updateyourenglish
sábado, 2 de julio de 2011
lunes, 27 de junio de 2011
viernes, 24 de junio de 2011
relative pronoums. 3
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
- Fill in with that, which, where, when, what, whose, who, whom.
a. Last year we visited London ___________ I liked very much.
b. Last year we visited London, ___________ we stayed for two weeks.
c. I didn’t see Mary, ____________ was a pity.
d. That is the woman ___________ we saw. She’s the woman _________ whose house we bought.
e. That’s the time __________ you have to make a decision.
f. Peter, ___________ works with me, is a nice chap.
g. I don’t know __________ I should do.
h. From _________ did you buy your car, Paul or Peter?
i. That’s the pub ___________ I met Susan two years ago.
j. That’s the hospital in __________ I had my last operation.
k. That’s the hospital ___________ I had my last operation.
l. James, with ___________ I studied Medicine, is very well off now.
m. That’s the kind of answer __________ I dislike.
n. Penguins, in ____________ I am interested, are fascinating animals.
o. Was that the day _________ you killed your wife?
p. Thomas, of ___________ I haven’t heard for a long time, was my best friend.
q. Opera, ___________ I cannot stand, is my husband’s favourite music.
r. Sheila is terribly ugly; ____________ is worse, she is lazy.
s. Sheila is ugly and also lazy, __________ is even worse.
t. That is the girl ______________ came to see me on Saturday.
2. Make relative sentences using whose.
a. Paul works with my brother. I met his sister at the party.
b. The Richardson’s are nice people. We bought their car.
c. Sally broke up with Joe. I published her novel.
d. Tim is a fascinating man. I went to his party.
e. That is the criminal. We sent his brother to prison.
f. That is Richard. A dead body was found in his swimming-pool.
g. That is Mr Smith. I work for one of his firms.
3. Write equivalent sentences avoiding the use of whom and which.
a. He is the boy about whom I was talking to you.
b. Pete is the man from whom we got a letter.
c. That is the company for which I work.
d. Oxford is the university to which I went.
e. Jazz is the kind of music in which I am interested.
f. With whom did you get there?
g. That is the hotel at which we were staying.
h. You are the person for whom I was waiting.
ANSWERS
1. Fill in with that, which, where, when, what, whose, who, whom. a. WHICH b. WHERE c. WHICH d. --/THAT/WHO/WHOM ____ WHOSE e. WHEN f. WHO g. WHAT h. WHOM i. WHERE j. WHICH k. WHERE l. WHOM m. --/THAT/WHICH n. WHICH o. WHEN p. WHOM q. WHICH r. WHAT s. WHICH t. WHO/THAT |
a. Paul, whose sister I met at the party, works with my brother. b. The Richardson’s, whose car we bought, are nice people. c. Sally, whose novel I published, broke up with Joe. d. Tim, whose party I went to, is a fascinating man. e. That is the criminal whose brother we sent to prison. f. That is Richard, in whose swimming-pool a dead body was found. g. That is Mr Smith, one of whose firm I work for. |
a. He is the boy I was talking to you about. b. Pete is the man we got a letter from. c. That is the company I work for. d. Oxford is the university I went to. e. Jazz is the kind of music I am interested in. f. Who did you get there with? g. That is the hotel we were staying at. h. You are the person I was waiting for. |
relative pronoums. 2
RELATIVE CLAUSES
Defining and non-defining relative clauses |
1. Complete the sentences using who or which, but only if necessary.
a) Is that the woman ___________ you told me about?
b) Is that the woman ___________ works in the bank?
c) The chair ___________ was broken has been repaired.
d) These are the shoes ____________ I bought last week.
e) I saw John a moment ago. He was with a woman _____________ you don’t like.
f) Did you pick up the keys ____________ were on this table?
g) Robert is the boy __________ we met yesterday.
h) I had a coffee with the girl _____________ lives next door.
i) Did you see the letter _______________ came yesterday?
j) I’ve lost the stamps ___________ I bought this morning.
