Lesson 6

Spelling: Mute Final -e

Rule 1

Final mute e is usually dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel letter; otherwise it would make two consecutive vowels: guide — guidance; amuse — amusing; fame —famous; refuse — refusal.

Exception: age — ageing.

Note 1. e is retained to show pronunciation in such words as: cou­rage — courageous; advantage — advantageous; service — serviceable.

N о t e 2. e is also kept after o: toe — toeing; shoe — shoeing; canoe — canoeing; tiptoe — tiptoeing.

Note 3. Verbs ending in -ie change the ie into у before -ing to avoid a double i: die — dying; tie — tying; lie — lying.

Note 4. Double e {ее) is retained before all suffixes except those beginning with e (-ed, -er, -est): agree — agreeable; see — seeing.

Note 5. Rule 1 is not strictly observed in the case of monosyllabic words when they are likely to be misread: likeable, saleable or: likable, salable.

Rule 2

Mute e is retained before a suffix beginning with a consonant (to keep the pronunciation): safe — safety; nine — nineteen; whole — whole­some; care — careful.

Exceptions: due — duly; true — truly; whole — wholly; argue — argument; nine — ninth.

Exercise 1. Form Participle I of the following verbs:

leave, use, lie, ride, canoe, see, face, save, raise, rise, tie, agree, tiptoe, wake, unite, take, make, strike, give, shake, clothe, bite, love, place, praise, promise, come, have, prepare.

Exercise 2. Add the suffixes to the following words:

-ance: guide, grieve, ignore, endure, resemble, continue;

-er: trade, dance, strike, love, skate, believe;

-less: hope, use, care, noise, blame, tire, voice, age, time, change, sense;

-ly: like, love, nice, affectionate, live, entire, true, whole, idle, simple, rare, immediate, private, large, strange;

-ment: announce, improve, excite, commence, agree, achieve, engage, abridge;

-ful: hope, hate, use, taste, peace;

-ous: fame, nerve, courage, continue;

-able: change, notice, advise, trace, agree, move.

Make sure you know the meanings of all the words.

Exercise 3. Add the suffix -ly to the words given in brackets. Translate the sentences.

1. Aunt Leonora came back from the kitchen, instantly seized Herr Untermeyer {affectionate) by the arm and led him to the window. 2.1 paused once, looking back, to offer my help, but Mr Wilbram seemed {mere) to be sunk in thought. 3.1 loved the expression she used; but if it was intended to improve the troubled atmosphere, it failed {complete). 4. Since Dinny said no further word on the subject occupying every mind, no word was said by anyone; and for this she was {true) thankful. 5. "Anyway," she said, with one of those charming and {whole) unexpected turns of mind, "Who's for cheese?" 6. "We are {extreme) sorry to give you this trouble," said Colonel Schroff. 7. Then Mr Barker appeared and showed him into a room, a comfortable room with lunch ready on the table and another table, {entire) bare, evidently waiting for him to spread his papers on it. 8. One day he was called to the manager's room, {due) reprimanded, and eventually pardoned in consideration of his long and faithful service. 9.1 have a friend who, after an absence of many years, has {late) settled down in London, with a wife, a cat, and a garden. 10. Strange faces smiled at Leila {sweet, vague). 11. Her interests were narrow, and she {rare) journeyed farther than the corner grocery.

Exercise 4. Add the suffixes given in brackets to the preceding words. Consult the rules about keeping or dropping mute e. Transtate the sentences.

^» 1. The dog's master appeared, the beam of a flashlight dance {-ing) before him. 2.1 may as well mention here that she made an advantage {-ous) match with a wealthy, worn-out man of fashion. 3. It wasn't from that dinner he remembered her, it was from notice (-ing) her in the street. 4. Glance

(-ing) at his companion, he wondered if she also remembered it. 5. The only notice (-able) thing about his appearance was the way his silver hair and beard contrasted with the dark tan of his skin. 6. He knows the boy is very courage (-ous), but he is also young. 7. But most people are afraid of face (-ing) this part of their nature. 8. The few soldiers in the streets were grey-faced and tired-looking... One thing was notice (-able): they never seemed to laugh. 9. The mechanic, who is extremely knowledge (-able) about any kind of machinery, knew exactly how to get the gate open.

