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Curs Idd Asenou Ani Sem 1 PDF
Curs Idd Asenou Ani Sem 1 PDF
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Unit 1 ......................................................................................................... 7
Pre-Reading Tasks .................................................................................. 7
Reading .................................................................................................. 7
Ways with words .................................................................................... 9
Grammar Reference .............................................................................. 13
The verb to be ................................................................................... 13
The demonstrative pronoun and adjective.......................................... 14
Question forms.................................................................................. 14
Controlled practice................................................................................ 14
Unit 2 ....................................................................................................... 17
Pre-reading tasks................................................................................... 17
Reading ................................................................................................ 17
Ways with words .................................................................................. 19
Grammar reference ............................................................................... 24
The personal pronoun........................................................................ 24
Mood, tense and aspect ..................................................................... 25
Present Simple .................................................................................. 25
Present Continuous ........................................................................... 26
Controlled practice................................................................................ 27
Unit 3 ....................................................................................................... 32
Pre-reading tasks................................................................................... 32
Reading ................................................................................................ 32
Ways with words .................................................................................. 34
Grammar reference ............................................................................... 40
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English .................... 40
The Imperative.................................................................................. 41
The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective.......................... 41
Controlled practice................................................................................ 42
Unit 4 ....................................................................................................... 44
Pre-reading tasks................................................................................... 44
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Reading 1.............................................................................................. 44
Ways with words 1................................................................................ 45
Reading 2.............................................................................................. 46
Ways with words 2................................................................................ 47
Grammar Reference .............................................................................. 50
Classification of nouns ...................................................................... 50
Number of nouns............................................................................... 51
The Genitive ..................................................................................... 51
Controlled practice................................................................................ 52
Unit 5........................................................................................................ 60
Pre-reading tasks................................................................................... 60
Reading................................................................................................. 60
Ways with words .................................................................................. 61
Grammar Reference .............................................................................. 67
Past Simple ....................................................................................... 67
Past Continuous ................................................................................ 69
Past Simple and Past Continuous....................................................... 70
Expressions of quantity ..................................................................... 70
The Adjective.................................................................................... 71
The order of adjectives in a series...................................................... 72
Controlled practice................................................................................ 73
Unit 6........................................................................................................ 86
Pre-Reading Tasks ................................................................................ 86
Reading................................................................................................. 86
Ways with words .................................................................................. 91
Grammar Reference .............................................................................. 94
Present Perfect Simple....................................................................... 94
Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple............................................. 96
The Preposition ................................................................................. 96
Prepositions of time........................................................................... 97
Controlled practice................................................................................ 98
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Unit 1
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In this unit you will learn:
Social English
The English Alphabet
The Verb to be
The Demonstrative Pronoun and the Demonstrative Adjective
Question forms
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Pre-Reading Tasks
What’s your name?
How old are you?
Where do you live?
What do you specialise in?
Reading
Read the following text about Mihaela Vlad, a
student in Romania:
My name is Mihaela Vlad and I am a student in the
Faculty of Economic Sciences at “Petroleum-Gas”
University of Ploieşti. I come from Arad, a town in
the West of Romania. I came here to study because
I have always been keen on economics and I really hope to learn many
useful things here.
I’m studying Spanish and English, and I can speak Spanish well and a little
English. I improved my Spanish when I went on a two-month holiday to my
aunt in Spain. I also hope that in a short time I will improve my English, as,
on the one hand, it is very useful to speak foreign languages and on the
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other hand, I might need it for my future job. In Romania there are lots of
foreign companies where I can work if I am fluent in one or two foreign
languages.
Today, when English is one of the major languages in the world, it doesn’t
require too much effort of our imagination to realise that this is a relatively
recent thing - that people started to import English in the seventeenth
century, with the first settlements in North America. As I could read in an
article, one person in seven of the world’s entire population speaks English
nowadays and most of them are quite fluent in it. Incredibly enough, due to
the extension of computerized systems and software which are mostly in
English, 75% of the world’s mail and 60% of the world’s telephone calls are
in English. Again incredibly, yet true is the fact that 200 million people
speak English and every year there are twenty million beginners.
International literary, scientific and economic publications are very often
printed in English.
So, the quicker I learn it, the more opportunities I may have to read
interesting materials connected to my field and to get a good job in the
future.
Everyday English
Practise saying the letters of the alphabet according to the vowel sounds:
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2. Spell the name of Mihaela Vlad. Then work in pairs. Spell your name in
English to your deskmate. Then find out how to spell his/her name.
3. What do you think a good language learner can do? Choose beginnings
from A and suitable endings from B. There are many possible answers:
A good language learner:
A B
borrows books without a teacher.
writes things down in every way possible.
guesses words without being told to.
tries to study in real situations.
tries to learn every day possible.
practises speaking from films, TV and records.
