5

UNIT
Age is nothing
but a number

• To express opinions
OBJECTIVES

about needs at
A | As young as you feel
different ages
• To learn about the B | When I’m 64
meaning of adulthood
in different cultures

THAT’S ENGLISH!
B2
 Age is nothing but
UNIT
5 a number
• To express opinions about needs at different

OBJECTIVES
ages
• To learn about the meaning of adulthood in
different cultures

A As young as you feel

BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 ‘Age is just a number. You are as young as you
feel’? Do you agree? Why?
WHILE YOU WATCH
2
Answer the questions.
1 How does Danny think life was different when
his father was his age?
2 Why is Danny so upset with his father?
AFTER YOU WATCH
3 Decide if the following sentences are true (✔) or
false (✗). Correct the false ones.
1 Danny welcomes Steve’s advice on work and
life.
2 Danny doesn’t take Steve’s new relationship
seriously at first.
3 Steve doesn’t seem to be upset by Danny’s
impolite behaviour.
4 Danny deliberately wants to hurt Steve’s
feelings when he is told about the baby.
5 In the restaurant, Steve shares Danny’s
objections about him having another child.
4 Answer the questions.
1 Why does Anthony criticise Danny’s choice of the pressures on younger people?
breakfast?
2 What is Danny’s reaction to Anthony’s comment?
3 What example does Anthony give of age younger retired people have … because ...
differences in relationships in his family?
4 Is it a positive or negative thing in his
experience?
5 Why does Roxanne apologise to Danny?
6 What reaction did Roxanne expect Steve
to have to the baby news and how was she
surprised?
7 How did Steve and Roxanne meet?
5 Read the extracts and choose the option that
matches the meaning.
1 Danny: It’s not really my thing.
a I don’t fancy it. b It doesn’t belong to me.
2 Steve: Hey, what’s wrong with you? Relax.
There’s no need to get so worked up.
a busy b agitated and upset
3 Danny: He always seems to land on his feet.
a go from one crisis to another
b overcome difficulties and finish in a good
position
4 Roxanne: I’m a bit of a workaholic as well. It
takes one to know one.
a It needs a special person to help another
person.
b It needs someone who has experienced a
problem to recognise that problem area in
others.
6 Complete the sentences with the correct form
of an expression in bold from activity 5.
1 Robert wanted us to go to the rugby match but
I said ... .
2 I always thought Lena was secretly anxious in
social situations, like me. ... .
3 Jon really ... when he got that brilliant job in
Paris after he was made redundant.
4 We tried to calm Nick down after he heard
about his mother’s accident but he got ... .
NOW YOU!
7 Do you feel that retired people don’t understand
To tell you the truth, I do often feel a lot of

52 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 STREET INTERVIEWS
8 The speakers were asked the following questions: Are you happy with the age you are or
would you rather be a different age? Why?
1 Which of these reasons for wanting or not wanting to be a different age are true for you?
a your present age is perfect d you would like fewer obligations
b you’ve achieved your goals in life e you would like more financial security
c you have energy as well as maturity
2 Watch the video. See which ideas above are mentioned and who makes reference to them.

Glenn Nicole Brandy David Thierno Stephen Tina Samantha

9a Complete the table with the speakers’ opinions. Are they happy with their current age? Why?

Glenn Nicole Brandy David Thierno Stephen Tina Samantha

the best
(age) he’s
Reason ever been
be younger,
have fewer
Reason responsibilities

9b Listen to the speakers and complete the sentences.

Glenn: I just 1... 30, yeah, this is the best I’ve ever been.
Thierno: That separates me from being a kid to being a man, so it’s a 2... for me.
Stephen: I think each day is a 3... .

ACTIVATE YOUR ENGLISH!
10a Match the expressions from 9b (1-3) to their
meanings (a-c).
a something precious to be appreciated
b became a particular age
c becoming an adult
10b Use the correct form of the expressions from
activities 5 and 9b to complete the dialogue.
Pete: H ave a look at this picture I found of all
the old gang from college.
Dave: Great − I just about recognise some
people. Was that before your round the
world trip?
Pete: Yes. That trip really made me grow up fast
− it was a real 1... .
Dave: I remember it sounded challenging. Isn’t
that Michael in the hat? Any news of him?
Pete: Well, ever since he 2... 50 he seems to
have had a mid-life crisis.
Dave: Oh, right? What do you mean?
Pete: W
 ell, he left his job in banking and
announced he was going round the world
on a motorbike! I had an email from him
recently, he said every day is a 3... .
Dave: I can’t imagine Mike being so crazy. Is he
really OK?
Pete: Oh, yes. He’s 4... as his new girlfriend
owns a beach hotel in India.
Dave: Well, if that’s what he wants out of life, but
I think he will get bored. I would. Lazing
around all day 5... .
Pete: Maybe not. But banking wasn’t right for him.
Like me he’s a bit of an old hippy at heart.
Dave: Well, you said it. 6... ! It’s alright for some
but others have families to provide for.
Pete: OK, calm down, there’s no need to get 7... .
NOW YOU!
11 Think about an age you would prefer to be. Why
does it appeal to you?
At times I’d like to return to being ... because
I used to have ... but now ...