2. Add the information in brackets to the sentences using who / whose / which / where.
1. We stayed in Grasmere. (Grasmere is a small village in the north-west of England.)
2. Mr Jones introduced me to his daughter. (Mr Jones lives next door.)
3. The Queen’s Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in the city. (The Queen’s Hotel was built in 1750.)
4. Maria is my best friend. (I have known Maria since I was a child.)
5. John King is a policeman. (John King’s wife, Sue, spoke to us at the party last night.)
6. On the journey, we stopped at a small village. (We had lunch at a pub in the village.)
7. Robert lives in a flat in South London. (Robert is a doctor.)
8. Next weekend I’m going to Aberdeen. (My sister has been living in Aberdeen for the past six months.)
9. Martin’s new car has broken down. (Martin bought the car only last month.)
10. Gloria Randall is in my class at school. (Gloria Randall’s brother is the actor George Randall.)
3. Complete each sentence using who / which / whose / that / where and an idea from the box. | |
Alexander Bell was the man … A launderette is a place … A thermometer is something … An architect is someone … A teetotaller is someone … | A widow is a woman… A widower is a man … A vegetarian is someone … A lawnmower is … Indira Gandhi was the woman … |
husband is dead / became India’s first woman prime minister / measures temperature / cuts grass / wife is dead / designs buildings / doesn’t drink alcohol / does not eat meat or fish / |
ANSWERS
Defining and non-defining relative clauses I | |
1. Complete the sentences using who or which, but onlyif necessary. 1. – 2. WHO 3. WHICH 4. – 5. – 6. WHICH 7. – 8. WHO 9. WHICH 10. – | 2. Add the information in brackets to the sentences using who / whose / which / where. 1. We stayed in Grasmere, which is a small village in the north-west of England. 2. Mr Jones, who lives next door, introduced me to his daughter. 3. The Queen’s Hotel , which was built in 1750, is one of the oldest hotels in the city. 4. Maria, who/whom I have known since I was a child, is my best friend. 5. John King, whose wife, Sue, spoke to us at the party last night, is a policeman. 6. On the journey, we stopped at a small village, where we had lunch at a pub. 7. Robert, who is a doctor, lives in a flat in South London. 8. Next weekend I’m going to Aberdeen, where my sister has been living for the past six months. 9. Martin’s new car, which he bought only last month, has broken down. 10.Gloria Randall, whose brother is the actor George Randall, is in my class at school. |
3. Complete each sentence using who / which / whose / that / where and an idea from the box. 1. Alexander Bell was the man who/that invented the telephone. 2. A launderette is a place where you can wash clothes. 3. A thermometer is something which/that measures temperature. 4. An architect is someone who/ that designs buildings. 5. A teetotaller is someone who/that doesn’t drink alcohol. 6. A widow is a woman whose husband is dead. 7. A widower is a man whose wife is dead. 8. A vegetarian is someone who/that does not eat meat or fish. 9. A lawnmower is something which/that cuts grass. 10. Indira Gandhi was the woman who/that became India’s first woman prime minister. |
relative pronoums. 1.
Complete with who, which, where or whose. | Correct the sentences if necessary. |
1. We drove past the house ................ we used to live. 2. The girl ................ was talking to you is the boss’s daughter. 3. Look! That’s the man.............. son plays for Chelsea. 4. The car was an invention ................ changed the world. 5. That’s the restaurant.................... I told you about. 6. Is this the shop .................... you bought your camera? 7. What’s the name of your friend.............. wife is an actress? 8. The woman ..................... called this morning didn’t leave a message. 9. It’s a film ................. won alls the Oscars last year. 10. This is the book................. everybody is reading at the moment. 11. The man ……………….. car I crashed into is taking me to court. Tick the sentences where you could leave out the relative pronoun. | 1. After Rome we went to Venice, that we loved. 2. Is that the girl you used to go out with? 3. My brother, that you met at my wedding, is getting divorced. 4. It’s a machine that makes sweets. 5. He lives in Valencia, that is on the east coast of Spain. 6. Jerry, who I work with, is completely bilingual. 7. The film I saw last night was fantastic. 8. I met some people who they come from the same village as me. 9. Our neighbour, who garden is smaller than ours has an enormous dog |
ANSWERS
Complete with who, which, where or whose. | Correct the sentences if necessary. |
1. We drove past the house where we used to live. 2. The girl who/that was talking to you is the boss’s daughter. 3. Look! That’s the man whose son plays for Chelsea. 4. The car was an invention which/that changed the world. 5. That’s the restaurant ---/that/which I told you about. 6. Is this the shop where you bought your camera? 7. What’s the name of your friend whose wife is an actress? 8. The woman who/that called this morning didn’t leave a message. 9. It’s a film that/which won alls the Oscars last year. 10. This is the book ---/that/which everybody is reading at the moment. 11. The man whose car I crashed into is taking me to court. Tick the sentences where you could leave out the relative pronoun. | 1. After Rome we went to Venice, which we loved. 2. Is that the girl you used to go out with? 3. My brother, who/whom you met at my wedding, is getting divorced. 4. It’s a machine that makes sweets. 5. He lives in Valencia, which is on the east coast of Spain. 6. Jerry, who I work with, is completely bilingual. 7. The film I saw last night was fantastic. 8. I met some people who 9. Our neighbour, whose garden is smaller than ours, has an enormous dog |
books for 4th.EOI.
