ASSIGNMENTS FOR HOME READING
W.S. MAUGHAM
“THE MOON AND SIXPENCE”
(Moscow, 1972 Edition)
ASSIGNMENT # 1
1. Words and expressions for intensive study:
out of ordinary
21
authentic
21
to rescue from oblivion
22
to rub shoulders with someone
23
to set at rest
25
pp. 21-29
to refute smth.
notoriety, notorious
to subject smth. to mortification
to make a stir
25
26
27
28
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
Rhetorician 21, eccentricity 21, capricious 21, genius 21, admirable 22, to seize 23, romance 23,
subtlety 24, learned 26, heretic 26, realm 28
3. Analyze the grammar phenomena in the following sentences and translate them:
- Perhaps Charles Strickland’s power and originality would scarcely have sufficed to turn the scale if the
remarkable mythopoetic faculty of mankind had not brushed aside with impatience a story which… 25
- I saw him not infrequently during the difficult years he…
26
- The subconscious had few secrets for him.
26
- The mystic sees the ineffable and the psychopathologist the unspeakable.
26
- The wiser go their way with a decent grace.
27
4.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
… if that (personality, ) is singular I am willing to excuse a thousand faults
… claim… that the layman can understand nothing of painting
Charles Strickland lived obscurely…
The son’s well-meaning efforts threw a singular chill upon his father’s admirer’s
… there was no danger that he would whitewash him
21
22
23
24
26
5. Comment on the following sentences.
To my mind the most interesting thing in art is the personality of an artist 21
(Comparison
Velasquez and El Greco)
The faculty for myths is innate in the human race
23
A painter’s monument is his work
26
The moral I drew is that the writer should seek his reward in the pleasure of his work
27
6. Questions for discussion
- What does the narrator mean by “greatness” when referring to Strickland?
- What books were written about Strickland after his death?
(Maurice Huret, Edward Leggat, Rev. Robert Strickland, Dr. Weitbrecht-Rothols)
- What were the motives for the narrator to set down his recollections about Strickland?
between
ASSIGNMENT # 2
1. Words and expressions for intensive study:
to be under forty
29
to screw up one’s courage
29
to fascinate
30
to take one’s revenge on smbd.
30
to make the most of smth.
30
a man of the world
30
pp. 29-40
to be absorbed in smth.
royalties
to rave about smth.
to take a fancy to smbd.
to be the image of smbd.
to be a credit to smbd.
30
31
31
34
36
38
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
Melancholy 29, genteel 29, rapacious 30, malicious 32, impropriety 32, naivete 37, facetiousness 37,
treacherous 40, fatigue 40
3.
-
Comment on the grammar phenomena in the following sentences and translate them:
During the summer I met Mrs. Strickland not infrequently
34
The women were too nice to be well dressed, and too sure of their position to be amusing
She shepherded the ladies out of the room
38
4.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
“You’ve only got to roar a little. And she’ll ask you”
“She wants to be in the movement”
33
She asked me to stop the gap
36
It was only neighbourly to accept
37
… larger than life-size
38
5.
-
Comment on the following sentences:
Then it was a distinction to be under forty. But now to be more than twenty-five is absurd
The spade was not invariably called a bloody shovel. 29
“He’s a perfect philistine”
36
He gave you somewhat the idea of a coachman dressed up for the occasion. 39
6.
-
Oral tasks
What does the narrator recall about his first steps in literature? How did he find “the world of letters?
Describe Rose Waterford and Mrs. Strickland.
Describe Mrs. Strickland’s dinner-party.
What was the narrator’s first impressions of Charles Strickland?
How does the narrator sum up the Strickland family?
What’s your impression of the narrator? What’s characteristic of his literary manner? Give examples of
sentences which drew your attention from this perspective.
ASSIGNMENT # 3
1. Words for intensive study
to rack one’s brains
to do smth. (smbd.) justice
to be overwhelmed with smth.