THAT’S ENGLISH! 53
Age is nothing but a number
READING
1a Match the age categories to the people (1-7) in
the drawing.
youth old age (elderly) middle age
childhood infancy dotage young adulthood
1b Gabriel García Márquez said, ‘Age isn’t how old
you are, but how old you feel’. Do you agree?
Why? Why not?
2a Read the speech All the world’s a stage. Which
lines describe the age categories in activity 1a?
Stage 1-infancy: lines 5-6
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man in his time plays many parts,
5 His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Crying and vomiting in the nurse’s arms.
And then the whining school boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like a snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
10 Sighing like the wind, with a sad song
About his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange curses, and with huge whiskers like
a leopard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
15 Seeking short-lived reputation
Even in the middle of battle. And then the judge,
With a fair round stomach with rich food lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise sayings and modern examples;
20 And so he plays his part. The sixth age changes
Into the thin and slippered old man,
With glasses on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful stockings, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunken thighs; and his big manly voice,
54
25 Turning again toward childish noises, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
(adapted from As You Like It by William Shakespeare)
TRACK 39
2b Read the speech again and answer the questions.
1 What image does Shakespeare use to describe
a human life?
2 What is the school boy’s attitude towards his
education?
3 What kind of mood is the young man in love in?
4 Shakespeare compares the fourth stage to
a soldier’s life. What characteristics does he
mention?
5 What does the man in the fifth stage enjoy
doing? Does he seem easygoing or serious
about life?
6 The description of the man in the sixth stage
is very different to the judge in the fifth stage.
What things have changed about him?
7 Does Shakespeare describe the last scene of
life as joyful or pitiful? Why is it so?
3a Read the article and complete it with the
missing phrases from the box.
but these results have not yet been replicated
no doubt these will continue
hardly rocket science
as well as less toxic gold
few find it comfortable
In search of the elixir of youth
Shakespeare’s All the world’s a stage speech addresses
the universal themes of the human experience and
their inevitability. The basic structure of a lifetime
follows the pattern outlined by Shakespeare yet 1… to
contemplate his description of the end of life.
For that reason, throughout history different cultures
tried to reverse the ageing process and discover the
THAT’S ENGLISH!