A PASSAGE FOR DICTATION

Kathy Brown was twelve years old and always played with the boys in her street. One day, her parents decided that she should stop playing with boys all the time and learn to act like a young lady. They decided that Kathy should enroll immediately in Madame Lejour's School of Ballet, where she would learn to be more graceful and to walk about more delicately. Some of the Browns' neighbours scoffed at this idea, saying that Kathy was completely unchangeable and the lessons would be largely a waste of time. But the Browns desperately wanted their daughter to become more manageable, and truly believed that ballet lessons would accomplish this. After talking with Madame Lejour, who was wholly agreeable to the idea, Kathy was enrolled in the school. She was eager to show her parents that she could complete the course, and to prove to her neighbours that they had been wrong about her.

It was very difficult for her at first, but through courageous endurance, she learned many different steps, and even learned the fine art of tiptoeing. After six months, she had been changed from a tomboy into a young lady, and needless to say, the Browns rewarded Madame Lejour handsomely for her successful efforts.

A Text for Reproduction

YOU SHAN'T GET AWAY WITH IT

A big American car went up Winifred Street and stopped in front of a shabby-looking cottage just off the main road. It was indeed the finest vehicle it seemed that had ever moved about the moors of Scotland, and now that it came to Kircaldy it was bound to cause great commotion all over the town.

Presently a middle-aged gentleman got out of the car, or an automobile, as the Americans call it, paced across to the entrance gate, tore it open and made straight for the house. At that very moment the door opened and an old Scotsman came out into the garden. He wore a kilt and his grey hair waved in the wind. The gentleman made a dash over the flowerbed and found himself in front of the host.

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Note 3. Final -у changes to -e before -ous after "t": piteous, beauteous, plenteous, duteous.

Rule 2

Final -y preceded by a vowel letter is retained before all suffixes: day — days, play —playful, pay —pays, payment, enjoy — enjoyable.

Exceptions: gay — gaily, gaiety; day — daily.

Exercise 1. Use the adjectives given in brackets in the appropriate degree of comparison. Translate into Russian.

1. I've never seen a ... boy {lazy). 2. You are the ... person I've ever met (clumsy). 3. The ... thing to do is to go there at once (easy). 4. The party was much ... than I had expected (gay). 5. She is a ... girl, the ... I have ever met; and to-day she has been ... than ever (funny). 6. It was the ... day in my life (happy). 7. Yesterday she looked ... than ever (pretty). 8. Look at my hat. Isn't it lovely? — Yes, the ... I've ever seen (lovely). 9.1 can't say that I like this latest novel. I think his ... books are much better (early).

Exercise 2. Form adverbs from the following adjectives:

busy, lazy, gay, sly, heavy, dry, happy, merry, shy, ready, lucky, icy, easy, tidy, pretty, angry.

Exercise 3. Give the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives:

early, happy, witty, gay, grey, dry, shy, sly, easy, busy. Exercise 4. Give the plural of the following nouns:

day, country, beauty, joy, reply, monkey, baby, lady, storey, story, body, hobby.

Exercise 5. Write down the third person singular in the Present Indefinite and the Past Indefinite forms of the verbs:

dry, play, cry, stay, try, delay, comply, betray, destroy, fry, repay, copy.

Exercise 6. Give Participle I of the following verbs and use five of them in sentences of your own:

tidy, try, play, stay, enjoy, vary, study, marry, obey, apply.

Exercise 7. Write out from a dictionary all the words derived from the following, and translate them:

angry, merry, marry, shy, betray, employ, vary, beauty, industry, deny, history, apply, memory, plenty, pity, duty, gay, day.

