Tài liệu Collocational english

Josef Köster Paul Limper Exercises in Collocational English VERLAG ASCHENDORFF MÜNSTER © 2000 Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH & Co., Münster Das Werk ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Die dadurch begründeten Rechte, insbesondere die der Übersetzung, des Nachdrucks, der Entnahme von Abbildungen, der Funksendung, der Wiedergabe auf fotomechanischem oder ähnlichem Wege und der Speicherung in Datenverarbeitungsanlagen bleiben, auch bei nur auszugsweiser Verwertung, vorbehalten. Die Vergütungsansprüche des § 54, Abs. 2, UrhG, werden durch die Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort wahrgenommen. ISBN 3-402-02871-9 3 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................... 9 ADJECTIVE + NOUN .................................................................................................. 11 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 11 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 18 3 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 19 4 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 28 5 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 30 6 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 33 7 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 34 8 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 35 ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB? ........................................................................................ 36 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 36 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 43 ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS OF LATIN ORIGIN ........................................................ 45 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 45 ADJECTIVES OF LATIN ORIGIN ............................................................................... 49 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 49 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 56 3 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 58 4 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 60 5 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 67 6 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 68 7 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 71 ADVERBS .................................................................................................................... 74 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 74 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 75 ADVERB + PARTICIPLE ............................................................................................. 77 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 77 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 81 COMPOUNDS ............................................................................................................. 84 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 84 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 85 3 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 86 4 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 88 5 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 89 6 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 91 4 CONTENTS DERIVATION AND WORD FORMATION ................................................................... 93 1 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 93 2 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 95 3 Exercise ................................................................................................................. 98 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 101 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 102 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 104 7 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 106 8 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 107 9 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 113 10 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 114 11 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 115 FALSE FRIENDS ....................................................................................................... 118 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 118 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 121 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 124 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 129 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 130 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 131 7 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 132 GERUND VERSUS INFINITIVE: ADJECTIVES ....................................................... 133 2 Exercise: Adjectives + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing ............................................. 133 3 Exercise: Adjectives + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing ............................................. 139 4 Exercise: Adjectives + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing ............................................. 141 GERUND VERSUS INFINITIVE: NOUNS ................................................................. 143 2 Exercise: Nouns + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing .................................................... 143 3 Exercise: Nouns + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing .................................................... 149 4 Exercise: Nouns + Infinitive or (Prep +) -ing .................................................... 151 GERUND VERSUS INFINITIVE: VERBS .................................................................. 155 2 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 155 3 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 159 4 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 164 5 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 165 6 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 167 7 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 169 8 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 171 9 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE ................ 