4. Social Exchanges
Supply the best word or words:
1. You are late for an appointment, so you say, ‘……………….I’m
late.’
a) Sorry/I’m sorry
b) Excuse me
c) Forgive me
d) Pardon me
2. You fail to hear what someone says to you, so you say,
‘…………….?’
a) Excuse me
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b) Pardon
c) Forgive me
d) Pardon me
3. A passenger on a bus complains you are standing on his foot; you
say, ‘………………!’
a) Sorry
b) Forgive me
c) Excuse me
d) Pardon me
4. Here is your apology for bad behaviour: ‘…………..for my awful
behaviour last night.’
a) Please pardon me
b) Please forgive me
c) I beg your pardon
5. You answer the phone and you say, ‘…………………..!’
a) Speak
b) Hello
c) Enter
d) Say
6. You are introduced to a stranger, so you say, ‘………………..?’
a) How are you
b) How do you do
c) What do you do
7. You are leaving, so you say, ‘………….!’
a) Adieu
b) Goodbye
c) Farewell
8. You are refusing food that is offered; you say, ‘………………’
a) Thank you
b) No, thank you
c) Thanks
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9. You thank me for holding the door open and my response may be,
‘……………….’
a) It’s nothing
b) -
c) Please
d) Nothing
10. You meet a friend at the airport on arrival and you may say,
‘……………..London!’
a) Welcome to
b) Be welcome to
c) Welcome in
d) I wish you welcome to
11. Someone asks you how you are and you answer, ‘……………,
thanks.’
a) Good
b) Very good
c) Fine
d) Very fine
12. Your friend is waiting for you to finish what you are doing and
you say, ‘………………..’
a) One moment
b) A moment
c) One minute
d) Just a minute
13. You are attending an interview and the interviewer says,
‘……………….’
a) Sit yourself
b) Take a seat
c) Sit
d) Sit you
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14. The class stands up as you enter the room and you say,
‘……………………’
a) Sit yourselves
b) Take a seat
c) Sit down
d) Sit
15. This is what you say to a friend on January 1st:
‘……………….New Year!’
a) Lucky
b) Happy
c) Merry
d) Good
5. In the text about Mihaela Vlad, you learned the expression on the one
hand .... on the other hand which means pe de o parte ... pe de altã parte.
Let’s learn more expressions containing the preposition on:
to be on duty = a fi de serviciu;
on account of = pe baza, din cauzã cã, luând în consideraŃie cã;
on and on = fãrã întrerupere, la nesfârşit;
and so on = şi aşa mai departe;
on this ground = din acest motiv;
to turn on/ to switch on (the light, the radio, etc.) = a deschide/ a aprinde
(lumina, radioul,etc.);
on this assumption = pe baza acestei presupuneri;
on the basis of = pe baza;
on behalf of sb. = în numele cuiva, din partea cuiva;
on the contrary = din contrã;
on record = cunoscut;
on the score of = ca rezultat;
on the verge of = pe punctul de, pe cale, în pragul;
on the whole = în general, în întregime;
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on demand = la cerere;
on condition that = cu condiŃia;
on purpose = dinadins, intenŃionat;
on principle = din principiu;
on the first attempt = la prima încercare;
on a sudden = brusc, deodatã, pe neaşteptate;
on trial = de probã.
Grammar Reference
The verb to be
Affirmative Interrogative Negative
I am I’m am I…? I am not I’m not
You are You’re are you…? You are not You’re not / You
aren’t
He is He’s is he…? He is not He’s not / He isn’t
She is She’s is she…? She is not She’s not / She isn’t
It is It’s is it…? It is not It’s not / It isn’t
We are We’re are we…? We are not We’re not / We
aren’t
You are You’re are you…? You are not You’re not / You
aren’t
They are They’re are they…? They are not They’re not / They
aren’t
Form
Short answer
Are you a student in Management?
Yes, I am. No, I’m not.
Is she an accountant?
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Question forms
Look at the following question words:
What do you do for a living? - I’m an accountant.
Who is your teacher of English? – Joan Smith is.
Where is Madrid? - In Spain.
When do you start the meeting? - On Friday, May, 2nd.
Why are you learning English? - Because I need it for my job.
How do you come to Ploieşti? - By train.
Whose are these papers? - They are Victor’s.
Controlled practice
1. Translate into English:
a. Eu sunt contabil. El este englez.
b. Acelea sunt colegele tale? Nu, acestea sunt colegele mele, Monica
şi Andra.
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Unit 2
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In this unit you will learn:
A Case Study
The Personal Pronoun
Present Simple
Present Continuous
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Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a case study? What parts does it include?
Reading
Read the following case study on Fournier
et CIE. Then read and translate the article
on Fournier et CIE published in an
economic magazine. Pay attention to the
present tenses:
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In order to solve their problems, they had a meeting with one of their most
important clients, Mr. Jacobson. The general manager was not present due
to health problems.
Here is the minutes of the meeting.
Today, April, 26, 2002, we had a short meeting in order to solve the
problem of delivery and the complaints concerning the standard materials.
Mr. Jacobson explained that the moment his company saw the samples of
our hand-made lines, he was authorized to discuss the terms of an order with
us and negotiate a contract. Yet the quality of the standard materials was
much better at that time, as he showed us two different types of gloves and
shoes, and consequently the difference in texture.
Mrs. Higgins, our production manager explained that due to the extended
needs of materials, we changed the supplier of materials, yet Mr. Jacobson
had been told about this two months before this change, and he had been
also sent the standard materials at that time, when he approved their quality.
Mr. Jacobson mentioned that delivery order no. 3425 had a problem, in the
sense that the material of the summer shoes seemed to be too loosely woven
and was inclined to pull out of shape. He said that his representatives relied
on the high quality of the materials we sent them and they were all the more
disappointed in the case because we supplied the cloth to new customers.
Mrs. Higgins assured him of a better quality in the future.
The problem of delivery will also be solved, as we had to solve out
problems of cloth delivery last week. As we couldn’t possibly allow this
situation to continue, we had to make our supplier understand that unless
they could guarantee to deliver supplies by the dates specified in future
orders, we would be forced to look for another supplier.