Exercise 8. Use a suitable derivative of the word given in brackets. Translate into Russian.

1.1 wish you all the (happy) in the world! 2. He was well aware that this particular debt demanded prompt (pay). 3. The bride's parents did not approve of the (marry). 4. He likes to read (history) novels. 5. We've got a lot of electrical and other (apply) at home, but my husband buys more and more. Yesterday he bought a new one for opening tin cans, though we already have three. 6. Well-known critics and (essay) spoke well of the young author's new book. 7. A teacher likes his pupils to be (industry) and well-behaved. 8. The moment I dropped my gloves I hated myself and my (clumsy). 9. Mr Sedley could not believe that his former friend could be so cruel, so (mercy).

10. This was in some measure due to her (shy), which had not yet left her.

11. They were alone for an hour, because Tony was taking his (day) nap.

12. Lucy stopped and turned, and faced him (angry). 13. The prisoner's (deny) of his guilt surprised everyone. 14. He is quite a (rely) person.

A PASSAGE FOR DICTATION

AN UNPLEASANT (BUT AMUSING) INCIDENT

A famous English essayist once wrote about an incident that occurred during his babyhood, saying that although he had been too young at the time to remember the event personally, he had heard the story retold many times. This is what happened.

His aunt, Lady Astor, had a glass eye, but this was a well-kept secret that was known only to the family and servants. One evening, his aunt and uncle were giving a party at their home in the English countryside. It was his aunt's birthday, and the atmosphere was a joyful one. There was one guest present who had never met Lady Astor; he decided that matters would be easier if he just walked up to her and introduced himself. After doing so, he remarked that her eyes were beautiful. The butler, who was walking by with a tray, said without thinking, "Yes, didn't they do a fine job of matching her new eye to her old one!" At that the guest turned red and disappeared. Lady Astor immediately fired the butler, declaring that she wouldn't tolerate this betrayal of the secrets of one's employer. The butler begged to be reinstated, but Lady Astor was merciless. This incident took place in front of all the guests, to the great enjoyment of everyone present.

A Text for Reproduction

There was once a very rich old lady whose husband had died, and whose children had married and gone to live in foreign countries. When she reached the age of eighty and was too old to live alone and look after a house herself, this rich old widow went to live in an expensive and very comfortable hotel near the sea, in the south, where it was not too cold in winter.

This rich old lady had a pair of nasty, ugly dogs, which used to growl and bark at everybody, but which she loved very much, although nobody else did. They lived in the hotel with her and went wherever she did. After the old lady and her dogs had been at the hotel for nearly a year, a new young waiter came to work there and began to do everything that he could to help the old lady and be nice to her. He carried her blankets and pillows for her, helped her to get into and out of the car which she hired when she wanted to go for a drive and even pretended to like her unpleasant dogs and offered to look after them in his free time. He fed them, cleaned them and took them for daily walks for some years.

The young waiter did not doubt that, when the rich widow died, she would leave him a lot of money, to pay him for everything that he had done for her and her dogs; but when she did die a few years later, he soon discovered that she had left him only two things which she loved most in the world, and which she thought that he loved too—her dogs. All her money and jewellery went to her children, who had never done anything for her.

(from Intermediate Comprehension Pieces by L. A. Hill) EXERCISES

Exercise 1. In about 40 words give a description of: (a) the old lady; (b) her dogs; (c) the waiter. Use your imagination!

Exercise 2. Give a title to the story.

Exercise 3. Reproduce the story as if you were: (a) the old lady; (b) the waiter; (c) the owner of the hotel.

COMPOSITION EXERCISE. Complete the following passage with the help of the key words and phrases provided, which may be freely used:

Douglas and Robert were camping. One evening they broke their lantern, and made another putting a candle inside a cigarette tin and tying the tin to one of the tent-poles.