173 10 Exercise: VERBS + INFINITIVE or (PREP +) -ING or THAT-CLAUSE .............. 175 -IC AND -ICAL .......................................................................................................... 178 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 178 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 179 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 180 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 182 CONTENTS 5 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 184 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 187 A List ......................................................................................................................... 191 IDIOMS ...................................................................................................................... 196 1 Exercise: Animals ............................................................................................... 196 2 Exercise: Animals ............................................................................................... 201 3 Exercise: Animals ............................................................................................... 206 5 Exercise: Animal Noises .................................................................................... 212 6 Exercise: German null ........................................................................................ 213 7 Exercise: Expressions Associated with Numerals .......................................... 215 8 Exercise: WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH NUMBERS ......................................... 217 9 Exercise: Body .................................................................................................... 220 10 Exercise: Vegetables – Flowers – Fruits – Plants ............................................ 222 11 Exercise: Colours ................................................................................................ 227 12 Exercise: Names ................................................................................................. 233 13 Exercise: Clothes ................................................................................................ 239 14 Exercise: The Game of the Name ..................................................................... 243 INTENSIFIERS .......................................................................................................... 245 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 245 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 246 REGULAR OR IRREGULAR VERB FORMS? ......................................................... 248 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 248 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 250 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 253 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 254 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 257 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 262 7 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 267 8 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 269 9 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 275 NOUNS DENOTING SHAPE OR QUANTITY .......................................................... 280 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 280 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 282 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 283 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 285 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 286 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 288 7 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 289 8 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 292 PAIRED IDIOMS ....................................................................................................... 293 2 Nouns ................................................................................................................... 293 3 Verbs .................................................................................................................... 297 4 Adjectives and Adverbs ..................................................................................... 299 6 5 Mixed ................................................................................................................... 302 6 Mixed ................................................................................................................... 304 7 Mixed ................................................................................................................... 306 PHRASAL NOUNS .................................................................................................... 308 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 308 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 310 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 312 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 314 PHRASAL VERBS ..................................................................................................... 320 1 Exercise: to account, allow, answer, back, be, bear, blow, break ................. 320 2 Exercise: to account, allow, answer, back, be, bear, blow, break ................. 321 3 Exercise: to account, allow, answer, back, be, bear, blow, break ................. 322 4 Exercise: to bring, call, care, carry, come ........................................................ 323 5 Exercise: to bring, call, care, carry, come ........................................................ 324 6 Exercise: to bring, call, care, carry, come ........................................................ 325 7 Exercise: to catch, clear, crop, cut, die, do, draw, dress, fall ........................ 327 8 Exercise: to catch, clear, crop, cut, die, do, draw, dress, fall ........................ 328 9 Exercise: to catch, clear, crop, cut, die, do, draw, dress, fall ........................ 