40
41
43
37
32
pp. 40-53
to pry
to owe smth. to smbd
irrevocable
49
49
50
29
Calamity
A blackguard
43
44
to talk at random
to let bygones be bygones
50
52
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
indiscreet 42, idiosyncrasy 40, colonel 43, austerity 48, bereaved 48, solicitude 52, cynical 55, suite
52, insincerity 52
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
important 41, impolite 42, job 42, excitement 42, help 43, to say 43, to hate 43, to be surprised 44,
to be taken by surprise 45, to be on good terms 46, to be deep in one’s thoughts 49, soon 49, to fall in
love 49, to risk 50, unbelievable 50
4. Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences and translate them:
I added that unless I heard from her to the contrary, I would come on a certain day… 42
She ought never to have married him. 45
But I’m sure, he is not the man to go. 48
5.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
She had forgotten to put me off. 43
“Are they going to live on air?” 45
Strickland had struck me as a hefty fellow 45
He’s been drawing in his horns for the last year. 47
It was impossible to keep up our social pretences any longer 44
Colonel MacAndrew had a very sketchy knowledge of business matters. 47
6. Comment on the following sentences:
“I believe that a young person in a city tea-shop has left her situation” 42
…I have learnt that man is incalculable 41
I did not then know the besetting sin of woman, the passion to discuss her private affairs with anyone who is
willing to listen. 45
It chilled me a little that Mrs. Strickland should be concerned with gossip, for I did not know then how great
a part is played in women’s life by the opinion of others. It throws a shadow of insincerity over their most
deeply felt emotions. 52
6. Oral tasks.
How did the narrator take the news about the Strickland family?
What was the narrator’s impression of colonel MacAndrew?
Act out the conversation between Mrs. Strickland and the narrator. pp. 48-53.
ASSIGNMENT # 4
1. Words for intensive study:
misgiving
to have an inkling
to make no bones about smth.
to give grounds
53
54
58
60
pp. 53-68
whereabouts
to be far-fetched
self-esteem
to obsess
60
66
67
66
to feign
60
convention
67
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
luxury 56, café 56, pique 59, ingenuous 61, liqueur 63, eloquent 57, ludicrous 58, treacherous 63,
cuckoo 66.
3. Give synonyms from the text of the following words:
elegant 56, indifference 57, to worry 57, terrible 58, to admit 58, to hate 59, to answer 59, to keep
secret 61, to risk 62, to comfort 64, a prostitute 64, to be satisfied with 65, to puzzle 65, a small sin or
weakness 67, understandable 64
4. Analyze the grammar phenomena in the following sentences and translate them.
It was a tall, shabby building, that cannot have been painted for years. 54
… old fellows who might have stepped out of the pages of Honore de Balzac 56
He did not seem to care much about the Paris he was now seeing for the first time 64
5. Paraphrase the following sentences:
I tried my best to assume an airy manner 55
… which make their profit on the frailties of mankind. 56
His agreement cut the ground under my feet. 58
I worked myself up into a state of moral indignation. 58
No, I couldn’t have placed him. 63
She tried to talk to him … partly in pidgin French.. 64
He was independent of the opinion of his fellows. 67
6. Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
Вызывать сочувствие 53, предпринимать шаги 56, скривить губы 58, оставить без гроша 58,
нарушить молчание
59, не по существу
62, начать заново
63, отклонить
предложение/приглашение
63/65, привести в порядок
65, овладеть всем существом
66,
действовать против мнения большинтва 67
7. Comment on the following sentences:
I had not yet learnt how contradictory is human nature: I did not know how much pose there is in the sincere,
how much baseness in the noble, or how much goodness in the reprobate. 53
I do not believe the people who tell me they do not care a row of pins for the opinion of their fellows. 67
I take it that conscience is the guardian in the individual of the rules which the community has evolved for its
own preservation. It is the policeman in all our hearts. 68
ASSIGNMENT # 5
Words for intensive study:
Conviction
Conceited
to get the better of smth.
