Understanding Essential Vocabulary
JOBS AND PEOPLE
Essential Vocabulary
Confuse
Confide
Concern
Fail
Practice
Drop
Mind
Sense
Introducing Essential Vocabulary
I. Look at these words. What words do you already know? Can you explain their meanings in English?
II. Answer the following questions:
1. How many senses do humans have?
2.
Understanding Essential Vocabulary
I. There are a lot of idioms with the noun “mind”. Consult English-English dictionary to fill in the blanks with one word in order to get the idioms completed:
- But if students actively dislike school, higher standards and better assessments are not going to ____________ their minds about attending school regularly.
- Money was the ____________ thing on his mind.
- The past twenty-two months ____________ through my mind like film run at high speed, and suddenly I felt rather tired.
- No woman in her ____________ mind would go out with a man like him.
- We are of ____________ minds about whether to take this information to the police or just forget it.
- There are, as always with the work of Ralph Gibson, images that ____________ in the mind.
- I'm so relieved I don't have to give a speech - it's a real ____________ off my mind.
- It had completely ____________ her mind that Dave still had a key to the house.
- I was just thinking to call you, then the phone rang and it was you calling me. – Great minds think ____________.
- Mind you, such desperate situation couldn't have been what Murphy ____________ in mind when he joined Liverpool.
- The council will take a number of factors into account when making ____________ its mind whether to give a development the go-ahead.
- I've had enough of him coming home late. I'm going to give him a ____________ of my mind when he gets in tonight.
- As soon as I leave the room, he just forgets what I told him to do! – Out of ____________, out of mind.
- Larry isn't afraid to ____________ his mind, even in front of the boss.
- The thought never ____________ my mind that I shouldn't try to help my son, even when the doctors warned me of the risks involved.
II. Match the explanations on the left with sentences on the right:
1. used when you are annoyed to tell someone what to do or what you are going to do
| a. Why don't you just mind your own business and leave me in peace?
| 2. used to say when you do not want somebody ask questions about a situation that does not involve him/her
| b. She's gorgeous! I wouldn't mind looking like that!
| 3. used to politely ask someone to do something
| c. Would you mind if I came with you?
| 4. used to politely ask someone's permission
| d. She gave him a frown and told him to mind his manners/language.
| 5. used humorously or rudely to correct something someone has said
| e. 'We haven't done very well, have we? ' 'Never mind. At least we tried.'
| 6. used to tell someone not to pay any attention to you
| f. We'll go there together - that's if you don't mind.
| 7. used to warn someone to be careful because they might hurt themselves or someone else, or damage something
| g. Would you mind waiting outside?
| 8. used to say that you would like something
| h. I don't mind driving if you're tired.
| 9. used to say when you are willing to do something
| i. If you want to get on and do something, please don't mind me.
| 10. used to check that someone is willing to do something or let you do something
| j. Mind your head - the ceiling's a bit low.
| 11. used to tell someone not to worry or be upset about something
| k. Don't mind her. She doesn't mean to be hurtful.
| 12. used to say sorry for someone else's behaviour
| l. The name's John, not Jonathan, if you don't mind.
| 13. used to warn somebody to be careful about what he/she says or how he/she behaves so that he/she does not offend anyone
| m. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to bed.
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III. Provide a question or remark that can provoke any of the following in a reply:
1. You know, it never crossed my mind.
2. I am still in two minds.
3. It just slipped my mind!
4. Don’t mind him. He didn’t mean to hurt you.
5. Great minds think alike.
6. Out of sight, out of mind.
7. You should try to get it out of your mind.
8. I wouldn't mind a coffee.
9. Will you mind your own business, please?
IV. Consult an English monolingual dictionary to match the words in the second column with the words from the first or the third columns to form collocations:
gut
common
mixed
strong
keen
five
to hurt
to dull
to sharpen
sixth
fellow
true
dress
acute
|
sense(s)
of
feeling (s)
| anger
frustration
duty
touch
happiness
obligation
shame
homesickness
humor
justice
taste
security
loneliness
smell
direction
proportion
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V. Use the collocations from the table to translate the following sentences from Russian into English:
1. Люди, работающие неполный рабочий день, часто испытывают чувство досады из-за того, что не могут пользоваться дополнительными льготами, которые предоставляются штатным сотрудникам.
2. Начальник нутром чувствовал, что подчиненные обманывают его, но ничего не мог доказать.
