think in English Issue 147


their journals relying on28 university
libraries continuing to subscribe, while
universities anxious to reduce their
costs have reduced the number of
journals they subscribe to, even resort-
ing to29 forbidding30 departments from
making their own decisions.
The Academics Strike Back
Now the intellectual community is
striking back 31. Some are withdraw-
ing their labour32 by refusing to do
work for no pay, usually on a selec-
tive basis. This then puts a strain on 33
publishers who rely on 28 a pool 34 of
able35 reviewers. That leads to36 them
recruiting 37 less experienced people
who then have to be told how to do the
work but without a mentor on hand to
guide them. That then results in refer-
ees reports that competent authors are
not prepared to accept.
At this point anarchy threatens38,
and takes the form of using modern
technology to get rid of39 ancient prac-
tices.
Related Resources
Should academic papers40 be
published in a special online site
2 and peer-reviewed7 in the way that
Wikipedia is checked?
28
to rely on count on, depend on
29
to resort to (+ -ing) (in this context) have to
(+ infinitive)
30
to forbid (-bid/-bade/-bidden) prohibit, ban
31
to strike back (strike-struck-struck) coun-
FREE Telephone Support
Barcelona, Spain - The language service
company Backuplines S.L., specialist in
distance language teaching and learning
for 17 years, has announced an amaz-
ing41 initiative that will be of great help
to all Spanish students who have failed
their English exams. From the second
of July 2012, Backuplines will open a
telephone line providing free support42
to all Chinese students with at least
intermediate level who failed their final
English exams in June. By calling Skype:
backuplines, students will have their
grammatical doubts solved by profes-
sional English tutors and thus43 improve
their chances44 of passing the recupera-
tion exam, normally in September.
Many students who have failed
English at school cant opt for univer-
sity entrance exams. After the end of
the summer term, students typically
have nowhere to turn45 for help with
English grammar; Backuplines offers this
service for free. Backuplines hopes to
stop English from being a stumbling
block46 for so many students. Mastering
English studies -especially oral commu- Photo by Anthony22
nication- is essential for entering the workforce and having a successful career47
in our increasingly competitive and demanding labour market.
Details & Further Practice
The Skype contact form will be operational for the month of July,
from Monday to Friday

terattack
32
to withdraw ones labour (-draw/-drew/- between 11.00am and 16.00pm GMT. From
drawn) (in this context) stop offering ones
services Students who contact us will be allowed to ask
48 the first
33
to put a strain on (put-put-put) create the teacher ONE grammar question at a time. This 100 Chinese
34
difficulties for
pool reserve, supply, stock service can be followed on Twitter where regularly students joining
35
36
able capable
to lead to (lead-led-led) result in
returning questions are answered in short texts. If Backuplines on
37
to recruit enlist, employ, use
you join our Twitter community, you will receive Twitter we will
38
39
to threaten be imminent
to get rid of (get-got-got) eliminate
a daily grammar tip49 or EDUpill for FREE! draw 51 a prize
says Willem Koper, director of the company.
40
paper thesis, work, dissertation, treatise
Surely GOOD news in times of crisis.
of a one-year
amazing incredible, fantastic
subscription.
41
42
support backup, help Read on at www.thinkinenglish.net
43
thus in this way
44
chances probabilities, opportunities
45
nowhere to turn nobody to ask Backuplines S.L. Skype: backuplines
46
stumbling block obstacle that impedes Calle Lope de Vega, 62 Twitter: @backuplines
progress - Barcelona Facebook: Backuplines
47
career (false friend) professional trajectory
48
to be allowed to be permitted to
backupline@backuplines.com www.backuplines.com
49
tip recommendation, suggestion (Tlf.) 93 266 40 39 Member of AEFOL50
50
Asociacin Espaola de Formacin On-Line
51
draw (draw/drew/drawn) (in this context) Sponsored by Think in English - www.thinkinenglish.net
make an arbitray selection

Issue 147 Think in English25

Culture | Cinema

Christian Slater:
One Life to Live in 1976. The same year
seven-year-old Christians parents14
got divorced, which was understand-

His Own Worst Enemy

ably traumatic. But life went on15 and
Mary Jo became his primary parent
figure: I was raised16 by my mother,
whos grown to become17 my greatest
confidante and the person I trust most.
by Marina Carresi
Christian later gravitated towards
Some stars make movies because they want to change the world: George Clooney surrogate18 father-figures he met in
and Sean Penn spring to mind1. Others are focused on perfecting their craft2, the theatre. One of these was Dan
as is the case with Meryl Streep or Russell Crow. No doubt others simply want to Lauria (the father on US TVs The
be rich and famous. Christian Slater, by contrast, acts to evade life. He once said, Wonder Years). Lauria has remained19
Work is my hobby, staying sober3 is my job. In his obsession to be occupied a constant presence in Christians life
acting the 42-year-old has made almost 60 films over the last 25 years as well and he has remarked that Christian
as starring in several TV series and periods on the stage4. Unfortunately, the was as close to a son as Ill ever have.
impression is that Slater will accept anything and if youve seen Alone in the Lauria was running20 a theatre and he
Dark (2005) youll know what I mean! This is a shame5 since as you can see in occupied the pre-teen21s time22 paint-
two of his relatively recent works Slipstream (2007) directed by Anthony Hopkins ing sets23, cleaning toilets and acting. I
and He Was a Quiet Man (2007) directed by Frank Cappello he is capable of always thought Christian was happier
much more if he would just select his movies with a minimum of criterion. onstage than anywhere else, even in
real life, he later commented.
Nest remember hanging out backstage at my
Michael Hawkins and Mary Jo Slater fathers shows. There were a lot of places Precocious Success
were not conventional parents. She was to hide11 and Id sneak around12, spying At nine Christian got a role24 in a play
an acting agents assistant and he was on the girls as they were getting dressed. called The Music Man staring Dick Van
a young actor. They met backstage 6 Itd looked so much fun that I really Dyke with which he toured for nine
at a Greenwich Village production of knew that I wanted to be part of that months away from home. I gained
the anti-Vietnam-War satire MacBird. from an early age. His earliest appear- a lot of professional experience and
They married eight months later and ance was on the daytime soap opera13 learned how to deal with25 people, he
on 18 August 1969 their first child
Christian Michael Leonard was born.
He was named after7 Marlon Brandos
character, mutineer Fletcher Chris-
tian, in Mutiny on the Bounty. When
he was three months old his mother
carried him out onto the stage8 of an
empty theatre and told him, This is
your life, my son. When Christian
was still a toddler9, Mary Jo became
a casting director, so Christian grew
up backstage6 and in auditions says
his mother. At the same time he would
go along with10 his father Michael: I Further reading
1
to spring to mind (spring-sprang-sprung) be 9
toddler small child who is just learning to walk he matures
the first that one thinks of 10
to go along with s.o. (go-went-gone) 17
to grow to become (grow-grew-grown)
2
craft (in this context) talents accompany s.o. gradually become
3
sober opposite of drunk 11
to hide (hide-hid-hidden) conceal oneself, 18
surrogate substitute
4
on the stage in the theatre be out-of-sight 19
to remain continue to be
5
a shame a pity, unfortunate 12
to sneak around (sneak-snuck-snuck) move 20
to run sth. (run-ran-run) manage sth.
6
backstage in the part of a theatre reserved about furtively 21
pre-teen pre-pubescent child
for the actors and technicians 13
soap opera melodramatic TV series 22
to occupy s.os time find things for s.o. to
7
to be named after be named for (US English), 14
ones parents (false friend) ones mother and do such as
be given Xs name to honour X father 23
set (in this context) decorative backdrop
8
the stage the platform in a theatre on which 15
to go on (go-went-gone) continue 24
role part, acting job
actors act 16
to raise rear, bring up, care for a child as s/ 25
to deal with (deal-dealt-dealt) interact with

26 Think in English Issue 147


concluded. After that he enrolled with
New Yorks Professional Childrens
School. At the age of 15 he was work-
ing almost full-time in Hollywood so
the next logical step was to move out26
to California permanently, which he
did. The film that gave Christian his
breakthrough role27 was The Name of
the Rose (1986); he was just 16 during
the shoot 28. For the next decade the
world was Christians oyster 29. He
starred in blockbusters such as Robin
Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), True
Romance (1993), Interview with the
Vampire (1994) as well as cult teen
movies like Heathers (1989).
Very Bad Things
However, success at such a young age
led almost inevitably to30 substance
abuse31. As early as 1989, Slater was
arrested for drunk driving and assault.
26
to move out transfer, go
27
breakthrough role acting job through which
s.o. becomes known to the general public
28
shoot (n.) filming
29
the world was s.os oyster s.o. was in a
position to take advantage of everything life
has to offer
30
to lead to (lead-led-led) result in
31
substance abuse abuse of narcotics and/
or alcohol
32
to be out on bail be free before a judicial
process
33
allegedly supposedly
Issue 147 Think in English27
He was sentenced to 10 days in jail. In
1994, he was arrested when he tried to
board a passenger plane with a gun
in his luggage; he was sentenced to
community service. In 1997, Slater
was convicted of assaulting his girl-
friend, Michelle Jonas, and a police
officer while under the influence of
drugs and alcohol. He spent over 100
days in a rehabilitation centre while
out on bail32 and then was sentenced to
a three-month term in jail followed by
three more months in rehab. May 24,
2005, Slater was arrested in Manhattan,
after he allegedly33 sexually harassed34
a woman on the street.35
Meanwhile36, in 2000 Slater married
Ryan Haddon and they have two chil-
dren. However, any idea that Christian
had now settled down to37 domesticity
vanished when the couple made the
tabloid headlines38 in 2003. During a
34
to harass molest
35
Slater denied the accusation
36
meanwhile at the same time
37
to settle down to become more tranquil in
38
to make the tabloid headlines (make-made-
made) appear in sensationalist newspapers
39
to strike (strike-struck-struck) hit
40
gash deep cut
41
string series, succession
42
to garner stage accolades be congratu-
lated in the theatre
43
to conceal hide, camouflage
44
a score of approximately 20
TV Series
violent argument in a Las Vegas hotel
Ryan threw a glass bottle at Christian,
which struck39 him on the neck causing
a significant gash40. Ryan was arrested.
The tempestuous couple formally sepa-
rated in 2005 and got divorced in 2007.
A Quiet Man at Last?
The first decade of this century saw
Christian in a string41 of forgettable
crazy psychopath roles on screen.
However, meanwhile he was garner-
ing stage accolades 42 for his work
in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in
Britain in 2004 and in The Glass Menag-
erie in 2005 in New York. Some of the
undoubted acting ability that he has
managed so effectively to conceal43
in a score of44 movies over the last
decade revealed itself almost by
chance in He Was a Quiet Man (2007).
With focus Christian Slater could still
fulfill the potential of the teenager
who played the novice in The Name
of the Rose. Unfortunately, judging by
his choices since he made Quiet Man, I
wouldnt hold out too much hope.
Related Resources
Slater has been arrested for diverse acts of
seriously antisocial behaviour yet he has
never stopped working or been ostracized by
N Hollywood. His co-star on Heathers, Winona
Ryder, stole a dress and ruined her career.
Are Hollywood and society incurably sexist?
 Language | Language

English:

Photo by Marina Carresi

Future
Perfect
Why learn the English of today when you
1,200 years. We could take things further; a growing number of
linguists dont actually9 believe that English descends directly
from Anglo-Saxon (the language of Beowulf), though obviously

can learn the language of tomorrow? the two western-Germanic languages are closely related.10

The Great Slowdown

The Beowulf Comparison
What future English looks and sounds like depends largely
on how fast languages change. Typically, we are told that a
text like the one you are reading will be incomprehensible to
English speakers a thousand years from now. The standard
comparison is with Beowulf (written sometime between the
7th and the 9th Centuries CE2). As a recent article on the topic3
in The New Scientist said, You might be able to understand
Bowulf is min name4 but a millennium of language evolution
has washed away5 the meaning from grimma gast Grendel (=
the ghastly6 demon Grendel). Except of course, it hasnt. We
could translate the last line as the grim7 ghost Grendel on
the understanding that ghost was a more general term for
a terrifying supernatural being. In fact, neither of these two
simple statements8 presents massive change over perhaps
Photo by Marina Carresi
So, lets go to one of the earliest undeniably11 English texts, The
1
Owl and the Nightingale (c. 1200). Now, instead of12 confronting
a text that is more difficult than Modern German (the case of
Beowulf)13, we have a text which an educated native speaker
can more or less read after 30 minutes training. And (as with the
Beowulf example) we have to factor in14 the difficulty inherent
in the fact that this is poetry. Any modern poem requires effort
to be understood, too.
So, in the 800 years of uncontested history of written English,
the language has evolved but is still recognizable. Has it evolved
steadily15 over16 those eight centuries? Of course not. The change
between 1200 and, say17, The Paston Letters18 (1425-95) is immense.
That change has decelerated constantly since then. Why? First,
because of standardization and secondly because of universal
literacy. The more people speak a language the more inertia it
has because the less an individual can influence its evolution.

Moreover, for centuries people have been learning that there is a

right and wrong to language. For over a century everyone in the
Anglosphere has been learning standardized English at school
following national curricula19. Besides20, for a century everyone
in the Anglosphere has been listening to more or less the same
prestige speakers (on gramophones, on the radio, on TV and at
the movies).21 Indeed22, perhaps a fifth of the worlds population
is now learning standardized English. Thats a lot of inertia.

Transitory Language
Of course, every generation has its slang and its buzzwords23
but these come and go. People use their generational argot so
that they wont be understood by parents24, teachers or police
officers but they also have to be able to speak the standard
1
largely primarily, principally frightful, horrible, horrendous 13
that fact alone suggests that 19
curriculum syllabus,
2
CE Common Era, AD (= anno (all synonyms given in the New English does not come directly programme of studies
Domini) Oxford Thesaurus [2000]) from Anglo-Saxon 20
besides whats more, moreover
3
topic (false friend) theme, question 8
statement (in this context) 14
to factor in take into consid- 21
the effect on local varieties
4
= Beowulf is my name declarative phrase eration (dialects) of this has been
5
to wash away gradually elimi- 9
actually (false friend) in fact 15
steadily at a constant rate devastating
nate 10
see Think 106, pp. 24-25 (= speed) 22
indeed (emphatic) in fact
6
ghastly horrible, frightful, 11
undeniably unquestionably 16
over during 23
buzzword fashionable words
horrendous 12
instead of rather than, as 17
say (in this context) for example 24
parents (false friend) mothers
7
grim dreadful, ghastly, opposed to 18
see Think 47 and fathers

28 Think in English Issue 147

when they want to be understood by parents, teachers, custom-
ers, etc. If you look at a list of the latest colloquialisms of the
1920s or even the 1960s much of it can seem as alien25 as the
argot in a 300-year-old novel like Moll Flanders (1722). An aver-
age of 2000 words a year may be added to the Oxford English
Dictionary but only a tiny26 fraction enter general usage for any
length27 of time. English is remarkably stable and the impact of
being a world foreign language used primarily in formal speech
and writing (from video-conferencing to Wikipedia) means that
it is likely to28 remain29 pretty30 stable.
3 Words that present unnecessary pronunciation or spell-
ing difficulties like diphthong or asthma are likely to
be simplified (to dithong or difong and asma or azma
perhaps).
4 Punctuation is likely to be radically simplified. Hyphens37,
apostrophes, colons38 and semi-colons39 are all likely to40
disappear.
Meeting Flash Gordon
Of course, its perfectly possible that in a few years time writing
will disappear as everything will be spoken into and transmit-
ted by machines. If computers do become41 an important
interface42 within43 and between languages, then English
will probably stop evolving since44 machines will standardize
the language.
What will certainly not change unless English is replaced
by another language45 or humanity becomes extinct are
elements of core46 vocabulary like pronouns, numbers and
everyday nouns and verbs.47 We should be able to understand
Flash Gordon is my name a thousand years from now!
Dont worry about learning the English of tomorrow (or that
of 3012); to a large extent48, youre already learning it.

