used of one of a pair when the other is missing, as an odd shoe or glove;
used of one or more members of a set when separated from the rest, as
two odd volumes of an encyclopaedia; 4) extra, over, as thirty odd years, fifty and some odd miles; 5) occasional, not regular, as odd jobs; 6) strange, not ordinary, surprising, as an odd person (way, manner; look, appearance, behaviour), e. g. How odd!
Note: strange, odd and queer are synonyms; strange means out of the natural order of things; odd refers to what one does not ordinarily see and is surprised at; queer implies some doubt as whether all is well, e. g. a queer feeling, a queer affair.
oddly adv in an odd manner; oddly enough strange to say, e. g. Oddly enough, she did not turn up at the party.
odds Ji pi. the chances in favour, e. g. The odds are against us. odds and ends remnants, e. g. What's to be done with all these odds and ends of the paper?
8. concern n 1) that in which one is interested, e. g. It's no concern of mine. It's my own concern. What concern is it of yours? 2) anxiety, worry, as the teacher's concern over the pupil's progress.
concern vt 1) to have to do with, e. g. That doesn't concern you at all. As far as I'm concerned .... He is said to be concerned in this affair. (He is said to be mixed up in this affair.) 2) to be busy with, interest oneself in, e. g. Don't concern yourself with other people's affairs. I'm not concerned about details. 3) to take trouble about, e. g. Lord Illingworth had never been concerned about his son.
concerned adj anxious, e. g. He has a very concerned look. ant. unconcerned.
concerning prep about, regarding, e. g. Montmorency manifested great curiosity concerning the kettle.
9. sympathy n a fellow-feeling, a feeling of pity, as to arouse (show, express) sympathy, e. g. You have my sympathies. I have no sympathy with (for) idle people. I feel some sympathy for her, she is unhappy.
sympathize vt to be interested in and approve of, e. g. I sympathize with you (your ambition to be a writer).
sympathetic adj 1) guick to understand and share other people's feelings, e. g. A good doctor is always sympathetic, ant. unsympathetic; 2) having or showing kind feeling towards others, e. g. I felt grateful to her for her sympathetic words.
sympathetically adv kindly, e. g. She smiled sympathetically.
10. fail vi/t 1) not to succeed, e. g. My attempt has failed. I tried to convince him, but failed. The maize failed that year. 2) not to pass, as to fail in mathematics, in an exam; 3) to break down, to die away, to let down, e. g. His courage failed him. His heart failed him. His sight (health) was beginning to fail him. I'll never fail you. Words failed me. 4) to neglect, omit, e. g. He never fails to write to his mother. Don't fail to let me know. I fail to see your meaning. I could not fail to perceive who she was.
failure n 1) lack of success, e. g. Success came after many failures. His efforts ended in failure. 2) a person who fails, e. g. She was a complete failure as an actress.
Word Combinations and Phrases
to alter manners (habits, points of
view, plans, one's way of living,
a dress) a ring at the bell (a knock at the
door) to reach out (up, down) for smth. to have a fancy for smth. to keep body and soul together to drive up to a house (come up
to the door)
to be littered with books
(papers, lumber, etc.) to have not the least notion (of
smth.) to remind smb. of smth. a dim recollection shabby clothes (house, man,
street) to be (feel, make oneself) at
home somewhere to exchange smth. (for smth.)
CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION
TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE
Topical Vocabulary
Virtuous (good) characteristics: affable, amiable, good-natured, good-humoured, kind, kind-hearted, communicative, sociable, friendly, modest, discreet, generous, considerate, attentive, thoughtful, earnest, sincere, enthusiastic, calm, quiet, composed, self-possessed, honest, merciful, impartial, just, patient, forebear-ing, sympathetic, respectable, cordial, broad-minded, witty, intelligent, dignified, capable, benevolent, philanthropic, scrupulous, consistent, easy-going, affectionate, devoted, loyal, courageous, persevering, industrious, hard-working, sweet, gentle, proud.
Evil (bad) characteristics: ill-natured, unkind, hard-hearted, reserved, uncommunicative, unsociable, hostile, haughty, arrogant, dashing, showy, indiscreet, unscrupulous, greedy, inconsistent, tactless, insincere, hypocritical, false, vulgar, double-faced, indifferent, dispassionate, fussy, unrestrained, dishonest, cruel, partial, intolerant, conceited, self-willed, wilful, capricious, perverse, insensible, inconsiderate, servile, presumptuous, deceitful, harsh, sulky, sullen, obstinate, coarse, rude, vain, impertinent, impudent, revengeful.
Unit Eight
SPEECH PATTERNS
1.Frank Ashurst and his friend Robert Garton were on a tramp.
Perhaps he struck her as strange.
They were on a hike.
We shall go on an excursion tomorrow.
I shall start on a tour next Sunday.
He will set out on a trip early in the morning.
The whole affair strikes me as queer.
The suggestion struck him as tempting.
That I found nobody at home struck me as odd.
Her question struck me as naive.
According to their map they had still some seven miles to go.
We have two hours to while away.
They still have a lot to do.
Jane still has two exams to take.
He has letters to mail.
Both were (as) thin as rails.
The boy is really as obstinate as a mule. She was as good as her word.
You're as sulky as a bear, what's the matter? And let me tell you he is as cross as two sticks.
Garton's hair was a kind of dark unfathomed mop. Passing through a sort of porch...
It was a sort of box.
It was a kind of game.
We spent the night in a sort of hut.
Garton was like some primeval beast. She looked like a wild flower.
He looked like a huge bear. The cloth looks like silk.