2 What’s in a name?

1 a Match questions 1–4 to answers a–d.

1 What’s your first name? a Anderson.
2 What’s your surname? b Robert Thomas Anderson.
3 Have you got a middle name? c Sara.
4 What’s your father’s full name? d Yes, it’s Louise.

b Answer the questions in 1a for you.

2 Read about names around the world. Then write the people’s full names.
1 María José .
2 Jón .
3 Andrey .
4 Elizabeth .

M aría José is Spanish. In Spain, people have got

two surnames, one from their
father and one from their mother.
J ón is from Iceland. In Iceland,
your surname is a patronym, not
a family name. A patronym is a
Her father’s name is Tomás García name that comes from your father’s
Rodríguez and her mother’s name first name. His father’s name is
is Isabela Martín López. So María Arnar Stefánsson, so Jón’s surname
José’s surname is García Martín. is Arnarsson because he’s Arnar’s

ExTRA READING:
José isn’t her middle name because son. Jón’s sister is called Katrín

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Spanish people haven’t got middle Arnarsdottir – Arnar’s daughter.
names. José is part of her first name. People in Iceland don’t have middle names.

A ndrey is Russian. His surname is Petrov.

Russian people have got three
names: a first name, a patronym
E lizabeth is from England. Many English
people have got one or two
middle names, but most of the time
and a surname. Andrey’s patronym, they only use their first name and
Vladimirovich, is from his father’s surname. Elizabeth’s got a middle
name, Vladimir Sergeyevich Petrov. name, Victoria, but she never uses
Andrey’s sister’s full name is it. English surnames are usually
Yelena Vladimirovna Petrova. Her your father’s surname. Elizabeth’s
patronym and family name are surname is Jones.
different because she’s a woman.

3 Read the article again and complete the table for Spain, Iceland, Russia and England.
Spain Iceland Russia England my country
1 Men and women have different surnames. ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗
2 People can have middle names.
3 People have two surnames.
4 People have patronyms.

4 Complete the my country column of the table.

Iceland ✗ Russia ✗ England ✓ 3 Spain ✓ Iceland ✗ Russia ✗ England ✗ 4 Spain ✗ Iceland ✓ Russia ✓ England ✗
✗ 2 Spain 3 1 2a 3d 4b 2 1 María José García Martín 2 Jón Arnarsson 3 Andrey Vladimirovich Petrov 4 Elizabeth Victoria Jones

Instructions p213 © Cambridge University Press 2012 face2face Second edition Elementary Photocopiable 219