YULE, George. Oxford Practice Grammar (with answers and with Practice-Plus CD-Rom). Oxford University Press, 2006.
VINCE, Michael. First Certificate Language Practice (with key). McMillan.
HEWINGS, Martin, Advanced Grammar in Use. C.U.P., 1999.
Reading practice 4. 4EOI. With the key.
PASS THE SICK BAG
It’s a rare thing even to see them apart. She admits they do 200 sit-ups together every night before they go to bed, and that they both love Friends and agree Chandler is the funniest character. They even wear matching outfits, right down to their shoes. Okay, the outfits are by Gucci, but as hip as they may try to be, Posh and Becks are sadly what’s known as “Yuckies”. The Spice Girl and Manchester United’s golden boy are no different to those smug-looking pairs that you see strolling hand in hand around suburban shopping centres wearing identical fleeces – or worse, matching shell suits or jumpers with animals on.
Why do so many interesting, independent people suddenly turn into unselfconscious, embarrassing clones of one another the moment they find a relationship? Rita Lewis, a 36-year-old fashion public relations from West London, looks back on her “Yuckie” three-year relationship with James, a 38-year-old doctor, with bemusement. “I was having a ball being single when I met James five years ago,” she says. “I had a job that took me to the hippest destinations in the world. I was well paid, had a sizeable expense account and got fantastic discounts on designer clothes. The only small cloud on the horizon was I couldn’t find “Mr Right”. I was introduced to James by my brother. He was gorgeous and very different to the kind of people I was mixing with in the fashion world. He seemed so down to earth and straightforward. The minute we met, we both knew it was going to be serious.”
Sounds idyllic, but it wasn’t long before Rita’s friends noticed a worrying cosiness creeping into her life. “I stopped going out and stopped seeing many of my friends,” she admits. “James was really into bird-watching, and because I couldn’t bear to be out of his orbit, I started going ‘twitching’ (the enthusiast’s term for the hobby) with him. It was as if I’d had a complete personality change. I ‘forgot’ how much I hate getting cold and wet. I bought walking boots and waterproofs and started reading bird books so I could sound more knowledgeable. I also ‘forgot’ that my idea of a brilliant Saturday was getting up late and going for lunch and a shopping spree in Harvey Nichols.
The couples counsellor Alix Needham, of Lifestyle Management in London says Yuckiness is a seductive but dangerous trap to fall into. “When a relationship starts, it is not unnatural for you both to want to show each other how similar you are,” she explains. “Mirroring each other’s behaviour, tastes and even clothing can initially bring you closer –but if you try it for too long you run the eventual risk of boring each other. Couples need to have separate interests and friends so that you consistently have something new and interesting to bring to the partnership.”
Similarly, you need to keep a little mystique, adds Needham, if you want to maintain your partner’s curiosity. “Sharing intimate bathroom habits and every little thought and thing about yourself is not always a good idea. If your partner feels he or she knows everything about you, he or she is much more likely to be fascinated by someone new.”
Since splitting up with James, Rita Lewis keeps a horrible wooden mug with a woodpecker-shaped handle on her desk. “I often wonder if James and I had approached the relationship differently whether it might have had a chance, “ she says now. “The mug, which is one of a pair, is to remind me not to forget who I am the next time I get involved with a man. I wonder what James has done with his?”
( The Sunday Times. STYLE )
I. TRUE OR FALSE?
1. The fact that Posh and Becks can afford expensive clothes does not make them any different from other couples.
2. Many independent people are embarrassed when dealing with new people.
3. Rita was completely satisfied with the kind of life she was leading before meeting James.
4. James prevented Rita from going out with her friends.
5. Rita took up birdwatching mainly because she enjoyed the topic.
6. The more you share with your partner, the less interested he might become in you.
7. Rita is convinced her relationship with James could have never worked out.
II. VOCABULARY: Match these three words from the text with their suitable meaning.
| A.Growing |
| B. Interest |
| C. Conceited |
8.Bemusement | D. Confusion |
9.Creeping | E. Leading |
10.Knowledgeable | F. Well-informed |
| G. Hurrying |
| H. Talkative |
KEY:
1.TRUE 2. FALSE 3. FALSE 4. FALSE
5. FALSE 6. TRUE 7. FALSE
8. CONFUSION
9. GROWING
10. WELL-INFORMED
Reading practice 5. 4EOI. With the key.
OIL TANKERS. Floating Disasters.