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3. Read the following sentence again: Clients are quite fed up with
promises. How do you translate to be fed up with something? Now learn
some phrasal verbs containing the particle up. Use your dictionary in order
to translate them.
weigh up bring up
take up (three meanings) draw up
step up pick up
Now replace the words in italics in the following sentences with the
following phrasal verbs.
a. Before preparing the contract, may I go over one or two points
again, please?
b. We have to increase our work-rate if we are going to get the
accounts finished in time.
c. If I’m going to have any chance of becoming a member of the
Board, I’ll have to start playing golf.
d. I’d like to mention the subject of expense claims at our next
meeting.
e. (Chairman, at a meeting).Your point is interesting, Donna, but I’d
like to discuss it later, if I may.
f. We must consider all the possibilities before we decide which
market to enter.
g. I start my new appointment next month.
h. We didn’t get many orders last quarter but now sales have
improved.
4. Choose the colour (you will need to use some words more then once)
black green red
blue grey white
brown pink yellow
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a. In most countries, goods that are scarce are usually freely available
on the ……………… market – provided you have the money to pay
for them.
b. You can argue with her until you’re ………………… in the face,
but once she’s made up her mind she won’t listen to you, no matter
what you say.
c. After several weeks of discussions, the group were given the
………………. light, and could finally go ahead with the new project.
d. There’s no point in asking my boss for a day off next week. I’m in
her ………………. books at the moment so she’s bound to say no.
e. She had only recently had lunch with her cousin, so the news of his
death came as bolt from the ……………
f. Although we got a lot of nice wedding presents, we also got one or
two ……………… elephants.
g. There is a common prejudice that girls who are very beautiful must
automatically be lacking in ………………. matter – so-called “dumb
blondes”.
h. Next Friday is a ……………….-letter day for my sister and her
husband; it’s their 25th anniversary.
i. After sunbathing for two hours every day, Joanna was as
…………………… as a berry.
j. The managing director’s reference to the forthcoming sales
conference was a ……………. herring. He just wanted to get off the
subject of this month’s poor sales figures.
k. She went as ………………. as a sheet when she heard about the
accident.
l. If there was a war, I don’t think I’d fight. I’ve got too much of a
…………….. streak. I’d be terrified of getting killed.
m. I’m sorry, James, I refuse to believe it unless you can show it to me
in …………….. and ……………!
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n. Ever since Tom got that huge order with Saudi-Arabia he’s been
the boss’s ……………..-eyed boy.
o. Don’t mention the present government in front of my father; it’s
like a …………………. rag to a bull.
p. I was ……………… with envy when my neighbour drove up in a
brand-new Jaguar.
q. By the way, Joyce, my husband was tickled ………………….. at
your asking him to judge the flower show.
r. For some reason, Swedish films are often synonymous with
…………………. films, which is very strange as there is relatively
little pornography in Sweden.
s. Sometimes it is better to tell a …………………. lie than to hurt
someone’s feelings.
t. My wife always goes bright ………………… whenever she gets
embarrassed.
5. Put each of the following phrases in its correct place in the sentences
below.
out of the blue in black and white
once in a blue moon a black sheep
to have green fingers green with envy
in the red to catch someone red-handed red tape
a. The offer of a job sounded very good on the phone but I won’t
believe it till I have it …………………
b. I must remind you that this is a non-smoking office. I suspect that
some of you have been smoking. If I happen …………………… I’m
afraid it will mean dismissal.
c. To import firearms into Britain you’ll have to fill in a lot of forms.
There’s a lot of …………………
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Grammar reference
The personal pronoun
The nominative. Form
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Present Simple
Present Simple is used to express:
• a repeated action or habit (it is often used with adverbs of frequency
such as: always, constantly, continually, ever, frequently, forever,
hardly, never, normally, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, seldom,
sometimes, usually, etc.):
I usually get up at 7.30.
Japanese people like to travel.
Most evenings we stay in.
• a fact which is always true (general truths and states):
Wood floats on water.
The Earth moves round the Sun.
The Danube floats into the Black Sea.
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Short answer
Do you like spring?
Yes, I do.
Does he speak French?
No, he doesn’t.
Present Continuous
Present Continuous is used to express:
• an activity happening now or around now
They are watching TV in their bedroom now.
I am living with my parents this week.
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Form
Present Continuous is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb be
followed by the indefinite participle of the main verb (verb+-ing).
Affirmative Interrogative Negative
I am working Am I working? I am not working
You are working Are you working? You are not (aren’t) working
He is working Is he working? He is not (isn’t) working
She is working Is she working? She is not (isn’t) working
It is working Is it working? It is not (isn’t) working
We are working Are we working? We are not (aren’t) working
You are working Are you working? You are not(aren’t) working
They are working Are they working? They are not (aren’t) working
Short answer
Are you coming?
Yes, I am. No, I’m not.
Is she watching TV?
Yes, she is. No, she isn’t.
Controlled practice
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3. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or Present Continuous:
a. He usually (drink) coffee but today he (drink) tea.
b. It (rain) now. It often (rain) in summer.
c. He (come) to see me tonight; we (go) on a trip to Sinaia next week
and we (want) to make plans for it.
d. I (live) in Ploiesti, but this week, as I (attend) a course in Bucharest,
I (stay) with my uncle in Calea Floreasca.
e. Pardon me, sir, but I (think) you (stand) on my feet.
f. Maria (come) from Spain this week.
g. She (speak) French, English and Italian.
h. I (cut) two slices of bread and she (prepare) an omlette.
i. What you (do) here? I (look) for my glasses.
j. Where you (live)? I (live) in Scotland.
