Fill in the spaces

spotlight shallowness ending loved excitement charming shy witty embarrassment tried to

Jane Austin was born in Steventon in 1775. She was …………………. as a child and didn’t enjoy being in
the ………………………… . Austen’s life was quite boring and without great ……………………. or
change. She was mostly educated at home by her father, and ……………….......... reading and writing. She
kept her writing a secret and wrote on small pieces of paper which she hid, ……………………….. , if
anyone came into the room. Her father supported her and ……………………… find a publisher for her.
Her novels are famous for being quietly ………………………, making fun of anyone who is smug or
pretentious. In her writing, she is very critical of ………………………….., and her heroines are always
intelligent as well as …………………………… and attractive. Although Austin never married, her novels
always have a traditional ………………………… with a wedding for a hero and heroine.

Choose the correct answers

1 I …………………. my boyfriend at a party.

a knew b met c made
2 Karl has got a terrible …………………….. of humour.
a sensitive b mood c sense
3 Did you enjoy …………………. to her?
a talk b talking c to talk
4 Sally refused ………………… at the conference.
a speak b speaking c to speak
5 Don’t go near Stuart. He’s in a really bad …………………. .
a mood b nature c sense
6 I’ve ………………… her since I was at primary school.
a found b met c known
7 Tell Anne about your problem. She’s very …………………….
a sympathetic b smug c scatty
8 I can’t stand ………………………. this any longer.
a do b doing c to do
9 Please try ………………………. . There was nothing else I could do.
a understand b to understand c understanding

Add a prefix from the box to the following words.

dis-, il-, im-, in-, miss-, over-, pre-, un-,

dependent moral
like zip
do crowded
polite direct
legal hear
understand sleep
historic agree
approve lock