3. Чувство признательности заставило ее отказаться от более выгодного предложения.
4. У нее было превосходное чувство стиля, и она сразу же привлекала к себе внимание.
5. Сначала он хотел солгать, но здравый смысл взял верх.
6. Извини меня, я не хотел задеть твои чувства.
7. Джейн и не догадывалась о его истинных чувствах.
8. Когда стемнело, мы утратили всякую способность ориентироваться, и вскоре окончательно заблудились.
9. У собак хорошее обоняние, в то время как кошки обладают чрезвычайно острым слухом.
10. Именно чувство юмора помогло Руфи пережить трудный период в жизни, когда многие отвернулись от нее.
11. Чувство вины не давало ему спать.
12. Детям от природы присуще чувство справедливости.
13. Большие доходы за последние два года внушили акционерам ложное чувство безопасности.
14. Майкл был чрезвычайно застенчив, и это сразу же вызвало во мне симпатию.
15. Их брак основан скорее на деньгах, чем на сильных чувствах.
VI. Below are adjectives that can be used to describe different people. Match them with corresponding general descriptions in the table:
Someone who is sociable is friendly and enjoys being with other people
|
| Willing to tell the truth
|
| People/attitudes that are not strict
|
| Unwilling to accept or understand new or different ideas, opinions, or customs
|
| Having a strong desire to do something, so that you will not let anyone stop you
|
| Calm and confident about what you are doing
|
| Controlling or trying to control other people or things, enjoying telling other people what to do
|
| Very active
|
| Using money carefully and without wasting any
|
| Not generous with money
|
| Not confident about talking to people
|
| Unwilling to talk about what you feel or what you know
|
| Behaving in an unpleasant or rude way because you think you are more important than other people
|
| Not kind
|
| Saying or doing things that show that you care about other people and want to help them or make them happy
|
| Reasonable, practical, and showing good judgment
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| Active
Aloof
Ambitious
Arrogant
Assertive
Bashful
Biased
Big-headed
Bigoted
Bitter
Boisterous
Bossy
Broad-minded
Candid
Careful
Competitive
Conceited
Condescending
Confident
Considerate
Demanding
Determined
Diffident
Direct
Dominant
Domineering
Down-to-earth
Dynamic
Easy-going
Economical
Energetic
Extrovert
Frank
Frugal
Gentle
Go-getter
Gregarious
Honest
Hyperactive
Inhibited
Intolerant
Introverted
Liberal
Mature
Mean
Miser
Narrow-minded
Nasty
No-nonsense
Obnoxious
Open
Outgoing
Overindulgent
Permissive
Practical
Pragmatic
Prejudiced
Realistic
Reasonable
Reserved
Responsible
Reticent
Self-Assertive
Self-Assured
Self-Confident
Self-Conscious
Sensible
Shy
Sincere
Single-minded
Sociable
Soft
Spiteful
Standoffish
Stingy
Strong-willed
Thoughtful
Thrifty
Tight-fisted
Timid
Tireless
Tolerant
Truthful
Unpleasant
Vain
VII. Choose the word that best fits the context.
- She had married Fred Bradley without being in love with the kind and considerate / attentive man who was employing her.
- Customers complained that the sales clerks were not very communicative / sociable.
- Isn't it time we did something to protect the elderly from unscrupulous / indiscreet business people?
- I didn't realize that Lee was so sensitive / sensible about her family.
- I am vain / arrogant enough to want to look good, but not to style my hair and paint my toenails.
- Women have to be more big-headed / ambitious than men if they want to get anywhere in the business world.
- I told him it was a bad idea, but Dave's so single-minded / stubborn that he just never listens.
- Halle was tolerant / patient, waiting for the boy to finish his explanation.
- By being mean / thrifty and shopping wisely you can feed an entire family on as little as $100 a week.
- I don't know why they were so economical / stingy with the drinks -- they have plenty of money.
- She's a confident, self-possessed / self-conscious public speaker.
- A sympathetic / good-looking young woman in a business suit came into the room.
IV. Make up 5 questions with words and collocations from Essential Vocabulary.
V. Make up 10 sentences in English to illustrate words and collocations from Essential Vocabulary, translate them into Russian and ask other students to translate them back into English.
VI. Make up Vocabulary story (250 words) using at least 10 different Essential Vocabulary items.
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