329 10 Exercise: to get, give, go, grow ......................................................................... 330 11 Exercise: to get, give, go, grow ......................................................................... 332 12 Exercise: to get, give, go, grow ......................................................................... 333 13 Exercise: to hang, hold, keep, knock, lay......................................................... 334 14 Exercise: to hang, hold, keep, knock, lay......................................................... 336 15 Exercise: to hang, hold, keep, knock, lay......................................................... 337 16 Exercise: to let, live, look, make, play, pull ...................................................... 338 17 Exercise: to let, live, look, make, play, pull ...................................................... 339 18 Exercise: to let, live, look, make, play, pull ...................................................... 340 19 Exercise: to put, run, see, sell ........................................................................... 341 20 Exercise: to put, run, see, sell ........................................................................... 343 21 Exercise: to put, run, see, sell ........................................................................... 344 22 Exercise: to set, sit, stand, take, turn, wear .................................................... 345 23 Exercise: to set, sit, stand, take, turn, wear .................................................... 346 24 Exercise: to set, sit, stand, take, turn, wear .................................................... 347 PREPOSITIONS ........................................................................................................ 349 1 Exercise: German an/am ................................................................................... 349 2 Exercise: German an/am ................................................................................... 353 3 Exercise: German auf ......................................................................................... 356 4 Exercise: German auf ......................................................................................... 361 5 Exercise: German aus ........................................................................................ 366 6 Exercise: German bei ......................................................................................... 370 7 Exercise: German bei ......................................................................................... 374 8 Exercise: German bis ......................................................................................... 377 9 Exercise: German durch ..................................................................................... 381 10 Exercise: German für .......................................................................................... 384 11 Exercise: German gegenüber ............................................................................ 386 7 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Exercise: German über ....................................................................................... 389 Exercise: German um ......................................................................................... 393 Exercise: German unter ..................................................................................... 396 Exercise: German in/im ...................................................................................... 397 Exercise: German in/im ...................................................................................... 401 Exercise: German mit ......................................................................................... 407 Exercise: German nach ...................................................................................... 412 Exercise: German nach ...................................................................................... 418 Exercise: German von/vom ............................................................................... 425 Exercise: German vor ......................................................................................... 431 Exercise: German zu/zum/zur ........................................................................... 436 Exercise: German zu/zum/zur ........................................................................... 439 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 445 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 449 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 453 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 458 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 465 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 471 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 479 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 486 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 493 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 498 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 504 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 510 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 516 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 523 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 529 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 535 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 541 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 545 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 552 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 556 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 560 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 565 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 569 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 573 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 576 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 582 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 586 Exercise: Idiomatic Expressions ....................................................................... 