elixir of youth, a magical potion that supposedly
preserved youthfulness and guaranteed living to a
very ripe old age. Unfortunately, it was often a case of
the cure being worse than the disease itself because
many of the potions included poisons such as arsenic
and mercury, 2… , and so many who desired eternal
life instead met death in the prime of life.
Thankfully, science has moved on and those people
needn’t have resorted to such extreme measures.
Scientists working on reversing the ageing process
have discovered that to do so, the telomeres (parts
of DNA which protect our genetic code) need to
lengthen. A small study showed this is achievable by
simple lifestyle changes like eating more healthily,
taking exercise and avoiding stress: 3… !
Less orthodox approaches
also have devoted followers,
such as the field of cryonics,
the science of preserving the
human body through freezing.
Followers believe future
medical advances will one day
allow people to be brought
back to life. For some, the idea
of restricting the amount eaten
is the secret of maintaining
the bloom of youth. Followers
of the CRON diet (Calorie
Restriction Optimal Nutrition)
quote experiments based on
mice which demonstrated
that a reduced intake of highly
nutritious food prolonged
the longevity of the mice by
around 65%, 4… in humans.
But do we really want to live forever? What would it be
like to outlive all your friends? It could be an alarming
idea. The lifespan in developed nations has increased
rapidly in the last 50 years and one in three babies
born today will live to be 100. This has been achieved
through medical and environmental improvements
and 5… . Perhaps we need to be content with that.
TRACK 40
3b Read the article again. Choose the correct answers.
1 The last stage of life depicted in the speech is ... .
a uncomfortable to experience
b difficult to imagine
2 In the past some creators of the elixir of youth ... .
a had a poor understanding of chemistry
b had a poor understanding of disease
3 The secret of living longer ... .
a is based purely on an individual’s genetic prime of life? Have your ideas on this changed?
inheritance
b is surprisingly simple to implement
4 The success of cryonics ... .
a is based on hoping for future scientific advances
b relies on current scientific understanding
THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 5
5 The CRON diet ... .
a is proven to be effective in one species
b is proven to be effective across species
4a Listen to the conversation. What event has Di
been to?
41
4b Listen again and match the expressions (1-6) to
the meanings (a-f).
41
1 in the prime of life
2 a ripe old age
3 the wrong side of forty
4 to go gaga
5 knee-high to a grasshopper
6 in the bloom of youth
a into middle age
b being extremely old and losing mental capacity
c fresh and vigorous like a new flower
d mature adulthood
e living to an advanced age
f very small and young
4c Complete the sentences with a suitable
expression from activity 4b.
1 My retired neighbour is ... but he still grows his
own vegetables and walks his dogs every day.
2 You think you will never get old and weak
when you are ... .
3 Did you really think Nigel was the same age as
me? I know he’s older than that, he must be ... .
4 It was sad to realise their great-grandmother
was ... and didn’t even recognise them.
5 I don’t recall our first home at all because I
was ... when we left.
6 Astronauts are usually chosen from people
who are ... .
5 Discuss the questions with a partner.
1 Can you remember anything from when you
were knee-high to a grasshopper?
I remember the first time I saw my baby
brother. I must have been under three. I
wasn’t at all impressed and asked if we
could take him back and get a kitten!
2 What age range do you consider to be in the
3 Would you exchange maturity and wisdom for
the bloom of youth?
4 Medical science has enabled more people
than ever to live to a ripe old age. Do you think
this is always desirable? And what are the
disadvantages?
55
Age is nothing but a number
LANGUAGE STUDY
1a Listen to the introduction to a radio phone-in.
What is the topic of the show?
42
1b Listen to the first part of the phone-in and
complete the sentences.
43
1 The best thing is I ... work.
2 And I ... worry about paying the bills.
3 I ... do homework and stuff.
4 I ... do some extra study.
5 When I was in primary school, we … do some caller satisfied or dissatisfied with her life at
homework.
6 But we … do as much as now.
7 I ... practise writing code.
8 I ... do boring homework.
9 Of course, I ... get a job.
10 So I ... get a good degree in computing.
1c Complete the table with an example of a
suitable verb form from activity 1b.
Present Present lack Present
obligation of obligation necessity
Past Past lack of Past
obligation obligation necessity
Future Future lack Future
obligation of obligation necessity
Modals of obligation and necessity page 129
2 Read the text and choose the correct answers.
The changing face of youth opportunities
Years ago young people in Britain 1needed to /
had to / didn’t have to stay at school once they
reached 14. Many young people from poorer
families 2had to / didn’t have to leave school to
find a job because they 3needed to / didn’t need to
help the family finances.
Nowadays students in the UK 4have to / don’t
have to stay at school until they are 16. However,
students 5have to / will have to / don’t have to leave
until they are 18 if they prefer. The job market is
competitive so ideally youngsters 6need to / don’t
need to get good qualifications. Those interested
in learning practical skills, like engineering, 7need
to / had to / don’t need to go to university since
they can train as apprentices. As university fees
have greatly increased, most students 8will have
to / won’t have to take out a big loan. However,
56
after 30 years they 9will have to / had to / won’t
have to pay it back as the government will cancel
it. As university student numbers are falling due
to the fees, in the future universities 10will need
to / have to / won’t need to recruit many more
students from overseas.
3a Listen to the second part of the phone-in. Is the
44 present? And in the past?
3b Listen again and complete the sentences.
44 1 I realised I ... worry any more so I just let go.
2 I ... all that time and energy when I could have
been enjoying life.
3c Match the sentences (1-2) from activity 3b to
the meanings (a-b).
a It was unnecessary to do something but I did it.
b It was unnecessary to do something so I didn’t
do it.
Didn’t need to and needn’t have done page 129
4 Complete the sentences using the correct form
of didn’t need to/needn’t have and the verb in
brackets.
1 I phoned the restaurant and they took bank
cards so I ... (take) cash.
2 I took lots of cash with me to the restaurant
but I ... (do) because they took bank cards.
3 My partner had already been to the
supermarket so luckily I ... (go) as I was tired.
4 Monica was worried about her exam results
but she ... (bother) because they were
excellent.
5 He spent ages searching shops for that book
but he ... (do) as it was available online.
6 They ... (paint) their new flat as the builders
had already done it.
5 Choose the correct indefinite pronouns and
verb forms.
1 Everyone / Anyone get / gets older: no one /
both is / are able to stop time.
2 Can anyone / someone tell / tells me how old
that man is?
3 More / Most is / are known now about the
ageing process.
4 There isn’t just one way to live, but few /
several is / are possible.
THAT’S ENGLISH!