4. Complete this postcard using the correct form of the verbs on the right:
Greetings from Scotland! John and I …..... do
something different this year. We’re at the
Edinburgh Activity Centre, where we …….. a have
good time and at the same time we …….. learn
different things. People…….. here every come
summer to learn more about their hobbies and
interests.
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p. Jack often (go) to the theatre but his wife (not go) very often. He
(like) all sorts of plays. She (prefer) comedies.
q. Professor Brown (be) the perfect linguist. He already (speak) seven
foreign languages. Now he (learn) an eighth.
r. My dog always (bark) at the postman. But look at that! For once,
he (be) friendly to the poor man.
s. They left for London an hour ago. I (wonder) whether they (travel)
by airplane or by train.
t. He (walk) very slowly because the bottle he (carry) (hold) nitro-
glycerine and nitro-glycerine (explode) if it (be) shaken.
v. Let me explain what you have to do. First you (take) the photos and
(sort) them into categories. Then you (file) them according to subject.
w. The play is set in London in 1890. The action (take) place in
Mary’s living-room. When the curtain (go) up, the hero and heroine
(sit) down. They (argue).
x. Dear Jane, sorry to hear about your problem at work. I (think) you
(do) the right thing, but I (doubt) whether your boss really (know) his
job from what you (tell) me.
y. The house is a mess because we’ve got the workmen in. The
plumber (put) in a new bath. The electricians (rewire) the system and
the carpenter (build) us some new bookshelves.
7. Translate into English:
a. Nu cred că te pot ajuta.
b. Mama gustă ciorba să vadă dacă mai e nevoie de sare.
c. Nu beau cafea de obicei, dar astăzi fac o excepŃie.
d. El merge cu autobuzul la şcoală în fiecare zi.
e. Noi nu învăŃăm decât vinerea, sâmbăta şi duminica.
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Unit 3
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In this unit you will learn:
A presentation of the distance learning department
Verbs which do not take a Continuous Aspect in English
The Imperative
The possessive pronoun and adjective
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Pre-reading tasks
How did you hear about the distance learning department? Why have you
chosen this specialisation?
Reading
Read the following presentation which was part of a project by which our
university inaugurated courses within the distance learning department. Pay
attention to the aspect of the verbs (simple/ continuous aspect). Translate the
text into Romanian:
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4. Read the following sentence again: Some books which were previously
published were up-dated last year. How do you translate to up-date? Now
explain the meaning of the words and phrases in italics in the following
sentences.
a. To date, we haven’t received a single order for our new product.
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6. Complete the following sentences with suitable forms of the words from
the list below.
authorize, authority, control, function, autonomy, innovate, innovative,
delegate, delegation, initiative
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7. Supply the most suitable words from the list on the right.
1. ………….is hard to find nowadays. a) boss
2. The quality of the food in a restaurant depends on
its……. b) chauffeur
3. I work in a garage as a car ……………… c) chef
4. Nancy has started a new………….. d) colleague
5. Mrs. Wilks is the …………of this shop, not the
owner. e) college
6. If you want to know the way, ask a ………….. f) conductor
7. Who’s the …………of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? g) doctor
8. Brenda was a university ………….. at the age
of 36. h) engineer
9. He has a car with a uniformed …………… i) job
10. His ………….. at school has given him a good
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report. j) manager
11. What’s the name of the ………..of your
company? k) mechanic
12. An …………..designs bridges or roads. l) medicine
13. The ……………of our shop is putting up the
rent. m) owner
14. There had been a burglary, so we called
the ………… n) police
15. I went into business after I left …………. o) policeman
16. I can’t use a …………, never mind a word
processor. p) professor
17. Gordon is a …………at the local hospital. q) teacher
18. Has the nurse given you your …………… r) typist
19. Smithers is a …………of mine at the office. s) typewriter
20. It’s useful to be a good …………if you use a
computer. t) work
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a) patron b) manager
7. A person who studies the origins of the universe is a ………………
a) physician b) physicist c) physics
8. Another word for ‘doctor’ is ……………
a) physician b) physicist c) medicine
9. If you are one of the people waiting to be served in a shop you are a
………………
a) client b) customer c) patient d) guest
10. If serve people who come into a shop, you are ………………
a) an official b) a shop assistant c) a bank clerk
Grammar reference
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English
There are verbs in English which generally are not used in the continuous
aspect:
• verbs of the senses (verbs of perception): see, hear, smell, taste, notice,
recognize, etc.
I smell gas.
• verbs of thinking: think, realize, know, understand, suppose, expect,
remember, forget, mind, etc.
I don’t remember your name.
• verbs of having and being: have, own, owe, belong to, possess, be,
contain, matter, hold, etc.
The house belongs to my mother.
I have a very good lathe.
• verbs of emotion: love, hate, like, dislike, refuse, want, wish, forgive,
etc.
I hate people calling me late at night.
He wants to buy a new tool.
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The Imperative
The imperative is a mood which expresses an order, a command, a wish, a
greeting, a piece of advice, a threat:
Come here!
Leave me alone!
Watch your step!
Let’s go!
Form
The imperative has forms only for the second person singular and plural.
Affirmative Negative
Get ready! Don’t get ready!
Start working! Don’t start working!
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Controlled practice
1. Translate into English:
a. Aceastã sticlã conŃine apă minerală.
b. Creionul Rotring este al Mariei.
c. Urãsc sã mi se cearã sã fac o lucrare de azi pe mâine.
d. Ea are doar un curs de statistică şi două de finanŃe.
e. Acest curs conŃine 14 capitole.
