Владимир Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 1 курс

exercise moving on rapidly.

M o d e l : My sister plays the piano very well.

V Does your 'brother 'play the 'piano too?

Wait a little. I'll lake my umbrella. -*Is it /raining?

1. I've bought a new English book. 2. My friend is a student. 3. Something

has gone wrong with my pen. 4. I am hungry. 5. My brother has a new flat. 6. I'd

like to go to the Crimea next summer. 7. My mother is French. 8. I am fond of

tennis. 9. I've just come from St.Petersburg. 10. I can't translate this article alone.

11.1 don't think I'll finish this work today. 12.1 am thirsty 13. I am going to do

the room. 14. I don't think she can speak English.

9. Translate into English. Use Intonation Pattern IV in the replies:

1. Мы купили пианино. — Оно в моей комнате? 2. У меня есть очень интересная

английская книга. — Можно мне взглянуть на нее? 3. Я очень хочу пить. — Принести

тебе чаю? 4. Моя мать — учительница. — Твой отец тойсе учитель? 5. Я не могу

сделать это упражнение. — Помочь тебе? 6. Мой брат полупил новую квартиру. — Он

собирается покупать новую мебель?

10. Your teacher will suggest a verbal context. You in turn respond

by using: a) statements, sounding not categoric, soothing, reassuring;

b) special questions, expressing sympathy, interest, general questions, ex-

pressing interest; c) imperatives, soothing, encouraging, calmly patronising;

d> exclamations, encouraging, airy, friendly.

11. '* Listen to the dialogue "Guessing Game". Mark the stresses and

tunes. Practise and memorize it:

Is it in this room?

Yes.

Can I see it?

Yes.

Is it made of metal?

No.

Is it made of wood?

Yes.

Could I carry it?

No.

Is it useful?

Yes.

Has it got legs?

Yes.

Is it the chair?

No.

Is it the table?

Yes.

12.

Make up your own guessing game.

13. " Listen to the dialogues. Write them down. Mark the stresses and

pines. Practise and memorize them.

\ 14. Read the following sentences. Observe correct pronunciation of fhythmic

groups:

1. John came last night. 2. Don't do that here. 3. What nice soft gloves. 4.

John's away on business. 5. Thank you for the letter. 6. They went for a walk in

the Park. 7. At the bottom of Kensington Road. 8. At the bottom of Kenton Road.

9. At the bottom of Kent Road. 10. It wasn't so nice as before. 11. It wasn't so

nice before. 12. It wasn't so nice then. 13. Come and see him off. 14. Don't be so

impatient. 15. He always keeps me waiting. 16. It's the only time I'm free. 17.

Would you mind passing the sugar? 18. Can you be here at eleven? 19. She's

rather an impetuous woman. 20. Everyone else was on holiday. 21. How on earth

can you manage to finish so quickly? 22. I sent them a photo of the children, 23.

I should think it would be better to wait till tomorrow. 24. He realized that the

bus wasn't going to stop for him.

15.*** This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear and reproduce

intonation, a ) Listen to the text "Our Sitting-Room" sentence by sentence. Write it

down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise the text, b) Record your reading. Play the

recording back immediately for your teacher to detect the errors. Practise the text for

test reading, c) Describe any picture in the same manner.

16."** Read the text silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Split up each

sentence into intonation-groups if necessary. Underline the communicative centre and the

nuclear word in each phrase. Mark the stresses and tunes. It is not expected that each student

of the class will mark the text in exactly the same way. Your teacher will help all the

members of the class to correct their variants. Finally practise reading your corrected variant:

When you enter our sitting-room, the first thing you notice is the large

window opposite the door. On the left is an armchair with a small table by it. On

the table are some books and an electric table-lamp. There are two other

armchairs in the room and a settee.

"Aren't there any small chairs?"

"Only one, which is next to the radio-set, opposite the window. I have also a

small cassette-recorder, which I keep in my bedroom."