5 Few / Little know / knows the secret to living a 7
happy life.
6 If nobody / fewer care / cares, each / nothing
is / are going to change.
7 All / None of this make / makes any sense to me.
8 Few / Little is / are known about what happened 2 The teenagers weren’t bothered by the loud
that night.
Indefinite pronouns and quantifiers page 130
6a Read the article. What is surprising about the
people in the article?
It’s no big deal: 90 is the new 50!
Nowadays more people than ever are living into
their 90’s and you might well expect them to take
it easy but today’s nonagenarians don’t always
agree. Some are not at all interested in sitting
still but instead are taking up new challenges.
Recently, Marta Telko, aged 95 from Finland,
became the world’s oldest female bungee jumper.
‘She showed no fear whatsoever,’ reported one of
the organisers of the jump. ‘Many young people
are too scared to continue when they get up there
but Mrs Telko didn’t scream at all’. Another
senior daredevil is Arthur Lumsdale, from Bolton,
who spent his 90th birthday 500ft in the air
on a chair on top of a plane to raise money for
charity. Nothing whatsoever about the terrifying
experience appeared to bother him as he waved
to onlookers. ‘It’s no big deal at all,’ he later said.
6b Which of these sentences (a or b) is more
emphatic?
1 a Some are not at all interested in sitting still.
b Some are not interested in sitting still.
2 a She didn’t show any fear.
b She showed no fear whatsoever.
6c Read the article in activity 6a again and complete
the rules with whatsoever/(not) at all.
1 ... can come before an adjective.
2 ... usually comes immediately after the noun or
phrase we are emphasising.
3 ... is more emphatic than ... .
4 ... or ... come after indefinite pronouns with no
(no one, nobody, none, nothing).
5 ... or ... come after no + noun.
Whatsoever and not at all page 131
THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 5
Rewrite the sentences to make them more
emphatic using the words in brackets.
1 There isn’t any danger in this activity.
(whatsoever) There’s no danger whatsoever in
this activity.
music. (at all)
3 There isn’t anything that prepares you for
having a baby. (whatsoever)
4 There wasn’t anyone who found the exam
easy. (at all)
5 We didn’t have any rain last month.
(whatsoever)
6 We have absolutely no time left. (whatsoever)
7 There wasn’t anybody who had seen the
accident. (at all)
8 She was not pleased with the results. (at all)
8a Listen to the conversation. Why is Sally feeling
stressed?
45
8b Listen again and complete the sentences.
45 1 What needs ... ?
2 All the downstairs ... hoovering.
3 The cake ... picked up.
4 The grass ... cut.
5 There’s ... to panic. Need page 129
8c Complete the dialogue with the correct form of
the verbs in brackets.
Gavin: Hello, I’m Gavin Marshall and I’m here
to assess how safe the house is for your
father.
Peter: Hi. So what needs 1... (do) to make the
house safe for when Dad comes out of
hospital?
Gavin: The stair carpet needs to 2... (replace)
because it’s old and worn. And some
wood needs 3... (fix) to the stair wall so
he can hold on to it.
Peter: Should we install one of those motorised
chairs?
Gavin: There’s no need 4... (bother) with one of
those yet.
Peter: Anything else?
Gavin: Some of the furniture needs 5... (remove)
as it’s quite crowded. And his chair is low
so the seat needs to 6... (raise); maybe
some cushions?
Peter: Do you think he’ll be alright here?
Gavin: Yes, there’s no need 7... (worry), he’ll be
fine.
57
Age is nothing but a number

B When I’m 64
a poor educational standards and welfare
DOCUMENTARY problems
1 Which of these activities do retired people you b lack of graduate prospects
know take part in? c beginning a career owing a considerable sum
of money
running joining activity clubs
d restricted job opportunities
playing in a band dancing
long distance cycling playing golf cooking e being ignored by those in authority
travelling painting doing yoga f being restricted by social background from
improving your life

2 Watch the documentary. Can you match the

phrases (1-4) to the definitions (a-d)?
THAT’S THE USA
6 What kind of leisure activities would you expect
1 all walks of life 3 to lump them all together
to find in a holiday area like this?
2 goal-oriented 4 to be hung up on something
a to treat everyone the same (not as individuals)
b different social backgrounds
c to be anxious about a particular issue
d focused on achievements

3 Watch the documentary again and answer the

questions.
1 Which group of people are most satisfied with
their lives?
2 What is George Podrick’s group not interested
in?
3 What is the statistic given about the UK
population by 2030?
4 According to David Bache, what are the two
key factors to enjoying retirement in Britain?
5 Which three factors cause people to feel 7 Watch the video of Alex’s visit to Connecticut
anxious about retiring? and decide if the sentences are true (✔) or false
(✗). Correct the false ones.
6 What does Chris Kempton feel people shouldn’t
do regarding the older generation and why? 1 A huge number of Americans go camping
7 In which two ways has Chris Kempton’s outlook each year.
on life changed since she was younger? 2 The style of camping has changed very little
over the years.
SAME LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT LIVES 3 The water conditions in Long Island Sound are
usually less rough than further out at sea.
4 What difficulties do young people face in your 4 Camping and fishing appeal to all generations.
country?
5 Long Island Sound has a variety of fish only in
5 Match the speakers (1-8) to the problems facing the summer months.
youth (a-f). There may be more than one speaker 6 The difficulties of fishing in Long Island Sound
for a problem. are due to the tide and currents.
1 3 5 7 7 Where the wind is coming from can cause
problems for fishermen.