2. Decide which is the most appropriate form of the verb in the following
sentences:
a. I’m thinking/ I think of you.
b. She smells/ is smelling gas.
c. Mother is tasting/ tastes the soup to see if it needs more salt.
d. We have/ are having dinner now.
e. Could you call him back in twenty minutes as he has/ is having a
bath right now.
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Unit 4
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In this unit you will learn:
Writing a CV
Writing a letter of application
Classification of Nouns
Number of Nouns
The Genitive
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Pre-reading tasks:
What information should your CV contain?
What information should your letter of application contain?
Reading 1
Read the following CV. Can you find any improvements? Work with your
mates and report your findings to the rest of the class:
CURRICULUM VITAE
PERSONAL DETAILS
Name: Mihaela Vlad
Address: 23 Bvd. Bucureşti
Ploieşti 2000 Prahova
Telephone: 044165342
Date of birth: 1 January 1974
Nationality: Romanian
Languages: Fluent English; Conversational French
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Reading 2
Here is the letter of application Mihaela Vlad has written. Skim through the
letter and see what information the applicant is conveying about himself:
23 Bvd Bucureşti
Ploieşti 200 Prahova
Mr A. D. Vlad
Personnel Manager
Petrom Bucureşti Ref.: chief accountant vacancy
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CONSTRUCT Ltd.
Romanian-Canadian company providing
expertise, human resources and equipment
for the construction industry
requires
Human Resource Officers
3. Vocabulary building
An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another. For example, the
opposite of short is long, the opposite of old is young.
Complete the following sentences with words opposite in meaning to the
words in italics.
e.g. interesting He does not like his job because it is uninteresting.
a. satisfied Workers become……………………… if their jobs
offer no challenge.
b. conclusive Since the report was so………………… no
recommendations were made.
c. responsible ………………… behaviour by staff can be costly to
an organisation.
d. popular Managers become……………………… if they fail
to pay bonuses.
e. respect No manager likes a subordinate to be……………………
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.
f. secure A worker who feels…………………. in his job will
probably not be committed to the firm he works for.
g. social People who work ………………… hours, for example
at night-time, generally receive extra – pay.
h. efficient Nowadays, it is not easy to get rid of an employee who
is ……………………
4. Complete the following sentences with one suitable word meaning the
opposite of the word in capital letters:
a. Jack much prefers being EMPLOYED to being .……..….
b. Alex did a number of TEMPORARY jobs before he managed to
find a ……..….. position.
c. The first shop he opened was a big SUCCESS but the second was a
total ……..…..
d. Many people would rather work ………….than FULL-TIME.
e. The management said salaries had INCREASED, but official
reports showed that as a matter of fact they had .………….
5. Word sets. Try to think of the word time. Now think of words connected
to time. In this way you may create a word set which may include among
other words: day, month, year, century, year, etc. Now complete the
following sentences with one appropriate word connected with the subject
of money:
a. They refused to accept a cheque so I had to pay in ………....
b. When she started with the company her …………. was only
$10000 a year. Now it’s at least four times that.
c. When Mr Michael retired he received a .………… of $300 a month.
d. Pierre is very worried because he is in ……….... Nobody will lend
him any money.
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e. If you want a new car why not go and see your bank manager about
a ………....
Grammar Reference
Classification of nouns
Countable nouns Uncountable nouns
a girl water
a man sugar
a tool milk
a cup music
an apple weather
a guitar money
a pound oil/ petroleum
a car coal
a well gas
We can say two cups, four girls, ten pounds, twenty cars. We can count
them. We cannot count sugar, water or oil.
Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
This cup is empty.
These cups are full.
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Number of nouns
Form
Variable nouns form the plural in the following way:
• -s is added to the singular:
books-books, tool-tools
• -es is added to the singular nouns ending in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, nouns
ending in -y preceded by a consonant (-y changes to i), nouns ending in -
o:
bus-buses, box-boxes, match-matches, brush-brushes, city-cities; potato-
potatoes (But: photo-photos)
• -(e)s is added to nouns ending in -f(e) (which changes to -v):
knife-knives, leaf-leaves, shelf-shelves (But: roof-roofs)
Irregular plural nouns:
man-men, woman-women, foot-feet, tooth-teeth, goose-geese, louse-lice,
mouse-mice, child-children, ox-oxen
Foreign plurals
stimulus-stimuli, larva-larvae, stratum-strata, basis-bases, criterion-
criteria, phenomenon-phenomena, datum-data, etc.
The Genitive
The analytical genitive is used with the preposition of, used with neuter
nouns:
the tower of London, the colour of oil, the cover of the book, etc.
The synthetical genitive (‘s genitive) is used after:
• nouns denoting persons or other beings:
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Controlled practice
1. Complete this newspaper article. Choose the correct singular or plural
form in the brackets:
Johnson Factory for Milchester
The Johnson Clothing Company is going to build a new factory in
Milchester. (This/These) news (was/were) announced by company
chairman Mr David Johnson yesterday. Mr Johnson spent the morning
in Milchester before returning to the Johnson headquarters at
Edinburgh.
The Johnson company (has/have) been in existence for 100 years and
(is/are) famous for its (product/products). The slogans “You’re never
alone with a pair of Johnson (trouser/ trousers)” and “Johnson
(jean/jeans) (is/are) the (one/ones) for you” are well known. The
company’s profit last year of two million pounds (was/were) the
highest in the clothing business.
Mr Johnson will not say how (much/many) new (job/jobs) there will
be, but the information that there will be (work/works) (is/are) hard to
find at the moment, and 2,000 unemployed people (is/are) a high
figure for a small town.