Related Resources
Change You Can Count On Will the critical mass of English mean that it is still a major language in a
The analogy of saying that English in 1,000 years time would W thousand years time or will it have been replaced by another language?
Do languages evolve quickly or slowly in the modern world?
look as foreign31 to us as Beowulf is clearly false. There will,
however, be changes. What are they likely to be?

1 The number of irregular verbs is likely to32 fall significantly.

Over the past millennia their ranks have declined from
around 400 to less than 100. Those undergoing cryogenics33
should be ready to say, he teached and she builded a house.34

2 Within35 our lifetimes we will probably see the loss of the

plural forms there are and there were.36
25
alien (in this context) foreign, 39
semi-colon a dot over a
unfamiliar comma (= ;)
26
tiny /taini/ minute, very small 40
are all likely to will all probably
27
length (in this context) period, 41
do become (emphatic) become
duration, stretch 42
interface system for transmit-
28
it is likely to it will probably ting information
29
to remain continue to be 43
within inside
30
pretty (adv.) reasonably 44
since given that
31
foreign unfamiliar 45
an unimaginably massive
32
is likely to will probably change given the critical mass
33
those undergoing cryogenics English has already acquired.
people who have paid to have Latin, for example, only affected
their cadavers frozen in the hope the literate minority in the
that they can be reanimated in European and Mediterranean
the future world. The range of English is far
34
as opposed to he taught and greater and deeper.
she built 46
core (adj.) central, essential
35
within (in this context) in 47
the most basic English words
36
leaving there is/theres and mother, bird, stone, we,
there was for both singular summer, hold, great, one, two,
and plural three, yes, owl and nightin-
37
hyphen small horizontal line gale are already a thousand
used to connect words years old
38
colon two vertically aligned 48
to a large extent by and large,
dots (= :) more or less, to a large degree

Issue 147 Think in English29

Language | FUnctional ENglish
Ways of Speaking
& Laughing
On our community page ( Think in English
magazine) Cristian Dopazo asked for an article
explaining the different ways of speaking and laugh-
ing with accompanying audio. Well, here it is:
Is it Something I Said?
state: declare, announce. The idea
here is that you are saying something
clearly, loudly enough1 for every-
one present to hear. In most cases
what is stated is said in some official
capacity2:
e.g.The country is now officially in reces-
sion, he stated.
remark: mention, comment. What is
said is said informally to provide extra
information:
e.g.You havent said much, he remarked.
claim: assert3, contend4, allege. Here
the idea is that the speaker is simply
communicating what was said but is
not confirming that it is true:
e.g.I was late because my car broke
down, she claimed.
Photo by Gregor Younger
1
loudly enough with sufficient volume
2
capacity (in this context) role, function
3
to assert declare, maintain, contend, argue,
postulate, insist
4
to contend maintain, affirm, insist, state,
declare, allege
30
plead: beg5:
e.g.Please give me another chance 6!
he pleaded.
complain: protest, moan, bleat7:
e.g.Theres no hot water and the TV
doesnt work, she complained.
Pump Up8 the Volume
The general verb for speaking at great
volume is shout.
scream: yell, bawl, shriek. The main9
idea here is that volume is combined
with hysteria:
e.g.Get out of my life! she screamed.
roar: bellow10, holler. The idea is
similar to the previous one but with
a deeper more masculine voice:
e.g.How dare you speak to me like that!
he roared.
Pleading Photo by Nina Aldin Thune
5
to beg (in this context) implore
6
chance opportunity
7
to bleat (literally) make a pathetic sound like
a sheep
8
to pump up (informal) increase
9
main primary, principal
Photo by Isabel Rodriguez
Literally, lions and bears11 roar.
Stage Whispers
whisper: murmur. Say in a quiet voice
so that only the intended12 person or
people can hear you:
e.g.Dont tell anyone I told you, she
whispered.
In the theatre it is sometimes impor-
tant to seem to be saying something
privately but at the same time the audi-
ence has to hear what you are saying. In
this situation actors use a type of loud
whisper known as a stage whisper.
People in general use a similar voice
to suggest that they are trying not to
Screaming
10
to bellow (literally) make a
loud sound like a bull; (in this
context) roar, shout, bawl, thun-
der, boom
11
bear
12
intended desired
Think in English Issue 147

Cackling Photo by Leonardo L. Carresi
disturb others while also projecting their
voices:
e.g.What time does the library close? he
said in a stage whisper that was audi-
ble throughout13 the reading room.
mutter: mumble. Here the emphasis
is on the fact that what is said is not
clearly audible:
e.g.Im sorry I ate your biscuit, he
mumbled.
croak: rasp14, say hoarsely15. The
important thing here is that you have
a dry throat16:
e.g.Could I have something to drink,
please? he croaked.
Literally, frogs17 croak.
Negative Vibes18
sneer: s ay something with
contempt19 in your voice:
e.g.Youre not wearing that dress to the
party, are you? she sneered.
Typically, cynics sneer.
snigger (UK English), snicker (US
English): say something laughing
disrespectfully at someone elses
misfortune:
e.g.Look, he dropped20 his lunch tray21!
he sniggered.
13
throughout in every part of
14
to rasp say hoarsely15, say with a dry throat
15
hoarsely with a harsh/croak-
ing voice, huskily, raspingly
16
throat oesophagus, windpipe,
trachea
17
frog
18
vibes (literally) vibrations, (informal) feeling
19
contempt disdain, scorn, ridicule
20
to drop sth. let sth. fall (in this context)
accidentally
Issue 147 Think in English31
Whispering
Typically children snigger/snicker.
scoff: say something while22 laughing
sarcastically:
e.g.You dont believe in that superstitious
nonsense23 , do you? he scoffed.
Typically, cynics scoff.
Laugh Your Head Off
We have a number of verbs that are
more nuanced24 than laugh. Notice that
most of these words are used primar-
ily to describe the laughter and not the
words that accompany it.
chuckle: laugh softly, usually to
oneself:
e.g.Ill never forget the look on my bosss
face when I told him! he chuckled.
chortle: chuckle gleefully25:
e.g.Thats a great joke! he chortled. -ing:
Typically, pompous people chortle.
giggle: titter, snigger, snicker. Laugh
in a nervous, foolish or childish way:
e.g.Look, a man in a skirt! he giggled.
Typically, children giggle.
cackle: laugh loudly and in a cacoph-
onous way, guffaw26:
e.g.Did you hear that joke? the old lady
cackled.
Literally, chickens cackle.
21
tray
22
while (in this context) at
the same time as
23
nonsense rubbish, clap-
trap, ridiculous ideas
24
nuanced subtly differentiated
25
gleefully exuberantly, triumphantly
26
to guffaw laugh loudly/heartily, roar with
laughter
27
notice that in this case the stress changes:
proTEST (v.) PROtest (n.)
Countable Nouns
In most cases the noun corresponding
to these verbs has exactly the same
form. In other words:
bawl, bellow10, bleat7, cackle, chortle,
chuckle, claim, comment, croak, giggle,
guffaw, holler, laugh, roar, mention,
moan, mumble, mutter, protest 27,
remark, scoff, shriek, sneer, snigger,
snicker, titter, whisper, yell
- are all countable nouns, too.
e.g.Did you hear that yell? I think some-
body is in trouble.
e.g.That remark was completely out of
place. I think you should apologize.
Notice, however, these different forms:
VERB NOUN
allege allegation
announce announcement
assert3 assertion
complain complaint
contend4 contention
declare declaration
plead plea
state statement
Whats more, notice that beg5 and
rasp14 dont have a corresponding
countable noun.
Uncountable Nouns
Finally, you should be aware that more
of these words are more frequently
used as uncountable nouns ending
bawling, begging, bellowing, bleat-
ing, cackling, chortling, chuckling,
complaining, croaking, giggling,
guffawing, hollering, roaring, moan-
ing, mumbling, muttering, pleading,
scoffing, shrieking, sneering, snigger-
ing, snickering, tittering, whispering,
yelling
e.g.Im sick of your complaining (or any
of the other -ing forms).
The uncountable noun of laugh is
laughter.
Related Resources
Y Track 6
Do certain nationalities talk in specific ways? Which
would you associate with the different speaking
words? Do you tend to chuckle, chortle, snigger ,
cackle or giggle or does it depend on the situation?
Language | Pronunciation
Can Phonics be
Used for TEFL?
O
ver the past decade or so there
has been something of a revolu-
tion in the way reading is taught
to children in Britain. In the world of UK
primary-school teaching the synthetic
phonics1 has become a battle cry2. For
many decades there has been a raging3
debate between those who believe that
children should recognize whole words
and those who believe that children
should be encouraged 4 to decode 5
words by spelling them out. In phonetic
languages like Spanish, Italian or German
this is a no-brainer6 because broadly
speaking7 d-o-g spells dog. However, as
you might have noticed, for most words
in English the relationship between
Photo by Marina Carresi
1
synthetic phonics the teaching of combina-
tions of letters and how they relate to sounds
2
battle cry slogan, watchword, mantra
3
raging intense
4
to encourage stimulate, prompt, urge
5
to decode decipher, decrypt
6
no-brainer sth. that is obvious and requires
no mental effort
32
spelling and pronunciation is, shall we
say, indirect.
With Government support8 phonics
now has the ascendancy9 in British
schools. In other words British children
are encouraged4 to decode5 words into
smaller parts to try to work out10 their
pronunciation. Surprisingly, this is even
done with made-up11 words like clursty
to ensure that the children are using
their phonic decoding skills12 rather
than13 recognizing words they already
know. Most phonic systems also include
sight words14, which resist decoding
and should be recognized as a single
unit. As I listened to teachers explaining
the concept of phonics on BBC Radio
Queue-cue
7
broadly speaking in general, more or less
8
support backing, approval
9
to have the ascendancy (have-had-had) be
dominant, be hegemonic
10
to work out determine
11
made-up invented
12
skills abilities, talents
13
rather than instead of, as opposed to
Photo by Bridget Franklin Kite
4s Womens Hour I thought to myself,
What are the implications of all of this
for TEFL15?
A search on the Internet found little.
Only Tom Way, who teaches English in
Indonesia, seems to have written anything
(as he says, I cant find any really repu-
table articles on [phonics for TEFL]). Mr
Way is pretty16 negative about phonics
for TEFL. One reason he states17 is that
learners dont have as large18 a bank19
of oral language as native speakers do.
However, there are two reasons why this
argument is flawed20. First, phonics starts
being taught in Britain to four-year-olds;
not a group usually acknowledged as
having a large18 bank19 of oral language.
Secondly and more importantly, as weve
already mentioned, phonics is taught to
native-language primary school learners
partly through made-up11 words. If thats
the case then no bank or oral language
is necessary.
14
see the box What are Sight Words?
15
TEFL teaching English as a foreign
language
16
pretty (adv.) rather, surprisingly
17
to state say, give
18
large (false friend) big
19
bank (in this context) reserve
20
flawed defective, spurious
Think in English Issue 147
Photo by Marina Carresi
What is a Sight Word?
The pronunciation of most English
words can be guessed 21 from the
spelling, its just a question of knowing
the rules of phonics. However, certain
words cannot be worked out10 by
analogy; they dont follow any phonic
rule. In other words their pronuncia-
tion is only indirectly related to their
spelling and you have to learn the
whole word as a unit. For instance22,
none should be pronounced /noun/
like known; where /wer/ and were
/w3: r/ should be homophones of
weir23 /wir/;24 are /a:r/ should be a
homophone of air, rather than25 of
ah. Other sight words include build,
does, doubt, ghost and women.
Phonics for Foreign Learners
So, what would a TEFL phonics course
involve? Well, the first move would be
to identify a list of sight words14. The
core vocabulary on such a list would
21
to guess determine
22
for instance for example
23
weir a low wall built across a river to control
the flow of water
24
in fact, where is a homophone of wear,
and were is a homophone of whir
25
rather than as opposed to
26
rare uncommon
27
arcane obscure, recondite
28
bare naked, undressed
29
brake mechanism for stopping a vehicle
30
choir group of (religious) singers
31
quire (technical) a 24-page section of a book
32
clime region characterized by a specific climate
33
kernel core, essence
34
coup (dtat) putsch, military takeover
35
to coo murmur (like a pigeon)
36
dun greyish-brown
Issue 147 Think in English33
Pear-pair Photo by Marina Carresi
probably be less than 100 words.
Now one of the fortunate things
about many sight words is that
they have homophones. It really
doesnt matter if these are rare26
or arcane 27. By associating the sight
words to their homophones we can help
to fix the pronunciation. Here are a few
examples:
bear-bare28, break-brake29, choir30 -
quire 31, climb-clime 32 , colonel-
kernel33, coup34 -coo35, done-dun36,
gaol37-jail, great-grate 38, heir 39 -air,
iron-ion, isle-Ill, know-no, mayor40 -
mare41, none-nun42, one-won, pear-
pair, people-peepul 43, quay44 -key,
queue 45 -cue 46, rough-ruff47, shoe-
shoo48, son-sun, steak-stake49, sure-
shore50, sword-sawed51, talk-torque52,
through-threw, yolk 53-yoke54, were-
whir, and where-wear. Of course, other
sight words such as does, loose, said
and what just have to be learned but
there arent that many of them.
37
gaol (UK English) jail (US English) small prison
38
to grate shred, fragment, pulverize
39
heir s.o. who inherits
40
mayor municipal leader
41
mare female horse
42
nun religious woman who lives in a convent
43
peepul (or pipal) (Ficus religosa) an Indian
tree (which is sacred to Buddhists)
44
quay dock, wharf, part of a
port where merchandise can be
unloaded
45
queue (UK English) line of
people waiting
46
cue signal to start
47
ruff
48
to shoo frighten away, chase off
49
stake
50
shore coast(line)
Quay-key
Over 75% of English words
follow phonic rules relating
to clusters60 of letters.
Although the sight words should be
taught separately, they certainly shouldnt
be avoided55. Rather56 they should be
brought up57 regularly. The best way to
reinforce them is for the EFL student to
hear them first each time, then to see
them preferably on a flash card58 with
an illustration59 and, where one exists,
the corresponding homophone.
Decoding
In the past British primary-school teach-
ers expected children to pick up 61 the
rules of English pronunciation intuitively.
This policy62 resulted in many children
feeling frustrated so that they ended up
hating reading. One of the advantages
of phonics is that it explicitly teaches
the pronunciation of clusters of letters
through detective work.
51
to saw (saw-sawed-sawn)
52
torque
53
yolk the yellow part of an egg
54
yoke
55
to avoid (in this context) ignore
56
rather by contrast
57
to bring up (bring-brought-
brought) (in this context)
mention
58
flash card card with a clear
word or picture on it used in
teaching
59
there are a lot of free flash
cards to download from the
internet and print out
60
cluster group
61
to pick up acquire, learn
62
policy (in this context) strategy
Language | Pronunciation
It is counterintuitive that right is a
homophone of write and rite. However,
imagine we present an EFL learner with
the following three lists:
1. blight63, bright, fight, flight, fright64,
knight65, light, might, night, plight66,
right, sight, slight, tight67
2. wrap68, wreak69, wreck70, wrist71, write,
wrong, wry72
3. bite, kite, mite73, rite, site, trite74, white
He or she would be able to work out10 on
their own75 that
1. -ight is pronounced /ait/ in English,
2. w- is silent when a word begins wr-,
and
3. -ite is pronounced /ait/
A native teacher should be able to set
up76 that type of exercise on the hoof77 in
the moment that an EFL student mispro-
nounces a word. Even if the teacher is
a non-native and feels insecure about
producing these sorts of lists ad hoc78,
he or she should be able to prepare them
with relative ease for the next class.
Once students are trained to deduce in
this way, the teacher can begin to introduce
exceptions, which should be treated as
sight words14. So, for instance79, if the list:
4.appear, clear, dear, ear, fear, hear,
gear80, near, rear81, smear82, spear83,
tear84, year
produces the rule: -ear is pronounced
/ir/, afterwards bear-bare, tear85-tare86
and wear-where can be introduced as
sight words, to be learned together with
their homophones.
Similarly, students should be able to
deduce that -ere is pronounced /ir/ from
the list:
5.adhere, atmosphere, austere, here,
interfere, mere, persevere, revere,
63
blight infestation, affliction
64
fright scare, shock
65
knight
66
plight predicament, difficult
situation
67
tight secure, taut, restricting
68
to wrap cover, swathe, sheathe
69
to wreak inflict, cause
70
wreck derelict vehicle, ship/car that has
been destroyed
71
wrist articulation where ones
hand meets ones arm
72
wry /rai/ ironic, sardonic
73
mite
34
Photo by Mario Herrera Mare-mayor
Photo by Raul Puy Shore-sure
severe, sincere, sphere.
Then, where, there and were can be that the student has mispronounced, the
introduced as sight words.
The Advantages of Phonics for
TEFL15
EFL learners face 87 a number of inter-
related problems. First, the relationship
between spelling and pronunciation can
seem bewildering88. At the same time
teaching pronunciation as such can seem
very abstract. Indeed, if the student feels,
OK, youve got me to say it correctly now
but how am I going to retain the pronun-
ciation of one specific word when I need
to know hundreds if not thousands?
The application of the sort of phonic
system we have described should kill two
birds with one stone89. First, the learn-
ers are arriving at rules for themselves,
so they are finding order in the appar-
ent chaos. Secondly, by developing an
74
trite banal, clichd, predictable
75
on their own by themselves, alone, without
help
76
to set up (set-set-set) create
77
on the hoof spontaneously, in an impro-
vised way
78
ad hoc for a specific purpose/situation
79
for instance for example
80
gear equipment and clothing for
a specific job
81
rear (adj.) posterior
82
smear streak, smudge, blotch,
dirty mark; false accusation
83
spear
Photo by Marina Carresi Nun-none
ad hoc78 exercise on the basis of a word
pronunciation exercise becomes relevant
and therefore90 of interest.
But what is even more important in
this sense is that the system mimics91
how native English speakers actually92
store vocabulary in their brains. Steven
Pinker has demonstrated in Words and
Rules that we store some words, usually
the most common ones as sight words,
while the majority are left to be inter-
preted according to the rules that we
have picked up93 intuitively. However,
EFL learners dont have to learn the
rules intuitively; they can accelerate the
process through phonics.
Related Resources
Do you think phonics could be useful
I for Tefl? Is there any way that you could
generate your own rules?
84
tear drop of salty water that falls from ones
eye when one cries
85
to tear (tear-torn-torn) break (e.g. paper)
86
tare (Vicia hirsuta) a plant of Eurasia and
North Africa
87
to face be confronted by
88
bewildering perplexing, impenetrable and
frustrating
89
to kill two birds with one stone solve two
problems with a single action
90
therefore for that reason
91
to mimic imitate, copy
92
actually (false friend) really, in fact
93
to pick up acquire, learn
Think in English Issue 147
Language | Idioms