Oil keeps the world moving but, ironically, it has to be transported. And in huge quantities, otherwise it would not be profitable. One of the most common ways of moving it is by sea. Every year approximately 1,800 oil tankers navigate the world’s oceans, carrying thousands of tonnes of this valuable fuel. This is part of the billion-dollar business surrounding the so-called “black gold” and, as usually happens with operations involving such huge amounts of money, there are vested interests and greed.
The Exxon Valdez, the Erika, the Prestige- it seems that with catastrophic regularity one of these “giants of the seas” sinks, provoking both ecological and human disasters. The story is starting to sound awfully familiar (old boat, unskilled crew, accident, uncontrollable spill, coasts quickly covered in oil, etc.), but that does not mean that strict measures are taken to prevent these catastrophes. It seems that governments are reacting very slowly to the issue. According to environmental organisations, too slowly.
People wonder, when one of these disasters occurs, why these unsafe vessels are allowed to sail our seas. How can an old, rusty boat transport this dangerous load avoiding international law- or are the laws simply too mild?
There are two answers to this question. The first has to do with the tricks that shipping companies use to avoid oil tanker safety regulations. The second relates to the regulations themselves and the way they are enforced. For instance, a boat arriving at any port in the world has to be checked, by law, by the harbour inspectors. However, in many ports there are times (such as weekends) when no-one is on duty. Any rusty hulk can get past the controls just by arriving at an off-duty moment. Also, the strong competition between ports means that some of these inspections are very light in order to encourage ship owners to return.
Oil tankers are the responsibility of the state in which they are registered (whose flag they fly). That does not mean that ship owners or managers have the same nationality as the boat. The Prestige, for example, was owned by a Greek company, operated by a Swiss-based organization and registered in the Bahamas . Most ship owners know how useful the “flags of convenience” are. They make money easier to hide and it is very difficult to pin down responsibilities when something happens. It has also been reported that some ship owners blackmail the private companies responsible for inspecting a ship in order to give it insurance and permission to sail. On top of all this, it is common practice to hire crews without qualifications: they are much cheaper, but also much less safe.
After the sinking of the Erika in December 1999, the European Union tried to bring in a ban on single-hulled tankers in European waters from 2005. However, the regulation could not be passed because of opposition from Greece , Britain and the Netherlands . The ban was postponed until 2015, a date which, according to Greenpeace spokeswoman Maria José Caballero, is too distant. On the other hand, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which is in charge of setting safety standards at sea, also recommends that its members phase out single-hulled tankers by 2015. However, while the IMO sets the standards, it is up to the flag state to implement them and some just do not do it.
The problem is that there is no international law enforcing this matter. Each country does what suits it best. In Europe , for example, 18 countries signed the Paris Memorandum, agreeing to carry out more thorough checks of the vessels. After the Exxon Valdez disaster, the United States immediately banned single-hulled vessels from its waters and drew up the Oil Pollution Act, a compensation system of unlimited responsibility for the oil companies in the case of an ecological disaster. This has put an end to the trick of bribing insurance companies. On the other hand, these local measures send the old tankers to European, African, South American or Asian waters instead.
Soon after the Prestige disaster, talks started within the EU to speed up the establishment of a European Maritime Safety Agency, which would have much greater powers to control oil tankers in European waters. There are also plans to create a maritime police force to board ships which present a danger. Without waiting for the rest of the EU to endorse them, France and Spain have agreed to check all ageing single-hulled vessels in their waters and to force them out if necessary. Pressurised by the consequences of the Prestige disaster, the Spanish government has banned single-hulled oil tankers from all of its ports. However, pressure groups insist on the urgent need for international regulation in this matter because, when such accidents occur, it is not worthwhile thinking logically. The stricken Prestige, for example, had not visited a European port for up to two years before it sank, inflicting terrible damage on Galicia´s beautiful coast.
( Adapted from SPEAK UP )
TASK I. VOCABULARY: What do the words in bold type mean in this context? Choose the correct definitions.
1. pin down a) avoid b) demand
c) order d) elude
2. phase out a) suspend b) put off
c) allow d) use
3. drew up a) refused b) objected
c) wrote d) cancelled
4. endorse a) encourage b) support
c) reject d) inspect
TASK II. TRUE or FALSE ?
6. Some ports are to blame for not enforcing the safety regulations.
7. Some ship owners get permission to sail in an illegal way.
8. The International Maritime Organization is the only responsible for setting the safety standards and carrying them out.
9. The Oil Pollution Act has reduced the number of old tankers all over the world.
10. After the Prestige disaster, maritime laws and regulations are unlikely to stay the same.
KEY:
1. B 2.A 3. C 4. B
5. FALSE 6. TRUE 7. TRUE 8. FALSE
9. FALSE 10. TRUE
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