2. Complete the following passage with the correct form of the words in the
box below.
strategy right venture personnel
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and finance. If a high-tech firm needs money very badly, it may arrange a
link-up with a larger company. It will offer that company exclusive
………………… (12) to its technology.
Enthusiasm, bright ideas ……………………(13) capital and
technology are not enough to ensure success. Basic
management…………………. (14) - especially financial and marketing
ones - are also vital.
3. Complete the following passage, using the suitable forms of the words
given below.
achieve reach report feedback objective
progress performance role stage view
4. Rewrite the following sentences, using the word in capital letters, so that
the meaning stays the same:
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6. Fill each space in the sentence with the correct form of the word in
capitals print about it:
a. They tried to ……………. him to participate in that contest.
COURAGE
b. Your solution seems to be the most ………………. And, as we are
rather short on money, we’ll decide in favour of it. ECONOMY
c. His opinion is …………….. from mine. We seem never to agree on
this issue. DIFFERENCE
d. Until you have solved your health problems, it is ………………
not to travel to Paris. ADVICE
e. All the time he proved to be very ………………. I can’t put up with
his coleric attitude. ARGUE
f. Choosing this course is entirely voluntary. There is no ……………..
whatsoever. COMPEL
g. Everytime he starts speaking about her scientific research he keeps
on speaking about modernism. I think I know her sentences by heart
now. It’s very …………….. REPEAT
h. They really ………….. over my idea and threw themselves into
creating the data basis. ENTHUSIASM
i. To ……….. the balloon they had to throw away their luggage.
STABLE
j. In childhood she was ……………… by Mira who helped her a lot.
FRIEND
k. This is the PM’s …………… RESIDE
l. The doctor gave me pull to ……….. the pain in my back. DEAD
m. His writing style is really………….. IMITATE
n. His disappearance is ………… EXPLAIN
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7. Supply the blanks with suitable nouns from those in brackets. Use the
plural forms:
a. He threw a stone at the rock and ..... came back. (piano, volcano,
echo)
b. The ship was sunk by well-aimed ..... (potato, torpedo, dynamo)
c. Winter fodder for cattle is kept in ..... (calico, casino, silo)
d. The opera company was advertising for ..... (octavo, soprano,
cuckoo)
e. The delegates carried their ..... (portfolio, photo, piano)
f. The ..... hit the island with tremendous force.(tornado, hobo, albino)
g. They threw rotten ..... to show their disgust. (tomato, canto, halo)
h. He was bitten by ..... and got malaria. (hero, soprano, mosquito)
i. There are hundreds of ..... along the Mediterranean coast. (hero,
casino)
j. How many...(hero, cargo, kilo) of ..... (tomato, piano, photo) do you
need to make 1 liter of juice?
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10. Decide which of the two verb forms should be used in the following
sentences:
a. Physics (was/were) my most difficult subject in high school.
b. Ballistics (is/are) the study of the motion of projectiles.
c. Athletics (has/have) been virtually abolished from smaller schools.
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11. What are the feminine forms of the following words: actor, son, lord,
bachelor, marquis, duke, master, negro, hero, chauffeur, czar, executor,
driver, clown, wizard, aviator, widower, landlord, stallion, drake, gander,
ram, drone, peacock, fox
12. What are the masculine forms of the following words: madam, queen,
countess, doe, hind, tabby cat, bitch, wife, maidservant, she-wolf, jenny-ass,
czarina, governess, heir, niece, nurse, abbess, chauffeuse
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Unit 5
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In this unit you will learn:
Business letters
Past Simple
Past Continuous
Expressions of quantity
The Adjective
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Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a business letter? What are the basic rules in
composing a business letter?
Reading
Read this text about composing business letters. Look at the tenses of the
verbs. Translate the text into Romanian:
Business letters
Business letters are usually typed on notepaper bearing a specially designed
heading which provides the reader of the letter with the essential
information about the organisation sending it. Normally the heading will
include the company’s name and address, its telephone numbers and
telegraphic addresses, the type of business it is engaged in, its telex code
and V.A.T. number, and in many cases the names of the directors. It is
becoming increasingly common for firms to print an emblem or trademark
on their stationery.
Read the following business letter and try to distinguish the parts it contains:
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a. GRAJO LEEDS
Leeds 978653
GRADEN &JONES LIMITED
Home and Overseas Merchants
Directors: Upper Bridge Street
L. L. Graden, P.G. Jones Leeds 2
b. JAS/DS c. 13 June 2003
d. Oliver Green and Co., Limited\25 King Edward VII. St.
Manchester M24 5 BD
e. Dear Sirs
We understand from several of our trade connections in Bolton that you
are the British agents for Petrou and Galitopoulous AE of Athens.
Will you please send us price-lists and catalogues for all products
manufactured by this company, together with details of trade discounts
and terms of payment,
We look forward to hearing from you.
f. Yours faithfully,
Graden and Jones Ltd.
g. J.A. Stevens
Chief buyer
c. The date
The form in which the date is written in this letter -13 June 2003 is
probably the simplest and clearest of all the current forms used in the
English-speaking world, but there are alternative ways of writing the
date:
• June 13 20003
• 13th June 2003, and
• June 13th 2003
d. The inside address
A few points concerning the name and address of the firm written to
need to be made. Firstly, they are typed on the left, normally against the
margin. The diagonal granding of the name and address is rare
nowadays, and the style shown in the example is neater, as well as being
quicker for the typist.
e. The salutation
Below the address a double space at least is left, and the words “Dear
Sirs” are typed. This is the usual salutation in British business letters
addressed to a company rather than to an individual within the company.