The Lie of
the Land
Heres a selection of expressions
that refer to landscape and terrain.
a blot on the landscape
= an eyesore1, sth. ugly that spoils2 the appearance of a place: Photo by Marina Carresi As old as the hills.
e.g.That power station is a real blot on the landscape. Who would
ever think of putting a power plant in such a beautiful valley? to get the lie of the land [get-got-got]
to see how/the way the land lies [see-saw-seen]
the cultural landscape = try to discover what the situation really is before taking a
= the cultural panorama: decision:
e.g.The cultural landscape is pretty3 desolate in times of recession. e.g.I havent decided yet. I need to see how the land lies.
A related idea is a cultural desert, which describes a place
in which little or no intellectually stimulating entertainment as old/ancient as the hills5
is on offer. = very old. Since the Bible hills have been alluded to in meta-
phors referring to permanence:
thats how/the way the land lies e.g.This computer is as old as the hills. We need to get a new one.
= thats the current situation:
e.g.Im sorry if I havent been very encouraging4 but thats the to be over the hill
way the land lies. = be past ones best, be on the decline:
e.g.In a sport like that youre over the hill at 30.

You cant see the wood for the trees (UK English)
You cant see the forest for the trees (US English)
= you are so focused on details that you fail to see the big
picture6:
e.g.How can you plan the long-term strategy if you are running7
the company on a day-to-day basis? You cant see the wood
for the trees.

were not out of the woods yet

= still havent escaped from danger/ difficulties:
e.g.There are some tentative signs that the economy is bottoming
out8 but were not out of the woods yet.

to get bogged down [get-got-got]

= have difficulty progressing. A bog is an area of land with heavy
Photo by Marina Carresi You cant see the wood/forest for the trees. wet soil9 on which it is difficult to walk:
e.g.Dont get bogged down in the details. Its the overall10 idea
1
eyesore ugly sight considered as a whole from an thats important.
2
to spoil ruin, blemish objective perspective
3
pretty (adv.) rather, somewhat, 7
to run sth. (run-ran-run)
reasonably manage sth. Related Resources
4
encouraging stimulating, 8
to bottom out stop declining
enthusiastic and stabilize
5
hill small mountain, elevated 9
soil earth, loam, sod, turf, Think up situations in which you could use each of these expressions.
Z Write them down and try to use them.
terrain terrain
6
the big picture the situation 10
overall general

Issue 147 Think in English35

 Language | Common Mistakes
The Position
of Adverbs
The fundamental rule about adverbs and
word order is:
Dont put the adverb between
the verb and its object if they
appear together.
Adverbs of manner1 come after the verb:
e.g. The choir2 sang beautifully.
or after the object (if there is one):
e.g. The choir sang the aria beautifully.
e.g. He wrote his essay carefully.
It would be wrong to put the adverb
between the verb and the object:
e.g. The choir sang beautifully the aria.
e.g. He wrote carefully his essay.
However, if there is a preposition between
the verb and the object, the adverb can
go between the verb and the preposition:
e.g. He depended totally on his daughter. (or
He depended on his daughter totally.)
Complex Verb Forms
When the verb consists of two or more
pieces (i.e. auxiliary verb(s) + main 3
verb) we can put an adverb after the first
element:
Photo by Karine Koehler
He likes animals very much.
1
nearly all typical adverbs ending -ly are
adverbs of manner.
2
choir /kwair/ group of singers (usually in a
religious context)
3
main principal, primary
4
has yet to be still has not been
5
to stir move a spoon around in a hot drink to
36
e.g. They are carefully checking the records.
e.g. The number of bacterial species has yet
to be4 adequately calculated.
e.g. Have they correctly interpreted the
situation?
e.g. She was slowly stirring5 her coffee.
Nevertheless, in all these cases the adverb
could also go at the end of the sentence.
Adjective-Noun Equivalents
So, which is better: the adverb within6
the verbal structure or at the end? This
is often a question of taste but, accord-
ing to one view, if the adverb + the verb
naturally suggest an adjective and a noun
they should be next to each other:
e.g. The reconstruction process has virtu-
ally been completed.
- implies virtual completion.
e.g. The boss said he was seriously consid-
ering my proposal7.
- implies serious consideration.
The Split Infinitive
In the past people made a big deal
about8 not putting the adverb between
to and the verb (e.g. to boldly9 go. sentence).
This crime10 was called splitting11 the
infinitive. The reason why a split infini-
tive was considered wrong was that you
cant split the infinitive in Latin (because
the Latin infinitives are single words). This
is a ridiculous argument since12 the two
languages are significantly different in all
sorts of ways. Moreover, not splitting the
infinitive often results in sentences which
are less natural or less clear.
e.g. I decided to gradually sell all the books
I had collected.
Some people may object to the split
help the sugar to dissolve
6
within inside
7
proposal plan, suggestion
8
to make a big deal of (make-made-made)
agonize about
9
boldly courageously, valiantly
10
crime (sarcastic) mistake
Photo by Leonardo L. Carresi provided by CEDEM
infinitive (to gradually sell) but there
is nowhere else to put the adverb while
retaining the meaning.
e.g. I gradually decided to sell... or I decided
gradually to sell...
both means that the decision was gradual.
e.g. ...to sell gradually all the books...
sounds unnatural because we are putting
the adverb between the verb and its
object13.
e.g. ...to sell all the books gradually I had
collected.
sounds even worse. Finally,
e.g. ...all the books I had collected
gradually.
suggests that the books were gradually
collected (and they probably were but
thats a different idea from the original
Have To, Need To, Ought To,
Used To
With these verbs the most natural place
for an adverb is before have to, ought
to and used to (never between the verb
and to):
e.g. I definitely have to remind him to
lock14 the door.
e.g. You really ought to tell me things like
that when they happen.
e.g. I never used to get hay fever15.
11
to split (split-split-split) break, divide
12
since (in this context) given that, as
13
and so breaking the rule introduced at the
beginning of the article
14
to lock sth. securely close sth. using a key
or a bolt
15
hay fever allergy to pollen
Think in English Issue 147
 Photo by Leonardo L. Carresi provided by CEDEM
They carefully planned the hike. The members of the armed militia have never been identified.

Well and Very Much
A common problem for EFL16 learn-
ers arises17 with well. Some European
languages tend to use a word order
equivalent to:
e.g. You speak well English.
e.g. She wrote well French but she spoke
it badly.
This word order is wrong in English. The
adverb well comes after the object:
e.g. You speak English well.
e.g. She wrote French well.
The same is true of very much
e.g. She likes very much animals.
e.g. He likes animals very much.
Adverbs of Definite Time
Adverbs like yesterday, tomorrow or
last night usually come at the end of the
sentence (though they can come at the
beginning for emphasis):
e.g. Ive got a lot of work today. (or Today
Ive got a lot of work.)
Adverbs of Indefinite Time
Adverbs like often, never, seldom18 and
rarely come before the main3 verb:
e.g. Mary-Anne always arrives late to
rehearsals19.
e.g. He has occasionally seen bears20 in
those mountains.
e.g. Those Minoan texts have never been
deciphered.
However, adverbs come after the verb
be:
e.g. Mary-Anne is always late for rehearsals.
Concluding Remarks
The information given here is just
a starting-point. There are many
more irritating little rules for specific
adverbs, which you just21 have to pick
up22 by reading, listening to and using
English. However, most of the time the
incorrect positioning of an adverb may
sound foreign23 but it shouldnt stop
you being understood.
Moreover, there is some evidence
that the rules are becoming more
relaxed. For instance24, once25 it was
necessary to put also with the verb in
the middle of the sentence. Now many
young native speakers and appar-
ently all Australians are incapable of
following this rule.

16
EFL English as a foreign language 21
just (in this context) simply Related Resources
17
to arise (arise-arose-arisen) appear, emerge 22
to pick up (in this context) acquire, absorb
18
seldom rarely, only occasionally 23
foreign (in this context) unnatural
Life is too short to worry about word
19
rehearsal practice session (for 24
for instance for example order so long as native speakers
C
musicians or actors) 25
once in the past understand me do you agree?
20
bear

Were waiting to hear from you!

Join other Thinkers around the world
in our community.
Relevant videos, articles, images and a
Photo by Sara L. Carresi
chat group on the topics in the magazine.
Issue 147 Think in English37
 Photo by Marina Carresi
Language | Word Building

Am I My
Brothers
-Keeper?
Keep has been around in English for over a thousand years and is related
to the Anglo-Saxon verb cepan-cepte. Over the centuries it has meant
hold, watch, take care of and preserve among other things. A keep
was the donjon1 of a castle, while a keepsake is a souvenir kept for the
sake of2 remembering the giver. However, our interest in this article is
the agent noun keeper and compound nouns formed from it. It must be lonely being a lighthouse-keeper.

Hes a Keeper
Keeper on its own is used in a number Sporting -keepers
of ways. If someone says Hes a keeper As regards10 compound nouns ending
or Shes a keeper this often means that in -keeper, goalkeeper is probably
the person is worth keeping3. In other the word you are most likely to11 come
words if a mother says to her adult daugh- across12. However, the world of sport also
ter, Johns a keeper this means John offers us wicketkeeper in cricket. The
is worth marrying, You should marry roles of these two players are in fact radi-
John. However, in the context of football, cally different. The goalkeeper is there
keeper is just4 a more colloquial way of to protect the goal to stop points being
saying goalkeeper5. Its slightly6 more scored, while the wicketkeeper tries to
formal than goalie: catch the ball and, if the batsman13 is not
e.g. Johns been our keeper for two years in the crease14, knock over15 the wicket16
now. to eliminate him.
Meanwhile7, the expression, Am I my
brothers keeper? is a way of disclaiming8 Animal -keepers
responsibility for someone you are closely In the context of animals -keepers are
associated with. It comes from the Bible custodians who care for the animal in
(Genesis, IV, 9) and was Cains answer to question. A beekeeper is someone who
God, when he was asked where Abel was. looks after bees in their hives17 in order to
Finally, the expression finders-keepers is collect honey. A zookeeper is someone
a way of claiming9 that if you have found who takes care of zoo animals. Some-
Photo by Spike Call something which didnt have an obvious times we have more specialist -keepers
UN peacekeepers
owner, it is yours because you found it first. in a zoo, such as a lion keeper. However,
1
donjon central citadel 7
meanwhile at the same time 13
batsman
2
for the sake of for the purpose of 8
to disclaim deny, refuse to accept, reject 14
crease (in cricket) the
3
is worth keeping should be 9
to claim declare, say designated area around the
retained 10
as regards in relation to, in terms of wicket16
4
just (in this context) only, simply 11
to be most likely to have the greatest prob- 15
to knock over
5
goalkeeper ability of (+ -ing) topple, demolish
6
slightly margin- 12
to come across (come-came-come) encoun- 16
wicket
ally, a little ter 17
(bee)hive