NOW YOU!
2 4 6 8 8 What advantages are there to being young
today compared to in the past?

On the whole ... because ... For example ...

58 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 UNIT 5
SKILLS WORK
‘
‘
1 Read the quote. What do you think Cher’s response means?

Some guy said to me: “Don’t you think you’re too old to
sing rock n’ roll?” I said: You’d better check with Mick Jagger.
Cher

2a Read the article and match the headings (1-5) to the paragraphs (a-e).

1 Girls just want to have fun 3 Still alive and kicking 5 Global phenomenon
2 Changing expectations 4 Moment of inspiration

Over 50fabulous
and
‘When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple
with a red hat that doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.’
a These lines, from the poem Warning by Jenny Joseph,
inspired the creation of The Red Hat Society, a worldwide
movement with over a million members. Sue Ellen Cooper,
the founder, had the idea of giving her friends a red hat
on their fiftieth birthdays as a joke after reading the
poem. In April 1998, she and her friends dressed up in
purple outfits and red hats and went out to tea. It was
such fun that they decided to meet regularly as The Red
Hat Society, and the rest, as they say, is history.
b Ms Cooper, an artist from California, was delighted.
‘Fifty is a difficult birthday for a lot of women and I
wanted to remind them to be more eccentric …’ she
said. ‘Women are not allowed to age and when we do,
we’re supposed to disappear. But we are not dead. This
is about accepting where we are in life and making the
the idea to spread and foolishly promised to have a
red hat tattoo if the number of chapters ever reached
10,000. She found that before long she had to keep her
painful promise!
d Their motto is Live, Love, Laugh and there are no rules,
no committees, only indulging in silliness whilst wearing
red hats and purple clothes, and doing everything from
paintballing to belly dancing. Younger women begged
to be allowed to join, but have to wear pink hats and lilac
outfits till they reach fifty.
e Clearly, Jenny Joseph’s poem reflects the changing nature
of attitudes to ageing in recent years. As the proportion
of senior citizens is rising in developed countries,

(online source)
most of it.’ businesses and politicians are realising the potential
c 41,000 Red Hat groups, called chapters, have spread power and wealth of the over 50’s. After all, why should
to over 25 countries. Initially, Ms Cooper didn’t expect the youngsters have all the fun? TRACK 46

2b Read the article again and answer the questions. 3 The Amish community are surprisingly relaxed
about their young people experiencing modern
1 Did Sue Ellen Cooper intend to set up a society pleasures.
originally?
4 In Mexico, the significance of the Quinceañera
2 What two actions led to the beginning of the has remained the same over time.
group?
3 What is Sue Ellen Cooper’s attitude to women 3b Now listen and check your answers. Correct the
getting older? false ones.
47
4 What showed that even Sue Ellen Cooper
didn’t expect the society to be so successful? 4 Write a blog entry (80-100 words) on what you
5 Why are attitudes to older people changing? think the best age to be is.

3a Read the descriptions of coming-of-age traditions

and decide if they are true (✔) or false (✗).
1 The coming-of-age ceremony in Japan isn’t It’s hard to say what the best age to be is but as
religious. a rule most of my friends would agree that the
2 At the Seijin-Shiki ceremony, both men and late 20’s and early 30’s ...
women usually dress in elaborate traditional
clothes.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 59
Age is nothing but a number

SPEAKING
1a ‘Youth is wasted on the young’ is a famous quotation by the writer Oscar Wilde. Choose the
best definition.
1 Young people waste their opportunities.
2 You don’t realise how wonderful being young is until you’re older.
3 When you are young, you often don’t think about the future.

1b Read the response to Wilde’s quotation. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

I can remember when I was a child, I thought I had all the time in the world. Everything could
wait. Looking back now, I don’t think I really took advantage of all the opportunities I was given
… My life has gone by so fast – this year I’ll be 60 – and I certainly wish I had the energy I used
to have when I was in my youth.

2a Listen to the conversations. Answer the questions.

48 1 Why is Max interviewing people?

2 Which speaker expresses a tentative opinion?
3 Which speaker expresses a strong opinion?

2b Listen to the conversations again. Complete the expressions below.

48 Expressing tentative Expressing strong Considering other Making

opinions opinions points of view generalisations
1 It’s … to say 3 I certainly … feel 6 But in the long … 9 Most of the …
2 To be more … that 7 Taking everything 10 As a …
4 Not at all! None … ! into … 11 By and …
5 To tell you the … 8 All … considered,

2c Add the expressions from the box to the categories in activity 2b.