Very often a comma is typed after the salutation, but an increasing
number of firms are eliminating this, considering the spacing to fulfil the
function of traditional punctuation.
f. The complimentary close
This is typed above the name of the firm sending the letter, then a space
is left for the signature. If the salutation is “Dear Sirs” or “Dear Sir”, the
complimentary close will read “Yours faithfully” or, less commonly,
“Yours truly”. If the correspondent is addressed by his or her name,
“Dear Mr. Brown”, “Dear Miss Prism” etc. the complimentary close will
take the form “Yours sincerely.”
g. The signature
It often happens that the person who has dictated a letter is unable to
sign it as soon as it has been typed. Since it is often essential to send a
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Grammar Reference
Past Simple
Past Simple is used to express
• a finished action in the past (it is often used with past time expressions:
last year/ month/ week/, five years/ two days/ four weeks ago, yesterday,
yesterday morning/ evening, in 1985, etc):
They protested against that law in the late eighteenth century.
The chemists reported the results obtained yesterday.
• habitual, repeated actions in the past (with verbs denoting a permanent
characteristic);
She always wore red.
I met him every day on my way to the office.
• Past Simple is used to describe a series of actions which follow one
another in a story (narrative past)
Tom came into the room. He took off his shirt, put on a T-shirt and sat down
in the armchair. Suddenly he remembered something. He stood up and went
out of the room.
The form of the Past Tense Simple is the same for all persons.
Affirmative
The positive of regular verbs ends in -ed.
There are many common irregular verbs. In order to create this tense you
need the second form of the verb (see the list on page @ – Appendix 1)
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I arrived yesterday.
You went to Sinaia
He/She
We
You
They
Negative
The negative of the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did+not
(didn’t).
I did not (didn’t) arrive yesterday.
You did not (didn’t) go to Sinaia
He/She
We
You
They
Interrogative
The question in the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did.
When did I arrive?
Where did you go?
he
she
we
you
they
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Short answer
Did you go to work yesterday?
Yes, I did. No, I didn’t.
Did she report the results obtained?
Yes, she did. No, she didn’t.
Past Continuous
Past Continuous is used to express:
• an action in progress at some time in the past
What were you doing at 10 o’clock yesterday?
I was calculating the balance sheet when you came.
When she arrived, he was sleeping.
• past activity happening over a period of time
I was reading from 4 to 6.30 yesterday.
Form
was/ were (past tense of to be)+ verb+-ing (present participle)
You were
We were not
They (weren’t)
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Interrogative
What was I doing?
he
she
were you
we
they
Short answer
Were you working at this time yesterday?
Yes, I was. No, I wasn’t.
Was she studying when you entered the room?
Yes, she was. No, she wasn’t.
Expressions of quantity
some/any; much/many, a lot of/ lots of, few (a few)/ little (a little)
1. Countable nouns are used with some+ a plural noun in affirmative
sentences, and any+ a plural noun in negative and interrogative sentences:
I’ve got some tools.
Are there any books of Economy in the house?
We don’t need any apples for this pie.
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Uncountable nouns are used with some in affirmative sentences and any in
interrogative and negative sentences, but only with a singular noun:
There is some ink in this pen.
Is there any paper in the printer?
We haven’t got any butter in the house.
2. Countable nouns are used with many in interrogative and negative
sentences:
How many lawyers work for this company?
We haven’t discovered many interesting data.
Uncountable nouns are used with much in interrogative and negative
sentences:
How much money have you got?
There wasn’t much sugar left in the jar.
3. Both countable and uncountable nouns are used with a lot of and lots of:
We’ve got a lot of uniforms.
There are lots of letters here.
There’s a lot of paper in this printer.
He’s got a lot of money.
4. Countable nouns are used with few/ a few, while uncountable nouns are
used with little/ a little:
I’ve got a few problems at the moment.
We only need a little money to buy this.
The Adjective
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the
sentence.
Position of adjectives
Adjectives appear before the noun or noun phrase that they modify (e.g. an
interesting course, a difficult exercise, a strange coincidence). Sometimes
they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set
order according to category. As after you finish this course you may write
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Polish, Romanian
VII. Material denominal adjectives wooden, metallic,
denoting what something woolen
is made of
VIII. Qualifier final limiter, often hunting cabin,
regarded as part of the passenger car, book
noun cover
Controlled practice
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2. Find the correct action for each person and make a sentence:
Example:
Copernicus- studying the planets
Copernicus studied the planets.