"Have you many cassettes?"

"Quite a lot... The mantelpiece is on the right pf the window and next to it is a

bookcase." "Do you read a lot?"

"Yes, everybody in our family likes reading. There are books in every room."

"What else is there in the room?"

"Nothing else. We don't like a lot of things in our room."

Section Five

I. Accidental Rise

M o d e l : VTom 'Brown is the f best 'pupil in vclass.

If the speaker wants to make one word of the descending head more

prominent than the others he pronounces it a little higher than the preceding

syllables thus breaking their descending succession. This non-final rise is called

a c c i d e n t a l . It never occurs on the first stressed syllable as this syllable is

always the highest in the descending head.

EXERCISES

1. Listen carefully to the following sentences. Concentrate your attention on

Accidental Rise:

1. In spring Nature awakens from her long winter sleep.

2. The trees are filled with new life. 3. The earth is warmed by

the rays of the sun. 4. The weather gets gradually milder. 5. The

fields and the meadows are covered with fresh green grass.

6. The woods and forests are filled with the songs of the birds.

7. When winter comes, we're obliged to spend more time indoors. 8. There's a

bus stop just over there. 9. Then he has to take great care of the young animals.

10. I should say that football is one of the most popular sports in Great Britain.

11. He sat thinking of his own children. 12. The scientist is known all over the

world. 13. Mary's umbrella is quite spoilt. 14. Ann was wearing a charming blue

hat.

2. Listen to the same sentences and repeat them in the intervals. Make your voice go

up a little on the word you want to make more prominent. Follow the intonation line

exactly.

3. In order to fix the intonation of sentences with Accidental Rise in your mind, ear

and speech habits repeat the sentences yourself until they sound perfectly natural to

you.

4. Read the following sentences using Accidental Rise on the words in bold type. Do

not forget to blend the words together:

1. I suppose it couldn't possiblyhappen again. 2. I'm sorry I couldn't quite

make out what you were saying. 3. My husband often does the washing upfor

me. 4. We went for a day's walk in the forest in spiteof the rain. 5. I'm reading a

most interesting book by a newwriter just now. 6. You have not given me a

satisfactory explanation of your strange behaviour. 7. We hope to move into our

newhouse before the month is out. 8. George plays football everySaturday

afternoon. 9. I have an English lesson everyday. 10. I haven't seen her for a long

time. 11. The doctor says she must stay in bed for twoor three days. 12. Tom

Brown is the bestpupil in his class.

II. Sequence of Tones Alternative Questions

M o d e l :

Has she a , niece | or a x nephew?

Alternative questions have the low-rising nuclear tone in the first intonation-

group and the low-falling nuclear tone in the final intonation-group. The fall and

the rise are of narrow range here.

EXERCISES

5. Listen carefully to the alternative questions. Concentrate your attention on the nuclear

tones of both intonation-groups:

1. Are the bedrooms on the ground floor or on the first floor? 2. Is the

furniture in his house modern or old? 3. Do the members of Dr. White's family

read the Times or The Worker? 4. Is it a large house or a small one? 5. Do you

prefer tea or coffee? 6. Is your wife a housewife or does she work? 7. Shall I go

on or stop here? 8. Does the dress fit you or do you want a larger one? 9. Have

you a son or a daughter? 10. Do you study French or English?

6. Listen to the same sentences and repeat them in the intervals. Follow the intonation

line of the model exactly.

7. In order to fix the intonation of alternative questions in your mind, ear and speech

habits repeat the sentences yourself until they sound perfectly natural to you. Listen to your

fellow-student reading the alternative questions. Tell him what his errors in the intonation are.

6. Complete the following sentences using the words in brackets:

1. Do you usually have dinner at home ...? (at the canteen) 2. Do you get up

at six ...? (at seven o'clock) 3. Will you have clear soup ...? (cabbage soup) 4.