to turn one’s head
(to get over) a whim
69
69
69
70
pp. 69-80
(un)scrupulous
to be a match for
to grudge
to be possessed
to be a (rare) treat
72
72
73
73
79
Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
caste 69, catastrophe 69, alien 72, longevity 73, grandeur 73, shrewd 74, guile 74, prestige 75,
buffoon77, genuine 77, picturesqueness 78, Renaissance 78, grotesque 79, acute 79, incomparable 79
Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
clearly 69, to be fond of 69, to think 69, disbelief 70, reply 71, torture 75, to run away 75, to agree
77, to meet 77, to need 77, as a matter of fact 77, mockery 78
Give Russian equivalents of the following word combinations:
ничего не понимать 69, поджать губы 70, смягчить чувство унижения 73, опутать чарами 74,
женщина с характером 74, совершенно беспомощный 74, заметать следы 75, зарабатывать на
жизнь 75, охвачен ужасом 76, начать заново 76
Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
“If it weren’t for the children, I wouldn’t mind anything”
“I knew I ought to have gone there myself” 70
“…no great harm will have been done” 71
Paraphrase the following sentences:
… not unlike her, but more faded 69
… We used to chaff him 69
I’d give him all the rope he wants. He’ll come back with his tail between his legs… 71
Perhaps, I had struck home. 72
Mrs. Strickland had only herself to provide for. 75
I was growing stale in London.
Comment on the following sentences:
I did not realize then how motley are the qualities that go to make up a human being. Now I am well aware
that pettiness and grandeur, malice and charity, hatred and love, can find place side by side in the same
human heart. 73
It is not true that suffering ennobles the character, happiness does sometimes, but suffering for the most part,
makes men petty and vindictive. 77
8. Oral tasks
Ask a problem question on Chapter XY.
Speak about:
- the reaction to the news the narrator brought to Paris
- Mrs. Strickland's life after the separation with her husband.
- Dirk Stroeve. Character, appearance, occupation.
Act out the talk in Chapter XY (Mrs. Strickland, Mr. & Mrs. Macandrew, the narrator).
ASSIGNMENT # 6
1. Words and phrases for intensive study:
to disguise
83
pp. 80 – 93
exasperation
88
to be likely
to make a (good) living
Charity
83
87
sane
to be up to smth.
to affect
90
88
89
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
sewing 80, cushion 80, exuberance 80, prematurely 80, sweat 81, chaos 85, two pence 90, to devour
89, satyr 92
3. Find synonyms of the following words:
too common 82, unimaginable 82, to meet 83, to be surprised 83, to be sure of smth. 84, to talk smbd.
into smth. 85, examination 86, to smile 87, merry 87, to pay no attention 88, to bother 89, poverty 89,
stop 90, to understand 90, to deceive 92, to take pleasure 93, clean 93
4. Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
Ломать голову 80, снять квартиру 80, пойти на расходы 81, вызывать интерес 82, разрешить
противоречие 83, вернуть доброе расположение духа 84, время от времени 88, довести для конца
90
5. Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
- You seem to have had a rotten time in Paris. 91
- I wish you were not so damned monosyllabic. 91
6.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
her features were good without being distinguished 81
She just missed being beautiful. 81
His body was cadaverous. 86
It was a record of hard work and little adventure. 88
It was tantalizing to get no more than hints. 88
When in luck he was able to make a tidy sum. 89
7. Comment on the following sentences:
Why should you think that beauty, which is the most precious thing in the world, lies like a stone on
the beach for the careless passer-by to pick up idly? Beauty is something wonderful and strange that the
artists fashions out of the chaos of the world in the torment of his soul. And when he has made it, it is not
given to all to know it. To recognize it you must repeat the adventure of the artist. It is a melody that he sings
to you, and to hear it you want knowledge and sensitiveness and imagination. 85
It (Strickland’s smile) was very sensual, neither cruel nor kindly, but suggested rather the inhuman
glee of the satyr. 92
8. Oral tasks.
Speak about:
- the narrator’s meeting with Dirk Stroeve.
- the narrator’s first impression of Mrs. Stroeve
- Stroeve’s opinion of Strickland and Mrs. Stroeve’s attitude to him.
- the change the narrator observed in Strickland.
- the story of Strickland’s life in Paris.
