Wellman Guy. The Heinemann ELT Wordbuilder
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Age
she's still got her girlish sense of humour
in his late forties
she's older than she looks
1950
still playing his schoolboy tricks
in her early fifties
he's aged a lot lately
he's getting on (in years)
one of the older generation
I'm twice your age, young man!
the same age as her husband
heading for retirement
1960
he's over the hill *
Sunday Excursion for the Over 60s
growing old gracefully
a pensioner (an old age pensioner, OAP)
he's coming up to seventy
you're old enough to know better
you're as old as you feel
an elderly lady
1970
a septuagenerian
Help the Aged
she's still going strong
in her seventy-fifth year
his elder brother's death
her eldest sister's death
becoming senile
old age comes to all of us
1980
his eightieth birthday
an octogenarian
he's as old as the hills*
in her second childhood
he's got one foot in the grave*
he'll soon be pushing up the daisies*
she's kicked the bucket*
she's passed away / on
Practice
Discuss or write the answers to these questions.
1 How has your relationship with your parents and other members of your family
changed as you have grown older?
2 At which age would you most like to stop the world for ten years so you could enjoy
it? Has that age passed or is it still to come?
3 Some people say there are a lot of similarities between childhood and old age. Do
you agree?
4 Do you think young people are growing up faster these days? If so, give examples.
5 Do you agree or partly agree with the saying 'Life begins at forty'?
11
Age
Write on one or more of the following topics.
1 a dialogue between a psychiatrist and a middle-aged man who is worried about his
age and getting old.
2 a section of your speech at a public meeting in support of the vote for teenagers.
3 the approximate age at which you normally think of or remember these people, as
in the examples.
Winston Churchill in his mid- to late sixties
Olga Korbut
in her
early
teens,
just
after
adolescence
1 James Dean
2 Ronald Reagan
3 Elvis Presley
4 Mahatma Gandhi
5 Marilyn Monroe
6 Marlon Brando
7 Joan Collins
8 Mozart
Add any other expressions about age as you meet them.
12
Family relationships
Next
of kin.....................
Brain teaser
Try this little brain-teaser when you have five or ten minutes to spare. Alternatively,
just note the names we give to the various members of our family.
Each
of the
fourteen
people below
is
married
to one of the
others.
From
the
information you are given, find out who is married to whom. Note there are three
generations here. The answers are on page 14.
Alan
is
Caroline's
nephew
and
Larry's
cousin.
Barbara is Larry's mother and Maggie's sister-in-law.
Caroline
is
Edward's
daughter
and
Maggie's sister-in-law.
David is Gordon's brother-in-law and Alan's uncle.
Edward is Ingrid's grandfather and Maggie's father-in-law.
Fanny is Caroline's mother and Alan's grandmother.
Gordon is Helen's son-in-law and Nigel's brother-in-law.
Helen is Barbara's mother-in-law and Larry's grandmother.
Ingrid is Gordon's niece and David's daughter-in-law.
John is David's father and Gordon's father-in-law.
Karen is Gordon's daughter-in-law and Maggie's daughter-in-law.
Larry is John's grandson and David's son.
Maggie is Larry's aunt and Fanny's daughter-in-law.
Nigel is Ingrid's father and Fanny's son-in-law.
Practice
1 Choose the most suitable word or phrase to complete the sentences below. The
answers are on page 14.
1 Mrs Jones had ....
a a trio b a treble с triplets
2 Mrs Vine had had ... the week before.
a quarts b quads с a quartet
3 Twins often seem to ... a generation.
a hop b skip с jump
4 There was a case of... twins in our town recently.
a Japanese b Chinese с Siamese
5 There's a ... of twins in our family — on my father's ... .
a story b geography с history
d tree e side f line
6 I was ... child, though. •
a an only b a missing с a single
7 All the
members
of our
football
team
are
related
...
marriage,
a by b to с on
8
When
Mother
remarried,
her
second
husband,
my
...,
gave
me a new
bicycle.
a forefather b stepfather с grandfather
9 He said to me, 'Look, I know you're not my own ..., but let's be friends.'
a flesh and blood b blood and guts с skin and bones
10 My ...
originated
from
a
tribe
of Red
Indians.
a ancestors b ancients с antiques
11 Not many of my own ... relatives are still alive.
a blood b skin с heart
13
Family relationships
12 My ... -grandfather fought at the Battle of Waterloo.
a grand grand grand b great grand grand с great-great-great
13 My brother-in-law inherited £500,000 in his uncle's ... .
a will b testament с wishes.
14 I was left £50 and a cat by ... relative; I believe it was a ... cousin - or perhaps it
was a... -aunt.
a a distant b an unclear с a long-distance
d double e second f dual
g grand h great і large
15 Peter is an orphan; he was ... at the age of two.
a adjusted b adapted с adopted
16
Paul comes
from
a
broken
home;
he has
lived with
a
number of... parents.
a loan b foster с second-hand
17
Mary
was
from
a
single-parent
family;
now
she's
looked
after
by her
....
a keeper b warden с guardian.