Suddenly tent fell down; candle had burnt tent-pole; tent caught fire; night in open air; end of camping holiday.

Lesson 8

Spelling: Homophones

Homophones are words which are pronounced in the same way, but spelled in a different way.

Copy the following homophones and look up their meaning in the dictionary:

allowed — aloud; air — heir,

be — bee; bare — bear; beat — beet; beach — beech; birth — berth; berry — bury; boar — bore; bean — been; bread — bred; brake — break; blue — blew; bow — bough; by — bye — buy;

cell—sell; cent—sent—scent; course — coarse; currant—current;

dear — deer; die — dye; dew — due;

flower —flour; fare —fair; father —farther; feat —feet; forth — fourth; for —four —fore; fir —fur;

gait — gate; grown — groan; great — grate.

Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from each group:

air — heir: 1. He got up with an ... of relief and yet reluctance. 2. The classroom should be .. .ed during the break. 3. John was the only ... to his uncle's estate.

allowed — aloud: 1. She read the passage ... so that her sister should understand what she meant. 2. Next day Jimmy was not... to leave the house again.

bare — bear: 1. The garden looked ... and deserted. 2.1 can't... the way you treat that man. 3. The ... has a massive body, coarse heavy fur and relatively short limbs.

beach — beech: 1. All the family sat round the table under a huge ... which grew near the house. 2. The day was stormy and there were very few people on the ....

bean — been: 1. Don't try to fool him with that suggestion. He knows how many .. .s make five. 2. I've always ... treated as a gentleman.

beat — beet: 1. While we were cutting up potatoes, carrots and ... root for the soup I looked up and suddenly burst out laughing. 2. For a moment I could not feel my heart. It had stopped ...ing.

berry — bury: 1. Are you going to ... yourself in your work? 2. There are a lot of different... and mushrooms in this forest.

birth — berth: 1. The upper ... was occupied by a young man who never took part in our conversation. 2. The news that Mrs Davis had given ... to a daughter seemed to make no impression on her relatives.

blue — blew: 1. A heavy storm ... up towards evening. 2. ... is my favourite colour.

bow — bough: 1. He was not a young man any longer; age had .. .ed his head. 2. He climbed onto the huge ... of a pine. 3. He greeted him with a low ....

brake — break: 1. Jerry was the first to ... the silence. 2. The driver put on the ... and the car stopped. 3. Wait a bit. We'll discuss it in the ... .

bread — bred: 1. He remained serene in a houseful of ill- ... people. 2. Her hands trembled while she was eating her ... and butter.

cell — sell: 1. The ... is a structural unit of plant and animal life. 2. Don't... this book, you may need it in future.

cent — sent — scent: 1. He could ... trouble the moment he stopped onto the porch. 2. The doctor was ... for immediately. 3. A... is a hundredth part of the U.S. dollar.

course — coarse: 1. The main ... was steak with vegetables. 2. His hands were ... and roughened by years of hard work. 3. Christine did an intensive Russian ... before she came to Russia.

current — currant: 1. We had reached the bridge over the river and stood there, gazing down at its strong .... 2.1 opened the gate and saw some ... bushes and a line of white flowers fringing the path.

dear — deer: 1. Two dollars! That was too ... for such a trifle. 2. What a ... little kitten! 3. An adult male ... is called a stag.

dew — due: 1. The grass and leaves of the trees were covered with .... 2. The meeting is ... to begin at 4 o'clock.

die — dye: 1. A man can ... but once. 2. He is a liar of the blackest....

fare — fair: 1. What is the ... from here to Moscow? 2. He was met by a .. .-skinned young girl with a beautiful crown of black hair.

farther — father: 1. Her ... lived not far from her, but they seldom saw each other. 2. Mr Jones' house is just a few steps ....

fir — fur: 1. We were decorating the .. .-tree when our guests came. 2. She had a very beautiful...-coat on.