ASSIGNMENT # 7
1.Words and expressions for intensive study:
susceptibility, susceptible
95
to vow
95
to put up with smbd./smth.
to be hard up
96
poignancy
98
pp. 93-110
to shirk trouble
to do (someone) a good turn
to induce
to pull through
104
106
107
107
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
quay 93, ferocious 97, idyll 98, idolatry 98, scheme 100, palette 101, guinea-pig 105, nourishment
107, competence 108
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
to walk 93, to irritate 94, to be afraid 95, to boast 94, to be taken by surprise 97, back and forth 97,
weakly 102, to agree 103, dirty 103, to be on the point of 104, to be puzzled 106, anxious 105, quiet
108
4. Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
вывести из себя 94, поправить положение 94, портить себе кровь из-за чего-либо 94, поверьте мне
95, упустить выгодное дело 95, выше чьего-либо понимания 98, вызывать сочувствие 98, у него
был сильный жар 101, держать свое местопребывание в тайне 100, нам повезло 100, обижаться
101, глаз не сомкнул 103, взять себя в руки 105, уменьшительное имя 105
5. Analyze linguistic phenomena in the following sentences and translate them:
- …the only time I saw her put out of countenance. 94
- Stroeve, his voice cracking with emotion, went up to him. 101
- “I have no objection to your nursing him.” 103
- “Do you dislike him as much as you did?” - “More, if anything”.
- “I should have despised you if you’d been moved by it” 96
6. Paraphrase the following sentences:
- He was of uncertain temper. 95
- Strickland employed not the rapier of sarcasm but the bludgeon of invective. 97
- It was absurd to hunt vaguely about Paris. 100
- He was nothing but skin and bone. 109
- There was something monumental in his ungainliness. 109
- Stroeve liked his ease… 110
7. Comment on the following sentences:
- “It’s (genius) the most wonderful thing in the world. It’s a great burden to its possessors. We should be
very tolerant with them, and very patient”.
- “…for a moment they stared at one another. I could not quite understand her expression. Her eyes had in
them a strange perplexity, and perhaps – but why – alarm. 109.
- I had again the feeling that he was possessed of a devil; but you could not say that it was a devil of evil,
for it was a primitive force that existed before good and ill. 109
8. Oral tasks:
Speak about:
– the relations between Dirk Stroeve and his wife (pp. 93-94, 98)
– Strickland’s attitude to Dirk Stroeve.
– Stroeve and the narrator finding Strickland lying ill in his room.
– Stroeve and his wife looking after Strickland
Act out:
the talk between Strove and his wife. (pp. 102-107)
ASSIGNMENT # 8
1. Words for intensive study:
To drive smbd. to smth.
112, 119
Ingenuity
113
To eat humble pie
113
To be in (real) distress
113
pp. 110-125
to send smbd. packing
to succumb
whim
118
122
122
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
rotund 110, woebegone 110, rueful 110, liquor 112, lead 114, buffoon 118, amiable 120, intricacy
121, uncouth 121, transference 121.
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
Puzzlement 111, to send away 111, to make a mistake 113, to be amazed 114, to beg 114, to attack
115, to be angry 117, suffering 119, to be exhausted 120, evil-looking 121, to stop 122, shyness 122.
4. Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
у нее кончилось терпение 113, она вида его не переносит 113, вбить себе в голову 113, поставить
себя в дурацкое положение 113, затаить зло 116. что на тебя нашло? 116, мириться с неудобствами
117, придержать язык 119, все обойдется 119, быть под рукой 120, оказать кому-то услугу 120,
обмануть чье-то доверие 122
5.
-
Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
He’s not strong enough to go back to his own place yet. 111
Strickland can’t work with anyone else in the studio. 111
No one but Strickland would have needed telling. 113
I can’t bear to think of you living in that horrible, filthy attic. 117
He slept very quietly, without a movement, so that he might have been dead. 121
She…succumbed to his wish…, to find then that she was powerless. 122
6.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
I knew he was of abstemious habit. 112
I could not stomach his weakness. 117
…it was her own look-out. 117
It eases me to talk. 118
He had not expected Strickland to take him up on the spot… 119
But the bed…was sufficiently uncomfortable to give me a wakeful night. 120
7. Comment upon the following sentences:
- “After all, it constantly happens that a man when he’s married falls in love with somebody else; when he
gets over it he returns to his wife, and she takes him back, and everyone thinks it very natural. Why
should it be different with women?”
- “…what I had taken for love was no more than the feminine response to caresses and comfort which in
the minds of most women passes for it”. 120
- I suspected that Blanche Stroeve’s violent dislike of Strickland had in it from the beginning a vague
element of sexual attraction. 120
- But I suppose that everyone’s conception of the passion is formed on his own idiosyncrasies and it is
different with every different person. 123
7.
