Compounds

COMPOUNDS (1): PREPOSITION + VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

I. Complete the compounds using the appropriate prepositions.

1............. line - a rough draft of a plan; a sketch, a summary

2.............. pour - a heavy rainfall

3.............. life - life after death; a later period of life

4.............. keep - (the cost of) maintenance

5............. take - the number or amount received

6............. bite - speak badly of someone

7. ……….-stander - a person standing near but not taking part

8............. shoot - a new branch or stem

9............. skirts - the outer border of a town, district etc.

10............ cover - kept secret; involved in spying

11............ cast - cloudy; gloomy

12............ math - the result or consequence of something bad

13............ up - a support; a reserve; a security copy

14............ let - a small arm of a river, sea or lake; a way of entry

15. ………-putting - unpleasant, upsetting, discouraging;

16............ sight - the power of understanding the hidden truths

17. ………-licence - a liquor store; a shop selling alcoholic drinks

18. ………-product - an additional product or result of something else

19........... beat - depressed, pessimistic, gloomy; casual, relaxed

20............ roar - a violent disturbance; a noisy activity

21............ break - a sudden eruption of anger, disease, war etc.

22........... fall - a fall from prosperity or power; a heavy rainfall

23. ……….dated - obsolete, no longer in use

24. ……….turn - an improvement, an increase, a change for better

25........... mate - an occupant of a prison cell, hospital room etc.

COMPOUNDS (2): PREPOSITION + VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

II. Complete the compounds using the appropriate prepositions.

1. out....................... - a set of clothes, equipment; a group of people

2. up......... - the final result or conclusion

3. over......... - a defeat or removal from power

4. back..................... - arrears of uncompleted work; reserves

5. about-........ - a change of opinion, policy or position

6. under................... - a work, responsibility or an effort; a promise

7. out....................... - money spent on some purpose

8. up......... - a rebellion, revolt

9. back......... - the spine; supporters; strength of character

10. after......... - an idea or an item that is conveyed or added later

11. down.................. - sad, in low spirits, dejected

12. out...................... - the future prospect; view; point of view

13. in........................ - a filling for a decayed tooth; an inserted pattern

14. on....................... - a fierce attack

15. after.................... - a pleasant memory or impression

16. in........................ - an inquiry into the cause of a sudden death; an analysis

17. by-...................... - a regulation or rule made by a local authority or by a

company for its members

18. back.................... - a painted cloth at the back of the stage making the

main part of the scenery; background

19. in.......... - an extra page inserted in a folded sheet, book or a

magazine

20. out...................... - the mouth of a river where it empties into the sea

COMPOUNDS (3): PREPOSITION + VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

III. Complete the compounds using the appropriate prepositions.

1.......................................................................... The concept of stiff working hours is rather …………………. these days. More and more companies have been switching to flexible working time.

2.............................................................................. The local inhabitants had been warned about the …………….. tornado safely in time, so most of them managed to take shelter.

3................................................. He has virtually no chance of winning. He's much weaker than the other competitors. He's a(n) ……………… really.

4................................................................................ The doctors say that when you leave hospital, the ………………. period will be very important for your complete recovery.

5.................................................................................................. After many years of prosperity, we're now experiencing a sudden …………… in our dealings. Hard times seem to have come for good.

6.... The Smiths are very proud of their ……………….. Their younger daughter sings in the school choir and their two sons are talented tennis players.

7.... When they finish building the ………………, the traffic in the city centre will be less congested.

8.... During the seventies, the ………………… of immigrants from Asia and the Middle East increased considerably in many west European countries.

9.... The decision to increase taxes caused a great public ………………… which later turned into a series of strikes and even violent riots.

10.. He never understands anything. He's so slow on the …………………..

11. In some Arabic countries, women who have got involved in a love affair become ……………….. not accepted by the rest of their society.

12.. The events that took place in Dublin in 1986 form a historical ……………. for the novel.

13.. I like meat to be tender but I don’t like it to be ………………….

14.. Infants have a(n) ………………. aptitude for sucking milk. They don't have to be taught to do it.

15.. Fiona's been in a(n) ……………… mood these days. I've never seen her happier and more optimistic before.

