4. Make new words by adding suffixes or prefixes to the italicized words. Translate the sentences.

-ty / -ly

1. It is not a beautiful building; but it has a certain charm.

2. I know for … that he is in there, but he won’t answer me.

3. He’s a brilliant student, isn’t he? Yes, he … works very hard.”

4. I can’t say with any … what my plans are.

-tion / -ive / -or

1. He always invents a hundred reasons why he can’t go there.

2. He is a very … author. The plot of his stories is difficult to predict. He tries to keep the reader in suspense.

3. Conan Doyle was a great … of mysteries and a twist of unpredictable events.

4. The whole story is a great …; I don’t believe a word of it.

-Ful / -less / -ly

1. What was the purpose of her visit?

2. “I’m sorry. I stepped on your toe; it was an accident.”

“It wasn’t! You did it on … “

“You are not right. I make you sure I didn’t do it …. .”

3. His aim is quite clear and he is highly …. to reach it.

4. All his attempts to make her read more were … .

-acy / -ly / -in

1. Is the station clock accurate?

2. If your translation of the book is …. , it will be difficult to understand what the author wanted to tell us.

3. He is always doing his job … . I can’t find any fault with him.

4. He is very exact in showing the main characteristics of his heroes. The … of describing events is also his strength.

-or / -ive / -ing / -tion

1. To narrate funny stories is his hobby.

2. A … of his exciting journey appealed to many listeners.

3. He is extremely good at …. stories.

4. He is famous as a wonderful … .

5. It was a third-person … .

5. Read, guess the name of a person described, and translate the texts below.

1. Don’t look for names like Barmalei, Aibolit, Moidodyr, Akula-Karakula, the cat Katousie and his taunrer (мучитель) Mousie in any biographical dictionary. You cannot find them there. Yet any Russian child can tell you all about them. Dozens of tales, verses and fascinating children’s books came from the pen of a brilliant man of letters, critic, historian, biographer, and translator.

It was he who invented characters with such remarkable names in which the author mixes Russian and English words to amuse his little readers. It was he who acquainted the Russian public with the work of Walt Whitman through the translation of Leaves of Grass and his articles about the great American poet and democrat. He also did much to acquaint the Russian reading public with Oscar Wild.

A man of the widest interest, and a remarkable memory, a writer of tremendous skill and great erudition, he had been on terms of friendship with practically all the distinguished, progressive and famous artists of his time. He was a close friend of Repin. He worked with Gorky. He saw a good deal of Mayakovsky.

2. A brilliant English writer was born in a poor family in Portsmouth on the 7^th of February, 1812. His poverty brought him into contact with the homes of the very poor, with their ways of life, their hopes and fears. This was of great value to him when he became an author.

In spite of the difficulties the future author’s father sent his little son to a private school. After his schooldays the boy became a clerk in a lawyer’s office, and in his spare time studied shorthand. When he was nineteen he was able to do some reporting in the House of Commons for newspapers. As a reporter he often had to go to the country and he described his experiences “on the road” in many of his novels. In 1833 he published some articles to illustrate a number of amusing pictures. Thus was born the famous Pickwick Papers and in 1836 he suddenly rose to fame. This book, full of humor, brought him world-wide fame. His most well-known novels are Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, Dombey and Son, David Copperfield and many others.

The author was very emotional: he lived with the characters he created; he suffered with them in their tragic moments; he laughed at the humorous sides of their lives.

3. She is known all over the world as the Queen of Crime. In her first novel she introduced a private detective Hercule Poirot who amazed everyone by his powerful intellect and his brilliant solutions to the most complicated crime. Then she invented Miss Marple, an old lady with her own method of investigation.

4. Many people consider him to be the greatest dramatist of all time. He is also a wonderful poet. His most famous poems are his 154 sonnets. They are about love, beauty, the wisdom (мудрость) of life.

5. He is one of America’s greatest short story writers. In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize for literature. During the World War I he travelled to Europe as a reporter and fought with the Italians. Three of his novels including “Farewell to Arms” were about the war. He lived in Paris, America, Cuba and Africa.

6. He is the greatest Russian dramatist and short story writer. He studied medicine, but he practiced it very little. Writing was his life and his passion. Several generations of writers in Russia and abroad studied and imitated his literary style.

7. The Scotland’ national poet wrote his first verses when he was fifteen. Very soon his poems, verses and witty (остроумные) epigrams became popular among his friends and acquaintances (знакомые).

In 1786 he published his first book under the title “Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect” which contained his lyrical, humorous and satirical verses. The book was a great success. The poet’s fame spread far and wide. He was invited to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. There he began to collect Scottish songs and ballads and discovered a lot of long forgotten songs. He considered this work his patriotic duty. He refused to write in standard English on noble things (великие дела), he wanted to write poetry about the people and for the people. He deeply loved his motherland, history and folklore.

Words to help:

to invent character – придумать характер

to amuse a reader – доставить удовольствие читателю

to acquaint a reader – познакомить читателя

a writer of tremendous skill – писатель огромного мастерства

a distinguished artist – выдающийся художник

a master of psychological analysis – мастер психологического анализа

to rise to fame – стать знаменитым

to do the reporting – давать репортажи

to be of great value for – иметь большое значение

The poet’s fame spread far and wide. – Слава поэта распространилась широко.

1. Anton Chekhov

2. Korney Chukovsky

3. Charles Dickens

4. Ernest Hemingway

5. Agatha Christie

6. Robert Burns

7. William Shakespeare

Questions to answer

1. Have you read any novel or poem written by these people?

2. Can you name them? What are they about?

3. Can you read any of Chukovsky’s or Shakespeare’s verses or extracts from them by heart?