But then again All the same Typically I’m in two minds about
There’s no doubt in my mind In my humble opinion To the best of my knowledge

3 In spoken English, we link some words (sounds) together to sound more natural. Look at the
expressions below and decide which sounds are linked. Then listen, check and repeat.
49
1 Notatall 4 But in the long run 7 Most of the time
2 But then again 5 I’m in two minds about 8 As a rule
3 By and large 6 There’s no doubt in my mind Pronunciation Guide page 144

Production: giving a talk

4a Max is giving a talk at college on the needs of young people. Which opening sentence is most
likely to get the audience interested?
1 Today I am going to examine some of the problems facing young people in society.
2 ‘Youth is wasted on the young,’ said Oscar Wilde, but have you ever considered that being
young isn’t always fun?

4b An effective way to start a talk is with a question. Rewrite these sentences as questions to
make them more attention-grabbing.
1 You can imagine how different life will be in 30 years’ time.
2 You have thought about how much we develop from birth.
3 Everyone has realised they need to prepare for retirement now.
4 You will have different problems in 20 years’ time.

60 THAT’S ENGLISH!
 UNIT 5

5a Complete Max’s talk (1-9) with the correct expressions (a-i).

a Typically d As a rule g Let me start by

b Does anyone have any questions e no doubt in my mind h To tell you the truth
c All the same f And last but not least i Moving on to

‘Youth is wasted on the young,’ said Oscar Wilde but
have you ever considered that being young isn’t always
fun? 1… people only remember the positive aspects of
being young, such as being energetic and healthy, and
conveniently forget the downside. Based on my research,
I want to suggest some areas where society could help
young people make the most of their lives.
2
… looking at the impact of social media on relationships
and self-esteem. I certainly do feel that it can have a very
negative effect unless you are extremely confident. People
are constantly comparing themselves to others and seeking
peer approval. 3… , young women feel under pressure to
match up to the photoshopped perfection of models. 4… ,
some find online communities very supportive but I’m in
two minds about whether the overall effects are totally
positive. There needs to be more education on these topics
to prepare young people to cope with these issues.
… another aspect: I certainly believe the main problem
5
we need to solve is that of creating more job opportunities
for young people. The government has raised the age of
retirement, but did they stop to think of the effect this
would have on the job market? It’s obvious that fewer
new workers will be needed as a result. There is a lot of
talk about creating internships to give young people
work experience but this is just a money-saving idea. How
much do some work experience students earn? Nothing
whatsoever! 6… , I think there is no substitute for a real job
with realistic pay.
7
… , we really need to take care of the employment and
emotional needs of this generation because if we don’t,
it will lead to depression, family problems and losing our
best-educated people to other countries. It’s hard to say
what is to blame for the current situation, apart from the
economic crisis, but there’s 8… that government policy
hasn’t helped at all. Taking everything into account,
the responsibility for action lies with the government
before a whole generation of potential workers is left
demoralised.9… at all?

5b Now listen to Max’s talk and check your answers. Which of the expressions are used to show
the sequence of the talk?
50
6a You are going to give a talk about what you think is the most challenging stage of life. A word
web is a useful way to plan your ideas. Think about these questions and complete the word
web with your own ideas.
1 How many stages are you going to include?
2 What are the needs of each of them?
3 Which is the most challenging in your opinion? Why?
4 What support is needed and where should it come from?

childhood
need a lot of support,
lack independence, ...
teenagers young adults
emotional changes,
insecurity, pressure to
stages of life competition for jobs,
sacrificing relationships
succeed in exams, ... for career, ...
middle age
sandwich generation: supporting adult
children and elderly parents, ...

6b Give your talk. Remember to include the following:

• an attention-grabbing introduction
• sequencing expressions
• expressions to show opinions, consider other points of view and generalise
• a strong conclusion

