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Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 1
CRISTINA IONELA IOSIFESCU
PRACTICAL ENGLISH
MORPHOLOGY AND VOCABULARY
2 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Editura Aius PrintEd este recunoscut CNCSIS (2010-2012)
Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naionale Romniei
IOSIFESCU, CRISTINA IONELA Practical English morphology and vocabulary / Cristina Ionela Iosifescu. - Craiova: Aius Printed, 2011 ISBN 978-606-532-112-1 . Editura Aius Printed, Craiova, 2011 str. Pacani, nr. 9, 200151 tel./ fax: 0251-596136 e-mail: editura_aius@yahoo.com www.aius.ro
ISBN 978-606-562-112-1
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 3
CRISTINA IONELA IOSIFESCU
PRACTICAL ENGLISH
MORPHOLOGY AND
VOCABULARY
4 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 5
I. INTRODUCTION
This book is meant to be a multipurpose guide for both teachers and students. It deals with both theoretical and practical aspects of the English teaching and the English learning process.
The idea of writing this book came as a necessity as both teachers and students need additional material to support their efforts during teaching or learning English.
The teaching experience itself needs the teacher to be creative and the student to be active and involved. Consequently, this book presents a new way of teaching the tenses of the indicative. Most of the English grammar books which are meant to teach the Romanian students the English tenses start with the three moments in time: the present, the past, the future. Thus, the students are taught: The Present Tense Simple and Continuous as tenses of the present moment, the Past Tense Simple and Continuous, The Present Perfect Simple and Continuous, the Past Perfect Simple and Continuous as tenses of the past moment and the Future Tense Simple and Continuous, the Future Perfect Simple and Continuous as tenses of the future moment.
This book deals with a different way of teaching the tenses of the indicative: it takes the aspect into consideration.
The aspect is the grammatical category which shows the way the speaker sees the action, either in progress at a certain moment in time (the continuous aspect) or perfected before a certain moment in time (the perfective aspect). The Romanian students face difficulties while dealing with the English aspect as they are not familiar with the grammatical category of aspect; the Romanian verb does not explicitly display the
6 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
aspect. So, the new way of teaching the tenses of the indicative deals with: teaching the Present, Past, Future Tense Simple as tenses which are not marked from an aspectual point of view, the tenses of the continuous aspect (the Present Tense, Past Tense, Future Tense Continuous), the tenses of the perfective aspect (the Present, Past, Future Perfect Simple) and a combination of the continuous and perfective aspect (the Present, Past, Future Perfect Continuous).
Besides, the book also deals with elementary knowledge concerning each part of speech. It doesnt show an exhaustive study of each part of speech, but it focuses on some main morphological difficulties.
The second part of the book is practical, in the sense that it asks both the teachers and the students to solve both morphology and vocabulary exercises in order to strengthen their knowledge of the English language.
The fact that most Romanian students choose to have their linguistic competences tested in the English language at the end of high school is now a certainty. Accordingly, the third chapter of the book aims at their improving the four linguistic skills: speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
The fourth chapter of the book suggests some tests which could be useful during the English lessons or just for personal testing. The next chapter gives ideas of some fillers which are likely to be used during the English lessons.
The advantage of this book is that it is both theoretical and practical and it is useful for both children and adults. Whoever uses it may choose to solve the exercises which agree with his/her level of English. Thus, it can be used by both beginners and advanced English speakers.
Good luck with your English!
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 7
II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
II.1. Why do we learn English?
Why do we learn English? is the question which could be asked by any person in the world, starting with the 20th century.
Many people state that English has become an international language, but most of the times they dont ask why. The ones who ask are happy when they find simple answers such as: because of the Americans. What about the Americans? In 1865, during the civil war, the Americans were mostly a rural nation. Why are they the reason why English has become an international language nowadays?
Many linguists tried to foresee the future of the English language. Some of them said that it would become an international language, others didnt agree. Time shows that the first ones were right.
So, the answer to our main question could be: we learn English because it has become an international language; many Romanian students learn it during school as a foreign language because it is an international language.
The next question is: why has English become an international language?
The reasons why English has acquired this status are mostly historical. The British Empire spread the English language into its colonies worldwide.
When people say the Americans they think of the inhabitants of the United States of America. Well, the United States of America is just a country in the American continent; the Mexicans are also Americans from the American continent.
8 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Thus, English has become an international language nowadays because of the United States of America, not because of the entire American continent. The USA gained independence in the 18th century, George Washington was its first president and up to the 20th century this country was not the financial power it is today.
Europe was destroyed by the two world wars of the 20th century; it was the chance of the USA to become a great world power. So, after the second world war, the USA came with the idea of the European Union. After the wars, the country became strong enough to interfere with European course of history because of their financial interventions, such as the Marshall plan in 1947.
Accordingly, the English language was again taken back to the continent in its American variant due to the financial support given by the USA.
Thus, English was spread in its British variant due to the British Empire and it was spread in its American variant due to the USA.
The two variants are just one language, with slight differences in pronunciation and vocabulary; that is why there is just one English language which is spoken worldwide.
II.2. Why is English said to be an easy language?
Ask any Romanian student which language is easier to learn: English or French? English or German?
The answer is always English. English is considered to be easy to be learned, but of course it has its difficulties.
The reasons why we hear the above answer are both linguistic and historical.
Modern English is an analytic language, i.e. it doesnt use inflections to change the form of the words. It displays its grammatical categories by means of auxiliary verbs or prepositions. So, there is no need for a Romanian student who
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 9
learns English as a foreign language to learn a very long list of inflections specific to every part of speech.
Again, the historical reason why the Romanian students consider English to be an easy language is traced back to the 11th century when the British throne was conquered by the duke of Normandy who became William the Conqueror after his coronation as the British king in 1066. He imposed the French language to the British royal court, so French became the language of the upper social classes. Both French and English were spoken at the same time in the same place and that is why English borrowed words from French.
Both French and Romanian are Romance languages (or Latin languages); English is a Germanic language. So, all the English words which the Romanian students identify as identical or similar with some Romanian words are in fact French words which were borrowed by the English language in the 11th century.
Consequently, English sounds familiar to many peoples of different origins. This could also be a reason why English is very widely spoken around the world.
English is an easy language only from a subjective point of view. From an objective point of view, it is just todays international language.
II.3. A synthesis of English morphology
II.3.1. The noun
The noun is the part of speech which names object, things. e.g. room, knowledge, advice, paper, course book, teacher, etc. The grammatical categories (criteria according to which
the form of the noun changes) of the noun are: - Number - Gender - Case
10 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Number deals with singular and plural.
There are some nouns in the English language which dont add s for the plural, but they have irregular plurals.
Examples of irregular plurals: 1) country countries 2) mango mangoes 3) brush brushes 4) match matches 5) dress dresses 6) fox foxes 7) half halves 8) knife knives 9) life lives 10) tooth teeth 11) goose-geese 12) foot feet 13) man men 14) woman women 15) mouse mice 16) criterion criteria 17) phenomenon phenomena 18) crisis crises 19) thesis theses 20) synthesis syntheses
Gender refers to male/female.
Examples: Masculine Feminine Man Woman
Monk Nun Boy Girl Bachelor Spinster King Queen Bull Cow Stallion Mare
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 11
We should pay attention to gender words which involve sexual discrimination because we need to be politically correct.
Mankind discriminates women = human race, humanity Case refers to the form of the noun to agree with different
cases. There is an extensive use of case prepositions in the
English language because of the fact that English is an analytic language; they are specific to different cases.
Case Specific preposition(s) Accusative On, in, with, for, from, etc
The book is on the table. (a place modifier in the Accusative) Remember that the direct object does not have a specific preposition in the English language I see the children. (direct object)
Dative To I give the books to the children. (Indirect Object) But: I give the children the books.
Genitive Of The pages of the book look clean. (whose pages?) But, there is also a synthetic Genitive s The boys book looks clean. (whose book?)
II.3.2. The article
The article is the part of speech which determines the noun by individualization, that is it shows whether the speaker knows/doesnt know the object he/she is talking about.
Thus, we have 2 possible situations: The speaker KNOWS the object he/she is talking about
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE The (nouns both in the singular and plural) The story The stories
The speaker DOESNT KNOW the object he/she is talking about
THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE A (nouns in the singular); an + vowel A story; an elephant Some (nouns in the plural) Some stories
12 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Do not use articles: with proper names: Mary
But: the Browns (the entire family) the United States of America (compound nouns) the Balkans (names of mountains) the Thames (names of rivers)
with general statements e.g. School teaches us important things of life.
with moments of the day e.g. at noon, at dusk, at night But: in the morning, in the evening
with nouns which are used for their real purpose e.g. go to school, to church, to hospital, to university, college But: I go to the school for a social meeting. (school is meant for learning)
with pronominal adjectives e.g. this book, my book, which book?