18 I'm off to have Sunday lunch with my ... now.
a outlaws b by-laws с in-laws
Discuss or write the answers to these questions.
1 In what ways do you take after members of your family, in appearance and
character?
2 How close are you to the various members of your family?
3 What sort of presents do you normally receive from your relatives?
4 Do most people you know get on with their in-laws?
5 What is the system of adopting and fostering in your country?
6 I wouldn't like to be / have been an only child. Do you agree?
Write on one or more of the following topics.
1 Write a paragraph from a short story describing a wedding or a funeral.
2 Write an imaginary page from the diary of a foster-parent whose foster-child is
leaving tomorrow.
Add any other expressions about family relationships as you meet them.
Answers
The married couple are: Ingrid and Larry, Edward and Fanny, Helen and John, Alan
and Karen, Gordon and Maggie, David and Barbara, Caroline and Nigel.
1 triplets 2 quads 3 skip 4 Siamese 5 history my father's
side 6 an only child 7 by marriage 8 stepfather 9 flesh and
blood 10 ancestors 11 blood relatives 12 great-great-great-
grandfather 13 will 14 a distant relative, second cousin, great-aunt
15 adopted 16 foster-parents 17 guardian 18 in-laws
14
Marital status
MARITAL STATUS (tick as appropriate)
single
engaged
married
separated
divorced
widowed (if a widow or widower, please state which)
Reading
Note how various relationships are described in the letter from Hollywood below.
188 Beverley Hills,
Hollywood,
Nr. Los Angeles,
California
13th July 1985
Dear Fiona,
Thanks for all your news. Things are very much as normal here. Harry and I have
split up - we both felt we had had enough of each other. He's dating a girl who was
going steady with Paul when you were here -1 think they're quite serious - and I'm
seeing
a
film
producer called Harvey who's waiting
for his
divorce
to
come
through.
We're more than 'just good friends' but I don't know how long it will last. My late
husband's former mistress is marrying his first wife's third husband on Saturday.
In fact, it's going to be a double wedding because her second son by her first
marriage is getting married to the girl he's been sharing a flat with for the past six
months. You remember? That's her half-brother's ex-fiancee, the one who was going
out with Jason back in January.
Anyway, how are you? Still the ideal couple over there in Eastbourne, are you? Do I
hear wedding bells?
Lots of love for now,
Mandy
Practice
1 Choose the best words to complete the short conversations below.
1 A Excuse me,..., can I see your driving licence?
a Mr b sir с mate
В I'm sorry,..., I don't seem to have it on me.
a sir b policeman с constable
2 A ... ! Can I have a menu, please?
a Sir b Mister с Waiter
В Here you are,....
a madam b Ms с Mrs
3 A Did you understand the question,... Smith?
a Sir b Madam с Miss
В
Yes,
I
did,
my
....
a master b lord с majesty
15
Marital status
Discuss or write the answers to these questions.
1 Do you think the idea of getting engaged is old-fashioned?
2 Why do you think divorce is nearly as popular as marriage in some countries but
not others?
Write on one or both of the following topics.
1 Write, and act out if you wish, a typical conversation between a middle-aged
married couple who are planning their typical weekday evening at home.
2 Write part of the letter that you write, angrily or sadly, to a newspaper, after
reading the headline 'Hollywood Movie Star's Sixth Marriage Ends'.
Add any other expressions about marital status as you meet them.
16
Countries,
Nationalities
Country of origin...................
Nationality ................
Quiz
Below is a series of competitions for you to try in groups. Its main aim is not to test
your geography, but to help you study and practise your English.
Only look at the left-hand column. Cover the words on the right.Try to answer the
questions. Then check your answers by looking at the words in the right-hand
column.
Which countries have borders with the following groups of countries given below?
1 Guatemala
El Salvador
Nicaragua
2 Algeria
Niger
Chad
Sudan
Egypt
3 Colombia
Costa Rica
Honduras
Libya
Panama
2 Now, the reverse: which countries border those on the left below? And what
nationality are most of the people in them?
1 Switzerland (five)
2 Bolivia (five)
Italy
Liechtenstein
France
Austria
West Germany
Brazil
Peru
Argentina
Paraguay
Chile
Scotland
Wales
Swiss
Italian
Liechtensteiner
French
Austrian
German
Bolivian
Brazilian
Peruvian
Argentinian
Paraguayan
Chilean
English
Scottish
Welsh
3 England (two)
Travelling between the cities below, by the shortest possible land route, which
countries would you pass through? And what nationality of people would you see
most of? Name four countries for each journey.