COMPOUNDS (4): VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB + PREPOSITION

IV. Complete the compounds using the appropriate prepositions.

1. break............ - a mechanical failure; collapse; a loss of mental health

2. set......... - an obstacle, hindrance, reversal

3. black............. - a loss of memory, consciousness; a loss of electric power

4. cut................ - a reduction, decrease

5. drop-........ - a person who leaves school or university without

completing the course

6. run-............... - a gradual reduction of production

7. cast......... - a person saved from a shipwreck

8. kick-......... - the beginning of a football game

9. flash.............. - a scene in a film set in a time earlier than the main action

10. lift-......... - the start of the flight of a spacecraft

11. break........ - a major discovery or advance; progress

12. shut-............ - a stopping of work, activity, operation etc.

13. walk............ - a strike, an industrial action

14. get.......... - an escape

15. turn............. - the amount of money taken in business in a period of time;

the rate at which a commodity is sold

16. hold-........ - a delay; a robbery at gunpoint

17. write-........... - something damaged beyond repair

18. lie-............... - staying in bed longer than usually

19. let-............... - a disappointment

20. stand-........ - a person who takes someone else's responsibility for some

time; a stunt man

COMPOUNDS (5): VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB + PREPOSITION

V. Combine the words into the correct compounds and put them in the gaps.

1. 'How did you know the gangsters were planning another robbery? ' 'We had received a …..……-….….. from one of the accomplices who was our informer.'

2.... At the clearance sale you can get attractive items at ………………… prices. Some of them are cheaper than one pound.

3. The news of the considerable increase in prices of food has led to a huge ……………….-………….of social dissatisfaction.

4.... The police action was a total ………………. The thieves had escaped by the time the officers had arrived.

5.... Since the crisis began, the special forces have been on ………………. They are ready to go into action at any time.

6. Yesterday morning, there was a ………………. on the motorway when over thirty cars crashed into each other.

7. This young man travelled on board of the ship as a ………………. He had neither a ticket nor a valid passport.

8. It's been agreed that the historical documents will be returned to their rightful owners. The ………………… is to take place at a ceremony next month.

9. Brian and I haven't talked to each other ever since we had that …………..-……… last week. I wonder if he's still offended with me.

10. The discovery of the effective cure was the most rewarding ……………… for the great effort that the researchers made.

11. This month, even more mining industry workers have received a notice of ……………..-……….. from work. The army of the unemployed is on the rise.

12.................................... After a series of open debates, the opposing sides have finally come to a satisfactory ………………. Let’s hope this agreement will last.

13.. At the settled time the special squad were given the ………….-…… from their captain and they started the operation of rescuing the hostages.

14.. We've had a personnel …………….-……… in our company. Some of the managers have lost their jobs and some others have been transferred to other branches and departments.

15. It's been three weeks now that the factory employees have been staging the …………………-……….. They say they won't stop occupying the building until they've been paid their overdue salaries.

COMPOUNDS (6): VERB/NOUN/ADJECTIVE/ADVERB + PREPOSITION

VI. Fill the gaps with the appropriate compounds.

1.... The UN council have appointed an official to act as a ……………… in the negotiations.

2.... The Champions League final game is a complete ………………. There are no tickets left for the game.

3.... I love spending my weekends in this quiet village at the lakeside. It's my best …………………. for relax and recreation.

4... We were all so shocked to hear about the …………….. of Sarah and Rick's marriage. They always seemed to be so happy together.

5.... On our way to Trondheim we made a …………... in Bergen to admire the cliffs.

6. 'Look. The price on the bill is higher than that on the label.' 'That's a ………………. Let's complain to the shop manager.'

7.... Mark got a ………...... from his father for driving his car without his permission.

8.... The organizers of the festivities didn't expect such a great …………….. and that's why they didn't prepare enough meals to go round.

9.... At your age, it's advised to have a regular ………………. in case the state of your health should get worse.

10.. The ………………. of the gilt-edged securities has been considerable. More and more people are interested in buying them.

COMPOUNDS (7): PREPOSITION + VERB/NOUN

VII. Combine the words into the correct compound verbs and put them in the gaps in the correct form.

1.... We hoped to achieve a great gain but our plans ………………. and we incurred considerable losses.