Do use articles:
with prepositions e.g. There is milk in the fridge.
with adjectives in the relative superlative e.g. The greatest story is yours!
with ordinal numerals e.g. The fourth magazine is scientific.
II.3.3. The adjective
The adjective is the part of speech which shows a quality/feature of the noun.
Rules: 1) the English adjective is always placed before the noun: a happy day
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 13
2) the form of the English adjective is invariable, that is it doesnt change according to the grammatical categories of number, gender or case of the noun it determines: some happy days
Consequently, the only grammatical category of the adjective is the comparison.
The degrees of comparison of the adjective: I. smart, big, intelligent, difficult, etc. II. comparative: a) of superiority: - the short adjectives add er to form this degree of
comparison. Note: the short adjectives are made up of one syllable, two
syllables at the most. E.g. smarter - the long adjectives add more in front of the adjective E.g. more intelligent b) of equality it obeys the following pattern:
as+adjective+as E.g. as smart as as intelligent as a) of inferiority it obeys the following patterns: not as+adjective+as
less+adjective+than E.g. not as smart as not as intelligent as less smart than less intelligent than III. superlative: a) relative superlative - the short adjectives add est to form this degree of
comparison (they are preceeded by the definite article) E.g. the smartest - the long adjectives add the most in front of the adjective E.g. the most intelligent
14 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
b) absolute superlative it obeys the following pattern: very+adjective
E.g. very smart very intelligent
Irregular degrees of comparison:
Comparative of superiority
Relative superlative
good better the best bad worse the worst Much/many more the most Little less the least Far farther (space distance)
further (time distance) the farthest (space distance) the furthest (time distance)
II.3.4. The pronoun
The pronoun is a part of speech which replaces a noun (pro=for; it stands for the noun)
The book = it Rule: any pronoun which determines a noun becomes an
adjective. This is a house. (=pronoun) This house is big. (=adjective).
Types of pronouns:
1) The personal pronouns
The personal pronouns as subject The personal pronouns as object I Me you You he Him she Her it It we Us you You they Them
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 15
e.g. He is here. (=subject) I see him. (=direct object).
2) The possessive pronouns The possessive pronouns The possessive adjectives mine My Yours Your his His hers Her - Its Ours Our Yours Your Theirs Their
E.g. The book was not theirs. (=pronoun) Their book was not on the table (=adjective)
3) The demonstrative pronouns Close Far Identity Differentiation Singular this that The same Another
The other Plural These Those The same Others
Other The others
E.g. These problems are so unpredictable. The same situations are really complicated. Another man helped me. Others didnt come on time. Other students came
on time.
4) The relative interrogative pronouns Case Persons Objects N. Who Which Acc. Who(m) Which D. Who(m) Which G. Whose Whose
16 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
E.g. Who helped you with the homework? (the interrogative pronouns are used in simple sentences)
I dont know who helped you with the homework. (the relative pronouns are used in complex sentences).
But: what is also a relative- interrogative pronoun and adjective.
E.g. What is wrong with you? (interrogative pronoun) What boy was right? = Which boy was right?
(interrogative adjective) 5) The indefinite pronouns
Simple indefinite pronouns
Compound indefinite pronouns
Quantity indefinite pronouns
Countable nouns
Uncountable nouns
-body, -one, -thing many
much some somebody, someone,
something
any anybody, anyone, anything
every everybody, everyone, everything
both all each several
(a) few
(a) little
E.g. Somebody has just arrived. A few eggs were in the fridge, but there was little milk for
the cake. (the eggs are enough, the milk is not enough). Have you got any stamps? No, I havent got any.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 17
6) The negative pronouns
Simple negative pronouns Compound negative pronouns -body, - one, - thing No nobody, no one, nothing
E.g. Nobody helped me with the homework. (the verb is
in the affirmative form). Rule: there is no double negation in the English language.
Thus, we use the verb in the affirmative form with a negative pronoun/adjective.
Or, we can use the verb in the negative form with the indefinite pronoun any. This is not true for the negative subject (see the above example *Anybody didnt help me with the homework).
E.g. I see nothing in the street. I dont see anything in the street. 7) The reflexive /emphatic pronouns
Personal pronouns Reflexive/emphatic pronouns I myself you yourself he himself she herself it itself we ourselves you yourselves they themselves
E.g. I see myself in the mirror. (the reflexive pronoun is preceded by its antecedent in the same clause.)
John himself carried the boxes.
18 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
8) The reciprocal pronouns
Two objects/persons More than two objects/persons Each other One another
E.g. Tom and Jerry fight each other. My classmates help one another.
II.3.5. The numeral
The numeral is the part of speech which shows the number or the order of objects.
E.g. Three students finished the project. The third student finished the project.
Pra
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Engli
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and V
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19
Typ
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1)
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31-4
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51-6
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tw
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y-th
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nine
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nine
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twen
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thir
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twen
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-se
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y-se
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y-se
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y-se
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seve
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nine
ty-
seve
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tw
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t fi
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t ni
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thir
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y-ni
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xty-
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sev
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ty-n
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20 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Numerals such as: hundred, thousand, million, billion never get the plural when they are preceded by other numerals. e.g.
three hundred children hundreds of children five thousand books BUT thousands of books seven million people millions of people
Reading the years means reading the numerals two by two: 1324 thirteen twenty-four 1083 ten eighty-three 1710 seventeen ten 1205 twelve oh five 2010 twenty ten (the tendency of the 21st century is two
thousand and ten)
2) The ordinal numerals
- they show the order of objects
1st the first -st 2nd the second -nd 3rd the third -rd 4th the fourth -th 5th the fifth -th 12th the twelfth -th 20th the twentieth -th (y-ie) 21st the twenty first -st 22nd the twenty-second -nd 23rd the twenty-third -rd 25th the twenty-fifth -th 30th the thirtieth -th (y-ie) 40th the fortieth -th (y-ie) 50th the fiftieth -th (y-ie)
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 21
The ordinal numerals are used to show the days of the month: December 24th (the twenty-fourth day of December).
3) The fractional numerals
- they show the ratio, that is parts of numbers
1/4 one fourth 2/7 two sevenths 5/10 five tenths 1/2 one half 3.8 three (point) eight
4) The collective numerals
- they show a group of objects
a group of 2 both a group of 3 all three a group of 4 all four a group of 5 all five
5) The multiplicative numerals
- they multiply the number of objects
multiplied by 2 twofold (double) multiplied by 3 threefold (triple) multiplied by 4 fourfold (quadruple) multiplied by 5 fivefold (quintuple)
6) The distributive numerals
- they describe an alternating series of objects - they dont have a distinct form, but they use
distributive pronouns/adjectives
22 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Each student Every two students Every other day Every three plants
7) The adverbial numerals
- they show the number of times the action of the verb is repeated
Once He came once. Twice She shouts twice. Three times I read the poem three times. Four times You opened the door four times.
II.3.6. The preposition
The preposition is the part of speech which makes the noun agree with different cases (see II.3.1. The noun).
There are prepositions in the English language which are specific to different cases.
e.g. The end of the story was unexpected. (the genitive) I give the money to the estate agent. (D.O. + to- dative I.O) BUT I give the estate agent the money. (dative I.O.+D.O) The flowers are from my friends. (the accusative).
II.3.7. The verb
The verb is the part of speech which shows actions and states.
The grammatical categories of the verb are: - person and number - mood - aspect - tense - voice
Person and number are the grammatical categories which show whether a verb is in a finite or in a non-finite mood, i.e.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 23
the form of the verb changes/doesnt change according to person and number.
Mood there are both finite (their form changes according to the grammatical categories of person and number) and non-finite moods (their form doesnt change according to the grammatical categories of person and number).
The finite moods are: 1) The indicative e.g. Many accidents happen daily. 2) The subjunctive e.g. If only we were happier! 3) The conditional e.g. I would read the book if I
had time. 4) The imperative e.g. Open the books! The non-finite moods are:
1) The infinitive e.g. to ask, to write 2) The gerund e.g. asking, writing 3) The participle the present participle: e.g. asking,
writing the past participle: e.g. asked, written
The difference between the gerund (V-ing) and the present participle (V-ing):
- the gerund is sometimes used as the second verb in a sequence of verbs e.g. I avoid talking to my relatives.
- the present participle is used with the auxiliary verb to be to form the continuous aspect
e.g. I am talking to my relatives.