flower — flour: 1. She liked violets more than any other .. .s. 2. ... is the finely ground meal of grain.

for — four — fore: 1. The part of the arm between the elbow and the wrist is called the ... arm. 2. These are good pills ... a cough, but you must not take more than ... pills at a time.

gate — gait: 1. At the ... I met a strangely familiar man dressed in black. 2. He walked with an awkward, stooping ... which was due to nervousness.

great — grate: 1. Her singing ...sonmy ear. 2.1 have a ... desire to spend a fortnight in the country.

grown — groan: 1. He is .. .-up and must be responsible for his actions. 2. The wounded man .. .ed when they tried to lift him.

Exercise 2. Copy and translate the following sentences:

1. The front part of the ship is called the bow. 2. Deer run fast. 3. Some currant bushes were seen reflected in the stream, the current of which was slow and quiet. 4. The feat of the four soldiers was highly praised by everyone. 5. Put your shoes on the grate, they are wet. 6. He recognized her at once by her gait. 7. There was barely suppressed fury in his voice. 8.1 laughed aloud, hugely amused. 9. They don't grow beet in this district. 10. "To expire" is a synonym for "to die". 11. It struck me at once that her hair looked like a spray of autumn beech-leaves. 12.1 don't like beans, I much prefer peas. 13. Her hair had been dyed to exactly the same beautiful shade as Sophie's. 14.1 saw the mother sitting at the table, her head buried in her hands. 15. He was the only heir to his rich grandfather. 16. A bore is

a man who, if asked what the time is, would tell you how to make a watch. 17.1 suddenly pushed open the garden gate and stepped inside to pick some berries from the nearest bush. 18. Hastily she grabbed her fur coat and ran out. 19. I'm not in the habit of stealing flowers from other people's gardens. 20. "I'd better go," — "Alone? Or could you bear my company?" 21.1 wanted to grind some corn into flour. 22. We hired a boat and rowed along the coast until we found a beautiful secluded beach. 23. There were apples, peanuts, and milk on the table, but never enough of even this primitive fare.

A Text for Reproduction

When Arthur Bloxham was in his last term at Oxford University he met a girl undergraduate who attracted him very much indeed. He asked Eve to tea once or twice and then, on the very last day of the term, which happened to be fine and sunny, he suggested that they should go rowing on the river and take a picnic lunch with them. Arthur could not row very well, but he managed to get a couple of miles upstream before it was time for lunch. Then the disaster occurred. Arthur stood up to climb out to the bank, but he unfortunately overbalanced and upset the boat, and both he and Eve fell into the river. The water wasn't deep, but it was cold and muddy, and when they had scrumbled out Eve was furious. They were both dripping wet, of course, but in addition Eve had lost her handbag, in which, to prevent it from getting splashed, she had put a gold wrist-watch which had been given to her on her twenty-first birthday only two months before. Arthur gallantly dived in to look for it, but it had sunk without trace in the thick mud of the river bed. There was nothing to do but go home. They had to walk half a mile across fields until they came to a road, and then stop a passing car that was going back toward Oxford. During all this time Eve refused to speak to him. When they finally arrived at the gates of her college she just disappeared without a word. The next day Arthur had to leave the University and go to meet his father in London. Before he caught the train he telephoned Eve, but an unknown voice told him she was unavailable.

(from Guided Composition Exercises by D. H. Spencer)

COMPOSITION EXERCISE. Complete the following passage with the help of the key words and phrases provided:

On his fourteenth birthday Donald was given a black retriever puppy. He called the dog Smokey and tried to train it to follow him everywhere, but his training was not very successful. The first time he took it for a long walk in the country Smokey ran off after a rabbit, and in spite of Donald's shouts disappeared from view.

Donald searched everywhere, couldn't find it; six hours later, a farmer rang Donald's home; near his farmhouse; Donalds' name and address on dog's collar; Donald overjoyed; went by bus to collect Smokey.