-
Oral tasks
Speak as Dirk Stroeve – tell the narrator about what happened between you, your wife and Strickland
Act out the scene in Stroeve’s home (113-117)
Speak as the narrator – your thoughts about the origin and the kind of love between Strickland and
Blanche Stroeve.
What’s the narrator’s opinion of Stroeve’s behaviour under the circumstances? Do you share his attitude?
ASSIGNMENT # 9.
1. Words for intensive study:
to induce smbd. to do smth. 123
to disgust
126
to give a clue
127
inscrutable
127
pp. 123-140
hazard
refuge
to have a knack for smth.
127
138
139
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
route 124, subtle 127, woeful 129, to intrigue 128, draught 133, serene 134, abyss 135, acute 137,
cleanliness 138
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
To urge 123, goods 125, to make use of 124, appearance 125, to avoid 129, calm 127, to defeat 127,
foolishness 129, light-minded 129, to rely on 129, to get angry 130, to implore 124, 134, to suppose
135, sympathy 134, to refuse 135.
4. Find in the text English equivalents of the following word combinations:
вести себя неподобающим образом 123, сопротивляться искушению 123, принимать существующее
положение как должное 127, делать предположения 127, быть вне себя 128, если дойдет для
худшего 129, …что на меня нашло 131, не спеша 131, довести кого-либо до ужасного шага 135,
дать показания 135.
5. Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
-
He might have excited sympathy if he had grown worn and thin. 125
… she refused to have him sent for. 135
the complications which the doctor had feared having appeared, recovery was impossible 135
He might have been struck dumb. 130
6. Paraphrase the following sentences:
- He bore himself most unbecomingly. 123
- His want of spirit was exasperating. 124
- He was not a man with whom it was worth while wasting politeness.. 125
- The doctor was a little bearded man in white, with an offhand manner. 132
- “It may be that she will get off with a fright”. 133
- It gave me a sudden wrench of the heart strings. 132
- “You must try and gather the threads again” 136
7. Comment on the following sentences:
There is no cruelty greater than a woman’s to a man who loves her and whom she does not love; she
has no kindness then, no tolerance even, she has only an insane irritation. 124
Perhaps that is the wisdom of life, to thread in your father’s steps, and look neither to the right nor to
the left… We must be very humble… We must go through life so inconspicuosly that Fate does not notice
us… Let us be silent, content in our little corner, meek and gentle… That is the wisdom of life. 139
8. Oral Tasks.
- Comment upon Stroeve’s behaviour after his wife left him
- Describe the narrator’s meeting with Strickland and Blanche.
- Act out the talk between the narrator and Stroeve (pp. 130-132)
- Comment upon the possible reasons for Blanche’s attempted suicide.
- Comment upon Stroeve reminiscences of his childhood and his reflections on the “Wisdom of life”.
ASSIGNMENT # 10
1. Words for intensive study:
Anguish
140
To make the most of smth. 142
Awe
143
To have other fish to fry
145
pp. 140-159
up one’s sleeve
(not) to mince one’s words
neck and crop
147
149
150
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
ascent 140, bas-relief 142, geniality 146, gusto 148, hurricane 150, contemptuous 155, preposterious
154, vacuity 154, threshold 154, technique 156, caricature 156.
3. Find synonyms of the following words:
to stay 140, done on purpose 141, to notice 142, to defeat 142, mad 142, a knife 143, disgust 145,
hateful 146, reserve 147, to make oneself comfortable 148, to wish 154, to be puzzled 156.
4. Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
он ахнул 142, ревность и ярость охватили его 142, он был вне себя 143, промежуток времени 145,
закусить губу 147, погубить чью-то жизнь 143, выражаясь обычными словами 144, родился