The aspect is the grammatical category of the verb which shows the way the speaker sees the action. Thus, the speaker can see the action:
- in progress at the present, past or future moment the continuous aspect
24 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
past present future
_______________/__________________/________________
/ / Past tense continuous Present tense continuous Future tense continuous
- perfected (completed) before the present, past or
future moment the perfective aspect
past present future
Past Present future
perfect simple perfect simple perfect simple
The continuous aspect is always formed with the auxiliary verb to be in the present, past or future and the present participle of the main verb (V-ing)
The perfective aspect is always formed with the auxiliary verb to have in the present, past or future and the past participle of the main verb (V-en).
The tenses of the indicative are:
Tense Form Example the present tense
simple -s (he, she, it) He studies
the past tense simple -ed; the 2nd form He studied the future tense simple will+infinitive He will study the present tense
continuous to be (present)+V-ing He is studying
the past tense to be (past) +V-ing He was studying
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 25
continuous the future tense
continuous to be (future)+V-ing He will be studying
the present perfect simple
to have (present)+V-en He has studied
the past perfect simple to have(past)+V-en He had studied the future perfect
simple to have(future)+V-en He will have
studied the present perfect continuous
to have(present)+to be(-en)+V-ing
He has been studying
the past perfect continuous
to have(past)+to be(-en)+V-ing
He had been studying
the future perfect continuous
to have(future)+to be(-en)+V-ing
He will have been studying
1. The present tense simple expresses an action which
happens habitually at the present moment. e.g. She reads a novel every week. 2. The past tense simple expresses an action which
happened at a certain moment in the past. e.g. She read a novel last week. 3. The future tense simple expresses an action which
will happen at a certain future moment. e.g. She will read a novel tomorrow. 4. The present tense continuous expresses an action
which is in progress at the present moment. e.g. She is reading a novel now. 5. The past tense continuous expresses an action which
was in progress at a certain past moment. e.g. She was reading a novel this time yesterday. 6. The future tense continuous expresses an action
which will be in progress at a certain moment in the future. e.g. She will be reading a novel this time tomorrow. 7. The present perfect simple expresses a past action
which is perfected just before the present moment.
26 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
e.g. She has just read a novel. 8. The past perfect simple expresses a past action which
was perfected before a past moment or another past action. e.g. She had read the novel when I talked to her. 9. The future perfect simple expresses a future action
which will be perfected before a future moment or another future action.
e.g. She will have read the novel before I talk to her. 10. The present perfect continuous expresses an action
which began before the present and it is still in progress at the present moment.
e.g. She has been reading the same novel for a few days. 11. The past perfect continuous expresses an action
which began before another past moment/action and it was still in progress at the past moment.
e.g. She had been reading the same novel for weeks when I talked to her.
12. The future perfect continuous expresses an action which will begin before another future moment/action and it will still be in progress at the future moment.
e.g. She will have been reading the same novel for weeks when I talk to her.
Negatives and questions There are two basic rules as far as the negative and
interrogative forms of the indicative mood are concerned: 1) If a tense uses an auxiliary verb in the
affirmative form, it uses the same auxiliary verb to form the negative and interrogative forms. Note: if the tense uses more than one auxiliary verb in the affirmative, it uses the first auxiliary verb to form the negative and interrogative forms
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 27
I will speak I will not speak; Will I speak? I am speaking I am not speaking; Am I speaking? I was speaking I was not speaking; Was I speaking? I will be speaking I will not be speaking; Will I be speaking? I have spoken I have not spoken; Have I spoken? I had spoken I had not spoken; Had I spoken? I will have spoken I will not have spoken; Will I have spoken? I have been speaking I have not been speaking; Have I been
speaking? I had been speaking I had not been speaking; Had I been
speaking? I will have been speaking
I will not have been speaking; Will I have been speaking?
2) If a tense doesnt use an auxiliary verb in the affirmative form, it uses the auxiliary verb to do to form the negative and interrogative forms.
You speak You do not speak She speaks She does not speak She spoke She did not speak
There is a tendency in modern English to no longer use doesnt in the third person singular, the present tense simple, but dont. This is true for slang English, but the tendency of the English language to lose inflections is obvious during centuries. So, English could lose the inflection for the third person singular, the present tense simple, the negative form.
The indicative is the only finite mood which has tenses because it is the only one which expresses real, factual actions.
The subjunctive expresses hypothetical actions, that is why we cant say they happen at a certain moment in time.
e.g. I wish I knew the lesson. (= I dont know it at the present moment).
I wish I had known the lesson. (= I didnt know it at the past moment)
28 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
They hurried lest they should be late. (= their delay was hypothetical)
The conditional also expresses hypothetical actions. It is said to be a sort of subjunctive because of its meaning and form; its form is identical with one of the forms of the analytic subjunctive (would).
e.g. I would help you if I knew what to do. The imperative is said to be a sentence type: - the declarative sentence makes a statement e.g. I had hardly come back home when they paid me a
visit. - the interrogative sentence asks a question e.g. Have you ever been to Paris? - the exclamatory sentence shows a strong emotion e.g. What a boring lesson! - the imperative question gives an order, a command e.g. Dont touch the wires! The voice is the grammatical category of the verb which
shows whether the subject is the doer or the receiver of the action expressed by the verb:
- when the subject is the doer the active voice - when the subject is the receiver the passive voice An active sentence can be turned into a passive sentence
according to the following syntactic and morphological rules: - the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of
agent of the passive sentence; the direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 29
My mother reads some magazines. active sentence S P D.O (direct object)
Some magazines P by my mother.
S O.A (object of agent)
- from a morphological point of view, the auxiliary verb to be is used and the past participle of the main verb.
e.g. Some magazines are read by my mother. passive sentence
The English language uses both the direct object and the indirect object as subject in the passive voice. Most of the times, the choice is for the indirect object because its referent is a person.
e.g. The parents gave us a good education. (S+P+I.O+D.O) active sentence
A good education was given to us by the parents passive sentence.
We were given a good education by the parents. passive voice (more frequent).
People consider him to be a genius. (Accusative +infinitive) active sentence.
He is considered to be a genius. (Nominative +infinitive) passive sentence.
II.3.8. The adverb
The adverb is the part of speech which describes the action expressed by the verb.
The adverbs can show the circumstances of the action. Thus, there are adverbs such as:
- adverbs of place describe the place of the action
30 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
e.g. where, everywhere, wherever - adverbs of time mark the time of the action
e.g. when, whenever, never, yesterday - adverbs of manner describe the way the action is
done. They are derived from adjectives with the suffix ly. e.g. rapidly, carefully, quietly.
The above adverbs become adverbial modifiers of place, time or manner in the complex sentences; there is a strict order of these modifiers in the complex sentence: manner place time (time can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject).
e.g. Every day she goes rapidly wherever she is needed. The adverbs can be used either in the simple sentences
(interrogative adverbs) or in the complex sentences (relative adverbs).
Relative interrogative adverbs where when how how much
e.g. Where is the library? He wants to know where the library is. How much does this action tell about his personality? We dont understand how much this action tells
about his personality. As far as the form of the adverbs is concerned, there are
both simple and compound adverbs.
Simple adverbs Compound adverbs where anywhere, somewhere, everywhere, nowhere,
wherever when whenever how anyhow, somehow, however
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 31
II.3.9. The interjection
The interjection is the part of speech which describes natural sounds or noises.
Examples of interjections Ouch! Wow! Aye! Oh! Yeah!
e.g. Oh! I must have forgotten your name!
II.3.10. The conjunction
The conjunction is the part of speech which relates identical or different parts of the sentences or whole sentences.
Thus, there are: - coordinating conjunctions join elements which are
equal from a grammatical point of view - subordinating conjunctions relate a subordinated
element to the main element Coordinating conjunctions Subordinating conjunctions and because but if or unless nor in order that, so that so as long as
The above examples prove that the conjunctions are both simple conjunctions and compound conjunctions.
e.g. The weather is sunny, but I cant go out in the park. John worked hard and (he) finished the project on
time. the identical subject of the second clause can be omitted when the two clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction.
I will be late unless I hear the alarm clock. the negative conjunction requires the affirmative form of the verb of the subordinate clause.
32 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
III. EXERCISES
III.1. Morphology exercises
1. Translate into English:
1) neleg ei importana acestor chestiuni sau le ignor? 2) Nu ne ajut pentru c e mereu prea ocupat pentru
problemele noastre. 3) Nu se trezete la timp pentru c nu aude niciodat
ceasul detepttor. 4) Face multe fotografii pentru c este pasionat de aceast
activitate; este mai mult dect un hobby, este o form de art. 5) Lum ntotdeauna cele mai bune decizii: echipa noastr
analizeaz opiunile i face pasul corespunztor. 6) Cnd mergi la pescuit? Merge i Maria cu tine, de
asemenea? 7) Nu s-a prezentat, cu toate acestea, tim cine este acel
individ. 8) Alearg n fiecare diminea pentru c vrea s se
menin n form. 9) Nu are timp s asculte problemele noastre sau nu are
timp s arate c-l intereseaz. 10) Dosarele sunt gata, de aceea nu nelege lipsa lor de
eficien.