THAT’S ENGLISH! 61
SELF TEST
1 Complete the text with the correct form of the
verbs in brackets.
In the past, wealthy people 1... (need) worry
about their retirement as they had savings, but
poor people 2... (have to) work all their lives as
there were no government pensions and they
3
... (need) earn money to live on. Luckily, now
most people 4... (have to) work after 65 as there
are state pensions, but all workers 5... (have to)
pay into this system. If you want a good life
when you retire, you 6... (need) start contributing
to a private pension as soon as you can but the
increased costs of pension provision means
that today’s workers 7... (have to) work much
longer, until 68. As a result, some employees
8
... (need) do less physical jobs. Many workers
complain about this but at least they 9... (have
to) work until their dying day!
2 Complete the sentences with a suitable past
modal form and the verbs in brackets.
1 Rick wrote 5,000 words for his essay. The tutor
had set a limit of 3,000.
Rick ... (write) so much.
2 Kim was invited to a wedding but didn’t have
a hat. Luckily, Sally lent her one.
Kim ... (buy) a hat.
3 Simon lost his keys so he broke a window.
Then he found them.
He ... (damage) the window.
4 Adam needed an operation, but he tried a new
drug and got better.
He ... (have) the operation.
5 Ian bought lots of wine for the party but few
people drank it.
He ... (buy) so much.
3 Choose the correct options.
1
Everbody / Anybody 2is / are interested in living
longer but 3no one / few of us 4want / wants
to change our diet to do so. The inhabitants of
Okinawa, in Japan, are the world’s longest living
people. They eat vegetables, grains, and fish
but 5few / little meat. 6Someone / Everyone
7
know / knows we benefit from eating
8
none / less meat. 9Many / Much 10has / have
been written about eating vegetables, and
we know that consuming 11none / few at all
12
is / are bad for you. However, being a woman
also means you live longer and 13anyone / no
one 14control / controls that! Some researchers
point out that 15none / nothing of this 16has /
have been proven to apply to non-Japanese
people. 17More / most 18is / are known about
the Mediterranean diet which includes some
dairy.
116
UNIT 5
4 Complete the dialogue with at all, whatsoever
or the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Mum: Is that you, Sam? I’m absolutely furious!
Son: What’s the matter? I’m really busy!
Mum: I’m not 1... bothered if you’re busy. I’ve
just got home and the place looks like a
bomb site!
Son: I did try to tidy up before I left.
Mum: I doubt it! Nothing 2... has been cleared up!
Son: I’ll come over now. What needs 3... (do)?
Mum: The dishes need to 4... (wash up) and
the leftover food needs 5... (throw away).
There’s no space 6... in the dishwasher!
Son: There’s no need 7... (lose) your temper. I’ll
sort it out. It’s no big deal 8... .
5 Complete the monologue with a suitable
expression from the box.
no doubt in my mind my humble opinion
by and large then again more precise
as a rule at all typically
all things considered
1
… , people expect their middle age to be
easier. 2… in the past, couples would have had
more money to spend, but all that’s changed
since the coming of the sandwich generation.
These are parents who support their adult
children as well as caring for their elderly
parents. In 3… , these 50 somethings are under
huge pressure. To be 4… , many sandwich
generation members suffer from financial
problems as well as emotional stress. But
5
… , some would say that families should help
each other, and that 6… young adults would
be independent if the economic situation
were better. Obviously, it’s not 7… satisfactory
to place such burdens on older people but
there seems to be no choice at present.
8
… , there should be more government help
for the elderly and more priority given to
creating jobs for the young. There’s 9… that
unless action is taken, the health of a whole
generation will be affected adversely.
6 Listen to the conversation and answer the
questions.
51
1 Why does Lily think Mr Wilkins isn’t retiring?
2 How old does Dan think Mr Wilkins is?
3 What did Dan object to regarding Mr Harris?
4 What is Lily’s opinion of Mr Harris’ age?
5 What kind of new boss does Lily object to and
why?
6 According to Dan, when did Mr Harris start to
work at the company?
THAT’S ENGLISH!
Grammar Reference Unit 5

1 OBLIGATION AND NECESSITY

A Modals of obligation and necessity
Present obligation Past obligation Lack of obligation
must
(the speaker imposes their had to
authority) don’t have to/didn’t have to
We had to be in the
Manager: You must be more careful You don’t have to print the
classroom before the
if you want to keep this job. documents. You can send them
teacher or he wouldn’t
by email.
have to let us in.
She didn’t have to go to work
(the obligation is external to the I had to open a bank
last Tuesday because it was a
speaker; a requirement or a need) account before I could
bank holiday.
get a mortgage.
Co-worker: You have to ask for
permission to use the photocopier.

• Must only has one form. It doesn’t have a past tense*, an infinitive form, or a participle, so
we need to use have to/had to for all tenses other than the present.Therefore, the distinction
between must and have to (i.e. internal vs external obligation) only applies to the present.
We had to help grandpa down the stairs because he might have fallen.
You will have to pay me in advance for that type of work.
I’ve had to order more copies of her novel because so many people want one.

*There are some rare uses of must for the past, as in He felt he must get away from the house, but we can
always use had to with the same meaning (i.e. He felt he had to get away from the house).

• Need to is an alternative to have to to express necessity or obligation.

You need to/have to buy a ticket before you board the bus.

• Particularly in British English, need can also function as a modal verb: it has only one form
for all persons and is followed by the infinitive without to.
No one need know about this project. (No one needs to know about this project.)
Need I say more? (Do I need to say more?)

B Didn’t need to and needn’t have done

• When talking about the past, it is important to make a distinction between didn’t need to
(the subject knew that something wasn’t necessary) and needn’t have + past participle (the
subject did something which was unnecessary).
We didn’t need to buy milk because there was plenty in the fridge. (It wasn’t necessary to
buy milk and we knew it.)
She needn’t have worried about being late because the meeting had been cancelled. (She
worried unnecessarily.)

C Need (other uses)

• When need is used in the passive (i.e. something needs to be done), it can be followed by -ing.
This house needs painting. (This house needs to be painted.)