1 From Tel Aviv to Ankara
Israel
The Lebanon
Israeli
Lebanese
17
Countries, Nationalities
2 From Kabul to Katmandu
3 From Bucharest to Dresden
4 From Lusaka to Entebbe
Syria
Turkey
Afghanistan
Pakistan
India
Nepal
Romania
Hungary
Czechoslovakia
East Germany
Zambia
Zaire
Tanzania
Uganda
Syrian
Turkish
Afghan
Pakistani
Indian
Nepalese
Romanian
Hungarian
Czech(oslovakian)
East German
Zambian
Zairean
Tanzanian
Ugandan
Which
countries have
the
currencies
listed below?
And
what nationality
are
most
of
the people who have that kind of money in their pockets?
rand
yen
renminbi
rial
markka
6 zloty
7 drachma
8 baht
9 guilder
10 rouble
South Africa
Japan
China
Iran
Finland
Poland
Greece
Thailand
Holland
(The Netherlands)
Russia Russian
(The Soviet Union)
(The USSR)
South African
Japanese
Chinese
Iranian
Finnish
Polish
Greek
Thai
Dutch
Don't worry if you're finding them difficult; the idea is not to get them all right. I had
the advantage of an atlas and encyclopedia.
Which countries have these cities as the capital? And what nationality are most of
the people living in them?
1 Caracas
2 Sofia
3 Nairobi
4 Seoul
5 Montevideo
6 Lagos
7 Addis Ababa
8 Amman
9 Harare
10 Riyadh
11 Baghdad
12 Reykjavic
Venezuela
Bulgaria
Kenya
South Korea
Uruguay
Nigeria
Ethiopia
Jordan
Zimbabwe
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iceland
Venezuelan
Bulgarian
Kenyan
South Korean
Uruguayan
Nigerian
Ethiopian
Jordanian
Zimbabwean
Saudi (Arabian)
Iraqi
Icelandic
In which countries do cars with these signs on them probably start their journeys?
And what nationality are their drivers likely to be?
1
2
3
4
5
CDN
МЕХ
MA
L
E
6 YU
Canada
Mexico
Morocco
Luxembourg
Spain
Yugoslavia
Canadian
Mexican
Moroccan
Luxembourger
Spanish
Yugoslavian
18
Countries, Nationalities
7 IRL Ireland/Eire Irish
8 USA The USA American
(The United States)
9 NZ New Zealand NewZealander
In which countries would you find these dishes most often? And what nationality
would most of the people eating them be?
1 satay sauce Indonesia Indonesian
2 couscous Morocco Moroccan
3 kebabs Turkey Turkish
4 smo'rgos Sweden Swedish
5 white chocolates Belgium Belgian (Flemish)
6 brown cheese Norway Norwegian
7 kangaroo-tail soup Australia Australian
8 chicken livers in port Portugal Portuguese
9 pastries with nuts and dried fruit Denmark Danish
English is an easy language, so most of the words in the third columns above, except
those ending -ish or -ese can be used as an adjective or as a noun: She's Italian or
She's an Italian — He's Israeli or He's an Israeli. This is always true of those words
ending -an or -i.
But there are some special cases, such as the form a Dutchman, an Irishman, an
Englishman, a Frenchman, a Welshman. People from Scotland can be rather
complicated. We can call them Scottish or Scotsmen. If you want to make them
angry, you can call them Scotch. Alternatively, we can say He's (She's) a Scot.
Using He's a ..., see if you can give the nationality of the following people:
1 Alan Wells, sprinter a Scot
2 Lasse Viren, long-distance runner a Finn
3 Bjorn Borg, tennis player a Swede
4 Hans Christian Andersen, story-teller a Dane
5 Lech Walesa, trade union leader a Pole
6 Kemal Ataturk, national hero a Turk
7 Pablo Picasso, artist a Spaniard
8 Alexander Dubcek, one-time party leader a Czech
9 John Walker, middle-distance runner a New Zealander
Game
To finish, a word-association game.What do you think of when you hear the word
Danish? Danish bacon? Danish butter? Danish cheese?
Write or say the word you think of first to go with each of the words below. Possible
answers are given on the right. See how often you think of the same word as the one
printed in the book.
1 Danish bacon
2 German beer
3 French perfume
4 Irish whiskey
5 Japanese motor bikes
6 American football
7 Greek islands
8 New Zealand butter
9 English weather
10 Russian dolls
19
Countries, Nationalities
11 Argentinian
12 Egyptian
beef
pyramids
2 Now, play the game the other way round. Write or say the nationality you associate
with the things listed below. Are they the same as those in the book?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
cigarettes
cheese
carpets
coffee
tortillas
silk
shoes
rugby
goulash
tulips
cigars
guitar
restaurants
Turkish
Swiss
Persian
Brazilian
Mexican
Thai
Italian
Welsh
Hungarian
Dutch
Cuban (Havana)
Spanish
Chinese
Add any other words or expressions about countries and nationalities as you meet
them.
20