2. Fill in the blanks with the right article (definite article, indefinite article, zero article):
1. I found pet under . stairs because Mickey is always afraid of thunders.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 33
2. .. winter is cold and nasty but this particular winter will be worst.
3. He swam his way out of prison but Danube River is more than difficult to swim.
4. I dont know what it was; I heard noise and people were staring.
5. She took .. good night sleep; this is what she always does at . night.
6. She always goes to . church on Sunday morning because she feels like sinner.
7. Linda is . their cousin, but . members of the family are not aware of this.
8. They live in . United States of America; they moved to . Detroit last year, but I dont know ... name of . street.
9. .. manager assistant types . letters every day but they are never right.
10. boys will be boys: they never pay attention to . details of girls outfit.
3. Use the following words in order to form sentences:
a)cities/problems/the/as/the/lack/of/greatest/the/safety/world/social/of/face/such
b)which/Carpathians/mountains/the/landscape/the/are/our/the/of/country/natural/enrich
c)few/the/she/classes/schedule/the/go/every/time/busiest/because/is/to/doesnt/day/years/ in/past/the.
d)a/of/country/to/they/but/social/government/of/are/the/ours/problems/every/responsibilities/have/seems/have/the/forgotten/concern
e)we/view/the/of/at/importance/all/matter/of/point/of/end/of/realized/the/his
34 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
4. The following text contains ten mistakes or extra words. Identify them and translate the text:
When we go to school we seem to forget the things that really matter. We consider the teachers a sort of enemies who will give us bad grades and who they are never supporting. This is the general perception nowadays because teenagers are no longer interesting in building a successful career. Most of them face family problems. Other are not aware of the importance of a safe and sound education.
The consequences of these matter are a social disaster because the societies no longer emphasize the education. The only thing teenagers want after they will finish high school is money. Some of them know how to earn them, but others get into trouble.
Most people protect themselves from the others, though not all so aggressively, thats why they are strong societies, based on education and weak societies, based on human instincts.
- Use the above text to identify the following parts of speech: a definite article, an indefinite article in the singular, a verb in the infinitive, 3 prepositions, a verb in the negative form
5. Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets:
a) My English teacher (talk) about the irregular verbs daily.
b) Right now some children (have) breakfast, others (play) in the park.
c) Mary . (not come) home yesterday evening; she (sleep) in a hotel.
d) When I (meet) her, she (run) to school.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 35
e) My desk mate .(not be) ready with the project last semester.
f) When I grow up, I ... (travel) around the world.
6. Fill in the blanks with the missing article and provide the explanation of your choices:
.. law tells us what is right and what is wrong within . societies. But, people are .. ones who decide to perform .. certain action. Sometimes, what you do, or you dont do is up to your .. judgment. At .. same time, .. people act without knowing legal circumstances of their actions. It is their fault because we should know law of . state we live in; consequently, ignorance is also punished.
For instance, . citizen who lives in . United States of America has the rights and obligations provided by Constitution of this state. They are not the same as the rights and obligations of any other citizen living elsewhere, Canada, for example. But, we all have the same human rights and liberties, irrespective of where we live: either you live on . continent or across .. ocean, we share . common fundamental rights and liberties which govern .. existence of any . human being.
7. Expand the sentences with the info in brackets:
1) There is a difficult run (5 miles, get, prize) 2) The guests asked for a glass (wine, not like, spirits). 3) She has been looking for a room (ladies, fix, hair,
meeting). 4) The robber used a knife (silver, unlock, enter, house). 5) I found out about the accident (car, serious, consequences). 6) Susan is very untidy (hair, look, so strong and healthy).
36 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
8. Put the verbs in brackets into the right tense
1) I (not go) to school yesterday morning because I felt sick.
2) You .(be) ready for the English lesson?
3) The people in the street (try) to help her last week, but now there is no one to help her.
4) I (give) her a call tomorrow morning.
5) Your parents .. (wake up) so early in the morning?
6) The children (eat) all the cakes yesterday.
7) Scientists .. (not have) a fixed time schedule; a scientist . (work) all the time.
8) You .. (understand) the question when the teacher asked you something?
9) My friends . (not see) the movie yesterday because they were more interested in the homework.
10) I (help) you tomorrow morning because my mornings are very busy.
9. Translate into English:
1) Nu nva cum s fac fa acestor situaii pentru c ateapt ajutor de la prini.
2) De ce folosete aceleai unelte? Nu sunt niciodat cele mai bune pentru c nu prinde niciodat vreun peste.
3) Vecinul meu va vinde casa, ns nu tiu nimic despre preul caselor n zon.
4) Nici mcar nu tie de ce nu te poate ajuta.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 37
5) Nu are dreptate pentru c argumentele lui nu-i sprijin punctul de vedere.
6) ncearc s adoarm la ora 10 seara pentru c nu vrea sa fie obosit n dimineaa urmtoare.
7) Cumpr legume dar nu gtete mncare; tie c legumele proaspete sunt foarte sntoase.
8) Spal vasele n fiecare sear pentru c nu-i place mizeria din buctarie.
9) Se nscrie n competiie n fiecare an, problema e c nu ctig niciodat.
10) n fiecare sptmn are un program fix: stie ce s fac, dar uneori nu tie ce s nu fac.
10. Use the following verb expressions to fill in the
blanks: look at, look daggers, look big, look into, look after, look over, look up (X2), look out, look for, look north
1) She has always been .. to me and thats why I cant possibly rely on her opinions: she would never disagree with my point of view.
2) I tried to .. this book, but I dont exactly understand French; therefore, I gave up, it was useless.
3) ..! You are about to step on a banana peel, it could be dangerous.
4) My cousin has been her wellbeing, but she has never been self-centered.
5) Dad has a new car but he couldnt find the right one.
6) I will the final details of the report, but I cant promise you any serious changes.
7) When I entered the room, he was very angry; he .. at me.
8) Things are ; dont worry about your profit!
38 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
9) The house ., but the owners had no idea what star they were .every night.
10) Mark was trying to , but the girl never went out with him again.
11. Translate into English:
1) Nu au tiut ce se va ntampla cu ei; cnd i-am ntlnit ncercau s rezolve situaia, dar nu au gsit banii.
2) A neles ce s-a ntmplat pentru c ajunsese mai devreme, cu toate acestea, nu a auzit prima parte a discursului.
3) Mi-a spus c doctorii pregtiser instrumentele, erau gata s nceap operaia.
4) tie de ce nu i-ai dat niciodat o mn de ajutor: suntei ri, egoiti i nepstori.
5) n vremurile strvechi, oamenii credeau c focul este un element natural important.
6) Voi afla ce se va ntampla cu ei, dar nu voi ti cnd vor fi dui napoi n ara lor natal.
7) tie c vei veni, dar va fi mai mult dect ncntat dac vei aduce i copiii.
8) Nu a tiut c fuseser legai de promisiunea lor: o promisiune e o datorie pe care nu o poi nclca.
9) Nu a vzut ce s-a ntmplat pe strada, dar a auzit nite ipete pe care nu le mai auzise niciodat.
10) tie c vei gsi un mod sa-l ajui: nu a tiut niciodat c viaa e grea.
12. Fill in the blanks with it/there:
1) .. have been many difficulties with the manager but we succeeded in meeting his needs.
2) .. is important to realize the depth of his statements.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 39
3) I found . hard to understand his actions, but it didnt matter in the end.
4) . appears that luck is a crucial element in ones life: either good or bad luck.
5) ... will be many people in the streets, asking for their constitutional rights to be observed.
6) doesnt matter: you will do as you are told. 7) . was likely to rain, but the sun shines
brightly. 8) .was difficult to solve the dilemma: no
one knew how to act properly. 9) . seems that many people have lost their
jobs, thus, their earnings have decreased dramatically. 10) The trainer considers . to have been the
central element of this training activity.
13. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verbs in brackets:
I suddenly (wake up) in a maze. Everything (spin) round and round. I .. (want) to scream, but I couldnt. Nevertheless, it felt like . (scream). I . (see) a door but I . (not enter) it. Someone .. (yell). I (not hear) such a strong voice before. I .. (try) to find my way out when another door .(open). This time, I .. (enter) the room and it (seem) that an old lady . (clean) it for ages. Yet, it (be) still dusty. Something .. (move). It . (sound) like the wind. I could feel a hand .. (pat) my shoulder. I (look) back . It (be) mom Its time to wake up, the alarm clock (ring) for minutes. When
40 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
I .. (wake up) I.. (realize) I never.. (be) so scared in my entire life. Thank God it.. (be) just a dream! But, dreams . (be) part of our reality, some say. Who (be) the old lady? I (know) her?
14. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the
following verbs:
1) My brother abroad every summer. a. dont travel b. travels c. travel 2) Right now, all the children .
in the school yard. a. are playing b. played c. play 3) Mom ..go to work yesterday
morning because she felt sick. a. went b. didnt go c. doesnt go 4) My best friend .. me the book
tomorrow morning. a. brings b. will brings c. will bring 5) I .. to tell you the truth, but you are
not paying attention to me. a. am trying b. am tryng c. try 6) My friend . a summer in France,
but he came back last September. a. spend b. spent c. spents
15. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the following verbs:
1) It me $200 because it was an expensive product, but people have always needed it.
a. Costed b. cost c. costing
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 41
2) When she opened the window, it a. Was raining b. rained c. had been raining 3) . Mary . interested in your point
of view? a. Did be b. was c. were 4) Instead of doing his homework, my son
.. the TV commercials daily which is a waste of time.
a. watch b. is watching c. watches 5) Mother always.. all the doors and
windows, she cant stand them open. a. Shut b. shutted c. has shut
16. Give the definitions of the following expressions in
the sense of showing their use (the passive voice)
a. Smart suit = it is used.. ..
b. Out fashioned = it is used ..
c. Iron helmet = it is used ..
d. Ankle-length skirt= it is used... ..
e. Casual shoes= they are used ..
17. Fill in the blanks with the right tense of the verbs in
brackets:
Mother .. (wake) me up every morning. I . (not like) the mornings, I really like the evenings, I work better in the evening. For example, last night I (do) my English homework and everything
42 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
(be) so perfect. Two days ago, I .. (not have) time to do my homework at night and I .(waste) the entire morning with a very easy homework. I cant focus in the morning, I am sleepy, I . (be) in a bad mood. When I grow up, I (go) to work in the afternoon. I hate the morning schedule. I also (not like) it when I was younger, but now I really .. (hate) it. From now on, I will do things my way; so, I . (wake up) late tomorrow morning in order to have a good day.
18. Match the following verbs in different tenses with
their auxiliary verbs for the negative and interrogative forms:
He drove to be in the present tense - ? We are going to do in the past tense - ? She eats will They will study to do in the present tense - ? It rained did
19. Rephrase the following sentences:
a) My son has never tried to improve his school performance.
Never.
b) Mother had no sooner prepared breakfast than I woke up. No sooner c) Who is your friend? Mary asked... d) Our duty is to obey the law of our country. All citizens.... e) If you worry more, you will get older. The more..
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 43
20. Choose the right answer:
a) The waiter brought us a special soup which I . before.
a. didnt taste b. hadnt tasted b. c. havent tasted d. will taste
b) The police officer said the prisoners taken back to jail soon.
a. will be b. would be b. c. shall be d. will be being
c) Mark lives . away from school than his desk mate.
a. further b. far b. c. farther d. farthest
d) If I . younger, I would travel around the world.
a. were b. was b. c. would be d. have been
e) The poet speaks to our ears. a. softer b. soft b. c. softy d. softly
21. Rephrase the following sentences:
a) My sister was reading Romeo and Juliet this time last year.
Romeo and Juliet.. .. b) I know I bought paper pins, but I cant find them. I remember... c) My cousin worked hard and won the competition. It was ... d) Whenever she leaves, please accompany her to the
station! It....
44 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
e) A. Lincoln kept the USA together during the civil war, therefore the country still exists.
If
22. Choose the right answer:
a) Mother . the table last evening and I washed the dishes.
a. laid b. lay c. lain d. lie
b) I need to stop some more indispensable things from my old address.
a. collecting b. collect c. to collect d. recollect
c) I suddenly realized that she . the same clothes for a few days.
a. was wearing b. had been wearing c. has been wearing d. is wearing
d) If my parents had had more free time, we the Sundays together.
a. would had spent b. would have spend c. would have spent d. would spent
e) The English teacher will probably reexamine the students next week if their results
a. didnt improve b. havent improved c. hadnt improved d. hadnt been improved
23. Identify all the possessive pronouns and adjectives in the following text:
My friends think I have very useful books, but they are mine. Our family has a very interesting family book collection and all the books on our shelves are very interesting. When I need a book, I go to my shelf. My sister has hers; sometimes I
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 45
need one of her books and I simply take it. She doesnt know that I take her books. Dad reads his favourite books all the time. He likes literature. He has his books from my grandparents. Their books are very old, but they are clean and spotless. I know about respect and I respect my books. So, I cant give any book to my friends because all my books are clean and protected.
24. Choose the right answer:
a) Did Mary to plant some trees in her garden last week?
a. manage b. managed c. manages b) The child the lyrics of this Christmas
carol. c. forget b. forgave c. forgot
c) The workers worked hard to this bridge.
a. built b. build c. building d) Jane .. her scarf every time she takes a trip.
a. loses b. loose c. lose e) My neighbour . his car in front of the
building. a. park b. doesnt park c. parking
f) Her colleagues .. in the school yard yesterday morning.
a. wasnt b. werent c. didnt be
25. Use the following words to make active sentences and then turn them into the passive voice:
1) Mary/write/letter/every week. 2) The students/understand/lesson/next morning. 3) John/wash/car/yesterday evening. 4) My parents/bring/puppy/last night.
46 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
5) The children/open/books/page 27/the next English lesson.
6) His sister/lay/dinner/table/last evening.
26. Fill in the blanks with the right modal verb:
have to, ought to, can, may, must (x2), shall, should 1) A person .. take care of his/her voice. 2) .. I start my speech? 3) Your voice has been hoarse for a few days; you
definitely see a doctor. 4) Theres too much noise in your room; ..
you speak louder? 5) Each competitor .have his musical
abilities tested. 6) The doctor says that I .. take this medicine
to cure my sore throat. 7) This . be your problem: you cant get your
tongue round foreign pronunciation. 8) The Government.give a speech on the
financial crisis we face today.
27. Read the following complex sentences, identify the relative clauses and turn them into participle clauses:
1) Clothes which are bought in expensive shop clothes are
very trendy. 2) Teenagers who grasp the taste of fashion will never
wear silly clothes again. 3) Elegant clothes which are made by famous tailors are
very expensive. 4) Middle-aged persons who disregard fashion save a lot
of money.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 47
5) Celebrities who spend a huge amount of money on clothes must be very rich.
6) Skirts and trousers which are sold in second-hand shops look rather worn-out.
7) Women who wear elegant dresses are very feminine. 8) Expensive jewels which are matched with expensive
clothes make you look glamorous.
28. Put the verbs in brackets into the right tense:
When I was younger, I .(get up) very late in the morning. I (be) late for the English classes. Later, I found out about respect because my parents got me a dog. My dog .. (kiss) me in the morning when he wanted to go out. At first, I was too lazy to wake up, but then there was a lot of mess on the floor which I had to clean. So, I learnt about responsibility and respect for my dog. Now, he (wake) up later than I do. We have a good relation, but he (always chew) my shoes. I bought him toys, it was useless; he likes my shoes. I guess he .. (chew) my shoes whenever he feels like chewing.
29. Use your own ideas to fill in the blanks:
a) All the people who _____________________________ b) The clothes which______________________________ c) Many cruel children who________________________ d) The emo teenagers who_________________________ e) Your yellow T-shirt which _______________________
30. Choose the right preposition for the following adjectives and then use them in sentences of your own:
48 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
Of (x2) With(x2) On At About In interested good fond unhappy proud keen obsessed enthusiastic
31. Answer the following questions:
1) How do we form the continuous aspect? What kind of actions does it express?
2) How do we form the perfective aspect? What kind of actions does it express?
3) How many classes of verbs are there considering their lexical meaning?
4) How do we further divide the dynamic verbs? Give examples.
5) How do we further divide the state verbs? Give examples. 6) Which are the exceptions which allow the state verbs to
be used in the continuous aspect
32. Translate into English:
1) El trntea ua la main; chiar i acum o trntete, dei maina e a lui.
2) Abia acum nelege de ce este o persoan solitar; nu i-au plcut niciodat prietenii zgomotoi.
3) A pregtit dintotdeauna cele mai bune mese; chiar acum gustm gogoile pe care le-a fcut mama.
4) Trntete ua pentru c nu se nchide; lucrez la un articol important, dar nu m mai pot concentra din cauza zgomotului.