мертвым 150, по чьему-то вкусу 155
5. Analyze the grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
- he stared at me with his mouth open and his eyes starting out of his head. 143
- I think he might have learnt from them something. 144
- But if I was puzzled and disconcerted, I was not unimpressed. 157
6. Paraphrase the following sentences.
- to see her was a delight that never staled. 140
- Stroeve’s head swam. 142
- …he gave me a round sum for the lot. 145
- …his chance was to put all the past behind him. 145
- I suppose you are hard up
- … he had no gift for framing sentences 152
- I was sore … with myself. 155
- I longed to pierce his armour of complete indifference. 154
- I would not let him see that I was put out. 154
- I wander along trails that others have blazed for me. 156
7. Comment on the following sentences:
- It may be that in his rogues the writer gratifies instincts deep-rooted in him, which the manners and
customs of a civilized world have forced back to the mysterious recesses of the subconscious. 148
- This writer is more concerned to know than to judge. 148
- “A woman can forgive a man for the harm he does her, … but she can never forgive him for the sacrifices
he makes on her account. 150
- The soul of man wanders through the uttermost regions of the universe, and she (a woman) seeks to
imprison it in in the circle of her account-book. 152
8. Oral tasks.
Speak about:
- Stroeve’s visit to his former studio.
- Strickland’s view on love and women.
- the narrator’s impression of Strickland’s pictures.
ASSIGNMENT # 11
1. Words for intensive study:
to expose oneself to smth.
159
bigoted
161
glamour
161
pp. 159-180
to be in a predicament
reticent
to take to doing smth.
169
170
175
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
romance 161, repartee 164, predecessor 169, realm 167, divine 167, flamboyant 168, guile 169,
melamcholy 170, etiquette 171, typhoon 171, vivacious 175, ado 174, prestige 177, raucous 177, to
plough 180
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
to explain 159, to abandon 16, guess 162, to measure 162, supreme 163, to sleep 175, to weaken
170, tp make both ends meet 172, extremely lively 176, abominable 177, going to Australia 179, sailor
173.
4. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations:
a latent gift 159, fresh from school 160, a picaresque novel 160, a beach-comber 169, odd jobs 175,
man-of-war 175, cat-calls 178, delirium tremens 179.
5. Find in the text equivalents of the following word combinations:
достичь мастерства 160, отвлекать чье-либо внимание 163, прийти в чувство 163, противиться
искушению 164, задаваться 169, за чей-либо счет 169, делать одолжение 169, заслуживающий
доверия свидетель
172, им повезло
175, его стоило послушать
176, подняться над
обстоятельствами 176, изо всех сил 179.
6.
-
Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
It must have frightened her. 162
…mysteries unholy for men to know. 167
Strickland, having come to the end of his resources, had apparently found it impossible to earn the small
sum he needed… 172
7.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences
Strickland was not a conversationalist. 164
I bet he found it hell to paint. 165
I’m practically a teetotaller. 168
They found themselves once more adrift. 174
…personally I never take it in bad part. 175
Strickland was an ugly customer when he was roused. 176
This beats cock-fighting. 179
The mulatto, sober, was a man to be reckoned with. 179
8. Comment upon the following sentences:
- in men, as a rule, love is but an episode which takes its place among the other affairs of the day, … There
are few men to whom it is the most important thing in the world… even during the brief intervals in
which they are in love, men do other things which distract their minds… As lovers, the difference
between men and women is that woman can love all day long but men only at times. 162-163
- Strickland was an odious man, but I still think he was a great man. 164
9.
-
. Oral tasks. Speak on the following topics:
Love and sex in Strickland’s life.
Strickland’s taste in painting.
Character sketch of Captain Nichols.
Captain Nichols’s account of Strickland’s life in Marseilles.
ASSIGNMENT # 12
1.
Words for intensive study:
Wilfulness
180
to buy for a song
181
to make allowances
181
to turn smbd. out
184
cargo
185
to take one’s (dying) oath
186
pp. 180-200
revelation
to be as mad as a hatter
to go to the dogs
promiscuous
enchantment
187
188
189
191
196
2.
Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
Mania 182, admirable 183, capaciousness 184, obesity 184, nostalgia 186, alien 186, bungalow 194,
flamboyant 195, luscious 195
3.
Find text synonyms of the following words:
brave 180, to get 181, salary 181, to appear 181, a female owner 183, to wander 185, thoughtfully
189, to beat 192, to gather 193, maliciously 197, to vex 198, to long for 199
4.