590 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 594 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 599 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 607 Exercise: Miscellaneous .................................................................................... 610 PROVERBS ............................................................................................................... 613 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 613 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 616 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 620 8 4 Exercise: Proverbs and Phrases ....................................................................... 624 REDUPLICATIVES .................................................................................................... 631 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 631 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 635 SIMILES .................................................................................................................... 638 3 Exercise: Like ...................................................................................................... 638 4 Exercise: LIKE OR AS? ....................................................................................... 639 6 Exercise: As ......................................................................................................... 641 7 Exercise: As ......................................................................................................... 644 8 Exercise: As ......................................................................................................... 645 9 Exercise: As ......................................................................................................... 646 10 Exercise: As ......................................................................................................... 648 11 Exercise: German als, zu, für ............................................................................. 649 12 German als, zu, für .............................................................................................. 651 VERB + DIRECT OBJECT ........................................................................................ 660 1 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 660 2 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 664 3 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 670 4 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 678 5 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 680 6 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 688 7 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 689 8 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 693 9 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 695 10 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 700 11 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 702 12 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 708 13 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 710 14 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 714 15 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 720 16 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 724 17 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 726 18 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 727 19 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 729 20 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 730 21 Exercise ............................................................................................................... 731 SOME COMMON ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................ 732 Exercise .................................................................................................................... 732 9 ABBREVIATIONS abbr. adj(s) adv(s) AE apprec. arch. attrib. BE cap. cf. coll. DCE derog. dial. dt. e.g. esp. et al. etc fig. fml. hum. i.e. inf. infml. joc. lit. n neg. NSOED old-fash. opp. os part(s). pass. pej. pl. pred. q.v. rhet. s.v. sb sgl. slg. sth usu. abbreviation adjective(s) adverb(s) American English appreciative(ly) archaic attributive(ly) British English capitalized confer, compare colloquial(ly) Dictionary of Contemporary English derogatory dialect deutsch exempli gratia, for example especially et alii, and others et cetera figurative(ly) formal humorous(ly) id est, that is / in other words infinitive informal jocular(ly) literary noun negative New Shorter Oxford Dictionary old-fashioned opposite oneself participle(s) passive pejorative plural predicative(ly) quod vide, see rhetorical sub voce, under the word somebody singular slang something usually 11 ADJECTIVE + NOUN 1 Exercise Article 1. Adjective Noun German Equivalent – abysmal ignorance bodenloses, abgrundtiefes Unwissen abysmal extremely bad, extreme, utter: to live in abysmal conditions His manners are / the food / the weather was abysmal. the abysmal wages of rural labourers an abysmal failure cf. abyss: deep bottomless hole fig.: an abyss of despair / ignorance / lawlessness 2. academic question theoretische, akademische Frage academic 1. concerning education, esp. in a college or university: academic freedom The academic year runs from October to July. 2. being or based on subjects that are taught to develop the mind rather than to provide practical skills: academic studies / subjects an academic reputation / style / book / qualification 3. not related to practical situations: theoretical: Where we ought to go for our holidays is a purely academic question because we can’t afford a holiday at all. Since the decision has already been made, the discussion is purely academic. a matter of academic concern / interest 3. – acid rain remark saurer Regen ätzende Bemerkung acid 1. having an unpleasantly sour or bitter taste like that of vinegar or unripe fruit: A lemon is an acid fruit. an acid bath 2. saying bitter or unkind things, bad-tempered, sarcastic: an acid remark / wit / tone of voice to say sth acidly cf. an acid: substance which forms