5) Frunzele toamnei miros deosebit; m bucur s-mi petrec
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 49
timpul n grdin, chiar acum miros un mnunchi de iarb uscat. 6) Citea leciile de mai multe ori cnd am vorbit cu ea i
de aceea le tia foarte bine. 7) Cnd l-am cunoscut i plcea s asculte muzic bun;
ascultam muzic cnd mi-am dat seama c devenise cel mai bun prieten al meu.
8) Lua micul dejun ieri pe vremea asta, de aceea n-a rspuns la telefon.
9) Cartea era citit de un coleg de-al meu cnd am mers la bibliotec; cnd o va termina, o va duce napoi la raft.
10) nelegea ce i spuneai, era cel mai relaxat (easy-going) elev din clas, ns vinerea trecut pe vremea asta era preocupat de viitoarele lui examene.
11) Spune c vorbete ntotdeauna prea tare i aceast situaie ne deranjeaz pentru c pare c se ceart cu noi.
12) Ne nelege chiar acum, dei rareori e de acord cu ceilali. 13) Dei gtete foarte bine, ntotdeauna gust supa i mai
adaug nite sare. 14) ncercm s v ajutm, ns la rndul vostru, nu
suntei deloc interesai de eforturile noastre. 15) Ia masa chiar acum, dei e destul de trziu; nu are
grij de sntatea lui. 16) Chiar acum rezolv problema la matematic i tie
toate rspunsurile. 17) Se gndete s renune la fumat pentru c e cel mai
ru obicei al ei. 18) tiu c i pregtete ntrebrile pentru examen, ns
nu-i imagineaz c acesta e cel mai greu. 19) Se ntampl s fie un elev foarte bun, ns acum e
suprat i nu e atent la lecii. 20) Aceleai rspunsuri sunt plictisitoare; chiar acum
ursc persoanele care tiu toate rspunsurile.
50 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
33. Rephrase the following sentences:
1) I made the wrong decision about my job. Mary said.. 2) You were supposed to help your relatives. Your relatives... 3) I havent seen your cousin for 5 years. The last time 4) They were sure of your statements. They took. 5) Mary helped us with the right directions. It was.... 6) Some neighbours were out in the street yesterday morning. There....
34. Give the present and past participles of the following verbs:
Amaze - ... Overwhelm - Astonish - .... Embarrass - .. Improve - . Threaten - Warn -... Surprise - . Fascinate - .... Defy - ... Deny - ..
35. Choose the right participle of the following verbs to fill in the blanks:
to amaze, to threaten, to surprise, to improve, to overwhelm, to defy, to astonish
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 51
1) She came up with an ___________________ proposal, but no one was paying attention.
2) The children were ___________________by the robber who had broken into their house.
3) You have such a _____________________ behavior! I wouldnt have expected so much help from you!
4) The manager had a very _________________ point of view and all the employees were _________________.
5) All the students in the classroom were _________________ by the amount of new information.
6) His speech has ________________, but still he didnt have much to say.
36. Translate into English:
1) Este incredibil ct este de dificil s nvei o limb strin; etapa de nvare te ndrum, iar etapa de dobndire te face mai bun.
2) Este probabil ca ei s te nsoeasc, dei au fost foarte ocupai n ultima vreme.
3) Va fi mama cea care mi va da sfatul potrivit; a tiut ntotdeauna ce e mai bine pentru mine.
4) Durerea de stomac a facut imposibil s pornesc maina pentru a ajunge la timp la serviciu.
5) Este neobinuit s descoperi c muli oameni nu tiu ce au de fcut; de cele mai multe ori, rnesc persoanele din jurul lor doar pentru c sunt limitai.
6) A considerat o greeala s ncerce s te fac s nelegi. 7) Nu conteaz unde va merge; va ntalni colegi de
serviciu care l vor sprijini. 8) A fost romanul pe care l-am citit acela care m-a facut s
m gndesc la complexitatea vieii. 9) Au gsit ciudat s completeze o cerere i apoi s plece
acas.
52 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
10) Se pare c nu a adus sufiicente argumente i exemple ca s-i susin punctul de vedere.
37. Fill in the blanks with the missing words:
My curiosity about the sporting . (1) was piqued by an episode that took (2) in the US a number of years ago but came to . (3) only recently in Britain, when Ffyona Campbell, a distance walker, admitted that she had lied about a walk across the United States. During a 1000-mile stretch, she said, she had cheated, accepting occasional rides from her companion and driver.
Nobody knew, nobody was hurt, I rationalized Campbell wrote in her book The Whole Story, published .. (4) controversy last November in Britain. Campbells American crossing was the first of four tremendous walks, totaling 19,586 miles, that won her a place in the Guinness .(5) of Records.
Campbell is, to put it .. (6) a difficult person. Restless, self-absorbed, and prone to moralistic .(7), she covers her body with the logos of corporate sponsors. She walks .. (8) than any other woman before her but generally doesnt seem .. (9) a single pretty thing . (10) the way (text adapted from Advanced Gold, Longman, p. 221).
1 lie/ life/ lay 2 part/ place/ spirit 3 dark/ morning/ light 4 amid/ between/ before 5 book/ notebook/ keyboard 6 mild/ mildly/ wildly 7 prayers/ sayings/ pronouncements 8 further/ far/ farther
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 53
9 to grasp/ to notice/ to introduce 10 around/ along/ away 38. Make up sentences in which to use:
- a possessive pronoun as a predicative - a demonstrative adjective of identity + a verb in the
present perfect simple, the negative form - an interrogative adjective + a verb in the past tense simple - a relative pronoun/adjective in the genitive + a verb in
the present tense simple - the adjective far in the relative superlative (+time) - the adjective far in the relative superlative (+distance) - a possessive adjective and the verb to be in the past
tense simple, the negative form - the verb to be + subject - an ordinal numeral + a verb in the past tense continuous - an irregular adjective in the relative superlative and a
verb in any tense, the negative form
39. Correct the mistakes in the following sentences:
1) They take the worse decisions possible, but nobody know theyre reasons.
2) Mary and John are some reliable peers, but are some worst aspects of that behavior of them.
3) Than, he decides to turn of the light and annoy the persons whose eyes are sensible to dark.
4) Most people face the lack of interested in strong arguments.
5) They are seated in a queue every morning in order to buy milk and fruits.
6) The next day, we founded out others matters who gave us many clues.
54 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
7) The other were some friends of them whom they hadnt seen for a hole life.
8) Everybody were in the nearby but nobody didnt have time to help me.
9) He has never joined his career, but now he must had have advices from his superviser.
10) Hes not idle but is busy with any others things.
40. Make up sentences with the following words in the plural: half, phenomenon, country, mouse, knowledge, leaf.
41. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense:
a.I (hope) to find the right answers when the time was up.
b.Every afternoon, my mother (cook) dinner and Mary .(help) her.
c.When I have a job, I (wake up) earlier every morning.
d.In 1865, people . (not have) access to information.
f.At the moment, we (try) to find the advantages of this hobby.
g.My friend was making a fruit salad when I .. (visit) her.
h.Mark ..(listen) to music every morning, but it .. (not be) what he was doing last morning.
i. My friends (bring) the popcorn and I .. (make) the pancakes yesterday evening.
j. (be) you happy with the news about the weather?
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 55
k.She (not understand) why you were so angry.
l. Last week I . (not find) my skates and that is why I (spend) my time watching TV.
m. Their friends (take) a trip to London this time next week.
n. Every Sunday, she ..(go) to church and then she . (cook) lunch.
o. I ..(lose) my keys a few days ago, it .. (be) impossible to enter my house so I . (pay) him a visit.
p. When she came, the kids ... (have) a pillow fight; the house . (be) a disaster.
q. I am sure he .. (help) us when he comes to town.
42. Ask the questions whose answers are the following:
Q...?
A. I think I was watching TV. Q...
.? A. No, I slept like a log last night. Q...
.? A. I dont know what she looked like. Q...
.? A. I dont think there were any engineers in the conference
hall. Q...
.? A. His bad English reflects his lack of interest.
56 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
43. Fill in the blanks with the right word:
Any complicated situation complicated has two ways: a way out and a way ...(1) The moment you try to find your way out, you cant avoid thinking .. (2) possible solutions. The problem is you never know (3) the best solution is. People avoid making decisions because they are afraid .. (4) their consequences. But, any decision is (5) than no decision at all.
For instance, a student cant decide whether to take guitar lessons or English lessons in his/her free .. (6) The best solution is to take them both, but there is not enough time. Another possible solution is to take guitar lessons because he/she likes music, or to take English lessons because they . (7) more useful. (8) can he/she do? Give him/her any other ideas!