2.... I think we've lost our way. If we …………… following our footsteps, we'll get back to the starting point.

3.... The management's decision has been ……………….. It will be effective from March, not from May as they suggested before.

4. In the beginning, our sales were incredibly high but they have been ………………… ever since the recession began.

5............................................... Jack, will you help me …………….. the software, please? I don't quite know how to go about it.

6. The court-martial found the captain guilty of neglect and insubordination and so he was ………………. to the rank of a sergeant.

7. Everyone knows you've done a lot for the reforms. However, your political opponents are trying to ……………….. your role in the process.

8. 'Look, mom. The jacket I wore last winter is too small for me.' 'Sure, darling. You have simply ……………………. it.'

9. The small unit of infantry stood no chance of beating the army of invaders who ……………….. the defenders by thousands.

10. Let's not waste time discussing the unimportant matters. In our situation, the financial aspect ……………….. the other ones by far.

11.. None of us is good enough to beat Andrea at chess. She …………….. us all.

12.. Now that you have got into so much trouble you must …………………. it.

13.. It's no good when parents ………………. their children. It's unfair when children die earlier than their parents.

14.. I was just standing nearby and I ………..…… your friends running you down. They were telling something about you and your girlfriend.

15. I think the price on the bill is higher than the one on the label.' 'You must have been ………………. by the shop assistant.'

16. Thank you for your assistance, Jeff. Without you, I wouldn't have ever ………………. the big trouble I had fallen into.

17.. You may use my credit card but don't ………………. the account or else I will have to pay penalty interest.

18.. I think you're ………………. Robert's skills. He’s not that good. He just pretends to be an expert in every field.

19.. Unfortunately, the big corruption affair has ………………. the minister's earlier achievements.

20.. In the 19th century, the revolutionaries ………………. the monarchy seizing the power and turning the country into a people's republic.

21.. I announced my decision, but it was ………………… by my superiors who decided otherwise.

22.. With those rude remarks of yours you have …………….. the limits, Nick. Don't expect to be invited to our next meeting.

23. 'Sally said Monica had offended her with a stream of invectives.' 'That's not quite true. Sally ………………… that. I was there and heard everything. Monica didn't say anything offensive, believe me.'

24.. While in the army, Tom ………………… hell. The conditions were really harsh and the training extremely strenuous.

25.. The police had not ………………… any steps to prevent the riots, which resulted in a severe destruction of a number of shops and cars downtown.

26.. 'Why was Ryan expelled from the course? ' 'He …………….. He wasn't good enough to keep up with the other students.'

27.. Why are you always giving me the most trivial task to do? You ………………. me greatly. I'm good enough to be entrusted with weightier duties.

28.. Our competitors sell more because they ……………… prices. The problem is we cannot lower our prices any more.

29.. The first goal scored by the rival team ……………….. our players' confidence and that's why they didn't perform well in the game.

30.. The traumatic experiences from his childhood ……………….. his present fears and apprehensions. He needs a psychological treatment.

31. When the white-skinned colonizers arrived, the native Indians were mercilessly …………..……. from the areas that had constituted their homeland for ages.

32. After the fighting subsided and a peace treaty was signed, the UN forces were sent to the region to ……………….. law and order.

33. The unexpected financial difficulties have ……………….. our investment plans to a great extent. We've had to put them off to a later date.

34.. Mr McAllister has worked hard for six years and has proven his loyalty to the firm. He certainly deserves to be ………………… and to be paid more.

35.. I would like you to ……………….. me on the latest news. I want to know how the situation is changing on the stock exchange.

36.. The young beautiful singer ………………. all the other stars. The audience didn't want to listen to anybody else but her again and again.

37.. After my first failed attempt, I felt rather disheartened. However, it was my coach's encouraging words that …………………… me. And it worked. I won.

38.. The prosecutor pelted us with a stream of accusations but we …………….. the attack and presented solid evidence that disproved the charges.

39.. When it turned out that the young man falsely declared to be a student, the payment of his grant was ………………….

40.. At the last moment, the world champion …………….. from the race. He claimed he had a bad knee injury.

COMPOUNDS (8)