a chemical salt when combined with an alkali; it may destroy things it touches: Vinegar is an acid. The acid burnt a hole in the carpet. acidity: to suffer from acidity of the stomach acid rain: containing harmful quantities of acid, esp. sulphuric acid and nitric acid, as a result of industrial pollution sulphur: a simple substance that is found in many different forms, esp. a light yellow powder nitric acid: a powerful acid (HNO3) which eats away other substances and is used in explosives and other chemical products 12 ADJECTIVE + NOUN acid test: test that gives conclusive proof of the value or work of sth / sb: The acid test of a good driver is whether he remains calm in an emergency. (Feuerprobe, entscheidende Probe) to put sth to the acid test 4. adhesive tape Klebeband adhesive cf. sellotape / AE: Scotch tape trademarks: sticky, thin clear material in long narrow lengths which is used for sticking paper, mending light objects adhesive plaster the adhesive side of a stamp adherence to a belief / plan / idea to adhere closely / doggedly / strictly / stubbornly / tenaciously / rigidly to sb / sth to be an adherent of sth adhesion: the state of one thing sticking to another (Klebkraft, Haftvermögen) cf. adhesive power 5. affirmative answer positive, bejahende Antwort affirmative saying or meaning “yes” The answer to my question was in the affirmative / was affirmative. The answer was a strong affirmative. an affirmative gesture / nod / reaction / reply / sentence / vote cf. positive cf. (to take) affirmative action: practice or principle, when choosing people for a job, of favouring people who are often treated unfairly, esp. because of their sex or race; i.e. positive discrimination: a bias in favour of a particular group or individual precisely because they are often the object of prejudice and discrimination: The company is an affirmative action employer. AE: Programm, das die Diskriminierung von Minderheitsgruppen bekämpft 6. affluent society Wohlstandsgesellschaft affluent having plenty of money or other possessions, wealthy: an affluent society / man / family / life / life style affluent circumstances to live in affluence / to live a life of affluence He quickly rose to affluence (i.e. became wealthy). 7. ancillary science Hilfswissenschaft ancillary helping in a subsidiary way, providing help, support or additional services: ancillary equipment / duties / industries (Zuliefer-) / roads / staff an ancillary role ancillary course: Begleitkurs the ancillary staff of a hospital: the people who do the cleaning work, cooking, etc to be ancillary to sth ADJECTIVE + NOUN 8. apposite 13 remark answer question passende, zutreffende, angemessene Bemerkung Antwort Frage apposite apposite to / for sth: exactly suitable or directly connected with the present moment or situation: I found his speech wholly apposite to the current debate. an apposite answer / comment / comparison / example / illustration / image / phrase / quotation / remark / title 9. approved school Erziehungsheim approved school (dated) a special school for children who have broken the law, now officially called a Community Home cf. borstal (dated): institution for reforming young offenders: after “Borstal”, a village in Kent, where the first institution was founded (in 1902). An informal name for an establishment where offenders aged 15-21 may be detained for corrective training. Since the Criminal Justice Act (1982) officially known as Youth Custody Centre. cf. AE: Reformatory: place where young offenders are sent to be trained and reformed SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS young offenders’ institution A special prison for young offenders aged under 21, replacing, from 1988, the former detention centre and youth custody centre. Boys aged from 14 to 16 can be sent to an institution for any period from six weeks to a year, with a maximum of four months for a 14-year-old. Girls are sentenced to custody only from the age of 15, with a maximum detention period of four months at this age and 16. From 17 to 21 the sentences can be longer, with a possible life sentence for serious offences. There are currently 39 young offenders’ institutions in England and Wales. attendance centre A centre where young offenders (under 17) are required to attend for physical training and instruction in practical subjects instead of going to prison. Offenders may be ordered to spend up to a total of 24 hours at an attendance centre, usually on Saturdays and for a maximum of three hours at a time. detention centre Until 1988, a centre where young male offenders were kept for a period ranging form three weeks to four months with a strict programme of work to do. Such offenders are now sent to a young offenders’ institution. youth custody centre Until 1988, a special prison for young offenders aged 17 to 20. Such offenders now serve their sentences in a young offenders’ institution. remand centre A place of detention to which young offenders are sent awaiting trial in court. At present there are nine such centres. community home A special residential area where a local authority can send a young offender (under 17) if it feels that he or she is in moral danger or beyond the control of his or her parents. cf. community centre A building used by members of a community, such as a town or village, for social gatherings, sports meetings, etc From: A. Room, An A to Z of British Life. Dictionary of Britain. Oxford, 1990. 14 ADJECTIVE + NOUN 10. aquatic sport(s) Wassersport(arten) aquatic plants / animals / sports / pastimes / organisms 11. aquiline nose Adler-, Hakennase aquiline of or like an eagle: her sharp aquiline profile / features 12. Arabian Nights Tausendundeine Nacht Arabian of Arabia, esp. the peninsula containing Saudi-Arabia and several other countries: the Arabian desert / peninsula / Sea 13. arabic numerals arabische Zahlen, Ziffern alternative spelling: Arabic Arabic 1. Semitic language or writing of the Arabs, which is the main language of North Africa, the Middle East, and Arabia: She is studying Arabic / a regional type of Arabic. 