44. Choose the correct answer:
1. My mates said they fond of foreign literature.
a. are b. will be c. were 2. She understands she doesnt have
confidence when it comes to competitions. a. no b. any c. none 3. .. dont agree with your point of view. a. Others b. Same c. Other 4. When I met her, she lived .. from the
supermarket; later, she bought a car. a. the furthest b. farther c. further 5. . elementary school begins when you are 7. a. - b. the c. an
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 57
45. Use the following words to fill in the blanks:
seem, bored, trip, open, excited, fight, gloves, luggage It was a nice winter day. My family decided to take a
..(1) in the mountains; we were all very ..(2) about it. The night before, I didnt sleep at all, I was thinking of all the snow in the mountains.
In the morning, we were ready to go, but my younger sister overslept; her (3) wasnt ready. So, we left an hour later. There was a traffic jam because everybody was going to the mountains that weekend. We got ..(4) in the car because all the other cars didnt ..(5) to move. At noon, we were hungry. We were lucky to have some sandwiches in our bags.
We finally got to a cottage which was fully booked. Fortunately, we found another cottage which had some ..(6) rooms. Soon, I was trying to find my (7) in the bags; I found them and I went out to play with the snow. We all had a snow ..(8); then, we built a snowman.
Use the above text to identify the following parts of speech: a. A verb in the past tense continuous b. A verb in the negative form c. A compound noun d. A personal pronoun as a direct object e. A possessive adjective f. A word which is formed by derivation
Further practice:
Translate into English: 1) ncearc s nu deranjeze pe nimeni, dar de cele mai
multe ori nu reuete s fac lucrul sta.
58 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
2) Ceilali nu gsesc nimic interesant de fcut i de aceea se plictisesc; cu ct se plictisesc mai mult, cu att privesc mai mult la TV.
3) Se ateapt s fie contactat de nite persoane importante, dei nu recunoate, nu se atept la rezultate pozitive.
4) Alte situaii pe care el ncearc s evite s le nfrunte nu au cele mai bune soluii.
5) Muli oameni tiu destul despre acele probleme cu dieta terapeutic, dar nu e nicio diferen pentru ei.
6) Valorile sociale despre care vorbete au fost ntotdeauna destul de apreciate, dar, n ceea ce l privete, nu-i d seama de lucrul sta.
7) Se ntampl s vorbeasc despre multe adevruri generale, ns nu gsete mijloacele de comunicare potrivite.
8) Dei pretinde c alege cei mai buni prieteni, nimeni nu ncearc vreodat s-l ajute.
9) O schimbare privitoare la starea vremii i face pe muli oameni s se team c planeta va disprea n curnd.
10) Viitoarele lui probleme vor prea neimportante cnd va ncerca s nfrunte ceea ce e pe cale s se ntample.
11) ncerc s fiu atent, dar nu se merit s-l ascult. 12) Are mai multe preri, nsa nu-i acord nicio atenie
evident. 13) Nu spune niciodata nimic interesant; a devenit
plictisitor de ceva vreme ncoace. 14) Cu ct mbatrnete mai mult, cu att nelege totul
mai bine. 15) Gsete interesant s ne supere cu aceleai ntrebri,
aa c este absurd s-l considerai un prieten al nostru. 16) Fie va veni la timp, fie l vom astepta acolo; nu exist
nicio ndoial c e o persoana de ncredere. 17) Nu are cea mai bun prere despre tine; pare a fi
prietenul nostru, de fapt, i plac brfele.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 59
18) Dei l cumprm n fiecare zi, sunt multe persoane care susin c acest ziar de scandal nu merit cumprat.
19) Niciunul dintre ei nu-i accept contribuia privitoare la rezultatele sedinei.
20) Gsesc a nu fi interesant s faci aceleai lucruri n fiecare zi; te plictiseti.
21) Cele dou fete ale lor merg la coal dimineaa, de aceea nu a fost nimeni acas.
22) Se ntampl s greim cnd suntem siguri de bunele sentimente ale oamenilor.
23) Celelalte dou ziare nu au fost pe mas cnd am luat micul dejun ieri diminea.
24) Au fost niste obiecte vechi ntr-o cutie sub pat, dar caietele tale de englez nu au fost acolo.
25) Nu nelege complexitatea acestor situaii; chiar acum ncearc s descopere motivul lor i nu i imagineaz c mai muli factori necunoscui la produc n fiecare zi.
26) Alt fel de tiri apar n asemenea ziare care vorbesc despre evenimente zilnice; chiar acum, toate ziarele vorbesc despre un furt neobinuit.
27) Acele idei ale lor nu au nicio consecin care merit menionat; acum lucreaz la ceva nou, ns nu este o idee mai bun dect cele anterioare.
28) i pregtete micul dejun chiar acum; face asta la 6:45 n fiecare diminea de cnd avea 18 ani.
29) Se ntmpl s tim despre ce vorbeti; suntem mai interesai de subiect dect tu nsui!
30) Nu este la fel de harnic ca i acei colegi ai lui i nu spun asta doar pentru a provoca o prere proast despre el: n timp ce vorbesc, lucreaz la planul lucrrii i spune c a avut mai multe probleme cu ea n timp ce ali colegi au terminat-o acum cteva zile.
31) Nici nu plou, nici nu ninge, ns vremea e destul de neplacut!
60 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
32) E dispus s nvee lucruri noi; chiar acum nva despre tehnicile de autoaprare.
33) Citete romane n fiecare an, ns de cteva luni citete nite poezii pe care le gsete foarte expresive.
34) Spune multe glume pe care aproape nimeni nu le nelege niciodat i e singurul care le gsete mai mult dect amuzante; chiar acum vorbete cu o doamn n vrst creia, sunt sigur, i spune una din acele glume ale lui.
35) Nite ntrebri ale lor au avut mai multe variante corecte i nu fusesem destul de inspirat s-mi dau seama de asta.
36) Cnd va prezenta nite noi prieteni, i vei saluta i vei ncerca s zmbeti larg.
37) ntr-adevar, nite elevi au avut un comportament ciudat i agresiv, ns acest punct de vedere ni se pare extrem.
38) Tu pari devotat acestei misiuni, dar lui nu-i pas de succesul activitii.
39) Jane pare mai tnr, dar are un comportament matur; cu ct mbtrnete, cu att prerile ei sun mai interesant.
40) Te voi ajuta cu bagajul sau i voi mprumuta bani pentru taxi, dar, te rog, nu-mi cere s te nsoesc la gar.
41) Acel loc i-a adus multe amintiri neplcute i de aceea evitase s viziteze acele rude.
42) Dac va pierde cheile, se gndete c o va suna pe sora ei, de aceea nu-i face prea multe griji.
43) El nu are nicio idee interesant, cu toate acestea, e foarte zgomotos cnd se gndete la ceva.
44) Nu tie cine a fost acolo cnd a luat micul dejun 45) Vorbete despre lucururi interesante, dar e felul de
persoan ale crei idei nu sunt legate logic i de aceea e dificil s o nelegi.
46) Nu ne-a neles niciodat i nu a fost de acord cu acest comportament al nostru.
47) Vrea sa i ajute? Nu, nu prea, pentru c acei prieteni ai lui nu au auzit niciodat proverbul Prietenul la nevoie se cunoate.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 61
48) Alte preri au avut consecine negative, dar rezultatul a fost unul mulumitor.
49) Adaug mai multe legume oricrei salate pentru c iubete legumele i fructele indiferent de anotimp.
50) E suparat de cteva zile, dar nu tiu de ce; pare bolnav, dar tiu c e doar obosit i foarte suprat.
51) Alt cuvnt potrivit completeaz acest text; s scurtm textul i s evitm cuvintele necunoscute!
52) ntotdeauna ne sun dimineaa devreme dei nu are nimic interesant de spus; spune O zi plcut! i apoi nchide.
53) Nu a fost nimeni pe strad dar au fost nite zgomote ciudate.
54) Nu este nimic n acea camer i de aceea a prut mai ncptoare.
55) Nu are nimic care ar putea fi duntor n aceste mprejurri.
56) Cu toate acestea, nu a aflat niciodat despre existena vreunui frate/sor.
57) Nimeni nu a fost niciodat mai interesat de aceste proiecte dect noi, dar nu am avut timp suficient s participm la ele.
58) Cel mai nou stil n ceea ce privete arhitectura a fost inspirat de acea cldire strveche.
59) Aceast jignire este specific unei persoane a crei lips de educaie a fost evident.
60) Ne atrage atenia de fiecare dat cnd privim n alt parte i spune c nu suntem ateni la subiect.
61) Vacana nu a fost la fel de plcut ca i perioada cnd am avut acel succes profesional.
62) Eecul lor este cel mai enervant pentru c arat prile negative ale personalitii lor.
63) Nu ai avut niciodat cele mai bune sfaturi care sunt, de obicei, utile n astfel de situaii.