38 Think in English Issue 147

paradoxically a crowkeeper is not some-
one who looks after crows18 but someone
employed to scare them away19.
Custodians of Buildings
Compound nouns ending -keeper often
refer to a person who is the custodian
of a building. So, for example a light-
house20 -keeper lives in and maintains a
lighthouse20, while a housekeeper looks
after the general running21 of a home.
-keeper = Manager
In the context of places that sell goods22
and services a -keeper is often simply a
manager. For instance, a shopkeeper is
someone who manages23 a shop (British
English), while a storekeeper manages
a store (US English). Likewise 24 , an
innkeeper is somebody who manages23
an inn25. US English also has barkeeper as
an alternative to barman or bartender.
Open-air -keepers
Not all -keepers work indoors26, though.
A gamekeeper is someone who manages
and takes care of animals which are going
to be hunted27 (on a game reserve). Simi-
larly, a park keeper looks after the plants
and animals in a park. A more general
Photo by Marina Carresi A zookeeper
18
crow (Corvus
corone)
19
to scare sth.
away frighten
sth. off, chase sth.
away
20
lighthouse
21
running management
Issue 147 Think in English39
Photo by Marina Carresi
term is groundskeeper/groundkeeper:
someone who takes care of a tract28 of
land, sports fields or a park. Following this
model, a greenkeeper in somebody who
cares for a golf course. Such a person is a
greenskeeper in US English.
Controlling Access
Sometimes -keepers are the people who
control access to a building or person. A
doorkeeper, for instance29, is the person
who guards the access to a building and
decides who can enter and who cant. A
gatekeeper has a similar job, except that
he or she controls access into an open-air
area by guarding the gate30. Metaphori-
cally, a gatekeeper is also somebody who
controls access to an important person by
filtering telephone calls and only permit-
ting access to the VIPs office if the visitor
has an appointment31.
Indirectly related is the term lock-
keeper. This is someone that lives near
a lock 32 in a canal and who opens and
closes it when required for canal boats.
22
goods products
23
to manage sth. run sth., be in charge of
24
likewise in a similar way
25
inn tavern (usually with several bedrooms)
26
indoors inside buildings
27
to hunt kill for sport
28
tract area, expanse
29
for instance for example
Park keepers or groundskeepers/groundkeepers
Last But Not Least
Finally, you should know several other
kinds of -keepers.
A bookkeeper is an accountant33,
someone who looks after a compa-
nys account books.
A peacekeeper keeps the peace
between two conflicting groups.
Peacekeepers are often soldiers
employed by the United Nations.
On the other hand, a timekeeper
is someone who officially records34
how long something takes.
However, if we describe someone
as a good/bad timekeeper this
simply means that he or she is
punctual or unpunctual.
e.g.Diane is an excellent timekeeper.
Everyday shes there sitting at her desk
when I arrive at 9.00 each morning.
Related Resources
Which of these jobs or activities most
L appeal to you? Which least?
30
gate
31
appointment pre-arranged
meeting
32
lock type of valve in a canal that
permits the level of water to change
33
accountant s.o. who writes down and super-
vises the expenditure and income of a company
34
to record (in this context) register, write down
 Language | Translation

Error Detectives
Can you improve the English on these labels1?
1. IGIENE & PRIVACY2 3. Suggested Preparation
Clear Cat3 - Defrost11 the arepa12 into13 the microwave over14 45 seconds.
- sticker4 on the side of a cat-litter tray5. - To warm up15 the grill, frying pan16 of teflon17 or irons18
to fire higher toasting19 furnace20 to 230C/450F.
Photo by Marina Carresi

- Grill according to taste

- on a packet of frozen corn arepas filled with cheese from Colombia

Photo by Fabiola Vieyra

2. CONGRATULATIONS
You have choosen the original2
maschera del galeone
A real Venice6
hand made product.7
Artists have realized8
and decorated it in full respect - Grill according to taste
of9 artisan traditions and
original designs developed
flame or in the oven at 230C/450F.
in Venice together with10
- Heat under the grill, in a Teflon frying pan16 or a griddle pan22 over a high
COMMEDIA DELLARTE 3. Defrost11 the arepa (maize cake) in the microwave for 45 seconds.
during the late 17th Century. in21 the late 17th Century.
- label on a carnival mask. traditions and original designs developed in Venice for the Commedia DellArte
hand-made product. Artists have crafted and decorated it respecting artisan
Related Resources 2. You have chosen an original maschera del galeone An authentic Venetian
Most people ignore the writing on a packet, 1. Hygiene & Privacy: Clean Cat
so it isnt very important. The quality
1 of the language on a package reflects the Suggested Improvements
quality of the product. Which of these
statements do you agree with.

1
label tag, piece of paper or plastic attached 7
punctuation: this phrase could be better 15
wrong tense: use the imperative for instruc-
to a product that offers information about the punctuated tions
product 8
wrong word: to realize means to become 16
frying pan
2
misspelling: one of the words is misspelt conscious. We need a different verb. 17
unnatural word order
3
wrong word: clear can imply that something is 9
unnatural expression: native speakers would 18
wrong word
intelligible, obvious or transparent. None of never write in full respect of 19
meaningless phrase
these meanings seems relevant to the context. 10
wrong word: together with makes little sense 20
wrong word: we dont talk about a furnace in
They probably intended to use a similar word here a kitchen
which? 11
to defrost thaw, increase the temperature of 21
during is not wrong; we would say during the
4
sticker adhesive label1 food to > 0C 17th Century. However, by making the time
5
cat-litter tray container for the absorbent 12
non-translation: somewhere on the package it period more specific the late 17th Century
granular material in which domestic cats should explain what an arepa is in sounds a little more natural.
urinate and defecate 13
wrong preposition: into implies movement. 22
griddle pan type of round metal plate used
6
wrong form: we need the adjectival form of 14
wrong preposition: over with time means like a frying pan16 but with little or no oil
Venice more than

40 Think in English Issue 147

Test how well you have retained the vocabulary from this issue of think by doing the following crossword:
If you find the crossword difficult, do the easy clues (in red) first. This will make the rest of the words much easier to find.

Crossword
1

11 00
2

00
3

12
4 5 6 00

00
00

13
7

14
8

15
9

00
10
Across
1. precision, exactness
3. lively, dynamic; risqu, sexy
7. fragment, bit; fight. Anagram of carps
8. excrement; nonsense
9. knock (n.); reprimand; type of music
00 16 17 18 00 19 20 21 22 12. on one occasion; in the past. Anagram of cone
13. pain. Anagram of each
16. groan, complain
23 24 00 00 25 18. indefinite article
19. breed of dog. A region of Canada
22. conjunction. Homophone of 12 DOWN
00 26 00 00 00 27 28 00 29 30 23. matchless, superlative
26. same as 22 ACROSS
27. Radar and Electronics Association (initialism)
29. cinerary particles, type of tree
31 32 33 00 34 00 00 35 36 31. monopolies (n.); relies on
32. oxidizes
34. therefore. Homophone of sew
00 37 00 38 00 39 40 00 41 42 35. expanse of salt water. Homophone of C
37. same as 18 ACROSS
39. Royal Town Planning Institute (initialism)
43 00 44 45 46 00 47 48 49 40. 3.1415927
41. health farms with curative waters. Anagram of pass
42. since; arsenic (chemical abbreviation)
43. conjunction
50 51 00 52 53 00 54 55 00 00 44. electronic correspondence
45. post
47. yellowish-brown (UK spelling)
56 57 58 00 59 60 61 62 50. exists
52. mystery, conundrum
54. constricting snake
63 64 00 65 00 66 00 56. day of the month; romantic rendezvous, fruit
57. consumed food
59. adviser, consultant; therapist
61. same as 26 ACROSS
00 00 00 67 68 00 69 00 00 70 71 63. cicatrix
64. automobile
65. regulation; govern
72 00 73 74 00 75 76 77 78 79 66. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (abbreviation)
67. operational taxonomic unit (initialism)
69. hello
80 81 00 82 83 00 84 00 00 85 70. (I) exist in the morning?
73. condiment
75. (Lathyrus odoratus) a fragrant climbing plant; term of
endearment for a child (5, 3)
00 86 87
77. spherical green legume
80. subject pronoun
81. subject pronoun
82. affirmative adverb
84. possess. Anagram of won
85. same as 61 ACROSS
Down 28. same as 70 ACROSS meat 86. financial institution specializing in commercial loans
1. sum, quantity 29. tarmac 55. elderly, ancient and financing (10, 4)
2. amalgam, composite, building 30. scorch, scald. Anagram of 58. informal thank you. 87. edge, slope; financial institution
complex arse Homophone of tar
3. bellow. Homophone of raw
4. chronicles
32. pillage, plunder 60. preposition. Not here? think 146 solutions
33. at that time; next 62. comment. Correct again?
5. cubic centimetres (initialism) 34. impetus, incentive 65. gowns, ceremonial clothing M O B WO L V E R I N E T
6. shriek, bawl 36. auricular protrusion 68. you and me American? I R O E A G O C A R
7. shriek, bawl 38. female chicken 69. carved in stone. Anagram of
8. North African country 39. French stew when
S E A F A R I N G M O O S E
9. colour 40. aircraft. Homophone of 70. age, epoch (UK spelling) C A N R O T M A N I A
10. buy plain 71. stain, blemish; correct (v.) A V C A T U R N G A S
11. hill; horse 41. reprimand 72. same as 42 ACROSS R E H E A R S A L T E A O
12. paddle 43. a viral disease (initialism); 73. same as 38 DOWN
13. competent. Homophone and helps 74. cereal used for making bread R S N O C A R A V A N
anagram of Abel 45. germs, bugs and whiskey. Homophone I D G O P E A R E N A
14. dairy product; lotion 46. minor street, path of wry A R O S E G O R E T B
15. possessed; obtained 47. compliant, acquiescent 76. misery, sorrow. Homophone
17. paddles. Homophone of ores
G O V E R N O R S C H O O L
48. chilly, unfriendly of whoa
20. fixed-wing aircraft 49. stop 78. same as 70 (US spelling) E P I C A N T P O L I C E
(UK English) 51. bag (n.); dismiss (v.) 79. Noahs boat D N D R O O P Y R
21. advertisement (abbreviation) 52. ghostly, creepy 81. same as 69 ACROSS O H C O C O A U P A K
24. British monetary unit 53. inflammation of ones joints 83. saint, street (abbreviation)
25. pursue, hunt caused by eating too much 85. preposition activated?
F E T E A L I A S E S M E
F R O F L A T T E R M A Y

Issue 147 Think in English41

Miscellany

Picture
Description
& Exercise
track

12
Picture Description
Try to describe the two photographs
on this page. First, for each picture,
Photo by Marina Carresi
describe what you can see. What are the
people doing? Remember to describe
colours, textures, materials and spatial
relationships. Mention similarities and
contrasts between the two photos.
Finally, comment on your personal reac-
tion to what you can see.

How do you feel about buying food

in the street?

When you have finished, listen to the

model version on the CD (track 12) and
try to follow what the native-speaker
is describing. Finally, read through the
tapescript for the recording (on p. 50)
while1 you listen again. Remember
there is a large-type2 version to down-
load at www.thinkinenglish.net. Write
down any new words or expressions you
have come across3.
Photo by Almudena Cceres

Pair-work Practice
Describe another photograph from the magazine to a partner. Your partner can take notes and draw pictures but shouldnt see
the magazine. When you have finished, pass the magazine to your partner, who must then try to find the picture described.
Change roles.
Notice that you are not competing. Both of you win when the correct picture is found.

Related Resources
1
while at the same time as 3
to come across (come-came-come) encoun-
2
large-type in big letters ter Track 12

42 Think in English Issue 147

 Dont be
foxed by
1

authentic
English! 1
to fox confuse

Either fill in this coupon directly or

fill in a photocopy of it and send it to:
Ediciones Mejora, S.L.
C/ Valentn Beato 42-3 plta.
28037 Madrid

Photo by Marina Carresi

I wish to subscribe to Think in English magazine and take
advantage of this special offer, starting from issue number _____ Subscription for Spain
Have you subscribed to Think before?
Opcin 1: 11 nmeros + sus ejercicios correspondientes2 = 65,45
YES NO
Opcin 2: 11 nmeros = 52,35 (ahorro del 20%)
FULL NAME:_________________________________ AGE*: _____
PROFESSION*:
TELEPHONE:____________________ CIF/NIF1: Formas de Pago
ADDRESS:____________________________________________
CITY: ______________ PROVINCE:________________________ 1. Giro postal a nombre de Ediciones Mejora, S.L.
POST CODE:___________________________________________ C/Valentn Beato 42-3 plta.-28037 Madrid
(Outside Spain) COUNTRY:______________________________ 2. Transferencia al Banco Popular:
*Optional
0075/1040/44/0600076779
3. Taln bancario a nombre de Ediciones Mejora, S.L.
Subscription for Europe (except Spain) 4. Domiciliacin bancaria:
11 issues with exercises = 87.45 (VISA only, p+p included) Banco________________________________________
11 issues without exercises = 74.35 (VISA only, p+p included) Domicilio_____________________________________

Subscription Outside Europe N de cuenta__________________________________

Titular_______________________________________
11 issues with exercises = 109.45 (VISA only, p+p included) Fecha________________________________________
11 issues without exercises = 96.35 (VISA only, p+p included) 5. Tarjeta VISA___________________________________
Fecha caducidad______________________________
VISA Card Information
Firma________________________________________
VISA card no._____________________________________________
Expiry date:______________________________________________
Signed:__________________________________________________
You can also subscribe through the Internet at:
The data you provide in this coupon is confidential and will be treated as such. You have the right to
access the information that is stored about you, and to ask for its modification or elimination. To do
rpsuscripciones@revistasprofesionales.com
so, contact:
Los datos recogidos en este cupn son confidenciales. Usted tiene derecho a oponerse al tratamiento
de sus datos, acceder a la informacin contenida en los citados ficheros, solicitar su rectificacin y 1
necessary for the Canary Islands (obligatorio para Canarias)
cancelacin. Para su ejercicio dirjase a:
Ediciones Mejora, S.L.- C/Valentn Beato 42-3, 28037 Madrid
2
un total de 176 pginas, valoradas en 20
 Don't Miss a Single Issue
Get your back issues now before they sell out!
121
105 122
105 123
105
Price per Issue/Precio por ejemplar: 5,95*
Options/Opciones
1-10 Issues/ejemplares 10 % Discount/descuento
11-20 Issues/ejemplares  20 % Discount/descuento
21-30 Issues/ejemplares  30 % Discount/descuento
31-40 Issues/ejemplares  40 % Discount/descuento
More than/ms de 50  50 % Discount/descuento
125 130 138
*Shipping costs/gastos de envio
Orders shipped within Spain will be charged 5 per order for shipping costs. Shipping costs on
orders for the rest of Europe are 15 and for international orders, 20. European (except Spain) and
international orders can only be paid for by credit card. Los gastos de envo para Espaa son 5; para
el resto de Europa son 15; y para el resto del mundo son 20 por cada pedido. La nica forma de
pago fuera de Espaa es mediante tarjeta de crdito.
rpsuscripciones@revistasprofesionales.com

*Sold-out Issues/Nmeros agotados: 1-5, 8-9, 17-21, 23, 42,

43, 46-47, 49-50, 52, 54-103, 105, 113-114, 120, 124, 128-129,
131-137, 139-143.