Give English equivalents of the following word combinations:
разжигать воображение 180, вымершее животное 180, не по средствам 181, не в состоянии ничего
понять 182, продавать с аукциона 183, оказать честь 184, избить кого-либо до полусмерти 185,
отказаться от карьеры 189, придержать язык 190, из жалости 197, быть несправедливым к …. 199
5.
-
Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
“You never get any work out of the natives unless you have a white man over
“If I had bought them I should be a rich man now”. 183
To have known her was a privilege. 184
He might have been a missionary. 193
6.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences.
vast chin succeeded to vast chin. 183
Her laughter was the most catching I ever heard. 184
He worked his passage on a sailing vessel. 185
He couldn’t stick to anything. 185
His brilliance was allowed by all. 186
He looked upon it then as extravagance to dine in shabby Italian restaurant. 188
… his knighthood was but the first of the honours which must inevitably fall to his lot.. 189
When we were students he beat me all along the line. 189
I always played second fiddle to him. 189
I’ve scored by it. 189
I suppose there was some kink in Abraham. 189
Strickland used to come here now and then to have a square meal. 190
She’s never been promiscuous like some of these girls. 191
Here Strickland lived on the produce of the land. 195
He had gone native with a vengeance. 197
them”. 181
7.
Comment upon the following sentences:
“I wondered if Abraham really had made a hash of life. Is to do what you want, to live under the conditions
that please you, in peace with yourself, to make a hash of life; and is it success to be an eminent surgeon with
ten thousand a year and a beautiful wife? I suppose it depends on what meaning you attach to life…”. 189190
8.
Oral tasks:
speak about the episodes of Strickland’s life in Tahiti as told by:
- Cohen
- Tiari Johnson
- Captain Brunot
ASSIGNMENT # 13
1. Words for intensive study:
to be a queer fish
to be a square peg in a round hole
by way of…
200
200
201, 220
pp. 200-222
to have an inkling of …
fortitude
220
208
2. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
galley 201, demon 201, schooner 202, draught 205, palette 205, nauseous 210, ghastly 212, leprosy
206, primeval 210, opaque 216, dove 217, stealthily 211, blasphemous 222.
3. Find in the text synonyms of the following words:
hatred 200, fearless 202, to enjoy 204, to insist 205, to dislike 205, to take oneself in hand 206, to
joke 206, to depart 208, to dare 209, house 210, to suppose 211, to beg 211, to smell 211, 217, to
forget 213, to hint 220, friend 221, humble 221, to drive away 214.
4. Find English equivalents of the following word combinations:
принимать кого-либо таким, как он есть 200, в него вселился дьявол 201, потрясти основания 201,
спать, как убитый 202, обмен любезностями 203, из вторых рук 203, быть настороже 205,
произнести смертный приговор 206, нервы расшатаны 213, назначить встречу 218.
5. Analyze grammar phenomena in the following sentences:
- Without it we should have been lost. 203
He was a man to attract immediate sympathy 203
He received us in a room that might have been in a house in a provincial town. 203
He seemed on a sudden to have entered a magic world. 212
6.
-
Paraphrase the following sentences:
It urged him hither and thither. 201
How did you hit on it? 201
A man whom he had deeply wronged… 201
… the failure of an attorney left him suddenly penniless. 201
…he was rooted to the floor. 205
How long do you think I can last? 207
-
It is a mercy when it runs its course quickly. 207
She was extraordinary transformed. 207
The spell was broken. 217
7.
-
Oral tasks.
What syntactical stylistic device is used on p. 212 in the paragraph starting “She took no notice…”?
Comment on the word order in the sentence:
“Gone were the Morris papers and gone the severe cretonnes, gone were the arundel prints…”
Comment upon Mrs. Strickland’s statement “There’s a certain responsibility
about having been the
wife of a genius” p.220
What did Robert Strickland may mean by saying “The mills of God grind slowly,
but they grind
exceeding small”? 221
Speak about the story of Captain Brunet. How is it related to the story of Charles
Strickland?
Describe the impression Dr. Coutras had of Strickland’s pictures on the walls of
his house. pp..
212, 214.
Describe the impression the narrator had of Strickland’s picture that Dr. Coutras
showed him.
Speak about the narrator’s visit to Mrs. Strickland. Has his attitude to her
changed? In what way?
Illustrate your point by quoting the text.
-