2. numeral: cf. Roman numeral 14. – artificial respiration künstliche Beatmung artificial 1. made by humans, esp. as a copy of sth natural: The drink contains no artificial flavouring or colouring. artificial fibres / illumination / insemination / intelligence (abbr. AI) / flowers / silk / sweetener 2. lacking in feeling, insincere: She welcomed me with an artificial smile. 3. happening as a result of human action, not through natural process: High import taxes give their home-made goods an artificial advantage in the market. 15. atmospheric pressure atmosphärischer Druck, Luftdruck atmospheric 1. related with the earth’s atmosphere: atmospheric conditions 2. beautiful and mysterious: atmospheric music / poems / songs 16. auricular confession Ohrenbeichte auricular of or concerning the ear: auricular confession: one spoken privately into the ear of a priest cf. to make a full confession of one’s crimes The priest will hear confessions in English and French. He always goes to confession on Fridays. the confessional: enclosed place in a church where the priest hears confession: the secrets of the confessional confessor: priest who hears confessions confessant: a person who confesses to a priest to confess (to) leaving the cigarette on the chair / that he had left ... ADJECTIVE + NOUN 15 cf. oral / visual / aural: The opera was an aural as well as a visual delight. visual / aural aids / materials 17. avowed believer erklärter Anhänger avowed to avow: to state, openly admit: The prisoner avowed his guilt / that he was guilty. Their avowed aim is to overthrow the government. He avowed himself (to be) a socialist. avowed aim / commitment / desire / goal / intent / purpose an avowed traditionalist / feminist / Christian avowedly: openly, admittedly: avowedly responsible for an error avowal: to make a(n) open / public / solemn avowal 18. dyed-in-the-wool Tory ein in der Wolle gefärbter Konservativer dyed-in-the-wool (slightly pejorative) impossible to change from a stated quality, uncompromising: a dyed-in-the-wool aristocrat / conservative / Marxist / Republican / traditionalist, etc 19. extenuating circumstances mildernde Umstände extenuating to extenuate: to lessen the seriousness of (bad behaviour) by finding excuses for it also (esp. law): attenuating circumstances cf. He pleaded ignorance in extenuation of his crime. 20. flimsy excuse fadenscheinige, durchsichtige Entschuldigung flimsy 1. (of material) light and thin: She felt cold in her flimsy dress. 2. (of objects) easily broken or destroyed, lacking strength: a flimsy old wooden shed / a flimsy house (Billighaus) 3. weak, that does not convince: What a flimsy excuse! The evidence against him is rather flimsy. 21. founding father(s) Gründungsvater, -väter founding father 1. person who begins the development of sth; founder 2. (cap) a person at the formal meeting of 1787 which decided the principles of the constitution of the US: the Founding Fathers of the US 22. – gracious living Leben im Wohlstand, Luxus gracious 1. polite, kind and pleasant, esp. in a generous way: Busy as she was, she was gracious enough to show us round her house. 2. having those qualities which are made possible by wealth, such as comfort, beauty, and freedom from hard work: All this gracious living isn’t for me: I prefer the simple life. 16 ADJECTIVE + NOUN graceful – gracious graceful means attractive or pleasant, and is used especially to describe bodily movements or form: a graceful dancer / way of moving It can also be used of people’s manners, esp. when they are saying they are sorry for sth or accepting defeat: He admitted gracefully that he was wrong. They handled their divorce as gracefully (i.e. politely) as possible. The losing candidate accepted the result of the election gracefully. gracious is usually used of people’s manners and suggests an important person being polite to a less important one: The Queen thanked them graciously. She gave him a gracious smile. She is gracious to all. It was gracious of her to invite us. 23. inveterate gambler leidenschaftlicher, unverbesserlicher Spieler inveterate 1. firmly settled in a usually bad habit: an inveterate criminal / drinker / liar / reader of trashy romances / novels / smoker / talker / womanizer inveterate enemies 2. bad feelings, habits that have lasted for a long time and seem likely to continue: (an) inveterate dislike / distrust / drunkenness / fondness / hatred / prejudice an inveterate criminal inveterate hatred inveterate liar 24. moot point question – Gewohnheitsverbrecher – abgrundtiefer Hass; cf. abysmal – unverbesserlicher Lügner strittiger Punkt strittige Frage moot point / question: matter which is debatable, about which there is no certainty cf. to moot (usually passive): to raise a matter for discussion, propose: The question was first mooted years ago. It has been mooted whether ... zur Debatte stellen a much / long mooted proposal 25. permissive society permissive, enttabuisierte Gesellschaft permissive 1. often derogatory: allowing great freedom of behaviour, esp. to children or in sexual matters: (a) permissive upbringing / parents / school 2. showing this freedom: (a) permissive attitude / behaviour the permissive society, i.e. the one resulting from social changes that began in the 1960s, with e.g. greater freedom of sexual behaviour, lessening of censorship, etc to be permissive to(wards) sth 26. practical joke Streich practical joke trick played on sb for amusement, usually involving some physical action: a practical joker – Witzbold (a) practical advice / application / mind / person ADJECTIVE + NOUN 27. silent 17 majority schweigende Mehrheit silent 1. making no or little sound, not accompanied by any sound: silent footsteps a silent prayer / curse the smooth, silent running of the engine The room was silent. 