Order Form - Boletn de Pedidos

Either fill in this coupon directly or fill in a photocopy of it and Pronunciation
send it to:/Rellene o fotocopie este cupn y envelo a: Symbols Key
Ediciones Mejora, S.L., c./ Valentn Beato 42-3 plta.
Here are the symbols we use
28037 Madrid - Spain
in this magazine to help your
pronunciation:
Please send me the following back issues/Deseo recibir los nmeros:
____________________________________________________________________ Consonants
____________________________________________________________________ // church (a CH sound)
Full name/Nombre completo:_______________________________________ // wash, sure (a SH sound)
Age/Edad*: _____ Profession/Profesin*:___________________________ // judge
Telephone/Tfno:_____________________________________________________ // vision, measure
CIF/NIF1:___________________________________________________________ /j/ yes, yellow
Address/Domicilio:__________________________________________________ // thick, path
____________________________________________________________________
// the, this, breathe
City/Ciudad: ______________ Province/Provincia:_____________________
Country/Pas:_______________________ Post code/C.P.________________
// sing
*Optional/Opcional
1
necessary for the Canary Islands (obligatorio para Canarias) Pure Vowels
/o/ hot
/a/ cat
Payment Options - Formas de Pago // cut, some, couple
Money order to/Giro postal a nombre de: /o:/ court, taught, warn
Ediciones Mejora, S.L. // occur, aroma, supply
C/Valentn Beato 42-3 plta.-28037 Madrid
Bank transfer to Banco Popular/Transferencia al Banco Popular:
Account number/Nmero de cuenta: 0075/1040/44/0600076779
Diphthongs
Direct debit/Domiciliacin bancaria: _____/_____/___/____________ /ou/ oboe, know, broke
VISA/Tarjeta VISA________________________________________________ /oi/ toy, soil
Expiry date/Fecha de caducidad__________________________________ /i/ ear, here
Signature/Firma_________________________________________________ /e/ air, there
Tapescripts 147
Download an illustrated version with larger
type at www.thinkinenglish.net
Debate: the Economization of Modern
Life  (19m58s)
Commentary: Listen to these people talking about
the evolution of Homo economicus.
1. Part 1: Two Schools of Thought (6m16s)
South-African Woman (SW): What I dont under-
stand in this particular financial crisis in which Europe
finds itself, well the whole world finds itself... Why do
some people advocate1 budget cuts2 and austerity
campaigns and other people says that does not stimu-
late the economy and what should happen is more
expenditure by governments and more loans3 granted4
by banks?
American man (AM): I think basically there are two
different schools of thought of economists. I think those
that think that stimulation/government spending on
investment or industry is the answer to kick-start5
the economy and to get over6 or to get through7
the economic crisis. And whereas8 the other school
of thought is that you need to clean up do some
housecleaning9, clean up your budget10, make sure
you have a low budget deficit and by doing that its
their opinion is thats another way of getting them out
of the financial crisis.
Englishman (EM): Youre still not happy. OK, for exam-
ple, imagine a firm goes bust11, right?
SW: Uh huh.
EM: What tends to happen12 when the firm goes bust11
is that in terms of dividing up their assets13 the Inland
Revenue14 will come in first and grab15 what they think
theyre owed16 and then the workers will be paid and
then another company will be the other companies,
like their customers17 or their suppliers18 will get19
whatever crumbs20 are left, if there are any left, probably
arent. And that in itself is something which means that
problems of debt will be passed on to other companies
and you can have a process of a domino effect. One
company closes and another company closes and etc.
SW: Right.
EM: In that situation the government is reclaiming what
is theirs if you like
SW: Yes.
EM: but at the same time they are causing revenues21
that could be coming in22 in the future to be to not
exist because if that hole has been punched23 in one
company and passed on to other companies... means
that theyre not going to be getting the tax back from
those companies in the future.
SW: So what they should do is bail out 24 a failing
company?
EM: That is one solution. That is, for example, what
1
to advocate support, campaign for, recommend
2
budget cuts reduction of expenditure
3
loans money lent, credit
4
to grant (in this context) concede
5
to kick-start activate, energize
6
to get over (get-got-got) get past, survive
7
to get through (get-got-got) survive, weather (v.)
8
whereas while, although
9
to do some housecleaning (do-did-done) put ones house
in order, tidy up
10
budget planned expenditure, the quantity of money you
plan to spend
11
to go bust (go-went-gone) become bankrupt
12
tends to happen usually occurs
13
assets property
14
the Inland Revenue the fiscal authorities, the tax collector
15
to grab take, snatch, seize
16
to be owed should be paid
17
customer client
18
supplier company that provides components or products
that another company sells
19
to get (get-got-got) receive, be given
20
crumbs scraps, vestiges
21
revenue income, earnings
22
could be coming in they could be receiving
23
to punch a hole in a company turn a companys potential
revenue into bad debt
Issue 147 Think in English45
Obama did in the car industry in America, the automo-
bile industry in America, very successfully and saved an
entire industrial sector in the United States. To be fair25
I think George Bush II, or whatever hes called, started
that process and its exactly the opposite of what weve
been doing in Europe.
SW: And to what costs to the American government?
EM: In the case of Obama none at all. They paid back 26
almost all the money; the car industry paid back the
money. So, I mean27, it was a very, very intelligent
thing to do by on the part of those two American
presidents.
SW: Cos28 surely it makes more sense not to spend
what you havent got.
EM: It depends because if I spend money on what you
do, yeah?
SW: Yeah.
EM: Im going to give money to you and you are going to
spend more money on what she does and shes gonna29
have more money and shes going to spend more
money on what he does. And so that money multiplies
and it creates an economic ripple30 that goes through-
out31 the economy and the economy grows. If the econ-
omy grows; that means the state has more revenue21.
SW: Well, then why are so many European countries
actually32 cutting33 budgets10 and having these huge34
austerity campaigns? Quite a few European countries
are involved in that.
EM: My answer is: For ideological reasons but Ill
let anybody35 else speak. If I mean27, you have a situ-
ation where a socio-democratic policy36 will tend to
distribute income whereas37 a neo-classical economic
solution in inverted commas38 will make the rich
richer and the poor poorer. So there is an ideological
interest in having those types of austerity solutions
because that means that the people that right-wing39
parties represent get richer and keeps the wage rate40
down and keeps the rest of us poor.
SW: But thats more or less whats happening all over
the world today, isnt it? I mean27, the rich are getting
richer and the poor are
EM: Its a natural process of capitalism, yeah.
AM: But I think the problem with that is I mean27 if
the austerity measures are so severe that you destroy
the business in the country. I mean27, in effect, youre
taking away the revenue21.
EM: Of course.
AM: So, I mean27, if theyre doing that to help their
cronies41 in big business I dont think its a very intel-
ligent idea. But
EM: I think the question theres also the question
if youre talking about the government just42 spend-
ing money for the sake of it 43 painting buildings
and doing sort of44 silly45 things, then thats not a
good idea. It has to be you have to spending money
on an investment or something which is going to be
24
to bail out rescue
25
fair just, honest
26
to pay back (pay-paid-paid) return
27
I mean (pause filler) yknow, like, sort of, kind of
28
cos (slang) because
29
gonna (slang) going to
30
ripple wave, sequential effect
31
throughout through all of
32
actually (false friend) in fact
33
to cut (cut-cut-cut) (in this context) reduce
34
huge enormous, great
35
it should be somebody
36
policy strategy, programme, plan
37
whereas (in this context) by contrast, while
38
inverted commas speech marks
39
right-wing conservative, reactionary
40
the wage rate the quantity of money that is paid to a typical
worker
41
crony friend, associate, confederate
42
just (in this context) simply
43
for the sake of it with no other purpose than the action itself
44
sort of (pause filler) kind of, yknow, like, I mean
45
silly ridiculous, stupid
46
to dig up (dig-dug-dug) excavate
47
facilities amenities, services, infrastructure
48
whether irrespective of whether (= if)
49
leaning in their political perspective
Think 147 | Tapescripts
productive in the future.
SW: No, thats understood I think.
EM: I mean27, there was a case during the French Revo-
lution when to reduce unemployment they basically
got hundreds of thousands of French citizens to move
a mountain literally, I mean27, to dig up46 a mountain
and move a huge34 quantity of earth from one place to
another. It didnt actually32 have any economic advan-
tage in doing that. Obviously if you build a road or build
a new port or improve facilities47 in some sense for in
that sense then youre spending on productive capacity
in the future.
SW: Right.
2. Part 2: Banking Tsars  (1m46s)
AM: The other thing that Ive noticed recently it seems
like governments, whether48 theyre conservative or
more socio-democratic leaning49, it seems like every-
one is at the mercy of50 the markets, what the markets
are going to do. So, I think in some cases governments
end up doing51 not necessarily what they want but
what they think needs to be done so the markets are
happy. And so, therefore52, institutions and banking
institutions and banks loan53 money.
EM: Yeah but what weve been seeing is that, certainly in
the case of Europe, is that the markets will just42 decide
to go for54 a particular country and theres almost noth-
ing that country can do however much it tries to cut
back 55. I mean27, the case of Greece is the obvious one.
Yknow56, and they will just42 they can torture and
humiliate the majority of their population. It does abso-
lutely no good.
AM: But should we stand for57 that? I mean27, I think
thats ridiculous that we let the markets dictate.
SW: It does seem to me in some respects that markets
thats a kind58 of word that I dont really understand, but
I understand the word banks. Big banks are as power-
ful now as the feudal lords were and the tsars of Russia
were in the time that they were powerful and it seems
as though were pawns59 as to what they decide. Thats
how it feels.
3. Part 3: The Age of Accountants (2m47s)
EM: Yeah. I mean27, I think its also a situation where you
have allowed60 over61 the last 30 years accountants62
to take over, business corporations etc. etc. replacing
engineers and so people who are worried about short-
term balance sheets63 rather than64 long-term produc-
tivity and long-term efficiency are the people who are
running65 the economies of the world. I mean27, some-
body like Mitt Romney, for example, is somebody who
made hundreds of millions of dollars out of66 asset
stripping67, buying up companies, ripping them to
pieces68 and selling off the bits.
AM: Downsizing69, yeah.
EM: Now yknow56 his great claim to fame70, his
50
to be at the mercy of be vulnerable to, be in the power of
51
to end up doing do... in the end
52
therefore for that reason
53
to loan lend, offer as credit
54
to go for (go-went-gone) attack
55
to cut back (cut-cut-cut) reduce expenditure
56
yknow (pause filler) I mean, sort of, kind of, like
57
to stand for (stand-stood-stood) tolerate, accept
58
kind sort, type
59
pawn puppet, s.o. whose opinion is not considered
60
you have allowed one has permitted
61
over during
62
accountant bookkeeper, financial expert
63
balance sheet document comparing what a company has
earned and what it has spent
64
rather than instead of, as opposed to
65
to run sth. (run-ran-run) manage, control
66
out of from
67
asset stripping the practice of buying a company cheaply
when it is in difficulties and then selling all the things it owns
in order to make a quick profit
68
to rip sth. to pieces break sth. up
69
downsizing a euphemism for significantly reducing the
number of employees in a company in order to make it more
profitable
70
claim to fame reason for being famous, selling point,
supposed advantage

Tapescripts | Think 147
great sort of44 economic thing is that he balanced
the budget71 in Massachusetts. Yknow56, wonder-
ful, hey ho! But if the only way you know how to make
money is by ruining industry, ruining real productive
power in your country. Well, Im not American, but I
wouldnt want you as a president. I mean27, the biggest
problem with the other point of view, the Keynesian
point of view is that it requires government when the
economy is taking off72, when the economy is boom-
ing73 to be doing some of the austerity thing, getting
yknow56 paying off its debts etc. etc. and theres tries to predict whats going to happen in the future
obviously a huge34 temptation democratically to say,
Oh, the economys going wonderfully. Well keep
spending some money and theres more tax money
coming in and well use that tax money to spend on lots
of things because we imagine the economy is going to
grow indefinitely.
Australian woman (AW): Well, thats one of the
problems here, isnt it? I mean27, thats exactly what
happened, you know? And thats kind of74 human
nature. For me for people not to be thinking of auster-
ity measures and being sensible75 with money when
theres lot of it or they think theres lots of it even
though it was just76 credit anyhow77 and sort of44
not necessarily very sustainable. But, yeah, thats what
tends to happen.
EM: Big credit bubbles78.
AW: Uh huh.
EM: But, I mean27, you again I think theres a prob-
lem with saying, Now why do we let the markets do
these things? because the alternative is this sort of44
phantom called socialism which the immense major-
ity of the Western world have been taught to reject
as a knee-jerk79 reaction. I mean27 if, for example, in
America the healthcare plan is considered some sort80
of yknow56 socialist imposition its AW: True.
AW: Yeah.
AM: Oh, yeah, definitely.
EM: then any other understanding of the economy
is like completely out of the question. Yknow56, for
example, in Europe that sort 80 of healthcare plan is
accepted even if grudgingly81 by all the right-wing39
parties.
4. Part 4: The Boom-Bust Cycle  (5m17s)
AW: But what about boom and bust82? Are we always
doomed to boom and bust?
83
EM: I think thats part of the combination of three
factors: human nature, that you mentioned, democracy
and the other thing capitalism. I mean27, in the sense
that to some extent84 its possible maybe to if you
have people who really have some basic understand-
ing of economics and its completely rationalistic, an
amoral motor you can keeps things as they have been
doing in China without that bust85. But you cant do
that with democracy because theres86 always going
to be more people going, me, me, me, me, me. And
thats the huge34 problem with Keynesianism that it
doesnt fit 87 very easily into democracy, whereas37
of course a neo-classical economics just42 sort of44
ignores democracy; economics is more important
than democracy.
71
to balance the budget reduce expenditure to the point at
which it equals income
72
to take off (take-took-taken) start to expand
73
to boom prosper, expand
74
kind of (pause filler) sort of, like, yknow
75
sensible (false friend) responsible
76
just (in this context) only
77
anyhow anyway
78
credit bubble situation in which a lot of people have
accepted too much credit even though they wont be able to
return the money if the economy declines
79
knee-jerk automatic, reflex, involuntary, unthinking
80
sort type, kind
81
grudgingly reluctant, unwilling, unenthusiastic
82
boom and bust a periodic economic cycle which sees peri-
ods of expansion followed by periods of recession
83
to be doomed be fated, be predestined
84
to some extent to some degree, in part
85
bust recession (following a period of expansion)
46
Related Are we in the middle of an economic war against democracy? Is economics just the note of realism
K
Resources that stops politicians from promising everyone that they can have their cake and eat it?
AW: Yeah. Cos28 I mean 27 people say OK
yknow56 its all about boom and bust82, but really
I mean27 as you were saying this sort of44 rational
type of economics its not. Its the economics that we
have in a democratic society that actually32 make for88
booms and busts82.
EM: But I mean27 theres also that sort80 of cyni-
cal comment that economics is very bad at predict-
ing, especially about the future in the sense that
yknow56 every time that any type of economics
I mean27, obviously if you consult 12 economists its
quite its possible the other alternative will happen
but youll get 12 different answers.
AW: True.
EM: Its quite possible that one of those will be correct.
But in terms of getting things right about predicting
the future using the economic models that exist,
economics is a complete disaster.
AW: Yeah, true.
EM: I mean27, even sort of44 weird89, wacky90 things
like sociology which doesnt have a great deal of91
theoretical underpinning92 can be more successful
than economics. I mean27, its a complete disaster.
Yknow56, I say that having studied it.
SW: That makes us all victims of society completely
without any room93 to manoeuvre. Were just42 going
to be swayed with the tide of94 one economist or
another.
EM: But or
AW: But then society is people so to say that were all
just42 victims. I mean27
EM: Yeah, but I in terms of seeing what Merkel etc.
are doing now in Europe for me is very, very reminis-
cent of95 Mrs. Thatcher.
EM: You actually 32 hear people around Europe
saying, T.I.N.A. there is no alternative in different
languages obviously. And yknow56 that was totally
her phrase. There is no alternative. We have to do
this because we have to this because thats what the
economy requires and there is no other way of doing
things and you just42 have to accept it and yknow56,
just42, sort of44 yknow56 keep your head down96
sort 80 of thing. And the huge34 period of growth in
Britain was after her period when different policies36
were in place97, largely98 based again, as we were
saying on a credit bubble78 etc. etc. private credit
etc. I mean27, theres... especially if you have a situation
where large99 sectors of the world or a whole economic
union like the European Union are going for austerity, it
just42 sort of44 so youre just42, sort of44, yknow56
circling the plughole100. Its going lower and lower
and lower until you have a minimal level of activity
because the state has to pay the police and things like
that. And then obviously from that minimum you can
start having growth again.
AW: Yeah.
EM: To go to that point before you start to actually32
grow the economy as Americans like to say nowa-
days101 is crazy102 I think personally.
AM: Yeah.
86
theres (substandard English) there are
87
to fit match, function
88
to make for (make-made-made) (in this context) create
89
weird strange, bizarre
90
wacky unscientific, weird89
91
a great deal of a lot of, much
92
underpinning basis, grounding
93
room (uncountable) space
94
to sway with the tide of passively accept the consequences
of
95
to be reminiscent of be comparable to, be similar to
96
to keep ones head down (keep-kept-kept) try to avoid
being noticed, try not to attract attention to oneself
97
to be in place be being implemented
98
largely primarily, principally
99
large (false friend) big
100
to circle the plughole be on the verge of catastrophe, be
facing disaster
101
nowadays these days
AW: Well, it looks like whats going to happen though.
SW: It sounds really dismal103.
EM: I mean27, again there may also be an element to
which the West as we know it is giving way to104 other
producers, especially in Asia and to some extent 84
in South America and so we are an economy on the
decline like whatever late Rome or the Ottoman
Empire.
AW: Yeah, I think thats very true actually32, yeah.
EM: So, maybe
SW: Thats not much more optimistic!
EM: We need to
AW: No, its probably less optimistic, in fact, with the
with the other analysis there was at least going to be
light at the end of the tunnel one day. With this idea
none really!
EM: But again because of the whole connectivity of
the thing its so much more difficult to keep one part
of the world economy yknow56 bubbling over105
well while yknow56 the rest of us are going into
states of austerity etc.
AW: Yeah, with globalization nowadays101 thats just42
not possible any longer.
EM: But erm yeah, its a dismal103 science economics.
AM: Uh huh.
AW: Yeah.
AM: And I think as long as106 we have credit, as long as
credit is offered and we continue with the capitalistic
society or system I think we are condemned to the
boom-bust cycle.
AW: Yeah, yeah, I agree with that too.
5. Part 5: Ignorance is This  (3m52s)
AM: And I just42 think because the majority of people,
at least in the US, dont fully understand the economy
or economics in general and weve seen over the last
10 years people
EM: But the majority of economists dont understand
economics!
AM: Yeah, but I think they understand the basics.
AW: It doesnt help much though, does it?
EM: But if understanding it means that you know what
is going to happen if X, Y and Z are put in place107, they
dont. They quite clearly dont.
AM: I dont buy that108. Perhaps they know. Like take,
for example, subprime mortgages109. There were
banks giving these loans110 for houses to families that
Im sure they had a good idea that five or 10 years down
the road111 that they would have problems
AW: Im sure they had more than a good idea.
AM: paying for these mortgages.
EM: Right.
AM: So they sold these on to other banks and these
banks had these mortgages insured and whatnot112.
So, they knew enough, they understood the system
enough to know how to make money out of66 it,
whether113 it was moral or not thats another question.
But they know more than your typical114
EM: Probably the same people because you have to
live somewhere would yknow56 could have been
putting away money in renting115 a property as they
were in I mean27, the level of economic collapse
102
crazy (informal) mad, illogical, unreasonable
103
dismal depressing, dispiriting
104
to give way to (give-gave-given) capitulate before, cede
ones place to
105
to be bubbling over be economically active and expand-
ing
106
as long as so long as, provided that, if (and only if)
107
to put sth. in place (put-put-put) implement sth.
108
I dont buy that (informal) I dont agree with that, I dont
accept that
109
subprime mortgage credit for buying a house given to s.o.
who under normal circumstances would not be offered credit
110
these loans (in this context) these mortgages, this credit
111
down the road later
112
and whatnot and so on, etc.
113
whether if (but if isnt used before or)
114
your typical [person] the average person, the man in the
street
115
to rent pay monthly for the right to live in a house/apartment
Think in English Issue 147

