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GRAMMAR COMMENT: Collocation.
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at these examples:
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are: Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave Collocationis important when choosing strong adjectives. For example, a number of intensifying adjectives close to the meaning of complete collocate with particular nouns but not with others. |
Exercise 1.Translate the following collocations:
An eternal optimist; A comprehensive defeat; Sheer stupidity; Arrant nonsense; Rank disobedience; Utter madness;
Unshakeable faith; An unmitigated disaster.
Exercise 2. Which two of the nouns listed collocate with utter, which two with sheer and which two with both?
aexcellence
bpanic
сdegradation
decstasy
eruin
fjoy
[Part III, pp. 164 ] recording script R1.4., page 12. [8, p.12]
Exercise 3. Listen to five people talking about saying that they like. Check the proverbs completion in the table.Mark sentences T-true, F-false.
| TRUE | FALSE | |
| 1. ”Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it ”. | ||
| 2. “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys .” | ||
| 3. “If you fly with the crows, you’ll bark yourself.” | ||
| 4. “Why have a dog and get shot with the crows ?” | ||
| 5. “Horses for courses.” |
Exercise 4. Give the main idea of the text you have listened to. Use the following provebs as outline:
1. ”Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it”.
2. “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys”.
3. “If you fly with the crows, you’ll get shot with the crows”.
4. “Why have a dog and bark yourself?”
5. “Horses for courses”.
Exercise 5. Speak briefly about your associations on the pictures below:
Exercise 6. Discuss in group the below given citation.
“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” ― W. Somerset Maugham
[Part III, pp. 188] Exercise 7. The the first passage of the text and translate the second one.