64) Acea experien a avut un efect benefic asupra noastr pentru c ne-a deschis calea ctre noile ntmplri ce aveau s vin.
62 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
65) Un lucru neobinuit a avut consecine dezastruoase, adic a fost ciudat c planul a avut defecte din cauza lipsei ei de interes i experien; ns, rezultatul a fost mai bun dect cel pe care l ateptaserm.
66) Nici nu a avut mai multe ntrebri suplimentare, nici nu a tiut rspunsurile.
67) Fie nu a vorbit cu nimeni, fie nu a fost acolo. 68) Acele ndoieli ale lor au fost considerate la fel de
importante ca i afirmaiile anterioare. 69) Niciunul dintre ei nu m-a ajutat dei erau toi colegii mei. 70) Niciunul dintre cei doi membri ai echipei nu a avut
niciun indiciu privitor la motivele nenorocirii. 71) Au fost ntotdeauna mai multe ntamplri nefericite i
de aceea am renunat. 72) Oricine merge la munte se ndrgostete de acele
peisaje la fel de impresionante ca i basmele. 73) Nu nelege nimic n ceea ce ne privete i sunt
mndr s spun c nu m simt deranjat de toate nenelegerile. 74) Nimic nu este mai neplcut dect o persoana gata s
izbucneasc n lacrimi pentru orice mic amnunt. 75) Al 33-lea articol a fost mai puin interesant dect
celelalte; nu e nicio pierdere c nu l-ai citit; sunt multe astfel de articole n ziarele de scandal.
76) Lungimea povetii a fost factorul principal al plictiselii noastre.
77) Ceilali colegi au fost mai ocupai dect noi, dar s-au distrat mai mult n timpul lor liber fcnd o excursie n acele pri ale rii.
78) Nici tu, nici ceilali nu avei nicio idee despre greelile lor i comportamentul adecvat n situaii de criz; altceva trebuia fcut.
79) Prima recenzie a fost interesant, a doua a fost plictisitoare i apoi am plecat din ncpere cnd alii intrau n slile de curs.
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 63
80) Era ceva pe mas ns nu cred c banii ti au fost acolo. 81) Nici nu tiu nimic despre ei, nici nu vreau s aflu ceva. 82) Nu tie pe nimeni n oraul sta, nu are nici rude nici
prieteni i de aceea se simte singur din cnd n cnd. 83) Nu a vorbit niciodat despre acea minciun a ei; se
simte prea jenat s i-o aminteasc. 84) Acel copil nu are nimic n mn, dar pare foarte
suspect n mijlocul acestei mini de oameni. 85) Cei care sunt prea obosii nu vor s se ridice n
picioare i astfel colegii i consider a nu fi de ncredere. 86) Daca l vezi pe Kevin, spune-i c acele copii xerox ale
lui nu sunt gata; dac va avea nevoie de ele mine, amintete-i s vin mai devreme.
87) n mare, susine c am fcut nite greeli i cifrele, rezultatul muncii noastre, nu sunt exacte.
88) Fie va gsi acei bani n alta parte, fie va vorbi cu eful cu prima ocazie cnd l va vedea.
89) Cnd va ajunge acas, va deschide televizorul i va petrece mai multe ore uitndu-se la nimic, irosindu-i timpul.
90) Nu era nicio revist pe tejghea; baiatul ia toate revistele vechi i le arunc de fiecare dat cnd vine la lucru dimineaa.
91) Dac te va nelege, nseamn c te va ajuta, dar nu putem fi siguri de nimic.
92) Unul dintre cei mai cunoscui competitori care adesea particip la asemenea concursuri televizate nu are nicio idee care e lungimea rului Dunrea.
93) Dac ieea asear, nu termina de citit romanul. 94) Aceste rude ale noastre pe care le apreciez cel mai
mult nu ne-au mai vizitat de o eternitate. 95) Se pregtea s nceap jocul; nu jucase niciodat roata
norocului i nu tia ce s fac. 96) Nu ni s-au facut prezentrile, dar ari ca o veche
cunotin de-a mea.
64 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
97) Ar fi deschis ua dac ar fi auzit soneria; probabil c nu era acas.
98) Deveniser prieteni cnd i-am cunoscut; cu ct se cunoteau mai bine, cu att deveneau mai puin egoiti privitor la prietenia lor.
99) Dei nu era pe list, a reuit s gseasc o invitaie la o astfel de petrecere la care nu fusese niciodat invitat.
100) Dac ar fi citit scrisoarea ta la timp, te-ar fi iertat si ai fi nc prieteni astzi.
III.2. Vocabulary exercises
1. Match the following words with their definitions and then use them in sentences of your own:
1) Robber a) caught in the act 2) Thief b) person who breaks into
a building in order to get stuff which doesnt belong to him
3) Red-handed c) person who deals with the financial matters of an institution
4) Accountant d) proof of a certain
action or lack of action 5) Evidence e) a person who is used to
stealing 2. Most of the lines of the following text contain an extra
word; identify and take them out: Some people agree with the forthcoming end of the world.
Others dont understand why so many people accept such a predicament with no sound strong evidence. Of course, the end
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 65
of the world is not something we are eager to embrace and none of us hopes to experience it one day.
Nevertheless, there are persons who they believe everything they are told; either they are used to believing everything or they are innocent enough not to look out for indications of the imminent danger.
Indeed, there are foretellers, but it doesnt mean that theyre have always right. Nostradamus is one of the most famous such foretellers, but should we blindly obey his sayings or should we just go on with our lives? Life it is hard as it is; why should we make it harder while trying to find possible solutions to escape to the end of the world?
3. In most lines of the text bellow there is a spelling error. Find the errors and correct them:
When I first tried to find a job, I realized that life was hard. You need strong knownledge, you need experience, personal and professional skils and competences.
Durring high school, students dont realize the importance of this matter. The moment you try to find a job, you become aware of the fact that your parents where right when they said life wasnt easy. Everything seems to be perfect when you just go to school, but latter, things really get very complicated.
Nevertheless, many people think a good education is a crucial element in ones life.
What about work experience? How do we get that? If we atend classes, we are likely to get a good education.
Unless someone gives you the chance to work, irrespective off your lack of previous experience, you will never get a job. But, in order to get a well-payed job, you need a good education.
Consequentlly, you need both of them, everything seems to go round and round. Yet, how can a young man get a good job?
4. Use the words at the end of each line in order to get the
proper adjectives to fill in the blanks:
66 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
People never get . messages. If they did, World War II CAUTION
wouldnt have happened because they should have known better. The children who
outlived such world conflicts could no longer be when it came to FAITH
sensible and affectionate human beings. Nevertheless, there have been
.. attempts to reduce the harm caused by the two NUMBER
world wars of the 20th century. Consequently,. VOLUNTEER
actions of world powers tried to make Europe a better place. Some CREATE
minds came up with the idea of the European Union, but it was the United States of America
that had an . role in creating this union of European states. ADVISE
Many politicians had the . mission of cleaning the mess of the ENVY
Second World War. The . management of European country relations DISASTER
before the wars led to pain, death and destruction. People should have
come up with ideas and avoid war because the entire ALTERNATE
surroundings of human beings crashed together with ENVIRONMENT
their hope for a better life. 5. Match the following words with their definitions:
1) Teenager 1. a jewel you wear around your neck 2) Tailor 2. a person who makes clothes 3) Scarf 3. a young person who is no longer a child
Practical English Morphology and Vocabulary 67
4) Belt 4. people use it as a fastener 5) Tights 5. it protects your neck from cold
weather 6) Necklace 6. a warm coat which people wear with
bad weather 7) Overcoat 7. very stretched trousers
6. Give the synonyms of the following words: a) Smart = f) sterling = b) Hot= g) questionable = c) Strange = h) handsome = d) Ordinary = i) elementary = e) Large= j) irritating = 7. Use the words at the end of each line to get the
appropriate new words: a) You need to . your alternatives concerning your
future career. BROAD b) We all have an Achilles heel, that is we all have a
certain .. WEAK c) People used to admire.. heroes of ancient
times. LEGEND d) Large corporations have introduced the concept o.
judgment. SITUATION e) This child has always lacked the .. of his
age. VITAL
8. Use the words at the end of each line to get the appropriate new words:
a) She has always taken . pictures; she hates the grim ones. HUMOR
b) People talk about...................environmental protection as a main human concern. ELEMENT
68 Cristina Ionela Iosifescu
c) The E.U. prevents us from using. chemical substances. HARM
d) My mother is the of self-respect and self-sacrifice. BODY
e) This piece of information is for the national security. VALUE
9. Form new words to fill in the blanks: 1.We tried to find the persons who are .. for such
mist