since 19- I dont know why I said 19-, Im in the wrong
century! since 2007-2008 yknow56 was pretty116
difficult to predict just 42 because yknow56 we
havent seen something like that since the 1930s. If
it had been a more minor collapse then the houses
wouldve justified yknow56 foreclosing117 on them,
taking them back into the banks property and the
banks would still have made money
AM: Yeah.
EM: and those people in one sense if theyd been
paying rent as opposed to supposedly paying a mort-
gage118 they wouldnt have been any better off119 or
worse off120. So, the idea that this is some this is
some type of evil121. I mean27, in one sense I think its
quite a good thing because you were allowing122 the
possibility for the whole section of the population,
who were just42 excluded from the housing market,
had some sort80 of possibility of entering it. The logi-
cal thing there would have been to say instead of123
bailing out24 banks were going to bail out the indi-
viduals who have some realistic chance124 of paying
of continuing with their mortgage. And so the state
takes over125 those mortgages118 which are considered
bad debt, but in a long-term sense people I mean27,
because a lot yknow56 most people will only fail
to pay their mortgage in yknow56 in really dire126
circumstances. They will cut back on127 all sorts80 of
other things.
AM: Sure.
EM: Its actually32 not a very bad thing to have as
collateral128 on a debt. Theres 86 all sort 80 of other
things that youll just 42 let go129. Somebody says
somebody wants to reclaim130 your yknow56 your
wonderful sports car that you bought and you say
Well, OK, whatever, take it.
AM: Yeah.
EM: But its not a bad asset131 a piece of property. So,
the problem is that nobody was predicting the level
of that crash132. And I havent seen anybody really
yknow56 in the mainstream133 who was predicting
it until yknow56 just134 before it happened.
AM: Yeah.
EM: Cos28 they dont know whats happening. Econo-
mists dont know whats happening.
AM: Yeah, yeah.
EM: And thats the dangerous thing with following
yknow56 its like following some sort80 of Moses,
some sort80 of prophet who says we have to go up this
hill135 and yknow56 look for tablets and blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah. Why? Prove to me.
SW: And you question the word victim?
AM: Yeah.
EM: Prove to me that that is actually32 the case. When
have you got it right136 in the past? And then fine, well
do that.
116
pretty (adv.) rather, quite
117
to foreclose (of banks) take possession of property because
a creditor has not returned credit in the agreed way
118
mortgage credit for buying a house or apartment
119
to be better off be richer, be more affluent
120
to be worse off be poorer
121
evil immorality, corruption, villainy
122
to allow permit, enable
123
instead of as opposed to, rather than
124
chance possibility
125
to take over (take-took-taken) take charge of, take respon-
sibility for
126
dire horrible, grim, disastrous
127
to cut back on (cut-cut-cut) reduce expenditure on
128
collateral property that guarantees a loan (credit) if it
cannot be paid
129
to let go give up, renounce
130
to reclaim (in this context) repossess
131
asset thing of value, property in some saleable form
132
crash economic collapse
133
the mainstream orthodoxy, the conventional wisdom
134
just (in this context) immediately
135
hill small mountain, area of elevated terrain
136
to get it right (get-got-got) make a correct prediction
137
regardless of irrespective of
138
main primary, principal
139
commodity item, product, thing
Issue 147 Think in English47
6. Functional English: Ways of Speaking
& Laughing (2m23s)
Commentary: Listen to these phrases and sounds from
pp. 30-31.
Monologues: My Most Missable Movies
 (14m46s)
Commentary: Listen to these people talking about
films they wish theyd never seen.
7. Monologue 1 [American English] (3m49s)
Until my early thirties I would watch any movie at all,
regardless of137 genre and quality. What can I say, I
really enjoyed watching them. For the past few years,
however, I have watched fewer and fewer movies. The
main138 reason for this is simply a question of time.
Before I would use my free time as if it were a cheap,
unlimited commodity139, whereas37 now I realize140
just141 how precious it really is. That said, during my
misspent youth142 there were plenty of143 films I wish I
had never seen. One that immediately comes to mind is
a film from 1998 titled Wild Things. It stars Neve Camp-
bell, from Scream, Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon, who
also starred in Footloose another flick144 I wish I had
never seen. Now, Id have to say that Wild Things is one
of those films that is so bad that its good because I
actually32 finished watching it. Without spoiling145
the movie, its basically your146 typical revenge story.
My problem with the movie is that it has way too
many147 plot twists148. Just when you think the story
has reached its climax they throw another twist at you
and then another, and another and another. It really
becomes laughable because you think they couldnt
possibly go on, but they do, over and over again. So, if
you like movies with tons of unrealistic plot twists148
then this is for you. If not, avoid it at all costs. Another
film that I started to watch a few months ago is Sucker
Punch. Directed by Zack Snyder, who also directed
the great film 300. Sucker Punch is about a girl that
is wrongfully committed to an insane asylum149 by
her abusive stepfather150. Once institutionalized, she
withdraws151 into a fantasy world she creates in her
imagination. For some odd reason the asylum is full
of women who also work in a bordello/strip club. The
main152 character, along with a group of girls from the
asylum, hatches a plan153 to escape. When the main152
character practices her striptease dance shes so good
that everyone becomes entranced154. While dancing
she goes into her imaginary world where she and her
friends fight robots and other ridiculous characters
that are not even loosely155 tied to156 the story. In fact,
this film has no story whatsoever and poorly written
dialogue. The only thing it has going for it157 is its
special effects. The movie was so bad that I had to
turn it off after about 20 minutes. If you like movies
with scantily clad158 women wielding159 samurai
140
to realize (false friend) be conscious
141
just (in this context) quite, exactly
142
misspent youth wasted/dissipated younger years
143
plenty of more than enough, an ample number of
144
flick (colloquial) movie, film
145
to spoil (spoil-spoilt-spoilt) ruin
146
your (colloquial/in this context) a
147
way too many (emphatic) far too many
148
plot twist surprise in the story(line)
149
insane asylum mental hospital
150
ones stepfather the husband of ones mother who is not
ones biological father
151
to withdraw (-draw/-drew/-drawn)
retreat, retire
152
main (in this context) central, focal
153
to hatch a plan devise a plan, plan
a strategy
154
to entrance enchant, captivate,
mesmerize, hypnotize
155
loosely vaguely, imprecisely
156
to be tied to be linked to, be
connected with
157
to have going for it have in its favour
158
scantily clad underdressed, semi-
naked
159
to wield brandish, swing, use
160
samurai sword
Think 147 | Tapescripts
swords160 and no storyline whatsoever, this ones for
you. I, however, recommend keeping well away from
it. Other movies I regret watching161 include most of
what Sylvester Stallone has starred in, except for Rambo
and Rocky. I think his worst movie of all time is Stop! Or
My Mom will Shoot! Another movie thats near the top
of my worst-film list is Guy Richies Swept Away, which
starred Madonna. In my opinion she cannot act. She
should stick to162 doing what she does best, her music.
8. Monologue 2 [British English]  (4m25s)
My most missable movies lets see. I think Id define
this in various different ways. The first is disappoint-
ment163. A movie that was made in 2009 called The Boat
that Rocked made by directed by Richard Curtis of
Four Weddings and a Funeral fame164 with a spectacular
cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, the Oscar winner, Rhys
Ifans, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh. I thought
that with a line-up165 like that it had to be excellent.
And also a story that was potentially one that was very,
very interesting to me, the story of Radio Caroline and
the pirate ship. That was a radio station that fed166 a
generation and, yes, a great deal of167 nostalgia about
the idea of where this ship was and how it came into
being because it was technically illegal and that added
to the interest and excitement of it all. And I was really
very interested to see a movie about the story of Radio
Caroline. And when it came to it they picked probably
the least interesting aspect of the whole affair which
was to say, yeah, there were a bunch of168 DJs out there
in the middle of the ocean somewhere getting high169
and being silly170 and having parties, but that wasnt
the point. It so wasnt the point. And I was very, very
disappointed171. So, there you go. Dont, especially,
especially if you have fond172 memories of Radio Caro-
line, dont go see that one, The Boat that Didnt Rock!
Let me see, choice number two, missable movies of
all time. Yes, this was actually32 surprisingly enough
recommended by a friend, a film called Let it Ride made
in 1989 with Richard Dreyfuss, an actor I really like a lot.
The trouble173 with this movie is that the message is
just42, as far as Im concerned174, the most missable
element of the entire thing. It is about a man whos
addicted to gambling175 who has a lucky day and just42
makes bets176 and keeps winning. And he thinks
in the beginning theres an idea of a message that
perhaps this isnt a good thing and he really ought to177
be giving it up178 and going back to try and mend179
his marriage. But he just42 ends up winning180 and his
wife sort of44 comes in line181. It was sad beyond
belief182. So, I really I couldnt see the point of that at
all, not from beginning to end, and none of it was of any
interest. That was choice number two. The third choice,
probably not even really a movie, its something that I
like to do when Im working on putting together183 a
script184 or something, I like to get a hold of185 as much
161
to regret watching wish I hadnt watched
162
to stick to (stick-stuck-stuck) limit oneself to, keep to
163
disappointment frustration of expectations
164
of X fame who is famous for X
165
line-up (in this context) cast
166
to feed (feed-fed-fed) (in this context) cater for, sustain,
nourish
167
a great deal of a lot of, much
168
a bunch of a group of
169
to get high (get-got-got) get stoned, experience the
effects of drugs
170
silly foolish, idiotic, ridiculous
171
to disappoint s.o. dissatisfy ones expectations
172
fond affectionate, nostalgic
173
trouble problem
174
as far as Im concerned in my opinion
175
gambling games of chance (e.g. in casinos)
176
to make bets (make-made-made) risk money in games of
chance (e.g. in casinos)
177
ought to should
178
to give sth. up (give-gave-given) stop doing sth.
179
to mend fix, repair
180
to end up winning win in the end
181
to come in line (come-came-come) accept the situation
182
sad beyond belief (in this context) ridiculously pathetic
183
to put together (put-put-put) prepare, organize
184
script (in this context) text for a play