• We can also express lack of necessity as follows:

there + be + no need for + noun there + be + no need (for someone) to + infinitive

We understood each other perfectly. There’s no need for you to get into more trouble. I’ll
There was no need for words. sort it out myself.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 129

Grammar Reference Unit 5

2 INDEFINITE PRONOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS

A Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person, thing, place or amount.

somebody/someone anybody/anyone everybody/everyone nobody/no one

something anything everything nothing
somewhere anywhere everywhere nowhere

• Remember that some is assertive (i.e. the speaker believes that something exists) and
any is non-assertive (i.e. the speaker doesn’t know whether something exists). As a result,
although we generally use some with affirmative sentences and any with interrogative and
negative sentences, sometimes both can be used.
Have you seen anyone? (Nothing indicates that there was someone you might have seen.)
Have you seen someone? (I have reason to believe that you may answer ’yes’.)
Would you like anything to drink? (I don’t know whether you’re thirsty.)
Would you like something to drink? (I have drinks available for you.)

• Remember to use the pronouns starting with no- (not those with any-) at the beginning of a
negative sentence. These sentences do not require the use of auxiliary do, does, did + not.
No one liked the programme.
Nothing tastes as good as real sugar.

• Indefinite pronouns are singular but when we make a reference to them, we normally use
plural personal pronouns and plural possessives in order to include both genders.
No one thinks they are (he or she is) responsible for what happened.
Everyone drives their (his or her) own car to work. What a waste of fuel!

B Quantifiers like all, few, little or many can be used as pronouns. In order to use them
correctly, it is essential to know whether they are singular or plural.
Singular Plural
little Little is known about his past life. few Few dare to take up this challenge.
much Much needs to be done about this. many Many give up before the end.
each Each has a different reason for being here. several Several oppose the decision.
Both
All is ready for the party.
all
There are no more children in the garden. All are inside.
More needs to be done.
more
Some people want better schools but more are asking for better hospitals.
We managed to save some information but most has been lost.
most
Some people remember, but most have forgotten about the war.
There was some cake on the table but there is none left now.
They promised new roads but none have been built.
*none
*When it refers to a group, none can be used as a singular or a plural pronoun.
We asked several people, but none was/were willing to help.

! Don’t confuse no one (nobody) with none (not one or not anything).
No one came to the party. I invited a lot of my friends but none (of them) came.
I have lots of books but none about gardening.

130 THAT’S ENGLISH!

Grammar Reference Unit 5

3 WHATSOEVER AND NOT AT ALL

Use: to make the sentence more emphatic
After none
Having too much choice is as bad
as having none whatsoever/at all.
After adjectives
She wasn’t nervous whatsoever/
at all.
Whatsoever and not at all
Indefinite pronouns with no After no + noun
(no one, nobody, nothing)
No one whatsoever/at all can He had no patience whatsoever/
justify a decision like that. at all with her.
Before adjectives As a reply to a question
(only at all) (only at all)
They weren’t at all nervous. Do you mind?
Not at all!

! With verbs in the negative form, no becomes any, but the same rules apply.
We haven’t imposed any restrictions whatsoever/at all on the budget.
I haven’t spoken to anyone whatsoever/at all.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 131

Pronunciation Guide
PHONEMIC CHART
DIPHTHONGS

i: ɪ ʊ u: ɪə eɪ
cheap chip put you here wait
VOWELS

e ə ɜ: ɔ: ʊə ɔɪ əʊ
bed teacher bird door tour boy show

æ ʌ ɑ: ɒ eə aɪ aʊ
cat up far on hair my cow

p t f θ tʃ s ʃ k
pea tea fly think cheese say shoe car
CONSONANTS

b d v ð dʒ z ʒ g
boat dog video this June zoo vision go

m n ŋ h l r w j
man now sing hat love red wet yellow

voiced sounds: vocal cords vibrate

unvoiced sounds: vocal cords don’t vibrate

LINKING
When we speak at a natural pace, words are not pronounced in isolation, rather they are linked
together. They connect to one another in these ways:

vowel + consonant
vowel + vowel
consonant + vowel

aspecialoffer /əˈspeʃ(ə)lˈɒfə(r)/ /ʊ/ or /u:/ + vowel ➞ /w/ emerges

goout /ˈɡəʊwˈaʊt/
linking /r/
doit now /ˈduːwɪtˈnaʊ/
In varieties of English in which the sound /r/
after a vowel is not pronounced at the end /ɪ/ or /i:/ + vowel ➞ /j/ emerges
of a word, the /r/ emerges when followed byand large /ˈbaɪjˈəndˌlɑː(r)dʒ/
by a vowel:
beour friend /ˈbi:jaʊə(r)ˈfrend/
my teacher /maɪˈtiːtʃə(r)/
my teacheris here /maɪˈtiːtʃərɪzˈhɪə/

144 THAT’S ENGLISH!