2. not speaking: On certain important details the report remains strangely silent. The law is silent on this difficult point. to be / become / fall silent on / about sb / sth 3. saying little: He is the strong, silent type. 4. not pronounced: The b in debtor is a silent letter (i.e. it is mute). silent majority: people with moderate views who are unable or unwilling to express them publicly (as) silent as the grave: completely silent, perhaps suggesting mystery 28. silly season Sommerloch, Sauregurkenzeit answer/joke/ alberne, blöde, dumme Frage, etc. point/question/ remark silly 1. having or showing lack of good sense and judgement, foolish, not serious or sensible: It is silly (of you) to go out in the rain if you don’t have to. That’s the silliest idea I’ve ever heard! to make sb look silly 2. unable to feel and think clearly, senseless: I took a swing at him and knocked him silly. After-dinner speeches bore me silly (i.e. very much / to death). silly season: period in the summer when there is not much news, so newspapers print silly stories about unimportant things 29. vicious circle Teufelskreis, circulus vitiosus vicious 1. acting or done with evil intentions, spiteful: (a) vicious attack / blow / campaign / criminal / fight / fighting / kick / killer / look / remark / rumour / thug to have a vicious tongue 2. given up to vice, depraved: a vicious life vicious practices / habits 3. (of animals) savage and dangerous: That dog can be vicious. (bösartig) 4. violent or severe: a vicious headache, (gust of) wind vicious circle: state of affairs in which a cause produces an effect which itself produces the original cause, so continuing the whole process: I need experience to get a job, but without a job I can’t get experience. 18 ADJECTIVE + NOUN to be caught / trapped in a vicious circle a vicious spiral: continuous rise in one thing (e.g. prices) caused by a continuous rise in sth else (e.g. wages) (Schraube ohne Ende) 30. – wishful thinking Wunschdenken wishful having or expressing a wish: wishful statements wishful thinking: belief based on wishes not on facts: I think her condition is improving but it may just be wishful thinking on my part. cf. pious wish / hope 2 Exercise 1. When Ministers predict that they are on the verge of a boom they are naturally suspected of wishful thinking. 2. Can the study of information technology be anything but an ancillary science? 3. The Roman Catholic Church does no longer insist on auricular confession. 4. The silly season is upon us. Journalists at a loss for stories are looking for the tallest hollyhock, a gargantuan marrow and the greatest gooseberry. hollyhock: Stockrose marrow: Kürbis gooseberry: Stachelbeere gargantuan: gigantic, of tremendous size or volume: gargantuan appetite / meal / person Gargantua: gigantic king in the novel Gargantua by François Rabelais (1494-1533) 5. He is arrogant and assertive; his abysmal ignorance is matched only by his conviction of his own influence. 6. While the silent majority previously meant the dead, it has now come to mean the great soft mass of the living who put up with things, who get on with their jobs, pay their fines, rates and taxes. 7. Acid rain contains chemical substances which damage trees and crops. 8. The Arabian Nights (Entertainment), also known as The Thousand and One Nights, are a collection of stories whose tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sindbad the Sailor have almost become part of Western folklore. 9. The question whether woman is more rational than man is purely academic. 10. She glued the teacher’s book to the desk as a practical joke. 11. Some people see him as a dyed-in-the-wool Tory, others think of him as an out-of-date 19th century classical liberal. 12. It was essential to have a complete dossier, with every extenuating circumstances, before issuing a verdict. 13. When you go to the chemist’s don’t forget to buy a roll of adhesive tape. 14. A penthouse in London is the height of gracious living. 15. An approved school is a place for housing, training and educating juvenile delinquents. ADJECTIVE + NOUN 19 16. Crime leads to prison, which leads to unemployment, which leads to crime. It’s a vicious circle. 17. We had not expected an affirmative answer to our request. 18. A moot point is a doubtful or unsettled question, one that is open to debate. 19. Luxury flats with all mod cons, big cars, holidays abroad are the typical outward signs of an affluent society. 20. Louis Pasteur was one of the founding fathers of modern medicine. 21. An apposite remark is a remark which hits the nail on the head. 22. Oxford footnote to permissive society: Somerville College (for women) has this term allowed men in for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. Apparently the college authorities, having sensibly decided they cannot possibly stop men staying overnight, are hoping that this tactical concession will limit such activities to the weekends. 23. He was an inveterate gambler and had soon gone through all the money he had inherited. 24. He is an avowed believer in homeopathy. 25. Atmospheric pressure is usually measured in millibars. 26. Historians believe that arabic numerals originated in India, but they were introduced to the Western World from Arabia. also: Arabic numerals 27. Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing. 28. An aquiline nose is one that curves like an eagle’s beak. 29. If applied quickly and properly, artificial respiration can stimulate natural breathing again when it has failed, e.g. in a person who has almost drowned. 30. She said she didn’t come because she’d lost my address. That’s a flimsy excuse! She knows a lot people who could have told her. 3 Exercise 1. Whisky is something of an acquired taste. I found it rather disappointing the first time I had it. to be an acquired taste: sth that one may learn to like after a while acquisition She is a valuable acquisition for / to the firm. This painting is my latest / a recent acquisition. to make an acquisition (second) language acquisition acquisitive: keen on getting and possessing things, esp. material possessions: Squirrels are very acquisitive creatures. an acquisitive collector / society 2. I’m sure Helen would like to come with us to the party. But don’t press her too much. She’s at an awkward age, and rather self-conscious.