Tapescripts | Think 147
footage186 as I can of whats been made of the story.
And this was a story that is a curious little piece. Its...
there are many, many, many film versions out there. Its
been staged187 many, many times called The Canter-
ville Ghost by Oscar Wilde and it should be a stormer188.
Its a bizarre189 little story about an American family
who moved into this house which has a ghost. And it
should be very, very funny. And I chose absolutely the
wrong version because I was seduced again by an actor.
It starred Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame. 1995, The
Canterville Ghost with Patrick Stewart and Neve Camp-
bell, definitely, definitely one to miss. They I think
what it was190 was a made-for-American-television
version and nobody gets191 it, nobody got why it was
funny and that came across loud and clear192. So, there
you go, three more to miss big time193.
9. Monologue 3 [Irish English] (2m54s)
My most missable movies. The first movie I think was
one of the most missable that Im sure everyone has
seen it, its Titanic by James Cameron. Yeah, the actual
Titanic194 took about 2 hours 40 minutes to sink but
the damn movie ran for195 almost three and a quarter
hours. James Cameron needed an extra half an hour to
suck us in196 and suck us dry197. The problem is when
I go to the movies I usually go to the bathroom first to
avoid any yknow56 awkwardness198 during the
movie, so I dont have to annoy199 anybody Im sitting
next to. And thats another reason why I sit at the end
of a row200 of seats, so I can get out to the bathroom
without causing any trouble201. But, of course, during
a three-and-quarter-hour movie it happened. About
halfway through I had to I had to go to the bath-
room. And all this North Atlantic icy water and pipes202
bursting203 and water coming up to peoples waists204
didnt help. So, eventually205 I had to just42 get up and
Excuse me, excuse me. Im sorry. Excuse me. Im sorry.
Excuse me. And all along the row everybody popping
up206 and then of course coming back Sorry, excuse
me. Sorry, excuse me, everybody getting up again.
And then of course not to mention that song by Celine
Dion, I think its called My Heart Will Go On207. And it
did go on and on208 and I dont know how many years
every time I hear that introduction on the is it a flute
or the tin whistle209?... gives me a shiver210. Another
movie that made me realize140 in a certain way I had
grown up, that I wasnt nine years old anymore was
when George Lucas announced that the Star Wars
was coming back. After about 20 years of pining and
yearning211 it finally happened. Lucas announced it and
geeks212 and 30-somethings213 all over the world went
giddy214. But if you ask me it sucked215. The Phantom
Menace it was called. Yknow56, the title alone sucked
pretty bad216. And the worst character in the movie
was this kind58 of giant seahorse called Jarjar. A lot of
people who havent seen the first three movies Star
Wars movies back in the 70s, 80s actually32 enjoyed
this latest trilogy. But those of us who were there the
185
to get hold of (get-got-got) obtain
186
footage moving images
187
to stage sth. perform sth. in the theatre
188
stormer (slang) impressive/admirable thing
189
bizarre weird, strange, surprising
190
what it was (informal) the problem was that it
191
to get (get-got-got) (in this context) understand
192
to come across loud and clear (come-came-come) be
very evident
193
big time (emphatic) certainly
194
the actual Titanic (false friend/emphatic) the Titanic itself
195
to run for (run-ran-run) continue for
196
to suck sth. in absorb sth.
197
to suck s.o. dry (in this context) exhaust s.o.
198
awkwardness discomfort
199
to annoy irritate
200
row line of things that are side to side
201
trouble inconvenience, nuisance
202
pipe tube
203
to burst (burst-burst-burst) break, explode
204
waist pelvis
205
eventually (false friend) in the end
206
to pop up (in this context) quickly stand up
207
to go on (go-went-gone) (in this context) continue living
208
did go on and on (emphatic) continue for a long time
48
Related
T Whats the worst film you ever saw? Why was it so insufferable?
Resources
first time around, well, we just42 cant watch it. But as I
say, it just42 made me realize140 that I think Im not nine
years old anymore.
10. Monologue 4 [British English] (3m38s)
OK, my theory about how to make a bad film. Well, there
are two basic ingredients to a movie. First you intro-
duce the characters and then you see what happens
to them. The most common mistake amongst217 film-
makers is not to establish the characters properly218 at
the beginning of the story. The central roles have to be
idiosyncratic enough to be believable and yet219 have
to have enough universal qualities for the viewer to
be able to identify with them. Often disaster movies
fail to establish the character before the action starts.
A classic example is the 2006 remake of The Poseidon
Adventure called Poseidon. The ship capsizes220 too
early and you have these people you dont know and
dont care about221 crawling through222 an obstacle
course223. Some of them die in the process but as a
viewer you are completely indifferent about this.
A less common mistake is to establish a character well
but then for too little to happen to him or her. A clas-
sic example is the Franco-Vietnamese film The Scent
of Green Papaya. Its a beautiful delicate piece but its
just42 too ponderous224. Its like watching footage186 in
very slow motion for over an hour and a half. The same
sort80 of thing be said for both the 1972 Russian version
of Solaris and 2002 remake starring George Clooney.
All three of these films have great merits, but, please,
dont ask me to watch them again.
Of course, if the two problems mentioned are
compounded225 thats much, much worse. Take the
case of Spielbergs 1941; ridiculous, badly drawn char-
acters in a completely nonsensical226 plot227. Another
example is Nicolas Cages 1993 movie Deadfall. In fact,
almost anything Cage has done since 1990 could fall
into this category. This is a shame228 because his first
few films were rather229 good. He seems to have an
unequalled capacity to choose bad scripts230. However,
if I had to choose an all-time worst movie ever it would
probably be Wild Things. On paper it looks promising.
Its got some good actors in it, including Bill Murray
and Kevin Bacon. However, its glossy231 and clichd in
the worst possible Hollywood way and it has the most
ridiculous plot227 Ive ever seen. Truly232, truly awful.
Its interesting because often I find that movies that
are universally lambasted 233 arent that bad. For
instance234, Catwoman and Battlefield Earth were both
viciously235 panned236 and I found them perfectly
watchable, not good but viewable at least. So, I think
the expectations you have when you see a movie obvi-
ously have a big impact on your level of disappoint-
ment163. Christopher Lambert, Chuck Norris or Steven
Segal couldnt disappoint171 because I expect nothing
from them. They could only pleasantly surprise me.
However, if an actor or director I appreciate makes a
dud237, I feel cheated238.
209
tin whistle
210
to give s.o. a shiver (give-gave-given)
cause s.o. to tremble
211
to pine and yearn want sth.
nostalgically
212
geek socially inept person
213
30-something s.o. aged between
30 and 39
214
to go giddy (go-went-gone) (in this
context) become delirious
215
to suck (informal) be awful, be
terribly bad
216
to suck pretty bad (informal) be
reasonably awful
217
amongst among, (in this context) by
218
properly appropriately
219
and yet but
220
to capsize (of a boat or ship) turn over in the water
221
to not care about s.o. have no empathy for s.o.
222
to crawl through clamber through, traverse using ones
hands and feet
223
obstacle course (literally) series of obstacles over an area
of terrain (used for training sportspeople, adventurers and
soldiers)
224
ponderous laboured, slow, turgid
11. Improvisation: His Posthumous
Career  (15m55s)
Commentary: Listen to the following improvisation.
Arnold Spinn (AS): OK, I dont think I need to explain
why I called this meeting.
Ken Tonn (KT): No, its been really hard239 lately240. Im
really, really devastated.
Finn Boweller (FB): Its a major shame241.
KT: Such a musical genius should leave us so soon.
Macey Joberg (MJ): My poor Johnny.
FB: Yeah, Im really sorry about that.
AS: Macey, Im sorry that I forgot to give you my
condolences. It just42 it sent this my world into
this spin242.
FB: Your world?!
AS: Im sorry. I just42 forgot. I forgot to tell you that Im
so sorry that Johnnys gone and I forgot to tell you.
MJ: Well, I wouldnt have been able to pick up the
phone243 anyway. Im just42 so devastated. And thanks,
even if its two weeks after oh, no two days, sorry.
Yeah, Im just42 so
FB: It seems like two weeks. I mean27, in situations like
this yknow56 time kind of74 plays games on
your head, you know?
KT: Yeah, I mean27, even though I this I know were
all sad and this is a very, very difficult time for all of us.
FB: Thats right.
KT: I think we really need to to focus here even if it
is for a few minutes because the next steps244 that we
take are very important not only for Johnny but for
all of us and
FB: I agree, I agree.
KT: But and after being Johnnys agent for such a
long time yknow56 its I really dont know what
to do with life. But the last thing I do and this I prom-
ised Johnny before he left us was to make sure that
yknow56 Ken that the material thats still out there,
the last stuff245 you recorded and we havent released
yet, that we would release it and make sure that it was
tasteful246. I think that
AS: Do you have any idea?
KT: Johnny would really appreciate that.
AS: I wasnt aware of247 this. What kind58 of material
did he give you?
KT: Well, theyve they were working on a new album,
werent you, right?
FB: Yeah, we were working on yeah, I dont know
the title now under the situation, but yknow56 we
were working on this one the title of the CD was
Drunk Again in LA, you know? And I feel kind of74
bad since248 yknow56 basically he yknow56
I mean27 we all know he drank himself to death
yknow56 I mean27 So I dont know if we should
change that.
MJ: The poor tortured soul249!
FB: Yeah, torture, thats a good way to describe things,
yeah.
225
to compound combine, occur together
226
nonsensical ridiculous, ludicrous, idiotic
227
plot (of a film or book) story(line)
228
this is a shame this is unfortunate
229
rather (in this context) surprisingly
230
script text for a movie (before it has been made)
231
glossy shiny, lustrous
232
truly really
233
to lambaste criticize, condemn
234
for instance for example
235
viciously fiercely, vigorously
236
to pan (colloquial) criticize, lambaste
237
dud (in this context) awful movie
238
to cheat bamboozle, dupe, defraud
239
hard (in this context) difficult, arduous
240
lately recently
241
major shame really sad thing, great misfortune
242
into this spin (in this context) out of control
243
to pick up the phone answer the telephone
244
steps measures, moves, strategy
245
stuff things, (in this context) music
246
tasteful in good taste, appropriate, decorous
247
to be aware of be conscious of
248
since (in this context) because, given that
249
soul spirit, psyche, person
Think in English Issue 147
 Think 147 | Tapescripts

MJ: What about re-issuing250 the stuff245 from? You
know I think its a good time for a tribute and all the
stuff245 that his fans loved we should probably try to
promote some of that.
FB: Yeah.
MJ: You know?
FB: Yeah, we should. I do would like to have also
yknow56 my name included in that. I dont wanna251
sound egotistic or anything, but after all I did write all
the music. I know he was yknow56 he was the one
up there with the crowd252, facing253 the crowd, and
yknow56 he was the showman and everything. But
and I am I think its necessary also that we do bring
out yknow56 a lot of the maybe a compilation
of the big hits that we did together.
AS: Well, I dont mean to sound callous254, but since
Johnny passed away255 all his stuff245 has just42 fallen
off the shelves256 and even the online stuff245. And I
think the fans are ready for a new album.
FB: Yeah, that sounds good. But like as I said yknow56
Im gonna29 have to yknow56 I mean27, this is a
business meeting, so we have to talk and bring things
out in the open. But, I mean27, really I would like to
make sure that I do get257 some credit on this because
after all I mean27 Johnny was singing my songs
and yknow56 his extremism on stage258 was a big
attraction and
KT: Sure, Johnny sold your music though really.
FB: Yeah, drinking and throwing up259 on stage258
and not being able to get yknow56 through260
the songs. But, I mean27, people kind of74 love that
kind58 of thing, you know? I mean27, people like people
who are yknow56 self-abusive261 and put on a
good show, you know? I mean27, but but, yeah, if
KT: Sure, but I mean27 at the same time though,
Ken, youre still alive and Johnnys the one thats dead.
FB: Yeah.
KT: I think we should really concentrate on Johnnys
legacy here, not yours.
FB: Yeah, well, erm
KT: Cos28 you still have time to make your own legacy.
FB: Yeah, well, but yknow56 a lot of my legacys tied
up in262 Johnny, you know? I mean27, I was constantly
taking him I mean27 yknow56 wed have shows
and hed be drunk and passed out263 in yknow56
the hotel room and yknow56 wed have to pour264
cold water and ice on him and then take him into the
shower. I mean27 yknow56 I mean you know Johnny
was a little excessive, you know?
KT: Sure.
FB: And theres a lot of work going in there.
KT: I was there.
FB: You know 15 years I was doing that stuff265!
KT: I know, Ken. I was there. I was there the whole time.
FB: You know, I mean, come on! You know, I mean27, I
know that you know
KT: But thanks to Johnny we all we all were able to
eat, we all made a living266.
FB: Yeah, thats true. We all made a living, but, man,
was that a hard267 living to make. Yknow56, I mean27,
getting him to turn up to recording sessions was almost
impossible. You know, I mean27
KT: Sure, but you cant
FB: Im sorry Marcy I mean27, Macey. Im sorry, but
yknow56 I guess268 I guess all this is AS: Finn? Finn?
MJ: Yeah, we all know what he was like. FB: I was telling him all the time. I said, Stop your
KT: But we cant deny269 that he was definitely a musical damn drinking!
genius and I think whatever we do AS: Save it for282 the wake283.
FB: Musical genius? KT: Yeah.
KT: Yes, and I think whatever AS: OK.
FB: He got up there and shouted and threw up259 FB: Well
on stage258! I mean27, come on! Thats called genius? AS: We know how you feel.
Come on! FB: Yeah.
KT: But thanks to that youve been around for so many AS: Any other ideas for how we can lets say
years and you made quite a good living. well?
FB: But at the concerts whos singing the choruses270 KT: I think we should just42 be blunt284 about it.
out there? Whos singing the choruses? The publics FB: Well
singing my choruses, OK? KT: I mean27, were here to make money and to make
AS: Finn the most out of what you guys created in the past
FB: Theyre my choruses. 15 years.
AS: Finn, Finn FB: You know we could
FB: Im sorry. KT: I mean27, for me, for you, Finn, and for you as
AS: Alright, but youre right, absolutely right. I well285, Macey.
mean27 AS: To make money and of course to eulogize286
FB: I know Im right! I was there 15 years from the begin- Johnny.
ning from the beginning! FB: Well, how about a T-shirt, Thank God Johnnys
AS: Youre absolutely right. I never acknowledged271 it. Dead! yknow56 Im sorry.
MJ: You were there 15 years? MJ: Yeah, I think that I think that we should take
FB: You were there even longer. I mean27 advantage of the situation and try to make the most
AS: So Ill tell you what, Finn of the fact that this man ruined our lives and tortured
FB: I dont know how you did it, but I have to give I us for 20 years.
have to hand it to you272. You really did a FB: Well, you know Im amazed287 that youre
AS: Finn, Finn KT: So, the truths coming out288?
FB: Yeah. FB: admitting that. Yeah. So
AS: Ill tell you what, why dont you produce the retro- KT: The truths coming out288 in this meeting, huh,
spective of Johnnys gems273? How does that sound? Macey?
For next Christmas, hows that? You can pick 274 the FB: So
songs. AS: Did I just did I just hear right there, Macey?
FB: Well, weve got MJ: I Im sorry to say it was very tough289 living with
AS: Youll be duly275 noted276 on all the covers277 him. It was very difficult. I put up with290 a lot and all I
FB: OK. want is some peace now.
AS: you wrote the stuff245, you wrote the material. AS: Johnny?
FB: Well, you know what the funny was that I wrote KT: I cant believe this.
the material but who gave them the titles? Yknow56, AS: What?
I mean27, Ive got titles like Sex on the Beach, Loves of FB: Wow! Im really
Sun what is it? Songs of Sun and Love I mean27 KT: I think we know two different Johnnys here.
AS: Get yBitch Ass Back to278 Minnesota. AS: OK. Alright.
FB: But that actually32 that one did279 really well. FB: Well, what Johnny do you know? I dont know.
That one did really well. Everybody loves the title of Where were you?
that song. But and I have to hand it yknow56 AS: The widow291 has spoken.
to272 Johnny. He did pick 274 a good one on that one. FB: I mean27, youre his agent. You should know him
But Tequila Twist did really well too. I mean27, we could fairly292 well.
probably yknow56 take stuff245 from that and put KT: I do know293 him very well.
it on the compilation. AS: Pardon me.
AS: Well, Ill let you pick 274 them all. MJ: Oh, come on! Dont
FB: Oh AS: The widow291 has spoken. OK, so, hey, I mean27,
AS: Thats your job. you opened that genie294. Its yours.
FB: Well, OK, OK. KT: I cant believe youre saying that, Macey. After
AS: You get the honour. everything that Johnny put up with290
FB: Im for that. Im for that. I appreciate that. As long FB: You cant believe shes saying that?!
as106 I get my names in the credit also. You said that, KT: No, I cant. I really cant. You know
didnt you? FB: You know what we all had to go through for the
AS: Did I say you werent going to? last 15 years? Jesus!
FB: No. Yes, I think you did say280 that. OK, OK. I mean27, KT: Yeah.
of all times281, you know? When we were at the top FB: The vomit sessions were incredible! Days I mean
of yknow56 on the top of it all, on top of the world week binges295, binges. I just Ill shut up.
and he goes and drinks himself to death. I mean27, KT: Yeah, well, youve had some problems with drink-
Jesus Christ! ing as well285, Ken. So, I mean27, you cant you cant

