III. Insert articles where necessary.

1. When one is in … town one amuses oneself. When one is in … country one amuses other people.

2. Before Algernon allowed Jack to marry his cousin Gwendolen he had to clear up … question of Cecily.

3. Old Mr. Cardew made Jack in his will … guardian to his granddaughter.

4. Cecily said that they might have … good influence on Uncle Jack’s brother.

5. You know … German, and … geology, and things of that kind influence a man very much.

6. Miss Prism really didn’t see why Cecily should keep … diary at all.

7. Cecily hoped that Algernon had not been leading … double life. She said that pretending to be wicked and being good all the time would be … hypocrisy.

8. – Mr. Worthing’s brother Ernest dead? – What … lesson to him.

9. As … man sows, so shall he reap.

10. Jack has at least the consolation of knowing that he was always … most generous and forgiving of brothers.

11. What seems to us bitter trials are often … blessings in disguise.

12. Cecily has done … beautiful action today.

13. Cecily feared that she should not be able to give Algernon … undivided attention.

14. Cecily, you have lifted … load from my mind.

15. It was painful for Jack to speak … truth.

16. Algernon was always talking … nonsense.

17. When Algernon is in … trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles him.

18. Three addresses always inspire … confidence.

19. Jack says that Cecily and Algernon’s engagement is out of … question. Miss Cardew cannot marry without Jack’s consent until she comes of … age.

20. Waiting, even to be married, is out of … question.

21. During Jack’s absence Algernon obtained admission to his house by means of false pretence of being Jack’s brother. Under … assumed name Algernon drank the wine that Jack specially reserved for himself.

22. Twenty-eight years ago Miss Prism left Lord Bracknell’s house in … charge if a perambulator that contained a baby.

23. Miss Prism also had … old, capacious handbag in which she intended to place the manuscript of … work of … fiction.

24. Where did Miss Prism deposit the handbag(with the baby)? This was … matter of no small importance to Jack.

25. It is a terrible thing for … man to find out that all his life he has been speaking nothing but … truth.

[1] Use dictionaries, encyclopaedias and other reference books, such as Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture, the Encyclopaedia Britannica or Великобритания: Лингвострановедческий словарь. М., 1980

[2] For teaching purposes the work on Act Two might be divided into two portions. So some of the assignments as well as corresponding exercises are divided into two parts. It is suggested that within the text of Act Two the dividing line should be marked by ‘ Miss Prism: This seems to me a blessing of an extremely obvious kind’.