People Actions
Michael Jackson going to the moon
Marlowe inventing the electric light
Picasso writing “Doctor Faustus”
Neil Armostrong singing pop music
Americo Vespucci playing tennis
Artur Aish discovering America
Martin Luther King painting “Guernica”
Charles Dickens working for Black people’s rights
Edison creating novels
3. Supply the simple past tense or the continuous past tense of the verbs in
brackets:
I (walk) along Piccadilly when I (realize) that a man with a ginger beard,
whom I had seen three times already that afternoon, (follow) me. To make
quite sure, I (walk) on quickly, (turn) right, then left and (stop) suddenly at a
shop window. In a few minutes the man with the beard (appear) and (stop)
at another shop window. I (go) on. Whenever I (stop), he (stop), and
whenever I (look) round he (be) still there. He (look) a very respectable type
and (wear) very conventional clothes and I (wonder) if he was a policeman
or a private detective. I (decide) to try and shake him off. A 74 bus (stand) at
the bus stop just beside me. Then the conductor (come) downstairs and
(ring) the bell; just as the bus (move) off, I (jump) on it. The man with the
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beard (miss) the bus but (get) into another 74, which (follow) the first. Both
buses (crawl) very slowly along Knightsbridge. Every time the buses (pull)
at a stop, the man (look) out anxiously to see if I (get) off. Finally, at some
traffic lights, he (change) buses and (get) into mine. At Gloucester Road
Underground, I (leave) the bus and (buy) a ticket at a ticket machine. As I
(stand) on the platform waiting for a Circle Line train, my pursuer (come)
down the stairs. He (carry) a newspaper and when we (get) into the same
compartment, he (sit) in one corner reading it, and I (read) the
advertisements. He (look) over the top of the newspaper at every station to
see if I (get) out. I (become) rather tired of being shadowed like this, so
finally I (go) and (sit) beside the man and (ask) him why he follow me. At
first he (say) he (not follow) me at all but when I (threaten) to knock him
down, he (admit) that he was. Then he (tell) me he (be) a writer of detective
stories and (try) to see if it was difficult to follow someone unseen. I (tell)
him he hadn’t been unseen because I had noticed him in Piccadilly and I
(advise) him to shave off his ginger beard if he (not want) his victim to
know he (be) followed.
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hall while Ann (go) on painting. At last he (leave). Peter (return), expecting
Ann to say something about friends who (come) and (waste) valuable time
talking about golf. But Ann nobly (say) nothing.
Then Peter (think) he would do the ceiling. He just (climb) the step
ladder when the doorbell (ring) again. Ann (say) she (get) tired of
interruptions but (go) and (open) the door. It (be) the postman with a letter
from her aunt Mary, saying she (come) to spend the weekend with them and
(arrive) that evening at 6:30.
4. Put the verbs in brackets in the simple or continuous past tense according
to the meaning.
a. He (recognize) the voice that (shout) the loudest as that of the
landlady.
b. I (go) to ask you to help me, but you (sleep) so peacefully when I
(look) into your room that I (decide) to do it alone.
c. He (not keep) his appointment with you last Tuesday morning
because at the time of the appointment he (be seen) by the Personnel
Manager about a new job.
d. When the dog (bite) Mary again, mother (prepare) dinner and we
(listen) to the radio. Mary (shout) blue murder and (have) hysterics
again.
e. We (have) to go round the back door because Grandfather (have)
his front door painted.
f. I (see) that the Browns (have) a lot of alterations made to their
house, but I (not know) if the parents (go) to pay for them.
g. I (walk) down the street some minutes ago when I (see) a curiously
dressed man. He (wear) a sports-coat with black trousers, and one of
his shoes (be) black and the other (be) brown).
h. When they (get married) he (find) a job as a caretaker on a large
estate.
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i. She (wear) green and it (suit) her very well. Her face (be) mildly
pretty but, because she (cry) and mascara (run) down her cheeks, she
(not seem) as attractive as I (expect).
j. The person who (drive) the car on the day of the accident (no be)
insured.
k. While she (wonder) whether to buy the suit or not, someone else
(come) and (buy) it.
l. Ann (work) in the branch where the big robbery (take) place. She
actually (work) there at the time of the raid?
m. While the schoolmaster (write) on the blackboard, he (not notice)
that the boys in the back row (steal out) of the room on tiptoe.
n. He (come) into the room, (light) a cigarette, (open) the window and
(lean) out.
o. A traffic warden just (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen
when I (come) back to the car. I (try) to persuade him to tear it up but
he (refuse).
5. Put the verbs in the brackets into the simple past and the past continuous:
a. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) brightly when Tom came in at
7:00.
b. When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor
(write) on the overhead projector.
c. I (make) a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it in the
dark.
d. I didn’t want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave).
e. Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time
for a few words.
f. He (watch) TV when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he (turn)
down the sound and (go) to answer it.
g. He was very polite. Whenever his wife entered the room he (stand)
up.
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9. Complete the following sentences with the correct word or phrase (a, b or
c).
1 People work harder if they know that someone is …………………
in their progress.
a enthusiastic b interesting c interested
2 Nothing has been announced but we’ve heard …………………that
the Company Secretary has resigned.
a formally b officiously c unofficially
3 Friendly …………………………………………………………. no
longer exist between members of the sales department because some
got bonuses and others didn’t.
a relations b contacts c connections
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13. Use the positive, comparative and superlative degrees of the adjectives
in brackets to fill in the blank spaces:
a. Peter is a .......... boy. His elder brother, who is a basketball player,
is ............, but, sure enough, his younger brother is the ............ of
them. (tall)
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b. The Carpathians are ............... . The Alps are ................, yet the
Himalayas are the ................. mountains in the world. (high)
c. Autumn days are ……....... , rainy autumn days are ............., but we
have the ............... weather of all on clear, windy days in winter.
(cold)
d. A duck’s egg is .................. compared to that of an ostrich; a hen’s
egg is even ………..... , but a robin’s egg is the ………....... of them
all. (small)
e. Jane was very ................. , but she was not the .............. in her class.
Anne was ................. . (young)
f. Your street is ................, but that alley is ............... and the path
leading to your house is the ............... of them all. (narrow)
g. The armchair in my room is ..............., the desk is ………...., but
the bookcase is the ………....... of them. (heavy)
h. John is ..………...., but his younger brother is ................ than he is.
(handsome)
i. He is insincere. In fact he is the …………..... person I have ever
met. (insincere)
j. His position is a ................. one. It is ................. than I thought.
(humble)
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k. He has retired and (a) few, (b) little friends visit him now.
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