250
to re-issue re-release, publish again 266
to make a living (make-made-made) earn a salary worse moment
251
wanna (slang) want to 267
hard difficult, arduous 282
save it for (in this context) leave it until
252
the crowd (in this context) the audience 268
I guess I suppose 283
wake party after a funeral
253
to face (in this context) appear in front of 269
to deny negate, opposite of admit 284
blunt (in this context) frank
254
callous unfeeling, cold-hearted 270
chorus refrain, part of a song that is repeated several times 285
as well too, also
255
to pass away (euphemistic) die 271
to acknowledge express gratitude for 286
to eulogize commemorate
256
to fall off the shelves (fall-fell-fallen) sell like hot cakes 272
I have to hand it to s.o. I salute your/s.os merits 287
to be amazed be astonished, be very surprised
257
do get (emphatic) get, receive 273
gems (in this context) most valuable songs 288
to come out (come-came-come) emerge
258
on stage in performance, in front of an audience 274
to pick choose, select 289
tough difficult, arduous
259
to throw up (throw-threw-thrown) vomit 275
duly appropriately 290
to put up with (put-put-put) tolerate, suffer
260
to get through sth. (get-got-got) finish sth. 276
to note (in this context) acknowledge, recognize 291
widow woman whose husband has died
261
to be self-abusive do things that harm ones health 277
covers outside of a CD 292
fairly quite, reasonably
262
to be tied up in be linked to, be connected with 278
get ybitch ass back to (slang) come back to, return to 293
do know (emphatic) know
263
to pass out faint, lose consciousness 279
to do (do-did-done) (in this context) sell 294
to open that genie open that can of worms, implicitly gave
264
to pour tip, splash, drop 280
did say (emphatic) said permission for that theme to be openly talked about
265
that stuff those things, (in this context) looking after him 281
of all the times (in this context) he couldnt have chosen a 295
binge drinking session

Issue 147 Think in English49

 Related Can you think of any pop stars who made a good career move by dying? Is our reverence
Tapescripts | Think 147 4
Resources for dead celebrities hypocritical?

criticize him too much for that.
FB: Drinking? I drank one beer to every five of his and
that was just76 to keep him happy, so he had a drinking
buddy296, you know?
MJ: Thats OK. When he drank 50 it wasnt that good.
You didnt look that good either, no.
FB: No, no. But I
MJ: And you got him into a lot of trouble297.
FB: I got him into trouble?!
MJ: Yeah.
FB: I got him into trouble? Hes the one who always
suggested going here and going there. We went
to every dive298 in LA. Thats where we got the title
Drunk in LA. Every dive you could imagine, holes in
the walls299 we went to and I had to sit there while he
just42 yknow56 drank himself silly300 I mean silly.
I dont know how many fights we got into because of
his yknow56 belligerent and insulting attitude to
people. I dont know
AS: Then having to explain to Phil Spector about why
yknow56 the star of the show wasnt there.
FB: Well Phils another hes another case too. Boy,
Phil I mean27 Phil and his gun, you know? That would
get him out of the bed, you know?
AS: And the missed headline301 and what else?
FB: Phil would pull out his gun and then Johnny get
up yknow56 I mean...
AS: I mean27, Ive got my litany302 too. But you were
there with him Finn.
FB: What am I supposed to do? We were a duo
yknow56 there were the two of us, you know? I
mean27
AS: Hey, that sounds like a great next album cover
What Am I Supposed to Do?
FB: Yeah.
AS: Were a Duo.
MJ: Life without Johnny.
AS: What to Do with a Duo?
FB: Thats you know
AS: What to Do with a Duo?
FB: What to Do with a Duo? What Do We Do? Do we
Do we Do
AS: What to Do with A Duo Now that Were One?
FB: Yeah, Now that We Are One. Yeah, thats good. Were
gonna29 have to find somebody.
AS: We have for the best of it.
FB: Do you know any alcoholics?
MJ: You know you could probably project him on.
Remember like you could do a projection of Johnny
and you could do a duo with a projection of him.
AS: Its like a holograph.
FB: Yeah, yeah, well I think we just need to find
another drunkard thats all.
MJ: No drinking, no sleeping around303, no
AS: I mean27
FB: You knew about that? Im sorry. I mean 27
yknow56 I always felt I needed to tell you but I just42
couldnt. You know I didnt have the heart to304 do
it, you know?
MJ: Oh, thank you, thank you very much. Five years
into this marriage when I started figuring things out305.
That was very fun.
AS: So whats what was Johnny like in bed, Finn?
FB: What? What? What? What? What?
296
drinking buddy friend one drinks with, companion drinker
297
to get s.o. into trouble (get-got-got) create problems
for s.o.
298
dive (slang) disreputable bar
299
hole in the wall dive298
300
to drink oneself silly drink until you are unconscious/
comatose
301
headline (in this context) opportunity to be the headliner
(most prominent musical group/entertainer) of a show/
concert
302
litany (in this context) list of criticisms
303
sleeping around promiscuity
304
not have the heart to (have-had-had) not be able to do
sth. because it seems too cruel
305
to figure sth. out work sth. out, become conscious of what
is happening
AS: Are you coming to your confession here?
FB: What? What? I cant believe you said that to me,
man!
AS: Oh, it wasnt you? Im sorry.
FB: No, it wasnt me, man. I dont know who it was,
but it wasnt me.
KT: Ive
MJ: I wouldnt be surprised of that, poor fellow306.
Oh, gosh!307
AS: It was all this bonding308 over the bottle, you know?
FB: I mean27, yeah, the bonding over the bottle, but
come on, man! You know I dont care. I mean27, to each
their own309, you know? They have their thing, what
they want to do. But, man
AS: Not that theres anything wrong with it.
FB: No, theres nothing wrong with it, man. Theres
nothing wrong with it. But it just 42 wasnt with me,
you know? I mean27
AS: I see.
KT: You guys! Ive been biting my lip310 far too long311
in this meeting.
FB: Was it you?
KT: No. Talking about Johnny and his drinking problem,
you know who drove him to drink so much, dont you?
It was you, Macey, and you, Ken. I mean27
FB: What exactly are you implying?
KT: you guys drove him to his drunken binges295.
Macey, for example, I knew from the start that Johnny
was getting himself in a whole heap of312 trouble when
he hooked up with313 you.
MJ: Dont be a fanboy314, Ken.
KT: No, I knew.
MJ: Youre so blind to315 him and his ways all the time.
KT: I knew he could do so much better.
MJ: You tolerated so much stuff316.
KT: But, no, he wouldnt listen to me.
MJ: Oh, come on!
KT: And look. Look what happened.
MJ: What happened?
KT: Look at what has happened.
FB: You know, youre just
KT: Tragedy.
FB: All you did was brownnose317 him all the way. Your
nose is so brown from brownnosing him about all his
wonderful stuff245 that he did. You know, come on!
Come on!
KT: Thats because hes a musical genius and I saw it
from day one318.
FB: Musical genius? He didnt write anything. I wrote
it all! I wrote it all!
AS: Yeah, but Ken represented him.
KT: Yes.
FB: But actually32 he represented he represented us.
KT: No, Im Johnnys agent, really, Ken. I just42 happen
to look after 319 you cos28 you were there. But my
responsibility was Johnny.
FB: Man, I really cant believe this. I really cant believe
this. I dont know I dont know.
AS: Well, Finn
FB: Just screw it all320, man! Screw it all! Screw it all!
Im not going Im not gonna29 go with this. Im not
gonna29 go with this.
AS: Now that Johnnys gone youre no longer second
banana321, OK? So, now youll do the compilation, you
306
fellow guy, bloke, man, chap
307
gosh! (minced oath) God!
308
bonding camaraderie
309
to each their own people should do what makes them happy
310
to bite ones lip (bite-bit-bitten) not say what you want to say
311
far too long much too long
312
a whole heap of (colloquial) a lot of
313
to hook up with (colloquial) begin a relationship with
314
fanboy (slang) extreme fan, obsessive follower
315
to be blind to s.o. not be conscious of what s.o. is doing
316
so much stuff so many things (in this context) so much
misconduct
317
to brownnose s.o. (US colloquial) try to ingratiate oneself
to s.o., flatter s.o., be sycophantic to s.o.
318
from day one right from the start, from the very beginning
319
to happen to look after s.o. take care of s.o. fortuitously
will do the gems273 and you will pick 274 the tracks322 for
the live recording. Hows that? For Christmas.
FB: Youre serious?
AS: Absolutely!
FB: Youre serious?
AS: Absolutely. I mean27, hey, look
FB: Ill be able to choose Ill be able to choose the
songs?
AS: Its out in the open now. Macey has spoken. Its
out in the open.
FB: OK.
AS: I have to confess here. I if I show any deference
its for the widow291 here and she appears to be show-
ing absolutely no no loss.
MJ: What do you mean?
AS: No?
MJ: No, Ive lost Ive lost a lifelong partner323 here.
Its Im sad. He was just42 a very hard267 person to
live with. And you all contributed to making him the
person that he was and the person that you could not
talk to after 11 oclock in the morning after the first
couple of drinks.
KT: Here we go!324
MJ: He was a very difficult person to live with. But that
doesnt mean that I didnt love him once.
FB: Well, we all loved him in our own kind of 74
way, you now? I mean27 he was a bastard but still I
mean27 you had to feel something cos28 there was
something different about different about Johnny.
KT: Yes, he yeah, genius.
12. Picture Description (2m11s)
Commentary: Listen to this person describing the
two photographs on p. 42.
Examiner: Id like you to describe these two street
photos.
Examinee: In the first picture we see a street market,
two stalls 325. The one in the background 326 has
clothing and the one in the foreground327 is a stall
selling fresh fruit. There are many varieties of fruit.
The salesman is talking animatedly to a prospective
costumer about his fruit presumably. Its a bright sunny
day and the colours are very bright in the picture. We
see melons and bananas and pears328 and plums329
and different fruit. In the second picture a young man
is standing looking at a van330 selling traditional ice
cream. There is only one person in this picture and
he appears to be deciding which ice cream he would
like to buy. So both pictures are about food and
or something to eat and about buying something to
eat erm on the street. In the first picture there are
several people and its a busy picture and in the second
picture theres only one young man with his back to
us contemplating the ice cream van.
Examiner: How do you feel about buying food in
the street?
Examinee: Oh, I think that depends on what sort 80 of
food one buys in the street. Im quite sure that buying
fresh fruit or vegetables on a market stall325 is the same
as buying the fresh fruit or vegetables in a supermar-
ket or for that matter331 buying ice cream from an
ice-cream van. Im not sure that I would however buy
prepared food or cooked food from a stall325 on the
street.
320
just screw it all I dont care about anything anymore
321
to be second banana play second fiddle, be s.os deputy
322
track song
323
partner significant other, lover
324
here we go! now s/hes started!
325
stall stand, booth
326
the background the part of the picture furthest
from the speaker (according to the perspective)
327
the foreground the part of the picture
nearest to the speaker (according to the
perspective)
328
pear
329
plum
330
van
331
for that matter given that we have
mentioned it

50 Think in English Issue 147

 YEAR XI

Publisher

In Next MonthsThink

Staff
Agustn Buelta

Editor
Nick Franklin
NickAtThink@gmail.com

Artistic Director
Marina Carresi

Sub-Editor
Nathan Burkiewicz

Produced by:
Revistas Profesionales, S.L.

Published by:
Ediciones Mejora, SL
C/Valentn Beato 42, 3 plta.
Telf. Subscriptions:
91 304 87 64 - Fax: 91 327 13 03
rpsuscripciones@revistasprofesionales.com
Photography:
Cover photos: Slater by Scott Smith; Micro-cosmos
by NIAID NIH; Chichester by Marina Carresi
Marina Carresi, Leonardo L. Carresi, Isabel Rodrguez, Sara
L. Carresi, Karine Koehler
+ photos kindly supplied by the British Embassy in Madrid.

International Relations:
Mara Martn Martn

Page Design:
Nathan Burkiewicz

Writers & Contributors:

Douglas Jasch, Colman Keane, Prof. Raoul Franklin,
Almudena Cceres (webpage), Marina Carresi,
Fabiola Vieyra
Photo by Khanrak Travel - Charleston, South Carolina
Voices:
Photo by Erik van Leeuwen

Hamish Binns, Nathan Burkiewicz, Nick Franklin, Ruth

Hellema, Lois Humphrey, Susannah Jones, Dave Mooney,
Rod Musselman, Nicolas Saint-Lary, Irene Tremblay

Sound Engineer:
Josu Bravo

Advertising:
Irene Martn
Irene_marpe@hotmail.com

Barcelona Office:
Mariano Snchez
c/Rocafort 241-243, 5o 1.
Tel. 93 322 12 38

Printing:
LMS Soluciones Grficas
C/Escosura 8
LMS 28015 Madrid
Feature - Richard III History/Psychology - The Olympics
Soluciones Grficas
Tel. 686 94 28 56

Distribution:
Travel| Charleston, Psychology| What makes the SGEL, S.L.
Avda. Valdelaparra, 29 (Pol. Ind).
South Carolina Olympics so popular? 28108 Alcobendas
(Madrid)
Telf.: +34 91 657 69 00
Feature| Confessions of a Functional English | Distribution in Mexico:
neo-monarchist The language of sports DIMSA
c/Mariano Escobedo, 218
Col. Anhuac 11320 Mxico, D.F.
Economics| Deutschland ber Pronunciation| Pre-primary Argentina
Alles: What can we learn from the stress: Words whose stress changes Capital Federal: Distrimachisa
Interior: York Agencysa
German economy? Tel. (5411) 433 150 51
Words| It does matter! Exportation
Great Theatre | The uses of matter
In-House

Which Shakespeare character Depsito Legal

M-36871-1998
are you? Men ISSN1139-5370
CD Debate: P.V.P.: 5,95 incluido IVA.
Brazil-R$14.90
History| Olympic Origins The Future of
All rights reserved. Neither all nor part of this magazine can be reproduced,
the Monarchies? recorded in or transmitted by any information recovery system by any means,
whether they be mechanical, photochemical, magnetic, electronic, photo-
copies or any other method or used for commercial purposes without prior
Webpage: www.thinkinenglish.net
www.myspace.com/thinkinenglish Song: written permission from the publisher and in accordance with the Law of
Intellectual Property. Any violation of these terms and conditions will be
www.revistasprofesionales.com My Love is like a Red, Red Rose prosecuted to the fullest extent to the law.
La editorial, (Ediciones Mejora), a los efectos previstos en el artculo 32.1,
E-mail: by Robbie Burns prrafo segundo vigente TRLPI, se opone expresamente a que cualquiera
thinkinenglish@revistasprofesionales.com de las pginas de (Think in English), o partes de ellas, sea utilizada para la
You can also find us on Facebook. (performed by Hamish Binns) realizacin de resmenes de prensa. Cualquier acto de explotacin (repro-
duccin, distribucin, comunicacin pblica, puesta a disposicin, etc.) de
la totalidad o partes de las pginas de (Think in English), precisar de la
oportuna autorizacin que ser concedida por CEDRO mediante licencia
dentro de los lmites establecidos en ella.
All Rights Reserved Printed in Spain
Bookmark | Think in English 147

Think 147 Think 147

BIRDS
BY HABITAT
BIRDS
BY HABITAT

Upland birds

Coastal birds

Wetland birds

Heath birds

B
www.thinkinenglish.net Woodland birds