Lesson 4
Spelling: The Fourth Type of Syllable
A syllable of this type ends in r followed by e or some other vowel. The letter a is pronounced [еэ]: stare, dare, fare, bare, declare, rare, spare, square, mare, prepare, compare, hare, ware, aware.
Remember the words where this sound is rendered by the following combinations of letters:
air: air, chair, stair, affair, despair, fair, hair, repair, dairy,pair,
ear: bear, tear, wear, pear.
The letter e in this type of syllable renders the diphthong [is]: here, mere, sphere, sincere, severe, atmosphere.
Remember the words where this diphthong is represented by the letters:
eer: deer, queer, sheer, beer, steer, cheer, peer, pioneer, sneer, career;
ear: hear,year, dear, appear,fear, rear, near, clear, beard, spear, weary;
ier: pierce, pier, fierce.
The letters i, у render the triphthong [аю]: fire, wire, tired, require, admire, desire, inspire, hire, expire, tyre.
The same sound may be represented by the letter combination iar. briar, diary, liar.
The letter и renders the triphthong [jua]: cure, pure, secure, endure, obscure, fury, furious, curious, during, procure.
Exercise 1. Make sure you know the meaning of the words illustrating the rale. Learn them.
Exercise 2. Supply the missing letters and translate the words into Russian:
с — re, aff r, p — re, h — re, f—ry, sh r, h — re,
sw г, с — re, requ — re, w — re, qu r, f rce, w r,
d — re, h r, f—rious, nightm — re, p r, d ry, sp r,
p r, squ —re, p r, st r, rep r, d ry, r r,
I ' ~ Г, SI Г, t Г.
Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks with the words from the list below:
1. He is a man entirely without...; you can't frighten or intimidate him. 2. Paper catches ... easily. 3. Your behaviour leaves much to be .... 4. They couldn't go any farther because one of the ... had gone flat, and they had no ... one. 5. We ... people who succeed in spite of difficulties. 6. Reading this book is a ... waste of time. 7.1 ... he is in great danger.
English people often sign their letters: yours ..., followed by their name.
If you want to get there in time, you'll have to ... a cab. 10. Our rooms at the hotel were all that could be .... 11. ... burns. 12. Be careful, you will ... your dress on that nail! 13. Few animals and almost no trees can ... this ... climate. 14. The boys rushed to the rabbit. It was Bob's arrow that had ... the little animal. 15. A ... farm produces milk and butter.
A feeling of... came over him as the boat sank deep into the water.
The children rose half hungry after the ... meal. 18.1... you to deny the truth of what I have said. 19. You should ... of bad companions. 20. A... robbery took place yesterday. 21. Only a few people now keep a ....
22. Your constant talking will drive your teachers to .... 23. Mr Wilkes was a tall ... man. 24. She was wearing stockings of... silk.
spare (2), fear (2), admire, dairy, tear, tyres, despair (2), pierced, desired (2), fire (2), sheer (2), dare, daring, hire, beware, sincerely, severe, diary, bear.
A PASSAGE FOR DICTATION
Fleur having declared that it was "simply too wonderful to stay indoors", they all went out. Moonlight was frosting the dew, and an old sundial threw a long shadow. Two box hedges at right angles, dark and square, barred off the orchard. Fleur turned through that angled opening.
"Come on," she called. Jon glanced at the others, and followed. She was running among the trees like a ghost. All was lovely and foam-like about her, and there was a scent of old trunks, and of nettles. She vanished. He thought he had lost her, then almost ran upon her standing quite still.
(from To Let by J. Galsworthy)
A Text for Reproduction
Mr Jones liked to be comfortable, so when he got into a train he always used to put his suitcase on the seat beside him and pretend that it belonged to another passenger, who had gone to buy something in the station.
One day he did this when the train was very crowded. Other passengers came and sat in all the other seats except the one which his suitcase was lying on. Then an old gentleman arrived, looked at Mr Jones' case and said, "Is this somebody's seat?"
"Yes," answered Mr Jones. "A friend of mine is travelling with me, and he has gone to buy some cigarettes. He will return soon." Mr Jones opened the window and looked out, to make the old gentleman think that he was anxious about his friend.
"All right," said the old gentleman, "I'll sit here until your friend comes back, and then I'll stand somewhere." He put Mr Jones' suitcase up above him and sat down. Mr Jones did not feel happy about this, but he wasn't able to do or say anything, because all the other passengers were watching and listening.
Several minutes passed, the whistle blew, and the train began to move. Then the old gentleman jumped up suddenly and said, "I'm very sorry, but your friend seems to have missed the train. We don't want him to be separated from his suitcase, do we? I don't believe he would like that at all," and before Mr Jones was able to do or say anything to prevent him, he took his suitcase down and threw it out of the window which Mr Jones had opened.
You can be sure that Mr Jones never tried to play that game again.
(from Mozaika)
Composition Exercise. Complete the following passage in any way you like, using not more than 50 words.
I was driving to my friend's in the country in the middle of the winter when a heavy snowstorm started and stopped me from going either forwards or backwards. ...